Fighting back the excitement surging in his chest, Ayn returned to his bedroom and carefully closed the balcony door. His eyes shifted to the phone lying on the bed, the call with Ari was still connected, her faint breathing audible through the speaker. At that moment, a question arose in his mind: should he tell her about the system? It took him less than three seconds to decide—yes, he should, and he must. Because in this world, Ari and their mother were the two people he could never abandon. He wanted them to live on with him, all the way to the very end.
However, now was clearly not the time to bring it up. Why? Because Ari wasn't in Tokyo; she was in Osaka. If he wanted to tell her, he would have to do it over the phone. And just then, a message appeared in his vision: [Your Transcendent Intuition tells you: talking about the system over the phone is dangerous. There is a possibility of information leakage.]
The system had explained "Transcendent Intuition" in its rules: It was a power unique to Transcendents, an instinct sharper and more reliable than that of ordinary humans, capable, to some extent, of surpassing causality and glimpsing the future. Yet it wasn't infallible; there were times when it would be wrong. Therefore, the system advised Ayn to judge for himself whether to trust it—completely, partially, or not at all.
Faced with that warning, Ayn chose to believe. He trusted his intuition because he had seen enough movies, novels, and news reports to know one thing: in the real world, phone calls were never truly private. Carriers stored call logs and cell tower data—timestamps, contact IDs, locations—all retrievable later. In some cases, even the contents of the calls could be recorded or accessed by authorities. More advanced technologies could force a phone to connect to specific towers and intercept its signal. And with cloud backups and chat app server records, every trace could eventually be recovered.
In other words, if those Big Shots ever decided to investigate Ayn, all it would take was a single command, and the relevant departments could retrieve his entire call history—perhaps even reconstruct the conversations themselves. And as for whether they would target him? If those Big Shots ever learned about the system, if they knew someone had found a way to extend life, preserve youth, and stay perfectly healthy, do you really think they would sit back and do nothing?
Whatever your answer might be, Ayn's was already clear: the best-case scenario would be losing his freedom; the worst, becoming a lab rat. And to achieve their goal, those Big Shots would have no problem using his family as leverage. That was why Ayn reached one cold, firm conclusion—until he had enough power, he could never reveal that he was a Transcendent, nor could anyone know about the system's existence.
Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't tell Ari about it—just not through a phone call. It had to be in person. With that, a thought began to take shape in his mind: I have to leave Tokyo and get to Osaka. The moment that thought solidified, a translucent window appeared before him, displaying a new mission:
Mission Name: My Resolve
Objective: Leave Tokyo, travel to Osaka, meet Ari, and tell her about the system.
Reward: Follower Slot ×1, System Coins ×2000
Time Limit: None
Ayn glanced at the system's mission window and selected "Accept" without hesitation. Then he walked to the bed, picked up the phone that was still on the call, and was about to speak—but the words caught in his throat. He paused for a few seconds, gathered his thoughts, then deliberately acted as if the system didn't exist at all and said, "I'm back… damn, it's a mess out there. I could still hear police sirens—looks like the cops are already out."
To his surprise, Ari didn't sound smug or say "See, I told you so." Instead, her voice was full of concern: "If it's that bad outside, don't go out. Just stay home and wait for the police or the JSDF to take care of it."
Ayn didn't respond directly. Instead, he smoothly shifted the topic. "How about you? Is Osaka safe? Any zombies over there? And what about Mom? Did you get in touch with her?"
As expected, that question pulled Ari's attention away. "I haven't seen any reports of zombies in Osaka, so it's probably safe here. Don't worry about me. As for Mom, I called her earlier—she's fine too, no zombies in her area. She was just worried about you, told me to call and check how you're doing."
Hearing that, Ayn finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least for now, he didn't have to worry about his mother or Ari being in danger. "Don't let Mom worry," he said calmly. "Tell her I'm fine. The zombies are far away from me, and there are soldiers nearby—it's safe here."
Ari paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "There are really soldiers nearby?"
Ayn rolled his eyes: "Hell no. I just don't want her freaking out."
Before Ari could reply, Ayn went on, "By the way, is it just Tokyo? This isn't some global outbreak, right?"
For Ayn's question, Ari replied, "Yeah, it's global. Japan's only got trouble in Tokyo for now, but other countries… some places have already fallen. Like Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei, Delhi, Mumbai, Jakarta, Bangkok, Cairo, Istanbul, London, Paris, Moscow, New York, Los Angeles, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Lagos, Cape Town—there are tons of cities affected."
Ayn was dumbfounded, blurting out, "What the hell, since when did you start keeping up with the news?!" He wasn't joking. In his mind, Ari had never been the type to keep up with the news, let alone international news. The fact that she could rattle off so many city names was suspicious—she probably didn't even know where "Lagos" or "Cape Town" were on a map.
Ari rolled her eyes again and shot back, "People online are keeping track, okay? There are whole sites collecting updates! How else would I know all that? Don't tell me you think I'm behind the zombie outbreak now. Come on, bro, don't go full chūnibyō on me, we're not the protagonists of some novel!"
After teasing him, Ari's tone gradually turned serious. "Anyway, now that you know how dangerous it is outside, don't go wandering around. By the way, do you still have enough food and water at home? And listen, whatever you do, don't drink tap water. I saw people online saying the virus might have spread through the water supply, that someone might have poisoned it."
Ayn didn't respond to her warning directly. Instead, he spoke from another angle. "I don't think staying in Tokyo is safe. Think about it, there are tens of millions of people here. If the infection spreads through contact, then the more crowded the place, the more dangerous it becomes. While it's still not completely out of control, I need to get out of Tokyo. If I wait until the military starts sealing off the city, it'll be too late to leave. They won't care whether someone's infected or not, they'll lock everyone down together."
His tone was so firm that Ari hesitated: "But it's too dangerous outside… you might get caught in something worse if you leave now."
Ayn immediately caught the hesitation in her voice and replied without missing a beat. "Hesitation is what gets people killed. I've made up my mind. I'm leaving Tokyo and heading to Osaka to find you."
Ari still sounded uneasy. She was worried—no one knew what was really happening out there, and she was terrified that Ayn might run straight into danger. But she could also hear something rare in his voice: real determination. It had been a long time since she'd heard him speak like that. After a long silence, she finally asked, "How are you even planning to get to Osaka? Trains and bullet lines are definitely shut down. You don't even have a car. What, are you planning to walk? What if there are zombies on the road?"
Ayn answered quickly, as if he had already planned it out. "Don't worry. I've got a coworker who lives in the same building. His family's from Osaka, and he has a car. I'll go find him, and we'll head there together."
Ari clearly didn't believe him. She knew Ayn hardly had any friends, and she'd never heard of any coworker living in the same building. Still, there wasn't much she could do. She wasn't in Tokyo; she couldn't stop him.
So she sighed and began listing every precaution she could think of: "Just… be careful, okay? Don't forget your passport, cash, phone, power bank, bottled water—anything essential. Dress thick, too. Some people online said thick clothes might make it harder for zombies to bite through. And take a kitchen knife for self-defense, or any other usable weapon. Turn off your phone's vibration, switch it to silent mode so no sound gives you away. And don't keep it in your pocket, put it in your backpack instead, so you don't drop it while running."
Ayn couldn't help but smile helplessly. Her nagging was annoying, but it also warmed his chest: "Yeah, yeah, I got it. Don't nag. I've gotta pack up and get moving. You should also leave Osaka's city center and stay somewhere safer. Didn't you say you have a friend living out in the suburbs? Go stay with her for a while. You two can look out for each other. Let's text once every hour to check in. If I don't reply, don't panic—it probably just means I lost my phone. And one more thing—don't tell Mom the truth. Just tell her I'm fine, that there are cops and soldiers around me. I don't want her worrying herself sick, got it?"
Ari was quiet for a moment before softly replying, "I understand. I'll tell her."
The conversation should have ended there, but something suddenly came to Ayn's mind. "Oh, right. Keep an eye on flight tickets. We might have to go back home to find Mom. If you see any available seats, buy them right away—no matter the price. This isn't the time to save money."
Ari didn't even pause. "I've already been checking, and I managed to book tickets earlier. If I'd waited any longer, they would've sold out—like, literally right now."
Ayn exhaled in relief, sounding genuinely impressed. "Nice work. That's reliable."
Ari let out a small laugh. "Anyway, just be careful, okay?"
"Relax," Ayn said with a faint grin. "I'm not an idiot."
"Hmm…"
After the call ended, Ayn quickly got dressed and began packing his things in the dark. Wait, dark? Hadn't he turned on the light? No. From start to finish, Ayn had never flipped the switch. Because his Transcendent Intuition had clearly warned him earlier not to turn on the lights.
If this had been before, packing without the lights on would have been a real hassle, the room was pitch-dark, after all. But now, things were different. The "Newcomer Pack" gifted by the system came with a few system coins, and Ayn had used them to buy several skill books from the [System Store]. One of them was a skill called "Transcendent Radar." With his current ability, activating it allowed him to scan everything within a five-meter radius in real time, every object's position clearly visible in his mind.
That range formed a full sphere, meaning the radar covered all directions: above, below, ahead, behind, left, and right. Even if ceilings and floors weakened the signal slightly, reducing its reach to about four meters, it could still pierce through walls and show him what was happening in the nearby rooms.
And what about his neighbors' situation right now?Let's start with the one upstairs, he had already turned into a zombie, dragging his feet as he wandered aimlessly around the bedroom. Ayn gave him a single glance before quickly looking away. Strangely enough, he didn't feel afraid. Why wasn't he afraid? Wouldn't any normal person be terrified by such a sight? Of course they would. But Ayn wasn't a normal person anymore, because he had already activated the [Innate Skill: Heart of the Strong, Lv.1].
According to the system's rules, no one could gain true power without possessing a strong mind. The Heart of the Strong was the foundation of all abilities, and only by awakening it could one freely use the skills they possessed. However, awakening that power didn't mean losing one's humanity. A true strong one was someone who could hold great power while still preserving human emotions and compassion. Because of that, even though Ayn had become calm and composed, he could still feel emotions—fear, affection, and even desire.
And precisely because he still retained those feelings, Ayn couldn't help but glance a few more times at his downstairs neighbor. Why? Because that neighbor wasn't some burly man, but a beautiful young woman wearing only black lace lingerie. She was undeniably attractive. So, the lecherous side of Ayn couldn't help but look a little longer, quietly admiring her graceful figure through the thin fabric.
However, that was where his lust ended. He had no intention of doing anything foolish. After all, what if showing his abilities exposed him? Besides, Ayn didn't believe that woman would keep his secret. And more importantly, the cost of exposure was far too great, a risk he couldn't afford to take. With that thought, he tore his gaze away and focused on packing his things in silence.
However, just then, the system window appeared once again, displaying a new mission:
Mission Name: Companion
Objective: Form a team with the woman and successfully escape Tokyo.
Reward: System Coins ×500
Penalty: Failure will result in a deduction of 5,000 System Coins. (If your balance is insufficient, the remaining amount will be treated as a loan and must be repaid.)
Time Limit: None
Ayn's eyelids twitched violently as he stared at the screen. He couldn't shake the feeling that the system was doing this on purpose—not just deliberately assigning this mission, but even manipulating that woman's fate to some extent. Otherwise, how could it be explained that at the very moment Ayn decided to flee Tokyo, this woman also had the same idea? Even more coincidentally, while he was packing his things, she was doing exactly the same.
Faced with the mission, Ayn didn't want to accept it at first. But after thinking it over, he still pressed "Accept." Why? His reasoning was simple: if the System had already set his path in motion, then so be it. Whatever lay ahead, it couldn't possibly be worse than the bitter, suffocating days he'd endured before. In a way, that thought alone made it easier to accept this fate—and to move forward without hesitation.