|Cleveland|

The beautiful city's lively atmosphere had been replaced by a cold and haunting air. Crows and vultures filled the air, their shrill cries echoing in the silence.

The streets were devoid of humans, though a few zombies were scattered around. In the distance, the Hope Memorial Bridge loomed. The Guardians of Traffic statues rose on it, casting a dark shadow across the bridge.

Surprisingly, the bridge was devoid of zombies and filled with a few humans—a rare sight in the city. Currently, both groups stood opposite each other, a quiet tension in the air.

On the left, a guy in casual clothes leaned against an open car door, grinning.

"Sophia, I didn't expect that old cougar would actually send you. Heh~"

Standing meters away from him, an older woman with a stern face stood, several evolved humans behind her. She was Sophia Madison, a representative from the Saber Fangs Shelter.

Locking eyes with one of the humans she greatly despised, she remained composed.

"Ezekiel. You're still with this barbaric attitude of yours." She said flatly, not responding to his taunt. She had fought him several times in the past—first as a first-level evolved, then as a second-level evolved. Now, they were both third-level evolved, the peak of power in the region.

Ezekiel laughed, his voice low and heavy. His eyes held deep disdain and malice towards the woman.

"Barbaric? That's rich coming from you."

Behind him, the remaining evolved from the Bull Shelter tensed, remembering the havoc caused by the other shelter in the past. Because of the Saber Fangs' schemes, the Bulls had lost many comrades in battle. This naturally fueled hatred among the evolved.

Sophia remained unfazed. "Is that right? You've become quite rude—speaking to your aunt this way."

The remaining evolved from the two shelters felt their jaws drop to the ground. For a moment, their hatred towards each other was dispelled, replaced by confusion and bewilderment.

—Aunt? She's Ezekiel's aunt?

All eyes turned to him, wanting to confirm whether the claim was true. He barely noticed their attention, his temples bulging with veins.

"Don't you dare say that. You're no longer a family to me. To us."

Before the verbal confrontation could turn into a full-blown familial scuffle, a man stepped behind Ezekiel and grasped his shoulder.

"That's enough."

His appearance made the Saber Fangs tense up. He was Austin Texas, Ezekiel's father and Sophia's brother. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Ezekiel's rude attitude softened instantly.

Austin smiled, then turned to Sophia.

"Let's leave our family matters out of this, okay? We have something more important to talk about."

The woman's expression hardened, and she nodded.

"The Fourth-Level Mutated Beast."

Everyone, regardless of their faction, tensed. At both camps, their number of third-level evolved barely reached eight in total. The mention of such a mighty creature made them uneasy.

Austin shook his head, "How confident are you in its existence?"

Sophia's gaze darkened, and she said in a heavy tone. "90%. We sent one of our special forces to scout Pittsburgh. However, only one person returned."

The evolved from the Bull Shelter had their brows furrowed. Although they were enemies with the Saber Fangs, they acknowledged the other party's strength—especially the so-called special forces.

"Jake. You know him." Sophia continued, her tone grave. "He was the only survivor. He barely survived and returned with fatal injuries. We got a bit of information from him before he… died."

Austin's brows rose in surprise, while Ezekiel was equally shocked. Jake was a third-level evolved like them. Although prideful and arrogant, his strength was undeniable.

Hearing that he ended up dying made the monster's threat sink into their hearts.

Ezekiel gritted his teeth, and murmured. "Damn it! You bastards are already enough problem. Now, we have to face this too?"

Though he whispered, everyone could clearly hear him.

Austin spoke up, his lips curled into a frown.

"How can you be so sure it's going to come here? I don't see any reason to join you people in the raid that's unsure."

Sophia remained composed, though a sneer played at her lips.

"You must be naive if you think that way, brother." Her sneer widened. "It won't come to Cleveland? Do you think Mutated Beasts are peaceful creatures?"

Facing Sophia's rhetorical sarcasm, Austin sighed. He looked up to the skies, clear and unpolluted.

"Fine."

He said reluctantly, folding his arms. "Tell your leader to prepare your evolved team. We should be the one going to fight it instead. Letting the creature attack us might be disastrous for the whole city."

Sophia nodded seriously. She had thought of that too, and had realized how stupid it was to wait for the creature to attack them.

"I'll relay that to him." She raised her head, a strange light flashing within her eyes. "When do you suggest we attack?"

Austin replied without turning back.

"Two days max."

With that, the evolved team from the Bull faction retreated, moving back to their own half of the city.

Watching them leave, Sophia remained motionless, then muttered.

"Humans are truly strange. Weren't they at odds with this woman? Yet, they chose to agree immediately. Hehe~"

The evolved behind her stirred, hearing bits of her whisper. The Sophia before them felt different from the one they were used to. A man stepped forward, his voice hesitant.

"Hey, Sophia. Are you… good?"

The evolved woman turned to him, confusion lingering in her eyes.

"What nonsense are you saying? Do I look injured?"

The man exchanged glances with the others, then sighed in relief. Turning back to Sophia, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry. I just thought you were zoning out."

Sophia snorted, lightly punching him on the shoulder.

"Oh, that? Don't mind my ramblings." She turned to the others, then clapped. "Alright, get ready. We're moving back to the camp."

They all complied and piled into the reinforced vehicles, driving back to their own half of the city.

Caw!

Unbeknownst to both shelters, a particular third-level mutated Crow had overheard their conversation. The crow's beady eyes glinted before it flapped its wings, soaring into the sky. Its destination—Night Veil City.

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