Caroline clenched her teeth and glared down at Lisa. A blade of ice formed in her hand, sharp and bright. "Shut the fuck up!" she shouted, throwing it straight toward her. But Lisa's voice had already reached the people hiding upstairs. Panic broke out. "Hand him over!" they shouted from above. "Give him up before we all die!" Lisa dodged Caroline's attack and kept yelling, her voice ringing through the flooded building. "Listen up! I'm Lisa Middleton from Obsidian Fang! We know how to deal with mutant steelworms! Not just them, we can stop every insect disaster! Turn Nelson Valdez over to us. No one here has to die!" Caroline's fury burned hotter. She launched attack after attack, determined to silence Lisa once and for all. But the woman was shielded by thousands of insects. They jumped up from the water, forming a wall that blocked every strike. Caroline aimed again, trying to pierce Lisa's throat with her ice blade, but couldn't aim it at Lisa. The bugs moved like soldiers, protecting their queen. That was Lisa's ability. It was terrifying. Caroline hadn't expected Lisa was able to control it so well right after awakening. Someone in Building B must have found a way to help their people master their abilities fast. "Caroline," Lisa called sweetly, her tone calm and tempting, "stop fighting. Talk to Professor Valdez. This is for everyone's benefit." Caroline gulped down a bottle of spring water, forcing herself to focus. Power gathered in her palms, burning despite its icy nature. She swung her hand forward in fury. Instantly, the floor beneath her froze solid, spreading downward through the building, all the way to the water below. The ice stretched more than 30 feet out, locking everything in place. Hundreds of steelworms froze mid-movement, trapped in thick layers of ice. Even the swarm under Lisa's feet turned solid, snapping in silence. Lisa realized what was happening a second too late. She quickly summoned another wave of insects that lifted her high into the air. It was the only thing that kept her from turning into an ice sculpture.Her heart pounded as she stared at Caroline, eyes filled with fear. What kind of monster is she? Lisa believed her ability was unmatched, but his was something else. Caroline wasn't done yet. She clenched her fist. The frozen ground burst into steam, the ice hissing as it turned into hot vapor. Those bugs that tried to break through the ice were instantly burned by the steaming vapor. Countless insects died in that very moment, all because of Caroline's single move. One by one, they dropped from the walls, splattering down in a rain of red. Even the insects holding Lisa up went limp and fell. She stumbled. One foot plunging into the icy water, the other landing on a pile of dead bugs. It was just enough to keep her from falling face-first into the corpse pool below. Caroline wasn't doing much better. That last blast had drained nearly all her strength. She could feel it. Something was wrong inside her. She had an internal injury. Every breath hurt. She stood before the window, forcing herself to stay upright, and she glared at Lisa. "Nelson is our teammate, not some product you can trade away! Go tell your boss—unless Nelson agrees himself, I'll never sell out a friend!" In her past life, after ten long years in the apocalypse, Caroline had learned to be cold, cautious, and always on guard. For months, Caroline had lived by one rule: trust no one but herself. Even when she first worked with Tyler or the army, every deal was a transaction. No favors. No debts. No attachments. She didn't want to owe anyone, and she didn't want anyone getting too close. But through everything—fear, betrayal, and death—she had never lost her principles. Never sell out a friend. Nelson trusted her. That meant she could never let him down. It wasn't because of Nelson's ability, but because Nelson believed in her when few others ever did. Lisa's expression darkened instantly.At the same time, Tyler dropped from the floor above like a shadow. Caroline's earlier strike had stalled the steelworms' attack for a brief moment, leaving the river below filled with floating, broken bodies. Tyler landed on them. His arms were already shifting into twin steel blades that gleamed under the pale light. He charged straight for Lisa. ... Meanwhile, trouble was rising on the 65th floor, where Nelson was hiding. Someone had slipped upstairs quietly, taking advantage of the chaos. He had just witnessed a powerful earth ability user die right before his eyes. His ability was fire, barely strong enough to summon small flames. Earlier, he'd burned down a few steelworms using gasoline, but now he was completely drained. His fire was gone. And fear crept in. He didn't want to die. His name was Dwayne Howe, a strong 30-year-old man who had a whole life ahead of him. Dwayne had awakened and become a superhuman. He believed no matter where he went, his power would help him survive in this new, broken world.