The ground shook violently, and most of the buildings had already collapsed. The 66-story building where Caroline and the others had been living survived the first quake. But when the second quake hit, the entire building snapped in half. Through clouds of sand and debris, the building tilted sideways and slammed into the one next to it, crushing it completely. In an instant, Buildings A and B were just piles of rubble. Cracks tore through the ground, and debris tumbled into the gaps. Since people had heard warnings earlier, many had prepared. Those who survived but hadn't gone to shelters pitched tents on flatter, safer ground. The heat alone was unbearable. But when the ground started shaking, everyone bolted from their tents, eyes wide at the chaos. As the earth split beneath them, they ran, clutching whatever supplies they could grab. People with abilities used them nonstop. Weird escape powers popped up everywhere. Still, some didn't make it. Some even took advantage of the chaos to steal supplies from others. The whole place was pure chaos. Some threw themselves over loved ones to shield them after falling. The tremors were so strong that even small stones flew into the air. Many were hit and left bloody, while unlucky ones had their legs crushed by rocks or glass. Screams filled the air, mixed with death's roar. The ground growled. Countless mutant creatures burst from every direction, scrambling for their lives. They were terrified, mindless, and disorganized, crashing into anything in their way. Some were swallowed by fissures on the ground while others crashed into people, killing them instantly on the streets.It was pure chaos. Only the military base remained standing. Even though five of its huge "legs" had been wrecked by quakes and cracks, the massive, warped structure still stayed upright, stubborn as ever. But then, with a violent shake, a huge fissure tore through the ground, heading straight for the base! The crack grew toward the center of the base. If it hit, it would slice the two thickest support legs in half. If that happened, the ancient-style, heavily reinforced base would be in serious trouble. At that moment, several soldiers appeared above the base. They stood at different points, sending their powers toward the ground. Huge chunks of soil surged from their hands, trying to block the fissure. They didn't seal it completely, but they protected the most critical support legs. Francis watched from inside the base. Nathaniel stood next to him, serious as ever. "The base is humanity's seed. We have to protect it at all costs." Nathaniel's voice was grim. Francis, unusually serious, saluted. "Yes, sir!" He glanced nervously toward a distance. "Commander Ball, looks like the mountain near Caroline just collapsed." Nathaniel whipped his head, posture stiffening. "What?!" ... Elsewhere, Caroline was still inside her storage space. The moment she fell, she entered it. Everything had happened so fast. She'd been standing in the yard, trying to check the mountain in the distance. When she sensed something was off, she got hit by disaster. She couldn't believe it. After being so careful, she never thought danger would hit inside her own base.And that damned base... Earlier, it had strutted around, all proud and smug, making her believe the base was safe. Barely a moment later, it threw her into a life-or-death situation. Once inside, she sent Jet, who was still wet and recovering, to scout. Poor Jet—half-bald, feathers not fully grown, couldn't fly far. He could only circle nearby. But he came back with good news—he'd found Silver. And he brought Raven as well, who had shrunk to rabbit-size. Smart boy. With debris everywhere, being big made him an easy target and hard to move across the cracks. Shrinking made sense. Then came the bad news. When Tyler saw Caroline fall, he jumped after her. Even worse—Nelson, panicked, followed as well. Caroline felt her head spin. It was fine for Tyler to jump. He was tough, and his abilities never failed.