Chapter 182 Loyalty Forged in Fire
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“I dropped out young, did whatever jobs I could to pay for her schooling. When she got to middle school, I enrolled her in a boarding school. Then one day in eighth grade… she jumped from the building.
“Before that, she called me. Over and over. She said she didn’t want to go to school anymore. I yelled at her, forced her to go back. I thought she was just being difficult. Later, I found out she’d been bullied. Those animals… they hounded her.”
His voice had risen with fury, and now his eyes burned with a killing intent so thick it felt almost tangible. His fists tightened around the tiny paper boat in his hand, arms trembling uncontrobly. “It was my fault. All my fault. If I hadn’t pushed her to go back, she wouldn’t have… She was my only sister.”
Just then, a hand settled gently on his shoulder.
“Tyger… It’s all in the past now.”
He turned to see Theresa standing there, looking at him with calm sincerity.
“If I were your sister,” she said quietly, “I’d be proud of you. You avenged her, and you’ve never stopped protecting girls like her. That’s something to be proud of.”
Tyger’s massive frame began to tremble all over again. He kept his head low, his fingers crushing the little foil boat in his palm.
Theresa didn’t say anything else. She simply stayed there with him, silent and steady.
After a long moment, Tyger lifted his head. “Could you… call me ‘Tyger‘ again?”
She smiled. “How about joining me, Tyger?”
His broad face broke into a grin. “I’ll follow you! I’ll protect you, no matter what!”
The two of them shared a smile, and just then, a system notification echoed in Theresa’s mind.
<i>“</i><i>Ding</i>–A <i>new </i><i>camp </i><i>guard </i><i>has </i><i>been </i><i>added</i>. <i>You’ve </i><i>received </i><i>one </i><ibat </i><i>suit</i>, <i>one </i><i>thousand </i><i>points</i><i>, </i><i>and </i><i>an </i><i>increase </i>in <i>loyalty </i><i>level</i><i>. </i><i>Current </i><i>loyalty</i><i>: </i><i>100</i><i>–</i><i>ssified </i><i>as </i><i>PURPLE</i>: <i>Unwavering</i>.”
Theresa blinked in surprise. <i>Purple</i><i>–</i><i>level </i><i>loyalty </i><i>right </i><i>off </i><i>the </i><i>bat</i>? <i>Holy sh</i><i>*</i>t!
There were only three loyalty tiers, and this was the highest she’d ever seen at recruitment. Even Kyle had taken time and effort to reach this stage.
And then another notification followed. <i>“</i>Ding–<i>Special </i><i>Attribute </i><i>copied</i><i>!</i><i>” </i>
<i>Fire</i><i>–</i><i>based </i><i>and metal</i><i>–</i><i>based </i><i>dual</i><i>–</i><i>ability</i><i>?! </i>
Before Theresa could fully process the incredible stats, a thunderous <i>bang </i>erupted outside. The explosion. rocked the mall beneath their feet, shaking the floor.
Theresa and Tyger instantly rushed to the nearest window. Out in the swirling orange–tinted snow, a tight military convoy burst from the residential district. Submachine guns and rocketunchers jutted out from armored vehicles, firing wildly into the distance.
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Chapter 182 Loyalty Forged in Fire
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Behind them surged a massive horde of zombies–thousands of them pouring out from between high- rises, screaming and snarling as they chased the convoy through the snow.
“Theresa!”
“Boss!”
Lucas and Kyle’s voices rang out from across the building.
Theresa waved from the hallway. “Here!”
Lucas spotted her and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “Stay put! We’re heading down now.” Without another word, he and his team rushed toward the stairs.
Kyle jogged over to her. “Boss.”
After regrouping, Theresa nodded toward the chaos outside. “We’re heading down too.”
She, Kyle, and Tyger took the emergency stairs down from the restroom corridor. On the way, she quickly introduced them. There wasn’t much time for pleasantries–just a nod of acknowledgment between the
two men.
Soon, they reached the stairwell between the first and second floors. Theresa stopped and walked over to the massive window looking out on the road.
From this vantage point, she could clearly see the convoy’s path. If anything went wrong, this spot offered options–retreat or counterattack. And if it really came down to it, they could jump straight out the window. Across the street stood another unfinished mall–still under construction, wide open, and full of potential escape routes.
As Theresa stood by the window, her mind automatically sketched out an escape map.
<i>This </i><i>is </i><i>the </i><i>spot</i><i>. </i>
Through the swirling snow, the convoy came into view–closer now, the markings on the vehicles growing clearer.
“Boss, that’s the International Riot Suppression Corps,” Kyle said, his brow furrowing.
“They’re what?”
“They’re a special ops unit. Independent of the old military districts. Only show up duringrge–scale international conflicts.” Kyle looked at her and summarized, “These guys don’t mess around.”
<i>Boom! </i>
After a rocketunched from the front vehicle, the roof opened, revealing a man d in a ckbat suit, hoisting a rocketuncher over his shoulder. He turned and fired straight into the zombie swarm. chasing them.