Chapter 270

The military jeep jolted along the pothole-ridden road, turning what should have been a twenty-minute trip into over an hour before reaching the temporary rescue outpost.

"We're here." Ronan Caldwell slammed the brakes, tires carving deep grooves in the mud.

The perimeter had been cleared of zombies, armed soldiers patrolling behind barbed wire fences. Scattered survivors arrived in small groups, all covered in grime with terror in their eyes.

"Name?" A soldier at the registration desk asked without looking up.

Aria Bennett slung her machete over one shoulder. "Aria Bennett."

The soldier's head snapped up, scanning the five of them—their clean clothes and high-grade weapons starkly different from the usual refugees.

"Are you heading to the base or—"

"Here to assist." Ronan cut in.

The soldier's pen paused mid-air. This was the first volunteer team today.

"Perfect!" He scribbled on the form. "We're critically understaffed—your timing couldn't be better."

Handing over a crumpled temporary pass, he added apologetically, "Supplies are tight. You'll have to use your own gear."

Ronan took the slip, casually asking, "The armory depots—"

"Don't even ask." The soldier grimaced. "Every suburban location is swarmed."

In the rest area, Damian Cross leaned against the wall with closed eyes. Aria flipped her dagger, the blade dancing between her fingers.

"Get some sleep," she murmured. "We've got hell to face in an hour."

Meanwhile, Meridian Plaza was engulfed in smoke.

"Left flank! Secure the left!" A blond team leader screamed hoarsely as his squad got pushed back by the zombie tide.

They were the third team to get slaughtered here today.

"Damn it! Where's the damn clue?" Someone kicked over a trash can in frustration.

Only after nightfall did another team have a revelation—they smashed into a music store and returned hauling giant speakers.

"It's on the monument!" A member pointed at faint carvings.

When they finally fought their way out battered, the live comments exploded:

[Team Aria finds clues like shopping while others look like they're fighting for their lives!]

[Rewatched ten times—Aria cracked that cipher in 87 seconds!]

[Other teams are dying and they're napping??]

[That newsstand map is totally setting something up. Waiting for Aria to rack up points.]

In the production control room, the director gaped at real-time rankings. "Seventh place? This scoring system needs an upgrade."

Elsewhere, Serena Blake hurled her tablet against the wall.

"Impossible!" She glared at Aria's sleeping profile, nails digging into her palms.

What shattered her completely was Celine Valmont being shoved into a police car—the evidence chain Roman Vale provided was airtight, leaving even the Valmont family no choice but to disown their daughter.

"Aria Bennett..." Serena seethed at the livestream. "What kind of monster are you?"

As night deepened, searchlights from the outpost cut through the darkness. Aria turned over, a ghost of a smile curling her lips.

The real show was just beginning.