Jackson Raines was Fire-line—exactly the kind of ability most people stereotyped as “all brawn, no brain.”
And honestly? He didn’t do much to disprove it. The guy had a short fuse, and it showed.
The moment the last word left Ethan’s mouth, Jackson’s flame-wrapped fist swung up, aiming straight for Ethan’s head.
Then it froze midair.
Because a blood-red spike had appeared at the same time—hovering less than an inch from Jackson’s eye.
If Jackson’s punch dropped, that spike would punch first… and pop his eyeball like a grape.
They locked in place, tension thick enough to choke on—
Until the arena broadcast cut in:
[All teams, proceed to the Holographic Simulation Chamber. Drill begins shortly.]
[Repeat: All teams, proceed to the Holographic Simulation Chamber…]
“Heh.” Jackson slowly lowered his fist, smiling without warmth. “Not worth bullying you. I’ll have my two teammates stand still. Try not to fall too far behind.”
Ethan’s teammate, Chase Nolan, leaned in and whispered, “Boss… we should go. We’re up.”
Ethan gave Jackson a lazy look. “Let’s move.”
…
In an office upstairs, several Unit 749 mentors had already pulled up the live feed—ready to watch the chaos.
“Who takes first this round?”
“Deputy Director, your daughter Tessa’s squad looks strong. Her teammates are at least decent.”
“Hard to say.” Someone shook their head. “A lot of good people rushed back from field work for this.”
“Jackson’s in, right? Fire-line. Joined half a year ago. Does more property damage than he earns in mission pay and has been put in lockup before,” someone laughed. “Trash personality, but he’s strong. Wide kit. Huge advantage.”
“Renee, I’ve heard your niece Luna’s terrifying. We’ll finally get to see her.”
“What about Ethan Parker—what ranking do you think he lands?”
“If it were a solo fight, he might even go toe-to-toe with Jackson,” someone said. “But it’s a team match. Look at Ethan’s two teammates… that’s rough.”
“Yeah,” another sighed. “No idea what Aimee was thinking. The balance looks awful. I’d say Ethan’s squad tops out around… top ten.”
…
Ethan’s team stepped into the holographic chamber.
Four walls of blank white. Nothing else.
[Simulation initializing. Environment generating…]
In a blink—
The white walls vanished.
They were standing in open wilderness. Dead leaves and dry grass carpeted the ground. The air smelled damp and earthy. Wind hissed through brush with a soft, constant rustle.
It was so real it made Ethan’s brain itch—like his senses couldn’t decide what was fake.
Then, in the distance, a gigantic zombie brood-mother appeared. It opened its mouth, and corrosive saliva dripped onto the ground, smoking as it hit.
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A moment later, a tide of undead spilled from around it.
Rotting flesh. Twisted faces. The kind of ugly that crawled inside your stomach.
They surged at the trio like a flood.
“Eep!” Nora Paige squeaked, legs shaking, nearly folding in place.
Kill a zombie: +1 point.
A zombie breaches the outpost: ?1 point.
The brood-mother wasn’t moving.
Ethan didn’t waste breath. “Hold the line.”
Then he sprinted straight into the wave.
Blood shaped into a blade.
He cut.
And cut.
And cut.
Limbs flew. Heads rolled. Black-red gore sprayed.
Their squad score began climbing steadily.
…
Elsewhere, Jackson’s squad spawned into their own instance.
He glanced at his two teammates. “You two—don’t move.”
“Jackson… we’re not amazing, but we can still help score—”
“I said don’t move.”
He wanted to crush the field alone. Because otherwise Ethan could say, My teammates were weak, and Jackson refused to leave him a single excuse.
Jackson slammed a flaming fist into the ground.
BOOOOM—!
A fire wave exploded outward. Nearly ten zombies were launched into the air, incinerated into blackened husks before they even landed.
…
Across the arena’s other instances, Luna Frost fought like a lone assassin—barely acknowledging her two teammates as she tore through the horde.
Meanwhile, Tessa Blake was cursing up a storm in her own run: “This is BS! Why won’t lightning kill these zombies? Who wrote this rule set?!”
…
The simulation ran for ten minutes.
Nine minutes had already passed.
One minute left.
Live Ranking:
Jackson Raines Team — 1823
Luna Frost Team — 1659
Derek Wolfe Team — 1599
Tessa Blake Team — 1522
…
Ethan Parker Team — 999
Ethan’s team was down by almost double.
Up in the mentors’ office, opinions solidified.
“First place is locked. Jackson’s kit is naturally built for mob farming—he doesn’t even need teammates.”
“Half a year in the Bureau, crushing rookies like this is normal… but yeah, it’s kind of cruel.”
“Luna’s impressive too—she’s keeping pace, she’s killing like a machine.”
“Ethan’s getting punished. Bad team draw, and his power isn’t ideal for mass-clear.”
“Honestly, a little frustration might be good for him.”
Then Caleb Shaw suddenly stood up, eyes fixed on the screen.
“Wait,” he said sharply. “What the hell is he doing…?”
…
Ethan already knew their score was low.
From the very start, one question had been sitting in the back of his mind:
If the objective is to farm small zombies for points… what’s the point of the giant brood-mother in the distance?
A set piece? A scare prop?
And then he remembered the other rule: defend the outpost.
A normal team’s instinct was obvious: stay put, kill zombies, don’t let them breach, don’t lose points.
But what if you killed the brood-mother?
Ethan’s eyes brightened—excited in a way that had nothing to do with winning.
“That’s… interesting.”
He pulled back to the outpost.
“You two hold it. Buy me time.”
Chase swallowed hard. “Y-yes, boss.”
His wind wall finally mattered—he threw up barriers that slowed the undead surge.
Nora handled anything that leaked through.
One punch per zombie.
Each hit crushed a skull like a dropped melon.
And Ethan—
Ethan activated his new ability.
Slaughter-line, Sequence 015 — Latania’s Bloodmoon Greatbow.
He raised his arms into an archer’s stance.
A massive bow formed in front of him—crimson, sleek, unreal.
At the same time, seventy percent of his blood converted into countless droplets, seeping out of him and gathering along the string until it condensed into a single arrow.
The blood-arrow glowed dark red—cold, ominous—like a blood moon hanging in a night sky.
He finished charging.
Then he released.
FWOOOM—!!!
The air detonated outward in a ring.
The arrow screamed across the distance—perfectly straight—and buried itself in the brood-mother’s head.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
The entire simulation flashed white, like the signal had been forcibly cut.
The wilderness vanished. The undead tide evaporated.
The chamber snapped back into blank white alloy walls.
And on one of those walls—
a scorched crater smoked and hissed, electricity snapping around the edges.
Chase gaped. “What—what just happened? Did you… break the simulator?!”
Ethan’s mouth curved slightly.
So the drill had a shortcut.
A brutal one.
Then Aimee’s emotionless broadcast filled the room:
[Ethan Parker Team has completed a hidden achievement: “Boss Kill — Brood-Mother eliminated.”]
[Total score +5000.]
