With Liam Thorne dead， Kane’s vengeance was complete. It was as if a chain he’d carried for two lifetimes had finally snapped off his shoulders. He felt lighter， freer than he had in years.

  Seven years in the Wastend had turned his heart to stone. But in that moment， his thoughts drifted back to the three women.

  They were alive right now， somewhere in this city. He just didn’t know where.

  If he ever found them again， he’d give them a good life. Keep them safe. But if he didn’t…

  If he didn’t， he wouldn’t waste his life searching for them.

  His own survival was all that mattered.

  Without power， even if he found them， he couldn’t protect them. They’d just end up dead all over again.

  Suddenly， he heard voices from the mall half a mile away. The two siblings he’d spotted earlier.

  “So that’s who was watching me.” Kane huffed a quiet ugh， hearing the little girl call him a monster.

  He didn’t care. People would call him far worse in the years to come.

  He tuned out their conversation， gncing back at Liam’s body， now ground to a bloody pulp. The woman was colpsed beside it， exhausted， still hacking away with the bde， slow and mechanical.

  “That’s enough. Give me the knife.” Kane flicked his cigarette to the ground and stepped forward， holding out his hand.

  The manic glint faded from her eyes. She looked up at him， bnk and dazed， like she hadn’t heard him.

  Kane bent down， snatching the cleaver from her hand. He wiped the blood off on her shirt， then strapped it back to his left forearm， tucked into the makeshift sheath of magazines and tape.

  He turned and walked away without a word.

  He’d already wasted nearly an hour killing Liam.

  It was just past 2 PM. Less than ten hours until midnight， when the Infected would rise.

  He needed to find as many Star Shards as he could before then.

  Suddenly， he froze. The woman was following him.

  “I’m not giving you food. Find your own supplies.” Kane snapped.

  In his eyes， she’d be dead by midnight when the Infected rose. Feeding her would be a waste.

  She didn’t say a word. Just stared at him from a distance， her face caked in dirt and blood， trembling in the hazy afternoon sun.

  “Fuck off. Or I’ll kill you.” Kane’s voice was cold. He turned and kept walking.

  With his enhanced senses from the Soul-Binder Ability， he could feel every Star Shard on the surface within a kilometer， as long as there was nothing blocking his line of sight.

  Thirty minutes ter， he caught a fsh of blood-red light 300 meters ahead. He broke into a run.

  Sure enough， a Star Shard y half-buried in the dirt， glowing faintly in the sun.

  Kane snatched it up， smashed it open with the modified bone saw.

  Three seconds ter， he held a bottle of purified water in his hand.

  Disappointment fshed across his face.

  This was the lowest tier of consumable from a Star Shard， F-Rank at best. He’d drunk plenty of it in his past life. All it did was cover a full day’s water intake.

  It was better than nothing. He tossed it into his backpack and kept moving.

  For the next hour， he found nothing.

  It was 3:30 PM.

  Kane’s jaw tightened. There weren’t nearly as many Star Shards on the surface as he’d expected. The high-tier Infected of his past life had thrived because they could sense Shards buried deep underground.

  He couldn’t. Even if he stepped right on top of one， if it was buried， he’d never know it was there.

  Suddenly， he heard footsteps. He spun around.

  The woman was running after him again.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you? You have a death wish?” Kane was already in a foul mood. He stormed forward， kicked her to the ground， and pressed the tip of the bone saw to her throat.

  “You killed the man who hurt me. Let me follow you.” Her voice was calmer than he expected， hoarse from exhaustion and dehydration. “I can be your food supply. Just like I was for him.”

  Kane’s face darkened. He flipped the saw around， smming the handle into her face， leaving a gushing cut across her cheek. “FUCK OFF.”

  This stupid woman was wasting his time.

  He fought down the urge to kill her， turned on his heel， and stormed off.

  But he had to keep his eyes peeled for Star Shards， so he couldn’t move as fast as he wanted. She caught up again quickly.

  Every time he turned to gre， she backed away. Every time he kept walking， she followed.

  Kane’s head was pounding. This woman had no fear of death at all.

  “Fine! You want food? Here!” He wasn’t going to waste any more time on her.

  They’d crossed paths. He didn’t want to kill an unarmed woman in cold blood.

  He pulled a smoked chicken leg and an energy drink out of his backpack， tossed them on the ground. “Take them， and get the fuck out of my sight. If you follow me again， I’ll kill you.”

  He had plenty of regur supplies back at the house.

  For some reason， regur food in the Colpse spoiled fast， no matter how you stored it. That’s why he hadn’t hoarded mountains of it before the meteor shower.

  It would go bad anyway. Giving some to her didn’t matter.

  He’d made up his mind. If she followed him again after this， she was dead.

  He stormed off， cursing under his breath. Behind him， the woman picked up the food and drink， a flicker of gratitude crossing her face， followed by a quiet sadness.

  Five minutes ter， Kane confirmed she wasn’t following him， and breathed a sigh of relief.

  A moment ter， he spotted another Star Shard.

  His foul mood vanished instantly. He snatched it up and smashed it open.

  A bck balisong knife y in the dirt， gleaming.

  Gear again. Kane’s heart lifted.

  He flicked the bde open with a sharp snap， sshing it through a chunk of meteorite.

  The cut was clean， smooth as gss.

  It was only F-Rank， but anything from a Star Shard was top-tier.

  From what he’d learned in his past life， the odds of pulling gear from a Star Shard were less than one in a thousand.

  Out of the four Shards he’d found so far—minus the one with the SSS-Rank Serum—two had been gear.

  Was his luck actually turning around this time?

  He clipped the balisong to his belt and kept searching. Half an hour ter， he found another Shard.

  He paused， sensing that the woman was still gone. He huffed， calling her a bad luck charm under his breath.

  No wonder he was finding Shards faster now that she wasn’t around.

  This time， the Shard opened into a nutrient-packed sandwich.

  He’d eaten these before， in his past life. It covered a full day’s energy needs， and more importantly， it healed minor wounds fast.

  It could save his life in a pinch. Exactly what he needed right now.

  He tucked it carefully into his backpack and kept going.

  Forty minutes ter， he found another Shard. It opened into another bottle of purified water.

  Of course. Gear wasn’t that easy to come by.

  Soon， the sun dipped below the horizon， and the sky turned dark.

  The smoke in the air had cleared completely.

  Without the sun’s gre， finding Star Shards got a lot harder.

  In the dark， even a glowing Shard looked just like a regur rock.

  Kane had three unopened Shards in his pocket， found in the st hour. He’d saved them to save time.

  Now， he smashed them all open， one by one.

  The first gave him a pack of instant noodles， warm and filling， with a minor resistance to the cold.

  The second gave him yet another bottle of purified water.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?!” Kane cursed. That was the third one. He ignored it， turning to the st Shard.

  He smashed it open.

  White light flooded the dark night.

  Kane’s breath caught in his throat.

  Through the fading light， he could see the outline of a piece of gear.