News spread that the nuclear power plant had been reactivated.The first to react was Aryan Patel.Dragging his frail body, he ran as fast as he could.Many gave him worried looks, but he didn’t care.Even his researchers—his students in all but name—were sprinting beside him, so who could blame him?He stumbled and fell several times, nearly breaking a bone, yet his expression was nothing short of determined.After running and running, Aryan finally reached the front gate of the power plant.The once-silent facility was now emanating a pulsating blue light from its center.“Huff… huff… it’s finally back online—the nuclear power plant!”“P-professor Patel! Please slow down!”A line of citizens had already gathered in front of the site.“Wow… the plant is really running again…”The young commander actually did it.Aryan himself wasn’t moved by the reactivation of the reactor alone—but as it was the key prerequisite for operating the cultured-meat production complex, his eyes lit up with excitement.Now, only one task remained: securing that complex.Once that was done, they could finally begin vaccine research.A mix of emotions crossed Aryan’s face at the thought.Naturally, his path and Kyle’s group soon intersected.“Aryan?”“Hah… Commander! You’ll move on to the cultured-meat complex next, right!?”Aryan looked so motivated that it was almost overbearing.Kyle gave a wry smile and nodded.“Yes, you’ve waited long enough.”“Indeed I have! A long time!”The cultured-meat complex—if they could seize control of it, they could theoretically feed hundreds of thousands of citizens.Having just witnessed people dying of malnutrition and dehydration, Kyle’s team felt the importance of this mission even more deeply.“It’ll be tough, but we’ll head out immediately.”“Yes, sir.”The plant wasn’t far from the power station anyway, so they began moving without hesitation.“Aryan, there’s no power line connected to the complex yet. Even if we seize it, we won’t be able to start it up right away.”“That’s fine, young commander. We’ll need time to prepare our experiments anyway.”Aryan and his researchers followed behind, their steps almost buoyant as they approached the facility just ahead.“Phew.”“You’ve worked hard, Captain.”“We all have.”Following the reactivation of the power plant, the capture of the cultured-meat complex proceeded smoothly.There were some creatures trapped inside the facility, resulting in minor skirmishes—but they were one-sided fights, with not a single injury on their side.Inside, the scene was as grim as the power plant’s had been.The people here hadn’t lacked food—but most had mutated, leaving behind gruesome traces of them devouring their remaining young colleagues.Even Benjamin, hardened as he was, looked sickened by the sight.Only the researchers reacted differently.“Let’s start with samples.”“There should be syringes and coolers in the research wing. I’ll fetch them right away.”If anyone here looked truly mad, it was Aryan and his team.They didn’t even flinch at the piles of flesh—eyes gleaming, they just kept muttering “samples, samples.”It was clear they weren’t entirely sane.Still, that kind of madness is probably what led them to develop a vaccine in the end.It felt excessive, but Kyle didn’t want to pour cold water on their enthusiasm.Benjamin seemed to share that sentiment, shaking his head with a faint smile.“I knew it when they tried to fill their canteens with monster blood…”“Come on, it’s good to see them so lively.”He chuckled and nodded, then glanced around.“This place is massive.”“Of course—it handled most of the city’s meat supply.”The cultured-meat complex lived up to the name “complex.”It stretched over a huge area, divided into numerous specialized buildings:A sector for storing base cells.A facility for producing growth medium.A section for the actual cultivation process.And areas for packaging and storage once production was complete.All of it connected in long rows—it looked almost like a small town.“How do you plan to secure the necessary growth medium?”“For now, the stockpiles here should be enough. Beyond that, we’ll handle it later.”Once the city’s infrastructure was restored, they could replenish supplies like nutrient solution again.That wasn’t a major concern.If you restore the main arteries, the smaller veins follow naturally.“Mind if I light one?”At that, Benjamin took a cigarette from his coat.“Do as you like.”Eli approached, her expression thoughtful.“Kyle.”“Eli. Done looking around?”He’d thought it would take a while given the size of the place, but she returned quickly. Her face looked serious.“Yes, but… there’s a problem.”“What kind of problem?”“I think the backup generator’s been running inside. But it couldn’t keep all the meat preserved.”“I see.”In short—the meat was starting to spoil.“Well, nothing we can do.”“There’s too much of it.”“Then maybe it’s time for a feast.”“Feast?”Eli tilted her head; such a concept didn’t exist in this world anymore.“You’ll see soon enough.”Kyle found himself wondering aloud,“I wonder what cultured pork belly tastes like…”***“Are you sure this is okay?”“You’re doing fine.”There was a mountain of meat left in the facility.Since plenty of time had passed since the Mega Flare, they either ate it now—or threw it all away.The Ark Unit decided to hold a rare banquet.“Cough, hack!”“You can handle cigarette smoke but not grill smoke?”“That’s different! And this isn’t even charcoal!”The reason Benjamin—the chief of staff—was in charge of grilling wasn’t complicated.If he was put in charge, he’d manage the soldiers efficiently.Still, he grumbled while tending the fire, burning chunks of wood into makeshift fuel.With the chief doing that, everyone else felt too awkward to sit idle, so Kyle joined in.Soon, a crowd of survivors gathered—Ark soldiers, civilians, and new recruits who’d recently joined them.They sat down shyly, their faces full of anticipation.“Nice color,” someone murmured as the first slices of meat began to sizzle.Beef, pork, and chicken were the basics—but there were also bizarre varieties like hippo and elephant meat, whose origins no one could explain.No wonder Eli said there was too much.Even transporting the meat required immense effort.Nearby, nervous soldiers whispered:“I’ve never cooked before. Think it’ll be okay?”“Quiet! The Captain’s right there.”Their stiff postures were almost comical—like new recruits before a general.“Captain, the fire’s ready.”They had torn apart old wooden furniture from nearby houses to use as fuel, and laid steel plates on top.It wasn’t exactly sanitary—but that hardly mattered now.“Chief.”“Yes, sir?”“Except for the sentries, everyone’s allowed to drink.”At that, countless eyes widened.“Sir? You mean that?”Benjamin asked cautiously, earning a flood of hopeful glares from the soldiers.Kyle smirked. “Come on, look at them.”Benjamin’s expression darkened for a moment, then he sighed and smiled.“Sometimes, it’s necessary.”Ark soldiers were strictly forbidden from drinking under normal circumstances.But allowing it once in a while was good for morale.Extreme tension and stress always came back like a firestorm if left unchecked.That’s why even in wartime, armies rationed alcohol.“Just make sure no one gets completely wasted—otherwise I’ll handle it personally.”“Yes, sir. But as you know, we don’t have any alcohol in our supplies.”“I’m sure someone’s got a stash.”The soldiers twitched.Their reaction told him everything.“You bastards…” Benjamin muttered.“Chief.”“Yes, sir. I’ll—uh—take care of it.”“I already know.”“Sir?”“Don’t pretend you don’t.”“…”After a pause, Benjamin finally pulled a hip flask from his coat.“I’ve only been carrying it for emergencies, sir.”Kyle chuckled.He knew Benjamin never drank on duty, so the excuse was half believable.“The grill’s hot enough.”“Yes.”Ssshhhh!The meat hit the plate.The aroma alone was torture to their empty stomachs.Gulp.Right then—“Kyle, I brought it.”“Perfect timing, Eli.”She’d returned with enough seasonings to make proper marinades.***“They look awfully relaxed for people at war…”From a distance, a man growled as he watched the scene with five others.“Chief, this is the perfect chance to take out their key figures!”“Don’t act impulsively.”They all wore silver wolf insignias on their chests—the Special Forces of Command HQ.The man speaking was none other than their commander, accompanied by his elite lieutenants.“Warning us, were they…”Isaac Lucas. Valentina de la Rosa.Both had suffered humiliation at the hands of that black-haired man in the distance.But that wasn’t the issue.The real insult was that he’d dared to threaten the Special Forces commander himself.Yet—Wolfgang Reinhardt, the commander, sensed that now was the time to swallow his rage, not unleash it.“Not yet… Not now…”He saw himself as a predator.And right now, he was simply waiting for the prey to grow fat enough.That was the only way to soothe his wounded pride.“Are you really leaving? Can’t you reconsider just once more?”“We would’ve had to relocate eventually. It just happened a bit sooner, that’s all.”“I see…”Perhaps his judgment was correct.Once their base had been exposed, it was impossible to operate safely anymore.Though the men before him were “unclassified soldiers” in his eyes, objectively speaking, facing that kind of force head-on was unwise.Still, Wolfgang told himself he was simply waiting for the right opportunity.But then—for a fleeting instant, he felt as if the bespectacled man in the distance had looked directly at him.It couldn’t be.There was no way someone could spot a concealed Special Forces unit from kilometers away.“Let’s move.”Wolfgang turned with a cold expression.But none of them realized—that unseen eyes were already watching them from the shadows.

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