"You have five seconds to explain how you know about the cat," the woman hissed. The blade didn't just press against Kaelen's skin; it sang a cold, lethal song.
Kaelen didn't blink. In fact, he was busy looking at the glowing blue text floating above her head.
[Target: 'Silver Fox' Operative, Ivy]
[Current Mood: 80% Confused, 15% Terrified, 5% Wondering if she left the stove on]
[Probability of her actually cutting your throat if you smile: 0.01%]
"Technically," Kaelen said, his voice as steady as a surgeon's, "it was six seconds ago. And honestly, Ivy—can I call you Ivy? The cat is cute, but the 'Mr. Fluffles' text underneath it is a bit much for a high-end assassin, don't you think?"
The blade trembled. Just a fraction of a millimeter, but in the world of high-stakes evolution, that was a canyon.
"How do you know my name?" she gasped, her composure cracking like cheap glass.
"I see things," Kaelen replied, holding up the vial of Tier-1 Prime Evolution Serum. "For example, I see that if I drink this right now, you'll be too stunned to stop me. And I also see that in approximately three minutes, those raiders you were watching are going to wake up very, very angry."
"Don't you dare—"
Kaelen didn't wait for the 'dare.' He popped the cap. The scent that wafted out wasn't chemical; it smelled like lightning and old memories.
[Warning: Sudden Evolution in Progress]
[Success Rate: 100% (Because you're the only one who didn't skip the tutorial)]
[Pain Level: Like being hit by a freight train made of caffeine. Enjoy!]
He downed it in one go.
For a second, the world went silent. Then, the freight train arrived.
It wasn't just pain; it was a complete architectural redesign of his nervous system. Kaelen fell to his knees, but he didn't scream. Screaming was for people who didn't know the outcome. He knew. Every cell in his body was being torn down and rebuilt into something faster, stronger, and significantly more expensive.
Ivy stepped back, her knife forgotten. She watched in horror—and a hint of fascination—as Kaelen's skin rippled like water. Blue veins pulsed under his neck, glowing with a faint, rhythmic light.
"What... what are you?" she whispered.
Kaelen looked up. His eyes, once a standard brown, now held a faint gold ring around the iris. He felt like he could see the wind. No, he could see the probability of the wind.
"I'm the guy who's about to save your life," Kaelen said, standing up with a newfound fluidity that made him look less like a man and more like a predator. "Because behind you, Mohawk just found his backup. And they brought a grenade."
Ivy didn't even have time to look back. Kaelen's hand moved faster than her eyes could follow, grabbing her wrist and pulling her behind the reinforced steel of the delivery truck's frame.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the pavement, showering the area in glass and heated metal. The raiders weren't just idiots; they were desperate idiots with military-grade leftovers.
"Stay down," Kaelen commanded. His voice had changed—it was deeper, resonating with a strange authority that made Ivy's heart skip a beat. It wasn't just the serum; it was the way he moved, as if he knew exactly where every shrapnel piece would land before it even left the grenade.
[Probability of the Raiders charging in blind: 100%]
[Probability of you neutralizing them with that loose iron bar near your foot: 100%]
Kaelen didn't even look down as his fingers closed around the cold, rusted bar. He felt the weight, the balance, and the exact angle needed to break a man's spirit without breaking a sweat.
"He's dead! The kid is toast!" Mohawk's voice screamed from through the smoke. "Get the serum! Get everything!"
Three shadows rushed into the clearing. They were laughing, the kind of manic laughter that only the end of the world can produce. But their laughter died the second Kaelen stepped out of the smoke.
He didn't look like "toast." He looked like the personification of a bad day.
"You missed," Kaelen said simply.
Before Mohawk could even raise his pistol, Kaelen was there. It wasn't a run; it was a blur. The iron bar whistled through the air, hitting the pistol with such precision that the gun didn't just fall—it disassembled in mid-air.
Crack. Thud. Silence.
In four seconds, the three raiders were on the ground. Not dead, but very much reconsidering their career choices. Kaelen stood over them, the iron bar resting casually on his shoulder. He wasn't even breathing hard.
"System," Kaelen whispered in his mind. "What's the success rate of these guys ever bothering me again?"
[Probability: 0.00% (They are currently debating whether you are a ghost or a god)]
Kaelen turned back to Ivy, who was still crouching, her knife held in a defensive but trembling grip. He offered her a hand.
"About that 'Silver Fox' contract," Kaelen said with a lopsided grin. "I think I'm going to need a better offer than a knife to the throat. But hey, if you can help me find a place that still serves decent coffee, I might consider an alliance."
Ivy looked at his hand, then at his glowing gold eyes. She didn't take the hand immediately, but she lowered the knife.
"You're a freak, Kaelen Mo," she muttered, though there was no malice in it.
"Maybe," Kaelen shrugged. "But in a world that's gone 100% crazy, being the only one with the cheat codes doesn't feel so bad."
He looked toward the horizon where the sun was setting, casting long, dramatic shadows over the ruins of the city. For the first time since the evolution started, Kaelen didn't just feel like he was surviving. He felt like he was winning.