A Second Chance by the System

Chapter 77: Into the Red Zone

The Red Zone was a name whispered in fear among rebels, deserters, and even System loyalists. A place where the air itself seemed poisoned, the land scarred by years of unchecked experimentation and warfare. It was a graveyard for the unprepared.

As Jared navigated the armored transport through the barren wasteland leading to the Red Zone, the group sat in tense silence. The glow of distant lightning storms painted the horizon an eerie red. The sky above seemed darker here, as if the atmosphere itself recoiled from the atrocities committed on this ground.

Ethan clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on the horizon. The voice over the comms still echoed in his mind. Whoever had contacted them had used his name, their tone laced with a familiarity he couldn’t shake.

“Do we even have a plan?” Jared broke the silence, his voice cutting through the low hum of the vehicle’s engine.

Lila, seated next to him, frowned. “We find my contact and get the Intel we need on the System’s vulnerabilities.