Omega Sector was a shadow of the old world, and it always would be.

The Omega Wall and Omega Towers casted long streaks of shadows over the area, practically the only remarkable structures to be seen.

Gesus walked through the streets of the city, still in awe at the transformation that had taken place.

The once-pristine concrete structures of the military base were now filled with bustling crowds, vendors selling goods, and the sounds of construction echoing everywhere.

Old cement barracks and bunkers still remained, a reminder of the base's military history.

The streets were now lined with shops, restaurants, and housing complexes, all built on top of the former defense platforms and armories.

Despite the city's vibrant energy, Gesus couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy knowing that this was, for all she knew, the only place left after the war.

The denizens of Omega Sector were just as broken and crooked as the city itself full to the brim of miscreants and bad actors.

"Food People" and regular humans were not the only inhabitants.

The wars had fractured humanity into many different paths.

Some had chosen to become cybernetic, opting to alter their bodies and become transhuman.

Others had sought a more biological means to alter their state using gene splicing from all manner of living organisms… Even food.

Even AI had developed into a functional self-sufficient formation, although most of the advanced ones had been destroyed.

Fragments of the past still remained, a constant reminder of the world that once was.

Gesus couldn't help but marvel at the fact that Bottle was still fully human despite all he had been through.

Whenever Bottle changed clothes or got dressed, she caught glimpses of the scars that covered his body. They resembled a map of war, with each scar serving as a marker of his journey.

Most of the scars were on his front, suggesting that he was rarely taken by surprise.

Gesus had inflicted many wounds and even death blows with her Infinity sword.

The foes that stood before her were no match for her precision and skill.

She briefly wondered if Bottle would have survived an encounter with her back when she was killing everything in her path.

Bottle wore a custom armor of sorts underneath his uniform, but it only protected his chest.

The armor was made of a strange black metal that Gesus had never seen before. It was lightweight yet strong and durable.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

The chest plate was intricately engraved, with the engravings moving and folding into themselves.

Gesus suspected it was made with nanotechnology, a rare and unreplicable technology that was most prominent during the 7th World War but eventually dropped due to high manufacturing costs.

Gesus remembered a time when she had fought against someone with nano tech.

It had matched her Infinity sword and the fight had lasted a long time, but eventually, the person was defeated by her comrades, if they could even be called that.

They had been living at "Bottle's home" for over a week now and had adjusted well.

Gesus had learned a lot from observing their behavior. Occasionally, they would hunt food people and eat them, which still baffled her.

They had devoured a French Fry Man, a Soda Girl, a Sandwich Man, and other strange entities. And surprisingly, all of them tasted quite delicious.

But now, boredom had settled in as they spent the majority of their time in Bottle's office/home.

Bottle seemed content reading an old newspaper strewn about the room, unfazed by the lack of activity.

Meanwhile, Gesus lay on the ground with her arms spread out, waiting for something intriguing to happen.

[KNOCK!] [KNOCK!]

(!?) 2x

Gesus heard a loud knocking on the door and sat up in surprise.

She quickly composed herself and walked over to the door to see who it was.

Peering through the peephole, she saw two officers standing on the other side.

A muffled yell could be heard through the door, “OPEN UP, WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!”

One of them was a tall man with broad shoulders, and the other was a slender woman.

The officers were dressed in jet black armor with dark blue clothes underneath and sharp, slick helmets.

What caught Gesus's eye were their armbands, which were a deep crimson red with bold white letters reading "MPD?" Gesus whispers.

Gesus turned to Bottle, who was gesturing for her to be quiet as he hid behind some boxes. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

She was greeted by the two officers who towered over her.

The tall officer spoke first, "Huh? A kid? Oi, kid, do you know if there is a guy named… or umm a guy with a brownish tanned uniform in he’ya?"

Gesus's heart began to race.

She couldn't think of anything she had done wrong, but she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was creeping up on her.

The woman officer stepped forward shoving her taller colleague behind, "Listen up kid, this is important. May we come inside?"

Although the officer's helmet visors made it hard to read their expressions, Gesus could sense their tension.

Their hands were positioned so they could reach their weapons in an instant, suggesting that they were ready for combat.

Bottle swiftly leapt out of the window at the back of the room at the same time the officers barged in, drawing their weapons and shouting, "SHIT HE'S GETTING AWAY!"

Their weapons were plasma-tipped blades with batteries attached to their backs.

They ran outside in pursuit of Bottle.

But to Gesus’s surprise, he jumped back into the window, brushing off the dirt from his clothes.

"What was that?" Gesus asked, confused.

"Dammit Gesus, why did you open the door?" Bottle scolded her.

"Huh?" Gesus replied, still bewildered.

"Those guys were from the MPD, the Military Police Department of Omega Sector!" Bottle explained.

"Dammit, they weren’t supposed to know I’m back here," he muttered to himself, biting his thumb in frustration.

Gesus continued to press for answers, "Did we do anything wrong?"

"I don't know, Gesus. Do you think that killing and eating Food People was a normal thing?" Bottle retorted sarcastically. "Well, it should be."

Gesus was taken aback, "It was illegal?"

"No, that's not it... the MPD couldn't care less about people outside the wall killing each other unless..."

Bottle trailed off, replaying the events of the past hour in his mind, trying to understand how things had escalated so quickly.

"We ate someone important..." he said with a gulp.

The silence that followed was deafening, and the weight of the situation felt suffocating.

All of a sudden Bottle approached the crate that was located in the side of the room with a focused expression, intently examining the locking mechanism as Gesus watched from a safe distance.

Her eyes were wide with curiosity and a hint of fear, as she couldn't shake the feeling that the crate held something dangerous.

After a few moments, Bottle successfully unlocked the crate and carefully opened it, revealing packing foam and several small boxes inside.

He lifted one of the boxes out and placed it on the ground, revealing cylindrical objects that resembled sticks of dynamite.

"These are high explosives," Bottle warned, passing one to Gesus. "Handle them with care."

Gesus nodded, though she had no understanding of the situation.

As Bottle packed a bag full of the explosives, Gesus watched from a distance, her heart racing with a mix of fear and excitement.

While she trusted that Bottle knew what he was doing, she couldn't shake the sense of danger that hung in the air.

She kept her distance, watching Bottle work and wondering what he planned to do with the explosives.