Si Xin awoke to a smell so foul it made his stomach churn.

His eyes shot open, and he recoiled in horror to find Noah sitting on his face, the toddler grinning mischievously as if he’d just won a prize.

“Noah! Get off!” Si Xin shouted, shoving the toddler away and sitting up.

He wiped his face with his sleeve, grimacing at the lingering stench. “Ugh, what did you even eat?”

Noah just laughed, crawling away to cause chaos elsewhere.

Si Xin took a moment to collect himself, his head still spinning from exhaustion. As his vision cleared, he realized he was back at the cabin.

The familiar wooden walls and the faint scent of smoke from the fireplace greeted him, along with the sight of Emma standing nearby, arms crossed and an amused smirk on her face.

“Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” Emma said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“You’ve been out for a while. One of my undead scouts found you lying unconscious in the forest. You’re lucky it wasn’t a monster.”

Si Xin rubbed his temples, trying to piece together what had happened. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours,” Emma replied, shrugging. “Long enough for us to deal with the bandit who followed you.”

Si Xin’s eyes widened. “Bandit? What bandit?”

Emma gestured to the corner of the room, where Mera was gnawing on the leg of a robed bandit who was tied up and looking thoroughly miserable.

“Uh… what’s going on here?” Si Xin asked, gesturing to the bandit.

Emma sighed. “Oh, him? He’s one of the bandits who followed you. My undead scouts caught him sneaking around the cabin. Figured we’d keep him around for… interrogation purposes.”

Si Xin raised an eyebrow. “Interrogation? Or snack time for Mera?”

Emma smirked. “Both. But mostly interrogation. He’s been surprisingly tight-lipped so far, but Mera’s wearing him down.”

The bandit whimpered as Mera bit down harder, her tiny teeth surprisingly sharp. Si Xin almost felt sorry for the guy—almost.

“Alright, enough,” Si Xin said, pulling Mera away from the bandit. “We need him coherent if we’re going to get any information out of him.”

Mera pouted but didn’t resist, crawling over to Jack and plopping down next to him. The bandit let out a shaky breath, his eyes darting between Si Xin and Emma.

“Please,” the bandit begged, his voice trembling. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. Just keep that… thing away from me.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Dramatic, much? You’re lucky she didn’t go for your face.”

“Anyways, that one followed you,” Emma pointing toward the bandit. "Care to explain what happened?”

Si Xin sighed, sitting up fully and leaning against the wall. He recounted the events of the past day.

Emma listened quietly, her smirk fading as he described how Mia and her group had left him as bait.

“So, let me get this straight,” Emma said when he finished. “You got captured by the cat girl, who looted your weapons and money then used as bait for an ambush, bluffed your way out using a glowing doohickey, and then stumbled back here, only to pass out in the forest? And now we’ve got a bandit problem?”

“Pretty much,” Si Xin admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “But hey, I’m alive, right?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Barely. And now we’ve got to deal with this mess.”

He turned his attention to Jack, who was sitting on the table, staring intently at the glowing device Si Xin had taken from the Zenith caterpillar.

Jack wasn’t touching it, but his expression was one of intense focus, as if he were trying to figure it out through sheer willpower.

“Jack,” Si Xin said, his voice cautious. “What are you doing?”

Jack didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he made a series of gestures, his hands moving quickly as he “spoke” in his usual silent way.

His small hands moved quickly, pointing to the glowing device, then to the bandit, and finally to the door.

It took Si Xin and Emma a moment or two... or three to finally decipher the gestures, as a very annoyed Jack glared at him.

“You want Emma to go to the battlefield and raise more dead monsters?” Si Xin asked, his brow furrowing.

Jack nodded, his expression serious. He gestured again, this time pointing to the bandit tied up in the corner and then to the door, as if to emphasize the threat they were facing.

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Emma groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you have any idea how much work that would be? I’ve already got Harold, the undead hound, and a few zombies. That’s more than enough.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “And how exactly am I supposed to do that? Raise an army of undead monsters? Do you have any idea how much energy that would take?”

Si Xin raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to wait until the bandits show up at our door? Or worse, the monsters?”

Emma groaned, knowing she was right. “Fine. Let’s go.”

The battlefield was eerily quiet for the most part, the remnants of the previous day’s chaos scattered across the ground.

Broken Zenith units, mangled monsters littering the area like broken toys that kids didn't want to play anymore.

The air was thick with the smell of decay, and the only sound was the faint rustling of leaves in the wind.

Emma wrinkled her nose as she stepped over a particularly mangled Calamity Hound.

“Ugh. This place is disgusting. Remind me why we’re here again?”

Si Xin, who was trailing behind her, gestured to the carnage around them. “Because we need an army. And this is the best place to get one.”

Emma rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. She knew he was right, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

She took a deep breath and raised her hands, her fingers twitching as she focused her energy. The air around her seemed to shimmer, and a faint, otherworldly glow enveloped her.

“Alright, you ugly bastards,” she muttered. “Time to get up.”

One by one, the dead monsters began to stir.

Calamity Hounds, Shades, and other twisted creatures rose from the ground, their movements jerky and unnatural. Emma’s undead hound, which had been following her like a loyal pet, let out a low growl as the new additions joined the ranks.

Si Xin watched in awe as the undead army grew. “This… is incredible. You’re amazing, Emma.”

Emma smirked, though she was clearly exhausted.

“Yeah, yeah. Save the compliments for when we’re not surrounded by rotting corpses.”

She tried to raise one of the fallen Zenith units next, but her energy fizzled out as soon as it touched the robot’s metallic frame.

She frowned, stepping back. “Well, that’s annoying. Guess robots are off the menu.”

Si Xin nodded. “That’s fine. The monsters are more than enough.”

As the undead army assembled, Si Xin couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope.

With this many monsters on their side, they might actually stand a chance against the bandits—and whatever else this world threw at them.

The journey back to the cabin was uneventful, save for Emma’s constant complaints. She was clearly exhausted from raising the undead army, and her back problems were flaring up with every step. She yawned loudly, stretching her arms as she trudged along behind Si Xin.

“Remind me why I agreed to this again?” Emma grumbled, rubbing her lower back. “Oh, right. Because you guilt-tripped me into it.”

Si Xin glanced back at her, a sheepish smile on his face. “Come on, Emma. You know we couldn’t have done this without you. You’re the backbone of this operation.”

Emma snorted. “Backbone? More like the overworked, underappreciated necromancer.

“I’m never doing that again,” she declared.

“From now on, you’re on your own, Si Xin. I’m retiring.”

Si Xin raised an eyebrow. “Retiring? You’re, like, four.”

“four and already over it,” Emma shot back, not opening her eyes.

Si Xin chuckled, though he knew better than to push her further. Emma’s temper was legendary, and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it. Instead, he focused on the path ahead, his Mind Map active to ensure they weren’t being followed.

When they finally reached the cabin, Emma collapsed into a chair, groaning as she stretched her legs.

“If anyone needs me, I’ll be here. Forever. Or at least until my back stops feeling like it’s been run over by a truck.”

Si Xin nodded, leaving her to rest as he turned his attention to the others. Jack was sitting on the table, his small hands busy with a piece of charcoal and a scrap of paper.

He was sketching what looked like a map of the area around the cabin, adding lines and symbols that Si Xin couldn’t quite decipher.

“What’s this?” Si Xin asked, leaning over to get a better look.

Jack glanced up, his grumpy expression softening slightly. He pointed to the lines on the paper, then gestured to the cabin and the surrounding forest.

It took Si Xin a moment to realize what Jack was trying to convey.

“You’re planning defenses?” Si Xin asked, his eyes widening. “Like walls and forts?”

Jack nodded, his tiny face serious. He pointed to himself, then to the paper, and made a series of gestures that Si Xin interpreted as, I know what I’m doing.

Si Xin sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Right. You were an engineer before all this. Of course you’d know how to build defenses.

The only problem is…” He trailed off, glancing at Jack’s small, toddler-sized body. “Well, you’re not exactly in a position to do the heavy lifting.”

Jack’s expression darkened, and he crossed his arms, clearly annoyed. Si Xin couldn’t blame him. It was frustrating to have the knowledge and skills but be trapped in a body that couldn’t execute them.

“Alright,” Si Xin said, trying to sound encouraging. “We’ll figure something out. Maybe Emma’s undead can help with the construction. For now, let’s focus on what we can do.”

He turned to Emma, who was still slumped in her chair. “Hey, Emma. Think your undead can chop some wood? We’re going to need materials for the defenses.”

Emma groaned, throwing her head back dramatically. “Oh, sure. Why not? It’s not like I’ve done enough already. Let’s just add ‘lumberjack’ to my list of undead-related chores.”

Si Xin winced. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but we’re running out of time. The bandits could come back any day now, and we need to be ready.”

Emma sighed, pushing herself out of the chair with a grunt. “Fine. But you owe me. Big time.”

She snapped her fingers, and Harold the skeleton shuffled over, followed by a few of the newly raised undead monsters. Emma pointed to the trees nearby. “Alright, you ugly bunch. Start chopping. And try not to destroy everything in the process.”

The undead obeyed, their movements jerky but effective as they began to gather wood. Si Xin watched for a moment before turning back to Jack. “Alright, engineer. What’s next?”

Jack pointed to the map again, his small hands tracing the lines he’d drawn. He gestured to the cabin, then to the surrounding area, and made a series of gestures that Si Xin interpreted as, We need to build walls here, here, and here. Forts here and here. And traps here.

Si Xin nodded, though he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. “Alright. Walls, forts, and traps. Got it. But we’re going to need more than wood. Do you think we can scavenge metal of the Zenith from the battlefield?”

Jack shook his head, his expression grim. He pointed to the Zenith device on the table, then to the map, and made a gesture that Si Xin interpreted as.

'We don't have a furnace or better yet the tools to turn it into sheet metal dumbass.'

Si Xin sighed again, his shoulders slumping. “Yeah, you’re right. Going back there would be suicide. We’ll have to make do with what we have.”

He glanced around the cabin, his eyes landing on the bandit they’d captured earlier.

The man was still tied up, though Mera had apparently lost interest in him and was now chewing on a piece of wood. Si Xin walked over, crouching down to meet the bandit’s gaze.

“Alright,” Si Xin said, his voice firm. “You’re going to help us. If you want to live, that is.”

The bandit’s eyes widened, and he nodded frantically. “Yes! Yes, I’ll help! Just… just keep that thing away from me.” He gestured to Mera, who was now gnawing on the leg of a chair.

Si Xin smirked. “Deal. Now, tell me everything you know about the bandits. Numbers, weapons, plans—anything that could help us.”

The bandit hesitated, but a sharp look from Si Xin was enough to make him talk. “There’s about thirty of us—well, twenty-nine now, thanks to you. We’ve got guns, melee weapons, and a few explosives. The boss is planning to hit the settlement soon, but he’s been talking about coming after you first. Something about a glowing device…”

Si Xin’s stomach dropped. Of course. The Zenith device. The bandits must’ve seen through him and with it, realized its value. This was bad. Really bad.

“Thanks,” Si Xin said, standing up. “You’ve been… somewhat helpful. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

As he walked away, the bandit called after him. “Hey! You said you’d let me live!”

Si Xin glanced back, his expression cold. “I said I’d keep Mera away from you. I didn’t say anything about letting you live.”

The bandit’s face paled, and he began to struggle against his bonds. Si Xin ignored him.

Before long I began choking him. He began to struggle even more and as time past he slowed down before stopping completely.

Standing up I took deep breaths this was gor the better this bandit was to much of a liability while the other two in the basement were a small group that was never truly loyal given they didn't avenge their leader. This guy we didn't if he was loyal to his leader or not and could be lying.

'Its better this way its for our own survival we aren't taking chances.'

'Why do I feel so calm about this after all taking a life should have affect my mental health to some degree yet I feel somewhat nothing.'

Jack looked at me for a second, before turning back yo his map. They had a lot of work to do, and not much time to do it.

Later That Night

Si Xin sat by the fireplace, staring into the flames as he tried to process everything. Most of their supplies were gone, thanks to the cat girl and her group.

His gun and money were gone even the rusted knife, leaving them with little to defend themselves other than the undead.

He couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. If he hadn’t gone to that battlefield, if he hadn’t been so curious, maybe they wouldn’t be in this mess.

“Curiosity killed the cat,” he muttered, echoing the old saying, chuckling slightly placing a hand on his forehead.

As the fire crackled and the undead chopped wood outside, Si Xin couldn’t shake the feeling that they were running out of time.

The bandits were coming, and they weren’t going to stop until they got what they wanted.

But Si Xin wasn’t going to let that happen. Not without a fight.