Ross took a slow sip of wine, savoring the rich taste as the world screamed beyond the steel walls.
His expression softened for a moment—not with sorrow, but with a strange melancholy.
"Ahhh…" he sighed. "It's such a shame. I can't even play MMORPGs anymore."
He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head slightly. "Hmmmm… perhaps in the next world after this, I can."
His gaze shifted back to the main monitor. A live feed showed the skyline of Parkland City in flames.
The streets were littered with the broken and the dying, and still, more continued to rise—pale and twisted reflections of what they once were.
Ross's fingers drummed idly against the armrest of his chair.
Despite the horror outside, his heart was utterly still.
There was no panic in him. No regret.
Only an unsettling calm, as though everything unfolding was precisely according to plan.
For a long time, he watched in silence.
