Apocalypse Awakening

Chapter 10: Strengthening Elements

“Hello, big brother Sean…” came the reply after the contact request was accepted, along with a smiley face and a sweet-sounding message from Auntie Dusty Eighteen.

“Hello…” Sean hesitated a bit at the odd combination of “Auntie” and “Eighteen” in the nickname before venturing, “Miss Dusty?”

There was a brief silence in the chat, and then she replied, “I’m actually called Sofia.”

“Sorry, sorry…” Sean typed his apology. “Although the nickname is quite wild, your actual name sounds very gentle…”

“Layla has told me about you, Sean. She said you’re someone with great potential…”

Reading her messages, Sean felt he should be modest, but then came her next line: “And very handsome.”

Sean quietly deleted his modest reply and typed again, “I’m just an ordinary person, nothing special about me.”

“Let’s meet and you’ll see. Eastlyn District, ten o’clock. Is that okay for you, big brother Sean?”

“Of course, see you at ten.”

Sean quickly dressed in clean clothes, donning a hoodie before heading out to meet with Miss Sofia. Eastlyn District, one of Abyssia's hottest commercial districts, was a hub for upscale restaurants and luxury stores, frequented mainly by the city's elite and those serving them. As a student with limited funds, Sean rarely had the chance to visit such places, except in memories of outings with his father during childhood.

With only the two hundred dollars his mother had left him, Sean decided not to even order a coffee. He sat outside a café, quietly waiting for the designer. He imagined Sofia as a sweet yet slightly rebellious girl, matching Layla's description and the personality hinted at in their chat.

As the agreed time approached, Sean's attention was caught by a striking black motorcycle roaring down the street. The fierce bike would have caught any man's eye, but it was the delicate girl perched on it, seemingly small even compared to a standard scooter, that truly stood out.

The motorcycle was about to turn the corner when a blue sports car suddenly approached from the left, both vehicles halting just in time and honking at each other. The sports car's engine revved impatiently, waiting for the motorcycle to move. The biker, evidently annoyed, put one foot on the nearby railing to balance, and kept honking back.

The standoff continued until the biker removed her helmet, revealing herself as a petite girl with short hair. She glared coldly at the sports car and suddenly accelerated, startling the driver into stopping as she zoomed past, scraping his car in the process.

After parking her bike, the girl confidently approached the driver, who had emerged angrily with a golf club. But the confrontation quickly turned amicable, with phone numbers exchanged and the driver departing happily.

The girl tucked a large metal wrench back into her bag and looked around, checking her phone. Sean's phone pinged with a message from Sofia asking his location. Surprised, Sean quickly responded and waved to her.

As Sofia spotted Sean and approached with a cheerful wave, hopping over a railing with ease, Sean stood up to greet her.

"Hello, Sofia... the designer"

“Hello,” he said, still in disbelief at her unexpected and spirited arrival.

This couldn't possibly be the adorable Sofia; she seemed more like a tough soldier. "Hey, you must be Sean, right?" The lively girl with a wrench hopped up to Sean, her eyes sparkling as she reached out her delicate hand, giggling, "Layla was right, you really are a handsome guy..."

"Oh, no, no..." Sean hastily shook hands with her, worried about making a bad impression. He observed the short-haired girl, finding her sweet smile extremely charming, the kind that could melt one's heart. Though, she seemed more adept at handling tricky situations with her wrench...

"Don't be mad at me, okay? I didn't mean to be late. I almost got hit by a car just now, scared me to death..." Sofia made an excuse with her sweet smile.

"It's okay, I just got here too..." Sean said outwardly, thinking to himself that she seemed quite skilled at handling disputes. However, he didn't dare voice this thought, maintaining a somewhat stiff smile as he released her hand, "What would you like to drink? It's on me."

"Just pick something for me, I like it sweet," she said accommodatingly, sitting down to wait.

Sean thought about adding some strong liquor but decided against it. He went to the counter and soon returned with an iced Americano and a caramel macchiato, costing him seventy yuan. He hadn't been out in four years and was surprised at how much prices had risen. Still, he kept a polite smile, "Layla said I could ask you about things I don't understand?"

"Of course," Sofia replied, cradling her coffee, "I'm an experienced enhancement designer. You can totally trust me in this area."

"Enhancement design?" Sean remembered Layla mentioning this but still felt somewhat perplexed.

"Yes." Sofia set down her coffee cup and took out a tablet from her fluffy pink backpack, nodding, "You know, in this weird place, dealing with all these strange things, we need something to protect ourselves."

Sean listened intently, a slight stir of emotion in his voice, "What thing?"

Sofia, with a hint of a smile, responded, "Dangerous things. The more dangerous, the more useful."

As she spoke, she placed her tablet flat on the table and extended her hand towards Sean, gesturing for something: "The info card, please."

Sean, momentarily puzzled, then remembered. It was the dark red card Layla had given him yesterday. He fished it out of his pocket and handed it to her.

Sofia attached the card to the back of the tablet, initiating a bizarre transformation. The tablet, previously displaying a mundane shopping site, now quivered slightly, its screen taking on an eerie, mysterious aura. Text and images started to disintegrate and reassemble into something new.

What finally appeared was a sinister, blood-red page, as if stained with endless blood, filled with various options.

Sean, watching, felt an uncomfortable sensation, as if ants were crawling over his skin, "What is this?"

"A way to communicate with the city..." Sofia replied, a mysterious smile playing on her lips. "This card allows us to interact with the city's consciousness through various environments and electronic devices. You'll understand soon."

"Now, look..."

She handed the tablet to Sean. Bending over it, his heart skipped a beat. His vision filled with bizarre names and exaggerated descriptions:

[Violence Factor: 20 points/unit]

[Embrace violence, tear apart these pretenses, let those twisted monsters fear us]

[Tremble, you weaklings!]

[...]

[Instinct to Hide: 20 points/unit]

[Possess the ability to hide in any environment, staying safe from monsters and malice]

[Shh, they're coming]

[...]

[Extreme Sensitivity: 20 points/unit]

[Sharply perceive the malice beneath every smiling face, the truth behind the facade]

[Don't try to fool me, you're out to get me!]

[...]

[...]

Sean, feeling a tingle on his scalp, murmured, "What are these eerie things?"

Sofia's smile was sweet, but to Sean, she seemed more mysterious than ever, "Tools to combat this mad world. We call them: Enhancement Elements."