The sky over Jiangnan was a bruised purple, but in the narrow streets of the North District, the air was a dirty, suffocating gray. While Xin was miles away over the ocean, screaming toward his final battle, a quieter and more painful kind of war was starting. This wasn't a war between humans and monsters. It was a war between humans and the neighbors who had betrayed them.
The Collaborator Squads—often called "Silencers"—moved through the ruins like shadows. They were the people who had given up on hope. Instead of fighting the Void, they had made a deal with it. They wore dark, scavenged tactical gear and heavy metal masks called "Quiet-Masks." These masks didn't just filter the toxic air; they had built-in tech that hid their heartbeats and breathing, making them invisible to the alie
