Cold wind whipped at Leo's face as he scaled the massive concrete barrier.\n\nRusting rebar poked out from the cracked edges, but his grip remained steady.\n\nFar below, the desolate wasteland of the ruined outer zone faded into darkness.\n\nLacking his usual mana reserves made every physical exertion feel twice as heavy.\n\nExpanding the frost dome back at the sanctuary had left his core feeling hollow, a cold ache lingering behind his ribs.\n\nEvery muscle protested as he hauled his weight over the jagged concrete ridge, gasping silently.\n\nAhead lay a different world entirely.\n\nBright neon lights flickered against polished glass towers, casting artificial color over clean streets.\n\nPaved roads glowed under functional streetlamps, free of the blood and rubble that choked the rest of the dying city.\n\nSmells of roasted meat and fresh-baked bread drifted on the breeze.\n\nStomachs of thousands of starving refugees outside would rumble at this scent, yet here it was just another Tuesday.\n\nGreed oozed from every pristine brick of the Sovereign Coalition’s inner sanctuary.\n\nLeo slipped over the top rail, landing soundless on a manicured lawn.\n\nPlush, green turf sank beneath his boots.\n\nWater sprinklers hissed in rhythmic intervals, spraying precious, purified water onto grass that didn't need it.\n\nAnger burned hot in his chest.\n\nPeople were dying of dehydration three miles away, eating dirt to quiet their hunger.\n\nHere, the Coalition elites treated water like a toy.\n\nHe pulled his hood lower, shadows clinging to his lean frame.\n\nStealth wasn't his highest stat, but his high agility kept him silent.\n\nGuards in sleek, black armor patrolled the perimeter with high-tech rifles slung over their shoulders.\n\n"Keep your eyes open," a guard muttered, spitting onto the clean pavement.\n\n"Commander said some rats might try to slip through the southern gate tonight."\n\n"Rats are always trying," his partner replied, chuckling.\n\n"They never make it past the shock grids anyway."\n\nLeo waited until their footsteps faded down the avenue.\n\nDarting across the street, he pressed his back against the cool marble of a high-rise building.\n\nMaps of the city center, memorized before his departure, flashed in his mind.\n\nReaching the central plaza was his main objective.\n\nDeep within the Coalition's stronghold sat an artificial lake fed by an ancient, untainted underground spring.\n\nSystem readings had confirmed a massive concentration of pure mana beneath those waters.\n\nFinding the Aegis Stone was paramount.\n\nWith it, his own sanctuary would be permanently safe, protected by an impenetrable barrier that didn't rely on his exhausted mana pool.\n\nSteps clicked softly on the pavement as he moved from alcove to alcove.\n\nEvery corner revealed more disgusting wealth.\n\nStorefronts displayed clean clothes, fresh fruit, and weapon upgrades that cost fortunes.\n\nGiant holographic advertisements shimmered in the clean air, displaying clean water filters and luxury apartments.\n\nPrices listed in high-grade mana crystals made his stomach twist.\n\nSuch wealth could have fed his entire district for a year.\n\nTwo citizens walked past, laughing.\n\nSilk shirts and clean leather boots adorned their bodies.\n\nThey didn't look like survivors of an apocalypse; they looked like tourists enjoying a luxury resort.\n\n"Did you see the new shipment of mana potions?" one asked, swirling a glass of amber liquid.\n\n"Of course," the other replied.\n\n"Lord Henderson bought half the crate just for his private training sessions."\n\nLeo clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms.\n\nSanctuary refugees had been fighting over moldy crackers just yesterday.\n\nToby was back there right now, trying to keep the peace with empty hands.\n\nThis place was a cancer.\n\nSovereign leaders hoarded the planet's remaining resources, letting the weak rot so they could rule over the ashes.\n\nTrue predators lived in these high towers, wearing human skin while behaving worse than the beasts.\n\nHe slipped down a narrow alleyway, avoiding a hovering security drone.\n\nRed scanning lasers swept the alley walls, painting the bricks in crimson light.\n\nHolding his breath, Leo pressed himself into a narrow gap between two dumpster units.\n\nFoul odors of rotting luxury food filled his nose, a stark contrast to the clean streets outside but a perfect hiding spot.\n\nSystem alerts flickered faintly in the corner of his vision, warning him of nearby high-level signatures.\n\nLevel forty guards were patrolling nearby.\n\nThese soldiers were leagues ahead of the scavengers he usually encountered.\n\nChilled air drifted down from the high towers, signaling his proximity to the center.\n\nFaint sounds of rushing water echoed between the high-rise structures.\n\nHe was close.\n\nEmerging from the alley, Leo found himself at the edge of a massive, circular plaza.\n\nPerfect white stone paved the ground.\n\nIn the center sat the lake, a vast expanse of shimmering, crystal-clear water.\n\nMoonlight reflected off the glassy surface, making it look like a giant sapphire dropped into the concrete jungle.\n\nUnderground springs bubbled gently at the center, creating soft ripples.\n\nLeo could feel the heavy vibration of pure mana radiating from the depths.\n\nCreated by the city’s founders before the collapse, the artificial lake was designed as a closed-loop ecosystem.\n\nUnderground tectonic shifts during the rupture had cracked the bedrock, allowing a subterranean mana spring to flood the basin.\n\nNow, it was a hotbed of rare magical resources, strictly guarded by the Coalition's elite.\n\nLegends among the outer-zone refugees spoke of the Aegis Stone, a mythical core dropped by a Tier 4 dungeon boss that had dissolved in these waters.\n\nAegis Stone energy pulsed from deep below, calling to him.\n\nNo more draining his own life force.\n\nNo more sleepless nights worrying about the barrier collapsing.\n\nHis hand drifted to his pocket, where his cosmic fishing rod rested in its minimized, compact form.\n\nBefore he could pull it out, harsh shouting shattered the quiet night.\n\n"Get on your knees, rat!" a voice barked from the opposite side of the plaza.\n\nLeo froze, melting back into the shadow of a massive stone pillar.\n\nThree Coalition soldiers in heavy power-armor marched a young boy into the open plaza.\n\nDirt covered the boy's face, contrasting sharply with the pristine white stone beneath his knees.\n\nClutched tightly in his trembling hands was a single, bruised apple.\n\nHe couldn't have been older than fourteen.\n\nTerrified whimpers echoed off the polished marble pillars.\n\nA boy, barely clad in rags, wriggled in the iron grip of a massive armored guard.\n\nHis ribs showed through his torn shirt, sharp and prominent.\n\n"Please, sir!" the boy pleaded, his voice cracking with puberty and sheer terror.\n\n"My sister is sick. She hasn't eaten in three days. I found it in the waste bin!"\n\n"Waste bins in the central sector are recycled for bio-fuel," the guard replied, his voice flat, distorted by a heavy vocal modulator.\n\n"Taking from them is theft of Coalition property."\n\nAnother guard stepped forward, his heavy combat boot crushing the boy's bare foot.\n\nA sickening crack sounded, followed by a high-pitched scream of agony.\n\nLeo's hand flew to the hilt of his weapon, his knuckles turning white.\n\nEvery fiber of his being demanded he intervene.\n\nImages of his lost orphan family flashed before his eyes—their faces, their screams as the dungeon beasts tore through their home.\n\nHe had promised himself he would never let another child die if he could prevent it.\n\nYet, looking at the high-level guards and the security cameras humming overhead, he knew the truth.\n\nIf he fought now, he would die.\n\nAnd if he died, everyone back at the sanctuary would perish when the next wave hit.\n\nTears of frustration pricked his eyes, hot and bitter.\n\nWatching was his only option.\n\n"Make it quick," the lead guard grunted, turning his back.\n\n"The council meeting starts in twenty minutes, and we need the plaza clear."\n\n"Understood, commander," the second guard said.\n\nHe raised a heavy, black rifle.\n\nMana crackled along the barrel, a bright blue spark that illuminated the boy's wide, tear-filled eyes.\n\n"Please—"\n\nA sharp pop of displaced air cut the plea short.\n\nSmell of ozone and burnt flesh drifted across the plaza.\n\nCollapsed on the white stone, the boy lay motionless.\n\nCrimson stains spread slowly across the pristine white marble, stark and terrible under the artificial moonlight.\n\n"Clean this mess up before the morning patrol," the lead soldier ordered, turning away without a second glance.\n\n"Fucking rats," another muttered, grabbing the boy's collar and dragging his body toward a dark disposal chute.\n\nLeo watched the trail of blood stain the perfect white marble.\n\nNausea swirled in his stomach, quickly replaced by a cold, burning rage.\n\nAltruism was a luxury this world did not afford, but justice was something he could still deliver.\n\nHe would take their stone.\n\nHe would take their power.\n\nAnd he would use it to build a world where boys didn't have to die for garbage.\n\nSlipping from the shadows, he reached the edge of the deep water.\n\nHe unholstered his cosmic rod.\n\nIt gleamed with a quiet, celestial light, responsive to his touch.\n\nHe baited the hook with a rare, glowing insect he'd caught in the deep woods.\n\nTaking a deep breath, he aimed for the center of the dark, bubbling spring.\n\nWeight of the rod felt perfect in his hands, a familiar comfort in a world gone mad.\n\nGlowing bright, the bobber sailed through the air, drawing a faint line of light across the darkness.\n\nJust as Leo's bobber hits the crystal-clear water of the lake, a spotlight snaps onto him, and a voice purrs from the shadows: "I've been waiting for our little miracle angler."

Chapter 16: Infiltrating the Oasis