The cramped convenience store was dimly lit, filled with the soft hum of flickering fluorescent lights.
The team gathered around a battered table, plates and bowls scattered with half-eaten food, noodles, rice, dumplings and soul.
Quiet conversation mixed with the occasional clatter of chopsticks.
Meng Nian, Yu Song, and Xu Tianming sat together, their eyes tired but their spirits quietly strengthened by this rare moment of rest.
Suddenly, inside their minds alone, a clear, calm voice echoed:
[System Allocation in Progress.]
No sound escaped their lips, no alarm in the room, but each of them felt a sudden, deep pulse.
Meng Nian's vision flickered. In his mind, a message appeared:
[Host: Meng Nian]
[System: System of Rot and Ruin]
[Rank: 8]
[Ability: Decay Manipulation]
He clenched his fists and felt a faint green aura pulse around his fingertips, subtle but unmistakable.
Simultaneously, Yu Song's mind was filled with a different prompt:
[Host: Yu Song]
