Rakesh_Kumar_3235

The world is dying—storms rage, the ground cracks, and civilization is in ruins. Survival is uncertain, but Dr. James isn’t just another desperate survivor. He has a Technology System—one that grants him blueprints, tools, and knowledge far beyond human understanding.

Stranded on an island, he builds in secret while the world tears itself apart. Rival survivors fight for power, governments scramble for control, but James?

He’s preparing for something they’d never expect.

Because survival isn’t his true goal.

And when the time comes, the world will realize too late—he was never meant to stay.

Doomday Engineer

The moment I saw the tracks in the snow, my blood ran cold—and not from the storm.

Someone else had been here. Recently.

Ray saw them too, his grip tightening on his rifle. "Boot prints. Not old either."

Daniel scanned the dimly lit room, his breath visible in the freezing air. "Could they still be inside?"

I didn't answer. Because I wasn't sure.

The research station was small, a single-level structure, with broken cabinets and overturned tables. If someone was still here, they were either hiding—or watching.

Warning: Unidentified Heat Signatures Detected.

I signaled for everyone to spread out. We weren't alone.

We moved carefully, boots crunching against the icy floor. The air smelled stale, mixed with faint traces of something rotten.

Daniel swept his flashlight across a row of shelves. Empty ration boxes. Opened medkits.

"They took what they needed," he muttered. "But why leave the rest?"

Then I saw it—a bloody handprint on the wall.

Ray crouched beside it, frowning. "This wasn't a simple supply run."

I checked the System's scan again. The heat signatures hadn't moved. They were clustered toward the back of the station, behind what looked like an old storage door.

"Whoever's here, they're either injured or waiting for us to make a mistake," I whispered.

Daniel swallowed hard. "So what do we do?"

Ray didn't hesitate. "We clear the room."

I nodded. "Non-lethal first. If they shoot, we shoot back."

Ray kicked the door open, gun raised. "Hands where I can see them!"

Inside, three figures huddled together—a man, a woman, and a teenage girl. Their clothes were ragged, their faces sunken with hunger.

The man, likely in his 40s, immediately raised his hands, shaking. "We—We don't want trouble!"

The woman shielded the girl, pressing her against the corner. Their eyes were hollow. Terrified.

They weren't threats. They were just survivors.

I lowered my weapon slightly. "How long have you been here?"

The man hesitated. "Two… maybe three days? We got caught in the storm and couldn't make it back to our camp."

The woman looked up. "There are more of us… outside the city ruins. But we lost contact. We don't know if they're still alive."

Daniel glanced at me. "If there are more, that means—"

"More people in danger," I finished.

I looked at the rations on the shelves. We needed them. But leaving these three to die? That wasn't an option.

The girl shivered violently, hugging herself. She wouldn't last another night.

I clenched my jaw, then made my decision. "You're coming with us."

"You heard me," I said. "We're taking what we can carry, and you're coming with us. We have shelter."

The woman's lip trembled. "You'd… help us?"

Because if we stopped helping people now, what were we even fighting for?

We gathered as much as we could carry—rations, medkits, thermal blankets. The moment we stepped back outside, the cold hit like a hammer.

The storm was worse now, winds howling like banshees, snow cutting at my skin.

Ray walked beside me, his voice barely audible over the wind. "You know this makes us a bigger target."

I nodded. "Yeah. But it also makes us stronger."

Because survival wasn't just about fighting.

It was about building something worth surviving for.

If you were in James' position, would you have taken them in or left them behind? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Chapter 31 – Shadows in the Snow