Ghost Camp

Inside Building 25, Ethan's so-called "neighbors" were curled up in their rooms, clutching the rations he'd handed out earlier, trying to survive another bitter night.

It had been nearly a month since anyone took a proper bath. Their skin itched constantly—some even showed signs of dermatitis. But with hot water nearly impossible to come by, and any boiled water saved only for drinking, hygiene had become a forgotten luxury. Getting sick meant dying. Simple as that.

In a pitch-black room layered in blankets and old quilts, Jiang Lei and Lee Finn, roommates and longtime best friends since their college days, were gnawing on their prize for the day: boxed braised pork rice.

Frozen solid like bricks, the boxed meals had been scavenged from some old supermarket shelf. But the boys had learned a trick—shove the box under their down coats for half an hour, and it'd thaw just enough to bite into.

Jiang Lei grinned as he scraped out a chunk of meat and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing until he finally tasted something other than ice.

"Man, thank god we chose to stick with Ethan. We're eating braised pork in the goddamn apocalypse!" he beamed, full of genuine happiness.

But Lee Finn didn't respond. He was too busy face-planting into his rice block, tearing it apart with his teeth like a caveman. Spoons were too slow.

Jiang Lei jabbed him with an elbow. "Hey, you hear me? We're living like kings compared to the rest."

"And did you see Dr. Chloe lately? Still looking hot, wearing all those fancy Canada Goose coats and shit…"

He lowered his voice.

"I swear, man… I think she still gets to shower."

His tone was pure envy. The closest he'd gotten to a bath lately was rubbing off grime with his bare hands and collecting it like lint. He'd even stopped doing that—figured the dirt at least insulated him.

Lee Finn finally glanced up. "What's the point of being jealous? You think you're Ethan?"

Jiang Lei sighed. "Guess not. Don't got the right parts, huh? If I did, you best believe I'd shoot my shot."

He turned and gave his bro a dirty grin. "But if I did get a chance, I'd let you go first, bro. Brotherhood."

Lee Finn grimaced. "Gross. Even if you were gift-wrapped, I'd pass."

"C'mon, I could use my—"

"Shut the hell up! You're making me lose my appetite."

The teasing died down, but then Lee's tone shifted.

"Jiang Lei… you ever think maybe Ethan's just fattening us up for slaughter? Like, he doesn't actually care if we live?"

Jiang Lei blinked. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Lee glanced away, then told him what he'd heard from the other neighbors earlier.

Jiang Lei fell silent. He stared at his barely-thawed rice.

"Yeah… but what can we do?"

"We tried once, remember? Tried to jump him. Almost died. That guy's a monster, and this world's all about monsters now."

"Strongest guy gets to make the rules. That's just how it is."

Lee didn't respond. Their phones buzzed at the same time.

Lee checked his screen. His face changed—serious, focused, maybe even a little… excited.

The next morning, Ethan left the compound as usual—riding his snowmobile, albeit with much more caution after the recent ambush.

He chose a different route this time.

Uncle Ray didn't come along today. Ethan had a different objective: dig up the military base.

And if he had time, he'd also gather more wood for his future plans.

Last night, both John Li and Chen Linyu had messaged him again, pushing for answers.

He brushed them off—said he needed more time. But their tone had shifted. They were getting impatient.

Ethan didn't care.

Let them plan, let them squabble. Uniting 29 buildings under one flag would take time.

And that was all he needed.

After two and a half hours of careful travel, Ethan returned to the snow-covered field he'd marked yesterday.

The landscape was empty. White. Endless.

He pulled his excavator from the spatial inventory and started digging.

With more practice under his belt, he was noticeably more efficient this time. It still took a while, but eventually he struck something solid—structures beneath the snow.

It wasn't the weapons cache, but it was definitely a building. And buildings were better than nothing.

Ethan jumped down and started exploring.

After knocking down a section of wall, he entered what turned out to be a military dormitory.

Well… damn.

Wrong building.

Still, this meant the armory wasn't far.

But the dorm itself felt… off.

In a place like this, after the blizzard, you'd expect to find frozen corpses—soldiers caught off guard, buried with their posts.

Instead, the bedding was perfectly made. Blankets folded. Beds tucked tight.

Not a single body.

Ethan checked other rooms. All the same.

"Strange... Where the hell did everyone go?"

Only one explanation made sense.

They'd left.

Which meant the government knew.

When the cataclysm hit, high-level officials must have gotten the warning early. They'd evacuated the elites, moved to bunkers or safe zones, and left the rest of the world to freeze.

The military wasn't wiped out—they'd been reassigned.

Protecting the privileged. Guarding the warehouses. Hauling their precious supplies.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

The empty corporate storage zones. The stripped shelves. The missing troops.

Ethan stood in silence for a moment, the realization sharpening his thoughts.

So the real power players were still alive—somewhere—waiting for the snow to melt.

Waiting to come back.

To rule again.

Ethan's fists clenched.

He knew something like that wouldn't happen for a while. But when it did, when armed factions reemerged from the shadows, they'd be a threat far greater than any starving mob.

But that was a future problem.

For now… he had a base to loot.