Chapter 34: After the Storm
The sun rose for the first time in years.
Not a simulation. Not a projected sky.
A real sun, casting long shadows over the crumbling remains of the Nexus compound. The dome had fallen, its pieces scattered across Dead City like broken glass. Wind swept through the empty streets, carrying dust—and silence.
Zayn stood at the edge of a shattered rooftop, looking out over the landscape. No gunfire. No alerts. No loops.
Just the world, raw and wounded.
\[Loop Protocol – Offline]
\[Respawn System – Inactive]
\[Core Override – Complete]
He closed his eyes.
Every death. Every respawn. Every lost friend. It had finally meant something.
Kira joined him, arms crossed. "Feels strange, doesn't it?"
Zayn nodded slowly. "Like we've stepped out of a dream we didn't know we were having."
Max emerged from the lower floor, dragging salvaged supplies in an old backpack. "Tried reaching out on long-range comms. Still nothing."
Reina glanced up. "Maybe we're the only ones left."
"No," Zayn said. "Nexus said there were other simulations. This wasn't the only one."
Iris sat cross-legged by a damaged terminal, trying to repurpose it. "I recovered fragments. There are coordinates—encrypted. It's possible other loops failed... or are still running."
Zayn looked down at his hands. No HUD. No ammo count. No health bar.
Just skin and dirt.
"We may not have powers anymore," he said. "But we're still a squad. We survived."
Reina smirked. "Barely."
They shared a quiet laugh.
A low rumble echoed in the distance. Not gunfire—something else.
Nature.
The world was beginning to breathe again.
And with it came risk.
No respawn meant every choice now mattered. Every bullet. Every step.
Zayn turned back to his team.
"This place... it was never meant to be a home. Just a test. Now we decide what we build."
Max looked up. "What's next?"
Zayn started walking.
"We find the others. We tell them the truth. We burn every last Nexus bunker to the ground."
Kira nodded. "And if the loop starts again?"
Zayn's voice was steady.
"Then we break it again."
They moved forward—across the ruined streets of Dead City. No longer players. No longer avatars. Just survivors.
But somewhere, far from the ruins, deep in another vault, a faint light flickered.
A screen turned on.
A new log opened.
\[Simulation C4 Activated]
\[Subject Status: Unknown]
\[Loading…]
And thus, the next chapter of the world waited in silence.
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Author's Note:
Thank you so much for reading to the end of the *Dead City* arc in *Free Fire: Respawn in Game World*! Zayn and his squad have broken free from the loop—but darker secrets still linger across the world. In the next arc, we'll explore what remains of the outside world, and uncover the truth behind Simulation C4. Your support means everything—see you.