Absolute Trust

Elora let her hand stall in the thick, snowy fur of Blizzard’s belly for a fraction of a second. She resumed her firm, rhythmic scratching right after, masking the slight hesitation. None of the terrified staff members huddling outside the iron bars noticed a thing.

A glowing, translucent screen materialized in her field of vision, hovering just above the tiger’s massive chest.

Name: Blizzard

Age: 3 years

Species: White Tiger

Aggression Level: S

Trust Level: 100%

Elora blinked at the digital display. A hundred percent? She had consumed enough fantasy fiction in her younger years to understand the basic concept of a system panel. The numbers and stats were straightforward. Yet, one specific term from the initial prompt gnawed at her curiosity.

She focused her thoughts on the interface. What did native mean?

A sterile text box popped up over the stats. "Your authority is too low. This question cannot be answered."

Elora offered a nonchalant shrug. Fine. If the system refused to share its secrets, she would not waste time pressing the issue. The exact terminology mattered little in the grand scheme of survival. Her attention drifted to a new line of text pulsing at the bottom of the glowing screen.

"Once bonded, the host can communicate freely with the companion, and the companion will receive powerful mutation and enhancement."

Mutation and enhancement.

A sudden jolt of anticipation spiked through her veins. Elora already knew the harsh truth of the coming future. When the apocalypse descended, the natural world would undergo a brutal metamorphosis. Flora and fauna would twist into terrifying new forms. Humans would change alongside them. A rare few would awaken unique genetic traits and become ability users.

However, forcing a human body to evolve was a grueling, agonizing process compared to the effortless transformations seen in beasts. The vast majority of human survivors only unlocked basic physical enhancements. They gained denser muscles, superior stamina, and faster reflexes. Only an elite fraction managed to awaken true supernatural powers, commanding elements like fire, water, or lightning.

In her previous life, Elora had been nothing more than a standard physical enhancer. Her body had grown resilient enough to survive the wasteland, but she had possessed no extraordinary talents to tip the scales of power.

Under normal circumstances, these mutations never triggered until the blood rain fell and the apocalypse officially began. The countdown still showed nine days remaining. Yet, this mysterious system claimed it could bypass the natural timeline and force an animal’s mutation early.

Elora tilted her head, mulling over the revelation. She possessed a spatial storage ability now. In a sense, she had already bypassed the rules and stepped into the realm of supernatural ability users ahead of schedule. Breaking the rules for her tiger felt like a natural progression.

One lingering concern remained. "Does Blizzard actually want this?"

The system responded without a second of delay. "A trust level of 100% is one of the conditions required to complete the bond."

A sharp light danced in Elora’s eyes. If the tiger already trusted her with his life, there was no reason to hesitate. She issued the mental command to confirm the contract.

A soft, melodic chime echoed in her mind. A faint pulse of violet energy flashed across her vision, mirroring a sudden purple glow deep within Blizzard’s golden eyes.

A wave of intense dizziness washed over Elora. The dirt enclosure seemed to tilt and sway beneath her boots. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the sudden vertigo. When the spinning sensation faded and her thoughts cleared, a bright, exuberant voice exploded inside her head.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

Blizzard flipped onto his stomach and shoved his massive, striped head directly into her open palm.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Elora stared down at the apex predator in pure shock. She swallowed hard and tested the unfamiliar connection. "Blizzard."

Blizzard snapped his huge head up and locked his gaze with hers. A startlingly human spark of intelligence now swirled within his fierce golden irises. "It's me, Mommy! It's really me!"

Elora released a breath she did not realize she was holding. It was nothing short of miraculous. She cupped the sides of Blizzard's massive face, her fingers sinking deep into the soft fur of his cheeks. She gave his face an affectionate squeeze, feeling a mix of profound wonder and deep amusement.

"Why didn't you eat your food today? And why were you snarling at the keeper?" she asked, sending the thought clearly into his mind.

The tiger’s giant head went rigid against her hands. He stopped his happy purring and stared at her. A heavy silence stretched between them for a long moment.

"I haven't seen you for a long time. I miss you," Blizzard's voice echoed in her mind, sounding remarkably small and laden with guilt.

Elora's stern expression cracked. A complicated wave of emotion settled in her chest, washing away the strict lecture she had prepared. Looking back at her previous life, she realized the tragic truth. Once she had secured her promotion to department head, the mountain of administrative duties had kept her chained to a desk. She had barely visited the predator enclosures in those final months before the world ended.

"Mommy, don't be mad."

Blizzard lifted one dinner-plate-sized paw and curled the lethal claws inward, pawing at the air nervously.

"I won't do that again."

Elora shook off the dark memories of the apocalypse and gently tugged on the tiger's rounded ear. "I will let it slide this time. But from now on, you have to eat your meals properly."

"Okay! Okay!" Blizzard answered.

Elora spent another ten minutes soothing the massive beast until his frantic energy settled into a rumbling purr. She stood up, brushed the dirt from her uniform, and walked to the iron gate. She delivered a few crisp instructions to the awe-struck zoo staff waiting outside. They nodded eagerly, looking at her as if she were a goddess of the wild. Elora ignored their blatant admiration. She slipped away from the main path and headed deeper into the zoo’s sprawling grounds.

Her initial survival strategy had been practical but flawed. She had planned to gather a massive stockpile of supplies, rent a high-end luxury condo in the suburbs, and barricade the doors. The suburbs offered distance from the congested downtown death traps, and luxury communities usually boasted reinforced doors and private security. When the initial outbreak hit, those gated neighborhoods would likely maintain order for a few crucial weeks. It would have bought her precious time.

Now, armed with a beast-taming system, a spatial inventory, and the fresh memory of human treachery, she realized the fatal error in her logic. The walking corpses and the environmental disasters were only a fraction of the nightmare. The true horror of the apocalypse was the human race.

Hiding in a suburban fortress meant hiding among people. People meant betrayal.

If she truly wanted impenetrable safety, she needed to abandon civilization altogether. Galdor Zoo sat miles outside the city limits, carved directly into the rugged base of the surrounding mountains. The entire property spanned over 640 acres of diverse terrain. The park featured a massive walking zone for tourists and an expansive, rugged drive-through zone for free-roaming wildlife. More importantly, it possessed its own independent water filtration system, backup industrial generators, and multiple isolated staff buildings.

Transforming this mountain stronghold into her personal fortress made infinitely more sense.

Elora relied on her years of experience working the grounds. She bypassed the paved tourist routes and navigated the hidden maintenance trails. She knew exactly which sectors drew heavy foot traffic and which forgotten corners remained untouched for years.

She trekked for nearly an hour, moving deeper into the forested back lot of the zoo. At the end of a cracked, weed-choked asphalt path, she pushed aside a thick curtain of overgrown ivy.

A massive, decaying villa loomed in the clearing.

The structure was a three-story architectural marvel, sprawling across nearly ten thousand square feet of elevated land. Vines crawled up the stone pillars, and wild brush choked the grand entrance, but the original luxury of the estate was undeniable. Near the rusted iron gates stood a large, weather-beaten wooden sign. Years of relentless sun and heavy rain had stripped away the paint, leaving the carved letters barely legible.

Elora brushed her fingers against the coarse wood. Elysium.

She remembered the strange history of this hidden mansion. Years ago, a wealthy, eccentric young investor had poured a fortune into constructing a secluded Airbnb right on the zoo’s property line. The zoo management had marketed it as a hardcore scavenger hunt attraction. The villa never appeared on any official park maps. If determined tourists managed to navigate the wilderness and discover the location, they earned one free night in the luxurious estate.

The room rate was complimentary, but the catch was brutal. Every meal, beverage, and premium service inside the villa came with a staggering price tag. Despite the extortionate costs, thrill-seekers and wealthy influencers loved the gimmick. Elysium had been a massive success.

Then the global pandemic swept the world. Three grueling years of lockdowns decimated the tourism industry. The zoo shuttered its gates, and the wealthy investor lost interest in his pet project. Even after society stabilized and the park reopened, Elysium remained forgotten. Without a dedicated maintenance crew, the wilderness quickly reclaimed the expensive estate.

Now, this forgotten relic was about to become Elora's greatest asset.

She paced the perimeter, her sharp eyes scanning the structural integrity of the base. Weeds cracked through the stone patios. The exterior paint flaked off in large, pale scabs, giving the mansion a haunted, desolate atmosphere. Yet, the foundational concrete was solid. The heavy reinforced windows remained unbroken. The core infrastructure of a high-end survival bunker was already in place.

She checked the heavy electronic lock on the front doors. She could easily smash it with a sledgehammer if necessary, though she planned to rip out the entire entrance and install military-grade steel doors anyway.

A sharp, digital chime pierced her thoughts.

"Beep! New base detected. Please purchase renovation materials for the new base. The system will automatically renovate the base using the provided materials. Countdown: 167:59:59."

Elora froze. Her eyes widened as she processed the text scrolling across her vision. The system offered automated construction?

A fierce wave of adrenaline washed away her initial shock. A ruthless, tactical grin spread across her face. This system was beyond overpowered.

One hundred and sixty-eight hours equated to exactly seven days. She had nine days left before the blood rain fell.

All she needed to do was dump raw materials onto the property, and the system would handle the grueling manual labor. It eliminated the need to hire shady contractors who might leak the location of her bunker. It was the perfect, airtight solution.

Elora did not waste a single second. She pulled her smartphone from her pocket, confirming she still had a weak cell signal this deep in the park, and dialed her department supervisor.

"I need to cash in my vacation days," Elora stated the moment he answered. "Two weeks off, starting immediately."

She called it a vacation, but she knew she was never coming back to this job.

"Two weeks? It is short notice, but you have earned it," her supervisor replied.

"I appreciate it. Oh, by the way," she added, her tone shifting into a casual, conversational rhythm. "Do you happen to remember Elysium?"

"Ely... oh, that old mansion out back?" her supervisor asked. "Yeah, I remember it. Why?"

"I have a wealthy friend looking for a unique investment," Elora lied smoothly. "He heard the property has been sitting empty for years. He wants to rent the land, renovate the building, and reboot the hidden Airbnb gimmick. It would bring a lot of fresh PR to the zoo. Problem is, he cannot track down the original owner's information. Do you have their contact details on file?"

"Really?" Her supervisor's voice pitched up, instantly hooked by the prospect of good publicity. "Someone wants to reopen that place? That would be great!"