We propose a quark-lepton unification model where quarks and leptons share the same fundamental charge (−e), and the fractional charges of quarks (e.g., −1/3e for strange quarks) arise from enhanced vacuum polarization shielding. Using Laplace transforms, we derive the running coupling α(Q2), incorporating contributions from all virtual particles (electrons, muons, tauons, quarks). We integrate the electromagnetic field energy over radial shells in the vacuum polarization region (6.24 × 10−24 fm to 33 fm), quantify the production rate of strong and weak field quanta, and predict particle masses using a shell-based model with a dual vacuum polarization mechanism for the electron, drawing an analogy to the nuclear shell model with magic numbers. Applying this to the omega minus baryon (Ω−), we show that its observed charge of −1e results from three −1e charges shielded by a factor of 3. We further analyze how the running of the weak and strong couplings relates to the shielded electromagnetic energy, estimating the energy densities of all three fields to demonstrate energy redistribution. Finally, we clarify that the unification scale is at the black hole event horizon, far higher than the Planck scale used in superstring theory, with the coupling difference between IR and UV cutoffs being α, not α^{1/2}.