-“Plans? ... I’m not really sure either. But for now, we’ll escort everyone safely back to the city. I assume no one has any objections?”
-“Objections? How could we possibly object?! In this apocalypse, having one more powerful ally like you means ten times more hope of surviving!” Galahad froze for a moment before bursting into hearty laughter and firmly patting Chen Luo on the shoulder. “Then let’s formally introduce ourselves again. I’m Galahad Brimstone. The impulsive youngster from earlier is Helber Alisev, the silver-haired guy is Dylan Makhochev, the one beside me is Ryan Kristopian, who just enlisted, and that quick-witted girl over there is Natasha de Mrilhovic. Squad 12 warmly welcomes everyone! I hope we can look after one another during the journey ahead, young man!”
-“Then let us introduce ourselves again as well.” Zhang Zewei stepped forward and firmly shook Chen Luo’s hand. “I’m Zhang Zewei, squad leader of the rescue team. Beside me is Rhoder, the kid who just joined our discussion is Hakuro Marakhov, and the remaining two are twin brothers Ryu Kenshi and Hankama Kenshi. It’s an honor to travel with all of you!”
After everyone exchanged information and agreed upon the route for the following day, the atmosphere in the corner of the basement gradually quieted down. However, from deep within the darkness of the refugee area, a pair of murky red eyes continued to stare fixedly at Chen Luo’s group. There was no overt killing intent in that gaze, only a chilling, oppressive darkness.
-“Thank you for saving my brothers and me, you and the children.” Galahad pulled Chen Luo into a secluded corner and hesitantly asked, “But there’s still something I don’t understand... What exactly is the relationship between you and those children?”
Seeing the magical metal collars tightly fastened around the children’s necks, the veteran knew very well that they were slaves, which only made him more curious. But when he saw the thoughtful look in Chen Luo’s eyes, Galahad sighed and waved his hand.
-“Forget it! If it’s inconvenient for you to say, I won’t force you. Looking at these exceptional children, I’ve only now realized that the outside world is far more brutal than I imagined. Get some rest, young man. We still have a long road ahead tomorrow.”
Galahad turned around, assigned the night-watch shifts, and urged his brothers to go to sleep. Chris, standing not far away, showed no curiosity about the conversation and calmly returned to his corner of the bedding before falling deeply asleep. Only Chen Luo remained seated with his back against the stone wall, gazing hesitantly into the silent night sky while countless complicated plans churned through his mind...
The next morning, when the first rays of sunlight pierced through the broken stone wall, Chen Luo had already finished preparing breakfast. Receiving the day’s daily sign-in reward left him somewhat disappointed—only a few hundred magic crystals and several miscellaneous ingredients. A wave of boredom and fatigue rose within him. Yet when the soldiers and refugees saw the slightly weary face of the young man silently distributing warm food, an indescribable gratitude once again welled up within them. He had no obligation to take care of them, yet he had taken responsibility for their logistics and stayed up all night standing guard. Their respect for Chen Luo rose another level.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the system clock had only just passed six in the morning. The entire group immediately set out, taking advantage of the period when the monsters were least active. Before leaving, Chen Luo distributed several portions of the system’s high-grade compressed rations to each person. With such concentrated nutrition, the group could travel long distances continuously without stopping to cook. They needed to accelerate and reach the safe zone of Shanhe City as soon as possible.
The long journey passed through countless large and small encounters. Although the group fought with all their strength to defend themselves, the cruelty of the apocalypse still claimed the lives of several refugees. Even so, no one gave up. The survivors gritted their teeth, stood back up, and continued firmly following the backs of those protecting them. The children accompanying Chen Luo displayed astonishing combat power, completely surpassing what ordinary escorts could achieve. Moreover, Chen Luo never hesitated to continuously replenish the soldiers with large quantities of standard ammunition, keeping their firepower and suppression at a constant advantage while everyone’s levels rose significantly as well.
A difficult week passed.
By this point, including the refugees, the entire group numbered only around thirty-five people. They had traveled a considerable distance from their original position. Just as the group was crossing a narrow street, a piercing roar suddenly tore through the air!
*BOOM!*
A massive section of concrete wall from a high-rise building was forcibly torn down and crashed directly into the center of the formation! It happened too suddenly. By the time everyone looked up, it was already too late, and only a few of the more alert people managed to leap away in time. The refugees trapped beneath the rubble cried out, desperately trying to use what little strength they had left to push aside the bricks and stones and create an opening for their companions to escape.
But luck did not favor them.
*BANG!*
A massive black shadow descended from the air and slammed both fists into the central section of rubble, crushing everything beneath it amid silent screams. Everyone held their breath in stunned silence. Aside from Chen Luo’s group and the soldiers, only a handful of civilians had managed to escape—the total number of people in the group plummeted to just twenty!
At this critical moment between life and death, Zhang Zewei did not panic. He shouted orders to form up. The Kenshi twins, Dylan, Natasha, Rhoder, and Ryan immediately provided cover, forcibly leading the remaining refugees into a sturdy nearby office building.
Outside, only Chen Luo and the children, Galahad, Zhang Zewei, Hakuro, and Helber remained. Before this, Chen Luo had firmly ordered Alice and Chris to retreat inside and serve as the final layer of protection for the civilians. At first, the two children had stubbornly refused, believing the Silver Wolf group could handle the task. But Chen Luo used the highest authority of their slave owner to forcefully issue the order.
Seeing the extreme determination in Chen Luo’s eyes, Chris proactively took Alice’s hand and shook his head. Although Alice’s nose stung and tears welled in her eyes, she could only obey Chris and retreat into the building.
The moment the formation split apart, dozens of mutated monsters tore through the dust and emerged. They revealed sinister smiles and stared hungrily at the group as though they had been lying in ambush for a long time. After the enormous leader released a roar like fire, the entire horde charged forward simultaneously!
-“Hina, you and Aaron charge in and suppress them in close combat! Celes and Mana, stay on the second line and use your magic to clear out the lesser monsters for us!”
Chen Luo activated telepathy in his mind to coordinate the formation in an orderly manner while simultaneously shouting orders to the soldiers on the front line to provide ranged fire suppression.
The brutal battle rapidly escalated to its peak. The high-level leader, protected by armor covered in spikes as hard as steel, was repeatedly restrained by Chen Luo, Aaron, and Hina through various locking skills. The soldiers behind them divided into two groups. One continuously poured a storm of bullets into the leader’s joints to wear down its armor, while the other worked together with the two mages to sweep away the smaller monsters surging forward like a flood.
The battle reached a tense stalemate. Just then, six flying spider-like monsters tore through the air from above, slipping through the curtain of fire and approaching the upper floors of the office building! Chris noticed the anomaly and gritted his teeth as he rushed up the stairs.
Inside, the guards desperately fought back as gunfire rang out continuously, while Alice frantically cast protective magic over the civilians.
However, just as the battle became increasingly chaotic, a terrible scream of pain from the upper floor caused Chen Luo to completely lose his composure—a mutated assassin-type monster had secretly descended through the skylight, torn through the defensive line, and begun a brutal slaughter!
Although the soldiers quickly concentrated their fire and destroyed the monster, Chris outside had also been exhausted after being surrounded by the mutated spiders. The little Wolf staggered back beside Alice, his body covered in injuries, panting so heavily that he could no longer even lift his blade.
Alice collapsed to her knees in horror on the bloodstained floor. The monster had been too fast; she had not even had time to issue a warning. The refugees they had devoted themselves to protecting for so long... had now all been slaughtered, leaving only one person barely clinging to life in a pool of blood.
Tears streamed down Alice’s cheeks as she frantically poured all of her remaining magic power into casting 「Heal」, desperately trying to preserve that final, faint breath of life.
The battle outside collapsed completely. Hina keenly sensed a surge of suppressed fury erupting from Chen Luo. She immediately roared and pulled the entire group of soldiers into the building. The Silver Wolf group did not hesitate for even a moment. They immediately formed a shield wall across the entrance hall, blocking the frenzied tide of monsters rushing inside.
At this moment, Chen Luo stood alone in the middle of the encirclement, his mind falling into a state of extreme turmoil. The sacrifices of innocent people accumulated over the entire week had become a heavy shackle weighing on his psyche. Yet now, all of his and his companions’ efforts to escort them, all those sacrifices, had turned into nothing. The people he had sworn to protect now had only a single breath of life remaining.
Within Chen Luo’s heart, a dark, oppressive evil aura suddenly erupted with terrifying ferocity, releasing a horrifying pressure that shook the entire space...