"Wait! There are still people inside the Red Gates!" Egro tried to explain to the policeman that there were people inside the Red Gates and that they could not be destroyed!
"Kid, calm down. Awakened Ones will arrive soon and decide what to do with these Gates. Just don't yell at us..." One of the policemen tried to calm Egro down, slowly explaining that they had no authority here.
Egro calmed down a little after hearing the man's explanation, but still asked:
"According to some rules, the Awakened are not allowed to destroy Distorted Gates if there are people inside them. And there are people inside these Red Gates! And they're all children, and also my friends!"
"And what are you trying to say? We already told you that we have no authority to make such decisions. Wait a bit, and when the Awakened arrive — tell them." The policeman rolled his eyes and turned toward the school, not wanting to look at the child.
Egro just snorted coldly and began to observe the nearby crowd. While observing, he noticed the ones he was looking for.
There were two strangely dressed guys. Their clothes didn't match the current season, making them stand out among the others. Egro immediately smiled when he saw the two people, for he knew who they were.
Taking his time, since his legs hurt, he walked up to them and stood next to them, starting a conversation:
"I knew you would come, but I didn't think it would be this obvious."
The two acted as if they hadn't noticed Egro. But one of them finally opened his mouth and said:
"Speak quickly, clearly, and quietly."
Egro nodded and explained the situation at the school to the two men. He especially emphasized the part about Lin, adding from himself how noble it was of him to help and sacrifice himself.
The two were silent at first, then slowly started to leave, thanking Egro:
"Thank you, try your best to pull our boss out of the Dead World."
Egro nodded and watched them as they left.
When the two entered a dark, deserted alley, one of them sighed heavily, and the other looked at the sky. They both said simultaneously:
"Our boss has finally become Awakened!" They couldn't hide their joy and immediately shouted as if seeing their favorite childhood show.
The skinny, tall one rubbed his nose and smiled:
"I knew our boss would become a Physical Awakened, not an Abstract or Elemental one. Zon, you lost. You remember our deal? Whoever guessed our boss's Awakening type gets unlimited meals at any restaurant for a year!"
The tall and muscular Zon reluctantly nodded, accepting his loss, and then handed him a gold card:
"Nal, treat it like the apple of your eye!"
The guy nodded and smugly rubbed his nose.
"Of course, of course… Don't worry. Anyway, I'm very happy for the Boss. Who wouldn't want to be Awakened? Unfortunately, when I turned sixteen, I was homeless and broke. And even then, I didn't become Awakened..." Nal relaxed his shoulders and sighed.
Zon patted Nal on the shoulder and said:
"Don't be so upset. I also once wanted to become Awakened. Sadly, I wasn't qualified enough for it. But at least one of us did."
"You mean the Boss?" Nal looked up and asked.
Zon silently nodded.
Nal smiled.
"I hope the Boss is okay."
...
Egro kept standing and waiting until he saw the long-awaited Awakened Ones. They were dressed like ordinary people, without distinguishing marks, but still radiated a special aura. Some people who saw them immediately became joyful and inspired.
Egro waited for them to approach the policeman he had spoken to earlier. When they arrived, he smiled and introduced himself:
"I'm Egro, one of the students from the class where the Red Gates opened."
The leader of the Awakened smiled and said:
"I'm glad not everyone was killed there," he looked around, noticing a dozen students, and asked:
"Is this everyone? There are only about twelve people here, where are the others? Did these Gates really manage to kill so many people?"
Egro wanted to speak, but was immediately interrupted by the policeman,
who explained everything to the Awakened about what had happened here.
"So that's how it is. The Distorted Creature wave didn't start because there are teenagers inside the Dead World holding it back? Isn't that too much? Is there a potential Awakened among them?" He looked around and asked.
Everyone present shook their heads, only Egro opened his mouth and slowly said:
"There is." When he said that, everyone turned toward him. Some looked shocked, others skeptical.
The Awakened who had asked the question clarified:
"So there is? Who is it? I assume he's inside the Red Gates now, holding back the wave of Distorted Creatures?"
Egro nodded.
"Yes, his name is Lin, and he only Awakened today. When the Red Gates opened in the classroom, he helped me escape, but in the end, the tentacles dragged him into the Dead World..." Egro's eyes were full of sorrow.
"Sir, please! If you can, don't destroy the Red Gates!" Egro said firmly to the man in front of him.
The man smiled, then sighed:
"I understand... But we still have to close the Red Gates. You, of all people, should understand that even the weakest Red Gates are no joke. Even I, an Awakened of the Call rank, am not sure I could stand alone, let alone Lin, who only Awakened today. I can only wish him luck in that world, I hope he survives and returns with good news," after these words, the man looked at the policemen and seriously told them:
"Warn everyone that we are going to close the Gates."
The policeman nodded and involuntarily looked at Egro's completely empty face.
"What a pity," he thought.
...
A team of five Awakened Ones actively made their way to the Red Gates. Upon reaching them, they saw the wild red tentacles wreaking havoc and destroying everything in their path.
The lead man glanced at one person and said:
"Use your skill: "Extended Freezing". It can freeze these tentacles long enough for us to destroy the Gates."
The guy nodded and pointed at the red tentacles, using his skill.
Instantly, a shapeless energy appeared, reaching the red tentacles and completely freezing them with blue ice!
The man nodded with satisfaction.
At that very moment, as they approached the Gates, they witnessed a shocking scene — three teenagers ran out of the Red Gates in complete fear. Their faces were tired and dirty, some had blood on their skin, and their clothes were covered in filth.
Clearly, something bad had happened to them!
When the teenagers saw the five people, they immediately rejoiced and shouted:
"Are you Awakened? Did you come to save us?"
Some nodded, but the leader frowned and asked:
"Who are you? Which one of you is Lin?"
"Uh... We study here. The red tentacles grabbed us and sent us to the Dead World. As for Lin..." The three glanced at each other, realizing what each of them was thinking.
"And Lin... He most likely died protecting us. But we're not sure, when we left, he was still bravely fighting!"
"Yeah! His skills and close combat abilities are terrifying!"
Wanri thought and added:
"He killed wolves like cockroaches!"
Slowly listening to the teenagers, the man roughly understood the situation in the Dead World. He sighed and told the other Awakened Ones:
"Let's close these Gates quickly. Who knows how long Lin can hold out against the wolves." Everyone nodded and began their work.
The man turned to the three guys and said:
"Leave the room, the police will be waiting for you outside, and you'll be able to leave safely," warning them, the man no longer paid attention to them and took special cutting tools from his backpack.
Bzzz!
A sharp grinding sound rang out. Countless bright yellow sparks flew, as if cutting through iron, not Distorted flesh!
Destroying the Gates required only one action: cutting off any part of them. Once you break or cut it — the Gates automatically deactivate and close.
Although the material of the Red Gates looked ordinary, in reality, it was Distorted flesh, as hard as high-quality titanium or tungsten alloy.
Of course, it was strange to cut such a hard surface with a regular grinder. But there was no other option, since bringing high-quality equipment was difficult, even if available. Usually, swarms of creatures pour out from the Gates, making such equipment pointless.
Today's case was very rare and exceptional. After all, who could have known that a teenager would appear who could hold back a wave of creatures? Exactly — no one!
After several hours, the team finally managed to cut off a small part of the Gate, closing it!
The Red Gates fully closed!