From Anna, Felix learned more about the situation in Chernobog. Among all the cities that discriminated against the Infected, Chernobog was the worst. Here, the Infected had no place to live. They were treated as something even worse than trash, at least trash could still be recycled.
For the Infected, there was only one path left: waiting for death. In such a place, the appearance of Reunion was like sprinkling sparks onto completely dried firewood. The flames would inevitably surge upward, consuming everything around them.
It was no surprise that Reunion had chosen this city.
Felix narrowed his eyes. Sensing Anna's exhaustion, he shifted his gaze back to the images transmitted by the drones. As usual, the people of Ursus hurried home after work, hiding behind closed doors. Only a few police patrols remained on the streets, conducting overnight inspections.
"Ah… that's my mom and dad."
Anna spotted a couple walking briskly down the street on the screen. She quickly moved closer to Felix and pointed them out.
A faint scent of ink, paper, and youthful fragrance clung to her.
Felix nodded indifferently and spoke to the drone network. "Mudrock, a Reunion unit has launched an attack on the police. I'm sending you the coordinates."
From the other end came Mudrock's steady, familiar voice. "Order received."
Anna shrank back slightly. "I… our conversation just now. Did she hear it?"
"No."
Felix raised a finger. "It's a secret between the two of us."
As Anna's cheeks flushed again at his words, Mudrock was already meeting up with Kal'tsit. After surveying the city, they had confirmed what was becoming increasingly clear. Chernobog, which appeared impregnable on the surface, had already been thoroughly infiltrated by Reunion. They were giving speeches in various locations, igniting the flames of revenge in the Infected, then supplying them with weapons and equipment.
Driven by rage, the Infected would resort to any means of retaliation.
This situation was no longer something a small team could handle. It might require the deployment of an entire corps.
"This commission from Rhodes Island is far more difficult than we expected,"Qalaiša said with a faint smile as she adjusted her staff. Gray currents flowed along the ground ahead of her. "I'll head to the municipal center. I'll leave the school district to you."
Mudrock nodded, hefting her hammer. After confirming their plan, the two went their separate ways.
Mudrock headed toward the school district. Families were densely packed there, and police deployment was heaviest, as it was one of the most likely targets for an attack by the Infected.
Following the coordinates given by the King, Mudrock quickened her pace. Before she even arrived, she could already hear furious curses and screams in the distance, mixed with the sickening sound of weapons piercing flesh.
When Mudrock reached the scene, she saw around ten police officers already lying on the ground. The remaining officers trembled as they held iron batons and spears, forming a desperate line to block the Infected from advancing.
And the Infected… no, at this point, they should be called members of Reunion.
They gripped bloodstained blades, their grotesque expressions hidden behind masks, advancing step by step toward the police. They knew that behind these officers were the families they were trying to protect.
What could be more satisfying than turning the families of one's enemies into Infected right before their eyes? Nothing.
"Chief Ivan, civilians are still evacuating. We… we have to hold the line here."
Chief Ivan took a deep breath, steadying his shaking hands. He thought of his wife and daughter retreating with the main group. His greatest worry was his daughter, Zoya. The thought of something happening to her during this escape was unbearable.
At least for now, the civilians were being evacuated in an orderly manner toward Chernobog Fourth Secondary School. No large concentration of Infected had appeared there yet.
The Infected said nothing. To them, words were a waste of energy better spent on killing. Dozens of them surged forward, raising their blades to strike the police down.
Bang.
An overwhelming force swept through the air, shattering dozens of blades mid-swing. Five Infected were blasted backward, landing hard on the ground, their sword hilts flying from their hands. The rest felt as if they had been hit by a speeding truck, coughing blood as they collapsed.
The police stared in shock. Before them stood a massive hammer embedded in the ground.
Then, a Sarkaz woman clad in heavy armor landed beside it with a thunderous crash.
"Sarkaz… a mercenary?"
Chief Ivan swallowed, his tone laced with uncertainty.
Mudrock did not answer him. More and more Infected were gathering, clearly identifying her as the "boss" guarding the crossroads. To them, killing her meant killing everyone she protected behind her.
The youthful, striking girl let out a soft sigh. Heavy mechanical armor unfolded and expanded across her body. In just a few seconds, she transformed into an impregnable fortress.
Then she strode straight toward the Infected of Reunion.
Ordinary blades striking her armor were less effective than a scratch. They shattered on impact, along with the arms and legs of their wielders. Originium Arts slammed into Mudrock without leaving so much as a mark. She did not take a single step back, swinging her massive hammer in movements that were almost graceful.
Chief Ivan stared, mouth agape. The other officers were equally stunned. Where had such a terrifyingly powerful Sarkaz mercenary come from? They had narrowly escaped death.
In less than two minutes, the youthful Sarkaz woman returned to stand before them. After such an intense battle, she had not broken a sweat. Facing dozens, even hundreds of enemies, she still looked completely at ease.
"Ma'am… thank you for your assistance."
"Our time is limited."
Mudrock cut him off. Ivan saw her glance at the small spheres floating nearby before addressing them again.
"All personnel are to withdraw to Chernobog Fourth Secondary School."
"I understand, ma'am… but may I ask who you are?"
As he urged the other officers to hurry the remaining civilians along, Ivan offered his thanks once more.
"My codename is Mudrock. I am from Tomorrow's Development."
Ivan repeated the name under his breath, then shook his head. He was just an ordinary man who had lived in Chernobog his entire life and had never left the city. He had no idea what Tomorrow's Development was, but that did not lessen the respect and gratitude he felt toward her.
Behind them, Infected continued to pour into the city through the sewers, converting those outside into new members of Reunion. This was no place to linger. With that in mind, Mudrock followed Chief Ivan and the others as they retreated toward Chernobog Fourth Secondary School.
To the north of Chernobog lay the aristocratic districts. Unluckily for them, these areas were heavily guarded by noble troops, sealed tight enough that not even a mosquito could slip through. Yet when it came to fighting the Infected, fear crept into the hearts of these soldiers. They wanted nothing more than to throw down their weapons and flee south with their families. But the nobles had sealed Chernobog completely. No one was allowed in, and no one was allowed out.
On the outskirts of the noble districts, hundreds of Infected in Reunion uniforms had already gathered. They stared down the guards blocking the streets, cutting off all routes. They were determined to see how long these nobles, who had oppressed them for so long, could hold out before the city fell.
At the government complex, the Infected spat on the ground and cursed their bad luck. They had arrived too late. The staff had already evacuated, leaving only a few security guards behind. After brutally slaughtering them, the Infected were still not satisfied. After a brief discussion, they decided to move toward the aristocratic streets, searching house by house. Someone had to be hiding somewhere.
Natalya was filled with regret and lingering terror. She had not even reached the noble district before Reunion members discovered them. The aristocratic youths she had been traveling with scattered in panic. Several were unlucky enough to be captured. Natalya alone managed to escape.
She could not go home. She did not know where else to run. As darkness slowly fell, she hid in a narrow alley, listening to the cries and wails echoing outside. She covered her mouth, sobbing silently.
Nowhere was safe anymore. Wiping away her tears, Natalya had no idea where she could hide to truly avoid the Infected. She tried to move, only to realize her legs had gone numb. Even standing felt impossible.
Footsteps approached.
Natalya saw two Infected wearing hollow masks appear at the mouth of the alley. The gaze behind those masks locked directly onto her.
"Kill her?"
"That'd be a waste of resources. Just look at her. She's clearly some noble's daughter. Turn her into an Infected. Let her taste our despair too."
"That makes sense."
They staggered closer, their minds filled with nothing but thoughts of revenge. Seeing Natalya collapsed on the ground, crying helplessly, only made their grins widen.
The first man drew a dagger still slick with fresh blood.
"This is an infected person's blood."
The other let out a cold snort and said nothing more. He drove the dagger straight toward Natalya. She scrambled backward in panic, rolling across the ground as dust smeared her once-pristine school uniform and long hair. The blade struck only empty air.
Some hidden strength surged up within her. Trembling, she clutched her bag and began to run.
"Chase her."
"Hahaha!."
As she fled, Natalya quickly realized she had completely lost her sense of direction. The streets ahead felt increasingly familiar, until she suddenly understood. This was the road she took to school. Yet ahead of her, infected rioters were already searching houses one by one. At that thought, tears welled up in her eyes again.
Such a vast city as Chernobog, streets and scenery she knew by heart, yet there was nowhere left for her to go.
"Found you."
The words rose eerily behind her, sending chills down her spine. A large hand clamped onto her shoulder, and in the next instant a short blade stabbed toward her back.
A gray wind swept past.
The hand gripping the dagger withered instantly, shriveling into dry, dead wood. The blade clattered to the ground. Before the infected fighters clad in Reunion uniforms could even scream, their bodies likewise dried up and collapsed lifelessly onto the pavement.
Natalya finally steadied herself, tears streaming down her face. Before her stood a Sarkaz woman in uniform, with long black hair, a pair of curved horns, and a staff held in her hand.
"It's all right now," Qalaiša said gently.
Earlier, she had gone to investigate the government offices, only to find the infected there had already moved on toward the noble district. By chance, she encountered Natalya during her reconnaissance.
"Th-thank you…"
Natalya could hold herself up no longer and sank to the ground. What she had experienced today was simply too much, a nightmare come to life. Desperately, she wished that the next moment she would wake up, that Chernobog would still be the same as yesterday, that she could return to her ordinary school life.
But now, everything was already beyond return.
"Can you stand?" Qalaiša asked.
Natalya looked at the hand extended toward her. She reached out, forcing herself to be strong.
"Come with me. We can't stay here anymore."
Qalaiša narrowed her eyes. Through the surveillance feeds relayed by the drone, she could see more and more infected converging on the noble district. From the very beginning, their target for revenge had been those lofty aristocrats.
"M-my family is still there," Natalya said. She found that she could finally speak again, but in this situation she knew all too well that without this woman's help, she would likely have died already, so she said no more.
Qalaiša gently patted the girl's head and led her away from the area occupied by the infected.
———
At the Central Spire, Ines and W met up with Scout and his reconnaissance squad. Scout himself appeared unharmed, though several members of his team bore injuries. Fortunately, none were serious, and none had been wounded by blades tainted with Originium blood that might increase the risk of infection.
"I never imagined things would turn out like this," Scout sighed. "What was supposed to be a simple recon mission has become this mess."
"And you?" he continued, looking at Ines and W. "At least you still have a chance to withdraw safely, right? With our combat strength, I don't recommend a head-on clash with Reunion. If we're going to complete the mission, we'll need to be even more covert than before."
"The King is here as well," Ines said.
Scout was taken aback. "Here in the city?"
W crossed her arms and snorted. "Yeah. He's not like some old hag who just sits safely in the rear. He came here in person to protect us."
Watching W speak as if praising one of her own, Ines felt a quiet sense of relief, then a sudden realization. W's attitude was changing. Could it be that…