Asan City was plunged into extreme chaos.
[All residents in the center of Asan City, including Chungmu-ro, Cheongun-ro, and Ongung-ro, please evacuate immediately to the outskirts of the city.]
The Civil Defense Headquarters, which had been keeping quiet to avoid provoking the monsters, was now broadcasting loud evacuation announcements across the entire city.
But the once-quiet city was already in shambles, with people running everywhere. People were screaming as they dashed through the streets, and soldiers were desperately guiding them toward the outskirts.
However, there were still monsters left in the city. The monsters that had been passing through late did not leave the running humans alone. The number of people dying at the hands of monsters increased all over the city.
Some, seeing others killed by monsters while trying to flee, gave up on leaving their homes altogether.
Black smoke was slowly creeping toward the city center.
The massive alligator snapping turtle, about 30 meters long, was slowly pushing its enormous body forward. Behind the monster, countless collapsed houses could be seen, and bloodstains were scattered everywhere.
The path the turtle monster had created by crushing houses stretched in a straight line from Sinjeong Lake to here.
Beside the alligator snapping turtle monster, other monsters had gathered and were moving alongside the giant turtle. Their bodies were covered in red blood.
Kurururung!
After crushing another three-story row house and advancing forward, the alligator snapping turtle monster finally stopped its relentless march. In front of the turtle, a long row of 15-story apartment complexes stood.
Major Jang, who had parked a military jeep beside the apartments to monitor the monster, shouted into his radio when he saw it stop.
“The turtle has stopped moving!”
Major Jang clenched his fist at the sight of the monster halting. It would be ideal if it stayed stopped, but even if it just turned back, they could buy significant time.
“Hurry up! If anyone refuses to leave their house, drag them out if you have to! There are hardly any people getting killed by monsters roaming the streets! We can’t let them get crushed inside buildings!”
Major Jang grabbed the radio and began giving orders to his subordinates.
The jeep he was riding had the engine running, ready to move at any moment, and the driver was watching the monster with his foot poised on the accelerator. The gear was already set to reverse, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.
Behind Major Jang, his subordinates were going around the apartment complex, pulling people out of their homes.
Major Jang and his subordinates were originally a unit stationed in Asan City to wait until the Safe Zone installations were completed, prepared for emergencies.
However, the appearance of the giant turtle had created a situation where they were urgently needed.
[There’s a hospital a bit off the monster’s path. It seems the patients are having trouble moving.]
Major Jang frowned at the voice coming from the radio.
“What have you been listening to until now! We don’t know how the monster’s path will change! Just being nearby is dangerous! Don’t you realize how many people have died that way!”
Major Jang shouted furiously into the radio. As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the voice of a subordinate yelling at the hospital staff.
“Why aren’t the Awakened here yet? Even if they can’t win, they should at least try!”
Major Jang grumbled about the Awakened who weren’t present and unfolded a map inside the jeep. He needed to anticipate a new formation route in case the monster circled around the apartment complex.
The distance between him and the turtle monster was less than 200 meters. Normally, the monsters around the turtle would have charged at him, but they stayed close to the turtle.
Thanks to that, Major Jang could observe the monster from a relatively short distance. With the residential area being so complex, it was difficult to assess the situation without getting this close.
“Uh, Major? It looks like the monster is about to do something.”
At the driver’s words, Major Jang lifted his head from the map. The turtle monster, having stopped about 200 meters from the apartments, stared at the buildings for a long moment before opening its mouth wide.
A bright light began gathering inside the monster’s mouth.
“Damn it, drive! Something’s wrong!”
Major Jang shouted urgently, and the driver pressed down on the accelerator with force. But it was already too late.
A massive white energy orb shot out from the turtle monster’s mouth toward the apartments. It collided with the building, and shortly after, with a tremendous roar, the apartment began to collapse.
The small jeep, which had just started moving backward, didn’t get far before it was struck by debris from the collapsing apartment and overturned.
A moment later, the turtle monster began slowly advancing again, stepping over the collapsed apartment.
Major Jang lay next to the overturned jeep. Tragically, an arm could be seen sticking out from under the flipped jeep. It seemed the driver hadn’t made it out.
Fortunately, Major Jang had survived. After twitching slightly, he slowly regained consciousness and began to lift his body. He wiped the blood from his forehead with his hand and immediately searched for the radio. Luckily, it was still intact.
He grabbed the radio from the ground and made contact.
His voice was cracked and broken.
“The monster destroyed the apartment with a strange ability! I repeat, the monster destroyed the apartment! The monster’s path has not changed!”
He turned his head to locate the turtle’s position. The turtle monster was already crossing over the destroyed apartment. The distance between them was about 50 meters. He despaired and hastily grabbed the radio.
“With the death of Major Jang Woo Hyuk, the next commanding officer is Captain Lee! Everyone, follow Captain Lee’s orders!”
At his words, a shocked voice came through the radio.
[Major! Major! Major! Damn it, are we too late!]
Major Jang could not respond to the desperate voice coming through. He dropped the radio to the ground. His dazed eyes were fixed on the turtle monster.
From the turtle’s half-open mouth, a strange energy that only Awakened could sense was spreading throughout the surroundings. That energy enveloped the area, including Major Jang.
Slowly, Major Jang began moving toward the turtle monster. And the people in the area began moving toward the turtle as well-those who were injured, those who had been hiding in nearby apartments, and even the soldiers who had been rescuing others.
The monsters around the turtle monster charged at the people slowly moving toward it.
Yonghoon and Team Crazy entered Asan City at several times the speed of ordinary people. But the reports they heard about the situation inside were worse than expected.
Yonghoon frowned at the military communications coming through his earpiece.
It seemed the turtle monster was closer to C-rank than they had thought. Yonghoon placed his hand on the communicator and contacted the Control Room.
“Please evacuate all soldiers near the turtle. At this rate, the casualties will be too high.”
However, Yonghoon’s request was denied by the Control Room.
[It seems there are still people remaining in the apartment complexes along the monster’s path. Captain Lee just contacted us saying they’re trying to save as many as possible.]
“Stubborn fools!”
Yonghoon grumbled as he cut off the communication. Soldiers were the same in this world and the other world.
Yonghoon steeled his resolve. Since they had decided to save them, they had to save as many as possible.
Yonghoon looked back at his teammates. They already seemed to be struggling to maintain their current speed.
He shouted to his team.
“I’ll go ahead and block the monster!”
His teammates nodded at his words, and Yonghoon began accelerating. He surged forward.
“Huff, huff, C-rank really is fast. He’s already way ahead!”
Dohyeon gasped, looking like he was about to die. As a Special Ability User, he was the slowest among the D-rank teammates.
It was then.
Sunhee shouted to the other teammates.
“I’ll go ahead too!”
Sunhee began accelerating. Leaving the others behind, she started chasing after Yonghoon.
The teammates’ eyes widened at the sight of Sunhee’s back.
Yonghoon, running along the road, saw people scattering in all directions. The closer he got to the monster, the more people there were on the road. Soldiers were desperately trying to control the crowd, but some people ignored the soldiers’ directions and ran off in different directions.
While dodging obstacles and people on the road, Yonghoon spotted someone about to be crushed to death by a wolf monster on the opposite side. It was too far to save them directly.
Yonghoon, still running, poured Dimensional Power into his spear. The space in front of him rippled, and he could see the wolf monster’s head inside. He thrust his spear toward the monster’s head.
“Keurgh!”
The wolf monster screamed and was flung backward. A hole had been pierced through its head, and blood spurted out.
Yonghoon caught a glimpse of the person who had been trapped beneath the monster scrambling away, and he continued running forward.
The targeted apartment complex came into view ahead.
Bang!
A flash of light erupted before his eyes, and the central part of an apartment behind him was blown away. Moments later, the building began to collapse with a tremendous roar.
It was the second building.
And there were still three more apartment buildings ahead.
Yonghoon increased his speed even more. The sound of the wind roared in his ears.
Fortunately, this time he wasn’t too late. Yonghoon managed to reach the front of the turtle monster before the next apartment collapsed.
The area around the turtle was a sea of blood. It seemed the monster had stopped moving to gather people, and the timing lined up.
Yonghoon gathered all the Dimensional Power in his body.
“Is that the monster?”
Sunhee, who had caught up beside him, spoke as she saw the massive turtle ahead. But mid-sentence, she staggered and collapsed. Yonghoon quickly supported her and spoke urgently to the grimacing Sunhee.
“Gather all your Dimensional Power! It feels like strange Dimensional Power is coming from that monster. You need to raise your defenses!”
Hearing Yonghoon’s rough explanation, Sunhee immediately gathered her Dimensional Power. Her pale face returned to normal.
Once Sunhee’s face returned to normal, Yonghoon turned his gaze back to the turtle. The moment he had been waiting for was near.
The other monsters around the turtle monster tilted their heads, confused that Yonghoon and Sunhee, despite being within the turtle’s influence, showed no reaction.
But the turtle monster didn’t seem to care much about that. Once it confirmed enough Dimensional Power had gathered, it opened its mouth wide again. Its target was the apartment ahead.
Dimensional Power began gathering inside the turtle monster’s mouth.
Yonghoon’s lips curled into a smile.
“I’ve been waiting for this!”
Yonghoon also began gathering Dimensional Power into his spear. He focused it into the space directly ahead. A hole began to open in front of him.
Soon, the space before him rippled, and a glowing orb appeared within it.
Yonghoon thrust the spear filled with Dimensional Power into the hole. His spear pierced through space and stabbed the energy orb the turtle monster was gathering.
Yonghoon detonated the Dimensional Power he had infused into the spear.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted. The blast that went off inside the monster’s mouth completely engulfed the face of the turtle monster, and Yonghoon, unable to fully block the aftermath leaking from the hole, was blown backward.
Sunhee, startled, ran toward Yonghoon, while the turtle monster stumbled backward with heavy thuds.
Rolling several times across the ground, Yonghoon ignored his aching body and lifted his head to look at the turtle monster.
The monster’s appearance after the explosion was devastating. Its mouth was completely destroyed, with half its jaw blown off, and blood was flowing from both its eyes and ears.
Sunhee rejoiced at the monster’s injuries. They were severe enough that she felt they might be able to defeat it with a little more effort.
However, Yonghoon, upon confirming the monster’s condition, gave a bitter smile.
“Was it still not enough? It’s insanely strong.”
At Yonghoon’s words, Sunhee, who had been confused, stiffened when she saw the monster’s wounds gradually healing.
“At least its eyes are somewhat sealed, so that’s a relief.”
Just as Yonghoon said, blood was still streaming from the monster’s eyes. The turtle monster, seemingly unable to see, was swinging its head wildly in all directions.
Groaning, Yonghoon pushed himself up. His body still didn’t move well due to the explosion’s aftermath. But this was only the beginning.
Monsters that had been around the turtle monster began rushing toward Yonghoon, who was still unable to move.
Sunhee stepped in front of Yonghoon.
She stretched out both hands toward the monsters charging at them.