Chapter 313: Desperate Hours in the Air Raid Shelter

Inside the polluted air raid shelter, bare steel-reinforced concrete was exposed everywhere.

With resources conserved to the utmost, aside from the bare essentials for survival, the grayish concrete offered no decoration.

Dim lights fell on the faces of the crammed, anxious crowd.

The atmosphere was oppressive.

With every dull tremor, gray dust cascaded from the ceiling.

Under the weak lights, many survivors crouched with legs drawn up, every face etched with terror and panic, while men and women clutching their children whispered prayers in their hearts.

“Are monsters attacking, or is someone firing at us?!”

“Are we going to die?!”

“I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die!!”

…

In their clueless state, the crowd began to murmur in terrified whispers as each tremor overhead triggered shrill screams.

Amid the panic, many of the more timid survivors even began to sniffle quietly.

“Officers, what on earth is happening outside…”

“Is it true that monsters are attacking…?!”

In trembling voices, a few survivors near the monitoring room cautiously asked the guarding soldiers.

The repeated tremors and explosions had them all on edge.

After all, they were deep underground, dozens of meters below…

What kind of commotion could possibly reach them down here?

At first, the Military said that Sea Beasts were attacking and ordered an evacuation. Then a large group of Awakeners suddenly showed up to forcibly bring everyone back, claiming that “rebels” intended to take them hostage.

In the ensuing chaos, no one could tell what was truly happening or whose word to believe.

Hunched over, a low-ranking Awakener from the Merchant Guild of East Sea mustered his courage and stole a glance at the seemingly bickering figures in the monitoring room.

They had all heard it—the voices from outside, and the officers here sounded deeply nervous.

“Get back to your seats!”

“Stay put, this is safe! We will protect you!”

Gripping their individual assault rifles, several soldiers tasked with maintaining order wore grim expressions as they barked their commands.

Damn it.

Like the survivors, they too were clueless about what was actually unfolding.

To be honest, after receiving orders from the Military Department they had rushed here non-stop, stopping the survivors who had been “taken hostage” from escaping.

Yet listening to the quarrels erupting in the monitoring room, they were no closer to understanding the situation.

…

“Captain?!”

“Aren’t we going out? They sound… like what they’re saying might be true!”

In front of the monitoring console, several team members looked on nervously at the enraged middle-aged man on screen. That man was Luo Cheng, a Lieutenant Colonel they all knew from the Military. Although his rank wasn’t very high, he was considered a senior officer—his rank even surpassed that of their own Captain.

“Bu Mingfei! I order you to evacuate everyone from the shelter immediately!”

“The Sea Beast is about to attack! You’re dooming us all!”

“Do you even see who we are?!”

Gripping the camera, Luo Cheng—brought in by Yenir—trembled as his mounting frustration nearly drove him mad. No matter how much he pleaded, it was as if the people inside were mechanical—they wouldn’t listen!

There wasn’t a moment to lose; any delay now would be disastrous!

Each minute wasted could cost tens of thousands of lives!

For the first time in his life, he felt an intense loathing for his fellow Military members.

All the Third-Stage officers from the Military Region were here! There was no way they were prisoners!

“Captain, I think they’re right! Let’s open the door!”

“Luo Cheng, they’re still inside. Even if Yenir is strong, he can’t have captured every single one of them, right? Besides, they wouldn’t surrender and collude with the enemy… would they?!”

“If the Sea Beast really shows up, we’re trapped here!”

A younger soldier in the team urgently tried to interject. In his mind, the Military had captured so many Third-Stages from Yenir before—there was no way they could have failed now! And if Yenir hadn’t been caught, with Military personnel still following him, wouldn’t that signal that disaster had truly struck?!

Such an elementary logic should have been clear, yet their Captain couldn’t understand it.

Staring fixedly at the monitoring screen, Bu Mingfei’s determined gaze remained as she pressed her lips tightly, ignoring everyone’s counsel.

“No!”

“Maybe those outside are imposters! Possibly we’re under some kind of illusion!”

“Have you forgotten? Yenir is Willpower Type! Who knows—he might even have the power to fabricate enemies!”

“Even if it’s true, why couldn’t he capture Luo Cheng and the others!?”

“He has a Guardian with him—a formidable fighter. Perhaps that’s why he hasn’t been captured!”

As she relentlessly sought evidence of Yenir’s deceit, Bu Mingfei rebutted every point stubbornly. Her mind was as taut as a drawn bow, not daring to relax for even a moment.

This was her first time carrying out such a critical mission, and she recalled with clarity the orders issued before departure!

Do not heed any rumors. From the moment the command was issued, under no circumstances were military orders to be disobeyed!

To prevent Yenir from using his privileges to alter orders or misreport the situation, nearly every soldier received that directive!

Soldiers! Obedience to orders is your solemn duty!

She could never allow herself to fail in this mission—she had to protect everyone.

Listening to the frantic cries echoing in the shelter, she took a deep breath, feeling the immense responsibility weighing on her shoulders.

In an effort to reassure everyone and bolster her teammates’ spirits, she declared:

“Hold out for these twenty-four hours! Even if something happens, the Military will come to rescue us!”

“This place is safe! Even if the Sea Beast really shows up, we can endure here for a long time until the Military can extract us!”

After speaking, she glared at her team in displeasure:

“Don’t sow discord among the ranks!”

“Have you even considered the consequences if we are deceived into opening the door?!”

……

Outside the shelter.

“Uncle Liang, how long will it take to blast it open?”

Gazing at the ever-widening hole—over ten meters deep—from repeated blasts, Yenir asked in a cold, low voice.

Two whole minutes had already been wasted. That time would be enough to evacuate everyone; they planned to move to the next location immediately afterwards.

“About eight minutes.”

“The wall is too thick. Not only is it built to resist bombings, but the internal structure is reinforced with materials that counteract Spirit Energy.”

“Or rather, it’s almost a sealed design—you might as well think of it as a mountain of metal.”

“Even once breached, the opening is minuscule.”

After saying little more, Liang Lie replied in a low voice as he continued to blast with consecutive punches.

Unlike the Research Institute’s design—which at least considered escape routes—this shelter was built solely as a defensive bunker to withstand nuclear blasts, ignoring all other needs.

Moreover, many of their abilities couldn’t be used for fear that a single misstep might compromise the structure, leading to a collapse that would kill everyone inside.

“Eight minutes… and the opening is so limited…”

Hearing Liang Lie’s estimate, the faces of everyone present turned ashen.

They simply couldn’t wait that long.

Furthermore, the tiny opening meant that even just evacuating people would take an enormous amount of time. If those inside didn’t open the door, there was nothing they could do!

“Damn it! Absolutely damn it!”

“Are the people inside idiots?! Didn’t they think it could actually be real?!”

In a fit of anger and despair, Luo Cheng couldn’t help but smash his fist against the alloy door, feeling as though his anger would consume him alive.

In that moment, he almost understood Yenir’s mindset.

Without a word, Yenir pushed past Luo Cheng and the others, his face impassive as he looked up. He had seen too many self-righteous fools to waste time on anger.

The troops inside were most likely still under the delusion that even if an outbreak occurred, the Military would rescue them.

Whether you do nothing or do something, it might still be wrong.

Bound by orders, they naturally wouldn’t risk opening the door.

But Yenir knew all too well that if no one evacuated within two hours, everyone here was doomed. The Military could never rescue a single soul amid the relentless tide of beasts!

This place was nothing short of a death trap!

“I am Yenir!”

“Look closely—this is an order from me!”

“Open your communications and check the latest directives from the Military!”

He broadcasted, displaying information directly from the Capital Military, his gaze icy as he prepared to make one last appeal.

“Even if I capture everyone, I cannot control the entire Military!”

“Do you know you’re condemning us all to death?!”

Every word echoed with finality, reaching Bu Mingfei’s ears.

At that moment, through the monitoring screen, the resolute Bu Mingfei looked at the communication panel and felt a sudden chill in her heart.

East Sea’s temporary command? The Military had given the orders to Yenir?!

How could that be possible?!

And the sender’s name was none other than the Military Chairman!