Gun of Ashes

The scorching fire raged, surging violently within the narrow corridor. The emergency lights flickered on, seemingly pointing a way out amidst the chaos, yet now they appeared so powerless. For these people, such guidance was utterly useless.

They were already in Hell, no matter which direction they ran, it was just a futile escape within Hell itself, like trapped beasts howling and roaring weakly, ultimately dying from exhaustion.

But Eve did not want to die powerlessly like this. She reached for her leg strap and pulled out the Willow Blade she had secretly hidden away, concealing it beneath her wrist.

Now she found herself in an inadequately safe house, the cramped room now packed with patients. Most were injected with sedatives by medical staff and had fallen asleep. For those without additional sedatives, the medical personnel showed a violent side; some were physically knocked out, while others had their mouths gagged, only able to let out muffled whimpers.

Although the overhead light was dim, making it difficult for Eve to see the others’ expressions, she could sense the atmosphere becoming stuffy in this cramped space, mixed with fear and tension.

Slow and heavy breaths echoed faintly, followed by scarier sounds in the prolonged silence. It sounded like something sharp scraping the ground, emitting a piercing shriek, so distinct in the quietness. The shadows cast by the firelight made these strange entities appear grotesquely monstrous, like creatures stepping out of a nightmare.

Eve leaned against the wall, suppressing her breath as much as possible. She could feel the sticky eeriness, like someone dragging a heavy tumor along, leaving a trail of fresh red blood behind.

A Demon. She was separated from the demon by just one wall.

Since the alarm sounded ten minutes ago, all had taken refuge in the safe house, and the nightmare began. Roaring explosions shook the earth, fierce sounds of battle erupted all around, returning to calm again. The time span wasn’t long, but for everyone, it was like a nightmarish scene.

Both Eve and the medical staff clearly understood what had happened, and they knew what the gradually fading fighting noises signified.

The peculiar heaviness in their hearts hadn’t dissipated; the demon still hovered around the shelter, thirsting for fresh blood and flesh.

The fate of the soldiers who fought them was unclear—dead or evacuated. Now this place was an isolated island, with only a handful of soldiers guarding the safe house, and judging by their expressions, their spirits were also swept away by the storm.

This is the terrifying aspect of the Demons. Steel and armor cannot protect everyone. In the face of the terrible erosion, these solid iron walls are as fragile as paperboards—no, not even as strong as thin paper. At this moment, the safe house is just a cage, staying here will only make them vulnerable to the demon’s erosion. But leaving here to face the demon, with the current firepower, would be nothing short of suicide.

This is so sorrowful; for everyone, the anxiety from overthinking further deepened this erosion’s effect.

Her breath quickened a bit, and the room’s temperature became increasingly hot. Eve’s forehead was already covered in sweat, her fiery red hair stickily clung to her skin, resembling a small animal drenched by a downpour, in an extremely miserable state.

”Yo! General Eve! You’re looking good!”

A damned voice sounded beside her, and in the dimness, a somewhat smelly figure approached. Old Cole revealed his sweaty face, grinning to show his white teeth at Eve.

”You? What’s going on?”

Looking behind Old Cole, Gavin and Delun were also with him, crouching in the corner. Gavin still held a slightly wooden expression, occasionally gently stroking the metallic ground… Was this guy still thinking of digging trenches?

Delun, meanwhile, was still trying hard to maintain elegance, wiping his sweat with the corner of his shirt, yet in this situation, his elegance looked incredibly ridiculous.

For a moment, Eve felt somewhat desperate. This was simply adding fuel to the fire, weren’t these few lunatics already tied up?

Old Cole seemed to know what Eve wanted to ask. He pointed behind, showing that the iron beds and stretchers were piled together like a small fortress, with armed soldiers hiding behind it. If the demon broke through the door, relying on this simple fortification, perhaps... just perhaps they could hold for a few more seconds?

At this moment, Eve was unsure whether to sigh about dying in her prime or to completely fall into madness to escape the current torment.

She glanced at Old Cole moving closer, and for a moment, she even envied these few lunatics. To them, the current despair was probably just a special game. Sometimes, Eve wished she could be like them, treating all of this as a ridiculous game, waking up on a white bed when the game ended.

But unfortunately, Eve couldn’t do it; she was too rational, unable to deceive herself.

”We have to think of a way.”

A voice sounded, and Bluebird emerged from the dimness. He was responsible for evacuating these patients, but the alarm blared just after entering the safe house. According to orders, he stayed behind to protect these patients, though it was clear that everything had gone beyond control.