Chapter 391
Zhang Wei, the second-in-command of the Public Security Armed Forces in Sichuan, had felt uneasy about the operation from the beginning.
‘Advance with the army to occupy the city first? That’s not what Major Xiao ordered.’
Zhang Wei’s suspicions only grew as they bypassed the friendly forces that were already engaged in combat at the front.
“Captain Wang, are you sure our major approved this operation?” Zhang Wei asked.
The middle-aged officer frowned as he replied, “Why are you asking?”
“No matter how much I think about it, something feels off. Our major clearly ordered us to conserve our strength at the rear and protect the headquarters.”
“Ah, you mean that young major,” Captain Wang sneered.
Zhang Wei’s face stiffened at the condescending remark. “Major Xiao is of the same rank as you, Captain Wang. And he’s about to be promoted to brigadier general soon.”
“That kid got lucky, didn’t he? It’s not enough that he awakened as an A-rank hunter, but thanks to the exploits of that Korean guy, he’s now on the fast track for promotion. Looks like he has some connections in high places.”
“Despite his age, he’s highly skilled. He’s earned the trust of the entire unit, treating us like brothers.”
Captain Wang brushed off the comment, sweeping his command baton down as he spoke.
“I’m well aware that hunters don’t adhere to a strict hierarchy. But we’re in a war zone now, and these orders came directly from Commander Liao.”
“From Commander Liao himself?” Zhang Wei asked in disbelief.
“Yes. If you don’t want to follow the orders, feel free to leave. Just be aware that it would be considered disobeying direct orders.”
“…!”
“We’re just trying to speed up the operation. Sweep up any remaining monsters and rescue civilians in danger. That’s all.”
Zhang Wei, who had remained silent for a while, nodded and withdrew.
Though the Public Security Armed Forces were treated as a separate entity from the military, it was wartime, and defying an order from Commander Liao of the Western Front would be unwise.
“What did he say?” asked one of Zhang Wei’s subordinates, lowering his voice.
“He said it’s an easy mission and to shut up and follow orders. If we refuse, it’s insubordination,” Zhang Wei replied.
“Do you believe him?”
“About the ease of the mission? Absolutely not. But the part about insubordination is likely true. What do you think?”
“I don’t trust him. Captain Wang climbed the ranks with connections, not skill. He’s rumored to be Commander Liao’s lapdog.”
“It’s still an order from Commander Liao. Even if something smells fishy, we have no choice but to endure it for now.”
“…Damn it.”
“Still, Wang’s claim might hold some truth. Most of the monsters in the area are engaged with our forces. With our current strength, we can handle any stragglers.”
Zhang Wei looked around. Alongside their hundred hunters, there were twenty tanks, five hundred infantry, and three combat helicopters securing the skies.
‘Let’s hope there’s no serious damage.’
Zhang Wei’s prayer seemed to be answered, as their entry into the small town near Suining City revealed nothing but a wasteland ravaged by monsters. The ruined town was eerily quiet.
Occasionally, goblins and orcs would appear, but they posed no real threat.
– Screeeech!
Swish!
Zhang Wei, who had been at the forefront, slayed a dozen monsters, allowing him to relax slightly.
“Seeing different species of monsters show up separately, they must be ones that strayed from their main group,” Zhang Wei commented.
“Exactly as expected. What did I tell you?” Captain Wang replied arrogantly, though Zhang Wei didn’t appreciate the tone.
Despite his irritation, Zhang Wei remained silent and nodded. But then, Wang’s next words made him freeze.
“Did you say to split the troops?”
“Yes, in this situation, we need to locate survivors as quickly as possible.”
“But Captain Wang, it hasn’t even been an hour since we entered. We should advance a bit further into the central area before—”
“Don’t talk back,” Captain Wang cut him off.
“What?”
“Your combat skills as a hunter might surpass mine, but when it comes to tactics, I’m miles ahead. I have command here, so shut up and follow orders.”
“…!”
“Didn’t you hear me? Or should I give your subordinates the orders myself?”
“I’ll handle it.”
“You have a detailed map, right? Then let’s regroup at the central plaza in two hours.”
As Captain Wang sneered and turned to board his armored vehicle, a sudden whistling sound cut through the air.
*Whiiiish, BOOM!*
Zhang Wei blinked in confusion. As he wiped his face with his palm, he found his hand covered in sticky, red blood. It was human blood.
The officer’s upper body had completely vanished, and what remained of his corpse rolled off the armored vehicle.
Thud.
A suffocating silence followed. Zhang Wei was the first to snap out of it, shouting, “Prepare for battle—!”
“Monsters! Monsters are attacking!”
“The captain is dead!”
Hunters from the Public Security Armed Forces were the first to react, while the soldiers took a moment longer to grasp the situation.
But what awaited them was an even more brutal fate.
*Whiiish*
A single beam of light tore through the ranks of the soldiers marching in formation.
*Boom! Boom!*
The beam tore through dozens of soldiers, bursting them like balloons before it struck the armored vehicle, piercing through its thick exterior. Zhang Wei’s voice thundered again.
“Everyone, fall back!”
But before his command could reach them, a deafening explosion swallowed everything in its wake.
*BOOM!*
A red flash, followed by black smoke, engulfed the area as the armored vehicle exploded into countless sharp fragments that tore through everything around it.
The soldiers and lower-level hunters, unable to react, collapsed like straw.
Their bodies, already lifeless, didn’t even twitch.
“…!”
“What… what the hell…?”
Zhang Wei screamed at the frozen soldiers, “Disperse! Get as far away from the vehicles as possible!”
But the soldiers, experiencing real combat for the first time, were paralyzed with fear. The unseen enemy would not let their confusion go unpunished.
*Whiiiish!*
Once again, the sound of death echoed. But this time, it wasn’t a single beam of light.
*Boom! Boom!*
“Arghhh!”
Flames erupted, and the sound of screams filled the air.
In mere moments, twenty armored vehicles and tanks were rendered useless. The three combat helicopters circling the skies were also torn apart and crashed to the ground.
*BOOM! THUD!*
Amidst the horrific battlefield, Zhang Wei felt a chill run down his spine.
‘At least A-rank monsters… and not just one or two.’
Ironically, it was the most accurate judgment Zhang Wei had made all day.
*Ssss…*
From the shadows of the dark alleys and atop the ruins of burning buildings, ten figures appeared, cloaked in black mist, their glowing purple eyes fixed on the remaining survivors.
Upon seeing the skeletal warhorses they rode, Zhang Wei let out a groan.
“Death Knights.”
Once noble, now fallen knights corrupted by black magic, the Death Knights had reappeared after disappearing following the great upheaval. And there were ten of them.
The first word that came to Zhang Wei’s mind was “death.”
‘Is this the end?’
Death Knights were far beyond the scope of A-rank monsters.
Though a hundred hunters and soldiers remained, Zhang Wei already knew they stood no chance of escaping the Death Knights’ trap.
However…
“I’m not planning to die easily.”
And that sentiment wasn’t Zhang Wei’s alone.
Unlike the terrified soldiers, who could barely hold their guns, the hunters from the Public Security Armed Forces raised their weapons, their eyes filled with determination.
“You don’t have to stay,” Zhang Wei said quietly.
One of the squad leaders responded bluntly, “And what about you, Captain?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you into this.”
“No one brought us here. We followed. You’ve saved us over ten times before. We figured it was about time we repaid the favor.”
His voice was casual, but the tremble in it was unmistakable.
As they stared at the ten unmoving Death Knights, Zhang Wei licked his dry lips.
“Fight with everything you have. Even if only one person survives, that’s all I can ask.”
Instead of a response, a roar of defiance erupted. The hunters’ eyes shone like stars, as they cast off their fear.
If they had sought safe and comfortable lives, they could have taken different paths.
But instead, they chose to serve in the Public Security Armed Forces for the honor and responsibility of being hunters.
This was a fight they couldn’t back down from.
“Let’s go! Sons and daughters of the people, heirs of China!”
Zhang Wei shouted with all his might and charged toward the nearest Death Knight.
*Rumble!*
It was pure instinct.
The survivors turned toward the source of the massive tremor. Their bodies froze in terror as every hair stood on end.
From the distance, a black knight slowly crossed the ruins of the city.
Beneath the deep, shadowed helm, red eyes flickered. A breath of death escaped the knight’s bloodless lips.
“-Sar, Garrosh.”
An incomprehensible language from the demon world.
Yet in the next moment, Zhang Wei understood its meaning perfectly.
‘Kill them all.’
Zhang Wei’s eyes widened in terror as he caught sight of the ten Death Knights charging at them from all directions.
*Swish!*
The massacre began.
—
*Squish.*
The skeletal hooves of the Death Knight’s warhorse crushed the blood-soaked ground, leaving a deep imprint in the puddle of blood.
The last body to fall was Zhang Wei’s. His lifeless corpse, a testament to the final stand, lay in the blood-soaked ruins. The black knight, who had orchestrated the carnage, stood over it, expressionless.
The other Death Knights approached the black knight and knelt on one knee, their violet eyes gleaming in the dark.
“Lord, what are your next orders?”
The black knight remained silent for a moment. Then, as if responding to some invisible command, he extended his hand.
*Shiiik! Slash!*
A whip-like streak of black light lashed out from the knight’s hand, splitting concrete and steel effortlessly. As a building collapsed diagonally, a hidden space inside was revealed. Within that space, a small group of humans cowered in fear, their hands covering their mouths to stifle their sobs.
A man, a woman, and a small child huddled together in the wreckage.
“Daddy… is everything okay?” the woman’s voice trembled, barely audible.
“Ssshhh…” The man tried to calm her, but his own voice wavered with fear.
The child, too young to understand the danger, clung tightly to the woman, whimpering softly.
The black knight gazed at them, his crimson eyes locked on the small, fragile human figures. They were weak, defenseless, and barely holding on to life.
“A… child?” The knight’s raspy voice broke the eerie silence as the word echoed in his mind.
‘Child…?’ Where had he heard that word before?
The black knight hesitated, his hand raised, ready to crush them with a flick of his finger. It would take nothing to reduce them to a pool of blood. And yet…
*…*
For some reason, he couldn’t follow through. His hand, which should have easily ended their lives, seemed held back by an unseen force, as though a barrier surrounded the humans.
‘What are they…?’ he wondered.
The child’s cry pierced the air, breaking the knight’s moment of contemplation. The black knight’s glowing red eyes flickered, and he suddenly raised his head, turning to look beyond the ruins.
There was something out there. Something approaching.
The black knight turned his warhorse, moving away from the cowering humans, his mind clearly on something else. The Death Knights, confused by their leader’s sudden actions, glanced at each other before one of them spoke up.
“Lord?”
“Return,” the black knight ordered, his voice cold and final. “Now. Immediately.”
“But what about the humans? Should we—”
“I said return,” the black knight interrupted, his tone brooking no argument.
Without further question, the ten Death Knights obeyed, following the black knight as he led them away from the ruins. As they rode off, their figures seemed to blend into the mist, vanishing like shadows in the night.
Before they completely disappeared, the black knight’s glowing red eyes flicked back one last time, briefly locking onto the surviving family. And then, they were gone.
—
*Whistle.*
The wind, carrying the scent of blood, swept through the desolate, ruined city. The aftermath of the battle was nothing short of a massacre, bodies strewn across the landscape. The ruins echoed with silence, only broken by the whimper of the child who had miraculously survived.
Amidst the sea of death, three lives remained—a small, fragile beacon of hope in a world overrun by darkness.
