"The 10 minutes went by so fast!"
"We haven't rested at all."
"Damn, why does time go by so fast?"
Everyone soon began to despair; they didn't realize how quickly time had passed.
It was like a bad joke.
"Pfff..."
"...!!!"
They turn toward Liam, who has an amused smile on his face.
"What are you laughing at, bastard?!"
"Are you enjoying the fact that we're all going to die? You son of a bitch!"
Liam's smile froze for a moment.
His eyes flashed with dangerous intensity.
"Die with all of you...?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Would they really offer me such a great gift?"
"..."
No one expected that reaction. Is that son of a bitch crazy? Did all those deaths finally get to him?
That reaction was too strange. Who wants to die in such a horrible way?
Clap!
The dry applause echoed through the station.
Liam pointed his finger toward the barricades.
"They're too focused on me."
His smile widened slightly.
"The monsters aren't going to wait for me to finish playing house."
Kael clenches his jaw and turns around.
"Quick, form groups of five! And those who are injured..."
He looks at Liam, and a quick plan forms in his mind.
"Stay close to him; it doesn't matter if he moves, just follow him!"
Despite this reaction, those whom the monsters had injured decided to stay close to Liam.
They know that it is more important to be alive than to be dead; they are not stupid.
Liam observes that they are now more organized than when they were caught off guard the first time.
'Although it's still not enough...'
He had already anticipated that there would be many deaths in this wave, so he moved toward the north and south barricades.
Which has less Damage.
Notice how the wounded follow him closely, as if that would guarantee their safety.
Liam took bones from the monsters' corpses and scraps of clothing, improvising two homemade weapons.
He hands the bone knife to the pregnant woman.
"Here, you need something to defend yourself with."
Myra takes it, but the confusion on her face is evident.
He points to the wounded men.
"They could kill you. Do you think they're good people?"
"..."
She was about to say something, but she closed her mouth several times until she said:
"He was a very kind person."
[The constellation "Game Judge Dragon" is moved by your attitude]
[The constellation "Lord of Mysteries" now sees you differently and sponsors you with 100 coins]
[Several constellations are surprised by your attitude]
Liam fell silent for a moment and turned around as the monsters began to materialize at high speed.
"Don't stray from me."
"Yes!"
Myra nods, gripping the knife with both hands, frightened.
...
The monsters began to emerge from the various entrances on Chambers Street.
They didn't do it all at once.
First, they were shadows crawling between the tracks, twisted silhouettes that slowly rose, one after another, until they formed an unnatural tide.
"Groooaaarrr…!!"
"HRAAAUUM!!"
"Graaashk!!"
"Grrr… ghuuuh…!!!"
The growls overlapped, distorted, like broken throats trying to remember how to scream.
Tension gripped everyone as the monsters advanced.
But then—
"Mom..."
"Brother..."
"Grandma...!"
"Auntie...!"
The words came out trembling, incredulous.
Among the zombies, several survivors recognized familiar faces.
Swollen, pale faces with dead eyes... but unmistakable.
Horror paralyzed them.
And that moment of hesitation was enough.
The formation Kael had organized shattered like fragile glass.
"Khuk—!"
"AHHH!!!"
"Huak…!"
The screams erupted, heart-wrenching, mingling with the metallic smell of fresh blood and the wet sound of flesh tearing.
No one was prepared for this.
No one expected to see their loved ones advancing toward them, mouths open and hands clenched.
The impact was too significant.
"React! They're already dead! If you hesitate now, we'll all die!"
Kael shouted until his voice cracked, trying to impose order amid the disaster.
It was useless.
The barricades in the east and west began to give way at almost the same time.
The monsters rushed in mercilessly, and deaths multiplied as the tide seemed endless.
Then—
A notification appeared before everyone.
[The East barricade has reached 100% damage and has been destroyed.]
Everyone stopped when they saw the notification.
A rookie mistake.
The monsters weren't considerate enough to wait for humans to finish reading and reflecting on their fate before politely attacking.
They attacked.
Without pause.
Without warning.
A creature lunged at the defensive line and began tearing bodies apart left and right.
The air turned red, and the ground quickly became covered with dismembered corpses.
"Khuk—!"
"AHHH!!!"
"Huak…!"
Screams, bones breaking, blood splattering.
Chaos reigned supreme.
But in the midst of it all, only one person continued to kill with almost insulting efficiency.
Liam.
The monsters seemed endless; for every one that fell, three more emerged from the shadows.
Liam moved between the north and south barricades, eliminating just enough monsters to keep the situation from completely collapsing.
Not one more.
Not one less.
Enough so that the wounded who remained close to him could continue fighting.
He didn't plan on doing all the work himself.
He wasn't that heroic.
If it had been his former self, the one from the early regressions, he might have taken on the entire burden.
But now?
'Why bother with people who, as soon as they can, will point their fingers at me?'
The bone sword cut through the air, piercing flesh and bone with precise, almost lazy movements.
Every monster that came too close ceased to exist.
Liam glanced back briefly.
Myra was still fighting.
Desperately.
But alive.
'Good.'
She wasn't elegant. She wasn't strong.
But she could defend herself.
And in a world like that, being a pregnant woman was already worthy of respect.
More than many others deserved.
Time marched on as death piled up.
Monsters and survivors fell alike, clinging to life with an almost pathetic desperation. There was no heroism in their actions, only instinct.
Keeping on fighting was the only option.
The alternative was a slow and horrible death.
"Groooaaarrr…!!"
"HRAAAUUM!!"
"Graaashk!!"
The roars began to fade one by one.
As the noise subsided, the holographic barricades flickered alarmingly, covered in cracks and broken fragments.
"Quick! Everyone to the west! We can't let that barricade fall!"
Kael shouted orders as he attacked relentlessly, wielding blades and improvised weapons with trembling hands.
He mimicked Liam's movements.
Not out of confidence, but because he had no other choice.
The chaos continued... until the last monster collapsed to the ground.
[Wave 2 complete!]
[Damage to barricades]
West: 77%
North: 22%
South: 25%
East: 100% (Destroyed)
[Next wave in 10 minutes]