CHAPTER 9
Leaping from roof to roof, Han was huffing and panting heavily.
At some point, he landed on the ground and bolted forward.
Turning through different corners at immense speed, he narrowly avoided lasers from above that were still surprisingly raining down, catching some unlucky humans in their path.
With his teeth gritted, he ducked low, narrowly avoiding a collapsed house that was about to rain debris on him as he lunged ahead.
Kicking off from the ground, the boot activated again, propelling him forward at full speed.
The boots were known as the "Vector Mobility System."
They released compressed gas, allowing the wearer to glide through the air for a brief moment, giving them a chance to close distance or perform aerial maneuvers.
He kicked the air forcefully, causing the VMS to propel him forward once more as he landed on the side of a tilted building before leaping off again.
The moment he hovered in the air, his eyes gleamed.
That was because the gate out of this wall was just three metres away.
But there was a problem.
A crowd of humans had gathered in front of it, shouting and begging to be allowed onto the train that would leave for the second wall.
Gritting his teeth, Han landed on the ground and lunged forward with the young boy still slung over his shoulders, sweat beading down his face.
His breathing was ragged as within a few moments, he found himself at the back of the line.
He did not wait.
Kicking off from the ground, he leaped over the humans, who all paused and glanced upward at the man hovering above them.
He closed the distance from the back to the front of the line where several men dressed in the same attire as Han stood.
Strange contraptions could be seen standing around them, resembling old-fashioned cannons.
The men also had guns slung over their shoulders.
Looking up, some soldiers stood atop the gate wall, positioned beside the cannon-like devices, their eyes fixed ahead with grim focus.
"Haaa… Haaa…"
Han panted roughly as he carefully brought the young boy down from his shoulder and presented him to a man who swiftly saluted.
"Sergeant."
Han huffed, gesturing at Ray with his eyes.
"... At ease. Take the kid to the train for me and make sure he is comfortable."
The man nodded, quickly snatching Ray from Han's hands before spinning around, passing through the gate, and heading toward the train waiting outside.
It was not technically a train. It was closer to a long bus, wider and more spacious, which was why the humans referred to it as one.
— Hey! That's not fair. We deserve a spot on that train too.
— Yeah. What's this? Isn't our lives valuable too? We need to all leave as soon as possible before those creatures catch up with us.
— Let us through damn it!
One of the soldiers stepped forward, his hands outstretched as he looked ahead.
"Listen to me you all. The train is almost full. There are limited space and can't even accommodate you all so wh…"
— Shut up! We don't want to hear that crap. Your duty as a soldier of the Iron Corps is to protect humanity within the walls. So why aren't you doing just that?!
"... We are trying. But you all just keep making this harder damn it!"
Voices overlapped in loud screams as everybody barked at the soldiers in front of them, while the soldiers, in return, barked back.
Han suddenly turned around, wiping sweat from his face.
"Look. I know we are all scared for our lives because of the sudden attack… invasion from those creatures. But we are also risking our lives to protect you all here so why don't you kindly cooperate with us?!"
— Like hell we will. You just gave one more spot to a useless brat on the train and you expect us to keep quiet?
— Yes! Why didn't you allow the adults on the train. We have a better chance to be useful in this war.
Han's brows twitched as he glared at the men.
"You do? Do you really have a chance in this war? I don't see you fighting against the Abberants. Heck! You are all running away like the cowards you are while we…"
His hands curled into fists, teeth grinding back and forth as his eyes pierced the crowd of humans.
"... We have been working tirelessly to help better your lives. But do you all appreciate the members of the Iron Corps? No! You all see us as 'useless' because we aren't metas like the Vanguard Order. Tch!"
The crowd quietened as only the soft hum of the train outside could be heard, along with the distant destruction caused by the creatures.
The gates were still wide open.
Huge iron doors hovered above the ground, waiting to descend and seal the path of escape if need be.
— Pl…please. Let us on the train. Please!
A soldier stepped forward.
"... And we said: there are no more spots left. Everything is occupied."
— Then we will hang on the roof or something. Just let us through damn it!
Han sighed inwardly.
'Times like this always show the desperation of humanity. They are all desperate for an escape now, and this is when their true nature would always come f…'
Bang—!
Bang—!
Bang—!
Thunderous sounds erupted from behind the humans, causing all of them to spin around in dread, wondering what was coming.
And to their horror, three Abberants were rushing forward with menacing grins on their faces, their claws and feet crashing through whatever stood in their way.
The humans' eyes widened in sheer terror.
— Ahhhh~!
They screamed loudly at the top of their lungs as the creatures rapidly closed the distance.
Han and the soldiers' eyes widened in alarm.
'... This is bad.'
The humans turned around in unison, staring at the soldiers, and then in an unprecedented collective outburst, they thundered;
— Let us through now!
The next moment, it was chaos.