Ziro and his group followed Roman in silence.
They had been walking for quite a while now.
"…Where exactly are we going?" Ziro finally asked.
Roman didn't slow down. "Wait. It's just up ahead."
After passing through countless corridors, the passage suddenly opened.
They stepped onto a massive platform—so vast it could easily be compared to a football field.
Ziro's eyes widened.
"Woo! What is this place?"
All around them, people stood in organized circles, devices in their hands. Soldiers lined the perimeter—fully armed, masked, watching every movement.
Roman waved toward a man standing near the center.
"Hey, Shishir. There were some casualties. Can we move these three ahead of the others?"
Shishir glanced over, unimpressed.
"You're slacking again?"
Then he shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Kids, go to the front. Use the devices we gave you earlier. Stand in any circle and scan the bar. We'll start in a minute."
Roman hesitated. "You wanna hear something?"
"The thing is—" Roman leaned in and whispered into Shishir's ear.
Shishir's lips curled into a grin.
"Hoho… found myself a toy, huh? Hehehe."
Roman stepped back. "Hey, lunatic. Stop dreaming and start it. I'm going to bring the next batch."
Shishir cleared his throat and stepped forward, facing everyone.
Ziro leaned toward Jamal. "Is this some kind of announcement?"
Jamal nodded seriously. "I think they're gonna sing for us."
Riya shot him a look. "Oho? You think this is a concert? Can't you see soldiers with guns and masks surrounding us?"
Jamal shrugged. "Maybe it's an OnlyFans concert."
Ziro and Riya narrowed their eyes at the same time.
"Piece of shit."
"Just joking!" Jamal laughed. "Chill out, gang."
"Yeah, yeah…" Ziro muttered.
Shishir raised his voice.
"Yoooo—one, two. Everyone, can you hear me?"
He paused. "Yohoho… I'm alone, trapped inside. No body, no window—"
"Sir?" someone whispered nervously.
Shishir blinked. "…Ahem. Sorry. Just going with the flow."
He straightened.
"Hello, survivors of Earth. I am Shishir."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"You must be confused—why you are here, and why you had to suffer through all this. Once, we citizens of Blue Star asked the same questions."
"We accepted our outcome. Now… you must accept yours too."
Silence fell.
"We know it's hard. But living with reality is all we can do."
"After the fall of Earth, I personally sent information and mails through your Earth networks. Unfortunately, some stubborn people thought it would scare others."
He sighed. "Still, you have your devices now. They contain present data and all available information."
"At this moment, you are gathered here for transportation."
"To another place."
"To the planet—Blue Star."
A heavy pause.
"Earth is no longer a paradise for life. It is now a hell—an abyssal zone where life ends every second."
"The Sky City Military Port will do everything possible to locate your friends and families. We will bring every survivor we find to safety."
Ziro swallowed.
"So… we're really saying goodbye to our birth planet like this."
Jamal whispered, "I never imagined a day like this would come."
Riya remained silent.
Ziro spoke again.
"So locking us in our rooms was to stop mass panic… to prevent everyone from losing control together."
Jamal nodded. "That's… actually clever."
Riya added quietly, "They did give us limited information—teleportation, outside conditions—through the devices."
Ziro clenched his fist.
"Still… panicking together and protesting is kind of our culture. They avoided chaos, but we still don't know the full situation. Or if our friends are even alive…"
His voice faded.
Jamal placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, my lord. Our friends aren't cheap products. They're high quality."
"If a guy like you survived, they'll survive too."
Ziro looked at him.
"…Was that an insult or comfort?"
Jamal and Riya exchanged a glance.
"Both, my lord."
Shishir's voice echoed again.
"After teleportation, military support will be provided. Don't be frightened. Everything will be fine."
"Now then—good luck to everyone."
"Let us meet again… on Blue Star."
A deep mechanical roar filled the platform.
WOOOOOOOOSHHHH—!
One by one, people vanished.
Ziro watched silently.
"…What a scene to witness."
He took a breath. "Let's go, guys. To the other side."
WOOSH!
CLING!
"Teleportation complete. 569 individuals confirmed."
Shishir exhaled.
"…Yeah. Let's hope for the best."
He turned sharply.
"Oy, oy, oy! Stop daydreaming, you lazybones! Prepare the next batch!"
Bang! Bang!
Blood splattered across a metal container.
"Boy, stop!" an old man shouted. "You're bleeding head to toe!"
Inside the container were four people—a young boy, a little girl, her mother, and the old man.
"No, uncle!" the boy yelled. "If I fall here, you'll die too! I can't watch anyone die in front of me again!"
He wiped blood from his face.
"This fucking world—hah! Do you even know who I am?!"
"I'm a three-time national youth boxing champion! You think this puny monster can kill me?!"
"Bring it on!"
Bang!
"Hup—!"
A blade—formed from a monster's arm—pierced straight through his stomach.
"…I can't die here," he thought weakly.
"My senses… my vision's fading… but I have to save them… at least them…"
The door creaked open.
Too many monsters.
"…No—"
His body collapsed.
The boy lost consciousness.
"No! Child!" the old man cried. "We're going to die now… I don't even have legs to run…"
The little girl burst into tears.
"Mommy… sob… sob…"
Her mother trembled, pulling her close.
"Don't worry, darling. Close your eyes. Everything will be fine."
BLINK!
A sword flashed.
"What… was that sound?"
The wind screamed as countless vertical slashes tore through the air.
Monster blood sprayed everywhere.
"Huff… huff…"
"At last… I'm here."
Lilith stepped forward, blade dripping.
"Hope I'm not late."
The old man stared. "A… a human?! Miss—please! Save the boy first! He tried to save us and got badly hurt!"
Lilith knelt beside him.
Hmm… body hardening?
Quite a brave one.
She nodded. "Don't worry. He'll live. This small hole won't kill him."
She stood.
"Come with me. I'll escort all of you to safety."
A voice crackled through comms.
"Ma'am, reporting. Area clear. Eighty percent of people rescued."
Lilith clenched her jaw.
"…Still too many lost."
She turned forward.
"Let's get out of here first."
.....
[ TO BE CONTINUED]