Gun of Ashes

Several times they were repelled, and several times they returned, endless and boundless, just like this nightmare, as if there was no end.

Under the torrential rain, they protected the citizens’ safety, but a few demons broke through the defense line, causing chaos here. After the battle broke out, the peacekeepers were late to arrive, and although they killed these demons, they still caused immense damage.

The chief hoped someone could stay to protect them, but the peacekeepers couldn’t; they rushed to the front lines to confront the demons.

Flowers of death bloomed everywhere, and everyone gave it their all to try to survive.

The peacekeepers couldn’t stay, only soldiers with weapons stayed back, but they couldn’t always look after the citizens; this was when the police officers stepped forward.

They used police whistles to communicate with each other, stabilize order, and evacuate citizens into strongholds, in collaboration with soldiers from the Purification Mechanism.

Grotesquely deformed bodies lay to the side, blood gushing out from them.

Naven dared not look at these nightmare-like creatures. The young police officer couldn’t imagine such entities existed in the world. They were as strong as bulls, covered with sharp teeth and claws.

"Aren’t you afraid, Chief?"

Naven asked as he was carried into a building by the chief. The hall inside was crowded with citizens, people moving back and forth, dragging makeshift stretchers.

Here not only protected the citizens but also served as the logistics for the front lines. The wounded were evacuated here, and a steady stream of supplies was being sent here to maintain the front lines.

"The living can feel fear; the dead have nothing at all."

The chief tried to stay calm, his expression resolute.

"Take a good rest."

He put Naven down, and medical personnel came rushing over. Their white coats bore the image of a brain pierced by a Willow Blade, a sign the chief had never seen before, nor doctors like these.

The chief didn’t think much, for he had already witnessed too many new things today, as if all the strange and eerie things he’d encountered in his life so far were not as much as what he had seen within this day.

Sighing, the scene’s order was fairly stable. The chief initially thought someone would cry out, seeking the truth, to understand what all this was about.

But as if scared witless, the vast majority of citizens were dazed, with no reaction at all, as if their rationality had been completely dissolved under extreme fear.

They huddled together in silence; there was no sound of crying or shouting, eerily quiet. Yet, given the current madness, the chief did not find it strange.

Finally having some time to rest, he leaned against the wall, slowly raising his hand to look at the lines on his palm, his eyes showing a bit of confusion.

Being this calm was not like what he told Naven. The reason the chief was so rational was because he felt an odd sense of familiarity with all this.

Yes, it was interesting that he felt at home in such a crazy world, as if he had experienced it before.

In some... some nightmare that was nearly forgotten.

Now the nightmare and reality overlapped, and he was back here again.

His gaze was vacant, as though he might fall into some whirlpool when suddenly the alarm sounded.

"The line has been breached... evacuate..."

Such a sound echoed from the broadcast, intermittently, eventually falling silent.

The chief’s face turned pale as he rushed outside the building, only to see endless flames igniting at the end of the street, the firelight connecting to the sky, as if the inferno descended from the heavens.

Swarms of peacekeepers charged towards the firelight; they swiftly swept across the streets, splashing through water, cracking the ground beneath them. Soon, dazzling light trails rose, arching down to the ground, triggering roaring explosions.

The fear within him continuously escalated as something approached; they had breached the obstructing lines and were advancing here.

The chief turned back, wanting to call out to the citizens, telling them to retreat to a safe place, but he was met with pairs of hollow, numb eyes.

Making it to this point had exhausted their last courage; now they were like miserable insects under the gaze of fierce beasts, unable even to step forward.

But that wasn’t all; some citizens still had the sanity to resist this. They coordinated with the soldiers and doctors, but under such circumstances, relying on them alone, nothing could be done.

"Make way!"

A woman, holding a child, squeezed through the crowd. In such a situation, she still had the courage to step forward, unclear if it was to survive or for the child in her arms.

The girl curled up in fear, her head resting against her mother’s chest, not daring to look around.

"Chief! What should we do?"

Noticing the badge on the chief’s chest, the woman squeezed through the crowd, quickly approached. Unlike those captured by fear, the woman didn’t want to die, at least not with her daughter.

"I..."

The chief hesitated, unsure of what to do.

He wasn’t equipped to combat these monsters, but when it came to fleeing, he didn’t know where to go. The torrential rain seemed endless, trapping everyone in this nightmare.

The explosions were near, the chief looked toward the end of the street, already seeing hordes of demons advancing. The peacekeepers valiantly resisted, countless rains of bullets coming from all directions, holding them at bay.

What to do?

The chief’s mind went blank, just as exclamations arose.