This was an abandoned city. Although it was not as large as Blagoveshchensk, it had once flourished before the Giant Beast Calamity.
But now, it was like a withered flower. Ruined buildings filled the eye, emanating a rotting stench as if they might vanish into the river of history at any moment.
The place was filthy and run-down. A torrential rain had fallen just the night before, and the dirty water had gathered into puddles. Shredded clothing, rusty cans, and even the rotting carcasses of animals floated and bobbed amid all kinds of filth.
When the wind blew through the skeletal remains of high-rises or houses whose walls had collapsed, it produced a hollow, mournful sound.
The shattered roads were littered with the wreckage of cars. Some had been burned down to their shells, while others had been crushed flat by heavy objects, their former splendor long gone.
In the window of a clothing store stood several plastic mannequins that were still relatively intact. Suddenly, one mannequin's head exploded into fragments, and only then did gunfire ring out from an alley across the street.
In the alley, a squad of Freedom Wings soldiers moved swiftly. One of them spat at the mannequins in the window.
"Damn, you scared me."
Then a broadcast sounded from behind: "Colonel Anatoly, you have nowhere left to run. Surrender now. Don't drag your comrades down with you."
The soldier turned around and saw a Great Knight observing its surroundings. It had activated its audio equipment and was broadcasting across the entire city.
The voice drifted with the wind, carrying across several blocks before reaching Anatoly's ears.
At that moment, the Alpha Squad leader was hugging his rifle and leaning against a wall with his eyes closed, resting while his strength slowly recovered.
The night before,