Chaos Corridor

The second-floor corridor had descended into utter panic.

The terrified crowd surged up from the spiral staircase like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

Screaming, wailing, shoving, falling...

The sharp stench of blood mingled with a rusty, rancid reek that filled the air.

From downstairs came the Corrosive Abyss Wolf's roars and the sounds of it tearing into its prey, like a death knell drawing ever closer, growing clearer by the second.

"Get out of the way! Don't block the path!"

"Mom... Mom!"

"Help!!!"

Clad in black armor and wielding a long staff, Lin Yi was like a lone boat fighting against the current.

He struggled to fend off the bodies crashing into him, his anxious gaze cutting through the chaos to lock onto the restroom sign at the far end of the corridor.

"Ah!!!"

A scream so shrill it broke into a rasp rang out downstairs, followed by the teeth-grating sound of tearing flesh and a monster's excited growl.

The crowd's panic exploded in an instant!

"It's coming up! The monster's coming up!!"

"Run! Hide somewhere, quick!!!"

The crowd grew even more frantic. Most people ran around screaming like headless chickens or tried to ram their way into other rooms with locked doors.

"If you don't want to die, listen to me!"

As he fought his way forward through the crowded corridor, Lin Yi shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Go to Fuxiu Hall behind me! It's empty, and the door's open. Get inside and block the door!"

Lin Yi quickly pointed the way.

It was an empty Banquet Hall he'd noticed on his way past. Its door was open, and it was the nearest shelter.

Hearing someone point out a way to safety, most people instinctively looked in the direction he indicated. Clinging to the lifeline, they began forcing their way toward Fuxiu Hall.

"If you can't get into Fuxiu Hall, find the nearest empty room, lock the door, and barricade it! Or run up to the third floor! Don't clog the corridor! Leave the people behind you a way through!"

Lin Yi kept shouting as he charged ahead, his voice hoarse with urgency. "Or run up to the third floor! Don't clog the corridor! Leave the people behind you a way through!"

Just then, a young mother covered in blood and clutching a baby was shoved to the ground at Lin Yi's feet. The baby in her arms let out a faint whimper. Her eyes were vacant, as if she'd already given up hope.

"Get up!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Lin Yi grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet.

He stared at her tear- and blood-streaked face. With no time to say more, he simply told her, "Think of your child. Go to Fuxiu Hall, quick!"

His words struck through the mother's despair like a bolt of lightning. She glanced down at the bundle in her arms, then clutched her baby tight and stumbled into the stream of people heading for Fuxiu Hall.

Lin Yi had no time to watch her go. He pressed on against the current, first shoving away a hysterical middle-aged man who tried to cling to his armor, then using his staff to knock aside a woman blocking his path, screaming and flailing for her own sake. He forced a way through.

At last, he reached the restroom, only to find the women's room door shut.

He tried the handle, but it wouldn't turn. It was locked.

"Xiao Meng! Are you in there?"

Lin Yi anxiously knocked on the wooden door.

"Brother?! Bro! Is that you?!"

Zhou Mengmeng's muffled, tearful reply came at once from inside, her voice thick with fear and the joy of finding salvation.

"It's me! Xiao Meng! Open the door, quick!"

Lin Yi felt a wave of relief. At least she was safe and still inside.

Click.

The lock clicked open, and the door cracked just enough to reveal a pale little face streaked with tears. It was Zhou Mengmeng.

Seeing her brother outside in armor and holding a long staff, she burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.

Lin Yi moved Xiao Meng behind him, then braced himself against the door and swept his sharp gaze across the restroom.

In the cramped restroom's far corner, three people huddled together: two young women in service uniforms, and an office worker in a professional suit, stained with blood, who clutched her phone and trembled as she repeatedly tapped at it.

Their faces were as pale as paper, their eyes wide with terror. They pressed tightly together, their bodies shaking like leaves in the wind.

"These three?"

Lin Yi gave Zhou Mengmeng a questioning look.

"Bro... They..."

Zhou Mengmeng sobbed as she explained, "I was washing my hands when it suddenly got really noisy outside. Then I heard screaming... These two ladies who work here and this woman ran in."

Zhou Mengmeng pointed at the office worker. "They said there was... a man-eating monster downstairs! They pulled me in here to hide with them..."

The office worker glanced at Lin Yi, then quickly lowered her head again, jabbing frantically at her phone screen.

"I can't get through... Still can't get through!"

Her voice was shrill and desperate. The screen's glow lit up her bloodless face, making her look even more uncanny.

"The emergency line's busy, and I can't get through on emergency call either. How can this be happening!"

The emergency line...

Lin Yi sighed inwardly.

The lines were surely already jammed with calls, and before long even the mobile signal would be gone.

The Abyssal Beasts' arrival was a global disaster. The more important a facility or location was, the greater the likelihood of a high-level Abyss Beast Nest appearing nearby.

As power plants, Communication Base Stations, and other infrastructure failed one after another, power, internet, and communications would soon be cut off across most areas.

As for the military, they were even less likely to be of any help right now. Most of them were already locked in fierce battles.

But they were no match for high-level Abyssal Beasts. In the end, most of the troops would be broken up and forced to retreat in scattered groups.

Inside the city, the only forces that could still do anything were the police and military. But their numbers were too small, and their ammunition and other supplies were limited. Against the first surging wave of Abyssal Beasts, they were little more than a drop in the ocean.

So there was no point hoping for rescue. At a time like this, they could only save themselves.

But he couldn't tell them that.

With the snarls and screams from the stairwell growing clearer by the second, Lin Yi could only urge them impatiently:

"Xiao Meng, come with me. Our aunt and uncle are worried sick in the banquet hall! It's not safe here!"

His gaze swept over the three women inside, his tone grave.

"We can't stay here. This door's too thin, and there's a grille underneath, so it doesn't seal properly! Come with me to the banquet hall. We're barricading the door with tables and chairs. It's much safer there! Quick!"

Since they'd let Xiao Meng hide in the restroom with them, Lin Yi made a point of warning them.

He knew all too well what the Abyssal Beasts were. The Miniature Abyss Beast Nest wouldn't produce only Corrosive Abyss Wolves. If they stayed in the restroom, relying on that flimsy wooden door with nothing to barricade it, they'd be walking to their deaths.

"B-but what about outside...?"

One of the service workers stared in terror toward the horrifying sounds coming from the far end of the corridor. Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Come with me or wait here to die. Your choice!"

Lin Yi's voice suddenly turned cold. He said no more. Grabbing Xiao Meng by the wrist, he pulled her behind him with one hand, gripped his staff tightly with the other, and turned to leave.

Zhou Mengmeng had stopped crying by now. She clung tightly to the edge of her brother's armor and followed obediently.

The two service workers looked at Lin Yi's back. He was young, but his resolve was unmistakable. They saw the armor that looked anything but ordinary and the heavy staff in his hand, and heard him say that people were organizing a defense in the banquet hall. At last, their instinct to survive overcame their fear.

They looked at each other, gritted their teeth, and helped each other stumble after Lin Yi.

"The phone still won't go through... It's over. We're finished..."

Seeing everyone leave, the office worker didn't dare stay alone either. She followed in a daze, clutching her phone tightly as she kept muttering to herself, clearly on the verge of a breakdown.

"If you're coming with us, don't make a sound! Put your phone away!"

Lin Yi growled. He kept Xiao Meng on the inside, near the wall, and walked along the outside of the group with his staff in hand.

"Also, if we run into a monster, stay back. Whatever you do, don't get in my way."

Keeping his sharp eyes on the bend where the corridor led to the stairwell, he made sure to warn them as well.

The scrape of his armor sounded harsh in the now-empty corridor, but he didn't care.

Time was life. Running into a Corrosive Abyss Wolf was a secondary concern; there would be plenty of chances. The most important thing now was to get Xiao Meng back first.

After all, they were still only ordinary people. He could protect himself, but to keep Xiao Meng safe as well, it was best to be cautious.