The Journey to the Black Domain

Outside the Mount Lao Safe Zone.

At the city walls, large numbers of Survivors who had set up simple tents to survive were roughly driven away by teams of awakeners.

Clutching their clothes and miscellaneous belongings, the Survivors were driven to other areas, panic showing through their originally numb faces.

"What happened?"

"Why are there so many awakeners out!?"

Shivering as the chill of the deep night swept over them, everyone watched the groups of awakeners stationed at the entrance with worried faces.

Machine guns were set up, and even the high-powered searchlights that had previously been used sparingly were lit, illuminating the entire city wall.

In an instant, the place was filled with a murderous air.

Shouts, reprimands, and chaos.

Some people were terrified and uneasy, while others merely glanced over before continuing to sleep like walking corpses inside the sheet-metal boxes they had built.

"Some big shot must be coming, right?"

Among the crowd, a low-level awakener said casually as he slowly tore open a piece of dried meat, carefully moistening it with saliva before swallowing.

His throat bobbed. Some of the surrounding Survivors looked at him with envy.

"Could it be a Mutant? Or has someone come to attack us?"

"I saw the Awakener Legion mobilize!"

The awakener eating the dried meat glanced sideways at the skinny man and let out a scornful laugh.

"What do you mean, 'our' Awakener Legion? You're from the Outer City. What does it have to do with you whether a fight breaks out or not?"

After swallowing the strip of meat, he could not be bothered with the other man.

"If it were a Mutant, the awakeners would have gone out to eliminate it already. Why would they still be standing here?"

"Besides, who would dare provoke our two Third Orders?"