Chaotic Corridor

The second-floor corridor was in a state of panic.

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

Screaming, wailing, shoving, falling.

The pungent stench of blood mingled with a rusty, rank odor that filled the air.

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

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

"Mom. Mom!"

"Help!!!"

Lin Yi, clad in black armor and gripping a long staff, was like a lone boat fighting against the current of the crowd.

He desperately fended off the people crashing into him, his anxious gaze cutting through the chaos as he searched for the restroom sign at the far end of the corridor.

"Ah!!!"

A scream from downstairs rose to a shrill pitch, followed by the teeth-grinding sound of tearing flesh and the monster's excited growl.

The crowd's panic exploded!

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

"Run! Hurry, hide!!!"

The crowd grew even more frantic. Most people ran around screaming like headless chickens, while others tried to force open the doors of the private rooms that were still shut.

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

As he fought his way forward through the crowded corridor, Lin Yi shouted:

"Go to Fu Xiu Hall behind me! It's empty, and the door's open. Get inside and barricade the door!"

Lin Yi quickly pointed in a direction.

It was an empty banquet hall he had noticed when passing by earlier. The door was open, and it was the nearest refuge.

Hearing someone give directions amid the chaos, most people instinctively looked where he pointed. As if they'd found a lifeline, they began forcing their way toward Fu Xiu Hall.

"If you can't get into Fu Xiu Hall, find the nearest empty private room, lock the door, and barricade it! Or run up to the third floor. Don't block the corridor! Let the people behind you through!"

Lin Yi kept running and shouting, his voice hoarse with anxiety. "Give them a chance to live!"

Just then, a young mother covered in blood and clutching a baby was shoved over by the crowd. She fell right at Lin Yi's feet. The baby in her arms whimpered weakly, and she stared blankly into space, seemingly in despair.

"Get up!"

Without hesitation, Lin Yi grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet.

Lin Yi stared at her tear-streaked, blood-smeared face. He had no time to say much, only, "Think of your child. Go to Fu Xiu Hall, quickly!"

His words struck through the mother's despair like a bolt of lightning. She glanced down at the bundle in her arms, then hugged her baby close and stumbled into the crowd heading for Fu Xiu Hall.

Lin Yi had no time to watch her go. He continued fighting his way upstream, first shoving away a hysterical middle-aged man who was trying to grab onto his armor, then roughly batting aside with his staff a woman directly in his path who was screaming and crashing into people, thinking only of herself. He forced the way clear.

At last, he reached the restroom. He immediately discovered that the women's restroom door was shut.

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

"Mengmeng! Are you in there?"

Lin Yi anxiously knocked on the women's restroom's wooden door.

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

Zhou Mengmeng's reply came at once from inside, choked with tears and suppressed fear. Her voice brimmed with the joy of someone who'd found a way out of a desperate situation.

"It's me! Mengmeng! Open the door, quickly!"

Lin Yi's heart eased. At least she was safe and still inside.

Click.

The lock was opened from the inside, and the door cracked open, revealing a pale little face streaked with tears. It was Zhou Mengmeng.

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

Lin Yi first ushered Mengmeng behind him, then held the door open and swept his sharp gaze across the room.

In the far corner of the cramped restroom, he saw three people huddled together: two young women in server uniforms and an office worker in business attire, stained with blood and trembling as she clutched her phone.

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

"These people?"

Lin Yi looked at Zhou Mengmeng in question.

"Brother, 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 nice servers and this lady ran in."

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

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

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

Her voice was shrill and despairing. The light from her screen fell across her bloodless face, making her look even more unsettling.

"The emergency line is always busy, and I can't get through with emergency calling either. How can this be happening?!"

Calling the police...

Lin Yi sighed inwardly.

The emergency lines were surely already flooded with calls, and soon they would lose their phone signals altogether.

The Abyss Beasts' arrival was a global disaster. The more important a facility or location was, the greater the chance that a high-level Abyss Beast Nest would appear nearby.

As power plants, communication towers, and other infrastructure gradually failed, electricity, the internet, and communications would soon be cut off across most regions.

As for the military, they were even less of an option right now. Most of them were already embroiled in fierce battles.

But as mere mortals, they stood no chance against high-level Abyss Beasts. In the end, most of the troops were scattered and forced to retreat in separate groups.

The only forces still able to do anything in the city were the police and the military, but they were too few in number, and their ammunition and other supplies were limited. Against the first overwhelming wave of Abyss Beasts, they were a drop in the ocean.

There was no point hoping for help. At a time like this, they could only save themselves.

But he couldn't say that outright.

As the roars and screams from the stairwell grew clearer, Lin Yi could only urge her anxiously:

"Mengmeng, come with me. Uncle and Aunt are worried sick in the banquet hall! It's not safe here!"

He glanced at the three inside, his tone grave.

"We can't stay here. This door's too thin, and there's a grate underneath. 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 than here! Hurry!"

Since they had brought Mengmeng into the restroom to hide, Lin Yi made a point of warning them.

He knew all too well what Abyss Beasts were. A miniature Abyss Beast Nest didn't only produce Corrosive Abyssal Wolves. Staying in the restroom behind this flimsy wooden door, with nothing to barricade it, would be a dead end.

"B-but outside..."

One of the servers stared in terror at the horrific sounds coming from the far end of the corridor, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Come with us or wait here to die. It's up to you!"

Lin Yi's voice suddenly turned cold. He said no more. Grabbing Mengmeng by the wrist with one hand, he pulled her behind him, 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 servers looked at Lin Yi's back. Though he was young, he was resolute, and his armor and heavy staff looked impressive. When they heard him say that people were organizing a defense in the banquet hall, their instinct to survive finally overcame their fear.

They exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and supported each other as they stumbled after Lin Yi.

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

Seeing everyone leave, the office worker didn't dare stay behind alone. She followed in a daze, clutching her phone tightly and muttering to herself without pause, clearly on the verge of a breakdown.

"If you're coming with us, keep quiet! Put your phone away!"

Lin Yi growled. He kept Mengmeng on the wall-side of the group, shielding her, while he walked on the outer side with his staff in hand.

"And if we run into a monster, stay well back. Don't get in the way."

His eyes fixed intently on the corner where the corridor led to the stairwell. He didn't forget to warn them, either.

The scrape of his armor sounded rather grating in the now-empty corridor, but he couldn't afford to care.

Right now, time was life. Running into the Corrosive Abyssal Wolf was secondary; there would be plenty of chances for that. The most important thing was to get Mengmeng back first.

After all, he was still only a mortal. He could protect himself without much trouble, but to keep Mengmeng safe as well, it was better to be cautious.