Adrian understood that all people shared a common dream—to see their family and friends leading happy lives. But ultimately, they were hurt and left traumatized."Get to the trailers and bring food and water. Let's feed them before we calm them down," Adrian said."Yes, sir."Cian then spoke through his communicator, and more than thirty people soon came carrying food and water. The prisoners were locked up in a supermarket, but everything inside had been taken by Anatoly and his men. Hence, they had been starving for at least three days. Some of the elderly were on the verge of death.Adrian started handing out the rations, which excited the prisoners.A middle-aged woman cried, "Please give me some water and food. My grandson's about to starve to death."An old man begged, "Water… Please…"Adrian turned around and left the supermarket when he heard their pleas. "Settle down. We've got enough for everyone," Rozi said as she and the others distributed the rations.Cian added,
Oliver and a group headed out of the supermarket, while Adrian headed inside. They were now in a race against time. Everyone's gaze fell on Adrian as Cian and the others gathered around him. Some of them thought that Adrian seemed familiar. "Do you know who I am?" Adrian calmly asked. After a moment of silence, a woman in her twenties carefully raised her hand. A few more youngsters put up their hands as well.Adrian smiled at the woman. "You know who I am?"The woman nodded and stood up. "You're a former war legate of Wyvern Peak, correct? War Legate Draco, if I remember correctly. I've seen you on television.""War Legate Draco?"The adults grew excited when they heard this. They knew who War Legate Draco was despite never seeing Adrian in the flesh. They had heard about him from the news or through word of mouth. "It’s War Legate Draco?""It really is him!""I knew he'd come to save us!"Everyone got to their feet and stared at Adrian in silent excitement. "Everyo
"Whatever I'm saying sounds far-fetched, but after everything that has happened, these are all facts now. What we have to do is to find the game developer, kill him, and retrieve the deleted data to revive the vanished players."The woman who recognized Adrian raised her hand. "Go on.” Adrian gestured. "Sir, are you saying that he's resetting our world by erasing half of our population? How do you know all this though?""What's your name?" Adrian asked. "Elayne Sanders, sir. I'm from Eastrive. I'm a volunteer elementary school teacher at Rivik Village.""Do you know about the Mount Gremont Railway?"Elayne nodded. "I do. It’s a project War Legate Dominus executed.""Then do you know about the ancient ruins uncovered there?" "Yes, I saw it on the news. It was found while the workers were tunneling through the mountain."Adrian nodded. "A few crew members of the project and I entered the ruins, and that's where I learned everything about the Creator. He has tried to reset o
Adrian gazed at the crowd. Everyone exchanged glances. Then, some youngsters and adults, both men and women, stepped forward. Although they were still unsure of what had happened, they knew those who were left behind and weak would only be hurt further. They needed to stand together, and they needed a strong leader to guide them to a better life. They yearned to rectify their lives, and they knew that they would have hope as long as they were still alive.There were about able men and women among the three hundred prisoners, and they were all very calm at this moment. Even Elayne stepped forward, hoping to do her part for the world despite only being an elementary school teacher. A few elderly were getting up as well. When Adrian said upon seeing this, "Veterans above fifty years old, please form a second line and contribute however you can. As for the sick and injured, I'll help you all find a new home to settle down in."Everyone remained silent. He took a deep breath and continu
Adrian’s expression became serious. "Students? How many?""Most of them were killed by monsters or vanished during the reset. There are six left. The oldest among them is twelve. I had them hide in the storeroom when the chaos began and came to Gold Haven to get help, but I was captured by Anatoly.""How many days has it been since then?""Two days. They only have a large barrel of water to live off of.""Padraig!" Adrian called out.Padraig came over and asked, "Yes, sir?""Pick out ten men and follow me to Rivik Village immediately. We're going to save the children trapped in the elementary school there.""But, sir…"Adrian knew what Padraig was about to say, but he could not give up on the children. The chances of them being alive were slim, but there was a chance nevertheless."Oliver, have our men search for instant concrete and some rebars. I want you to form a wall at all the city entrances. Also, increase the height of the city perimeter walls to prepare for the monste
Everyone scrambled to contribute as Adrian and the others headed toward Rivik Village. The road to the village was narrow. Coupled with the darkness, it was difficult for the trailer to travel at full speed. They were now racing against time—against the Grim Reaper.With Gold Haven’s perimeter walls being swiftly reinforced, Adrian focused on getting to the school as quickly as he could. Along the way to the village, he saw monsters rushing toward Gold Haven. The monsters seemed to be swarming toward the city as though they were under orders. This went against their mental capabilities. "Sir, the monsters are moving toward Gold Haven. Don't you think it's strange they know to go there when they’re just mindless monsters?” Padraig asked as he watched the monsters.Adrian sighed. "They're being controlled. The Creator sent them an order to destroy Gold Haven.""What? He's controlling them?" Padraig asked in shock. Adrian nodded. "He has exhausted much of his powers by resetting th
"The most important thing is to keep yourself safe. All right, we don’t have much time. Get in." Adrian got back into the trailer after giving his orders. "Yes, sir.”After everyone got back in, Padraig clenched his jaw and stared at the school while starting the engine. "Hold on, everyone. This is going to be a bumpy ride."As its engine revved, the trailer charged down the hill toward the school. The sound attracted the monsters' attention, and some of them began running toward the trailer. Padraig tensed up as they broke through the school's main gates. He killed the engine after sending a few monsters in the gym flying. Padraig yelled, "Get out and form a perimeter! We have to defend the trailer from those monsters! Elayne, I need you to stay here!"Everyone quickly got out, and Adrian rushed toward the storeroom. A gorilla monster swung its giant ax at Adrian. In return, he stabbed Dragonbane through the monster’s heart. He continued to dash toward the storeroom as the othe
Meanwhile, six twelve-year-old students huddled inside the storeroom. Their consciousness was fading. They would not be alive for much longer.The gunshots woke up one of the girls wearing a ponytail. Her name was Tori Queens, and she was one of the older kids set to enter middle school the following year.When Tori heard the gunshots, she said, "Guys, wake up. Something's happening outside."The students woke up and weakly looked at their surroundings, only to find they were still inside the dark storeroom. Over the past two days, they had been waiting for Elayne to save them, but she was nowhere to be seen. "What is it?""Is something happening?""I think I hear gunshots outside." They became excited when they confirmed that it was indeed gunshots. Dustin Faust, a slightly chubby boy, cried, "Those are the sounds of guns! And they’re coming from inside the gym! Ms. Elayne found someone to save us!" "We're saved!"The children held each other and cried. Their faces were