In the guest room, the food on the table had been completely devoured by Ellie. Her belly was round and full, and her face radiated pure satisfaction.
"I'm stuffed. Thanks for letting have all the food," she said, patting her stomach.
"Oh, don't ntion it," Chris and the others replied with warm smiles, shaking their heads.
Seeing their kindness, Ellie felt even more touched. In a world where supplies were so scarce, they still chose to give their food to her. Her eyes welled up again, emotions threatening to spill over.
But just then, Sean let out a mischievous chuckle and turned to Ethan. "Hey, Ethan, she's full now. Go ahead and bring out the good stuff we saved for ourselves."
"Huh???" Ellie's touched expression froze, her face going blank.
What the hell did he an by that?
Ethan, however, was already glancing toward the door. His sharp senses had picked up the faint scent of blood in the air, and if he focused, he could just make out the distant, panicked screams and shouts of people fighting for their lives.
"Forget the food for now," he said, his voice low. "Ti to move."
"Move? Move what?" Sean asked, confused.
But before anyone could answer, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway, and the door burst open.
Thomas and Jenny rushed in, their faces tight with urgency.
"Everyone, we've got monsters breaching the periter. This place might not be safe anymore."
"Monsters again? Ugh, what a pain," Sean muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Mom!" Ellie cried out, running straight into Jenny's arms and wrapping her up in a tight hug.
Jenny stroked her daughter's hair, her voice soft and soothing. "I'm here, baby. Don't be scared. I'll protect you, no matter what."
It was only then that the others realized—Ellie was Jenny's daughter. And now that they looked closer, yeah, the resemblance was definitely there.
Brandon leaned in and whispered, "Uncle Chris… she's got a kid already."
Chris didn't even blink. "That's great. Saves ti," he said, eyes locked on Jenny.
Mia stood up and grabbed the Tachi sword resting beside her. "Let's go. We need to see what's going on out there."
"Right!"
Everyone responded in unison and followed her out of the room.
Outside, the night air was sharp and cold, sending a chill through their bones. People were pouring out of their rooms in a panic, gathering in clusters, their faces pale with fear.
If things got worse, they were ready to abandon Oasis altogether and flee into the unknown.
"Ellie, are you scared?" Jenny asked gently.
Ellie pressed her lips together and shook her head. "No. Mom, where's Dad? Isn't he back from his mission yet?"
"He… um, he'll be gone for a while," Jenny said, forcing the words out, trying to keep her voice steady.
The truth was, her husband had died earlier that day in the Underground Temple. But she couldn't bring herself to tell Ellie—not yet. She wasn't ready to see her daughter's heart break.
Ellie thought for a mont, then said quietly, "If Dad were here, he'd protect ."
"Yeah… he would. Always," Jenny whispered, her nose stinging as she fought back tears. The grief she'd been holding in started to rise again, heavy and suffocating.
Why did you leave us?
How were a mother and daughter supposed to survive in a world like this?
Just then, Chris stepped forward with a soft smile and gently patted Ellie on the head.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you too."
"Oh… thank you," Ellie said politely, her voice small.
Jenny glanced at Chris, her brows knitting slightly. But seeing that he was just trying to comfort Ellie, she let it go.
Off to the side, Brandon tugged Chris by the arm. "Hey, Uncle Chris, seriously? Now's not the ti to be crushing on soone's mom."
"I'm not crushing," Chris said, turning to him. For once, the usual cocky glint in his eyes was gone—replaced by sothing rare: sincerity. "I really want to protect her."
"Uh…"
Brandon blinked, caught off guard.
Was… was Chris being serious right now?
He wasn't used to seeing him like this. Could it be… Chris had actually fallen for soone?
No way… right?
…
The group moved together, their footsteps quickening as the sounds of battle ahead grew louder and more chaotic.
Up ahead, the fighting had reached a fever pitch. Swarms of mutated venom-scorpions were crawling over everything, their stingers lashing out with deadly precision. Anyone unlucky enough to get stung would start convulsing within seconds, foaming at the mouth before collapsing in a twitching heap.
And it wasn't just scorpions anymore.
Other horrors had joined the fray—poisonous insects, massive centipedes, entire nests of mutated snakes slithering through the dust. The numbers were overwhelming.
Oasis was under siege.
The sudden onslaught had sent shockwaves through the upper ranks. Franklin and the other leaders had rushed to the front lines, barking orders and trying to organize a defense.
"This isn't right! Why are there so many this ti?" soone shouted over the chaos.
"No idea," another replied, frowning. "But it doesn't feel random."
Monster attacks weren't exactly rare in this world, but they usually ca in small groups—ten, maybe twenty at most. Tonight was different. This was a full-blown invasion.
"These monsters… sothing's off about them," Franklin muttered, eyes scanning the battlefield.
His son, Logan, stood beside him. "Dad, could it be the stone slab? That weird energy it gives off—it's supposed to trigger evolution, right? Mutated beasts have way sharper senses than we do. Maybe they picked up on it."
Franklin paused, considering. "That… actually makes sense."
The only thing different about today was that Ethan had brought the slab here. Maybe the mont he revealed it, it sent out a signal—one the monsters couldn't ignore.
Up ahead, the tide of creatures surged forward, a relentless wave of claws, fangs, and venom.
Oasis might've been a harsh place to live, but it had forged so damn tough fighters. The Awakeners held their ground, blades flashing, powers flaring. Mutated beasts fell one after another, their blood spraying in every direction—so of it sizzling as it hit the ground, acidic and deadly.
"Kill them all!"
Swords slashed, fireballs roared, and psychic blasts tore through the enemy ranks. The air was thick with the stench of blood and burning flesh.
But then… sothing changed.
From the darkness beyond the battlefield, a wave of pure malice rolled in, heavy and suffocating. It washed over the Awakeners like a cold wind straight from the grave.
Everyone froze.
That feeling—it wasn't just fear. It was sothing deeper. Sothing primal. A chill that crawled up your spine and whispered to your DNA: You are prey.
"What the hell is that?"
"There's sothing big out there… sothing strong."
"Where is it?"
"No idea. Stay sharp."
Tension gripped the fighters like a vice. Every eye scanned the shadows, every muscle coiled tight.
One young man kept looking around, trying to spot the source of the pressure. But then, sothing strange happened—his perspective started to shift. It felt like he was rising, like the ground beneath him was lifting him higher and higher.
"What the…?"
Confused, he looked down—and his blood ran cold.
The ground beneath him had swelled into a massive mound of sand. But it wasn't just sand. As it rose, the grains began to slide away, revealing sothing dark and scaly underneath. The surface glead like black steel—thick, armored, and terrifyingly alive.
"Hey! It's under you! Move, now!" soone shouted from nearby.
"Oh—shit, right!"
The young man snapped out of it and leapt into the air.
But he didn't make it far.
From beneath the sand, a massive serpent's head exploded upward, jaws wide. It caught him mid-air like a snack tossed into its mouth, then swallowed him whole in one smooth gulp.
Everyone froze, stunned.
The snake's head was the size of a small car, its body thick enough that two grown n couldn't wrap their arms around it.
"Holy hell… that thing's huge."
"Did he seriously just jump right into its mouth?"
"Dude didn't even get a scream out…"
...
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