Surviving without God Chapter 120

In the Middle City Security Bureau, Ergency Response Branch. Due to the recent surge of robberies across the Labyrinth, the office was packed with personnel called in from various departnts. Amid the constant hum of communication devices and the rustling of docunts, Seraz Bolton walked forward with a heavy, confident stride. Nearly 180 centiters tall, gray hair slicked back, decorations gleaming on her chest—there wasn’t a single person who wouldn’t recognize her.

— Oh, Chief of Staff?

— Serving the holand!

To the young Bureau officers, Seraz was a living legend. Subordinates, faces shining, snapped to attention and saluted her.

But sothing was off. No matter how busy Seraz was, she always returned a greeting. This ti, however, she didn’t stop even for a mont. The stunned officers exchanged confused glances.

— What’s with her? Did we screw sothing up?

— No, it’s like she didn’t even see us... Did sothing happen?

— Isn’t she supposed to be in the Upper City right now? It’s total chaos there because of the Bellamor incident.

— ...Hey, it’s not just , right?

— What?

— Her eyes...

Ignoring the whispers behind her, Seraz headed toward the designated operational room of the special forces unit. In a place where those tasked ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) with violent suppression resided, the atmosphere was completely different from a regular office. Heavy air saturated with the sll of iron, rows of specialized gear lining the walls, glinting coldly in the dim light. For her, once a part of this unit, the place was painfully familiar.

At that mont, a man approached her with undisguised delight, his face half-hidden behind a thick beard. The sll of tobacco clung to him, his eyes bloodshot, yet his aura remained sharp and piercing. If not for the difference in gender, he might as well have been cut from the sa cloth as Seraz.

— Well, look who it is! Senior, you ca to see us?

“Senior.” For soone in Seraz’s unreachable position as Chief of Operational Command, such a form of address could have been considered disrespectful. But she didn’t care. Back then and now, she had always believed that before those who hadn’t sold out and walked the path of justice, ranks ant nothing.

— ...Yeah. I ca.

Seraz slowly swept her gaze across the room. Most of the special forces mbers, upon seeing her, broke into smiles and saluted. The scene clearly showed what kind of commander and ntor she had been to them.

— Senior! It’s freezing outside.

Without waiting for orders, soone rushed off to brew black tea for her. But she didn’t even touch the cup, instead lighting a cigarette.

— ...Not going to drink?

She addressed the confused junior officer herself:

— Hey. Do you rember our first operation together?

— What, all of a sudden?

— I asked if you rember, idiot. Answer the question. Got too comfortable, have you?

— Of course I rember! I was a green rookie back then, and you were the team leader.

That was right.

— We were taking down those bastards who were stealing magi-engineered devices and selling them to gangs... I almost pissed myself from fear. An order to storm a building crawling with ard thugs. Even now, my legs shake just thinking about it.

Another officer chid in:

— What? You were scared, sir? No way.

— What’s impossible is a captain butting into a conversation between a commissioner and a superintendent. That’s what’s out of line, kid.

— Ah—sorry!

— Anyway, what you said to back then beca the motto of my entire police career.

Seraz nodded with an empty gaze. But they didn’t seem to notice.

— ...And what did I say?

The junior officer smirked and, mimicking her voice, recited:

— “Open your damn eyes, you idiot! You’re a cop! If you break down crying and collapse now, ten people will be crying at your funeral tomorrow!”

In Seraz’s mory, the words sounded a little softer. But that didn’t matter anymore.

— Yeah. Seems like you learned them well. You beca a fine cop.

— Oh, co on, you’re embarrassing . What, are you about to die or sothing, getting all sentintal?..

Very slowly, Seraz moved her hand behind her back. As if secretly hoping soone would stop her. The bearded officer tilted his head.

— By the way, Senior, what’s that in your hand?

Whoosh!

Instead of answering, Seraz swung the thermos. Its contents splashed forward to the last drop.

...Pig’s blood and dog’s blood.

Gunther had taught her this. These vile worms were monsters that copied humans, and for that, they required human flesh and blood. Therefore... upon contact with biological material that was similar but not identical—such as animal blood—they should trigger a violent rejection reaction.

Splaaash!

In that brief mont when the blood flew through the air, Seraz prayed desperately for one thing.

Let Gunther be wrong. Let the junior officer, drenched in blood, simply laugh in confusion. Let her awkwardly apologize, and let the special forces behind her laugh about it for a long ti.

She’d probably have to treat everyone to als and drinks for a whole month. Yes... let it be like that.

— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Raul Baston’s face—Seraz’s loyal comrade—twisted into an inhuman scream and began to collapse. Where the blood touched him, flesh and bone began to lt unstably, losing shape. The sa thing happened to Captain Ridel Vain, who had just been laughing beside him. The blood ate through his body like fire through paper, and his insides caved in. And within that gaping void... “it” was visible.

— Ah...

Seraz had seen countless horrific cri scenes in her life, but she couldn’t bear to look at this for long.

In this cursed city, filled with filthy temptations. To see police officers—who had lived their entire lives for justice and conviction—turned into hollow shells, devoured from within by a monster... she couldn’t endure it.

So she pulled the trigger.

Bang—!

The specially modified high-powered maternal pistol, whose recoil a human body could barely withstand, roared.

Bang—!

In an instant, two headless bodies collapsed to the floor. Seraz’s arm twisted unnaturally under the recoil, but her face remained expressionless.

— S-Senior!

— What the...?!

— Everyone, stay where you are!

Chaos erupted in the special forces operations room. Even for veteran officers, this was beyond imagination. The gunshots triggered alarm in the main office as well.

Footsteps. Shouts. But in the midst of this madness, Seraz’s world was eerily silent. Aside from the distant sound of her own heartbeat, everything else seed muted, as if the world had fallen into a silent scene.

— Ah.

Seraz turned her head. And in that rciless silence, she t the eyes of several junior officers who stared at her with frozen, emotionless faces, as if the chaos around them ant nothing.

— What a... fucking ss.

Click.

***

Click.

The final clang of tal echoed across the site. The large-scale construction that had lasted over a week had finally co to an end.

— ...With this, my rit points are settled.

A low voice, more like a vibration, spread through the air. As soon as the words ended, Gunther nodded. His gaze was fixed on the newly completed building.

After delivering the information to Seraz, Gunther decided there was no point acting openly until the “bloody purge” was over, and focused entirely on completing his shelter.

The construction had been massive. Not only were the rit points earned from the Bellamor incident spent, but all previous reserves as well. If Kalian, who handled rit distribution, hadn’t turned a blind eye to certain things, it wouldn’t have been enough. But honestly... he didn’t regret it in the slightest.

— I really like it. Truly.

— You better.

Dramcrow, the resident blacksmith of “Night Raven,” straightened his back and looked thoughtfully at his “creation.”

— Building a shelter in a place like this... You’re a real weirdo.

Sharin, who had helped with the work, giggled and whispered to Gunther:

— Hearing “weirdo” from Dramcrow is the highest praise. But still...

Her sky-blue eyes traced along the outer walls of the completed building.

— Who but Gunther would think of rebuilding this place—and in this way?

Gunther gave a respectful bow. Sharin’s contribution to the construction had been imnse. Thanks to their high affinity, she had helped him day and night, and the work was completed ahead of schedule.

— Thank you. We did an excellent job. I prepared a laboratory inside, so please co by often.

— Of course! We still have so much to do together. Hehe. And besides, take a few steps here and there’s material for experints everywhere. Honestly, this place is even better than the Nest.

By the way, he had signed a “test subject supply contract” with her. Eddie and Roanna’s group would capture various human scum and deliver them to her, and in return, they would receive alchemical ingredients and reagents.

— ...Well then, ti to open.

Rustle, rustle.

Under everyone’s expectant gaze, Gunther approached the entrance. Waiting there were Tarsha and Blanc with a ribbon they had sohow brought, and the entire Fourth Platoon, ready to fire party poppers at any mont. The corners of Gunther’s lips twitched.

“To think I’d fulfill my dream of owning a ho like this...”

His gaze slowly moved beyond the ribbon. The scenery behind it clashed completely with the festive decorations. Gloomy shadows, gray ash, and dust settled over abandoned factory buildings. This was the Lower City—the most remote and desolate outskirts.

Several years ago, Corelight Corporation, one of the three largest companies in the Border City, had attempted to illegally process a high-grade core extracted from the Labyrinth, resulting in a massive explosion. The epicenter was completely destroyed, many workers died. Even now, if one walked a little further, that enormous crater could still be seen. Yet the corporation not only refused to apologize but covered everything up with enormous bribes, leaving it as it was.

“The surrounding area was abandoned and left to decay.”

When rumors spread about “toxic substances” spilling through the area, authorities declared it hazardous and completely prohibited entry. Even the desperate residents of the Lower City had no desire to slowly die from poisoning. The place beca a ghost zone.

And it was in this dreadful place that Gunther built his “new ho.”

Why?

Because the “toxic substance” was actually distorted mana from the remnants of the exploded core. For ordinary people, it was indeed harmful. But with proper filtration and purification, the area beca a rare source of magical resources—like a powerful energy vein.

In the original ga scenario, this truth was revealed much later. There had been a separate scenario to develop a purification device, requiring countless trials, errors, and sacrifices.

“Only then could a group base be established there.”

But Gunther already knew the recipe. By combining the efforts of Sharin, Dramcrow, and the Drug-Addicted Saint, they created a purification device far superior and more powerful than the one in the original storyline.

[The Ruler of the Oceans takes a deep breath]

[She says the purity of the mana doesn’t impress her much, but it’s sufficient to raise the level of your companions]

[The King of Ninety-Nine Defeats adds that if the Art of the Pure Heart is used, the remaining impurities can be filtered out]

After that, Gunther selected a sturdy building at a sufficient distance from the crater and installed the device there. Brody’s support ca at just the right ti—having earned a fortune from Gunther’s recent advice, she happily funded the interior remodeling to hotel-level standards. Gunther himself added several useful features. In the end, it beca a full-fledged residential complex: kitchen, baths, training hall, laboratory, and recovery room—all included.

Snip!

The mont the ribbon was cut, the Fourth Platoon erupted in cheers, firing party poppers.

— Congratulations, Gunther!

— Thanks! I can’t believe we’re going to live in a place like this!

— I... I’ll try to figure sothing out about rent!

— Long live the commander!

Imdiately after the congratulations, the mbers shoved each other and rushed inside.

— That room is mine!

— Move aside!

— Tarsha! Don’t you dare use lightning!

— Flying on Seraz Gless is cheating!

— Levain, that thief is climbing the outer wall!

It was all because Gunther had firmly declared: room assignnts would only happen after the ceremony. Eddie, Brody, Roanna, and Dimona—who were already living with him—watched the new residents with smiles.

...And at that very mont, the ssage Gunther had been waiting for appeared.

Ding!

[Group base established!]

...Finally! Gunther’s eyes glead with excitent. The group base—this function had existed in the ga as well. It allowed for group buffs, which were absolutely essential in the face of the large-scale battles ahead.

[Please assign a na to your base]

[After registration, unique effects and base rank will be revealed]

...He had already decided on the na long ago. Gunther spoke without hesitation.