Chapter 160: Proof of Identity, the Follow-up to Main Quest 2 Unlocks

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Proof of Identity, the Follow-up to Main Quest 2 Unlocks

Just as the thought rose in Seraphina Sullivan’s mind, ’With all this light, aren’t they afraid of becoming a target for monsters?’ a few sharp screeches suddenly pierced the night sky, as if to confirm her very idea.

Several massive Night Bats, like moths drawn to a flame, dove from different directions toward the Shelter’s brightly lit outer Wall!

"Monsters!" Coco Sullivan cried out instinctively.

However, the menacing Night Bats didn’t even get close to the Shelter’s metal outer Wall—

HUM!

Without any warning, an arc of deep blue electricity sparked to life at the top of one of the twelve massive stone pillars surrounding the Shelter, the light instantly coalescing!

ZING—!

A concentrated beam of blue light shot through the air, its speed surpassing the limits of visual perception, and struck a Night Bat with unerring accuracy.

There was no violent explosion, only a soft "PFFT," like a red-hot poker being plunged into a block of ice.

The Night Bat, a creature that would give an ordinary Player a tough fight, erupted with blue light from within the instant it was struck, like a piece of burning paper. In the blink of an eye, it was reduced to a small scattering of black ash.

Immediately after, blue arcs flared to life atop several other stone pillars. Like precise anti-aircraft turrets, a few beams of blue light crisscrossed the sky. The remaining Night Bats didn’t even have time to shriek before they met the same fate as their companion.

Completely annihilated in the night sky, as if they had never existed.

The entire process was silent and efficient, possessing a chilling, destructive beauty.

"Oh my god..."

Coco Sullivan clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.

Even Nicholas Jensen, usually so flighty, gasped and muttered, "That... that powerful?! An insta-kill?!"

However, Seraphina Sullivan and Dustin Sullivan exchanged a look, each seeing a deeper contemplation in the other’s eyes.

The defensive Power displayed by these twelve stone pillars was indeed astonishing, practically an absolute defense.

But the more powerful the defense, the more terrifying the threat it was designed to counter.

Dustin Sullivan lowered his voice, speaking at a volume only the two of them could hear. "This defense system... do you think it was built to handle something on the scale of a ’Night Tide’?"

Seraphina Sullivan nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping grimly over the twelve silent, colossal pillars. "I’m afraid so. The question is whether they can actually hold it back when the real tide arrives."

Just then, Ken Quinn’s voice interrupted their thoughts. His face was a mixture of a survivor’s relief and the relaxation of returning "home."

"We’re here! Quick, follow me to the entrance to register! Once you’re registered and have a temporary ID card, you’ll officially be under the protection of Fireseed Shelter!"

With that, he eagerly led the group toward a grand, brightly lit, and heavily guarded gate at the base of the massive War Fortress.

Following Ken Quinn, Seraphina Sullivan and her party passed through the imposing gate and entered the interior of Fireseed Shelter.

The scene before her made her realize at once that Ken Quinn and his people were not an isolated case.

The registration hall at the entrance was quite spacious, but it was currently packed with people. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, blood, and the oppressive atmosphere of weary survivors.

Many people were in ragged clothes and bore injuries, their faces etched with exhaustion, terror, and the vacant look of those who had lost their homes.

From their scattered conversations, she could tell that most of them, like Ken Quinn’s group, were survivors from smaller, surrounding Shelters that had been destroyed by the monsters of the night.

"It seems the monster attacks on Shelters are more serious than we imagined," Dustin Sullivan said in a low voice, his brow furrowed.

Under the guidance of Shelter staff, everyone lined up for a simple physical examination, mainly to check for obvious signs of monster-borne infection and to register their identities.

Seraphina Sullivan also learned that some of the monsters of the night could infect people with viruses.

The process was somewhat tedious, but it was orderly.

When it was their turn, they stuck to their pre-arranged story, vaguely naming a small, destroyed Shelter, which didn’t arouse much suspicion.

In the end, each of them received a card made of a special material, stamped with a Flame emblem and a number.

It was the temporary identification for Fireseed Shelter.

The moment Seraphina Sullivan’s fingers touched the card, which was still slightly warm from the machine that made it, the system notification she had long been waiting for finally sounded in her ear:

[Ding! Congratulations, Player, you have completed Main Quest 2: Find a Shelter.]

[Reward: Shelter Identification (Already issued).]

Seraphina Sullivan: "..."

She listened to the notification with a sense of resignation.

Then she looked down at the temporary identification card that the Shelter staff had just given her.

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes internally.

’Heh.’

Seraphina complained to herself.

’So the system needs to ’reward’ me with this ID card? Isn’t this the exact same thing I was just handed? This quest reward is so half-assed. You might as well have ’scam artist’ written all over your face.’

She even felt that completing the second main quest had been almost laughably easy, as if she were just going through the motions.

However, before she could continue her internal complaints, the system’s notifications hadn’t finished. Another alert sounded:

[Ding! Player has completed the first stage of Main Quest 2. The follow-up quest is now active.]

[Follow-up to Main Quest 2: Ensure your current Shelter (Fireseed Shelter) is not destroyed in the upcoming "Night Tide."]

[Quest Reward: One opportunity to upgrade your Talent.]

Hearing the follow-up quest notification, the nonchalant expression on Seraphina Sullivan’s face vanished instantly.

It was replaced by one of genuine surprise.

’An opportunity to upgrade my Talent?’

A reward like that was far more valuable than a simple ID card.

But it also meant the quest’s difficulty would be anything but trivial.

Seraphina immediately looked up at Dustin Sullivan and the others. As she expected, she saw the lingering shock on their faces as they exchanged glances.

Clearly, everyone had received the same sudden follow-up quest.

Seraphina Sullivan sighed inwardly as a feeling of ’I knew it’ washed over her.

’I knew it. There was no way the second main quest would be as simple as just finding a place...’

Looking at the Fireseed Shelter temporary ID in her hand, she felt it had suddenly become incredibly heavy.

’I never expected this. The so-called ’finding’ was just the entry ticket. The real test is ’protecting.’ It seems the system intends to bind us completely to this Shelter.’

In her eyes, the twelve powerful defensive pillars outside the Shelter no longer seemed like an absolute guarantee of safety, but a harbinger of just how ferocious the coming Night Tide would be.