Chapter 52: Stone Wall, Danger Prediction

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Stone Wall, Danger Prediction

Meanwhile, at the site of the explosion.

Behind a Stone Wall, Justin Brooks crawled out from the rubble, covered in dust and grime. He looked around, his face a mask of astonishment.

As an active-duty special forces soldier, he never would have imagined becoming a Player in this bizarre "Disaster Game."

He had been a little excited at first, but he’d quickly calmed down after entering and hearing from his teammates just how dangerous it was.

But his years in the military kicked in, and he began assessing his surroundings and the potential threats.

He just hadn’t expected that the two other Players who’d entered with him were also rookies.

"M-Mr. Brooks... are we going to die here?" a young woman in glasses asked, her face pale as she grabbed Justin Brooks’s arm, trembling.

Her voice was filled with panic.

Behind him, another youth with dyed blond hair was screaming hysterically, "Let go of me! What gives you the right to boss me around?"

Justin Brooks took a deep breath, suppressing the irritation rising in his chest.

As the only soldier present, he felt it was his duty to protect these two ordinary civilians who had been innocently dragged into this.

The problem was that after their initial panic, they had grown complacent under his protection, and had even started ordering him around.

This had already caused them a great deal of trouble.

"Shut up!" Justin Brooks hissed, his voice low. "Are you trying to attract more monsters?"

Just half an hour ago, the blond youth, ignoring all attempts to dissuade him, had insisted on going into an obviously dangerous building to "find valuables."

As a result, he’d triggered some kind of insect-egg trap, attracting a swarm of bee-like monsters.

The young woman was even more of a liability, constantly clinging to Justin Brooks and forcing him to fight while protecting both of them.

In order to protect them, Justin Brooks had nearly been run through the chest by a queen bee’s Poison Sting. Even now, a wound on his left arm gaped open, deep enough to show bone.

"But... but I’m scared..." the girl with glasses said, her voice on the verge of tears. "Mr. Brooks, aren’t you a soldier? You’re supposed to protect us!"

Justin Brooks: ...

Protecting civilians was his duty, but hearing it thrown at him so casually and sanctimoniously made Justin Brooks’s stomach turn.

These two had no idea that in this dog-eat-dog game world, no one was obligated to protect anyone else.

He had only endured this long out of a soldier’s sense of duty.

"Listen," Justin Brooks said, his voice low as his sharp gaze swept over their surroundings. "We have to get out of here. The explosion I just set off will attract more monsters. If you don’t want to die, stick close to me, don’t make a sound, and don’t touch anything."

But the blond youth clearly didn’t take the warning seriously. "Why should I listen to you? If you hadn’t led us down the wrong path, would we have been chased by those bees? I’m going to find my own way home!"

With that, he started to run off in another direction.

Justin Brooks grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the Wall. "I won’t stop you if you want to die, but don’t you drag us down with you! Look over there—"

He pointed to a shadowy mass not far away.

"That’s a giant mantis, and it’s eating. Do you think you can just saunter past it?"

The blond youth finally quieted down, but his eyes were still full of defiance.

The instant the girl with glasses saw the insect, she shrank behind Justin Brooks, her body trembling uncontrollably.

She was clearly terrified of insects.

Justin Brooks leaned his back against the rough Stone Wall, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

This was the last line of defense he had managed to conjure with his [Stone Wall] Talent, and he had barely any Energy left.

He glanced at the trembling, bespectacled girl and the scornful Blondie behind him, a bitter feeling rising in his heart.

’If they ran into danger again, he really wouldn’t be able to protect these two.’

The young man with blond hair and a chain was known to everyone as Blondie.

His real name was Harvey Parker.

He had been terrified when he first entered this horror game.

But thanks to Justin Brooks’s protection along the way, he had slowly regained his composure.

As a veteran mobile gamer, he soon began to treat this life-or-death trial as just another virtual game.

Compared to Tina Lewis, the girl with glasses who was too scared to even speak, he had adapted remarkably quickly.

’Hmph, my Ability is [Danger Prediction]. With this, what danger can’t I avoid?’ Harvey Parker thought disdainfully, shooting a sideways glance at the exhausted Justin Brooks. ’I don’t need your protection at all.’

Harvey Parker had completely forgotten who had saved him from the swarm of giant beetles.

Who had used a Stone Wall to block a fatal blow during the giant scorpion attack.

Now, Harvey Parker only saw Justin Brooks as an obstacle, someone standing in the way of his path to "world domination."

A flash of resentment crossed his eyes as he began to plot how he could ditch these two "burdens."

Just then, Harvey Parker’s [Danger Prediction] blared a violent warning!

He whipped his head around and saw a blurry figure approaching in the distant red mist.

Accompanied by a buzzing sound, several giant flying hornets appeared in Harvey Parker’s line of sight.

The hornets were huge, each the size of a basketball, and their stingers glinted with a cold light.

Getting stung by one of those would mean death or maiming.

These were the very monsters from the hive that Justin Brooks had blown up earlier.

"M-Monsters!" Harvey Parker yelled, instinctively turning to flee.

Justin Brooks forced himself to his feet. "Quick, get behind me! I can still make one more Wall..."

"Get out of the way!" Blondie shouted, shoving the weakened Justin Brooks aside. "Your stupid Wall can’t stop that thing!"

He turned to run, only to find his [Danger Prediction] screaming warnings at him.

There was danger in every direction!

It turned out the hornet wasn’t acting alone. It was followed by five or six more, and they had already discovered Justin Brooks’s hiding spot and completely surrounded them!

"It’s over..." Blondie’s legs went soft as he finally realized what a huge mistake he’d made.

Without Justin Brooks’s defense, there was no escape!

The girl with glasses suddenly pointed at the sky. "Wh-What’s that?"

A figure descended from the sky at an astonishing speed. A silver light flashed, and the two lead hornets were instantly pierced through by the Silver Needles in the newcomer’s hand.

The figure landed steadily on their feet.

It was Seraphina Sullivan!

However, Seraphina Sullivan was currently wearing an Anti-Poison Mask that concealed her face, so Justin Brooks didn’t recognize her as his neighbor.

"Stand back," Seraphina Sullivan said without turning her head, her voice altered. With her face hidden from the trio, she slightly lifted her mask and breathed out a puff of fragrant blue mist.

Instantly, the hornet monsters that had been drawn by the explosion fell to the ground, unconscious.

Justin Brooks’s eyes widened, shocked by Seraphina Sullivan’s power.

Seraphina Sullivan’s entrance had simply been too cool—powerful and mysterious.

Blondie, meanwhile, stared intently at Seraphina Sullivan’s figure, a flash of jealousy in his eyes.

’If only I had that kind of power.’

As for Tina Lewis, an imperceptible flash of irritation crossed her eyes. She felt that Seraphina Sullivan’s arrival would bring unpredictable consequences for her plans.