Officer Hernandez

Thirty minutes earlier…

The city had turned into chaos. Local authorities were a bit slow to react, which was understandable. They were trained in procedures on how to respond to natural disasters, nuclear disaster, war, among other things. However, who could've imagined the world would be plunged into a state where everyone was told that Earth was not the only world out there, where people suddenly gained the power to use magic, and black holes popped up all over the city from where monsters went through in bouts? Above all, people were made aware, just a couple of days ago, that from now on, their lives were not only being overseen, but also to a degree controlled by some higher beings, whatever they were. The closest thing they could associate these beings with was aliens.

None of the people, from all walks of life, were prepared for this.

Currently, Mei and the Wang family were stuck in traffic. They hadn't accounted for the fact that outside little neighborhoods like where TJ's house was located, chaos was taking place. People had been trying to follow evacuation routes whether on foot or by vehicles. However, the cars outnumbered walkers by a huge margin. Chicago was a big city, after all. People wanted to reach shelters as soon as possible, and a lot of them brought families. Old people and those with disabilities couldn't possibly travel a great distance at an ideal speed.

Before the Abyss portals appeared, it had already been difficult for everyone to comply to authorities who were responsible for keeping order. Everyone wanted to reach safety as soon as possible, while bringing as many supplies as possible. Stores were looted clean, people ran over each other, even guns were flashed here and there. The traffic was moving at a snail's pace, and those stuck in their cars couldn't help but tremble in fear, for they were able to see some walkers threatening car owners to get off and hand over the keys.

After the monsters crossed through the portals, the level of chaos jumped from a hundred to a thousand. Small-sized creatures snatched several walkers and easily tore their heads from their bodies, pierced their abdomens with their claws, bit their arms off, and basically wreaked havoc upon those without the protection of vehicles. However, that didn't mean cars were safe. Bigger-sized monsters thrashed around these metal vessels like some kind of toys.

It didn't help that even though they had been awakened, most people still didn't know where to even begin utilizing this strange energy called mana. They had not been chosen as Protagonists, therefore hadn't received the privilege from the gods. They didn't have guidance from their personal Magnus, either.

Plus, blessed items and weapons still weren't a thing at the moment. It was still the start of Chapter 3, after all. All they could do was use regular weapons to defend themselves. Fortunately, guns were effective to basically one-shot the smaller monsters, and shotguns did enough damage to the bigger ones. These firearms were quite adequate.

However, that didn't change the fact that it would still be some time before people truly adjusted to the changed world and began seeking the protection from Protagonists or learning how to use their own powers.

"Mom, do you think we should get out of here?" asked Luna Wang. She was sitting in the back of Owen's car, her twin sister right beside her, having her head glued to the window.

Their mom was sitting on the front passenger seat, anxiety shown on her face. However, when she turned to face her daughter, she tried to force a smile. "We'll be in danger if we get out of the car, honey."

"But we can do magic!" Lisa retorted, turning her head away from the window. "We can handle those short green creatures! I can fly to help us find a safe path, and the rest of you have enough skills to defend yourselves."

"I agree, mom," Luna said, supporting her sister. "Besides, Mrs. Liu has that earring from Magnus. It gives her extra Mana. Right, Mrs. Liu?"

Mei, who was gripping the steering wheel, raised one hand to fiddle with the item hung on her left ear. It was [Wicked Spark], a D-rank item that increased her Agility by 7 points and her Mana by 15 points. It wasn't much, really. But it was better than nothing. Besides, the Wangs had also received a few boosts from Magnus over the course of their training sessions. Plus, the blessed garments they were wearing underneath their jackets also provided some stat boosts of their own.

With the car stuck in traffic, Mei scanned the view outside the windshield. From left to right, she spotted a total of seven small green-skinned monsters with big noses and pointed ears, and four bipedal bulls the size of a truck. They were all quite spread out, and pretty vulnerable to attacks. She also sighted a couple of police officers discharging their firearms at some of these creatures.

To the right, she noticed one of the officers limping toward an alley. The alley likely led to an area away from the evacuation route, which meant less chaos. Mei also noted that the monsters had come out from somewhere to the left of the street, which indicated that the portals where the monsters spawned were located that way. She then concluded that heading to the alley didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Alright," the woman finally said. She turned to look at Mrs. Wang, who was still wearing an apprehensive expression on her face. "This may be risky, but we're getting out of here. Being stuck in this car is just waiting for when a monster eventually notices our presence."

Mrs. Wang reluctantly nodded. Her eyes followed the direction pointed by Mei's finger. It was an alley to the right of the street. "Right, girls," she addressed her daughters, "We're going that way." She jerked her head toward the alley.

The twins turned their heads in the pointed direction and nodded.

Lisa opened her mouth. "Then I'll—"

"No," Mrs. Wang cut her off, knowing what she was about to say. "Do not fly. You will just attract unnecessary attention. All three of us are sticking behind Mrs. Liu like glue. Understand?"

And so, the four women and girls quietly exited the car and followed after Mei, who chose to hide behind car after car to avoid the monsters' eyes, until they eventually reached the sidewalk. Entering the alley, they encountered the limping police officer. He was a man who looked to be in his thirties. It turned out that the claws of one of the green monsters had managed to make three deep slashes on his right thigh. The officer was seen leaning against the concrete wall while administering first aid to himself, securing a tourniquet on his thigh and pouring water on the wounds to clean them. His face winced in pain, but then turned to surprise when he noticed Mei and the others approaching.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, looking genuinely concerned for the group. "You should be evacuating."

Mrs. Wang scoffed. "What, and be slaughtered by those monsters?"

Hearing her response, the officer had a complicated look on his face. He was trained to help civilians head to evacuation centers, but it was true that the routes had been severely compromised by those hideous creatures. Staying there would just be asking to be killed. He then glanced at the end of the alley, where he could see a street that had less people and possibly no monster. After a bit of thought, he finally said, "That street doesn't lead to the nearest shelter. And we haven't planned an alternative route. But if you insist on heading that way, let me at least accompany you. I can offer you protection." It seemed the officer didn't even consider them to be able to use magic.

Mrs. Wang was about to refuse when Mei spoke first. "What's your name, officer?"

"I'm Officer Jose Hernandez."

"Right, Officer Hernandez. My name is Mei. Beside me is my friend Amy and her daughters, Lisa and Luna. We'll be grateful for your assistance, officer," Mei said while giving him a sincere smile.

The man returned the smile and pushed himself against the wall he had been leaning on. "Let's go, then. I'll be on the front. However, one of you will have to walk with me to take the lead. I don't know where you're going, after all."

After the officer turned away from them, Mrs. Wang looked at Mei disapprovingly.

At that, Mei could only smile helplessly. "He seems like a nice guy. He's genuinely willing to help us despite his wounds. I don't have the heart to refuse his kindness. I wish I had a healing skill, though."

It turned out that the street was not as calm as the group had hoped for. People could be seen rushing toward the same direction as the evacuation route. One police officer was currently shooting a green monster that had somehow reached the area. They were about five meters away from the group. The creature's chest was pumped full of lead before it finally fell. However, another green monster appeared behind the officer.

Seeing that, Officer Hernandez signaled for Mei, who was walking in front of the others, to stay in place and keep quiet. He then picked up a random steel pipe off the ground and sneaked toward the second monster's back. The creature's attention was on the other officer, and it seemed to have very low Perception, causing it to be oblivious to Officer Hernandez's sneak attack.

When he was close enough to the monster's back, the male officer lifted the pipe and drove the half-broken end toward the creature's head. The pipe pierced its skull and went through its open mouth. It widened its eyes in shock but then soon lost its life.

After dealing with the monster, Officer Hernandez was about to head back toward the group before the other officer shouted, "Thanks!"

Jose nodded and quickly rejoined the group.

After that, Mei basically led the group to head toward a further, quieter street, whose residents had fled. Much to Jose's confusion. He couldn't help but wonder why these women were heading that way. All the stores had been swept clean, and they wouldn't find any valuable supplies in the abandoned apartments.

The man, along with most people, hadn't discovered the hidden feature of the system, Inventory. Seeing the lack of luggage the women were carrying, he figured they were going to at least look for some supplies before searching for a safe place. However, he didn't say anything and kept peeling his eyes for any stray monster.

Finally, Mei settled for a four-story apartment next to a small parking lot surrounded by chain-link fence. She figured the parking lot would make for an ideal new training area for everyone. Plus, the apartment looked solid, as if the owners had left without causing much ruckus and knocking over many furnitures. And she could see one room whose former owner had forgotten to turn the lights off. Which meant the building still had power.

Everybody was checking out all the rooms when suddenly, a couple of knocks were heard from the front door. Officer Hernandez, who was standing near it like a guard dog, frowned. As the others approached his position, he signaled for them to stay back before peering through the window.

Outside, there were five people standing in front of the door. The one who had knocked was a man in his twenties wearing a hoodie and a hat. However, Jose's sharpened instinct from years as a police officer said the guy wasn't the leader. It was a redheaded woman who stood behind him.

His instinct also told him that these people were dangerous, and they hadn't come here with the best of intention. However, he knew refusing to open the door would just make the situation worse. Somehow, these people looked as if they had a specific target in mind, and they were convinced their target was inside this apartment. If Jose didn't open the door, these dangerous people would simply boot it down.

"Open the door, officer," Mei whispered. She looked as if she was ready for any attack.

And so, with one hand trained on his holstered gun, Jose opened the door. Little did they know, the officer had basically just welcome a group of predators who were itching to kill their preys.