Phase Two Chaos

**<| JIANGCHENG FIRST HIGH | PERIMETER WALL |>** 

VVRRRRMMMM!

Ethan sped down the wide avenue, a death gauntlet. All around him, human shells burst open. Vertebrae snapped as spines stretched. Fingernails split into sharp claws. The air grew thick with guttural roars and the sounds of tearing skin. Riding out in the open was suicide.

Plan B. Now.

He yanked the handlebars, cutting into a maze of alleyways. Destination: Jiangcheng First High. His old hangout. He knew every shortcut, every hiding place. Especially the hidden gap behind the gym—the "unofficial exit" that generations of truants had used. It was Sunday, so it should be empty. He just had to slip through, cut across the residential block, and reach the city center without being seen.

…Hopefully whatever the guards turned into isn't too observant.

SCREECH!

He stopped near the main gate. The street behind him was filled with fully transformed Puppet Monsters. Inside the guard booth, one was still in tattered pieces of a security uniform, with a green-furred hand gripping a crackling walkie-talkie.

Nope. Ethan climbed the perimeter wall like a ghost and dropped silently onto the campus grounds. Pressing against the inner wall, he kept low, moving past the quiet library and the chemistry building that smelled of spilled chemicals. Every rustle of dead leaves, every creak of a swinging classroom door sent his nerves on edge.

Almost at the edge of the field—

THUD.

A hand like steel gripped his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Don't move. Don't speak." A man's voice, low and rough.

Human. Panic lessened—just a bit. But Wan'er's betrayal still stung. Ethan turned to face the man. He was in a sharp suit, rumpled, with a tight face showing strain. "Human? Or Player?"

The man blinked. "Both. Everyone left is." His eyes searched Ethan's. "You've met… others?" Hope battled with fear.

"I have." Ethan's tone was flat. "Why stop me? I need the back gate. Now."

"The field's crawling." The man nodded toward the open area. "Sunday football practice. The upheaval hit mid-game." His voice lowered. "If you step out there, it'll be chaos."

Damn. Ethan's plan fell apart. "City center. Now. Is there another way out?"

The man's gaze sharpened. "City center? Do you know how to end this?" Suspicion filled the air.

Ethan stayed silent; it was his shield.

The man sighed, frustrated. "I'm not your enemy." He opened a leather wallet. A holographic badge shone:

VICTOR CHASE | APOCALYPSE CONTAINMENT BUREAU 

CLEARANCE: OMEGA

Ethan's face didn't change. A bureau? He had never heard of it.

Victor stared in disbelief. "You… haven't heard of the ACB? Newcomer?"

Ethan nodded tightly.

"Holy hell. A beginner…" Victor said, breathing heavily. Instinct kicked in. "What's your skill?"

Ethan's eyes turned icy. Too far.

Victor raised a calming hand. "Sorry. Habit. It's just… You don't act like a beginner. You're too calm."

Try dying six times, Ethan thought. Aloud, he asked, "Professor?" He nodded at the suit.

"Guest lecturer." Victor put the badge away. "Look—I'm legit. Trust me. My primary skill is [Dragon's Arm]. A-rank combat. I can punch through concrete." He flexed his right hand. "Wish I could show you. One-hour cooldown."

Ethan considered the desperation in Victor's eyes. "Okay, I'll trust you—for now. But we need to move. Two people in the city center will die if we're slow."

Victor leaned in closer. "Why the center? Who?"

Ethan crafted the lie smoothly: "Serenity Squad took the key item. The one announced by the system. They think Mayor Lü Mingtian and his son are the Final Bosses. They went straight for them with the weapon."

"Serenity Squad has the Terminus Shard?" Victor whispered, his voice cracking. "You saw it?"

"I saw a dagger taken from a box." It was close enough. Showing the icy shard against his chest would be suicide.

"If they have it," Victor frowned, "why rush yourself? It's not your fight."

"My companions." Ethan infused urgency into the lie. "We meet there. I need to find them before…" Before Wan'er does.

Victor studied him. The tension in his jaw and his intense focus were not traits of a novice. "Fine." He took out a shimmering piece of fabric from his inner pocket. It was pale as mist and cool to the touch. "[Concealment Shroud]. It masks life signs and scent. Five minutes max." He held it up, barely larger than a bath towel. "We'll have to get very close."

[ITEM: CONCEALMENT SHROUD] 

DURATION: 00:05:00 

EFFECT: STEALTH FIELD (LIFE SIGNS/SCENT)

Ethan looked at the fabric and then at the area beyond. Half-transformed players turned monsters staggered near the goalposts, their limbs twisted at odd angles. Five minutes. One chance.

"Cozy it is," Ethan said as he stepped into Victor's space. The shroud settled around them like cobwebs, and the world beyond faded into blurred shadows. Victor's breath warmed his neck.

*00:04:59* 

*00:04:58*

"Move," Victor whispered. "Quiet as death."

They stepped onto the killing field.