Chapter 104 Chased by that Sea

Chapter 104: Chapter 104 Chased by that Sea

Adrian looked genuinely offended by the sarcastic remark.

The irony was that it had come from Kai, who was supposed to be the dumbest among them.

At least, according to Adrian.

"I didn’t know that! I just thought that!" Adrian exclaimed, running a hand through his hair. "Whatever. Just forget I ever asked. Fuck, that’s so dumb of me."

He sighed heavily.

But before anyone could respond, he felt something strange against his skin.

A chill.

Not the normal kind.

The tight body-hugging outfits Luna’s system had created for them were supposed to protect them from the elements, but somehow, a strange cold had still found its way through the fabric and into his skin.

Adrian rubbed his arms.

"Why is it so damn cold?"

Ethan glanced around.

"I was wondering the same thing."

The air had changed.

The temperature wasn’t simply dropping.

Something about the cold felt unnatural.

It crawled over their skin like invisible fingers.

Kai stopped chewing his gum for a second.

"Okay, that’s creepy."

Ethan nodded.

"Let’s just go back to where Luna and Rowan are. Maybe they’ve found something."

The three of them turned around and headed toward the other side of the street.

Luna and Rowan were standing several meters away, completely absorbed in whatever they were doing.

Kai glanced between them.

Then he looked at Adrian.

"Am I supposed to be jealous?"

Adrian frowned.

"Jealous of what?"

Kai pointed toward Rowan and Luna.

"I mean, she isn’t that toxic toward him, but we get that side of her all the time."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Kai shrugged.

"I don’t know. I’m just saying."

Adrian sighed.

"I’m sure you heard what she said right before our departure."

Kai nodded.

"Luna Hart doesn’t seem like a normal girl."

He paused.

"At least, not like most women."

Ethan looked at him.

"Go on."

"Who talks to men they love like that?"

Kai laughed.

"She basically threatened everyone, told us to defend the property with our lives, then casually said she might consider the whole family thing."

He shook his head.

"It’s shocking."

Adrian nodded.

"I can’t predict her anymore."

"Exactly."

The three of them nodded in agreement.

Whatever Luna had become to them, one thing was certain.

She wasn’t predictable.

They finally reached the area where Luna and Rowan were standing.

The ground beneath their feet was littered with plastic, broken pieces of furniture, scraps of metal, and other objects that looked like they had been washed out from the surrounding buildings.

Kai’s eyes narrowed.

That was strange too.

Why were there things like that scattered all over the street?

It looked almost as though a massive amount of water had recently swept through the area.

But there had been no rain.

No flood.

Nothing that should have caused this.

Kai looked toward Luna.

She finally spared them a glance.

Her expression was different now.

Cold.

Sharp.

Chilling.

Something had clearly angered her.

Kai immediately decided to keep his mouth shut.

Whatever joke he had been about to make could wait.

He wasn’t stupid enough to provoke an already angry Luna.

Luna’s fingers moved across the system panel in front of her.

"I’ve gone through the location data again."

Everyone became quiet.

"The supermarket was supposed to be here."

She pointed toward the area behind the crooked skyscraper.

"My system isn’t wrong."

Rowan nodded.

"We know."

Luna’s eyes narrowed.

"So, if the supermarket isn’t here..."

She looked around.

"...then it disappeared."

Adrian’s expression became serious.

"Or someone moved it."

Luna looked at him.

"Exactly."

She turned toward a huge patch of land nearby.

The ground there looked completely different from the rest of the street.

It was darker.

Black soil had been mixed with the dirt, forming a massive uneven patch that stretched across the area.

Kai stared at it.

Something about it bothered him.

It looked as though something enormous had been sitting there.

And had only recently been removed.

Luna pointed toward it.

"Look."

Everyone followed her finger.

"This section of land is different."

Kai crouched down and examined it.

There was a clear distinction between the soil.

The area where they stood had been wet and covered in debris, but this particular patch looked disturbed.

As though something heavy had occupied the space.

Then vanished.

Adrian’s eyes widened.

"You think the supermarket was there?"

"Yes."

"And someone moved it?"

"That’s what I’m thinking."

Adrian stared at her.

"Someone moved an entire building?"

Luna nodded.

"Someone powerful enough."

A strange silence followed.

Adrian slowly looked around.

"That’s insane."

Luna’s expression darkened.

"So, in conclusion, someone has a power similar to mine."

She looked directly at Adrian.

"And probably a very high rank."

Adrian’s face became serious.

"How high?"

"At least SSS-tier."

His jaw dropped.

"So someone out there can move an entire building?"

"Apparently."

Adrian looked at the massive patch of disturbed ground.

"That’s..."

"Crazy?" Kai supplied.

"Extremely."

Adrian rubbed his face.

"An ordinary F-class awakened wouldn’t be able to do something like this. Neither would most of the lower ranks."

He looked toward Luna.

"I haven’t even tried moving something on this scale with my own ability."

Luna nodded.

"That’s what worries me."

Her expression became increasingly irritated.

Her plan had been simple.

Find the supermarket.

Raid it.

Take everything useful.

Leave.

She hadn’t expected to encounter an awakened capable of moving an entire building.

And her system had never warned her.

That was the part that bothered her most.

The system had told her about the supermarket.

It had told her there were people inside.

It had told her about the supplies.

But nothing had mentioned an awakened capable of transporting an entire building.

Not one.

Luna clenched her fist.

Something had interfered with her information.

And she hated not knowing what.

There was another problem.

Her men were awakened too.

But they weren’t the same as someone who had naturally reached such a terrifying level.

Their abilities had been artificially accelerated through the special substances they had been exposed to.

That gave them enormous strength.

But Luna couldn’t confidently say they could defeat someone who had naturally developed an SSS-tier ability.

There was a difference.

A dangerous one.

The silence became heavier.

A strange wind suddenly swept through the street.

It came from the west.

Cold.

Sharp.

Almost unnatural.

Everyone turned toward the direction it came from.

Rowan’s eyes narrowed.

"Let’s leave."

Luna looked at him.

"We need somewhere to stay and plan our next move. That’s the best option for now."

Luna opened her mouth.

Then suddenly raised a hand.

"Quiet."

Rowan stopped.

Luna tilted her head.

She strained her ears.

At first, there was nothing.

Then—

A sound.

A distant rumbling.

Something rushing.

It sounded like a crash.

Then another.

Closer.

Luna’s expression changed.

"What in the world is that?" Kai asked.

Adrian and Ethan immediately moved into battle positions.

Their bodies tensed.

Ready.

Whatever was coming, they were prepared to fight.

Luna’s fingers moved rapidly across her system panel.

She activated the motion scanner.

A wave of light spread from the panel and travelled across the ground.

For a moment, nothing appeared.

Then the system responded.

[WARNING.]

[A massive volume of water is approaching this location.]

[Estimated source: The ocean.]

Luna’s eyes widened.

"What the fuck?"

She barely had time to react.

A massive current suddenly burst into view.

Something enormous struck one of the crooked skyscrapers in the distance.

The building shuddered.

Everyone froze.

The skyscraper tilted.

Then—

CRASH!

It collapsed directly onto another building.

The second structure trembled before falling as well.

The impact shook the entire street.

A massive tear opened through the ground.

The crack spread rapidly.

Straight toward them.

"RUN!"

Rowan didn’t hesitate.

He grabbed Luna around the waist and lifted her into his arms.

Then he turned and sprinted.

Luna blinked.

"What are you doing?"

"Running."

"I can run!"

"Not faster than me."

He didn’t even slow down.

Behind them, the others immediately started running.

Adrian looked over his shoulder.

"What the hell is happening?!"

"Run for your lives!" Luna shouted.

She looked behind them.

"I can see water coming this way!"

Ethan’s eyes widened.

"The ocean?"

"I think so!"

The rumbling grew louder.

The crack in the ground continued widening.

Buildings collapsed behind them.

Cars were thrown aside.

The road broke apart.

Water began flooding through the cracks.

They ran faster.

Kai’s expression finally lost its amusement.

"Why the hell is the ocean chasing us?!"

"No idea!" Ethan yelled.

"That’s not helpful!"

"I KNOW!"

Rowan continued running with Luna in his arms.

She glanced behind him.

Her men were trying desperately to keep up.

Even Adrian was struggling.

"Come on, guys! Run faster!"

"We’re trying!" Adrian shouted.

Luna looked ahead.

"Adrian! Portal!"

Adrian’s face twisted.

"I can’t!"

"What?"

"I don’t know where to send us!"

He gasped for air.

"I can’t breathe properly while running, and I don’t know this place well enough!"

Damn.

Luna’s expression hardened.

That was bad.

Very bad.

Even if Adrian opened a portal, where would it take them?

He didn’t know the city.

He didn’t know what was beyond it.

He could send them directly into another monster nest, a collapsing building, or some completely unknown territory.

She couldn’t risk it.

Another violent crash echoed behind them.

Luna quickly brought up her system.

She needed somewhere safe.

Anywhere.

But before she could finish searching, another crash erupted ahead.

Luna’s eyes widened.

Water was coming from both directions.

The sound grew louder.

The ground trembled beneath their feet.

Then Luna saw it.

A wall of darkness.

The blackest sea she had ever seen.

It wasn’t blue.

It wasn’t even the normal dark color of deep water.

It was black.

Completely black.

And it was rushing toward them.

"Rowan!"

"I see it!"

Rowan stopped.

Everyone stopped.

They were trapped.

Behind them was the approaching water.

Ahead of them was another massive current.

Left and right were blocked by collapsed buildings and cracks in the ground.

Rowan tightened his grip around Luna.

"Shit."

His eyes narrowed.

"We’re trapped."

The black water surged forward.

For one terrifying second, Luna thought they were all about to be swallowed.

Then—

A heavy mist suddenly descended over the area.

It spread rapidly.

Cold filled the air.

The rushing water slowed.

Then stopped.

The entire sea froze.

Ice spread across the water in an instant, forming a gigantic frozen wall around them.

Everyone stared.

Luna’s eyes narrowed.

She slowly turned.

Her gaze locked with Kai’s.

Kai stood there breathing heavily.

His blonde hair was slightly disheveled, and the amusement that had been on his face earlier was completely gone.

He stared at the frozen wall.

Then sighed in relief.

"That was close."

Luna didn’t answer.

Her eyes remained fixed on the enormous wall of frozen black water.

Kai had saved them.

But another thought entered her mind.

If the ocean could follow them here...

Then what exactly had happened to it?

And more importantly—

what had followed the ocean?