Chapter 273: The Western Collapse

The evacuation siren continued to echo through Climber Rift, its long, mechanical wail bouncing between the canyon walls and drowning out almost every other sound.

Kilian had already spent what felt like hours moving through the western settlement, forcing people out of their homes and keeping them on the marked evacuation route.

The narrow platforms had made everything painfully slow. Every staircase became a bottleneck, and every turn forced the civilians to squeeze past one another while snow continued to cover the wooden boards beneath their feet.

But they were finally getting out.

Kilian looked back one last time after reaching the lower route and saw the last group of civilians making their way forward. Some were carrying children.

Others were clutching bags they had stubbornly refused to leave behind despite his orders. Their faces were pale and frightened, but at least they were moving in the right direction.

Toward the gate.

Not perfectly. Not without casualties. Several of his men were still missing, and he had no idea whether they were alive or already among the infected.

There were also probably people hiding inside their homes despite the evacuation order.

But the western section was mostly empty.

That was enough for now.

"Sir."

Kilian turned toward the voice.

One of his men was standing a few meters away, his clothes covered in snow and dirt after spending the last hour going from house to house.

"Everyone we could find has been moved out," he reported. "There are still a few houses we couldn’t check because the lower platforms became too dangerous, but nobody has reported seeing civilians there."

Kilian looked toward the western buildings again.

"I don’t like leaving those houses unchecked."

"Neither do I."

The man hesitated before continuing. "But if we go back now, we’d be walking into the same area we’re trying to evacuate people from. If someone is still hiding inside, we might only make things worse."

Kilian knew he was right.

That was the problem with Climber Rift. Nothing was simple here. The settlement had been built along the canyon walls, with houses, platforms, stairs, bridges, and narrow paths layered over one another.

Moving people through it was difficult enough under normal circumstances. Doing it while something was spreading beneath the settlement made every decision feel like a gamble.

He finally nodded.

"Stay here for another five minutes. If anyone comes out, send them toward the eastern route. After that, follow the others."

The soldier looked at him. "And you?"

"I’m going to help the other sections."

"You’ve been moving since the evacuation started. You should rest."

Kilian gave him a tired look."If I sit down now, I’ll probably fall asleep, and then you’ll have to carry me... and I don’t think we have enough time."

His eyes narrowed at the panicked sounds of civilians on the ground followed by the continuous sounds of guns

The soldier almost smiled, but he got rigid as the gunshot started to fire again.

"I understood, sir."

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed toward them.

Kilian and his men immediately raised their rifles, pointing them toward the figures running in their direction.

But as they got closer, Kilian’s eyes widened. He recognized them, and before he could think twice, his feet were already moving toward them.

His hand grabbed Nick’s shoulder and shook him. "Why are you here? Where is the rest of the team? Was the Hive Mind finally destroyed?"

The figures approaching them were from Team A, Gideon’s group.

"Where is Gideon?" Kilian asked again.

Nick did not answer immediately. His breathing was ragged, and it took him several seconds to catch enough breath to speak.

"No. It’s not dead yet. The situation is out of control. Gideon is being held hostage by Jasper. He’s gone insane..."

Nick began explaining everything that had happened.

The more Kilian listened, the wider his eyes became. By the time Nick finished, he finally understood the severity of the situation.

The Hive Mind had already proven that it could destroy and infect them with frightening ease. If it managed to escape the mine and spread throughout Climber Rift, none of them would be able to contain it.

"Alright, breathe. Calm down," Kilian said, forcing himself to remain composed. "I need you to inform Jade about this. Tell her that the Hive Mind has started spreading through the canyon walls as well—"

"What?! Fuck!"

Petter cut him off, running a frustrated hand through his disheveled hair. Addam, meanwhile, could only let out a heavy sigh.

"We don’t have much time," Kilian continued. "Go find Jade. She’s probably in the central square. Bring my men with you if you need them. Just go!"

The three men nodded immediately. They followed two of Kilian’s men toward the central square while the rest remained.

He started to run toward the central routes, following the upper path that connected the different parts of Climber Rift.

The siren continued to howl behind him, sometimes fading beneath the wind before becoming loud again when the sound bounced between the canyon walls.

He had only gone a short distance when he noticed movement ahead. A group of people was crossing one of the connected paths.

Kilian slowed.

They weren’t ordinary evacuees.

Several armed men surrounded a smaller group of civilians, moving them carefully along the route. Their equipment immediately identified them as Pathfinders.

One of the men noticed Kilian and raised his hand.

"Kilian?"

"Yes."

The Pathfinder approached while the others continued moving the civilians toward the eastern route.

"We’ve been looking for you. We were told you were handling the western evacuation."

"I was. It’s mostly clear now."

The Pathfinder nodded, clearly relieved.

"Good. The boss asked us to make sure several groups didn’t get left behind. Builder League workers near the eastern route, the remaining Artificer Guild members, and White Veil personnel. Some of them are still scattered around the settlement."

Kilian glanced at the civilians behind him. "How many have you found?"

"Not enough."

The Pathfinder lowered his voice as they moved farther away from the others.

"Some of them were already trying to evacuate when we arrived, but a few groups are still trapped in the upper settlement. We’ve been splitting our men between searching for them and keeping the infected away from the evacuation routes."

Kilian’s expression tightened. "That explains why I haven’t seen many of you on the western side."

"We’ve been spread thin."

"So has everyone else."

Kilian looked toward the central section of the settlement. Smoke was still rising from several distant buildings, and the sound of gunfire occasionally reached them through the canyon.

"How bad is the eastern side?"

The Pathfinder shook his head.

"Not as bad as the west yet, but it’s getting worse. We have people moving toward the bridge routes, though. Jade’s men are trying to keep the upper paths open."

Kilian nodded slowly. "That means we still have a chance to get everyone out."

"That was the idea."

The Pathfinder looked at him for a moment before asking, "You’re going back in?"

"Of course."

"Good, we lack men here."

Kilian adjusted the rifle hanging against his chest. "I’ll help wherever they need me. Once we get enough civilians across the connected routes, we can start pulling the remaining soldiers out as well."

The Pathfinder hesitated. "You really think we’re getting everyone out?"

Kilian didn’t answer immediately. He looked across the settlement instead.

The chance of them surviving was low, even Gideon couldn’t destroy the hive mind in time. The situation down there was very bad.

"I think we get as many as we can," he finally said. "That’s all we can promise."

Before the Pathfinder could respond, the ground moved.

It was barely noticeable at first. A faint vibration traveled through the stone beneath their feet.

Kilian stopped walking.

The Pathfinder looked around. "Did you feel that?"

He didn’t answer, but all the hair on his neck started to stand up.

Another tremor passed beneath them.

This time, the bridge beneath their feet shifted hard enough to make several civilians stumble.

"Everyone stop."

The Pathfinders immediately grabbed the civilians and steadied them.

For a few seconds, there was nothing but the sound of the siren and the wind.

Then came the noise. A deep, distant rumble rose from somewhere beneath the western section.

Kilian’s expression changed. He knew that sound.

"Get everyone off the bridge."

The Pathfinder looked toward him. "What?"

"Get them off the bridge. Now."

Kilian didn’t bother explaining.

The rumbling grew louder. Snow shook loose from the canyon walls. A crack suddenly appeared in one of the older stone structures below them.

Then the entire western side of Climber Rift erupted.

BOOM!

The explosion rolled through the canyon with enough force to shake the bridge beneath their feet.

People screamed.

Kilian grabbed one of the civilians before she could fall over the railing while the Pathfinders pulled the others away from the edge.

Another explosion followed almost immediately.

The old buildings around the western section collapsed inward, sending a huge cloud of dust and snow into the air.

For a moment, Kilian could see nothing.

Then something moved inside the mist.

At first, Kilian thought it was snow, a pale shape drifting through the dust and rubble.

But then it stretched, revealing itself as a thick white strand pushing through the collapsed mine.

Another followed, then another, until dozens of them began crawling out from beneath the rubble.

Kilian stared at the sight, his stomach dropping as he recognized the white growth he had seen beneath the floorboards earlier.

It was no longer hiding.

The Hive Mind was pouring out of the mine.