Chapter 72: [Convergence cleared.]

[HAHAHAHAHA wasn’t that glowing idiot just saying God was on his side?]

[That was fucking great. Do another one!]

[Newbie streams really are the best. Peak entertainment.]

[?]

[Why can’t I follow him?]

[Viewer "BoneCollector" tipped 1,000 Stardust.]

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...

The notifications kept flooding in for more than ten seconds before finally stopping.

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"...What the hell?"

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"This revolver comes with a livestream function too?"

The last hazy traces around him finally dissolved, and the sounds outside came rushing back.

Clashing weapons. Rotter growls. People shouting curses.

The Humvee sat across the entrance to the central nave, its bulky frame blocking most of the doorway. The two heavy machine guns mounted on its roof had long since gone silent. Empty ammo boxes and loose belts lay scattered nearby, along with the grenade launcher and the remaining anti-armor rounds.

"Lin!"

A familiar voice came from nearby.

Lin Yan turned toward it and saw Marcus hurrying over. He had barely taken a few steps before the sight of Lucia’s corpse on the floor stopped him cold.

"Holy shit. Why is she in two pieces?"

Lin Yan thought about it. There was no way he could explain the whole thing anytime soon, so he settled for the simple version.

"Just think of her as the hidden boss."

Marcus stared for a second, but didn’t press the issue. That was when he noticed Lin Yan’s mangled hands.

"...Fuck. What happened to you?"

"This?"

Lin Yan raised his right hand, now missing two fingers, and gave it a small wave.

"Minor accident."

"By the way, why aren’t you helping them?"

"Just got rotated out." Marcus wiped his face. "Rochelle and I are resting. The others are holding the line right now. We’ll swap back in soon."

With the Humvee blocking most of the entrance, the rotters could only squeeze through the narrow gaps on either side. A few occasionally tried crawling underneath, only to have their heads smashed in the moment they emerged.

"Wait... is it morning already?" Lin Yan asked.

The sky beyond the doorway had already begun to pale, faint morning light spilling into the Church.

Marcus pulled out his phone and checked the time.

"It’s past six."

He shoved the phone away, then seemed to remember something.

"Hey, Boss. You don’t think this is gonna be like last time, do you? We don’t have to kill every last one of these things before this ends, right?"

Shit.

Lin Yan had actually forgotten about that.

There was no telling how many rotters were still outside, and there was still a Dragon out there somewhere.

In his current condition, what the hell was he supposed to fight with?

"System."

[Present.]

"Don’t tell me we really have to kill all of them."

[No. Enemy Anchor eliminated.]

[The outcome of this Convergence has been determined.]

[The Convergence is ending.]

The final line had barely appeared when a deafening crash erupted from the rear of the Church.

BOOM—!

The stone floor jolted beneath their feet. Dust poured down from the vaulted ceiling and pillars.

Marcus shot upright.

"Holy shit, what was that?"

A second crash came from deeper inside the Church.

Something smashed straight through the thick stone walls, and the thunder of collapsing masonry rolled down the corridors into the central nave.

Lin Yan’s heart sank.

Don’t tell me there’s more.

Before anyone could figure out what had happened, a powerful blast of air came surging in from the depths of the Church.

WHOOOSH—!

Dust and scraps of paper exploded off the floor. Tables and chairs rattled, and the force was strong enough to shove them several steps backward.

Then a sharp, acrid smell hit Lin Yan’s nose.

His expression changed instantly.

"RUN!"

He roared through a voice already gone hoarse and sprinted for the entrance.

Marcus hadn’t caught on yet.

"What?"

"DRAGON BREATH! RUN!"

The instant those words left his mouth, everyone moved.

Another wave of mist poured into the central nave from the rear of the Church, spreading rapidly around the stone pillars and into the side corridors. The acrid stench grew stronger by the second.

"OUT!"

The Humvee had been perfect for keeping the rotters out.

Now it was in everyone’s way.

With most of the entrance blocked, they had no choice but to scramble over the vehicle to escape.

Marcus and the others cleared the Humvee quickly.

Lin Yan fell behind.

Neither of his hands was intact anymore. The moment he planted them against the vehicle to haul himself up, pain exploded through the ruined flesh. Even such a simple movement took far longer than it normally would.

By the time he finally dragged himself onto the Humvee, everyone else had already made it outside.

The depths of the Church suddenly lit up.

BOOM——!!!

The entire interior erupted.

Flames blasted from the doors, windows, and the breach at the rear. The shockwave caught Lin Yan instantly and hurled him through the air.

He sailed over the steps outside the entrance, slammed hard into the street, then rolled more than ten meters through puddles and broken stone before finally coming to a stop.

Everything hurt.

Lin Yan gritted his teeth and tried to push himself up. The pain nearly dropped him straight back onto the ground, but he forced himself upright anyway.

Then he looked around.

And froze.

Where were the rotters?

At some point, the rain had stopped.

Morning light was spreading across the horizon. A distant thrum rolled through the air.

Lin Yan raised his head.

Several helicopters were flying toward them through the brightening sky.

New text appeared before his eyes.

[Convergence cleared.]