Chapter 498:Rescues.

Chapter 498: 498:Rescues.

The northern wall collapsed with a deafening roar.

Hundreds of tons of reinforced concrete, twisted metal, and shattered support beams came crashing into the streets of Hollow Creek, crushing the abandoned defensive positions beneath an enormous cloud of dust.

The ground trembled violently, and several nearby buildings shook hard enough to send their windows bursting outward. Beyond the destruction, the beast tide continued surging forward, a seemingly endless mass of bodies that pushed through the ruined entrance without any regard for the creatures being trampled beneath them.

Some of the smaller beasts attempted to turn away from the settlement, but the pressure of the animals behind them made retreat impossible, forcing them through the opening and directly into the residential district.

Silver stood behind the second defensive barricade, his sword gripped tightly in his right hand while his left held his handgun. His breathing was heavier than it had been an hour earlier, and the repeated use of Short-Step had begun producing a dull ache behind his eyes despite the improvements brought about by the Void Tempering Fruit.

His Rank Three foundation allowed him to circulate considerably more soul energy than before, but even that improvement had limits, particularly when he was constantly switching between spatial movement, defensive barriers, and close-range combat.

"Everyone, hold your positions!" Helena’s voice rang through the communication channel. "Do not allow the beasts to enter the central residential district! Caleb, reinforce the left barricade! Rowan, support the soldiers on the right! Mina, continue monitoring the ground!"

"Understood!" several voices answered.

Caleb slammed his hammer against the pavement as Stone Skin spread across his arms and shoulders, hardening his body while he positioned himself behind a damaged concrete barrier. Rowan hurried toward the soldiers struggling to reposition a heavy metal container, his face already pale from the amount of soul energy he’d expended reinforcing the northern gate.

Mina remained near the intersection with her hands pressed against the ground, attempting to distinguish the movement of individual creatures from the overwhelming vibrations produced by thousands of approaching beasts.

Ravenna stood beside Silver, her sword surrounded by a thin layer of crimson flames.

"That thing destroyed the wall in one strike," she muttered.

Hd nodded.

"I saw."

"Do you know what it is?"

"No."

He glanced toward the enormous dust cloud rising beyond the collapsed defenses.

"But I don’t think it’s supposed to be here."

Another roar echoed from the northern district.

The sound was deep and strangely distorted, almost as though several different creatures had attempted to roar simultaneously. Silver felt the hairs on his arms rise, and even the beasts rushing through the broken wall appeared to become more frantic after hearing it.

Peter stepped onto the barricade.

"Ruddington!" He called.

"Sir!"

"Take Ravenna and two soldiers to the eastern residential passage. Several evacuation teams have lost contact with command. Find out whether they’re trapped and bring them back."

He immediately nodded.

"Understood."

Peter looked toward Ravenna.

"Arkland, your priority is evacuation. Do not engage anything above Tier Three unless absolutely necessary."

"Yes, sir."

Peter’s gaze returned to Silver.

"And you."

He straightened.

"Sir?"

"You’re Rank Three, not immortal."

He managed a faint smile.

"I know," he quietly said.

"Then act like it."

He nodded.

"Understood."

He turned toward Ravenna.

"Ready?"

She tightened her grip on her sword.

"Always."

They moved.

The eastern residential district had become a maze of smoke, frightened civilians, and partially collapsed buildings. Several streets were blocked by abandoned vehicles, while others had been damaged by the smaller beasts that had forced their way through the settlement before the main tide arrived.

Emergency lights flashed above the narrow roads, illuminating families carrying bags, wounded residents supported by their relatives, and soldiers attempting to direct everyone toward the southern evacuation corridor.

Silver activated Spatial Sense as they approached the first intersection.

[Spatial Sense Lv3 Activated.]

His perception spread through the surrounding area, revealing the movement of civilians behind damaged walls, the vibrations produced by approaching beasts, and several unusual disturbances beneath the broken pavement.

He could distinguish individual people within nearby buildings, although the sheer number of overlapping signatures made maintaining that awareness considerably more difficult than during ordinary training.

"Three people in the building ahead," he said.

Ravenna looked toward the structure where the entrance had collapsed.

"Alive?" She asked.

"Yes. Two are moving. One isn’t," he quietly replied.

She nodded.

"I’ll clear the entrance."

He raised his hand.

"No need, you’ll waste your energy."

He stepped toward the fallen concrete.

[Primal Strength Lv3 Activated.]

[Iron Bones Lv3 Activated.]

His muscles tightened as he gripped a large slab of broken masonry and lifted it from the entrance. The weight would’ve been difficult for an ordinary Contractor, but his strengthened body allowed him to move it far enough for Ravenna to slip inside.

A moment later, she emerged supporting an elderly woman with two children following behind her.

He looked toward the soldiers accompanying them and gestured to the survivors before speaking.

"Take them to the southern shelter."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers hurried away with the civilians.

Ravenna brushed dust from her shoulder.

"How many more?"

He extended his perception.

"Several groups farther east."

She sighed.

"Then we’d better move."

They continued through the district, rescuing trapped civilians and directing survivors toward the evacuation routes. Ravenna used controlled bursts of fire to drive smaller beasts away from narrow streets, while Silver employed Short-Step to reach people trapped behind collapsed structures.

His spatial barriers proved particularly useful whenever falling debris threatened the civilians, allowing him to create temporary protective surfaces long enough for people to escape.

But every rescue cost energy, and the screams never seemed to stop.

At one intersection, they discovered a military transport overturned beside a damaged residential building. Several soldiers were attempting to free their injured commander while a group of civilians huddled behind the vehicle.

Silver approached immediately.

"What happened?" He asked.

One of the soldiers looked up.

"Tier Three beast came through the alley! Hit the transport before we could turn!"