"...I don't even know if I'll survive the day."
He muttered under his breath.
"This damn endless night…"
At first, his plan had been simple.
Rely on his memories of the game.
Exploit Eva's known weaknesses.
Prepare step by step.
Guide events step by step.
But now—
A small deviation.
Just a tiny deviation.
His very existence had caused Eva to appear earlier than she should have in the game's timeline.
Wrong place.
Wrong time.
And the wrong person.
His entire original setup had been torn to pieces.
New variables kept appearing, crashing down on him like a waterfall.
Lam Huy Trường clenched his jaw.
There was no longer time for perfect calculations.
Now he could only—
Grab whatever fragile opportunity appeared in front of him.
And try to stop any more new variables from being born.
Hopefully that "warrior team"…
Or hero team…
Or whatever monster-slaying squad it was…
Was strong enough for him to cling to for now.
He stepped down the basement stairs.
Darkness swallowed the light from above.
The AI's voice rang out again.
"The exit of this tunnel leads to Zone E, correct, Professor?"
Lam Huy Trường nodded.
"Yeah."
He spoke as he walked.
"This used to be the hidden treasury of a noble prince from ancient times."
His footsteps echoed through the stone corridor.
"He was deeply in love with a seamstress."
"But the two of them were from completely different worlds."
"The royal family refused to allow it."
Dust and cobwebs brushed across his face as he went deeper underground.
"So the two of them decided to run away together that night."
"The meeting point was at the far end of this tunnel."
"In the garden where they first met."
Lam Huy Trường slowed his steps.
"But when the prince arrived…"
"He waited."
"And waited."
"But the girl never showed up."
He glanced down at his watch.
"Do you know what happened to the girl, Mrs. AI?"
The mechanical voice replied immediately.
"She was murdered by the royal family."
"Correct, Professor?"
Lam Huy Trường laughed.
"Ha."
"No."
He brushed the cobwebs from his hair.
"When the prince went to her house…"
"She had already disappeared."
"She left behind only a letter and a white stone."
--------------------
"Damn it…"
Dane clenched his fists.
Why is the device malfunctioning?
---
A memory flashed through his mind.
The fake Professor X.
And—
The blood mist.
The moment it exploded.
---
Shit…
Could it be…
Ever since that moment…
The communication device was disabled?
---
The battlefield gradually fell silent.
Not because it was safe.
But because too many people had died.
---
Dane began to breathe heavily.
The thick stench of blood
pushed into his nose,
even through the armor's filters.
---
"Fuck…"
He raised his left hand.
A tactical interface opened over the wrist of his armor.
Red numbers flashed across the display.
He moved quickly.
His fingers tapped the controls again and again.
---
Beep.
Activated: Explosive Rounds Lv.2
---
Dane knew very well.
The monster's hide—
was monstrously thick.
Normal gunfire barely did more than scratch an itch.
---
But—
if he could lure it…
Make it switch its target to him—
---
Then maybe the survivors could retreat.
---
He took a deep breath.
Then roared with everything he had:
"RETREAT!"
"Anyone still alive—drag your teammates with you!"
"Fall back to Alpha Team's position!"
"Await further orders!"
---
The moment he finished shouting—
A tentacle lashed toward him.
Dane twisted his body and dodged.
Another one slammed down.
He slid sideways.
---
The armor on his right arm opened.
Plates rotated and shifted,
locking together into a compact cannon barrel.
---
The targeting system activated.
A red reticle appeared in his vision.
Dane locked on.
Right where the tentacles converged.
---
If you want to capture a bandit…
You capture the king.
---
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Look at me, you freak."
---
BOOM!
The shot thundered out.
The explosive round blasted forward,
tearing through the air
straight toward the center of the tentacles.
---
The recoil was brutal.
Dane was shoved backward.
Sparks scattered beneath his boots.
---
BOOM!
An explosion erupted a few meters away.
---
The knights who were retreating stopped.
They looked up.
---
Dane didn't bother checking the result.
He immediately roared:
"I'M RIGHT HERE, YOU MONSTER!"
"COME AND GET ME!"
---
Then he sprinted.
Pulling farther away from the other mechanized knights.
He glanced back.
Where the bullet had exploded—
a mass of gigantic tentacles was coiling together.
They formed a shield.
Protecting—
a little girl standing at the center.
---
Then the tentacles moved.
As if they had a will of their own.
They twisted.
Coiled tighter—
Then—
WHOOSH!
All of them shot straight toward Dane.