The sound coming from the waiting room echoed through the live stream, and the tens of millions of Xia Kingdom citizens watching immediately realized something terrible had happened.
But before they could even start discussing in the chat, the live-streaming device, which had been lying face-down on the ground, was suddenly kicked by someone.
The once pitch-black screen brightened, revealing the horrifying scene unfolding in the waiting room.
“Did the rescue mission fail?”
“It must have! Otherwise, why would these monsters be killing people everywhere?”
“That girl over there—run! The monster’s about to catch up to you!”
“Damn it, why didn’t the authorities anticipate this?”
“Someone, please save these poor, innocent people!”
As the Xia Kingdom netizens flooded the chat with desperate pleas for help, Yan Zhenyi—who had been led out of the waiting room by Shen An’an—heard the screams from inside and realized the Special Response Team’s plan had failed.
Once they reached the station square, Yan Zhenyi didn’t waste time complaining to Shen An’an about the botched operation. His wife was still inside. Without hesitation, he turned to rush back into the waiting room.
Seeing this, Shen An’an knew a Flame Archdemon, a two-star Abyss beast, was blocking the entrance. She couldn’t just let him throw his life away.
She quickly grabbed his arm and demanded, “Officer Yan, do you realize what you’re doing?”
Yan Zhenyi, now back in his normal form, struggled against her grip and roared, “Of course I do! Let go! My wife is still in there!”
Not wanting to see him die in vain, Shen An’an urged, “Calm down! There’s a Flame Archdemon in there—something we can’t possibly fight right now. Going back is suicide!”
“Even if it’s suicide, I’d rather die where my wife is! Now let go!” With a forceful yank, he broke free and sprinted toward the waiting room entrance.
Watching his retreating figure, Shen An’an sighed. Her original plan had been to escort him to safety first, then return with her colleagues to stall the Flame Archdemon until reinforcements arrived. But now, she had no choice but to follow him back inside.
When Yan Zhenyi reached the entrance, he saw the Flame Archdemon roaring furiously, relentlessly attacking the Special Response Team’s superhumans who had stayed behind to prevent it from rampaging into the city.
Scanning the area, he noticed the right-side staircase was still intact, with a few lucky hostages occasionally escaping down it. Without another thought, he dashed up the stairs to the second-floor waiting room—now a living hell.
Inside, people were running for their lives as flame demons hunted them down. Yan Zhenyi pulled out his concealed handgun and frantically searched the crowd for his wife, shouting, “Caifeng! Where are you?”
Amid the chaos, Li Caifeng—who had miraculously avoided the demons so far—heard his voice and froze. She turned toward the sound and spotted her husband in prison garb, gun in hand.
“Honey, I’m here!” she called out instinctively, though she had no idea why he was dressed like a prisoner.
Yan Zhenyi’s gaze snapped toward her voice. Seeing her disheveled but unharmed, he exhaled in relief—until he noticed a flame demon creeping up behind her.
Without hesitation, he raised his gun.
Li Caifeng saw the muzzle aimed past her and immediately recalled her police academy training. She rolled aside just as the demon lunged.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Yan Zhenyi fired several shots into the creature’s body, drawing its attention. As it turned toward him, he remained calm—this wasn’t his first fight against these monsters.
He steadied his aim, targeting its knee joints, and fired three more rounds.
Crack!
The demon’s knees shattered, sending it crashing to the ground. Before it could recover, Yan Zhenyi shot out its other knee, crippling it temporarily.
“Honey, you’re amazing!” Li Caifeng gasped as she reached him, awed by his skill.
“No time for praise,” he snapped. “These things can regenerate. Even with shattered joints, they’ll heal soon. We have to move!”
Though she didn’t know how he knew this, she trusted him completely. “What?! They can heal? Then let’s get out of here!”
Grabbing her hand, Yan Zhenyi pulled her toward the staircase. But just as they were about to reach it—
BOOM!
The Flame Archdemon below, locked in battle with the superhumans, suddenly swung its massive fist and smashed the staircase’s support pillar.
The entire structure collapsed beneath them.