[Sure enough, a man’s words are just empty promises.]

Warning: This chapter contains scenes of violence that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

The driver waited at the intersection for the red light to turn green, lowering his window to chat idly with a fellow taxi driver in the adjacent car.

Their conversation ranged widely, touching on everything under the sun. In a way, taxi drivers in Arkham could be considered the people who knew the city best. They were privy to first-hand information about new store openings, which restaurants were both cheap and delicious, where roadwork was happening, and which detours to take—all of it shared in their casual exchanges.

“Speaking of which, there’s been a lot of weird stuff going on lately,” the other driver said. “Have you heard the rumor that’s been going around? It’s all over the internet—claims about seeing monsters that don’t belong to this world.”

“Urban legends like that pop up all the time, don’t they?” the driver replied.

“Who knows? Maybe it’s just another thing getting hyped up. But there really are some strange folks looking into it. I’ve given rides to a few of them,” the other driver said, grimacing. “They’re a real bunch of weirdos, always fidgeting around in the car. I swear, I’m never picking them up again.”

The driver nodded. “Exactly. Those people love to poke their noses into everything, even asking when you got married or how many people are in your family.”

Recalling his own recent experience, the driver felt annoyed. Sure, he enjoyed chatting with passengers, but that didn’t mean he liked being interrogated—especially about sensitive topics, like why he divorced his ex-wife.

The other driver glanced through the window at the photo sitting beside the middle-aged driver’s seat and teased, “Been to see your daughter recently?”

“No, just caught a glimpse of her from a distance outside her school,” the middle-aged driver said with a bitter smile. “I promised her that next time we met, I’d have plane tickets ready for a trip. Back then, I didn’t have enough money saved, and I didn’t want to let my little angel down.”

Despite his words, his face radiated happiness and anticipation. “But I’m almost there. I’ll have the money saved soon, and I’ve already talked it through with my ex-wife. We’ll go on the trip together.”

“Oh, I’m so jealous,” the other driver said, breaking into a grin. “Well, here’s to an amazing trip in advance.”

“Thanks, thanks,” the driver chuckled.

The red light turned green, signaling it was time to go. The driver rolled up his window and was just about to start the car when he suddenly heard a sound like raindrops tapping against the glass.

Confused, he turned his head—and his pupils instantly shrank in shock.

It was blood.

Fresh droplets of human blood had splattered against the window he had just rolled up. The source of the blood was none other than the fellow driver he had been chatting with moments earlier.

A strange, unidentifiable creature had appeared out of nowhere, now sitting in the other driver’s seat. His colleague hadn’t even had time to react before letting out a sharp scream, which was abruptly cut short as the creature bit into his neck. His carotid artery burst, and a torrent of blood sprayed across the seat, painting a gruesome scene.

Terrified screams erupted all around. The driver initially thought someone nearby had witnessed what he had just seen, but when he turned his head, he was completely stunned.  

Monsters—countless monsters—suddenly appeared in everyone’s line of sight. The driver saw crows perched on the traffic lights, their human faces twisted as they sang hoarse, haunting melodies.  

On the street, a young couple froze in horror as they stared at a tall, slender figure. Children, clutching newly acquired balloons, realized in shock that the vendor smiling kindly at them had two heads.  

Blink once, blink again—it was as if they had been abruptly thrust into a surreal, nightmarish world.  

Or rather, they had finally glimpsed the truth of the world.  

The moment these monsters, lingering on the boundary between reality and dreams, were reflected in the pupils of humans, they descended fully into reality.  

Chaos erupted across the entire neighborhood. A car that had just started moving suddenly slammed the accelerator and crashed headlong into another vehicle, all because the driver’s eyes were covered by a pair of bat-like wings. Amid the human screams, the monsters began their massacre, turning the once peaceful and bustling city into a living hell in an instant.  

Blood, severed limbs, and corpses littered the streets. The monsters began their hunt, preying on humans with reckless abandon.  

The driver’s hands trembled uncontrollably as he gasped for air, staring at the hellish scene outside. Someone pounded on his car window, shouting desperately for him to open the door. The driver couldn’t hear what they were saying—perhaps he didn’t want to hear—because behind the person stood a towering giant, covered in countless eyes.  

The giant effortlessly grabbed the person pounding on the window. With a grim determination, the driver stomped the gas pedal, ignoring the pleas outside and speeding off in the direction of an elementary school in Arkham.  

But as he left the neighborhood, his despair only deepened.  

The chaos wasn’t confined to one district.  

It was everywhere.  

It was as if the apocalypse had descended, and everything had spiraled out of control. The established order was obliterated by the sudden arrival of the monsters, exposing humanity’s helplessness and fragility in stark, brutal detail.  

In the face of such horror, it seemed all humans could do was pray. The driver saw countless people kneeling on the roadside, pleading for God’s forgiveness. Others collapsed in despair, awaiting their inevitable deaths.  

*Bang!*

A massive spider descended from the sky and slammed into the driver’s car, sending it flying. The vehicle flipped over and crashed into a utility pole, the doors twisting out of shape. Blood streamed from the driver’s head as his blurred vision picked up the sight of the giant spider crawling toward him.

“No, no! I still need to pick up my daughter. I still need to… go on a family trip, make amends with my ex-wife.”  

The driver thought of the travel plans he had meticulously put together late at night, the plane tickets he had carefully chosen. His eyes filled with despair.  

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*  

Multiple bullets struck the spider, forcing it to stop advancing. The driver weakly lifted his head and saw several individuals in bizarre outfits wielding weapons, fearlessly charging at the spider to fight it head-on.  

“Hey, are you okay?”  

A blonde woman, dressed in shades of matcha and mint green, approached the driver’s side, considering how to pull him out of the driver’s seat. She was interrupted when the driver grabbed her wrist.  

“Save…”  

“Huh? What are you saying?”  

“Save my… my daughter. She’s at the school just ahead…” The driver stared at the blonde woman with pleading eyes.  

“Don’t worry, we’ve already sent someone there,” she reassured him, pulling him out of the driver’s seat while opening a portable medical kit to administer first aid.  

The driver felt as though he had just narrowly escaped death. As he looked at the scene in front of him, he saw the players locked in a brutal fight against the spider. Despite the carnage, not a single one of them retreated.

On the contrary, they seemed… excited?  

The driver couldn’t help but ask, “Who exactly are you?”  

“Oh, you can call us…” The blonde in matcha-green hesitated for a moment, recalling that in this game, words like “players” or “Fourth Calamity” would likely be censored. “Hmm, call us ‘Followers’ instead.”  

After all, she had already resigned herself to being an unwavering follower of Ranen.  

“Followers,” the driver murmured, the word sparking a glimmer of hope in his heart.  

—-

The rescue and combat efforts weren’t limited to the players.  

Before the event began, Karens had already received Ranen’s warning. Naturally, he couldn’t just ignore it. He made all the necessary preparations ahead of time, and as soon as the chaos erupted, his rescue and combat teams were dispatched without delay.  

Of course, the areas under Black Poker’s protection were mainly limited to their own turf and the neighborhoods that regularly paid protection fees. For many residents, this was the first time they saw their protection money being put to actual use. The moment the monsters appeared, the district’s broadcast system ordered everyone to stay indoors while fully armed gang members wielding various illegal firearms began shooting at the invading creatures.  

“Where the hell did these monsters come from?”  

“Shut up, John, and aim properly!”  

Karens himself joined the fray, personally overseeing the battlefield. But it didn’t take long for him to realize that humans were almost completely outmatched by these monsters.  

Even with firearms and grenades in hand, it was incredibly difficult to inflict any real damage on the creatures. In contrast, the monsters seemed unstoppable. A mere swipe of their claws could slice a human in half or leave them critically injured.  

The resistance from the gang members gradually weakened. Someone beside Karens suggested, “Boss, we should retreat for now.”  

Karens clenched his jaw, a bitter smile forming in his heart.  

Ordinary humans are ultimately powerless in the face of such mysteries.  

Just as he was about to nod in agreement, he noticed a sudden shift on the battlefield.  

A group of bizarrely dressed strangers appeared out of nowhere. Some were armed to the teeth, while others wielded nothing more than broken sticks and daggers. But they all shared one unmistakable trait: the excitement on their faces, completely unafraid of death.  

Karens’s thoughts raced as he recalled the ferocity of the players he had witnessed at that banquet. A glimmer of hope reignited in his heart.  

“No need to rush. Cover them! Focus on evacuating the civilians!”  

Without hesitation, Karens made his decision.

—-

The district where the Kamui family resided saw a similar decision made by Carmen. His family members scattered a special potion at their doorstep, blocking the prying eyes of the strange creatures outside.  

“Uncle… what should we do?”  

“Don’t worry, child,” Carmen said, remaining calm even in such a dire situation. “That person will not let Arkham be destroyed.”  

—-

Player Forum

[Main storyline unlocked: Arkham has fallen! Big event time, everyone]  

[Who’s near Second Elementary? There’s a mission to evacuate the students here, but we’re short on people. Requesting support!]

[Over at the Crossriver Bridge, there’s been a serious traffic accident. Lots of injuries—urgent need for doctors. Time to level up your medical skills!]

[Holy crap, the monsters here are way too strong. Retreat when necessary. With so many monsters around, there’s no need to take them head-on!]

The player forum was lively again. Not that it had been quiet lately—just days ago, posts about Druid’s mutation was trending on the homepage, but now Arkham’s sudden changes had pushed everything else aside.  

1st Commenter: [Does anyone know what’s going on? Why did Arkham City suddenly turn into this? Where did all these monsters come from?]

2nd Commenter: [Who knows? I was still searching for one of the Outsider’s ritual circles when everything went to hell.]

3rd Commenter: [Honestly, I don’t mind this. I was getting bored of scavenger hunts anyway. The Outsider’s ritual circles were getting ridiculously hard to find. I was about to quit.]

4th Commenter: [Finally, monster-fighting quests again, people!]

5th Commenter: [LOL, it’s great, but there are way too many bosses. Some of them are literally unkillable!]  

6th Commenter: [Agreed. What’s up with these monsters? Some of them drain sanity just by looking at them, and one hit kills you. Too terrifying! Are we even supposed to encounter creatures like this at this stage?]

7th Commenter: [The real issue is the players are too under-leveled, and there aren’t enough of us! Let me into the game already! They need me!]

8th Commenter: [Massive +1! I’ve been lurking on this forum forever. When’s the next phase opening up? Hurry up and let more players in!]

9th Commenter: [Does this game even want to make money? Let me in, damn it!]  

No matter how much the lurking “cloud players” complained on the forum, it didn’t change the current reality. The 500 active players in the game were already overwhelmed, and even those who had logged off were being dragged back online by their friends. The reason was simple—there just weren’t enough hands!  

Fortunately, after the main storyline unlocked, the game developers temporarily lifted the restriction that required players to wait 12 hours before logging in with a new card after dying. Otherwise, death would’ve been too costly for the players!  

Everything happening in Arkham City was being condensed into one hot thread after another on the player forum. And every one of those threads was being closely watched by Ranen.  

“What’s wrong?” Archie noticed something off in Ranen’s expression.  

“Arkham… the situation there is dire,” Ranen said, closing his eyes briefly. The moment he had dreaded had finally arrived.  

“Let’s go. It’s time to head to the final battle site.”  

Perhaps it was the butterfly effect.  

Originally, the hospital was supposed to be the final location where the leader of the Outsider would open the door to the Dream World. But now, he was no longer there.  

The site of the final battle had shifted. At first, Ranen couldn’t understand why, but after the recent mutation, memories resurfaced. He now knew the true location of the decisive battle.  

Ranen’s emotions were complicated as he gently touched the trunk formed from the bodies of fallen players. He took one last look at the forest before leaving the nighttime hospital with Archie.  

Upon stepping into the daytime hospital, Ranen and Archie noticed that the sky had darkened.  

The patients, doctors, and nurses who had been struggling to fend off the strange creatures within the hospital began collapsing, one after another.  

“What… what is happening?” Archie asked, staring at the surroundings in shock.  

Ranen shook his head and looked into the distance, murmuring, “The second phase.”  

“What?”  

“Nothing. Let’s move.”  

Ranen couldn’t quite describe the feeling. His pupils reflected the sky, now gradually shrouded in mist. The once-blue backdrop was replaced with a hazy gray.  

As they left the hospital, they found the surrounding area beginning to fill with fog.  

Arkham City, once filled with despair, screams, and terror, suddenly shifted into an entirely different atmosphere.  

It was deathly silent.  

Strangely, humans who collapsed in the fog were no longer attacked by the monstrous beings. Instead, the creatures returned to wandering aimlessly in the mist.  

The wreckage of the previous chaos—car crashes, corpses, and burning flames—remained. However, with everyone now unconscious, Arkham had descended into a new kind of chaos. Cars that had once sped down the roads collided in chain reactions, fires broke out in various places, but no one was there to manage the disaster.  

Ranen and Archie walked into the mist, heading resolutely in a single direction.  

Archie initially wanted to ask where they were going, but after seeing Ranen’s expression and recalling the horrifying forest he had seen upon waking, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.  

There was an inexplicable sense that the Ranen before him had become unfamiliar.  

And perhaps even terrifying.  

Unconsciously, Archie’s steps slowed. From walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Ranen at the beginning, he fell behind, trailing slightly to Ranen’s lower left. Ranen didn’t notice Archie’s change, focusing solely on the path ahead.  

It couldn’t be wrong—the final battleground…  

Ranen recalled that time when he nearly left Arkham City. On the way, he had accidentally come across an empty space.  

But it wasn’t just an empty space.  

It was a place forgotten by the world.  

This was where the current boss resided.  

Suddenly, Ranen stopped in his tracks, gazing into the mist. Archie instinctively raised his guard.  

They heard footsteps—hurried, frantic, and completely unrestrained. The sound drew closer, fast.  

Archie reflexively stepped forward. The sudden surge in his physical strength caused him to misjudge the pressure, nearly cracking the cement beneath him. Losing his balance, he stumbled.  

Damn it!  

The shadow emerging from the mist moved incredibly fast. As Archie staggered, the figure dashed past him, heading straight for Ranen.  

Ranen caught sight of the figure and froze for a moment before instinctively reaching out his hand.  

He caught the person’s wrist.  

Archie, having regained his balance, quickly turned toward Ranen—and froze in shock.  

“Is he…?”  

The man, his face painted with clown makeup, looked utterly disheveled. His blood-soaked clothing was no better than Archie’s current bedraggled state. Yet his expression betrayed not a trace of reason—only a grimace of madness and frenzy.  

“Edmund,” Ranen murmured.  

“Hee hee hee hee~” The clown gave no response. As soon as his wrist was caught, his knife twisted downward, aiming to slice through Ranen’s skin.  

However, the blade—sharp enough to cut through human flesh with ease—struck as though against steel, sparking upon impact.  

The knife’s edge dulled and curled.  

Ranen blinked in surprise. But the clown, consumed by madness and instinct, paid no attention. Realizing the knife was useless, he tossed it aside, reaching instead to strangle Ranen’s throat.  

Would Ranen let him succeed? At the critical moment, Ranen closed his eyes and ruthlessly grasped at the white light belonging to Edmund within the Dream Rift.  

Like squeezing a tiny ball, he crushed it in an act of frustration.  

The crazed clown instantly stilled, as if a dog caught by the scruff of its neck, standing motionless in place.  

Ranen opened his eyes and looked at the blank expression on the clown’s face. He recalled Archie’s reaction when his light point had been pinched before.  

He was really curious about why both of their reactions were so strange. What kind of feeling is this?

But now wasn’t the right time to ask. Ranen tossed Edmund’s hand away from his neck and pinched his painted face irritably. “Bad kid.”

Wasn’t it supposed to be that he’d wake up as soon as Ranen summoned him? It seemed that men’s words were just empty promises after all.

The crazed beast quieted down obediently, staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes.

After dealing with Edmund, Archie slowly approached, watching as Edmund’s gaze still held a hint of uncertainty. “He’s also…”

Ranen nodded. “It looks like, just like you, he’s entered the second level of the Dream Rift.”

In reality, Ranen was also somewhat confused. Although Edmund had indeed mentioned entering the second level of the Dream Rift before, Ranen had assumed it was just a show of loyalty. But now it seemed like he really had entered…

Why? Was there some irresistible force at play? Just like with Archie before, would he die if he didn’t go in?

Before Ranen could figure it out, he suddenly looked up ahead.

Another set of footsteps.

And unlike Edmund’s blatant approach, this set of footsteps was almost imperceptible. Yet, for some reason, Ranen knew there was someone there.

“Come out.” Ranen said faintly.

Archie quickly looked in the direction Ranen was focused on. As the wind blew, the mist slowly parted, and the person, perhaps realizing they had been discovered, silently stepped out of the mist.

Archie’s eyes widened slowly. “Albert…”

“How are you here?”

Albert didn’t answer. In fact, ever since stepping out of the mist, his gaze hadn’t turned toward Archie. It was as if he didn’t even acknowledge his presence.

“Don’t… come any closer.” Albert said hoarsely.

At this moment, Archie keenly sensed something was off about Albert.

This unease wasn’t about his physical state. If anything, looking at them from the outside, Archie’s blood-stained clothes looked far more disturbing than Albert’s appearance. Although Albert had some wrinkles, dust, and scrapes on his clothes, overall, he seemed relatively fine.

The sense of unease wasn’t about his physical state—it emanated from his eyes. Ranen still remembered his previous impression of Albert, the golden-haired man with a sunny appearance and aura. But now, aside from the golden hair, he seemed almost like a different person. His once bright, clear blue eyes now seemed clouded and lifeless.

It was as if everything that had once supported this man had been drained away.

“Albert…” Archie said, “I already know your identity, including the matters with the Inspection Bureau. You don’t have to keep holding up alone. Our goals are the same, there’s no need to keep wasting energy on each other here.”

Albert gave Archie a lifeless glance, not saying a word.

The words of Amos lingered in his mind.

The Inspection Bureau… is not the righteous place he had imagined. What has he been doing all this time?

People are like that—they need something to believe in, something to hold onto, to endure the temporary darkness and exhaustion ahead. Especially for an undercover job, which requires an extremely strong belief.

Before knowing about the shady dealings between the Inspection Bureau and the Outsider, Albert had entered the Outsider’s organization with a sense of justice and the desire for revenge on behalf of his friend’s father. To climb the ranks and get to the core quickly, he got involved in many cult activities, witnessing the coldness of human relationships, the harshness of the world, and even being forced to stain his hands with blood, doing many things he didn’t want to do.

In his apartment, while washing his hands under the faucet, he would often have visions of blood that couldn’t be washed off. At first, he would wash his hands two or three times, nearly scrubbing his skin raw, before managing to snap out of it.

Later, after experiencing this many times, Albert became accustomed to it, but it was a terrifying habit that slowly corroded his will.

It was at this time that his origin ability began to backfire. Albert had hidden his ability when he entered the Outsider’s organization, knowing that his ability was a deadly blade for someone with blood on their hands, a trump card that could become a decisive advantage when necessary.

But when this trump card turned into a double-edged sword, it became especially painful.

Albert managed to get through it entirely because he had a belief deep inside him, otherwise, he would have collapsed long ago. But now, knowing that there was corruption within the Inspection Bureau, that the information he sent and the work he did might all have been in vain, the belief that had been supporting him suddenly crumbled.

What could he do now? How could he continue?

Albert didn’t know either. It felt as though his soul had already left his body, leaving only his instincts to drive his actions.

When Edmund was chasing Amos, Albert had followed behind, though he moved slowly, unsure of where he was going or what he was supposed to do.

Along the way, he witnessed the current tragic state of Arkham. All of this was due to the Outsider’s conspiracy, but he hadn’t been able to save many people because there were always those dying in places he couldn’t see.

He had to stop the Outsider’s plot…

Even if the Inspection Bureau’s rescue wouldn’t arrive.

At that moment, Amos’s voice echoed in his mind once again. Albert stood still, watching Ranen and Archie not far ahead, silently repeating in his heart:

Sorry.