The shelter was located at the third and fourth basements of the building. The crowd could enter the shelter via an escalator, a parking lot, or an expressway specifically built for the public to quickly access the shelter.
The distance of a few hundred meters was not far. Xia Ping'an moved fast. In less than two minutes, under the guidance of a GPS, he had reached Tieyun Plaza at Qingyun Midway. He held a two-year-old toddler in his arms and was followed by a pale middle-aged woman. They joined the surging crowd and entered the shelter through the expressway.
Red lights flashed in the corridor.
"Everyone, please enter in an orderly manner. Do not rush."
"Everyone, please enter in an orderly manner. Do not rush."
Dressed in uniform, a few security guards of the plaza were shouting through their megaphones in the expressway.
The expressway was packed with panicked citizens. Xia Ping'an saw a few office ladies losing their high heels while running. When they entered the shelter, they were all barefooted.
A few men with huge bellies were dripping in sweat from running. They removed their neckties and unbuttoned their shirts.
When Xia Ping'an reached the entrance of the expressway, he saw a middle-aged woman carrying a toddler coming down from a car. The woman was moving slowly, so he carried the toddler for her, and the three of them altogether dashed into the expressway. The kid did not weigh much; he was more or less the weight of a takeout order for Xia Ping'an.
With the help of other technology, the dimensional invasion security app could issue a warning within five minutes as soon as the observational satellite sensed a gravitational anomaly. In the city, the shelters assigned to everyone were all within a distance of five minutes. As long as the citizens reached the shelters within five minutes, they would most likely be fine.
However, accidents did happen, and nothing was perfect. If one was located in an area where there were no shelters around and the dimensional invasion occurred near that person, or under very rare circumstances where the invading demonic beasts could penetrate through the tough defensive layers of the shelter, or if one did not manage to get into a shelter within five minutes, then the person could only pray for a miracle.
After they entered the shelter, Xia Ping'an handed over the toddler in his arms to the woman.
"Many thanks..." The woman held onto her kid tightly and was very grateful towards Xia Ping'an.
"You're welcome."
The underground shelters were like gigantic vaults. The one in Tieyun Plaza was divided into four sections. The crowd was split up at the entrance and was assigned into one of the four isolated compartments.
This design was to ensure maximum protection could be given to those in the shelter when an accident occurred.
For example, if there was really a demonic beast that could shatter the concrete layer that was a few meters thick and the steel door of the shelter, then the demonic beast could at most enter a compartment at a time. The other compartments would still be safe. This design was similar to that of the watertight compartments in a ship. If one part of the ship was leaking, the ship would not easily sink.
Xia Ping'an and the middle-aged woman were assigned to the second compartment. Lights were switched on in the shelter. The compartment was the size of four basketball courts. However, the ceiling was rather low, less than 3 meters tall. People continuously surged into the compartment. In the blink of an eye, the second compartment hosted around 500 to 600 people in it.
"The passageway to the shelter will soon be closed."
Once five minutes passed, a mechanical female voice reverberated in the shelter as its steel doors shut. The shelter was isolated from the outside. The people within it finally heaved sighs of relief.
To prevent rumors from causing mass hysteria, everyone's smartphones had their signals cut off within the shelter. Monitors were carefully placed inside to convey news and announcements from the National Order Council and the government departments to the people inside. Everyone could only wait for news.
Only after the state of emergency outside was lifted could everyone leave.
It was noisy inside the shelter. It was difficult for people to calm down. Some people were weeping, while others were searching for their wallets, smartphones, and shoes that they had lost while fleeing.
Xia Ping'an found a secluded corner and sat down against the wall. He quietly waited.
As to when the demonic beasts and monsters would be eliminated and when they could leave, it all depended on how severe the dimensional invasion was. A mild case could be settled within a few hours, whereas a severe case would take dozens of days. If it was any longer than that, it would be an absolute catastrophe.
Usually, public shelters had stores of food and water to support the people inside for two weeks to a month.
Large-scale public shelters were even connected to the storage warehouses of large supermarkets in the city and underground combat readiness passageways.
After just a few minutes, Xia Ping'an could faintly hear explosions outside. When they heard the sound, the chatter immediately ceased and the entire shelter fell silent. Even those who were weeping stopped doing so. Those who were searching for their belongings also froze.
"Drones. Our drones have probably arrived first and are already clearing out the creatures from the dimensional invasion...," a man in his 40s mumbled next to Xia Ping'an as he sat on the floor and gulped down some water. This man seemed to be experienced when it came to facing dimensional invasions. "In the city, the drones of the National Order Council can immediately rush over to the location of the dimensional invasion and unleash the first wave of attack."
"The explosions just now were very loud and could even reach the shelter. They are probably using high-altitude thermobaric bombs. The sound came from the sky," an intellectual said in a low voice as he adjusted his glasses. "The drones won't use high-explosive ammunition in densely populated metropolitan areas and mountain forests that will easily catch fire. If it is in the city, the drones will use more precise blade missiles."
"Will everyone be okay?" Some guy had just said this when the lights of the shelter flickered. The entire shelter was plunged into darkness, and people began to scream.
Two seconds later, the infrared lights in the shelter turned on. A voice came from the speaker. "Everyone, do not panic. To prevent fires from occurring, the city's electric grid was turned off. The emergency generators have already kicked in, and the situation in the shelter is normal. Everyone, please wait patiently."
Only then did the commotion in the shelter calm down.
Xia Ping'an, who was sitting in a corner, closed his eyes. He began to focus his attention. It only took a few seconds for a clear picture to appear in Xia Ping'an's mind.
It was the scene outside of the plaza.
In mere minutes, no one could be found on the streets outside of the plaza. Cars were left everywhere on the streets, and it was still raining. Above, a bizarre, dark red cloud layer was churning in the sky. The spiraling cloud layer was like a tornado. It split apart and extended down to the ground from the sky.
Whoosh!
There was a harsh whistle in the air.
Two drones whizzed past in the sky above the plaza, one to the left and one to the right. They were dashing towards the swirling cloud layer in the sky above.
After flying thousands of meters, there were two flashes of light on the wings of the two drones. Two missiles drew out smoke trails as they shot towards the churning mass of dark red clouds.
Two massive blinding lights exploded in the gloomy sky. The sound of huge explosions could then be heard. The sound reverberated throughout the city like an exploding mine. The glass of a tall building far away was shattered from the shockwaves.
Two masses of clouds that had extended from the bizarre dark red cloud layer in the sky were blown up by the explosions.
Rain that was dyed red, and minced meat fell from the sky.
A few minutes later, the sound of the explosions reached the shelter again.
...
Amid the loud rumble, dark red clouds churned on top of a street just 1,000 meters away from Tieyun Plaza. After the clouds dissipated, more than 20 demonic rats suddenly appeared on the ground.
The demonic rats were larger than lions. Excluding the length of their tails, each of them was almost 2 meters long. Their eyes were crimson red, and they had sharp fangs.
The demonic rats on the ground were stunned for two seconds as they checked out their surroundings. Then, they dispersed in all directions.
One of the demonic rats charged forward like a rhinoceros. It dashed on the street and crashed into a car that was parked beside the road. Then, it stomped on the main road of the city and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Two other demonic rats shattered the main entrance of a nearby hotel and immediately rushed into it.
One of the two demonic rats was slightly slower. It had only moved a few steps when a bizarre sound rang and a blade missile descended from the sky. It was accurately aimed at the demonic rat. The sharp blades sliced down at high speeds. In an instant, the demonic rat had been minced into a pile of flesh and blood. Only a dent was left on the ground.
A few helicopters approached from afar. They stopped midair, and ropes were seen hanging out from them. Special forces, all dressed in black combat uniforms and fully equipped, held onto the ropes as they descended from the sky.
A squad rushed into the hotel. Other squads were hunting down the rest of the demonic rats.
Helicopters could be seen approaching the area continuously. Special forces were dropped down wherever the demonic rats appeared.
Xia Ping'an noticed a man with sunglasses and a black leather windbreaker. Under the rain, he actually didn't hold on to the rope while leaping off from the helicopter, which was hovering more than 10 meters above the top of the hotel building. He steadily landed on the top of the hotel. Then, with a flash, he entered the building.
A few seconds later, intense gunshots could be heard from inside the hotel.
A moment later, a window on the third floor of the hotel suddenly shattered. A demonic rat crushed the window. It catapulted from the windowsill of the second floor and landed on the ground.
Chasing right behind the demonic rat and emerging from the balcony of the third floor was the man with sunglasses and a black leather windbreaker. The man was wielding a black, short barrel, large-caliber shotgun. He followed behind the demonic rat and jumped down from the balcony. He fired a shot while he was still in the air.
Blood burst forth from the body of the demonic rat. The bullet penetrated through its skin and injured the beast.
Seeing that the man was right behind it, the demonic rat turned around and wanted to escape.
"Fire!" shouted the man, who was still in midair, while pointing a finger at the demonic rat with his other hand. A blazing flame suddenly popped up from the ground, which was covered with puddles, and enveloped the demonic rat.
The demonic rat shrieked as it turned into a burning torch, evaporating the moisture around it.
The man landed steadily on the wet ground. The burning demonic rat turned into a pile of ashes in the blink of an eye.
Right at this moment, the ground bulged and sand was scattered.
A worm-like creature, about 5 to 6 meters long and with a diameter of an oil barrel, suddenly emerged from underground. The creature had sharp teeth all over its head. Its mouth was wide open as it bit down towards the man.
The man fired shots. The bullets of the large-caliber shotgun hit the creature and sent sparks flying. However, the demonic beast remained intact. The skin of the creature was covered with a thick layer of quartz, protecting it like an armor.
When he saw the monster opening its jaws, the man suddenly leaped backward. He was unbelievably nimble. In an instant, he jumped to the second-floor balcony of the hotel that was more than 4 meters high. The man then waved his hand and once again uttered two words, "Enslaved Soldier!"
There was a flash of light on the ground. A barefooted ancient warrior appeared before the worm-like creature. His body glowed with a layer of red light. He wore a beast skin and wielded a spear in his hand. His body was muscular.
The warrior that was summoned waved his long spear. The tip of the spear pierced through the monster. Green blood sprayed out from the demonic beast's body all over the ground. Once the blood touched the ground, it corroded the ground with a hissing sound, causing holes to appear. The roof of a small car that was parked to the side was immediately speckled with holes from the blood's corrosion.
The demonic beast turned around and swallowed the warrior that had been summoned with one gulp.
A few seconds later, the monster's body suddenly squirmed in pain. It rolled around on the ground, making a mess of the flowerbeds outside of the hotel. However, before the monster managed to roll around for a few turns, a dagger pierced through the monster's belly with a swoosh. With a swipe of the dagger, the demonic beast was split in two, falling to the ground into halves.
The summoned warrior, who had just been swallowed by the monster, was covered in green goo as he crawled out from its belly. After taking a few steps, it disintegrated into specks of red light and dissipated into the air, leaving only the corpse of the monster on the ground.
...
Only then did the squad who dashed into the hotel retreat. Ten people went in, but only seven of them walked out. The other three were severely injured. They were covered in blood and were being carried away by others. One of them had his arm torn off from his shoulder. Another member held onto the arm.
The helicopter descended and picked up the few injured members. Then, it left the scene immediately.
The rain was getting heavier.
The man, who was wearing sunglasses and a black leather windbreaker, was leading his other squad members to chase after the demonic rat. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, turned around, and cast a glance in the direction of Xia Ping'an.
His gaze seemed to have met Xia Ping'an's gaze. Xia Ping'an had a feeling that the man had seen him.
Xia Ping'an was slightly startled.
Xia Ping'an, who was still in the shelter, opened his eyes right away. He mumbled to himself, "So that's a summoner. He's so powerful. He can actually see me…"
Xia Ping'an closed his eyes again. A few seconds later, Xia Ning's face appeared in his mind. When he saw that Xia Ning was indeed inside an on-campus shelter, his worries ceased.
He opened his eyes again. Then, he shut them once again. This time, he was truly taking a nap while leaning against the wall. He would rest while waiting for everything to be over outside.