At that moment, I heard a huge scream erupt from a crowd on another nearby skyscraper. I glanced at the Twin Tower, not too far from the building I was in, and saw a blurry figure of people running away from something. They were being chased down and killed one by one, their blood staining the glass windows.
Seconds later, screams for help and terror echoed from the floors above and below me, as well as from the other skyscrapers in the area. People were running in fear, trying to escape from whatever was causing this chaos.
I clenched my fist in anger. This had gone too far. It seemed that the terrorists had already taken over the entire dome, allowing them to deploy their men in major skyscrapers across sectors 1 and 2.
Even on the streets below, I saw several masked men moving with incredible speed. They were able to dodge laser bullets and swing their katanas at lightning-fast speeds, mercilessly butchering anyone who resisted.
Then, a massive explosion rocked the city, surpassing mere terrorism and reaching a level of extreme annihilation. The bright light made me unconsciously raise my hand to shield and narrow my eyes.
Everyone around me looked on with confusion, unsure of how to cope with the situation unfolding before our eyes.
Geralt raised his voice, breaking through the chaos and refocusing us on our objective. "It seems like the entire Singa sanctuary dome is now being overrun by these terrorists. We need to find food and stay in this building for tonight."
Everyone nodded in agreement, having witnessed the horrifying events that had just taken place.
We crossed the bridge and entered a vast lobby, with doors stretching on all sides. The only path ahead of us was wide open, but it was now filled with corpses. Each body had claw marks that tore through their clothes and skin.
Geralt raised his hand, signaling for us to stop. He observed the corpses and murmured, "This is bad... so this is what they are running from."
Bending down, he examined a nearby corpse, touching the deep claw marks and staining his fingers with blood. He looked at the fresh blood and muttered, "This is not a wound caused by swords, blades, or arrows. It is caused by a deep claw."
Uneasy, I approached Geralt and asked, "So, do we still proceed?"
"Are you ready, everyone?" Geralt stood up and looked at us with determination in his eyes.
"Ready for what?" Setsuna furrowed her brow.
"Shouldn't that be obvious? These corpses are still fresh, which means the terrorists are still here," Yuffie said forcefully.
Setsuna growled at Yuffie and shifted her attention elsewhere, clearly not wanting to engage in conversation with her. It seemed her ego had been bruised.
I didn't fully understand what Geralt meant, but it was clear that something dangerous was lurking ahead, just as Yuffie had said. Judging by the cause of their death, it seemed like these corpses had been attacked by some sort of beast or wild animal, like a tiger or bear.
Fortunately, Yuffie and Geralt were high-rankers. Their bodies were modified with robotic parts, and their arms, and legs were connected to their spines by a straight blue line that emitted a blue light. This meant that even if we were to encounter such a wild animal, they would easily be able to take it down.
Some high-ranking individuals, like my classmate, Hyun Hee, chose not to modify their bodies. Despite that, her sword skills surpassed most others, making her exceptional. However, from the perspective of others, she was already special.
I couldn't help but wonder what Hyun Hee was doing at this moment. I hoped she was safe and doing well.
In response to Geralt's statement, I said, "Yes, I am ready. And in the worst-case scenario, you'll protect us, right?"
Geralt shook his head and replied, "If they are high-rankers, I don't think we have a chance of surviving. But I believe what awaits us ahead is probably a wild animal."
He arrived at the same conclusion as me but a wild beast in this building this tall from the surface? How was that even possible?
Suddenly, a vision of the blue portal flashed in my mind, reminding me of when I had protected myself against the lion in the school basement. It dawned on me that we might be dealing with the same thing here.
Shan said curiously, "So, that's how these people were being killed..."
At that moment, a holographic display hovered above the gate, showing footage of the masked man sitting in a dark and gloomy room, with the only light focused on him.
The iron gate of the bridge behind us suddenly slid down and closed completely, accompanied by a distorted voice.
"Welcome to the hypocrite judgment day," the masked man said in an excited voice.
This masked man didn't have a gold or silver sun cross emblem on his mask.
Everyone turned their attention to the countless floating screens that appeared around us. I clenched my fist in anger, though I kept my emotions hidden. These terrorists had shattered my peaceful life, and now they were toying with people's lives like ants.
The masked man continued his speech, "On every floor, there is a difficulty based on everyone's overall performance in society. For example, the high school in district eight, which has the highest rate of students with poor academic performance, will be dealing with a school shooting."
The image on the screens showed a school somewhere in the dome, under attack by terrorists. Students were running and screaming, while masked men with laser guns pursued them. There were also high-rankers with modified bodies in the school who fought back and ultimately took down the attackers. These rankers possessed incredible speed, able to dodge the laser blasts.
Countless drones flew into the now-ransacked school, delivering food and projecting the word "Victory" in the air.
I recognized one of the high-rankers. A tall, slim, female-like figure yet athletic boy with long orange hair tight in a ponytail. He used to bully me in elementary school. How could he be here? Had Jesse changed his heart to be a good person? I shook my head slightly, trying not to overthink.
I refocused my attention on the masked man appearing on the screen as he continued his explanation.
"As a reward for their victory, they are given the title of hypocrite savior and provided with temporary food and shelter from danger. Haha, but how long will they continue pretending to be self-righteous?" the masked man chuckled wickedly.
The screen of the display went blank, and a female robotic voice echoed throughout the lobby, accompanied by a text that appeared on the holographic display, alerting us to what was about to happen.
[Welcome to the game 'Giving.'
Difficulty: Normal.
Duration: 3 minutes.
Rule: Escape from the lions and find the exit.
Failure will result in multiple portals opening.
A hint of the exit: A mother deer and a fawn meet at a dead-end as the lion chases them to the edge of the cliff. The mother deer sacrifices itself to the lion for the fawn to escape.]
Damn, I couldn't use the same strategy as I did in the school basement. The time limit was too short. Additionally, I thought it was a tiger, and it turned out to be a lion.
"What kind of bullshit hint is this?" Setsuna yelled, kicking a nearby trash can in frustration.
"More importantly we have only 3 minutes, these fucker think this is some sort of game to them?" Shan said in a deep contemplation tone.
"Everyone, stay behind me and Yuffie. I will defend you while you try to find the exit," Geralt commanded in a commanding voice.
But it didn't help that none of the doors around us were designed to be scanned. They were just regular doors with handles.
Suddenly, the roar of a beast echoed from the only curvy path ahead, illuminated by a bright blue light. The shadows of three lions grew larger on the ceiling as they approached us with incredible speed.
I called out to Shan and Setsuna, and they immediately understood the seriousness of the situation, standing by my side.
The growling of the lions grew louder, and soon, three lions of adult man size were sprinting towards us.
Seeing Yuffie's body slowly disappear as the blue lines on her skin glowed, I couldn't help but wonder if it was possible for humans to achieve such a feat. It made me realize that there might be extraordinary individuals out there, high-rankers, with abilities and knowledge beyond what I had ever imagined. Witnessing the sword of the masked men dissolve into blue particles during our previous encounter also challenged my beliefs about what was possible.
It opened my mind to the idea that some incredible possibilities and powers existed beyond the ordinary. But this wasn't the time to think about this, I needed to focus on surviving this stupid game.
The lions hesitated, confused, and then an unknown force punched one of them, causing it to roar in pain.
The other two lions continued towards us, but Geralt, with his immense strength, leaped to grab their necks and threw them into a corner against the wall. His modified body, visible through the blue lines, gave him strength comparable to that of an adult elephant.
"What are you standing there for?" Geralt turned and yelled at us.
Right, we needed to find the exit!
I told Setsuna and Shan, who stood in shock beside me, "Let's spread out and find the exit."
They looked at me momentarily confused but then ran in different directions.
I sprinted towards one of the rooms on the left side of the lobby, but when I tried to open it, it didn't respond to my verification. Setsuna and Shan seemed to be facing the same problem with the doors they encountered.
I moved on to another door, then another, but none of them would open. The real problem arose when Geralt and Yuffie were dealing with the two lions, and the remaining lion began heading towards Setsuna.
It leaped towards her, but she managed to escape its grasp by dodging and rolling on the ground.
Meanwhile, Shan struggled to open one door after another. At this point, we were in danger as Geralt couldn't handle two lions at once, and the third lion was now coming after the three of us.
When the lion couldn't reach Setsuna, it changed direction and ran towards me. It raised its claws, but I managed to dodge its scratch.
With incredible speed, it sprinted towards me again, nearly catching me. But Geralt arrived just in time, bumping into the lion and causing it to roll uncontrollably against the wall.
"Kid, think of something!" Geralt screamed at me.
I took a moment to catch my breath as Geralt once again tried to hold back the two lions. I needed to see the bigger picture, but the exit seemed random since it wasn't clarified.
An idea flashed in my mind, and the first question I asked myself was, "How did the lion enter the lobby?"
I found my answer, based purely on my gut feeling. It could be wrong, and everyone could die if it was a dead-end route, but I couldn't help but come to the conclusion that the only path ahead of us must be the exit.
The path was curvy, making it difficult to see what was ahead. There might be a portal up ahead, but how did it work? I needed to get there.