Concentrating on every fiber and cell within her body, Setsuna maneuvered her vehicle, calculating the distance between the cruiser about to fire a laser beam at Shan. She couldn't rely on the AI system to calculate the distance and automatically break for her; it might not give her the desired result.
Trusting her gut feeling, she lightly tapped the brake, slowing the car down. Her attention turned to the bright red beam charging up. It took three seconds for the laser beam to release, and ten seconds to reach full charge. She had only two seconds to act.
Thankfully, every vehicle in this era had an emergency mode that generated a magnetic field holographic shield. This shield protected against crashes and could even bend laser beams, which were created from light. It could only be used temporarily, but Setsuna decided to take advantage of it. She commanded the vehicle AI system with her voice, "Turn on emergency mode."
[System: Magnetic field is on]
Suddenly, she heard a loud noise as the flying car generated energy from the remaining battery underneath and at the center of the vehicle. A transparent blue hexagon barrier formed around her car, protecting it.
However, the magnetic field prevented Setsuna from exiting the car, leaving her with a risky choice. She had to block the laser beam while still inside the vehicle.
Gritting her teeth, she accepted the worst that could happen. She valued her life, but she couldn't bear to be helpless while her friend was in danger. It made her feel worse than death. She wasn't a noble heroine, but she followed her gut feeling that she must help him at all costs.
Setsuna accelerated the flying vehicle toward the laser beam, no longer able to rely on the boost from her Bio-date-chip. She couldn't react calmly or collectedly; all she could do was pray.
As the flying car reached between Shan and the laser beam, it bent the beam towards another location, instantly turning a part of the grass field into a line of fire. This unfolding event only fueled the people's attempts to forcefully enter the school gate with even greater violence.
"Get out of my way, bitch!"
"Goddamn it, why is this happening?"
"I am a teacher, get out of the way!"
Meanwhile, her vehicle crashed uncontrollably into the ground, eventually coming to a stop as it collided with a tree. Setsuna, injured in multiple locations, could even feel her shoulder fractured.
Setsuna opened her eyes and saw the vehicle system warning that her flying car might catch fire in the next few seconds. She desperately tried to get out of the car, but it had landed sideways, leaning on the right side and trapping her due to the driver seat being on the right side.
"Come on," she murmured.
Her body was covered in bruises, Setsuna forced her way out of the car towards the left side. She bent her knee and tried to stand up in the tight space, attempting to open the left side door that was now above her. However, it was somehow locked.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Setsuna grumbled.
The terrifying thought of burning alive filled her mind, but at that moment, she heard a sound from above her.
"Hey, can you hear me?" A voice gave her a glimmer of hope.
"Open the door for me!" Setsuna shouted from inside the car.
"Setsuna, why are you here?" The male voice sounded slightly angry.
He was familiar with her voice and seemed to realize who was trapped inside the car.
"Just open the goddamn door," she commanded sharply.
A loud noise echoed as if someone used all their strength to open the door. Soon, it was opened, and a hand reached out to her from above. It was none other than Einsamer. He pulled her out of the car, and they both knew they had no time for chit-chat.
As soon as Setsuna got out of the car and jumped onto the ground, she ran as far away as she could with Einsamer. Meanwhile, Shan had also found a hatchway next to and below a landing platform.
"I found the hatchway!" Shan screamed to notify them.
Immediately, they changed direction towards Shan. However, he seemed to be struggling to pull the lever of the hatchway. Fortunately, this hatchway didn't require an AI system for identification.
Strangely, the five cruisers no longer showed any signs of hostility and instead advanced towards the docking bay connected to the schoolyard.
Fire began to emerge from the crashed flying car against the tree, while Setsuna and Einsamer got closer to Shan. They saw his darkened and anxious face as he tried to open the lever. They sprinted as fast as they could to help him.
Once they reached Shan, each of them grabbed onto one side of the hatchway. Normally, crew workers of the docking bay would use a glove that enhanced their strength and attracted the hatchway to open. But none of them had these gloves, as they were exclusive to the workers.
Putting all their strength into lifting the hatchway, they heard a creaking noise, but it still wasn't enough to completely open it.
"Once again, use your Bio-data-chip," Shan commanded.
Knowing the risks, Setsuna chose to reactivate her Bio-data-chip. Immediately, blood leaked from her mouth, reminding her that some of her internal organs were damaged. But she ignored the pain and focused on the task at hand.
Her jaw clenched, visible veins appearing on her neck and forehead. Shan and Einsamer wanted to stop her, but they knew she was giving it her all, so they had to do the same.
"3, 2, 1..." Shan counted.
The three of them activated their Bio-data-chips, their eyes glowing. Since Shan and Einsamer hadn't reached their limits yet, there were no signs of side effects on their health. With the combined boost in strength, they managed to lift the hatchway halfway. Pushing with all their might, they finally opened it completely.
A passage of staircase appeared once the hatchway was opened. Blue lines acted as wireless energy transformers, resembling a painting on the wall covered by a thin but durable layer of glass.
"We did it," Setsuna said, her voice exhausted.
The danger was far from over as the red light from the approaching cruisers flashed even brighter. Now, they knew that the cruisers would no longer play cat and mouse. They were determined to kill everyone in sight and destroy the island that housed the docking bay.
Shan glanced at Setsuna, signaling for her to go first. Understanding his signal, she quickly entered the passage. Einsamer then pushed Shan, allowing him to enter last.
It was now Einsamer's turn, but he hesitated as he glanced at the crowd with pitiful eyes. He wanted to help them, but he also knew that none of them would listen and they would fight each other to the death for a chance to enter the school entrance. He knew that even if he told them about the open hatchway, they would disregard it, thinking it impossible to lift without a mechanic glove.
A hand reached out and grabbed Einsamer, bringing him back to reality. Shan pulled him inside the narrow passage, just big enough for three people to walk through. The stairs were also narrow, created for engineers to easily navigate the power supply and other wires in an accessible space.
As Einsamer landed on the stair leading downward, a bright red light radiated from outside the passage. The light beam scattered and faintly shone into the narrow passage.
Shan quickly pushed Einsamer aside and reached for the button near the entrance. He pressed it, causing the hatchway to automatically close. The laser beams could easily melt anything with their temperature.
Instantly, they felt the vibration of their surroundings. Most of the people outside were burned alive in front of the entrance. Those who managed to get inside were fortunate, but now the entrance of the school was completely shut down.
The laser beams had broken down the upper wall, causing debris to fall and conceal the entrance. Unfortunately for those people who had stood underneath moments ago were now nothing but pieces of meat splattered with blood stuck to the debris.
The remaining survivors reacted with panic-stricken, trembling bodies. Some sat down, their hands resting on the ground, unable to process the horror they had just witnessed. Others ran away from the entrance, seeking refuge among the trees in the schoolyard.
Suddenly, the five cruisers recharged and prepared to fire another round of laser beams. They intended to wipe out the remaining survivors who couldn't enter the school, eliminating all the "losers" who couldn't win the death game.
Meanwhile, having narrowly escaped death, they hurriedly descended the stairs towards the technical and surveillance room of the floating island. Shan's gaze met Einsamer's, and he spoke with urgency in his voice. Simultaneously, the three of them could feel the island trembling beneath their feet, a clear indication that they didn't have much time to exit the island and make their way to the school basement.
"I know you want to help them, and I do too. But we have no choice, and you know what I mean," Shan said.
Einsamer understood his words and tried to remain calm. After all, most of the students and teacher knew about the hatchway, but none of them dared to approach it when they saw the five cruisers approaching.
Perhaps these cruisers were waiting for someone to discover the hatchway so they could eliminate all the remaining people who hadn't made it into the building.
It just shows that the one who were in command of these five cruisers knew the map of this skyscraper very well.
"Why did they only fire all the laser beams when we were able to open the hatchway? Are they playing with us from the beginning?" Setsuna questioned.
Even none of them replied back, they silently acknowledge her words that this might be just a game of cat and mouth to the one who control the five cruisers.
Now Einsamer wondered what had happened to the people in the schoolyard. He didn't want to imagine it, but images of corpses flashed in his mind.
He was just a teenager, living a normal and easygoing life, but now everything had changed. Death, war, unpredictable events, and unlawful behavior were replacing the false utopia of their society.
Minutes passed, and they finally reached a metal door that required ID identification.
"God damn it, are we going to be stuck in here?" Shan grumbled.
Contrary to Shan, Setsuna had a smile on her face despite her injuries. Without saying a word, she moved to the front and raised her hand to scan the Bio-data-chip. Immediately, the metal door slid open, revealing a room filled with floating holographic monitors and exclusive buttons to operate the docking bay built on the island.
The island had stopped shaking, indicating that the attack had ceased. However, the control room had also sustained damage, with cracks running across the pristine white aluminum ceiling.
At the same time, they saw the five cruisers parked before the docking bay, commanded to stand by and execute anyone who appeared in the schoolyard.
"Those bastards, are they playing with us?" Setsuna exclaimed angrily.
Shan looked at her, instead of commenting on the fleet of cruisers, he directed his words towards Setsuna. "Why are you here? You should have stayed in your guild fortress."
Setsuna responded, "To help you guys, of course. The only safe place now is my guild fortress. We'll find a flying car and get back to my island."
Einsamer facepalmed and shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know what to say, but let me be direct. You might get killed or worse. This is not something you should take lightly."
He was deeply concerned for Setsuna and spoke his mind without considering how it might impact her.
Setsuna clenched her fist, fear evident in her expression. But after a moment, she shook her head and said, "I know I won't be a victim, no matter what happens to me. I won't allow it."
Both Shan and Einsamer knew Setsuna wouldn't allow such a thing to happen to her, but the reality was different. They silently accepted this fact and vowed to protect her from any dangerous situations.
If it weren't for Setsuna's intervention, Shan and Einsamer could have already been dead. If Shan hadn't found the hatchway in time, Einsamer wouldn't have been able to escape either.
But now they stood together, proving that as long as they stuck together, they would figure something out and survive until the end. It was just a gut feeling, but they had learned to trust their instincts.
Suddenly, all the holographic monitors changed from displaying the five cruisers to showing a figure wearing a completely white mask.
On the forehead of the mask was a golden sun cross, while a black robe engulfed the figure's body. The man's voice was distorted to the point that it sent chills down their spines.
"To all the remaining survivors, if you want to survive, you must get into the nearest skyscraper and reach the top floors," the mysterious figure in the white mask continued, with a slightly wicked tone. "Do your best to survive, and let the harvest season begin. Are you a survivor, predator, or prey?"
The figure in the white mask widened his arms, a gesture filled with pride and confidence.