"Most of the attacks were on high schools, with the rest targeting other important areas in the city! This proves that the Devil Blood Octopus invasion wasn't just some random event, it was clearly a planned attack. And yet, the human leaders didn't notice anything for so long. After all these years, have our leaders gotten so lazy and corrupt that they can't even protect humanity anymore?"
"Can't they even defend Doomsday City, the last place our ancestors left for us?"
This information came from a mysterious reporter.
But soon after Bertram refreshed the page, the news post had already disappeared.
"So many places invaded by the Devil Blood Octopus?" Bertram frowned.
"The defenses of Doomsday City were always supposed to be unbreakable. How'd they get through this easily?"
"So many Devil Blood Octopuses were hiding in the underground sewers, and no one noticed!" Bertram felt this heavy pressure settle in his chest.
Even though he seemed safe for now, humanity was a whole. If everyone else fell, even if he survived, it'd just be a lonely and miserable life.
From this whole invasion, Bertram could sense that something really shady was going on.
While he was still thinking about it, time kept moving forward, and the next chance to use the Infinite Life Simulation finally arrived.
Activate Infinite Life Simulation!
[ Year Z100, June 29: You escaped from the school as fast as you could, running from all the Devil Blood Octopuses. You found shelter in a mall, waiting for your savior, Tabitha, to arrive.
Ten minutes passed, but Tabitha didn't come.
Twenty minutes later, still nothing.
Thirty minutes later, still no sign of Tabitha.
Forty minutes later, an E++-class Devil Blood Octopus showed up inside the mall. You spotted it from a distance and instantly decided to dip, giving up the place to the monster.
You stayed as far away from the underground sewers as possible, moving through the back alleys.
That's when you noticed the signs of heavy gunfire. Curiosity kicked in, and you couldn't help but sneak over to check it out.
Among the wreckage and debris, you found Tabitha's body. Her limbs were twisted up, and a huge wound pierced straight through her back and chest.
You stood there frozen, your mind blank. Tabitha, a C+-class warrior and a member of the Doomsday Squad, was dead.
You tried to hold back your grief and turned to leave.
But then, less than twenty yards away, a man appeared.
He was wearing a spotless white robe, but the sleeves were stained with dark red blood. The contrast was sharp, almost chilling.
He looked at you with this cold, lifeless expression. "Another one that slipped through the cracks?" he said with a smirk.
Before you could react, he was already next to you.
His hand went right into your chest, and he pulled out your still-beating heart like it was nothing.
In those last moments, you could feel the blood vessels ripping apart from your heart. You couldn't even scream.
You just kept wondering: why?
Why would a fellow human attack you like this?
Did he kill Tabitha too? ]
When the Infinite Life Simulation ended, Bertram didn't even flinch. Honestly, he was kinda used to it by now.
He'd even died once at the Doomsday Squad base, which was supposed to be the safest place there was.
Now, with the whole city in chaos and danger popping up everywhere, dying brutally like this didn't even surprise him anymore.
After all, he'd died so many times already, it barely fazed him at this point.
"This mall's gonna be overrun by that E++ Devil Blood Octopus soon. I need to bounce, like, now."
The sharp sound of threads being pulled back echoed through the air as Bertram moved through the alleyways, heading toward the spot where Tabitha had been killed.
By the time he reached the scene where she was attacked, the killer hadn't gone far. That meant Tabitha must've encountered the attacker at least thirty minutes after the time he'd originally waited.
If he wanted to stop her from dying, he needed to get there before that moment.
Following the exact path from the life simulation, Bertram got closer to the location of the ambush.
But instead of charging straight in, he took a long route and circled around, positioning himself further up the road.
After meeting up with Tabitha, they could retrace their steps, perfectly avoiding the person who had killed Tabitha and himself.
If the attacker was lying in wait at the scene, they could wait forever for all he cared.
Bertram hid in an alley, waiting for Tabitha to pass by.
After about twenty minutes, a woman with a metal helmet, riding a mech bike, and with a striking figure, sped down the road.
Bertram's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped out, waving to Tabitha.
Seeing that Bertram was safe, Tabitha felt a wave of relief. Bertram's predictive abilities were crucial to their survival.
She rode her mech bike and stopped a short distance from Bertram. Swinging her long legs, she dismounted gracefully.
As Tabitha approached, Bertram felt a surge of joy. With her by his side, he no longer had to live in constant fear.
Suddenly, a flash of intuition struck Bertram, and without thinking, he shouted, "Watch out!"
At the same moment, a figure darted behind Tabitha. Baxter's right hand, like an eagle's claw, lunged towards her back.
As the sharp hand closed in on Tabitha, almost reaching her heart, several metal plates on her back activated, forming a round shield.
"Clang!"
The shield caught the sharp claw, with the five fingers piercing through but stopping the rest of the hand and arm.
With a graceful spin, Tabitha's shoulders and waist revealed three small air cannons, blasting powerful shockwaves toward the white figure just a few feet away.
The white figure vanished instantly, leaving behind only some white fabric and a few drops of blood.
Tabitha felt a chill of fear in her heart. If it hadn't been for Bertram's warning, she might've already been dead.
Not far away, the white figure reappeared, eyes now fixed on Bertram. How had a mere F+ level sensed his presence?
Bertram broke out in a cold sweat. The moment Tabitha got out of the car, he realized something crucial.
The white figure could've been lying in wait for Tabitha at that spot, or it might've been tailing her, waiting for the right moment.
Almost instinctively, without even sensing the white figure's presence, Bertram had issued a warning.
Because when Tabitha got out of the car and saw him, it was the most relaxed and vulnerable moment for her to be ambushed.
"Who are you?" Tabitha asked coldly.
With a wave of her hand, the nearby mech car automatically drove to her side. At the same time, a dozen palm-sized combat drones flew out from the mech car, surrounding the white figure.