Chapter 81: Chapter81-Time acts like a Bitch

What's a death stampede? It's a strategy... So, when the rebel leaders think they're losing, they sacrifice some of their members by ordering them to charge and attack at the front, knowing they'll die immediately... Just then, while I was lost in thought, something unbelievably shocking happened. *** The gunfire suddenly ceased in our direction and shifted to another, accompanied by the sound of bullets and the roars of humans from outside. I was sitting in the kitchen, but when the firing stopped and the roars echoed, my curiosity was immediately piqued. I couldn't understand what had just happened. Why did the gunfire suddenly stop? And what were those sounds of people shouting? What was happening here? Slowly, I stood up and carefully looked out from the kitchen. The sharp smell of monster and human blood mixed in the air, creating a sickening odor. Smoke filled the area, creating a gray haze that made it hard to see the chaotic scene outside. Kiara and Solas were clearly surprised, judging by their expressions. Although the gunfire wasn't now aimed at us, I could still hear bullets and screams outside. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps emerged from within the smoke. Someone was coming in our direction. Kiara and Solas quickly shifted into a fighting stance, ready for whatever was approaching... As the footsteps grew louder, a silhouette began to take shape within the swirling smoke. My nerves were cautious as I strained to make out who was approaching. Then, the figure emerged from the haze, and to my astonishment, it was Marcus. "Marcus?" I muttered under my breath, hardly believing my eyes. Kiara and Solas, who had been poised for combat, immediately relaxed their stances upon recognizing him. They hurried toward him, relief evident on their faces. "Leader, are you okay?" Kiara asked, her voice a mix of concern and urgency... I quickly followed behind them, my own anxiety easing slightly at the sight of Marcus. He looked tired and battle-worn, but determined as ever. He gave us a quick nod, his eyes scanning each of us to ensure we were unharmed. "Are you guys okay?" Marcus asked, his voice steady despite the chaos outside. "Yeah, I am fine," Solas replied, though his tone carried the weight of exhaustion. I responded, "Hey, we're here too." Solas retorted, "Who gives a damn?" I teased him, "Sure, only a jerk wouldn't care, especially when they're the ones who are weak." "Who are you calling weak, asshole?" Solas shot back. "Nobody!" I quickly replied. Marcus intervened, saying, "Both of you stop fighting like children." Ignoring Marcus, I asked, "What's happening out there?" Marcus took a deep breath before explaining, "The rebels couldn't hold out against the monsters and us. They've retreated, but not without using their last-ditch strategy: the death stampede. They've sacrificed some of their own, sending them out to kill anything in sight. It's chaos out there." I sighed... So, this is the reason the shooting began here? I had a feeling they might use the death stampede strategy. The rebels probably wanted to target not just influential families' children but also regular people... It's like hitting two targets with one shot. Marcus turned to Solas and me, looking serious. "Solas and Michael, there are still people out there in the middle of the fighting. Solas, head to the west side where groups 2, 3, and 7 are located, and..." He glanced at me, "you cover the northern area where the others are." With that, Marcus dashed back towards the broken entrance of the restaurant and, after going outside ran off to a particular direction... As Kiara, Solas, and I stood there... And at that moment, I made a big mistake by letting my guard down slightly, something I regretted right away. As suddenly out of nowhere... "Urck-" It was Kira's voice, who was kicked by Solos and thrown to the other side, hitting the table and immediately losing consciousness. I glanced at Kiara, then at Solos, and yelled, "You" **Swish** I felt a sudden, searing pain slash through my right side of the stomach. "Ahh!" The impact was immediate, knocking me to the ground with a gasp of shock and agony. As I looked up, struggling to comprehend what had just happened, I saw Solas standing over me, his sword dripping with my blood. "What did you think, fucker?" Solas sneered, his voice filled with bitter betrayal. "That I would really let you go after we talked a little? You really let your guard down, bastard." His words hit me harder than the wound itself. I expected... He might do this to me eventually, but I didn't expect him to do it now. Luckily, I wasn't too worried because I had already made plans when I was attacked alone earlier. I don't know why I'm even calling him "solos." He should be referred as Mother*cker, Sucker and, manh things else. Blood slowly pooled from the gash in my stomach, staining my clothes crimson and sending waves of pain through my body. I attempted to stand up slowly, but I failed because... Solas kicked me in the stomach, sending a sharp pain through me. His kick knocked me off balance and threw me backward... "Fucker, You remember right? The day, how you insulted and humiliated me in front of everyone?" I was so wrapped up in my thoughts about other things that I completely ignored him. "Even though there's no crowd to witness it today, I'll ensure your filthy mouth won't dare to speak again tomorrow." His voice was full of bitter anger as he remembered the past days... But to me, it felt insignificantI hadn't even started talking to him yet. As Solas stood over me, taunting and confident, I took a deep breath, ignoring the pain searing through my abdomen. With a quick movement, I reached into my inventory and retrieved my gun, startling Solas. "What the heck? Where did you get that? How" Solas started, but I didn't let him finish. Before he could react further, I aimed the gun at him and fired. The bullet grazed his shoulder, causing him to stagger back in surprise and pain. Using the opportunity, I pushed him away, creating some distance between us... "You underestimated me, Solas," I growled, my voice strained with pain but filled with determination. "I don't go down that easily." My plan was to deliberately get myself kicked from Solos to create some distance between us. Then, I would draw a gun from my inventory and use it against Solos to gain the upper hand, especially since he was nearby and a gun is a dangerous weapon in a sword fight. Although the bullets would only injure him, but still, it would suffice for the moment. Solas regained his footing and charged towards me, but I anticipated his move. As he lunged forward, I sidestepped and delivered a swift blow to his chest, knocking him off balance. He managed to steady himself, but I didn't relent. I continued firing bullets, each shot pushing him back further. One positive aspect of guns is that even though they may only injure high-ranking individuals without killing them, the force of the bullets can still push them back. This happens because their bodies are so resilient just like a gel ball, able to deflect bullets but also move backward upon impact. The chaos of the ongoing battle outside echoed in the restaurant. Gunfire and shouts reverberated through the air, mingling with the acrid smell of smoke and blood. The restaurant was in disarray, with overturned tables and broken windows adding to the mayhem. With each step closer to the entrance, I forced Solas backward. Another thing I discovered was that Solas never used his special skills the whole time, which made me think: Is his skill useless or what? From the way he talked about wanting to kill me, I made a backup plan in case he used his special skill. But now, as he keeps getting pushed back, he hasn't used it at all... His expression shifted from surprise to frustration as he struggled to regain control of the situation. I maintained my focus, ignoring the pain that threatened to overwhelm me, fueled by adrenaline and determination to survive. Finally, with one last push, I forced Solas out of the restaurant. He stumbled back onto the street, momentarily disoriented by the sudden change in environment. I stood at the threshold, catching my breath as I kept my gun trained on him. "You made a mistake, Solas," I warned, my voice steady despite the pain. "Don't fucking come back." Solas glared at me, his chest heaving with exertion and anger. For a moment, our eyes locked in a silent battle of wills amidst the chaos around us. Then, without another word, he turned and disappeared into the smoke-filled streets, blending with the shadows of the ongoing conflict. As the adrenaline began to ebb, the pain in my stomach intensified. I leaned against the doorframe for support, taking slow and heavy breath... The situation outside was grim with destruction everywhere, littered with dead bodies and their killers. Given the circumstances, I quickly drank a healing potion which I took out from my inventory a few seconds ago... As I waited for the healing potion to take effect, I decided to remain cautious and keep my guard up, even though there were no zombies around here... I also thought about my decision about not killing Solos... Even though I wanted to kill him, I knew I shouldn't act as recklessly as Solos. A few minutes ago, Marcus came by and gave us a job to do. If Solos was found dead, Marcus would likely suspect me since he saw us arguing and fighting. I didn't want to be on Marcus's suspected side because I didn't know what he might do if he found out I killed Solos. What if he might informs the government? Another reason was that if I got caught, I might break the law again, and I already know where that could lead. So, I chose to let Solos go instead of killing him. Even though I knew letting him go might be a big mistake or a relief, I couldn't care less right nowI survived all that shits all by my little luck and, myself. A few minutes later, after my deep wound healed, I stood up and went to check on Kiara, who was still unconscious. After checking her condition and helping her drink a healing potion, I sat in a seat beside her. I also glanced at the time, noting how much time I had left until this death game ended. Name: Michael Frostburne Total Rules Broken: 1 Current Rules Broken: 0 Time: 9 a.m. Date: April 23 Year: 2130 ... Fuck, only two hours have passed since the chaos began... I couldn't help but curse out in my mind... Now, I really wonder why I didn't like time in my previous world. I believed that when you thought time would run fast, it would slow down considerably, but when you thought time would slow down, it did the opposite and sped up. This proved my theory: "Time acts like a bitch when you need it to behave the least."