Chapter 24: Part (4): Man-made Disaster

“Attention! Eisenberg is entering Level 2 combat readiness!”

“All non-combat personnel, proceed immediately to the nearest civil defense shelters!”

“Repeat…”

The broadcast echoed ceaselessly from all directions, reverberating over the city.

The shrill alarm shattered the previously peaceful streets and alleys.

Crowds surged through the streets, shouting and screaming, as families desperately pushed toward the shelters…

Amid this chaos, however, a small Eisenberg escort team moved in the opposite direction.

They were escorting a frail figure dressed in a holy maiden’s robe, swiftly heading toward an inconspicuous old building at the city’s edge.

“Holy Maiden, stay close,” the lead guard warned, his voice muffled through his mask.

The girl, referred to as the “Holy Maiden,” nodded obediently, her deep blue eyes filled with fear.

She clutched her plain white robe tightly, her steps faltering, looking pitifully fragile.

“Outside… what’s happening?” she asked in a soft, trembling voice.

“Just a minor conflict,” the escort captain explained simply. “Her Majesty the Queen has anticipated this. Nothing will happen to you.”

The escort team knew the city’s streets intimately, often ducking into alleys to avoid most of the congestion.

The girl bit her lip, unable to stop glancing toward the distant explosions.

“Really… really nothing will happen?” she asked again, her voice trembling with tears.

“Of course not.”

A younger guard in the team tried to reassure her:

“No matter what, we’ll protect you. Someone as kind as you is too precious to be harmed by the heavens.”

At these words, tears welled in the girl’s eyes.

She raised her sleeve to wipe them away, choking back a sob:

“Thank you… truly, thank you…”

The guards exchanged glances.

They couldn’t understand why anyone would want to harm such a delicate girl.

“Holy Maiden, we’ve arrived.”

The building before them was extremely plain, a crooked billboard hanging outside.

Just an ordinary three-story old building.

Its walls were mottled, its windows broken.

The escort captain took out a special ID card and swiped it over a sensor hidden in the wall by the entrance.

Beep—

“Identity verified.”

“Welcome, top-level access user.”

The heavy iron door slowly slid open, revealing a vacant interior and a passageway leading into darkness.

“Here…” the girl’s eyes widened in unease.

“We’re going to the safe house prepared for you by Her Majesty,” the captain reassured her, his voice softening. “It’s the safest place in all of Eisenberg. Whatever happens outside, nothing will reach you there.”

Her eyes glistened with both worry and gratitude.

“Her Majesty… did all this for me…?”

“Of course!” the young guard said firmly. “You are our Holy Maiden; protecting you is our duty.”

The group descended the passage.

Two minutes later, another figure appeared at the corner of the building.

A gray-haired woman, wearing a corset and jeans, hurriedly pulled a little girl along, panting as she reached the small building.

“This is it!” she said, taking out her ID card and pressing it against the hidden reader.

Beep—

“Identity verification failed.”

“What the…?” she froze, trying again.

Beep—

“Identity verification failed.”

“Damn… how could top-level access—”

Only their footsteps echoed down the narrow corridor.

After walking for an unknown distance, faint light appeared ahead.

The captain turned off the tactical flashlight and opened the folding door under the emergency light.

Inside was a small elevator room, the walls plastered with faded safety signs.

With the sensor’s click, the captain pressed the lowest floor button, closing the folding door once more.

Rumbling—the elevator slowly descended, the tunnel walls moving upward.

The girl still clutched her dress, her fingers white.

“Holy Maiden, we’re almost there,” the young guard whispered. “It’s safe, stocked with enough food and water to last over a month. You won’t need to worry about anything.”

She shivered and glanced around: “Is it… is there a war outside? Are many people hurt?”

“No problem,” the captain shook his head. “Eisenberg’s defenses are strong. Her Majesty foresaw today’s events.”

The elevator continued downward for several minutes before stopping.

At the tunnel’s end, a spacious corridor appeared.

The guards escorted the girl out of the elevator, their footsteps ringing in the quiet hallway.

“It’s so far…” she murmured timidly.

“The farther, the safer,” the captain explained. “This place is over a hundred meters underground, top-tier protection. Even a nuclear explosion outside wouldn’t touch it.”

Ahead was an even thicker door—a half-meter steel plate embedded with a complex electronic lock.

The captain swiped the card again. With the hiss of hydraulics, the door slowly opened…

Inside was a roomy living space.

Soft beds, a delicate dining table, shelves filled with books, even an old-fashioned record player.

Warm-toned paintings adorned the walls, trying to create a homey feeling…

“All… all this was prepared for me?” the girl asked curiously, glancing around.

“Of course,” the guards smiled at each other.

The captain gestured inside: “Her Majesty said you deserve the very best.”

She covered her mouth, her nose reddening:

“I… I don’t know how to repay everyone…”

“No need!” the young guard said, grinning. “Seeing you safe is reward enough.”

The captain checked the room’s facilities one last time, then faced her: “Holy Maiden, we’ll be outside. Press this button if you need anything.”

He pointed to a red button by the wall.

“Wait… can you stay a bit longer? I’m… a little scared,” she asked, hands fidgeting nervously.

“Of course,” the captain nodded. “It’s your choice.”

The girl smiled gratefully and hurried to the bed, fidgeting with the folds of her dress.

“Do… do you all have families?” she asked softly.

“I… I have a daughter, about your age,” one guard replied.

“She must be happy,” the girl murmured, eyes full of admiration. “To have such a brave father protecting her…”

The guard scratched the back of his head, embarrassed: “It’s nothing… just doing my job.”

“No, you’re heroes,” the girl said seriously. “Risking your lives to protect everyone…”

Her voice choked on tears: “If… if I didn’t have this power… would you still face all this danger?”

“Don’t say that! Never think that!” the young guard exclaimed.

“Your ability is a blessing! Even in this hellish place, you give us hope!”

“Without you, we’d have no clue what to do next…”

“Really?” she asked, tearful.

“Really!” they answered in unison.

Rumble.

Suddenly, the room shook violently.

“Is it… still happening outside?” she asked anxiously. “What should we do?”

“Don’t worry. Trust them,” the captain said. “Our equipment is advanced; there won’t be many casualties.”

She nodded, worry lingering in her eyes.

She paced the room, then stopped before a painting on the wall.

A pastoral landscape—green wheat fields shimmering in sunlight.

“So beautiful…” she touched the frame. “I wish… one day, the outside could be like this too…”

“It will be,” the young guard said sincerely. “With you here, it will.”

She turned to the group, feeling a complex surge of emotion.

“Do… you believe I can do it?”

“Of course!”

“Even if… I might let everyone down?”

“How could you—someone as good as you can’t let anyone down!”

She lowered her head, her black hair shadowing her face.

Minutes passed.

The guards continued to reassure her until her emotions stabilized.

“I think… I’ll rest now,” she said, exhausted.

“Alright, rest. We’ll be outside,” the captain nodded.

Silence fell, save for the hum of the ventilation system.

She stood in the center, surveying the room with deep blue eyes.

Gradually, her timid expression vanished, replaced by a solemn, almost reverent emptiness.

She lightly touched her chest, smiling with a sense of fulfillment.

“To save this world from suffering…”

She grasped her slender arms, her gaze growing darker:

“Any sacrifice is necessary.”

Beep—

She approached the bed, hands clasped in prayer:

“Lord, forgive these lost lambs…”

“They don’t know what they’re doing; please let me guide them to the light…”

Her voice softened, ethereal, like a mermaid singing atop a reef…

Meanwhile, outside in the hallway, the guards remained tense, occasionally reporting via comms.

“All clear. No abnormalities in the ground passages,” a teammate said.

“Received. Stay alert.”

The young guard glanced toward the room.

“Captain, something feels off…”

“What feels off?”

“I can’t explain it… the Holy Maiden seems… different today.”

The captain remained silent.

“In wartime, everyone feels uneasy. That’s normal.”

“But…”

“Focus on your duty,” the captain interrupted. “Our responsibility is to protect the Holy Maiden. Nothing else matters.”

The young guard nodded, unease gnawing at him.

He felt that today, the Holy Maiden’s gaze at them was unlike before…

The usual distance had vanished, replaced by… something eager? Melancholy?

He couldn’t describe it.

Like a once-kind stranger suddenly growing earnest…

Then, a soft chant came from the door.

A hymn?

The guards exchanged glances.

“What is she singing?” the young guard whispered.

The captain’s expression darkened.

He moved toward the door, trying to listen.

The song grew clearer…

—It was the hymn of the Purifying Sanctuary.

This was not their Holy Maiden’s voice…

The captain’s hand slowly moved toward his weapon.

“Contact command immediately…” he whispered.

The young guard fumbled with the comms.

“Command, this is the Holy Maiden escort team, we have an unusual—”

Ssshhh—

Only static.

The signal had been jammed.

The singing inside abruptly stopped.

Then, the girl slowly peeked from the door…

“Thank you for your efforts…”

“May the Lord’s light shine upon you…”

The captain staggered back, raising his weapon.

“Who… who are you!”

But it seemed too late…

“War… famine… disease…” she said, not answering. “She will come to save you…”

A faint beeping sounded from her body.

A countdown?!

“Everyone, retreat! Retreat immediately!!”

Ten.

The guards obeyed, running toward the passage, their heavy gear slowing them.

Seven.

Six…

The young guard fell, the captain turned to pull him up.

Four.

Three.

“Run!!” the captain yanked him up and pushed him forward, sacrificing his own escape.

Two.

“—No more pain.”

One…

Boom—!!!

A firestorm instantly engulfed everything.