Chapter 137 - A City in Ruin
As they crossed the border into the city, the transformation was immediate and stark.
It felt as if they had stepped into a war zone, where nothing was familiar anymore. The streets, once filled with bustling life, now lay in eerie silence. The lights that remained flickered weakly, casting long, distorted shadows, while distant fires painted the sky with an unsettling red glow. The air was thick, not just with the stench of smoke but with something far worse—the overpowering odor of decay, a reminder of the city’s rapid descent into chaos.
Jai’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. The weight of the city’s collapse settled on him like a heavy shroud. Beside him, Yunfeng sat frozen, his gaze locked on the window, his face a mask of disbelief and terror.
Everywhere, the remnants of panic were evident. Cars lay abandoned across the streets, their drivers nowhere to be seen. Some were crumpled against lamp posts or wedged halfway into buildings, their doors hanging open as though their occupants had fled in a frantic rush. Bloody handprints were smeared across shattered windows, and in several cases, the windshields were broken as if something had burst violently from within.
On the other side of the road, the scene was far more chaotic.
A desperate crowd had gathered at the edge of the city, pushing against each other, trying to escape whatever horrors had taken root inside.
The highway was clogged with an endless line of vehicles—cars, buses, motorcycles—each honking loudly in a futile attempt to break free.
The air was filled with frantic shouts, screams, and the sound of violence erupting at the barricades.
A woman, hysterical, pounded on a car window, her voice trembling as she pleaded, "Let my son in! Please, he’s just a child!"
Inside, a man shook his head vigorously, locking the doors, eyes wide with fear.
Another man attempted to scale a barricade, but soldiers shoved him back with brutal force. Then, the sharp crack of gunshots split the air.