Chapter 204: Shelter City 8 in Danger
The orphanage cafeteria was spacious and bathed in sunlight pouring through its wide glass windows. Dozens of tables stood in neat rows, their surfaces covered with drinks and light snacks, as if prepared for a celebration.
Contrary to Marielle’s expectations, the hall wasn’t empty. Children filled every seat, joined by caretakers, staff members, and even the head of the Angel Wing Foundation—Selina’s mother, Vivienne White.
And yet, despite the crowd, a suffocating silence blanketed the room.
It wasn’t hard to see why.
A massive screen on the far wall displayed a live broadcast. In the upper left corner, a news anchor with a tense, worried expression spoke in a steady, serious tone. The rest of the screen showed a live aerial feed, labeled Shelter City 8—Ongoing Emergency.
"We are currently receiving live footage through official channels," the anchor reported. "As you can see, the situation is highly critical."
The drone footage slowly zoomed in, revealing towering perimeter walls swarming with personnel in STF combat uniforms. Soldiers were stationed along the upper defenses, wielding heavy weaponry—assault rifles, mounted turrets, and high-caliber snipers—firing in controlled bursts.
Below them, hundreds of humanoid figures surged forward, scrambling up the walls like mindless creatures. Their movements were erratic, unnatural. Clawed limbs tore into the concrete as they climbed with frenzied desperation, showing no regard for pain or strategy. STF forces fought to repel them, but the sheer volume of attackers made it feel less like a battle and more like a flood barely being held back.
But what unsettled Marielle the most wasn’t their sheer numbers—it was how absurdly durable they were.
Her brows furrowed as she took a step forward, staring at the footage in disbelief.
They were all naked. Every single one of them. And yet... not exposed. Their bodies were completely covered in thick, metallic plating—like armor, but not quite. It didn’t look manufactured. The way it hugged their limbs, wrapped around their torsos, and flexed with their movements—it looked grown, as if their skin had been replaced with living steel.
Even their groins were sealed beneath the same dense, armor-like tissue. There were no signs of anatomy. No human features left beneath the plating. Just smooth, dark, organic metal.