Chapter 426 The Heart

Mira was reviewing the evacuation reports when a new emergency appeared on her display.

"Residential District Twelve has lost its main evacuation route!" a woman reported through the communicator. "An ancient barrier has descended across the southern road, and several apartment buildings are cut off from the nearest shelter!"

Mira immediately opened the district map. "Use the eastern route. We cleared it during the emergency preparations."

"We can’t! An ancient structure rose beneath the road and split it apart. Several vehicles are trapped, including a bus carrying injured residents!"

Mira’s expression tightened as another report appeared.

"There’s also flooding in Building Seven," the woman continued. "A water main ruptured beneath the lower floors. Residents are trapped upstairs, and the elevators have stopped working."

Mira examined the map. The nearest Hunter rescue team could reach either location, but not both quickly enough.

"How many people are on the bus?" she asked.

"Twenty-three, including six injured passengers. We haven’t confirmed the number inside the apartment building."

Mira considered the available routes before making her decision. "Send the Hunters to the bus. Have the local emergency workers approach Building Seven through the northern service entrance. There should be a maintenance stairwell connecting the lower floors."

A rescue coordinator frowned. "That stairwell wasn’t approved as an evacuation route. We don’t know whether it’s safe."

"Then have someone familiar with the building inspect it before anyone enters," Mira replied. "Don’t wait for another Hunter team when the people already there might know a way through."

The coordinator hesitated before nodding. "Understood. I’ll contact the building staff."

Mira picked up her equipment and turned toward two volunteers waiting beside the command table. "You’re coming with me. Bring the portable medical supplies and the district’s paper maps. We may need to establish a temporary meeting point."

One volunteer looked surprised. "You’re going there yourself?"

"I need to see which routes are still usable. We can’t keep directing people through streets that no longer exist."

...

By the time Mira reached District Twelve, the main road had disappeared behind a towering blue barrier.

Several abandoned vehicles stood near its edge, their headlights reflecting against the glowing surface. Farther down the street, an enormous ancient structure had broken through the pavement, leaving the eastern road twisted and unusable.

The trapped bus stood near the damaged intersection.

A Hunter was helping passengers through its front doors while two others examined the debris blocking its wheels.

Mira approached the driver. "Can you move the bus once the debris is cleared?"

The driver shook his head. "The engine still works, but the road ahead is broken. I could reverse toward the main road, except that barrier wasn’t there when we entered."

"Then we’ll move the passengers first. Is anyone unable to walk?"

"Three of them. One has a broken leg, and the others were injured when the road shifted."

Mira turned toward the Hunters. "Get those three onto stretchers. Everyone else should move toward the northern intersection in small groups. I’ll have a medical team waiting there."

One of the Hunters looked toward the barrier. "We could try breaking through it."

"No," Mira answered. "We don’t know what happens if it collapses. We already have people standing too close to it."

The Hunter nodded and returned to the bus.

A man suddenly pushed past the passengers gathering near the roadside. "Wait! My wife and daughter are on the other side. I need to get through!"

Mira stepped into his path. "Sir, you can’t cross the barrier."

"They’re waiting at the shelter! I told them I’d meet them there, and now nobody can tell me what’s happening!"

"I understand that you’re worried, but crossing without knowing what’s on the other side won’t help them."

The man stared at her. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

Mira checked the shelter records on her communicator. "Tell me their names and which shelter they were heading toward. I’ll ask the shelter staff to confirm whether they’ve arrived."

He gave her the information with trembling hands.

Mira passed the names to a coordinator, then pointed toward the injured passengers being helped from the bus. "While we wait, I need someone who can walk to help guide those people to the northern intersection. Can you do that?"

The man looked toward the bus. An elderly woman was struggling to stand while a Hunter supported her arm.

After a moment, he nodded. "I can help."

"Thank you. Stay with the group, and I’ll bring you the report as soon as it arrives."

He hurried toward the passengers.

Mira watched him help the elderly woman onto the pavement before turning toward the apartment buildings.

The water was still rising.

...

Inside Building Seven, the caretaker stood beside a damaged maintenance door, examining the flooded corridor beyond it.

His name was Daniel, and he had worked in the building for nearly twenty years. When the emergency workers arrived, he immediately led them toward the service stairwell.

"The main staircase is blocked below the third floor," Daniel explained. "But this maintenance passage connects to the northern entrance. We use it whenever the delivery elevators stop working."

A young emergency worker looked into the corridor. "The water is already above our knees. Are you certain the passage is open?"

Daniel nodded. "I checked it before you arrived. The door is damaged, but the stairs beyond it are clear."

One of the accompanying Hunters stepped forward and forced the bent door open. "I’ll hold this. Get everyone through before the frame shifts again."

Daniel hurried upstairs with two volunteers.

On the fourth floor, several residents were gathered outside their apartments. A woman stood near the railing, clutching her bag and refusing to approach the stairs.

"I can’t go down there," she said when Daniel approached. "What if the building collapses while we’re inside?"

Daniel glanced toward the water below. "The northern passage is still open. We have people waiting to guide everyone out."

She shook her head. "I don’t want to get trapped."

Before he could answer, an elderly man emerged from a nearby apartment, leaning heavily against the wall.

"Mrs. Clara?" he called. "Could someone help me? I can’t manage the stairs alone."

The woman looked toward him.

Daniel approached the elderly man, but he was already carrying supplies and helping another resident.

Clara hesitated before setting down her bag. "Here, take my arm. We’ll go slowly."

The elderly man smiled weakly. "Thank you. I was beginning to think I’d have to stay here."

"Don’t thank me yet," Clara replied, slipping his arm over her shoulder. "You still have four floors of stairs to complain about."

Daniel gave them an encouraging smile before leading the group downstairs.

Near the northern exit, two teenagers were taking turns guiding residents through the dark passage with flashlights. One held the light while the other helped people across a damaged section of flooring.

When Clara finally emerged with the elderly man, she looked back toward the building.

"There are still people upstairs," she told an emergency worker. "The family on the fifth floor has a little girl. I don’t think they’ve come down yet."

The worker checked the evacuation list. "You’re right. We haven’t accounted for them."

Clara looked at the elderly man, who was now seated safely beside the medical supplies.

"Can I help you find them?"

The worker handed her a flashlight. "Stay with Daniel. He knows the building, and we need someone to check the upper apartments."

Clara nodded and followed the caretaker back inside.

...

Mira arrived at the northern entrance just as another group of residents emerged from the service passage.

Daniel approached her, his clothes soaked to the knees. "We’ve cleared most of the building. There are still a few residents on the upper floors, but the volunteers are checking every apartment."

Mira recognized him from the emergency preparation meeting held several days earlier. "You’re the caretaker who asked us to include maintenance passages on the district maps."

Daniel gave a tired smile. "I remember being told they weren’t suitable for large evacuations."

"They weren’t," Mira replied. "But today they’re the reason your residents are getting out."

He glanced toward the people gathering outside. "Then I’m glad I kept the keys."

Mira checked the building’s condition before speaking again. "Once everyone is outside, close the northern entrance. Nobody goes back in unless the rescue team confirms it’s safe."

Daniel nodded and returned to the passage.

A coordinator approached Mira with a new report. "The bus passengers are clear, but the barrier has shifted again. We can no longer use the northern intersection to reach the original shelter."

Mira studied the map. "What about the community hall two streets west?"

"It has space, but it wasn’t designated as a primary shelter."

"Contact the staff and ask them to open it. We’ll move the evacuees there until the roads are secure."

The coordinator frowned. "The district command office is recommending that we move everyone through the western tunnel instead."

Mira looked toward the tunnel’s location. "That route passes beneath an ancient support structure. Has anyone inspected it since the network activated?"

"Not yet."

"Then we’re not sending injured civilians through it. Use the community hall, and have the rescue teams inspect the tunnel before anyone approaches."

The coordinator nodded. "I’ll notify the command office."

Mira turned toward the gathered residents and raised her voice. "Everyone, we’re changing the evacuation route. The community hall is opening as a temporary shelter. Please stay with your assigned groups, and let the volunteers know if anyone is missing."

The man from the bus approached her, still supporting the elderly passenger.

"Have you heard anything about my family?"

Mira checked the latest message.

"Your wife and daughter are registered at the southern shelter. They’re both safe."

The man’s shoulders sagged with relief.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "I thought I’d never see them again."

"You’ll be able to contact them once we establish the next communication point," Mira replied. "For now, let’s get everyone somewhere safe."

He nodded and continued helping the elderly woman toward the community hall.

...

The temporary shelter was already filling when Mira received another troubling report.

Several designated shelters had begun losing water pressure, while others were experiencing repeated power failures. Their communication equipment remained operational, but the buildings themselves were becoming increasingly difficult to use.

Mira contacted Elden.

"I’m seeing failures in the water and power networks across several shelters. Are these connected to the ancient systems you’ve been investigating?"

Elden answered after a short pause. "Most likely. The central structure is drawing energy through connections that also support modern infrastructure. My backup communication routes are isolated, but I can’t use them to restore electricity or water."

Mira examined the affected locations. "Then we need to move supplies before those buildings become unusable. Can you identify which connections are most vulnerable?"

"I can give you a preliminary list, but the network is changing faster than I can verify every route."

"Send me what you have. I’ll compare it with the shelter reports."

Elden transmitted the information, and Mira immediately began reorganizing the supply routes.

She ordered portable water containers moved toward shelters with failing pressure. Medical teams received instructions to prepare for limited electricity, while volunteers began transferring residents from one damaged shelter to a nearby building with independent water storage.

One coordinator looked overwhelmed by the changes.

"We’ve already moved those supplies twice today. Are you sure we should move them again?"

Mira looked at the latest reports. "If we leave them there, the medical teams won’t have clean water when the pressure fails. I’d rather move the supplies one more time than explain to a patient why we didn’t."

The coordinator nodded and hurried away.

...

Kai passed through the district while heading toward the central structure.

He had expected to find frightened crowds gathering around the damaged roads. Instead, he found the community hall operating as a temporary shelter.

Volunteers were distributing water and blankets. Emergency workers carried injured residents toward a treatment area, while several Hunters helped organize the incoming groups.

Near the entrance, a young boy stood beside a handwritten list of missing residents.

He looked up at a tired Hunter. "My grandmother isn’t on the list. Does that mean nobody found her?"

The Hunter knelt beside him. "It means we haven’t received her report yet. Tell me her name, and I’ll ask the next rescue team to check."

The boy gave him the information.

Kai watched the Hunter write it down before returning his attention to the shelter.

Mira was moving between the volunteers, listening to reports and changing assignments whenever someone discovered a problem. She wasn’t waiting for Kai to arrive, and the people around her weren’t waiting for her to make every decision.

A volunteer approached her with a question about food supplies. Mira pointed toward another coordinator, who already had the updated distribution list.

Kai smiled faintly.

He remembered when Mythal had depended on him for almost everything. Now the people who had helped build it were bringing those lessons to another city.

Mira noticed him near the entrance and walked over.

"You look like you’re about to say something sentimental," she remarked.

Kai chuckled. "I was going to tell you that you’ve done a good job."

"Then I’ll accept that. We still have several districts waiting for supplies, though."

"I know. Elden says the central structure is becoming more dangerous, so I’m heading there."

Mira’s expression grew serious. "Then be careful. We’re managing the evacuations, but I don’t know how much longer the city’s infrastructure will hold."

Kai nodded. "I’ll deal with what I can. You keep these people safe."

Mira glanced toward the volunteers before answering. "We will. And Kai, don’t worry about checking on every shelter. I’ll call you if we need something."

He smiled and continued toward the exit.

Before he reached the street, the lights flickered.

A moment later, the entire community hall went dark.

Several children cried out, and the volunteers immediately switched on their flashlights.

Mira’s communicator began ringing with emergency reports.

"Shelter Three has lost power!"

"Western Medical Station is down!"

"Water pumps in District Nine have stopped!"

Mira looked toward the darkened streets as Elden’s voice entered the channel.

"The central structure has started pulling energy directly from the surrounding districts. The remaining connections are failing faster than I expected."

Another shelter reported a power failure.

Then another.

Mira tightened her grip on the communicator and turned toward the volunteers.

"Get the emergency lights running and bring the water containers inside. We’re switching to the manual shelter procedures."

Outside, the blue light above Nexus grew brighter as the city’s remaining power flowed toward the ancient central structure.