Chapter 34: Pretty Rabbit, Run!

[Guys, I just came back from checking the other livestreams. Ilya was right.]

[Why do you sound traumatized T_T]

[Because the entire zone changed the moment the sun went down!]

[Explain.]

[One streamer saw three mutated dogs circling their building. Another team is being followed by something with SIX LEGS.]

[HELLO???]

[I thought this was a D-Rank zone?!]

[Someone in the east zone just turned off their stream because something started scratching their cameras.]

[STOP. I’m watching this alone in bed!]

As the night went on, the situation outside became more and more unsettling.

Summer and Ilya were still inside the hotel, sitting quietly in the dark. They didn’t light any candles because even a small flame could attract the monsters outside, so the entire lobby was almost completely black.

Fortunately, Summer still had the light from her holographic screen and it was just enough for her to see what was around her.

"How long do you think it’ll take before the monsters come here?" Ilya suddenly asked. His voice broke the silence, but for some reason he sounded kind of excited.

Summer glanced at him for a second before looking back at the comment section of her livestream.

According to the viewers, the other teams had already started moving through Zone 41, hunting polluted creatures and trying to survive the night.

"I don’t think it’ll take that long," Summer said.

She finally stood up from her seat and rotated her ankle a few times, preparing herself for the danger that seemed like it would soon come knocking at their door.

Fortunately, she didn’t feel any pain anymore.

Meanwhile, the comment section suddenly started moving even faster.

[There’s a streamer two blocks away from Summer!]

[Damn, it’s Saddie! Why the hell is she here?! I thought she said she was going on vacation with her girlfriend this week?]

[Wait, you didn’t hear? Her girlfriend embezzled her money and ran away with a B-Rank Sentinel.]

[Dang. No wonder their compatibility was only 50%.]

[Can we gossip later?! Saddie is running toward Summer’s building!]

[WHAT?!]

[Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! SHE’S BEING CHASED BY TEN GIANT COCKROACHES!]

Summer’s eyes widened when she saw the last comment. Her gaze immediately moved from the comment section toward the dark hotel entrance.

Although she still couldn’t see Saddie, her rabbit ears had already picked up the sound of many footsteps in the distance, most likely coming from Saddie and the ten cockroaches.

"Oh, I wonder what that sound is?" Ilya asked, but his tone didn’t sound serious at all.

Without bothering to answer him, she turned and ran toward one of the broken windows. She quickly climbed through it and jumped outside.

If she really had to fight giant cockroaches, then there was no way she was doing it inside a cramped hotel lobby.

The moment her feet touched the ground, a warning appeared in front of her.

[Warning! Warning!]

[10 Mutated Cockroaches Detected!]

[Distance: 355 meters]

[Threat Level: D-Rank]

[Please remain alert and seek assistance from the nearest Sentinel.]

Summer stared at the last line and rolled her eyes.

Seek assistance, my ass.

The nearest Sentinel was literally standing behind her, and judging from Ilya’s expression, he looked more excited to watch another fight than to help.

The livestream comments immediately started moving again.

[The situation definitely wouldn’t be this tense if Archer were here!]

[Isn’t Ilya there too?]

[He’s doing nothing!]

[Bro, that’s because he’s evaluating Summer.]

[Still, he looks way too happy about it!]

[He just trusts Summer too much!]

Summer honestly didn’t mind that Ilya was only watching. After all, evaluating her was his job, and she still wasn’t desperate enough to ask him to stop the test.

Besides, if she kept getting help all the time, she would never be able to grow.

"AAAAAA! WHY ROACHES?!"

A piercing scream broke the silence of the night, and when Summer heard it, she closed her eyes and sighed.

The cockroaches weren’t coming toward the front of the hotel. Instead, they were heading toward the back, exactly where Summer was standing now.

From a distance, Summer could already see a woman with pink fox ears running toward her at full speed. She was moving so fast that Summer could barely make out her face.

[Sentinel Detected.]

[Identity: Saddie Mckay.]

[Beast Form: Pink Fox.]

[Sentinel Rank: A.]

[Pollution Level: 11%]

[Status: Low Polluted.]

Summer honestly didn’t expect this Sentinel to still be sane while under that much stress.

"Miss Beaumont, are you afraid of cockroaches?" Ilya asked from behind her.

He leaned against the broken window, looking far too relaxed as he watched his trainee deal with Saddie’s screaming and the disgusting sounds of giant cockroaches rushing closer.

"They’re just insects," Summer said as she reached for her rifle. "Not a big deal."

Sure, they were disgusting.

Dark, shiny, creepy things that could crawl over walls and suddenly start flying for no reason, but disgusting and scary were two different things.

"H-Hey! You!" Saddie suddenly noticed Summer from afar. "Yes, you! Pretty rabbit!"

Summer raised her eyebrows. She honestly thought Saddie wanted to insult her or something.

"I’m out of plasma energy!" Saddie shouted in panic while still running. "I can’t fight all of them! So run! Don’t just stand there! Run away!"

Instead of following Saddie’s advice, Summer raised her rifle.

She planted her feet firmly on the ground, lifted the barrel, and aimed past Saddie’s shoulder.

Summer held her breath for a moment, and everything around her seemed to become clearer.

Her eyes took in everything at once: Saddie running toward her, the swarm of roaches behind her, and the target mark from her rifle locking into place.

A second later, Summer pulled the trigger.

Bang!

A bright shot cut through the night and hit one of the cockroaches directly in the head.

Within seconds, its body burst backward, and before the others could react, Summer fired again.

Bang!

The second shot pierced another cockroach and sent it crashing to the ground.

[You killed ×2 D-Rank Mutated Creatures: 10,000 Credits]

Summer barely had time to feel satisfied because the remaining cockroaches suddenly scattered in every direction.

Some rushed toward the walls, some crawled over broken cars, and two of them even spread their wings and flew upward.

Summer shuddered slightly in disgust when she saw that. "Of course they can fly."

A few seconds later, Saddie finally reached her.

She stumbled to a stop before dropping herself onto the ground, breathing so hard that she could barely speak. "Hah... hah... I hate... roaches..."

Summer glanced down at her. Since there was no time to exchange pleasantries, she immediately asked, "What kind of fool comes into a polluted zone without bringing spare weapons?"