Doomsday Pillars

More than 100 triad members marched like the street thugs they were weapons, smashing the zombies to a pulp with their rods, spears, and swords.

"ATTACK! BEAT THEM UP!!! PUKAI!"

They fought without any coordination at all. Some of them fought three red zombies alone while some ganged up against one red zombie. They really were fighting as if they were having a gang war; it wasn't conventional and inefficient, but they were a pleasant sight for sore eyes.

Christina noticed that some of the Triad were already using weapons from the Doomsday Pillar. Some also were even wearing special body armor. This was evidence the Hong Kong Triad had a lot more spirit stones than them.

Chicken, in particular, was the flashiest. This perverted, eccentric man with white hair kept laughing as he swung his beloved blade with Damascus pattern.

Ssswwwishh!! SPllaatt!!

He fought against the black zombies on his own as he kept moving around with astonishing speed. After he had become an earth realm fighter, his already agile movement became even faster!

[Chicken]

[Male - 30 years]

[Earth realm level 5 - initial stage]

[Spirit energy - Wind - early stage]

[Spirit Talent - level B]

Earth realm warriors armed with Doomsday Pillar artifact weapons were like lions given a pair of wings to fly. Their fightin capability couldn't compare when they were in peak mortal realm with no Doomsday Pillar weapons. 

But among these Triad fighters, Nam was the strongest and most prominent fighter.

[Nam]

[Male - 34 years]

[Earth realm level 7 - initial stage]

[Spirit energy - Metal - early stage]

[Spirit Talent - level A]

Everyone knew Nam and his special ability to have his body shine like metal. Even before upgrading to the earth realm, he was able to solo a black zombie. And this time, Nam looked absolutely domineering as he stood in the midst of red zombies and pounding them to the ground all by himself. He attacked with bare fist but that was already enough. Every punch he made blew a zombie's head. 

BAAMM!! BAAMMM!!

The zombies tried to overwhelm him with numbers but each blow of his fists made the zombies fly all over the area. 

As soon as one of the black zombies was distracted by Chicken, Nam grabbed one of its legs and threw it to the ground. He then jumped on its head and pummelled it flat, making the black zombie truly helpless.

Nam's strength wasn't only due to his level and his special ability. If one looked closely, he was wearing a black glove that had several engravings on it. 

100 triad troops finally managed to open the path and gather together with the firebirds. With them joining, their defenses were much tighter and they were able to withstand the attacks of thousands of zombies.

"Thank you for the help," said Christina

Although it looks like the firebirds members are out of the woods. However, the combination of these two groups will not last long.

"Christina, everyone, come with me."

Nam took the lead and paved the way with ease. His fists truly had tremendous power and combining it with the martial arts he had mastered, nothing was able to hurt him.

They walked into the office building and exited through the back door.

Not far from where they were, a group of people was shouting attracting the zombies. Nam had tasked a couple of Triad members to bait away from the zombies so that the injured Hong Kong army as well as Christina's Firebirds would be able to escape with ease since they would be facing a lot fewer zombies. 

"Don't worry about them. They know what they're doing," Nam said before Christina was able to speak up. 

In the past few days, this tactic of diverting the horde to a different location while the main group moved to a different area proved to be extremely useful. 

Another group of fighters scouted inside the houses and buildings and killed the zombies first before the others went inside. 

"Be careful! Hurry. Don't get left behind."

Several buildings later, they finally made it back to the docks where their boats were waiting. There were still some zombies chasing them, but it was already manageable.

After checking the wounds of those who were injured, Christina gathered the Hong Kong soldiers in one boat and began questioning them. 

"Could anyone of you tell me what happened?"

The Hong Kong soldiers looked at each other, still a bit hesitant. Until the youngest soldier in the back decided to speak up and divulge everything that Colonel Chan and Li Song Ki had been doing in the past week.

Last week, more than 200 groups of soldiers selected by Colonel Chan and some of Li Song Ki's personal guards stole the Singapore warship and sailed toward Macau. However, as it turned out, they had been prohibited from anchoring in the city. The city of Macau was under lockdown and forbade anyone from entering and leaving. Colonel Chan disregarded their warnings and forced themselves to land. But the moment they were a few kilometers away, Macau's government opened fire and damaged the warship, which ended up being stranded at sea. They were able to escape by using the safety boats and board.

"It didn't look like they were 200 of you when we arrived. Where are the others and how's the condition of the ship?"

The young soldier looked full of regret. His face had already given them the answer about the others. Not everyone made it to the boat and those who were able to board, it began a conflict against those who were yet since there were only a few safety boats.

"...."

Christina and the others were disappointed even though they didn't expect much from the colonel who betrayed them. Looking on the bright side though, if more people became aware of their condition in Hong Kong Island, there might be hope that help would eventually come. 

After readying the boats, Jennie, along with some Firebirds members were tasked with escorting the wounded soldiers back to their shelters.

Christina and Maxine decide to follow Nam's group and return with their group instead. On the way to the docks where the Triad members' boats were parked, they still had to deal with hundreds of zombies, but with Nam and Christina in the group, they passed through with ease.

On the boat, Christina finally had a chance to ask Nam about his gloves. 

[Metal Gloves - Tier 2]

[Gloves - heavy armor]

[Weight: 5.5 kilograms]

[Unique properties - increased physical strength]

"!!!"

"Nam, this is a Tier 2 artifact, doesn't the shop only sell Tier 1? Moreover, this glove has a unique property. Wow."

"Yes, these gloves appeared to be chosen for me specifically. How about you, Christina. What did you get?"

Christina tilted her head to the side, visibly confused.

"Don't tell me you haven't checked?"

Nam then told Christina to go back to the cube in the main hall of the Doomsday Pillar and check the reward for their success in the mission against Fenrir. He went to explain how the glove had a label as a rank C prize but the other members didn't receive anything. Nam let out a thoughtful smile because he was sure Christina would get a much better prize since she was the one who killed Alpha Fenrir. 

Christina vaguely recalled that when she defeated the Fenrir, there was indeed a message about a reward. But because so many things had happened, as well as how she was overwhelmed with emotions, she had forgotten about it. 

Maxine heard that immediately smiled

"Sis ... if you don't want,.. you can just give the reward for me... heheh"

"Me, give it to me" interrupted Chicken.

"Huh! Who are you! Shameless! Go away, skinny chicken!" Maxine gestured for him to leave.

"What did you call this handsome man?" said Chicken, pointing at his face.

"Handsome? Hoeeekkk... You're disgusting!" Maxine crossed her arms and pretended to hug herself.

Christina sat thoughtfully as she remembered how they had won that mission. She was thankful for that sudden burst of fire energy, but at the same time, she found it strange. If it weren't for that though, they wouldn't be able to win that battle. Moreover, she was able to receive the rank A reward. 

She shook off her thoughts and decided to check her reward first once she returned with Nam. Christina then told Nam that Inspector Tang was looking for both of them.

After arriving back at the pier, Christina, Nam, Chicken, and Maxine boarded one of the vehicles that had been provided at the guard post nearby and headed toward the Doomsday Pillar.

On the way, the short-range radio in the vehicle suddenly rang.

Tit! Tit! Tit! Tiiiit! Tit! Tit! Tit! Tit!

"It's an SOS!" exclaimed Maxine. "It's coming from Shelter D! Only a kilometer from here."

The four of them then had the driver switch the destination toward shelter D. This was truly unexpected. All-access to Hong Kong Island had been cut off and all zombies should've already been eliminated. There shouldn't be a reason for an SOS. Could it be perhaps the people were rioting again?

It only took Christina a moment to realize that Shelter D was the closest shelter to the strange hole where a lot of its guard had disappeared. Her heart then began to worry because Shelter D was also where Ma Sing and Mei Ling were staying at.