Theo turned to the entrance immediately, his heart pounding heavily in his chest.

As he took a few steps inside, the gate began to shut behind him again.

’Please,’ he thought, clenching his jaw. ’Please be here.’

Only after the metal gate fully closed behind him did another smaller one open right in front of him.

A faint flicker of light entered his eyes.

That’s when he saw a dozen people near the entrance, each holding a weapon in their hand.

’’Are there any creatures with you?’’ one of the men shouted, taking a careful step forward.

Theo snapped out of his thoughts.

’’No, there’s none here!’’ he shouted back. ’’I’ve already killed the ones outside.’’

A relieved sigh echoed softly through the bunker.

Slowly, each of them lowered their weapons, relaxing slightly.

’’You did good coming here,’’ one of them said, walking towards Theo. ’’The outside is way too chaotic for a kid like you.’’

The words didn’t register in Theo’s ears.

He slowly walked forward, his eyes sweeping through the bunker.

’’Are Robert Lane and Evelyn Lane here?’’ he asked, his voice hard.

The same man paused for a moment, glancing back at the other people.

He nodded once, then turned back to Theo.

’’Robert and Evelyn?’’ he repeated slowly. ’’You’re their son?’’

Theo nodded slowly.

For a brief moment, the bunker fell silent.

Then the man smiled brightly.

’’Of course they are here.’’

Theo’s eyes lit up as they slowly widened.

Relief flooded his body, his shoulders finally dropping slightly.

Finally, he glanced back at the man.

’’Are they alright?’’

The man nodded, still smiling.

’’Your mom’s alright,’’ he said. ’’Your dad had some light injuries, but those have been patched up alright.’’

Then he raised his arm, gesturing for him to follow.

’’Come,’’ he said. ’’I’ll take you to them.’’

Theo immediately followed after him, his heartbeat still refusing to calm down.

The deeper they walked into the bunker, the more people Theo noticed.

Families sat crowded together against the walls, many wrapped in blankets while quietly whispering amongst themselves.

Several injured people lay near the back, makeshift bandages wrapped around their arms and legs.

A thick tension hung in the air, worried voices, soft cries, and painful groans ringing out left and right.

But... compared to outside — this almost felt peaceful.

’’We have around two hundred people here,’’ the man said, walking deeper into the bunker. ’’Your parents are near the back.’’

Theo remained silent.

Right now, he could barely pay attention to his words.

His eyes constantly swept across the bunker, searching desperately through the sea of faces.

Then—

"Theo?!"

A familiar voice suddenly echoed out from deeper inside the shelter.

Theo froze instantly.

His head snapped to the side, instantly recognizing two familiar faces.

His mother stood up with wide eyes, while his father sat with his back against the wall and bandages wrapped tightly around his left leg.

The next second, his mother rushed towards him.

Theo’s chest tightened.

’’Mom...’’ he muttered weakly.

Evelyn immediately wrapped her arms tightly around him, almost trembling.

’’Oh my god,’’ she whispered. ’’You’re alive...’’

Theo closed his eyes for a moment.

Only now did the tension fully leave his body.

’Everything is alright now,’ he thought. ’As long as they are safe.’

For several long seconds, no one said a word.

Finally, Theo let go of his mother and walked over to his dad.

’’What did you do?’’ he asked, crouching down to hug him.

Robert hugged him for a moment, then grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back with a smile.

’’Just fell down some stairs, bud,’’ he said, grinning. ’’Nothing to worry about.’’

Theo shook his head, a soft smile on his face.

’’Nothing, huh,’’ he muttered, straightening again.

’Now then, should I just hand them the spatial sto—’

Just then, the same man from earlier slowly stepped closer again.

"I’m sorry to interrupt," he said carefully. "But I need to speak to you for a moment."

Theo glanced towards him.

The man’s expression had turned incredibly serious, combined with traces of tension and worry.

Finally, he nodded.

’’That’s fine.’’

The man forced a smile, though his nervousness was obvious.

They stepped away from his parents and walked toward the side of the bunker.

Only after they were far enough away from the others did the man finally stop.

’’You must be Theo Lane, the champion of this year’s competition, right?’’

Theo nodded once.

’’That’s me, yes.’’

The man nodded quickly.

’’My name is Jackson Smidt, and I’m the one running this shelter,’’ he slowly said. ’’But... we have no clues about the outside world at all...’’

Jackson looked at Theo with a hint of hope.

’’Do you have any idea when the military is coming to rescue us?’’

Theo’s expression froze.

The images of thousands of creatures flooding the streets, alongside tens of thousands still outside the city, flashed through his mind.

Each second Theo didn’t answer, Jackson’s expression grew darker and darker.

’’Is it... that bad?’’

Finally, Theo snapped out of his thoughts.

He pressed his lips together into a thin line, then finally responded.

’’I don’t think... the military will be coming at all.’’

Jackson’s eyes widened.

’’What?!’’ he nearly shouted, completely losing his calm. ’’They have to, right?! It’s their duty to help us!!’’

Theo remained silent as he glanced at the ground.

’’There’s no way they’d... just abandon us here...’’

The man’s words slowly began to quiet down, his eyes focusing on Theo.

Desperation, alongside many other emotions, flickered through his expression.

Finally, after Jackson calmed down, Theo spoke up again.

’’The situation is bad,’’ he said slowly. ’’Worse than you can think of.’’

’’There’s thousands of creatures roaming the streets, the highest I’ve seen being a B-rank.’’

He paused for a moment.

’’Outside the barrier is even worse, with tens of thousands of creatures, even some who seem to be S-ranks.’’

Theo’s eyes locked with Jackson’s.

’’If anything... I think we’re dealing with a level 2 — borderline level 1 beast tide.’’

As the words left his mouth, Jackson’s face fell ghostly pale.

’’L-level one?!’’