Deviant: No Longer Human

"What!?"

Wang Xiao spun around, stunned, his expression mirrored by the faces of those around the campfire who also turned toward the sound in shock.

Near the campfire!

"Attack!?" Erick shouted, rising swiftly, his eyes darting toward the sudden blaze lighting up the night sky.

Flames engulfed part of the facility dome, casting an eerie glow on the faces gathered around the fire.

"Is this an attack on the facility?" Helena questioned sharply, squinting towards the fiery chaos where figures could be seen scrambling in panic.

Takashi frowned, gripping his weapon tighter. "It must be. No accidents would cause such an explosion and fire. It\'s deliberate."

Raj quickly strategized out loud, "We need eyes out there. I\'ll take a squad to the west wing. We can\'t let them flank us."

Erick nodded, already moving to act. "And I\'ll secure the east side. If this is a diversion, we can\'t afford to be caught off guard here."

Helena turned to Abbot Shi Xin, her voice firm, "Abbot, please keep the rest here calm and organized. We can\'t have panic spreading."

Shi Xin nodded solemnly, his gaze moving over the disoriented crowd.

...

"Stupid people..." Wang Xiao muttered under his breath, his disbelief evident as he listened to their hasty planning. "If there\'s already been a blast, doesn\'t that mean the enemy is already among us?"

His pointed words stopped all the commanders in their tracks, freezing them with the realization of their oversight.

Even Shi Xin, usually unflappable, paused, his steps halting amidst the chaos.

Through the swirling smoke and leaping flames of the blazing fire, Wang Xiao caught sight of Li Zhiming being hastily escorted out by Amaya, alongside several others who were desperately fleeing the inferno.

Another explosion thundered through the area, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

This was merely the start. Suddenly, a barrage of explosions tore through the night, one after another in rapid succession.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

"Everyone, evacuate! Leave this place!" Wang Xiao\'s command cut through the din as another thunderous explosion echoed around them.

Whoosh!

A moment later, Mary emerged, floating eerily above the raging inferno. Her face was etched with fury and disbelief, her figure silhouetted against the fire that devoured the facility below.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The facility trembled, each blast sending a shudder through the ground.

Terrified screams mingled with the cacophony as soldiers and personnel scrambled past Wang Xiao, their frantic shouts piercing the air.

"Medic! We need a medic here!" shouted one soldier, dragging a comrade whose gear was scorched and smoking.

"Keep moving! Go, go, go!" another voice commanded, pushing through the crowd with a sense of urgency.

They were outfitted in high-tech battle gear, their advanced weaponry clattering against their armor as they ran. Their faces, illuminated by the intermittent glow of the explosions, were etched with panic and desperation.

"This way! Follow me!" a young soldier yelled, leading a group away from a particularly fierce blaze that had engulfed a section of the facility.

Wang Xiao narrowed his eyes, watching as panicked people streamed past him, their faces etched with fear as the explosions grew louder and more destructive.

"Why aren\'t you putting out the fire?" Wang Xiao shouted up to Mary, his voice filled with frustration as he dodged another group of fleeing soldiers.

"Help! It\'s burning, it\'s all burning!" screamed a soldier, his uniform catching fire as he desperately tried to beat out the flames.

Mary\'s eyes narrowed into slits of pure hatred, her already crimson irises beginning to bleed ominously, prompting Wang Xiao to step back cautiously.

A colossal explosion erupted, dwarfing all previous blasts in magnitude.

Fortunately, by this time, all the survivors had managed to retreat and were now standing about five hundred meters away, witnessing a towering cloud of fire rise into the sky.

Bam!

The very ground where Wang Xiao had just stood was violently swept away by a roaring wave of flames and a powerful shockwave.

Bam!

High above, a kilometer in the air, Mary and Wang Xiao floated together.

Their hair and clothes whipped about wildly, influenced by the powerful shockwaves that continued to assault them.

[It\'s madness], Yin Yue\'s voice echoed with a tinge of concern, as the explosions showed no signs of subsiding.

[The hell spirits are abandoning their original hosts and coming to possess the Deviants stationed in the facility. They overwhelm them, forcing them to explode. They are effectively destroying themselves!]

Wang Xiao\'s eyes widened in horrified realization.

Suicide?

They had all overlooked the fact that unlike them, hell spirits fight for a purpose far greater than their own survival!

They wouldn\'t hesitate to destroy themselves if it meant fulfilling their purpose!

It wasn\'t that the fire couldn\'t be extinguished, but Mary herself was overwhelmed with shock.

Her own people, those she had trusted with her life, were now detonating themselves in a final, desperate act.

Her body trembled uncontrollably with rage and disbelief.

________

In the Western Region of Frostholm, alarms blared, piercing the cold, brisk air.

People scrambled in panic, a sense of urgency evident as they rushed toward the harbors, the designated evacuation points.

The usually quiet docks were now scenes of chaos, with families clutching belongings, elders being guided or carried, and children\'s cries mingling with the loudspeaker announcements instructing everyone to keep calm and proceed in an orderly fashion.

Whoosh!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Above their heads, the atmosphere was split by the sharp sonic boom of F-35 jets slicing through the sky, their roar reverberating off the rugged coastline.

Below, the dark waters stirred as submarines began to surface, joining the fleet of ships ready to evacuate the masses.

In the harbor, soldiers and rescue personnel were directing the evacuation, their voices firm yet reassuring amidst the chaos of sirens and shouting.

"Move quickly, but don\'t run! Keep your families together!" a soldier shouted, gesturing towards a waiting ship.

"Please, follow the signs! Life vests are available on board; secure them on children first!" another called out, guiding a group of elderly people towards a gangway.

A mother clutching her child looked around frantically, "How long do we have? Are we safe here until we board?"

A nearby soldier responded, trying to mask his own concern with a calm demeanor, "We\'re doing everything to keep everyone safe. The ships will leave as soon as they\'re full. Stay with me."

As people filed onto the ships, the rumble of the jets overhead continued, a reminder of the urgency of their situation.

The confusion and fear were growing, but so was the determination of the soldiers and rescue workers striving to maintain order.