Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 822: Return

The superior’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Ordered?" he repeated. "By who?"

The reporting soldier straightened instinctively under the weight of the question.

"I’m not entirely sure, sir," he admitted. "But word is that some figures on the outside have intervened. Our higher command can no longer proceed as they wish."

A brief silence settled in the command hall.

The superior did not respond immediately. His gaze shifted back to the floating projection array.

After a second, he exhaled quietly.

"...I see."

His tone carried neither frustration nor relief. Only acceptance.

"Then we will do as instructed," he said calmly. "Prepare the portal teams and begin reopening access."

"Yes, sir."

He paused, then added,

"In any case, we have not even gotten a hint of the youth’s existence."

The soldiers remained silent as he continued.

"We’ve swept the whole floor multiple times. If he was here, we would have seen something by now. So this is probably for the best."

Another pause followed before his voice lowered just a fraction.

"Still, keep your eyes open."

The soldiers straightened.

"Sir?"

"If the portals reopen and the academies retrieve their students, we do not want blame shifting onto us for ’negligence’ or ’failure of containment.’"

Understanding dawned immediately on their faces.

"You mean..."

"Yes," the superior said. "Maintain passive observation. Discreet surveillance only."

He looked at them one by one.

"If the youth appears, report immediately."

"Yes, sir."

The soldiers saluted sharply.

As they turned to leave once more, the superior’s gaze drifted back to the projection array.

Back within the ruined Federation Station, Michael remained where he was, concealed among the fractured structures and scattered student groups.

But inside, his thoughts were becoming increasingly restless.

Should he still remain here?

The question surfaced more than once.

Michael had confidence in his concealment. Fade’s suppression trait, layered with Blue and Purple’s illusion distortion, created a concealment state far beyond ordinary stealth.

But confidence did not equal certainty.

What if the Federation General decided to come down personally?

What if Caelum shifted focus to the First Floor?

Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly at the thought.

He did not believe he could deceive the senses of a Rank Four superpower so easily.

If Caelum stood within range and searched seriously, Michael did not think concealment alone would save him.

His gaze drifted subtly across the ruined station.

Students were scattered everywhere. Federation soldiers too.

The longer he remained, the higher the risk.

Perhaps it was better to leave now before variables increased.

Michael was just about to withdraw quietly from the settlement’s edge when movement rippled across the station.

Soon, several groups started new conversations.

Michael’s gaze sharpened.

"The portal..."

"It’s reopening..."

"We can leave?"

Federation soldiers began repositioning.

A loud announcement soon followed, amplified across the ruined station through mana projection arrays.

"All academy students prepare for phased evacuation."

"Portal access has been restored."

"Maintain order and proceed according to assigned sequence."

Relief erupted across the settlement.

Some students visibly sagged where they stood. Others immediately began gathering their belongings. A few even laughed out loud.

Michael watched silently.

The tension in his chest eased slightly.

If evacuation had resumed, then the lockdown around him would loosen naturally.

Which meant one thing.

This was his best chance to leave Hell without interference.

Michael exhaled slowly.

"...Good."

Remaining here any longer had only increased risk.

Michael shifted subtly within concealment, already aligning his movement path toward the evacuation flow.

As he drifted toward the portal zone, people reacted to his presence in small, subconscious ways.

A student stepped aside without realizing why.

A pair of boys shifted their conversation and created space.

Someone looked toward him, paused, and then looked away like their mind refused to hold onto what their eyes had just registered.

Michael felt it clearly.

They acknowledged him, but their acknowledgment never completed itself.

It was as if their instincts accepted that something was there, so their bodies responded, yet their thoughts slid past it as if it did not matter.

Even a few Federation soldiers turned their heads in his direction.

Their gazes passed over him.

One of them narrowed his eyes for half a second, then blinked and looked elsewhere, frowning like he had forgotten something he should not have.

Michael’s expression remained calm, but inside, he was filled with excitement.

One should not forget that it had barely been a day since Michael woke up from his unconsciousness.

There were so many new things he was still learning about his Law, and seeing himself being able to do things like this raised his expectations.

The evacuation flow thickened as more students gathered. Groups formed, then broke apart again as officers directed them into rough lines.

And the portal zone itself came into view.

Michael slowed slightly.

The building that once housed the portal was gone.

Now it was open to the sky.

The administrative hall that used to surround the portal had been destroyed in the battle. Only broken pillars remained, jagged edges of collapsed roofing, and half melted foundation stone.

The portal platform sat exposed in the center like a heart ripped out of a body and placed on bare ground.

Above the platform, a circular gate shimmered.

Light folded at its edges as air bent toward it. The surrounding ruins looked slightly distorted.

Michael watched the procedure unfold.

The evacuation itself was not chaotic.

A group of students stepped forward first, each one passing through the portal one after the other.

When they touched the boundary, their bodies blurred for an instant, then vanished.

Then another group was waved forward.

More vanished.

Michael watched closely.

He did not see anyone inspected deeply.

There were no obvious identity checks at the gate itself, not the kind that would slow evacuation. The Federation soldiers were focused on maintaining order and keeping the portal stable, not interrogating every student.

Michael moved closer with the crowd.

Students near him continued to react in that strange half awareness.

A girl stepped slightly away from him, then frowned like she did not know why she had done it.

A boy glanced at him, lips parting as if to speak, then froze and looked away as if his mind had blanked.

Michael kept his breathing even.

He let the flow carry him.

Slowly, the portal grew closer.

A Federation soldier near the gate raised his hand.

"Next group."

Students moved.

Michael moved with them.

And as he reached the edge of the portal’s light, he did not stop.

His foot crossed the boundary.

Space folded.

For a fraction of a second, Michael felt weightless.

Then the world turned inside out, and he disappeared with the rest.

Back in Hell, a group of soldiers looked confused.

"Did someone just step into the portal now?" one soldier asked.

Another replied in uncertainty, "I think so."

A third shook his head. "I don’t think so."

The situation felt a bit eerie to the soldiers.

Michael reappeared in a familiar chamber.

His boots hit solid ground with a muted thud, and the faint hum of the gate lingered behind him like a ringing in the bones.

He was back.

He was back in Aurora.

Federation soldiers were everywhere around Michael and the students.

They wore sci-fi looking armor, plated and angular, with faint light lines running across the seams.

Currently, they were guiding the flow of students with cold efficiency.

"Move forward."

"Keep the lane clear."

Michael stood among them for a breath as he sighed in relief.

A slow, quiet exhale that he did not even try to suppress.

He had left Hell.

For the first time in what felt like far too long, his shoulders loosened.

Then his instincts caught up.

Michael immediately deactivated his concealment.

Michael felt it was better if he was not concealed here.

Not in this place.

He remembered the last time he had stood in this chamber, when he had come to enter Hell. Back then, he had sensed the presence of strong people in this military post.

If any of them noticed him walking around under concealment now, he would need to explain himself.

And Michael had no interest in giving explanations to the Federation.

He let out another quiet breath, then moved with the flow.

His goal was simple.

Leave this place.

So Michael lowered his head slightly, adopted the same tired posture every other student wore, and walked forward.

A soldier glanced at him.

Just a quick scan.

Then the soldier looked away and motioned him on.

"Next."

Michael kept moving.

The chamber soon opened to the outside world.

Around him were several students from different academies with their instructors.

Michael, knowing what he needed to do, looked forward to where people from his academy were gathered.

He wondered if Instructor Sera was still here. Seeing a familiar face would not be so bad.

However, just when Michael was feeling relieved, a heavy suffocating presence descended on the whole military post.

And a voice echoed.

It was a familiar one.

"Michael Norman, step forward!"

*

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