Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1789: Saving his friend’s Beloveds

After reducing Delta Tower and its surrounding sectors into nothing, Young Aether quietly returned to the car along the outer border highways.

Without wasting another second, he changed back into his normal clothes, erased every trace of battle from his body, and slipped into the driver’s seat. The vehicle was still following its AI navigation route without interruption.

He immediately reapplied his illusion.

Behind him, a pillar of black smoke still climbed into the sky like a scar carved into the heavens, though it had already disappeared beyond the distant skyline.

To his relief, both Sasha and Maiuri remained unconscious in their seats, breathing peacefully, completely unaware that an entire division had ceased to exist while they slept.

Several minutes later, Maiuri slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was thousands of vehicles standing completely still.

Stretching before them was an endless sea of cars and transport trucks, all frozen across every lane of the elevated highway.

“Yaa… what’s… hmm… what’s going on here?”

She rubbed her eyes before turning toward Young Aether.

For some reason…

He looked… different.

She couldn’t explain it. His face seemed softer, calmer, almost unnaturally pleasant to look at. His warm expression carried an indescribable charm that hadn’t been there before.

[+100 AP]

“Hello, sleepyhead,” Young Aether said with a gentle smile. “Did you sleep well?”

Even his voice somehow felt gentler, drawing her attention without effort.

His tone was so natural that it was almost impossible to believe he had completely forgotten the food poisoning incident from earlier.

Maiuri blinked several times.

Why…

Why did his voice suddenly sound… nice?

She couldn’t understand it.

Shaking away the strange feeling, she looked outside once more.

The highway resembled a city trying desperately to escape its own funeral. Drivers had stepped out of their vehicles despite repeated AI warnings.

Parents clutched crying children.

Some people argued with emergency officers while others simply stared toward the distant city, where enormous columns of smoke climbed endlessly into the clouds.

“What’s going on here….”

“Wait!” Her eyes suddenly widened as she checked the dashboard clock. “Almost ten hours? How long have we been sleeping?”

Her horrified expression deepened.

Then another realisation struck her.

“How long have you been driving?”

Young Aether let out a small chuckle before scratching his head.

“Honestly… I ended up falling asleep too. The car has been driving itself under AI control this entire time. I only woke up after the navigation alarm detected a complete highway blockage ahead.”

“Oh… okay.”

Maiuri slowly nodded.

Oddly enough… She believed him.

Which was perfectly fine.

Turning around, she found Sasha still sleeping peacefully against the window.

“Sasha, wake up! We’ve been asleep for ten hours straight!”

“Mmm… five more minutes…”

She murmured without even opening her eyes.

Maiuri sighed and reached over to shake her awake, but Young Aether gently caught her wrist.

“Let her rest,” he said calmly. “Right now, we should figure out what’s happening first.”

Following his gaze, Maiuri looked ahead once more.

The entire traffic network had completely collapsed.

Emergency holographic billboards floated above the highway, repeatedly broadcasting evacuation routes while flashing crimson warnings.

<>

BIOLOGICAL HAZARD DETECTED

PROCEED TO THE NEAREST GOVERNMENT SHELTER

DO NOT ENGAGE HOSTILE INFECTED INDIVIDUALS

“Bio-hazard?”

Maiuri immediately activated the vehicle’s news network.

The dashboard transformed into a full holographic display, filling the cabin with dozens of live broadcasts.

Every channel showed chaos.

Military mechs exchanged heavy fire with grotesque creatures that had once been human.

Entire streets vanished beneath stampeding hordes.

People screamed as families became separated in the endless panic.

Children cried for parents who would never answer.

Gunfire echoed from every direction.

“W-What the…?”

Maiuri stared at the horrifying images, her face draining of every trace of colour.

“OH, MY GOD!!”

Young Aether shouted, his eyes widening with absolute horror as he watched civilians being torn apart during a live broadcast.

“W-What’s going on here?” His voice trembled violently. “How… how did this happen?”

His fear looked completely genuine.

As though he truly had no idea what was unfolding before him.

Maiuri swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay calm despite her trembling hands.

“There…” she said, pointing toward one of the emergency broadcasts displaying an evacuation map. “There’s a government shelter nearby. If the military is establishing safe zones… we should head there first.”

Outside the windows, another wave of terrified screams echoed across the highway.

Far in the distance, something roared.

Young Aether shook his head frantically, his face pale with fear.

“N-NO… I can’t look at those monsters! W-W-What if we turn into one of them? I-I’m so scared, Maiuri… I can’t!”

His hands trembled violently on the steering wheel, his breathing growing increasingly erratic.

Maiuri stared at him with obvious disappointment.

“Are you even a man? What are you so scared of? I thought you survived inside Hell’s Gate. Weren’t you supposed to be experienced with things like this?”

Young Aether looked at her with pained eyes before lowering his voice.

“Y-You don’t understand… these things…” He swallowed hard, forcing himself to continue. “You can’t fight them head-on. One single drop of fluid from their bodies… and we’re dead as fuck.”

He slammed his palm against the horn.

HONKKKK!

Maiuri looked back at the holographic news broadcast.

The footage now showed police officers firing rifles at infected civilians. Every bullet that tore through their skeletal bodies sprayed glowing orange lava-like blood across the streets. One soldier barely reacted after a tiny droplet landed on his exposed neck.

Within seconds…

His body convulsed.

Bones snapped beneath his skin.

Lava spilled from his mouth as he gagged violently.

The livestream cut away just as he lunged at his own squad with a wicked scream.

Maiuri finally understood.

Direct contact… Was a death sentence.

But none of that mattered if they stayed trapped here.

The shelter was their only chance.

Just as she was about to speak, movement in the side mirror caught her attention.

People were running.

Their terrified screams pierced through the endless traffic as they shoved one another aside without looking back.

Then…

She saw it.

A grotesque creature burst onto the highway, charging after the crowd on all fours with terrifying speed.

“G-Get out! Get out! NOW!”

She tore off her seatbelt and threw the car door open before rushing toward the back seat.

Without hesitation, she yanked open the rear door and slapped Sasha’s cheeks several times.

“Arrgh… n-no… five more minutes…”

Sasha mumbled as though she had taken a powerful sleeping drug.

“Come on, Sasha! The monsters are coming this way!”

Maiuri grabbed both of Sasha’s shoulders and shook her desperately, but Sasha barely reacted.

“Fuck! Sasha, wake up!”

She raised her hand to slap her harder.

Before her palm could descend, another hand gently caught her wrist.

“Let me handle it.”

Young Aether stepped beside her.

Without the slightest sign of strain, he carefully lifted Sasha into his arms before shifting her effortlessly onto his shoulder as though she weighed almost nothing.

He turned toward Maiuri.

“Let’s go.”

Maiuri blinked in surprise for a brief second.

She had almost forgotten how physically strong he usually looked.

But another chorus of terrified screams snapped her back to reality.

People flooded past them in complete panic.

Some abandoned their luggage.

Others carried unconscious family members.

Several children cried uncontrollably as exhausted parents dragged them forward.

Maiuri activated her ring.

A translucent blue holographic map expanded above her wrist, highlighting the nearest shelter with a blinking emergency marker.

“It looks like everyone’s heading in the same direction,” Young Aether said while carrying Sasha effortlessly over one shoulder, keeping pace beside Maiuri.

Maiuri clenched her fists.

With this many civilians packed together…

It would only be a matter of time before the infected caught up.

She immediately tried calling her husband.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

No response.

The call ended automatically each time.

He was probably already fighting inside Hell’s Gate.

She gritted her teeth.

There was no one left to rely on.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself into the surging crowd.

“Move! Everyone, move faster!”

Someone slammed into her shoulder.

She stumbled forward, nearly falling onto the pavement before grabbing another person’s arm to steady herself.

The man spun around furiously.

“Bitch! Watch where you’re going!”

He raised his hand to slap her.

Maiuri froze.

She hadn’t expected such hostility in the middle of an evacuation.

Honestly, that was a normal reaction considering everyone was in panic.

Just before his palm reached her face…

A hand seized his wrist.

The man’s arm stopped completely.

Young Aether stood silently between them.

“Sorry,” he said calmly.

The man’s expression instantly changed.

His wrist felt as though it had been caught inside a hydraulic press.

Pain shot through his arm.

He glared at Young Aether for a moment before quickly pulling away with an irritated snort, unwilling to start a fight in the middle of the panicked crowd.

Young Aether gently placed his free hand on Maiuri’s shoulder.

“Come on. Keep moving.”

Maiuri slowly nodded, finally snapping out of her fear.

Together, they disappeared into the endless stream of terrified civilians, surrounded by screams, blaring sirens, and the distant roars of creatures that no longer belonged to humanity.

As they continued running with the endless stream of terrified civilians, no one noticed what Young Aether did next.

Or perhaps…

The crowd was simply too consumed by fear to care.

The man who had almost slapped Maiuri was still forcing his way through the panicked civilians, constantly looking over his shoulder at the approaching monsters.

Young Aether’s expression remained calm.

Then…

THUD!!

His leg shot out with explosive force.

The kick landed squarely behind the man’s knee.

CRACK!!

A sickening snap echoed beneath the surrounding screams as the man’s leg bent at an impossible angle. He collapsed onto the highway, clutching his shattered leg while letting out an agonising scream.

“AAAAARRRGGHH!! M-My leg!!”

The surging crowd flowed around him without slowing down.

Nobody stopped.

Nobody reached out.

Everyone was running for their own lives!

His face turned deathly pale as the monstrous roars grew closer.

“N-No… please! Someone save me! PLEASE…!”

He stretched out a trembling hand toward the fleeing crowd.

No one looked back.

Then…

A shadow descended over him.

“ARRRRHHHHHH!!”

The grotesque creature sank its jagged teeth deep into his throat, tearing away flesh in a violent spray of blood. His scream became a wet gargle as several more cursed humans rushed forward, ripping into his body with savage hunger.

His desperate cries vanished beneath the feeding frenzy.

Young Aether glanced back only once.

For the briefest moment…

A cold, merciless grin curled across his lips as he watched the man’s horrified expression disappear beneath the swarm.

Then the smile vanished as though it had never existed.

He continued running through the crowd as if nothing had happened.

Several minutes later, the government shelter finally came into view.

It wasn’t simply an underground bunker.

It resembled a massive fortress built directly into the earth.

Towering walls surrounded the entire compound while automated defence turrets rotated across the perimeter. Heavy energy cannons tracked every movement beyond the barricades, and dozens of military mechs stood guard.

Above the entrance, countless surveillance drones scanned every approaching civilian with crimson laser grids, searching for signs of infection.

Then…

The emergency alarm changed.

<>

INFECTED BREACH DISTANCE: 400 METERS

“Seal the outer barricades!”

Massive metallic barricades began rising from beneath the ground with a deafening mechanical rumble.

If they had merely been fighting ordinary monsters, the military would have kept the entrance open longer.

But this outbreak was different.

Nobody knew exactly how the infection spread.

A single drop of contaminated liquid.

A tiny scratch.

Even microscopic exposure could turn someone into another monster.

The soldiers couldn’t afford to gamble with thousands of lives already inside the shelter.

Most civilians had already entered.

The gates had to close.

“NO!!”

“PLEASE WAIT!!”

“MY CHILD IS STILL OUTSIDE!”

“PLEASE! TAKE MY BABY!”

Desperate screams echoed across the area as countless civilians sprinted toward the shrinking entrance. Mothers desperately held infants above their heads, hoping the soldiers would at least save their children.

Elderly people collapsed from exhaustion while others trampled past them without looking back.

Behind them…The infected were closing in.

Maiuri stared at the rising barricades.

Her face slowly drained of every trace of hope.

Her legs instinctively slowed.

She already knew.

They weren’t going to make it.

Young Aether immediately noticed.

“Come on! Keep moving!”

Maiuri looked at him with empty, defeated eyes.

“That’s it…” she whispered.

“It’s over.”

Young Aether remained surprisingly calm.

“You know…” he said quietly, “I promised your husband that I’d protect both of you.”

His gaze met hers.

“And I intend to keep that promise.”

“No matter what.”

Maiuri bitterly shook her head.

“Look!”

She pointed toward the rapidly closing entrance.

“The barricades are already sealing! Even if we run as fast as we can, we won’t make it!”

Tears began gathering in her eyes.

“It’s over!”

Young Aether smiled.

“Not yet.”

Before she could react…

His arm slipped around her waist.

“W-What are you doing?!”

Maiuri shouted as he effortlessly lifted her onto his free shoulder like a sack of rice while Sasha remained resting across the other.

She struggled in embarrassment.

“P-Put me down!”

Slap!

“HIK!”

Her entire body jolted when his palm landed sharply against her butt.

Young Aether only smirked.

“Close your eyes, dear.”

“Leave the rest to your big brother~”

The instant the words left his mouth…

Step.

STEP!!

The world blurred.

Before Maiuri even realised what had happened… They were already standing safely inside the barricades.

Her eyes widened.

She blinked repeatedly.

Then turned around.

The enormous gates finished closing behind them with a thunderous boom.

“What… the…?”

She couldn’t even process it.

One blink.

That was all?

Yet they had somehow crossed a distance no ordinary human could have covered.

“VVVOOOORRRR!!”

Still asleep, Sasha suddenly leaned over Young Aether’s shoulder and vomited violently onto the ground.

Even unconscious, her body had instinctively reacted to the overwhelming acceleration.

She woke up thanks to this!

Young Aether gently placed both women on the ground.

Then…

He turned around.

“PLEASE!!”

“OPEN THE GATE!”

“MY DAUGHTER IS INSIDE!”

“HELP US!”

Children cried until their voices became hoarse.

Parents screamed for their families.

The elderly begged on their knees.

Some soldiers lowered their heads, unable to watch.

Seconds later… The infected reached them.

The cries of despair echoed endlessly outside the shelter.

Young Aether watched everything unfold in complete silence.

His heart didn’t move.

Not even once.

Not when mothers cried for their children.

Not when children screamed for their parents.

Not when hundreds of innocent people were torn apart only a few dozen meters away.

Their voices… Never reached him!!

His eyes remained as cold as an endless abyss.

With a small shrug, he turned around and calmly walked deeper into the shelter without another glance.

In truth… If Sasha and Maiuri hadn’t been with him…

He might have opened the barricades himself.

Just to let the cursed monsters flood inside and reduce the entire shelter to another sea of blood.

But… That would have been irresponsible, right?

After all… He had already annihilated an entire tower.

Thousands of mech-suits had disappeared.

Tens of thousands of civilians had already become monsters because of the catastrophe he had set into motion.

His body count…

Had grown beyond calculation.