Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

The ceiling collapsed with the third deafening roar, kicking up a cloud of choking dust.

"Back!" Yun Feng yelled, retreating far from the spreading cloud.

Everyone stared nervously at the dust, not a single person daring to make a sound, afraid to miss any subtle noise. You could have heard a pin drop.

The first sound to emerge was a rush of footsteps, but they weren't coming from the hole in the ceiling. They were approaching from the direction Shu and Kiana's group had arrived.

The people sheltered there had obviously heard the commotion. Terrified and unsure where to go, they instinctively flocked towards the sound.

Shu looked back. A pregnant woman clutched her baby, some people were half-dressed, shoes askew, and others were clearly still half-asleep.

So many people?

Seeing these people settled in their designated areas was one thing. Witnessing them scrambling together like this was another entirely.

They were even more disorganized than the throngs of people crowding the market before opening!

If something came through that hole right now…

"Everyone! Listen to me!" Just as Shu was about to tell them to get away, Yun Feng's booming voice cut through the air.

"Follow the order I established earlier! Line up at the front entrance! Prepare to leave!"

A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd. Those who had just woken were struggling to process the sudden turn of events, and Yun Feng's commands weren't immediately obeyed.

"What happened?"

"Is that monster back?"

"We're doomed, we're all going to die, we're all going to die…"

"I don't want to die…"

A cacophony of panicked voices erupted, drowning out any other potential sounds.

At that moment, Shu's face drained of color. A torrent of intense emotions flooded his mind.

Sadness, pain, terror…

Countless negative emotions surged like a geyser, instantly filling every corner of Shu's heart.

Voices wailed in his ears, screams twisting into distorted cries. Shu felt as if he were suffocating, gasping for breath.

Worst of all, the throbbing pain in his chest returned with a vengeance, so sharp it stole his breath.

"I don't want my daughter to die like this… she's only a few months old…"

"Son, I haven't found my son yet… these old bones can't give out here…"

"I promised to get her out safely… how could this happen?"

"I promised to survive this with him… I don't want to die…"

The terrified, grieving thoughts of everyone around him flashed through Shu's mind, each distinct yet blending into a deafening, continuous buzz.

Shu felt a surge of fear, then crippling terror, then overwhelming sorrow, each emotion as real as if it were his own.

Coupled with the agonizing pain in his chest, Shu finally succumbed, his consciousness fading as he collapsed.

Fortunately, Mei reacted quickly, catching him before he hit the ground.

Kiana, her jaw clenched, glanced at the dust cloud and the wailing crowd, then turned to Mei and knelt down. "Mei! Put Shu on my back!"

"Kiana, you…" Mei was startled, but then, with a shared understanding, she nodded.

Escape was their only option. Mei couldn't run far carrying Shu's weight. Only Kiana had the strength to carry him and still escape.

But if Kiana carried Shu, she wouldn't be able to help anyone else.

"Silence!!" Yun Feng's roar cut through the chaos, drawing everyone's attention.

"Form a line!" He bellowed, and the burly men behind him snapped to attention, forming a solid, imposing wall.

"Now, everyone follow Chen Shicheng to the front entrance. He will open the gate and lead you all to safety. I will buy you enough time to escape. All of this depends on your cooperation!"

Chen Shicheng's face paled, a mixture of shock and anger directed at Yun Feng.

But before he could speak, Yun Feng fixed him with a look he had never seen before.

Not anger, but an unwavering command.

"Take Mengxi and Zhuohua, and them…" Yun Feng pointed at Kiana's group, pausing when he saw Shu slumped on Kiana's back, then continued.

"If anything unexpected happens, follow them, and these people…"

Yun Feng pressed his lips together, his eyes filled with a strange resolve.

"Try not to leave anyone behind."

Chen Shicheng opened his mouth, then hung his head.

"I understand."

Yun Feng nodded, then shouted, "Now! Everyone leave in an orderly fashion!"

"But…" Some in the crowd hesitated, unsure what to do.

"Let's go!" A few young men stepped forward, leading the way and waving at the others. "Just follow orders!"

With that, these university students pulled a few people along, glancing back at Yun Feng, who now faced the dust cloud.

With someone taking the lead, the crowd finally began to move towards the front entrance.

The dust had mostly settled, revealing Yun Feng and the line of burly men staring grimly at the hole in the ceiling.

A thick, white, ceramic-like forelimb emerged from the opening.

Moonlight spilled into the warehouse, illuminating a figure tumbling down from the edge of the hole.

Yun Feng's pupils contracted. He recognized the figure… one of the people who had repeatedly pleaded with Chen Shicheng to leave.

Now, the man was mangled beyond recognition, his body covered in blood.

"Everyone…" Yun Feng wanted to say something, but he simply sighed, closing his eyes and then slowly reopening them.

He had nothing left to say. He just… smiled faintly, a whisper directed at the departing Chen Shicheng.

"See? You'll never beat me. I was right, again."

The next moment, a horde of zombies poured from the hole, writhing and twisting as they surged towards the nearest humans. Yun Feng and his men gripped their weapons.

They didn't retreat a single step.