You’re Telling Me This Is a Slice-of-Life?

Red Moon City, 1:00 PM.

An ice cream truck sped down the road. Yuuki rested his hand on the window, frowning as the cityscape blurred past.

There was good news and bad news.

The good news was that the city outside the castle belonged to modern society. The three of them had no shortage of supplies, meaning they no longer had to fight for survival on empty stomachs. Additionally, Yuuki had confirmed that “location” was a spatial concept—so long as they kept moving, they wouldn’t be punished.

The police car had been the right choice to steal. With the entire city in chaos, under martial law, and on high alert, a police car patrolling the streets was perfectly in line with the current scenario. They had aimlessly wandered the city for over two hours before Yuuki confirmed the nature of Hint Two. Only then did he ditch the vehicle in an abandoned parking lot—before promptly stealing an ice cream truck.

And that’s when he discovered the bad news.

As they passed an intersection, Yuuki ducked his head slightly, catching sight of a white railing above the traffic lights. Mounted on the railing was a security camera.

“So you’re saying this city is evolving, tightening the noose around our necks?” Sakurajima Mai leaned halfway out of the truck, chocolate ice cream cone in hand.

Perhaps it was the return to modern society, but she seemed more at ease. The military and police had deadly firearms, but they were far less terrifying than grotesque, flesh-eating corpses.

“Couldn’t it just be a coincidence?”

“No way. Two hours ago, I didn’t see a single camera. If they existed, high-traffic areas like subway stations would’ve been covered. And Hasaka found no records of them online, either.” Yuuki laid out three pieces of evidence in quick succession, shattering any last trace of wishful thinking. “These things popped up out of nowhere. Just like the castle, this city plays by no rules of common sense.”

He let out a wry chuckle. This was something he had anticipated. There was no way they could just sit in a car and safely wait out the entire day. The cycle of this game wouldn’t allow such a glaring loophole.

“Hint Three or Hint Five?” Hayasaka Ai asked, eyes fixed on the road. As the ultimate maid, her driving was both fast and steady.

【Hint 3: Time will continue to slip away, just like your life and hope.】

【Hint 5: Everyone has the right to bask in the moonlight.】

Screech—

Suddenly, the tires squealed as Hayasaka Ai swerved the truck into a narrow alley. Seconds later, a convoy of police cars roared past the alley entrance.

“I don’t know. These hints seem to interfere with each other, and our enemies are getting weirder, too.” Yuuki shook his head and pulled out a sticky note filled with scribbles. “Two hours ago, we ran into patrolling officers armed with shotguns and wearing bulletproof vests. Forty-five minutes ago, it was SWAT carrying assault rifles.”

“The police force has different units. What’s so strange about that?”

“It’s hard to say, but I think their gear is also evolving—popping up out of nowhere, just like the cameras. No way every officer suddenly forgot to wear their equipment before.”

Yuuki rubbed his chin. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a flashing police star above his head, just like in a video game. He turned up the volume on the radio he had ripped from the stolen police car.

“Suspect heading towards East Wutong Road.”

“Engaged in gunfire—officer down! Requesting reinforcements!”

“Another group of suspects spotted on Andes Avenue—set up roadblocks ahead.”

The overlapping chatter filled the cabin. Yuuki had relayed his analysis to Li Dan, hoping the veteran player could draw some of the heat, but it seemed pointless now.

“Thomas is constantly on the move, too. Didn’t he split up from Li Dan?”

“He probably figured it out on his own. He’s not stupid. But one thing seems off.”

“What is it?”

“Why do those two veteran players always insist on splitting up?”

Yuuki massaged his temples. Based on their earlier communication, he knew Li Dan had failed to convince Thomas to regroup. The latter had taken off with the housewife, Cassie, as soon as the side effect of his Chaos Artifact wore off.

“Li Dan never trusted Thomas to begin with, and in that kind of high-stakes situation, he wouldn’t have been able to cover him forever.” Hayasaka Ai considered it for a moment before offering a reasonable explanation:

“That chainsaw sword of Thomas’s probably doesn’t distinguish between friend or foe. Traveling with him is too risky.”

That made sense. Too much sense, in fact.

Yuuki nodded in agreement. Their main concern was escape—no point overanalyzing the actions of two veteran players.

“Let’s move to Li Dan’s coordinates. At the rate this city is evolving, we won’t last two more hours in hiding. You’ve got the layout memorized?”

The downtime hadn’t gone to waste. Under the guise of patrolling, Hayasaka Ai had already familiarized herself with the city’s streets.

She let out an affirmative hum—just as a police car reversed into the alley entrance. A flashlight swept the narrow passage, and tension coiled in her muscles.

Already? Those cameras really weren’t just for show.

“Hold on tight.”

Screech—

Before the words had fully left her lips, the tires screamed. A powerful shove pinned Yuuki to his seat. Instinctively, he reached out, pressing Sakurajima Mai down against his chest.

Before she could cry out in alarm, the ice cream truck shot forward like an arrow from a bow.

Bang!

The police car blocking the alley entrance flipped over upon impact. Hayasaka Ai threw the truck into reverse, shifted gears, and yanked the steering wheel hard, executing a perfect drift before flooring the gas pedal.

Woooooo—

The engine roared as the speedometer shot up.

A crushing force pressed them back against their seats. The scenery blurred past. Yuuki clenched his toes against the floorboard, too occupied to care that Mai was letting out muffled whimpers.

At over 120 kilometers per hour, they weaved through traffic. Horns blared, and the wail of sirens soon joined the cacophony.

Within two minutes, their pursuers had caught up. Yuuki poked his head out the window, only to see someone raise their weapon. No hesitation—just the squeeze of a trigger.

Bang bang bang bang—

Bullets ripped through the air, mingling with the chaos of collisions, explosions, and gunfire. Stray rounds struck pedestrians, sending bodies crumpling to the pavement.

Yuuki saw it happen with his own eyes—someone crossing the street, Hayasaka Ai instinctively swerving to avoid them—only for their pursuers to gun them down without a second thought, sending them flying through the air.

I f**king knew this world wasn’t normal!

Since when did the police ignore civilian safety just to gun down criminals? What happened to law and order?

Screech—!

Hayasaka Ai yanked the steering wheel, her foot glued to the gas pedal. The van drifted sharply, cutting into the left lane—only to see two police cars charging straight at them. She gritted her teeth.

“Get down!”

Gunfire erupted. Bullet holes punched through the windshield. The girl ducked her head, and just seconds before the inevitable collision, she yanked the handbrake. The van swerved violently, smashing through the guardrail and onto the sidewalk.

Bang! Bang!

The deafening crash behind them made Yuuki glance at the rearview mirror. The two police cars had collided head-on with their own reinforcements.

A high-speed impact—metal crumpled like brittle biscuits, the back ends of the vehicles lifting off the ground before tumbling into a heap of twisted wreckage.

Yet, none of the remaining pursuers even slowed down. They just veered around the wreckage and kept coming. Not one of them stopped to check on their fallen comrades.

Too frenzied.

Like a pack of rabid beasts behind the wheel—eyes locked on their prey, reason utterly abandoned.

“How long until the river bridge lifts?” Hayasaka Ai didn’t blink, her gaze locked on the road ahead, fully embracing the role of a seasoned getaway driver.

According to their intel, a canal ran through the center of Red Moon City. No ships ever passed through, yet the drawbridges still rose on schedule.

“Five minutes. Step on it—they’re already setting up a blockade ahead,” Yuuki warned, leaning back to check the road. Cars ahead swerved to the sides in panic. Some, unable to stop in time, slammed straight into the walls.

The road ahead instantly cleared. Yuuki caught sight of the distant iron bridge—slowly rising. But between them and salvation, police lights flashed, and officers rushed to deploy spike strips.

The blockade was set. SWAT officers in full black gear were spilling out of their vehicles. Behind them, a horde of police cars charged in full throttle, as if they intended to smash through friend and foe alike.

“Floor it. We’re breaking through!”

No other choice. Yuuki tightened his seatbelt and wrapped it around both himself and Sakurajima Mai. With his right hand, he pressed beneath his seat.

Reinforcement Magic: Full Power.

He pushed the spell to its limit, reinforcing every aspect of their battered van. But with a vehicle this large, the enhancement had to be spread thin.

Would it hold? No way to tell. Yuuki simply ducked his head, listening to the gunfire erupt like a hailstorm.

Tat-tat-tat-tat—!

Glass shards flew. Bullets riddled the van’s body like Swiss cheese. Hayasaka Ai hunched low, gripping the wheel, feeling the scorching bullets graze past her hair.

The van jolted violently as it ran over the spike strip—but it didn’t lose control. Instead, it surged forward with even greater speed.

Boom—!

The police blockade? Smashed through like paper. The van sent squad cars flying, their spinning wreckage crushing the officers who had been firing relentlessly.

Yet, those people…

They just got back up. Like they felt no pain, no fear of death.

Expressionless, they turned their weapons back on the van, continuing their insane barrage—even as their own reinforcements plowed into them from behind, sending bodies flying.

Insane. They’ve all gone insane.

A bloodied officer slammed into the windshield, his eyes bulging, staring at Yuuki with terrifying intensity. His fingers twitched, reaching for something—until a stray bullet tore through his skull, painting the glass red.

[F**king lunatics.]

Yuuki kicked the corpse off the van. As the engine roared, his body tilted back—gravity pulling at him.

They were airborne.

For a brief moment, time slowed.

Yuuki saw Hayasaka Ai, hunched over the wheel. He saw Sakurajima Mai, her chest rising and falling with steady breaths. He even saw a bullet deflect off the hood, sparking against the reinforced metal before ricocheting away.

His mind blanked. A fleeting sensation—like the desperate leap off a crumbling wall.

Then—

Thud!

The impact came, his stomach lurching. Twisting steel groaned in protest.

They had cleared the bridge. The van smashed down on the opposite riverbank, bouncing violently, skidding like a wild stallion. But Hayasaka Ai held firm, keeping control.

The reinforcement magic still held. The suspension miraculously absorbed the brutal landing. But their pursuers weren’t so lucky.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The bridge trembled. Vehicles crashed down one after another—flipping, crumpling, erupting into flames.

Limbs, wreckage, and shattered glass scattered through the air—

Like a goddamn firework show.