I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 292: Into Chaos
"There!" Alicia points at the ground.
The three-by-six stone gate is pulsing and sucking in everything around it. People are running away from the gate, some are holding onto whatever they can so they do not get pulled in, and others are screaming as they are dragged into it.
Cars are flying toward it and piling up against the arch because they cannot fit through.
Some cars are on fire, injuring people nearby.
Sirens can be heard in the distance.
Theo can see several fire trucks and police cars heading this way, but no DEU vehicles.
The pilot scans the area for a landing spot, but he can find none. Jade Lantern District is packed with buildings and lacks parks or open open spaces.
"It’s okay, officer! Just get as close to the ground as you can, we’ll jump down!" Alicia yells over the roar of the helicopter.
The pilot nods and lowers the helicopter.
Alicia turns to Theo, who is already out of his safety belt and ready to jump. He nods at her.
Alicia nods back.
"This is the closest I can get without being sucked in by the gate!" the pilot yells.
Theo opens the door, turns back to the pilot, and says, "Thanks!" Then he jumps down.
Alicia follows him.
They land about a hundred meters from the gate.
"What do we do now?" Alicia asks. She knows that right now, she is not the chief, but a temporary member of Rhaenas helping Theo clear this mutated level six dungeon.
"The gate will close soon. We need to enter it before it does," Theo says.
"Right." Alicia nods.
"Let’s go," Theo says, and starts running.
Alicia follows him.
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Hawk ducks out of the way as a car flies toward him. He has tied himself to an electric pole. With that, he manages to stay outside the gate.
He is not stupid enough to get sucked into a rogue level six dungeon without his teammates. He knows he is strong, but he is not delusional.
He only needs to wait for the gate to close.
He stares helplessly at the people being dragged through the air and sucked into the gate.
"Damn it! Why did I walk this way?!" Hawk scolds himself.
He cannot even call his teammates with his phone because he lost it during the chaos.
As he is riding it out, from the corner of his eye, he sees a white-haired figure rushing toward the gate.
He whips his head around to see more clearly, and his breath catches.
It’s her. It’s Thea Montrose.
Why is she running toward the gate instead of trying to get away?
"Don’t tell me she’s actually going to try to clear the gate?" Hawk mutters.
He looks around and sees only one other person running beside her, the same redhead he saw the other day.
Hawk frowns. "Just one? Are they insane, trying to clear a rogue level six with only two people?!"
Hawk thinks hard. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
After a few seconds, he mutters, "Ugh. Blame me for having a soft spot for you, Princess."
He unties himself and lets himself get sucked into the dungeon.
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Arthur closes the door to the chief’s office, ready to head to Jade Lantern District.
Captain Chambers suddenly appears.
"Chief, I want to go too. Don’t make me stay here," he pleads.
Arthur makes a decision in a split second.
"No. This is part of your training to become the next chief. Captain, you’re the only one who knows that Chief Lutherford is resigning. I’ve already received word that you’ll be the next chief. Based on your records, you deserve it."
Captain Chambers deflates. But he cannot argue. He knows Arthur is right.
"Instead, I will take Lieutenant Cole. She and Kerr are next in line for field captain. Kerr is still not fit. Even though Cole is also not fully fit, we don’t have anyone else. In case I need to enter the dungeon as part of Rhaenas, Cole will be in charge on site."
Arthur takes his time explaining, using this as an opportunity to train Captain Chambers. He has noticed that Captain Chambers is impulsive and rarely stops to think.
As chief, he has to take the time to think before acting.
Captain Chambers sighs. "Okay, Chief. Thank you for your thorough consideration. I guess I need to start thinking like that too."
Arthur nods. "You’ll do fine, Captain. Chief Lutherford believes in you."
Captain Chambers lights up. "She told you that?"
Arthur nods.
"Now, I need to leave."
Captain Chambers straightens up. "I’ll hold the fort, Chief. Goodspeed."
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"Hawk hasn’t returned yet?" Ethan asks.
"No," J.C. answers over the phone.
"Hey." Taylor and Carter enter J.C.’s room.
"You’re on the phone with Ethan? Tell him to turn on the TV. A rogue level six dungeon appeared near here just a few minutes ago," Carter says.
J.C. speaks into the phone. "You heard that, Ethan?"
"Yes, I’m turning on the TV now," Ethan answers.
On the TV, there is live news coverage of the gate’s appearance. The live feed shows footage from a helicopter, along with reporters on the ground.
Chaos fills the screen. Cars are flying and exploding, people are running, and fire is everywhere.
"I hope Hawk is nowhere near it," Taylor mutters.
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Alicia and Theo enter the dungeon and immediately scan their surroundings. Parts of cars, dead bodies, and injured people are scattered near the gate.
"Can we send them out?" Alicia asks.
"And have them get sucked back in?" Theo answers with a question.
"You’re right. So we just gather them here, near the gate?" Alicia asks again.
"Do we have any other option?" Theo answers with another question.
They exchange a look.
They both know they need to be careful, because they are not alone in this dungeon. They cannot simply clear it.
If these people find out they can use magic, the world outside would be plunged into chaos.
"I can create an illusion with magic, so people won’t see our true faces," Theo says. He is also at a loss.
"Yeah, but that only solves one problem. Not the magic problem," Alicia says.
"We need to make sure the people who are alive stay unconscious," Theo finally says.
Alicia is stunned. "What? We’ll force them unconscious?"
Theo presses his lips together. "Do we have another choice?"
Suddenly, he senses leaking mana. He whips his head toward the gate and sees the same bald man who had stared at him the other day.
"Why is he here?" he wonders.
Alicia looks in the direction Theo is staring.
"Who is he?" she asks, watching the bald man scan the area before spotting them.
"The guy who stared at me during the fire incident yesterday. The one with mana," Theo says in a low voice, because the man is walking toward them.
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Hawk scans the area and sees the same things Alicia and Theo saw, but none of it really registers. He is only scanning to find...
Ah. There she is.
Hawk heads toward them.
He is only a few meters away when...
The redhead steps in front of the princess.
"Yes?" she asks, eyes sharp, body tense and defensive, ready.
Interesting. Is she also a Rhaenas?
Hawk clears his throat.
"Erm, you girls got sucked in here too?"
Alicia frowns. Huh?
Theo only blinks.
Hawk curses himself inwardly. What the hell am I saying?
He clears his throat and tries again. "Uh, are you girls okay? I see you’re the only ones standing and alert here. If you’re okay, you should probably head out before the haelions get here."
Hawk waits for Theo to answer, but it is Alicia who replies.
"Yes, we’re okay. Thank you for asking. And no, we can’t get out without being sucked back in. The gate is still open. We..."
"Help..." a voice calls out.
Theo snaps his head toward the voice and sees a man pinned beneath half a car, gasoline leaking from it while the car burns.
Theo walks toward the man, and Alicia follows, leaving Hawk standing there, only watching them go.
Alicia whispers to Theo, "How can we save him without using magic?"
Theo thinks for a moment. "I don’t know."
Alicia sighs. This surprises her. She had never had access to magic before, and she was fine. Not once had she thought, Oh, if only I had the power of Wind.
But now, she cannot see a solution that does not involve magic.
Hawk sees where the two women are heading and frowns.
He places a hand on each of their shoulders. "Wait. It’s dangerous. The car could explode any minute."
"But we need to get the man to safety," Theo says.
This is the first time Hawk hears Theo speak.
Hawk cannot help thinking inwardly,
Such a melodic and soft voice. It matches her face perfectly.
"Help me..." the man calls out again.
Alicia and Theo scan the area, looking for something that could help lift the car.
Hawk sighs.
"I’ll lift the car. You girls pull him out," he finally says, and walks toward the car.
