My Werewolf System

Chapter 1790  The Centerfield Sanctuary

After decisively dealing with the ambush of Glutton Werewolves back on the open street, the group found themselves having a much easier time escorting the terrified survivors through the ruined city.

For one, the civilians had witnessed the sheer, overwhelming power of their protectors firsthand. The initial seeds of paralyzing doubt had been completely eradicated. Now that they were confident that these young fighters could easily defeat the monsters hunting them, the civilians were far more inclined to listen to every single instruction they were given. There was no more complaining about leaving heavy bags behind, and no more dragging their feet.

Regardless of the newfound cooperation, Luzen had already done the vast majority of the heavy lifting. He had expertly guided them through the safest, most desolate alleyways, relying entirely on his enhanced senses to steer them clear of danger. And finally, after what felt like an eternity of tense walking, they could see the towering silhouette of the central train station up ahead in the gloomy light.

It certainly looked like quite the fortified, impenetrable shelter. The perimeter was incredibly intimidating. Dozens of abandoned civilian cars and heavy transit buses had been forcefully flipped and stacked on top of each other to create a towering, steel barricade. Thick coils of sharp barbed wire were wrapped around the rusted chassis like silver snakes, and there even appeared to be several makeshift, elevated lookout posts constructed from welded scaffolding overlooking the blocked-off parking lot.

As the weary group cautiously came forward, they were heading directly toward what would have originally been the commuter car park of the station. Now, it was a heavily militarized checkpoint.

“Hey! Wait up, there are people down there! There are living people!” one of the sentries shouted from the scaffolding above, calling back over his shoulder to alert the others stationed deeper inside the perimeter.

The sentry nimbly jumped down from his elevated post. He landed in a crouch right in front of the barricade gates, stepping cautiously forward until he was standing face-to-face with Gary.

“How in the world did you guys manage to move such a large group of civilians all the way here through these streets?” the man asked, his eyes wide with genuine disbelief as he looked past Gary at the huddled, exhausted refugees.

“Weʼre Altereds,” Gary answered. “So we fought and protected these people on the way. But the underground subway station where they were originally staying wasn’t safe anymore; a pack of those things had already caught their scent. Can they come safely inside the gates with you?”

“Wait just a second, Gary,” Kai said smoothly, stepping out from the shadows and moving ahead to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his Alpha. “Before we just hand them over... exactly how safe is your shelter? How have you managed to successfully survive and hold this location so far without being overrun?”

The sentry looked at Kai, noting the calculating gaze, and decided to answer honestly.

“This specific city, Centerfield, is actually home to a large retirement community of ex-AFC fighters,” the man answered, gesturing vaguely to the guards on the walls. “And there are also a lot of former White Rose agents living here that weren’t able to leave their families behind when the organization fractured. Because of that, Centerfield has a significantly higher population of trained Altereds than other ordinary places, despite the strict governmental banning of new Altereds being officially created.

“When this nightmarish situation suddenly started to worsen and the monsters flooded the streets, a large group of us veterans quickly banded together. We locked down this station, and we now protect this place with our lives. Even though there are an endless number of those beasts out there, they seem to prefer hunting out in smaller, scattered packs, constantly searching for easy prey out in the open.

“We were directly attacked at the gates a couple of times early on, but we were easily able to defend ourselves and push them back. They havenʼt tried a frontal assault since.”

Kai crossed his arms, listening intently to the explanation. His mind immediately started churning. He quietly wondered why this heavily populated shelter hadn’t been placed under a full-force, coordinated siege yet.

Perhaps the Gluttons truly werenʼt of sound mind, meaning they completely lacked the tactical intelligence required to group up and execute a complex, synchronized assault against a fortified position. Or, the much darker alternative: They were deliberately waiting. Systematically trying to wipe out the weaker pockets of the city first, actively picking off the easier, isolated targets to harvest their bodies and aggressively build the mutant army before finally turning thier overwhelming attention to the hardest target on the map.

“But you can definitely take all of these people in right now, right? The interior area is secure?” Gary asked, cutting through Kaiʼs thoughts.

The sentry looked over his shoulder. He could see the other senior fighters—the men and women who were actually in charge of running the logistical side of the place—hurrying over to the gates to assess the new arrivals.

“We can. Taking them in isnʼt an issue at all; we deliberately decided to take over this station specifically to protect the innocent people of this city,” the man said, turning back to Gary with a hopeful gleam in his eye. “And if you and your friends are incredibly strong Altereds as well, having you stay here to help us hold the line will be an absolute blessing.”

Gary slowly shook his head, his expression hardening.

“We won’t be coming inside with you. We can’t stay here and protect this place.”

“What?!” the man gasped in shock, his hopeful demeanor instantly crumbling. “But... but we have a major, impending issue at the moment with our food and medical supplies! We have too many mouths to feed. You don’t necessarily have to be the ones that go out and risk your lives to scavenge, but we at least need more strong people to help guard the walls while our teams go out!”

“Don’t worry about the scavenging,” Gary stated, “You won’t need to send anyone out on dangerous supply runs anymore. We are going directly to the White Rose base right now to end this entire nightmare at the source. Don’t worry, we aren’t asking any of you to come with us and risk your lives. It’s better if we do this entirely on our own.

“We’ve heard directly from the enemy that they are specifically targeting Altereds to capture them,” Gary warned, his tone turning grim. “So keep your guard up, lock the gates tight, and just keep these people safe until itʼs over.”

For a fleeting moment, the sentry had his deep, lingering doubts about such a bold, suicidal claim. But then he squinted, taking a much closer look at the young man’s face. It looked a bit more rugged and battle-scarred than he remembered from the television screens, but the distinct green hair, the fierce jawline, and the imposing physical stature... with the sentry having been a part of the AFC himself in the past, he suddenly knew exactly who he was talking to.

“Wait... GARY DEM?!” the man gasped, taking a stunned step back. “What in the world are you doing here in Centerfield?!”

“I came here specifically just to deal with this bloody issue,” Gary replied firmly. “So please... just look after these people for me.”

“Of course! You have my absolute word!” the man said. He gave a deep, respectful bow, a large, relieved smile breaking across his tired face out of sheer respect for the young champion.

The heavy metal gates were slowly dragged open, and the civilians began to shuffle inside the safety of the perimeter. Just as the very last person was getting ready to enter the dark shelter, the young kid who had been terrified of Innu earlier suddenly stopped and turned around.

He ran back over to the rearguard.

“Hey! Thank you so much for saving me out there,” the kid said, looking up at the young man. “I’m really sorry for making fun of you earlier and doubting you. For what itʼs worth... those axes on your back are actually kinda cool.”

The kid flashed a bright thumbs-up, turned on his heel, and sprinted right inside the gates to join his father.

Innu stood there for a moment, a genuine, warm smirk crossing his face as he adjusted the straps of his weapons.

Now, with the heavy burden of the escort mission officially completed and the civilians secured, it was finally time for the group to head toward the heart of the enemy territory: the old White Rose base. They turned their gazes toward the dark skyline, and it made them all quietly wonder... just how well were the three ancient vampires doing on their own?

**