CHAPTER 28 - 28 – NORTHERN DISTRICT (PART 3)

Chapter 28 – Northern District (Part 3)

"Hm? Is there a secret way into the district?" Lune asked, trailing behind Jack with a curious expression.

"Yeah. There are several ways in," Jack replied as he turned into a narrow alley that ended in a dead-end wall. "If the military closed off all the major ones like I suspect, then they definitely don't know about this one."

"Where is it?" Lune asked, watching Jack approach the wall.

"Hm, just like I remember it." He muttered, rolling up his sleeves. He placed his fingers into the narrow cracks lining the surface and began climbing.

"What? You're going to climb the building?"

"Yes. There's a set of stairs on the other side I can use to get down."

"How do you remember something like that?" she asked, a little surprised.

"Hm... I used to—hng—explore the city on my own when I was a kid." Jack grunted as he pulled himself up. "I learned almost every path and shortcut. I can walk around the city without even looking."

'His memory is always impressive to hear about,' Lune thought with a faint smile. 'He can remember everything.'

The wall wasn't especially tall, so Jack reached the top in under a minute. Crouching low, he peered over the edge of the building and scanned the street below.

Soldiers and tanks moved across the area, clearly attempting to secure the district. Snipers were stationed on rooftops, while helicopters patrolled the skies, their powerful beams of light sweeping the streets for any signs of monsters.

'This place is locked down,' Jack thought, eyes narrowing. 'If they catch me, it'll be a pain to get out of that situation.'

He vaulted over the edge and landed quietly on the metal fire escape bolted to the building's side. Crouched and silent, he crept down the stairs, keeping out of sight from the dozens of armed personnel around him.

Once on the ground, he crossed the street quickly and ducked under a nearby car just as a helicopter passed overhead, followed by two tanks and a marching unit of soldiers.

"Take over the western side. We must barricade every corner!" one voice barked.

"The situation is completely out of control! These things are already pushing toward our current position. The flying ones are tearing our aircraft apart. Our bullets barely work on the—"

"What do you want us to do, huh?! We're all going to fucking die! Just do your goddamn job and shut up!"

"..."

Jack listened in silence, then shook his head.

'Not surprising. There's no way the military can keep control of the city—or even this district. It's only a matter of time before they're completely overrun.'

Even from a civilian's perspective, the situation was being severely underestimated. Jack understood the grim reality—what they were fighting now weren't the strongest monsters. Not even close. The truly dangerous ones hadn't shown themselves yet, or were still lurking far away.

Once those appeared... there would be no stopping them.

"But..." Jack frowned, suddenly struck by a new thought. "The fact that they only mentioned bullets means... Did they not receive the chronist awakening like I did?"

He hadn't seen anyone mention being a chronist so far. That was odd. Surely, the soldiers had killed some monsters by now—shouldn't that have triggered an awakening?

That was what Jack assumed triggered his awakening as it only started right after he killed that monster at his house.

"What do you think, Lune?"

"Hm... I can't say for sure," Lune replied, her tone thoughtful. "This whole situation is completely new to me. But if I had to guess, it doesn't seem like the Clock is giving awakenings to everyone. Just like how The Skip only happens to certain individuals and not others. That pattern doesn't seem to have changed... at least not yet."

She looked up at the colossal Clock suspended in the sky, its massive hands turning slowly as it watched the world below with silent, unyielding purpose.

"We still don't know what its motive is... or why any of this is happening. But soon... we will."

Jack slid out from under the car.

"The best chance I have of finding my parents is here. They'd probably head straight to the northern district after hearing the announcement," he said, glancing around warily.

"..."

Lune didn't respond.

"Hm?" Jack noticed her silence. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh. No, no, I was just... thinking," Lune replied quickly.

"Thinking?"

"It's nothing bad, really. So, where are you heading now?"

"Hmm... I think I know where the civilians are being taken." Jack looked off into the distance. "There's a huge survival bunker not far from here. It was built some time ago to withstand violent storms and extreme weather. It's the perfect place to shelter people. I'm going there to see what's going on."

Without waiting for a reply, Jack began walking.

Lune floated after him, but her expression betrayed her concern. She stared at his back, her mind still stuck on what he'd said earlier.

'...Is he avoiding the possibility?' she wondered. 'He seems so sure that his parents are okay...'

Lune knew Jack wasn't naive. He was far from it. He had clearly considered the possibility that his parents might not have survived. But the fact he hadn't spoken a word about it... that worried her even more.

What if he didn't find them?

What if they weren't where he believed they would be?

The thoughts gnawed at her mind, heavy with unease.

'Let's think positively, Lune. They'll be fine. I'm sure of it,' she told herself, brushing the worries aside as she followed Jack.

For the next thirty minutes, Jack navigated the district with caution. He moved from shadow to shadow, avoiding patrols and sneaking through alleys with expert agility. It was surprisingly easy, thanks to his newly awakened powers.

He was faster than ever, with sharper reflexes and a body that obeyed every command with uncanny precision. The transformation into a chronist was undeniable—not only had his strength improved, but even his flexibility and bone density had noticeably changed. His muscles had grown visibly, reinforcing the surreal reality of his condition.

Eventually, he reached the outskirts of the district—and the entrance to the survival bunker.

It was, as expected, heavily guarded.

Police officers, military soldiers, and other government personnel filled the area. Defensive barricades had been set up. Spotlights scanned the perimeter. Vehicles blocked roads. It was a full-scale operation.

'So this is their command center,' Jack thought as he crouched behind a wall, surveying the scene.

"They probably want to make sure this place is locked down," he muttered. "If they lose it, they lose their last stronghold in the city."

"Are you planning to go in, Jack?" Lune asked.

"Hm? No. Not yet," he said, sitting down against the wall. "The situation's still too unstable. I want to wait and see what happens. They'll let civilians in sooner or later—and once that happens..."

He smiled faintly.

"I'll merge with the chaos and get in."