MMORPG: Rebirth as an Alchemist Chapter 903 Prelude to the Apocalypse 2

I-Isolde . . .

From her window, Isolde peered outside, struck by a strange sensation as though someone had whispered her name. Could it be her imagination playing tricks?

She shook her head vigorously to banish the eerie feeling. Yet, at her core, she felt convinced that Leonel's voice had just echoed in her ears.

Isolde frowned and pinched her cheeks, sensing warmth flooding her face. Awake and alert, she still heard Leonel's voice as vividly as if he stood right next to her.

"That can't be," Isolde whispered to herself, struggling to calm her wildly beating heart.

It had to be her imagination at work.

Back in her room, Isolde instructed the maid to scrub every nook and cranny spotless as she got ready to see Leonel.

Slipping into a plain shirt and trousers, she applied light makeup, repeatedly glancing at her reflection in the mirror despite herself.

Right when she neared the end of her getting-ready routine, a thunderous commotion erupted in the house, jolting Isolde and yanking her focus from the mirror.

"What's going on?" Isolde demanded.

The maids mirrored her confusion, obviously clueless about the turmoil outside.

All at once, her door flew open as a guard burst inside. "Lady Isolde! You have to get out of here! Go to the helicopter, you have to escape!"

"What?" Isolde creased her forehead, grappling to make sense of the guard's frantic warning.

Next came the crack of gunshots and cries reverberating down the corridors.

"There's no time! You have to–!" The guard's desperate shout halted abruptly when a force struck him, hurling him to the floor.

Terrified shrieks filled the air from the maids as a bizarre beast—an alien sporting a mosquito-shaped head and compound fly eyes—stabbed its elongated proboscis into the guard.

The guard convulsed and fought back fiercely, yet mere seconds passed before the light faded from his eyes.

The maids darted about in panic while the odd monster shifted its gaze toward them.

Only then did Isolde jolt from her stupor, scrambling for the pistol concealed beneath her pillow.

Expertly, she unleashed a barrage at the approaching fiend.

Much to her horror, bullets barely fazed the thing until she targeted its skull and blew it apart. At last, the creature halted and collapsed lifelessly.

No chance for Isolde to ponder the horror. Sensing dire peril, she bolted from her chamber without pausing to tell the maids to run.

The corridor presented a nightmarish vista. Guards clashed desperately with these extraterrestrial horrors amid piercing screams as folks fled in chaos.

These monsters displayed terrifying strength, swiftly dominating the guards. Even more horrifying, victims impaled by the beasts' slender, spear-like snouts mutated into identical aliens in moments.

Stunned amid the mayhem, Isolde realized escape was imperative.

As she spun to run, shock gripped her—the guard from her room earlier blocked her path, his belly torn open in a massive gash.

His skin turned ashen with throbbing veins, eyes ready to burst free. Crimson leaked from every opening before his jaws stretched impossibly long.

Isolde didn't waver, blasting his cranium directly to prevent the full change and assault.

BaAnNg!

The blast resounded down the hall while Isolde eliminated the danger. She refused to gamble with the nature of these abominations.

Heart thundering, she raced to the helicopter pad, escape dominating her mind. No time to check on others—staying alive came first.

Her father and kin were surely en route to the pad too.

As members of a mighty mafia clan, they were drilled for crises, though nothing like this apocalypse. More akin to wartime protocols.

Still, ingrained drills propelled them toward refuge against the mysterious nightmare engulfing everything.

Isolde dashed for the chopper, escape thoughts swirling, until Leonel's face suddenly appeared in her mind.

Instantly, she whipped out her phone and punched in his number, but endless rings met her—no answer.

"Come on, pick up!" Isolde snarled in anger, dialing over and over fruitlessly.

Despair tinged her tone as she moved to ring Ren, yet an explosion close by hurled her through the air, phone tumbling away.

Isolde slammed into the floor, ears assaulted by a deafening buzz that left her reeling and disoriented.

Amid the swirling smoke and choking dust that clouded her sight, the final image burned into her mind: countless humans twitching unnaturally as they shuffled forward, their bulging fly-like eyes protruding, pointed elongated mouths gaping, hauling the remnants of their shattered bodies straight toward her.

=======

"Do you hear that?" Roz asked Lira, concern lacing his voice.

"Hear what?" Lira responded distractedly, completely absorbed in scanning clothes. Her top concern right now was staying ahead of the hottest fashion waves.

Masked face, huge sunglasses, and a subtle wig made her sure no one would spot her, letting her browse the shops without hassle.

All the while, Roz fought off the persistent dread chewing at him. His gut screamed that danger lurked nearby.

He regretted tagging along to escort Lira, though she swore it was a must.

Deep down, he knew her version of urgent meant petty stuff, like lacking the perfect outfit for tomorrow's OOTD, despite her wardrobe overflowing with options.

Snapping back, Roz pulled out his phone. He wasn't her bodyguard, and he had to rush home for his gaming session.

Yet, his eyes drifted to a nearby woman. She started spasming before crumpling to the floor. Staff rushed over fast, sparking a minor uproar in the spot.