End of Days Game: I'm the Only One Who Can See the Hidden Cues

Although Liam and General Howard had similar assessments regarding the sudden appearance of the Special Team members, their responses were slightly different.

Liam casually addressed his subordinate, saying,

"Since we've already found some of the Special Team members who entered the instance earlier, let's rest here for a while. Go over and ask him what kind of situation he encountered before."

Liam's subordinate, still relaxed, nodded and quickly headed towards the Special Team member standing with his back to them not far away.

"Hey, man, no need to be scared! We've already entered the instance, which means we can protect you now! Since you Special Team members have managed to hold out until now, we can stick together, and there's no need to worry about any threats."

As he spoke, Liam's subordinate casually patted the Special Team member on the shoulder.

However, the Special Team member continued to stand with his back to him, showing no intention of turning around.

Liam's subordinate found this a bit strange, but just as he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly felt a sticky sensation on his hand.

Looking down at his hand, he realized it had started to melt.

"Ah!" A scream burst from Liam's subordinate's mouth.

The moment everyone heard the scream, they immediately turned their attention in that direction.

When Liam saw what was happening, his expression changed drastically.

He realized that something was seriously wrong.

Liam quickly instructed the others around him,

"It seems my earlier judgment was off! The Special Team members aren't as normal as we thought! Stay here for now, observe carefully, and only act once we're sure about what's going on."

After giving those instructions, Liam rushed toward the source of the scream.

When he reached his subordinate, the man's entire arm had already melted.

With a terrified expression, Liam's subordinate looked up at him and pleaded,

"Boss! Please save me! My whole body is melting!"

Liam gazed seriously at his subordinate. Even though he was extremely anxious inside, there was nothing he could do.

Because he had no idea what was causing his subordinate's body to melt, Liam could only act based on the information he had.

"Don't panic right now! Try to stay calm! I'll figure this out as quickly as possible!" Liam reassured his subordinate, trying to keep him composed, while at the same time pulling out a healing potion from his pocket.

Under normal circumstances, the healing potion should have had some effect.

But after his subordinate consumed the potion, there was no improvement whatsoever.

"Boss! My body is still melting! Am I going to die soon?" The subordinate's voice, trembling with fear, betrayed his growing terror as he looked at Liam desperately for answers.

Though his voice wasn't particularly loud, the seriousness of the situation meant that everyone else, who had been focused on what was happening, now had a clear idea of the gravity of the situation as well.

Liam's face grew even more serious as he responded bluntly, "I don't know how to save you! But rest assured, I'm doing everything I can to get help. I've already sent someone to reach out to General Howard and Jeremy for assistance."

Liam wasn't lying to his subordinate. He truly had sent another subordinate to seek help from General Howard and Jeremy.

However, it was obvious that things wouldn't go smoothly.

As soon as Liam finished speaking, the subordinate he'd sent out earlier came rushing back.

"Boss! We're trapped here! I can't find a way to get back to where we came from!"

Hearing this, Liam's expression darkened even more. A sense of hopelessness was creeping in.

Just as Liam was about to say something, the Special Team member standing nearby slowly turned around.

This was the first time that Liam and his subordinates finally got a good look at the Special Team member's true appearance.

The figure had been grotesquely transformed into a half-mechanical, half-organic monster.

Liam, upon seeing this horrifying sight, acted swiftly. Without hesitation, he launched an attack on the creature that had once been a Special Team member.

His attack landed successfully.

Though the Special Team members had been transformed into half-mechanical, half-biological monsters, their combat abilities weren't overwhelmingly strong.

After eliminating the transformed monster that had once been a Special Team member, Liam turned his gaze back toward his subordinate. By then, his subordinate had completely melted, leaving nothing but a gruesome mess.

Liam let out a sigh, unable to hide his frustration.

"I'm responsible for this. If I hadn't rashly made that decision, he wouldn't have died here," Liam muttered quietly to himself.

Though there was some truth to his self-blame, Liam's words were more of a strategic move to maintain morale among the rest of his team. He knew that letting his subordinates lose confidence in him now could be disastrous.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Liam lifted his head and looked at the remaining team members.

"We're not going to rest anymore. We have to keep moving. Since our way back has been blocked by the instance, the only option left is to go deeper into it."

None of his subordinates voiced any objections. They were still in shock from what had just transpired, and none of them wanted to end up like the melted man they had just witnessed. Fear was a strong motivator, and they knew standing still could lead to the same horrifying fate.

With that, Liam led his team deeper into the heart of the instance.

Meanwhile, General Howard's group faced a similar situation. The key difference was that no one on Howard's side had died, at least not yet.

Howard's decision mirrored Liam's. Like Liam, he chose to press forward into the instance's depths.

However, due to the misjudgments both men had made, their progress had significantly slowed. By now, they were far behind Jeremy and his team, to the point where any hope of catching up and assisting Jeremy seemed slim.

Despite bringing such large forces into the instance, both Howard and Liam had, up until now, failed to make any significant impact.

At this point, Jeremy remained unaware of the situations unfolding with Howard and Liam. But in truth, Jeremy had never pinned his hopes on them in the first place.

Now, Jeremy, along with his companions, had reached a strange and mysterious area deep within the instance.

The area where Jeremy and his companions found themselves appeared, at first glance, to be an enormous hall. The space was vast and seemingly endless, but shadows continuously flickered across the room. These fleeting shadows resembled human figures.

However, despite multiple attempts by Jeremy and his team to communicate with these shadows, all efforts ended in failure. The shadows did not respond, nor did they seem aware of the team's presence.

After contemplating the situation for a moment, Claire spoke up, addressing Jeremy. Experience new tales on M-V-L

"I don't think they're human at all. This must be a trap set by the instance. These shadows are likely illusions. I haven't detected any signs of consciousness or thought from them," Claire said, her expression thoughtful.

Claire's abilities were centered around mental and psychic powers. She had the unique skill to block out mental interference from both the instance and its creatures, and in some cases, she could even read the thoughts of others. However, her mind-reading abilities were not particularly advanced.

This meant that Claire could only extract surface-level thoughts from most people. When it came to individuals whose strength or mental fortitude far exceeded her own, like Jeremy, Claire was unable to read their thoughts at all.

After listening to Claire's assessment, Jeremy nodded in agreement.

"I think you're right. But even though we know these shadows are traps set by the instance, we still have to move forward. Stay behind me, and I'll make sure to check for any traps along the way," he instructed.

With that, Jeremy strode purposefully toward the center of the hall, his pace quick and decisive.

Claire and Emma followed closely behind him, while Bonnie, tasked with guarding the rear, kept an eye on their surroundings.

The moment Jeremy set foot in the hall, he sensed something unusual beneath his feet, as though a creature was lurking just beneath the surface.

"Hold on! Don't follow me just yet!" Jeremy called out to the group behind him, his voice sharp with urgency.

"There's something down below—monsters, I think. Let me deal with them before you proceed."

Barely had the words left Jeremy's mouth when the floor of the hall began to crack open, large fissures splitting the ground with a loud rumble. From these cracks, an overwhelming swarm of beetles surged forth, countless in number. The moment they emerged, they locked onto Jeremy as their target, their movements swift and coordinated.

It was clear that the real danger had just begun.

Jeremy gripped his weapon, Mortal Combat, tightly in his hands, but he didn't immediately launch an attack. He needed a moment to carefully assess the situation.

The swarming beetles were relentless, but after weighing his options, Jeremy concluded that using Mortal Combat to fight them head-on wouldn't be the best course of action. The weapon, though powerful, was too bulky and slow for dealing with such a massive, fast-moving horde. Trying to eliminate every single beetle with brute force would take far too long and leave him vulnerable in the process.

Instead, Jeremy decided to activate his King of Time and Space ability. He figured that opening a portal to transport the beetles to another section of the instance would be a much simpler, more efficient solution than fighting them directly.

Without hesitation, Jeremy summoned a portal in front of him. The swirling vortex appeared in the air, its edges glowing with a strange energy, as the beetles, driven by their single-minded intent to attack, surged toward it. In an instant, the swarm was sucked into the portal, disappearing into its depths.

On the other side of the portal, Jeremy had connected it to another, distant area within the instance.

As the last of the beetles passed through, Jeremy quickly shut the portal, sealing them away from their current location.

Watching everything unfold, Bonnie's expression remained cautious. She hesitated for a moment before voicing her concern, her tone laced with worry.

"Are you sure this won't cause any problems?" she asked, her eyes scanning the now-empty hall where the beetles had been moments before.

Jeremy glanced back at her, his face calm but thoughtful. "I sent them to an isolated section of the instance. They won't be able to get back to us from there," he reassured her. "It's the best way to deal with them without wasting time or risking further danger."

Though Bonnie nodded, accepting his explanation, the faint trace of worry still lingered in her eyes. For now, they were safe, but in an unpredictable environment like this, there was always room for doubt.