Transmigrated into Another Apocalyptic World (BL)

The research center wasn't that close to the market, as it was located nearer to the military area.

However, it still wasn't that close—so even though it was in the military's vicinity, it hadn't received much support from the soldiers.

The military forces were still overwhelmed and couldn't move as freely as they would have liked.

From the height he was at, Luciel could clearly see the research center and the situation around it.

There were indeed quite a few soldiers stationed there, tasked with protecting the facility. However, it was obvious that they were running low on ammunition—they weren't attacking the birds as aggressively as before.

Luciel remembered how earlier, those same soldiers were fighting fiercely without retreating. But now, it was clear they were slowly being overwhelmed and preparing to fall back.

They likely hadn't expected such a drawn-out assault.

Being close to the military district, the research center probably hadn't stocked too much emergency ammunition, assuming help would arrive quickly if needed.

After all, in normal or even severe attack scenarios, the military could usually send reinforcements in time.

But this time was different.

The military itself was fully occupied, barely holding their own against the relentless waves of birds. Even if they wanted to help the research center, they simply couldn't—there were too many enemies and too many people relying on their defense.

The military had a lot of soldiers in it, and that had drawn a massive number of birds to it. Fortunately, the soldiers there still had enough ammunition to keep fighting, even if they weren't particularly strong ability users.

Luciel continued heading toward the research center, striking down the birds he used for transportation and any others that tried to attack him along the way.

By the time he arrived in front of the research center, he could clearly see that the people there were already preparing to evacuate.

Luciel could see that the researchers were already gathered at the front of the building, but they hadn't boarded the cars yet. The soldiers assigned to protect them were struggling to fend off the attacking birds, which made it too dangerous to evacuate.

A lot of the soldiers were clearly injured, and most of them had already switched from using their original firearms to other makeshift weapons.

Luciel noticed some soldiers throwing strange objects at the birds. When the objects hit, the birds would either lose the ability to fly and plummet to the ground, freeze in place, or even begin to corrode where they were struck.

Those must've been experimental weapons or concoctions created by the researchers—but from the look of it, they didn't have many on hand.

Luciel guessed those were likely made casually, maybe during previous research, and hadn't been mass-produced. Still, they were surprisingly effective, just not plentiful enough for a full defense.

Perhaps once this attack was over, the researchers would begin developing and producing more of those kinds of weapons—bottled solutions capable of taking down mutant animals.

Then Luciel spotted Uncle Lawrence standing near the front doors, handing out some of the experimental items to the soldiers who were still able to fight.

After finishing off the large bird he had used as transport, Luciel landed lightly on top of one of the cars parked in front of the research center.

"Uncle Lawrence, hurry and get everyone in the cars. I'll deal with the birds around here until you guys reach the military area," Luciel said, his eyes scanning the skies as he readied himself for the next wave.

Uncle Lawrence turned and looked at him in surprise, then let out a breath of relief. "Oh, Luciel, it's you. Thanks for coming," he said gratefully. He then turned to the others and shouted, "Everyone, hurry up and get in the cars! We're heading for the military area—Luciel's here to hold them off!"

With Uncle Lawrence's command and Luciel standing guard, the other researchers quickly began moving toward the vehicles, shielded by the remaining soldiers as they made their way into the convoy.

The soldiers didn't say anything after hearing that Uncle Lawrence knew Luciel. Once they realized he was an ally, they dropped any wariness and simply continued helping the researchers and dealing with the birds Luciel hadn't taken out yet.

As for Luciel, he focused on clearing out the birds surrounding the research center—especially those in front of the building—to make sure the researchers could safely board the cars without interruption.

He was more than willing to escort them. Luciel didn't want any of the researchers to die—not out of pure goodwill, but because they were essential to the future development of the base.

And if the base grew stronger, that meant his future life would be more comfortable, too.

They had valuable brains that could be used to invent or develop things to make life easier, especially for someone like him. Letting them die here because of a bird attack would be a huge waste.

In the novel, most of the researchers were killed by the villains, so no one was left to properly conduct research for the betterment of the people's lives.

Luciel still wants to have a more comfortable life in the future, so the researchers should survive and do more research that could benefit him later.

Besides, the military area wasn't that far—at least not when traveling by car. Escorting them there wouldn't be that troublesome.

Luciel kept cutting down any birds that tried to swoop in, working alongside the soldiers until all of the researchers had safely gotten into the vehicles.

"You guys should get in the cars too," Luciel said to the soldiers still outside.

Having seen firsthand how capable he was, the soldiers didn't argue. They simply nodded and quickly boarded the vehicles.

Once everyone was inside, the convoy didn't waste any more time. Engines roared to life, and the cars sped off toward the military area—knowing full well that the sooner they got there, the better their chances of surviving this chaos.