A convoy of vagrant vehicles moved along the road toward Diamond Town — the largest vagrant gathering nearby and the only place where Im energy mining could be obtained.
"Such peace."
Looking at the scenery around them, the vagrant riding in the passenger seat took a drag of his cigarette and said leisurely. If it had been before, these people would have been extra cautious while driving, afraid that terrifying beastfolk might suddenly jump out from the sides. But after the Inquisition raided the beastfolk lairs, the beastfolk's activity on the surface had apparently stopped completely. Aside from a few scattered ones, most of them had disappeared without a trace.
At first, most vagrants didn't believe the rumor, but soon they also noticed that the beastfolk truly had vanished. This allowed people to live through a period of peace once again. It might not last long, but for these vagrants, it was enough. Being able to get away from war and enjoy a peaceful life — that was already the greatest happiness they could ask for.
"If those guys from the Inquisition can really wipe out the beastfolk for good, they might as well rule the world."
The driver kept his hands on the wheel and spoke casually.
"At least they seem to care more about us than those COG bastards."
"Yeah. I heard the vagrants under the Inquisition are living pretty well. They don't even need Im energy to power their homes — unlike us, having to run all the way here just to beg for a little supply…"
At that, the vagrant in the passenger seat grew bitter. Diamond Town was also a vagrant settlement, but because they controlled Im energy mining, they always acted high and mighty toward other vagrants. What should have been a fair trade often felt like charity, and many vagrants were understandably angry about it.
But they had no choice…
"Let's just go join the Inquisition. Staying here is boring as hell!"
"Hey, don't talk nonsense — think about your wife and kids."
Hearing his companion's reminder, the man grumbled but fell silent. The Inquisition's rise and growth wasn't news among the vagrant tribes. Before the Inquisition appeared, the vagrants were divided into large, medium, and small tribes. Large ones like Diamond Town had their own independent towns; medium ones were more like nomadic peoples who wandered constantly; and small ones were mostly family units traveling together.
Aside from the large tribes, the other two types were extremely vulnerable in this post-apocalyptic world. The vagrant tribe that Kate once protected was a medium-sized one, and it had been wiped out and captured by beastfolk along the road. Compared to the large settlements, the smaller tribes had far less protection.
So when news of the Inquisition spread, many vagrant tribes headed to the Inquisition's territory to rebuild cities there, and their population steadily grew. Of course, these reports also reached the rulers of the larger tribes.
However, those rulers' attitudes toward the Inquisition were anything but friendly — and that was to be expected. They weren't starving wanderers; as local rulers, they were practically emperors. What emperor would willingly give up his power to serve another?
Naturally, they refused to negotiate with the Inquisition. In fact, they even enacted various measures to prevent their people from defecting. In the past, large tribes would send out single men and women, but now only those with families were allowed to leave the settlement. The reason was simple: single vagrants tended to head straight to the Inquisition, while those with families were less likely to defect.
In short, their families were being used as hostages.
The vagrants were bitter but powerless. They swallowed their resentment and went out to work. Fortunately, the beastfolk had almost disappeared in this region, so at least they didn't have to worry about danger anymore.
Soon, Diamond Town came into view.
However…
"Hey, don't you guys feel like something's not right???"
Looking at the town ahead, the driver frowned. In his memory, Diamond Town was always heavily guarded, but now the iron gates that should have been closed tight were wide open, and no sentries could be seen anywhere. The surroundings were eerily silent — the place looked like a dead city.
"…Could it have been attacked by beastfolk?"
The others grew uneasy. The driver hesitated, then reached over and pressed the horn.
"Beep… beep…!!"
The shrill sound echoed and faded away, but Diamond Town remained completely still.
"We… should go back…"
Swallowing hard, the driver spoke nervously. Something felt very wrong. But another vagrant in the back immediately objected.
"Are you kidding? The whole tribe's waiting for our Im energy! If we go back empty-handed, we're dead anyway."
"..."
"Send the guards to check it out."
A few guards got out from the other vehicle, weapons ready, and carefully entered Diamond Town. After a moment, one of them returned.
"It's fine. Come in."
"..."
Though uneasy, the driver still steered the tanker into the silent town. They arrived at the Im energy supply center, which was also deserted. The guards quickly grabbed the transfer hose and began pumping fuel.
"Perfect! There's still energy here — and it's free!"
"No. Don't you think it's strange? Where did everyone go? And… doesn't this place look like there was a fight?"
Unlike his excited companion, the driver felt increasingly uneasy. Under the headlights, he could clearly see shattered glass and collapsed doors nearby — clear signs of intense combat.
"Ah, who cares? Maybe they were partying too hard… Anyway, not our problem. Fill the tank, get out of here, and report this to the boss. Maybe we can even take over Diamond Town ourselves!"
The major vagrant tribes had wanted Diamond Town for a long time. But with its large population, strong weapons, and steady Im energy supply, none dared to act. Now, with Diamond Town empty — whatever the reason — this might be their chance…
"Wuu… wuuu…"
While his companion was still boasting, the driver suddenly heard a low growl. He reached over and patted the man's shoulder.
"Hey, did you hear that?"
"Hear what???"
The other vagrant turned his head in confusion.
"I didn't hear anythi—"
"Waaaaaah!!!"
Before he could finish, a glowing figure lunged forward, crashing through the window and sinking its teeth into his arm!!
"Ahhhh! What the hell is this monster?!"
The vagrant screamed in terror as the driver hurriedly drew his gun and fired. With a few shots, the creature finally released its bite and fell to the ground.
"Damn it! What the hell is that thing!!"
Clutching his wounded arm, the vagrant yelled. Before the driver could process what happened, gunfire erupted outside. He turned to look and saw the guards firing desperately — and ahead of them, hundreds of humanoid creatures glowed with eerie light, their eyes shining as they charged forward.
"Stay back — monsters, aaahhh!!!"
Several vagrant guards were tackled to the ground and had their throats torn out. Seeing that, the driver felt ice run through his veins.
"We have to get out of here right now!!"
He didn't even bother unhooking the tanker. He slammed the accelerator, reversed hard, and rammed through the glowing monsters trying to encircle them. Spinning the vehicle, he sped back the way they came.
"Oooooohhh!!"
But the luminous monsters didn't give up. They roared and chased after the tanker. The driver floored it, pushing the pedal to the limit, and finally lost them.
"Damn it, what the hell were those things?!"
"I don't know… shit, I need treatment, or I'm done for…"
The driver gritted his teeth as he looked at his companion's mangled arm.
"Hey, you think those monsters killed everyone in Diamond Town…?"
"Shut up. That's not what we should be worrying about right now. Just drive — we'll talk later!!"
From that moment on, the fate of this world began to shift in subtle ways.
But at that time, none of it was known to anyone.
Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai was checking the results of his Chapter Two activity.
[Biochemical Disaster Map — Chapter Two Complete]
[Points Obtained: 1000]
[Ashley: Flawless Clear +1000]
[Eliminate High-Ranking Members of the Luminaries +5000]
[Eliminate Total Number of Parasitic Mutants +12000]
[Total: 19000 points]
Adding the 7,000 points saved from the previous chapter, he had 26,000 points — enough to redeem the Shelter bonus twice. Then came the final map — Biochemical Disaster: Destruction.
After redeeming two Shelter bonuses, he still needed two more. That meant in the final chapter, Duanmu Huai would have to grind 20,000 points to complete the full Shelter bonus exchange.
But the final chapter, huh…
Looking at the chapter selection, Duanmu Huai smirked. Unlike Chapters One and Two, most of the enemies in Chapter Three were no longer parasitized villagers or mutated monsters — this time, his enemies would be humans.
Chapter Three was straightforward. The Umbrella Corporation had fallen, but its research hadn't stopped — it was inherited by TriUnion Pharmaceuticals, a company deeply entwined with the nation's top officials. Duanmu Huai's mission was to storm their headquarters, eliminate all resistance, and destroy all samples and data — in short, blow the company to hell.
Along the way, he would kill anyone who dared to stand in his way — private security, even military forces — until the objective was achieved.
A standard Inquisition operation.
Indeed, it was well known that the Inquisition's authority surpassed all other Imperial institutions. Back when the Human Empire still existed, Inquisitors' powers might have been limited by the High Lords' Council or the Judiciary, but now that the Empire was gone, the Inquisition no longer had to concern itself with those relics of history and could act freely.
Such operations would later be common in the game.
For instance, if players discovered a hidden Chaos-worshipping cult on some planet, one that had deep ties with local governments or even operated openly — what would an Inquisitor do?
Send a letter warning them of the dangers of Chaos gods?
No — storm in and kill everyone who dared stand in the way until the mission was complete.
At most, the Inquisitor would file a report to the local government — assuming that government hadn't already been annihilated by the Inquisition.
That was standard Inquisition enforcement.
The weak-willed and indecisive had no place to survive. Only swift action and unwavering conviction could preserve humanity. No sacrifice was too great to bear, and no betrayal too small to punish. Do not pity them; ignore their cries of innocence — a hundred innocents burned by the Inquisition's wrath were better than one person kneeling before a demon.
Of course, players debated this. Some argued that such methods created a vicious cycle — killing innocents bred hatred, driving others to worship Chaos out of revenge. It only fueled the conflict.
Others countered that Chaos faith was like a plague — it had to be isolated and purged. What the others feared was just leaving roots uncut — "when the spring wind blows, it grows again."
Extermination orders solved everything.
If everyone died, then no one would be left to worship Chaos.
Some questioned what right you had to kill billions, but those who understood knew — you had no right to let them live.
Forget it. I'll figure it out once I'm inside.
Duanmu Huai spent another 1,000 points to redeem some explosives, then exchanged for a shotgun… and began the final chapter.
The next moment, his vision turned white.
(End of chapter)