I was still sobbing in the car while the others remained silent that also still processing those horrific events.
Lucy had previously told Robbin to follow the convoy of combat vehicles which heading to the main defense base.
Along the way, there were no more monsters roaming around, only piles of their bodies and disfigured human corpses.
After some long drive, we arrived at the army headquarter in my state. Ahead, there was a larger perimeter with more extensive weaponry, and in the sky above the headquarter were numerous helicopters flying back and forth, with the occasional jet passing overhead.
Our car was at the front part of the convoy. At the main gate, our convoy stopped first, and a soldier got out of the most front combat vehicle to inform the troops on guard. After a short wait, the convoy entered the base.
Robbin parked our car near the field hospital built for emergency manner in this major disaster.
We quickly got out, and I saw many paramedics arriving to transport the injured troops to inside hospital. Some of them appeared to have died from blood loss.
Lucy then approached a soldier dressed in more formal attire. He seemed to recognize Lucy because he immediately hugged her when he learned she had survived.
He introduced the middle-aged soldier to us, an Army officer Colonel named Peterson. Lucy said she had been his aide for three years. The others and I were delighted to meet him.
Col. Peterson asked us to rest inside the hospital. When we entered, it was very chaotic and hectic. We saw many patients seriously injured by the monster's attack, from civilians to soldiers.
Suddenly, I saw woman lying in the back hallway. I ran and cried because she is the one who truly i knew.
"Auntie... It's me, Johann!!! Thanks God you're finally safe...!!!" I said, stuttering and crying. It was Aunt Nancy, lying weak, with a severe laceration on her right hand, which had been bandaged but was still seeping blood.
"J-Johann? Thank God you're also safe..." Aunt Nancy said, her voice slightly weak. I immediately hugged her.
"W-Where's Uncle Jenkin?" I said while still sobbing.
My aunt then began to shed tears. I knew this was the worst fate for my uncle.
"S-sorry, Johann... Uncle sacrificed himself... so Auntie and others could escape from that monster..." My aunt said, tears streaming down her face.
I immediately cried loudly, hugging my aunt. How could...? How could this be...? The person who had chosen my only and most beloved video game had ended up being a victim of it's ferocity...
Another nurse arrived to administer medical treatment to my aunt. The nurse asked me to leave my aunt alone. Larry then put his arm around me and we were directed to a private room to rest for a moment. I'm not finished sobbing but Robbin comforted me.
"It's okay, Johann. The most important thing is that one of your family members survived. We haven't been able to see our other family members here. Honestly, I can only accept their fate in this time of disaster," Mr. Robbin said calmly, but it seemed he couldn't hold back the tears that were flowing.
Likewise, Larry and Lucy nodded slowly, their eyes glistening with tears.
Suddenly, Col. Peterson entered the room and sat down beside one of the beds.
"I apologize for interrupting your moment. My condolences to those close to us who have fallen victim to this tragedy. But I'm here to confirm something. Is it true that the monsters invading our world are from a certain video game?" Peterson asked.
Larry then confirmed it, followed by Robbin and I nodding.
"I received information from one of the squad captains during the attack downtown. They saw a man who looked like a soldier, wearing equipment and weapons very different from ours. He was the only one capable of destroying the entire massive horde of monsters. But the most unexpected thing was that he shot and killed an innocent civilian" said Col. Peterson.
Larry again agreed with his statement, saying he was the main character from the game, Hellraider, but reiterated that he was a cold-blooded killer. I remained silent, traumatized by those incident, and looked away slightly.
"Okay, I think that's enough information. Let's go to the monitoring room together." said Col. Peterson.
We headed to the Army headquarters' main monitoring room. The room was enormous, with large monitors lining almost every wall. There were many rows of computers, almost all of which were occupied by operators. To the north was one of the largest screens, displaying a map of the world. I could see on it that almost every region on Earth had been affected by this monster invasion.
"This is our primary communication point with headquarters in other states and even countries. The monster invasion has decreased drastically since the appearance of that single soldier you witnessed. We are still monitoring closely. However, the main problem is that we have been unable to contact the soldier that you named Hellraider in any way. Satellite signals in any country cannot detect his presence. We are searching for people to question who are the developers of the game that is closely related to the current global catastrophe," Peterson said.
Even though my traumatic experience with him was still fresh, I tried to recall the story of Hellraider.
As far as I know, Hellraiders can teleport quickly to various locations, whether very far or near, with the help of two devices.
The first is using Mendicore, a highly advanced artificial intelligence device that Hellraider possess to move between worlds and dimensions through portals. Mendicore was introduced in the newer series, where it also served as the narrator and main commentator of Hellraider's journey.
The second is a teleportation device used on the battlefield called Bous. This is a ball-shaped device about the size of an adult's fist. If a Bous ball is thrown at a target, the Hellraider will instantly teleport to that location in less than three seconds. This is actually useful if the player wants to kill monsters with their bare hands, which are equally deadly to Hellraider's main arsenal.
I assume he can't be detected by any satellites due to the effects of Mendicore.
Suddenly, a soldier came to Col. Peterson to report. I looked at his face and was immediately shocked. He then looked at me, equally shocked.
"S-Simone?? Y-You're here??" I screamed.
"Ah, you must be Johann. I can tell from the burn scar on your left chin," Simone replied bluntly but with smiling slightly.
Col. Peterson was also surprised, not expecting anyone to know one of his subordinates, who was my high school friend. He told me that Simone had attended the military academy after graduation and was now a lieutenant.
"Johann, come with me. I'll show you something that will shock you even more," Simone said calmly.
I nodded and followed him, leaving the others to listen to Peterson's further explanation.
I hadn't expected Simone to have changed so much since our last argument at the beginning of high school. Could it be that the military education had improved his attitude? I was curious as we headed to the back row of computers and headed to the far right corner.
"Hey, looks like we could have a high school reunion right now," Simone said jokingly to a woman sitting at a computer with her back to us. I noticed the woman's hair and was immediately reminded of someone I knew.
"Simone, please, we can't joke around in a situation like thi..." The woman immediately turned around, her words trailing off when she saw me.
"Haaahhh... Johaannn... I can't believe you made it this faarrr...!!!" The woman, who turned out to be Imelda, screamed with joy and immediately approached me, shaking my shoulders.
"I told you, but you didn't believe me," Simone said.
"Indeed, because you often lie to me, that's why I didn't believe you." Imelda glared at Simone, but when she turned to face me, she immediately smiled again.
Imelda explained that she was now an Intelligence agent. After high school, her father, also a higher military officer, had enrolled her in the State Intelligence Academy.
I was amazed that my two friends had achieved such brilliant careers. Meanwhile, I, who had the opportunity to go to college on a scholarship and have a brighter future, chose to become an ordinary employee at a fast food restaurant simply because of my stupid obsession with The Mayhem game.
I was also embarrassed and very afraid that they would find out I had been involved in a criminal case.