Cracked Pillars of Fate

Chapter 8: Walls and Testimonies

The sound of hammers clashing against scrap metal echoed through the concrete ruins, shattering the eerie silence that blanketed Crossings Market. Two days had passed since the sky tore open, and the scene before El Joe now resembled a post-apocalyptic refugee camp more than a bustling flea market.

"Hit it harder, Miller! We need that post planted as deep as possible before the sun fully sets," Joe shouted, wiping sweat mixed with dust from his forehead.

Miller, an old man in a flat cap who now looked ten years older, swung his sledgehammer with what little strength he had left. Around them, civilians—merchants, customers, and trapped children—worked like a colony of panicked ants. They were assembling zinc sheets, old car doors, and wire fences to create a circular barricade.

"Joe, this is crazy," Miller paused for a moment, gasping for air. "We’re building a fortress out of trash. If those creatures come back in greater numbers, this zinc won't hold them for more than five seconds."

Joe stared at the barricade. His sharp eyes scanned every gap using Environmental Adaptation. In his vision, thin green lines highlighted the weak points that needed immediate reinforcement.

"This zinc isn't meant to fully withstand their physical assault, Miller," Joe stepped closer, his voice low but steady. "It’s to give us a warning. The sound of the impact will wake those who are sleeping. And most importantly, it gives these people something to do so they don't go insane with fear."

Suddenly, an argument broke out near the logistics pile. A burly man named Vance was clutching the collar of a young man holding two bottles of mineral water.

"I’m working twice as hard as this kid! I need a bigger ration!" Vance roared.

Joe walked calmly but quickly toward the gathering crowd. The tension there was so thick it could be felt physically. Sarah tried to mediate, but Vance shoved her, nearly knocking her down.

"Vance, let him go," Joe said. His voice wasn't loud, but there was a cold edge to it that made Vance freeze for a moment.

"Joe, don't get involved! I’m not going to die of thirst just because you want to be everyone's hero!" Vance turned, his face flushed red.

Joe looked Vance in the eye. At that moment, a system notification flashed in the corner of his vision.

[Mass Unrest Detected.]

[Passive Skill Active: Appeal of Unrest (Level 1).]

Joe felt a soft vibration radiating from his chest. It wasn't an explosion of physical strength, but rather an emotional resonance. He could feel Vance’s fear, Sarah’s desperation, and Miller’s hunger. When he spoke, his voice seemed to carry the weight of all that suffering.

"You think you’re the only one who’s thirsty, Vance? Look at Sarah’s hands. She’s cut because she was moving the ruins of the bakery to look for leftover flour. Look at Marcus; he hasn't eaten since yesterday so his grandson could have his portion," Joe stepped forward, closing the distance with Vance.

"We are all afraid," Joe continued, his voice softening now but permeating everyone listening. "Your fear is my fear too. But if we start preying on each other just for a bottle of water, we’re already dead before those monsters even touch us. The choice is simple: we share this burden, or we perish alone."

Vance slowly released his grip. He looked down, his large shoulders sagging. The young man immediately put the water bottles back into the logistics box. The people around them returned to work, this time with a calmer rhythm.

Sarah approached Joe, looking at him with curiosity. "How did you do that? It’s like you knew exactly what to say to make them stop."

Joe only gave a bitter smile. "I only said what I wanted to hear myself, Sarah."

[Leadership Points Gained: 250.]

[Emergency Safe Point: Verified by System.]

Night fell quickly, bringing a darkness that felt far denser than the nights before the Integration. In the middle of the camp, a small campfire burned, but its light only made the shadows of the surrounding ruins look more menacing.

Joe sat atop a newly finished concrete wall, clutching his iron pipe. He couldn't sleep. His instincts, now sharpened by the system, kept pulsing.

Something is watching us.

"Joe! Over there!" Sarah whispered in a hushed tone from behind the northern barricade.

From behind the darkness of the purple mist, a pair of glowing green eyes appeared, followed by dozens of others. They were Arkana Scavengers—four-legged creatures with skin like black rubber and fangs that emitted a radioactive glow. They weren't large, but their numbers were overwhelming.

"Everyone wake up! Take your positions!" Joe shouted.

Chaos erupted in an instant. The survivors who had just fallen asleep jumped to their feet, grabbing anything that could serve as a weapon: chair legs, pipes, or chunks of stone.

The creatures lunged. They climbed the zinc barricades with shocking speed. The sound of claws scraping against metal created a sickening noise.

"Hold the line! Don't let them past the fence!" Joe leaped down from his wall, smashing the head of one Scavenger that had managed to jump inside. His iron pipe let out a loud clang as the creature's skull crushed.

Vance, who had rebelled earlier, was now using a long iron rod to stab the creatures through the gaps in the barricade. "Die, you damn beasts!"

The battle was brutal within the cramped space. Joe kept moving, barking instructions amidst the screams and the acrid smell of the monsters' bluish-green blood. Every time a survivor began to waver, Joe appeared beside them, providing a moral boost that seemed to inject new courage into their veins.

"Only ten more, Miller! Push them out!" Joe kicked one creature back over the fence and struck another, sending it flying.

After nearly half an hour of exhausting combat, the attack subsided. The survivors watched as the remaining creatures fled back into the mist, leaving behind a dozen carcasses that slowly evaporated into light particles.

Joe panted, his body drenched in blue blood. He looked around. Miller was wounded in the arm, Sarah was trembling but still standing tall, and not a single civilian had died. They had won.

[Defense Successful.]

[Leader Reputation Increased.]

Joe sat on the rubble, feeling the pulse in his temples. He realized one thing: his role was no longer just about protecting himself. He was the balance between the sanity and the madness of these people. Without him, this camp would crumble in hours—not from monsters, but from their own despair.

He stared at his trembling hands. How much longer can I carry this weight?

Joe stood up slowly and walked toward the edge of the barricade facing north. On the far horizon, well beyond the ruins of the shattered city, the blue light he had seen two nights ago reappeared.

This time, the light didn't just pulse. It radiated powerfully, forming a column of energy that pierced the thick purple sky. A massive vibration traveled up through the soles of his feet—a frequency that could only be felt by those who had been integrated by the system.

"Joe? Do you see that?" Miller approached, clutching his bandaged arm.

"Yes," Joe whispered. His eyes were fixed on the phenomenon.

His exploration instinct surged. There was something there—a power, an answer, or perhaps a final challenge. He felt as if the light was calling his name, calling the Third Pillar to stop hiding behind these walls of trash.

"Joe, don't tell me you're planning to go there," Sarah said, suddenly standing behind him, her face full of anxiety.

Joe fell silent. He looked back at the campfire, at the thirty lives he had just saved from death. If he left, who would guard them? But if he stayed here, they would only be waiting for their turn to die when a larger monster arrived.

The blue light pulsed once more, brighter than before, as if giving a final warning before it was too late.

"I have to find out what that is," Joe clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. "If I don't, these walls we built will only become our most magnificent graveyard."

Just as those words left his mouth, a new system voice echoed in his head, but this time it sounded more personal, more profound.

[Global Mission Detected: Unification of the Three Pillars.]

[Time Remaining: 24 Hours.]

Joe turned toward Sarah and Miller with a changed gaze. The unease in his eyes had been replaced by a dangerous resolve. The real nightmare had only just begun, and this time, he couldn't take everyone with him.