Re-Awakening: Cannon Fodder With Strongest Talent

They continued onward, leaving the square and its dead behind.

A cry from a nearby building halted their progress ten minutes later.

"Please! Help us!"

An elderly woman leaned from a second-story window, desperation etched across her wrinkled face. Below, monsters circled the building, gradually wearing down barricaded entrances.

"We have to keep moving," Uncle Lin said reluctantly. "We can’t save everyone."

Ethan assessed the situation with cold calculation.

Five monsters, all Iron-rank. The building likely contained multiple civilians. A detour would cost minutes they didn’t have to spare.

He made his decision.

"Wait here."

Before anyone could protest, he crossed the distance to the besieged building in an instant. Five monsters meant less than second of work.

The first two died before realising he was there, wind blades removing heads with clinical precision.

The third managed to turn, jaws opening in a snarl that transformed into a death gurgle as Ethan’s dagger found its throat.

The fourth and fifth followed their fate as he leapt, his Speed carrying him over their bodies. As he passed overhead, both hands extended downward. Twin fire blasts struck each monster between the shoulder blades, the concentrated heat burning through hide and bone to reach vital organs.

They collapsed, smoke rising from charred flesh.

Ethan landed lightly, turning toward the building’s entrance. "It’s clear! Come out!"

...

The door opened cautiously. The elderly woman appeared first, supported by a middle-aged daughter. Behind them, a young mother clutched an infant to her chest, eyes wide with terror.

"Thank you," the daughter breathed, taking in the monster corpses surrounding her savior. "We thought..."

"You’re not safe yet," Ethan cut her off. "We’re heading to the second wall. You can join us if you wish."

They didn’t need to be asked twice.

As they moved on, word spread. Other hiding survivors emerged from buildings, drawn by the growing procession led by the powerful stranger who killed monsters with ease.

Within twenty minutes, their group had swelled to nearly a hundred souls.

Ethan adjusted their route accordingly, leading this impromptu exodus through the safest paths his enhanced senses could detect. When monsters appeared—and they did, with increasing frequency—he dispatched them efficiently, never allowing threats to penetrate the perimeter he maintained around his charges.

Uncle Lin fell into step beside him during a rare quiet stretch. "These people look to you now."

Ethan nodded once, acknowledging without responding.

"Why help them? You don’t know them."

The question wasn’t accusatory, merely curious.

Ethan considered it longer than expected. "Because I can."

Simple words that carried complex implications. Power brought responsibility—or at least the choice of whether to exercise it.

They continued in silence, the second wall gradually appearing through gaps between buildings. Its massive stone structure promised safety beyond—relative safety, at least, if the monsters breached the outer districts entirely.

Hope visibly surged through the refugee column.

"Almost there," someone whispered.

The checkpoint appeared ahead—heavily guarded, soldiers processing the trickle of late-arriving refugees with meticulous care. Even from a distance, Ethan noted the tension in the guards’ postures, the way they rejected more than they admitted.

They’re limiting entry.

Their group approached the barrier, drawing immediate attention. A hundred refugees approaching at once represented a logistical nightmare for the overwhelmed checkpoint.

A captain stepped forward, expression hardening at the sight of so many hopeful faces.

"Halt! Checkpoint’s at capacity. Only five more allowed through."

Disbelieving murmurs rippled through the assembled refugees.

"Five?" Tiana echoed. "Out of all these people?"

The captain’s face remained impassive. "Orders from above. Second District can’t support unlimited refugees."

"These people will die if left outside," A young survivor stated, with emotion.

"Not my problem," the captain replied. "Five only. Choose quickly."

Before Ethan could respond, chaos erupted behind him. The crowd that had followed him, united in their journey, fractured instantly.

A young mother pushed forward, infant thrust toward the guards. "Please! My baby!"

An elderly man hobbled to the front. "I have family inside! They’re expecting me!"

Others surged forward, desperation overwhelming gratitude. Those who had praised Ethan’s protection moments earlier now abandoned all pretense, seeking personal salvation.

"Me! Take me!"

"I have three children!"

"I’m a doctor! The city needs me!"

Ethan watched the transformation with detached interest. Human nature revealing itself under pressure, selfishness triumphing over community in the face of death. He didn’t blame them, they were indoctrinated to believe that only the soldiers could give them salvation in this city.

Nobody else.

Not everyone forgot. A small contingent—perhaps fifteen of the hundred—held back, expressions betraying disgust at their companions’ behavior.

"Have you no shame?" A middle-aged man shouted at the surging crowd. "This man saved your lives! Brought you safely here! And now you trample each other to abandon him?"

The elderly woman Ethan had rescued from the circling monsters stepped forward, her daughter supporting her frail frame.

"I would rather die with honour than live knowing I betrayed my saviour," she announced, voice carrying surprising strength.

Her words shamed some, hardened others. The crowd separated into those desperately seeking entry and those who stood by Ethan in bitter solidarity.

Ethan observed it all without visible emotion. He understood their nature—fear driving decisions, survival instinct overwhelming higher reasoning.

These weren’t evil people, merely frightened ones.

He’d been about to reveal his silver rank, to force the issue with power rather than persuasion, when a commotion at the checkpoint drew his attention.

"What’s the holdup here?" A commanding voice cut through the chaos.

The crowd parted as a figure in general’s livery approached, irritation evident in his stride.

The captain snapped to attention. "Sir! Refugee situation, sir. We’re at capacity and—"

"I can see that," the general cut him off. "What’s the specific issue?"

"We can only admit five more, sir. They’re fighting over the spots."

The general surveyed the scene with detachment, his gaze abruptly freezing as it landed on Ethan.

He immediately recognised him, after all. How could he forget the face of someone so...dangerous?

"You!"

After all, he was fighting the panther alongside him in a life-or-death battle.