Published at 24th of March 2026 7:07 am

Chapter 1786 Diverging Paths

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Hearing that there was a large group of survivors trapped in the subway, and knowing that a pack of Glutton Wolves was actively heading their way, Gary simply couldn't just leave them be.

He knew they were somewhat on a tight schedule, desperately trying to track down Midwak and the others before they relocated. Just because the enemy was known to be at one specific location didn't mean they would permanently stay there, and part of him felt like it would be incredibly difficult to convince a certain faction of their group to take a humanitarian detour.

That was when, surprisingly, right after Gary made the suggestion that they should at least warn the civilians and get them to move, Rowa brushed right past them.

The ancient vampire moved at an incredible speed, becoming a blur as he darted straight down into the dark subway station. Even Haylock and Jin looked at each other in mild surprise.

"Should we follow him?" Marie asked, her grip tightening.

"I don't hear any screaming echoing up the stairs," Kai replied, his enhanced ears twitching. "So I don't think he's executing some type of slaughter down there."

A few moments later, Rowa casually strolled back out into the ruined street.

"There are no Glutton Werewolves lurking down there, but there is a sizable base of people hiding in the dark. Over a hundred, exactly as your tracker said," Rowa commented smoothly.

"Did you warn them? No, that would have been far too quick for you to actually explain the situation and warn them," Gary deduced, narrowing his eyes.

"No. I was merely checking and confirming the situation," Rowa answered, offering no further explanation.

Since he said those words, Gary and the rest of the Howlers decided to push ahead. As they approached the front entrance of the subway, they noticed that Rowa had completely shattered through a significant section of the survivors' makeshift barricade.

"Do you mind telling us what exactly that was about?" Haylock asked his fellow vampire, sighing at the unnecessary destruction of the defenses.

"Just seeing if it was going to be a pain for us if we actually entered or not," Rowa answered coldly. "You can never truly trust if these dogs have set a trap."

As Rowa walked ahead into the gloom, Haylock and Jin exchanged another long look.

The entire group squeezed through the splintered gap and descended the concrete staircase. When they reached the bottom platform, they were met with dozens of pale, terrified faces. The survivors were trying their absolute best to hide between the thick structural beams and abandoned ticket booths, but when they saw that the intruders looked entirely human, they cautiously started to step out from the shadows.

"Are you guys... some sort of official rescue team?" one of the braver men asked, his voice trembling with hope.

"What, they sent a bunch of young kids to rescue us? Don't be stupid," a woman hissed from the back, clutching a rusted pipe.

"But I do have to ask... how did you guys manage to get all the way here?" another added. "Are there no longer any of those nightmare creatures roaming up above?"

Gary looked at Kai, and the silent exchange between their faces said it all.

"We're Altereds," Gary lied smoothly, stepping to the front. "A dedicated group of us, and we're quite strong. So we did our best to stay hidden in the shadows, and we fought hard when we had to, just to make our way here. We thought there might be survivors holed up down here when we saw the heavy barricade at the entrance."

The explanation was highly plausible to the desperate civilians.

"Look, we don't have much time. That makeshift barricade up the stairs isn't going to be able to hold those creatures back for long," Gary said, his tone turning grave. "Right now, there is a dangerous pack of them actively heading this exact way."

Panicked mumbling immediately broke out across the crowded platform.

"You absolutely have to move from here. If you stay before they arrive and scout the area, all of you will die," Gary stated firmly.

The group clearly looked shocked. But since many of them had barely survived horrific situations just to reach this underground shelter in the first place, they clearly believed the grim reality of what he had to say.

"But how can we possibly move from here? If we go out there into the open streets, we’ll be slaughtered!"

"He's right. The others that bravely left earlier... they haven't come back. I guess they already died."

Gary desperately wanted to protect them, but it wasn't as if he could realistically take the large, vulnerable group along with him. The Howlers were heading directly to the White Rose base, a place that was exponentially more dangerous.

"Isn't there another big refugee camp established near the Euston station?" a voice called out from the crowd.

"Right, right! I heard they have some heavily armed Altereds that are actively protecting them over there as well!"

One of the older men then looked pleadingly toward Gary and the others.

"Can you... can you escort us there?" the man asked, desperation in his eyes. "You managed to successfully make your way here, so you should be able to expertly avoid them and take us there safely, right? And if we do happen to run into them on the way, you could hold them off for us."

Thinking about it, Gary realized that was a viable option. Even if the Howlers stayed here and fought this incoming pack of Gluttons, who knew exactly how long it would be until another, larger group picked up the scent? If they securely escorted these people to the next fortified station filled with survivors, then maybe Gary could finally leave them in peace with a clear conscience.

"If you actually agree to this foolish errand, I am telling you right now, we will leave," Rowa stated, his voice devoid of any empathy. "We are not here to act as bodyguards and help every single helpless individual we trip over. We have a mission, and we will deal with Midwak ourselves."

Gary absorbed the ultimatum, his jaw tightening. He then turned to face the three ancient vampires.

"Then I guess this is where we part ways."

Share