Harem Legion: Queens of the Apocalypse-Chapter 62 The Sky Turned Red, Then Screamed

"This crystal only works for our people."

Magnus looked quietly at Ryan. He’d already caught on from the other officers’ expressions - these guys had seen the crystals before. That’s why they weren’t too shocked.

Ryan’s little move didn’t escape Magnus either. But he wasn’t worried. Of the eight officers in the room, only one was an Awakened - the one whose artery he’d just ruptured. The others, Ryan included, were pure regulars. They couldn’t use crystals even if they wanted to. So when Ryan pulled out a water crystal from his pocket, Magnus saw it but didn’t stop him. He didn’t need to.

"Give it here, Commander Black." Magnus reached his hand out. "The one you’re clutching."

That crystal had been found when Ryan’s unit stopped at a village a few days back for rest. He had people dig around the meteorite, found this thing, and had been fiddling with it ever since, trying everything he could think of - but with no result. He’d planned to hand it off to Cliff for research.

"Your people, huh?" Ryan narrowed his eyes, staring at Magnus. "You mean those soldiers who suddenly turned into monsters of strength?"

"Monsters?" Magnus gave a cold sneer. Outside, he kept it together, but inside, that hit a nerve. Fast - Ryan figured it out faster than expected. He’d underestimated them.

"If anyone could do what I do," Magnus said, turning his eyes to the officer beside Ryan, the one with a bandaged arm, "your whole army would’ve been in chaos by now. Hey, unwrap that arm. Let me have a look."

The officer blinked in surprise, paused, then obeyed. Yesterday on the battlefield, a stray bullet had torn into his arm. The wound hadn’t healed yet.

Magnus quietly activated the Life Crystal. His right hand was soon engulfed in a faint white mist. Suddenly, he clapped it onto the man’s arm.

"Ah - !" the officer yelped, caught off guard. Then intense itching followed. Moments later, the wound was completely gone - vanished like it never existed.

The six others, including Ryan, stared in shock. For a good beat, no one knew whether to speak or run. That kind of healing - he looked like a damn monster to them.

Magnus eyed Ryan coolly. "So?" he asked. "Your ’strong’ troops - can they do that too?"

Silence.

"Then don’t go comparing us to your bunch of meatheads," Magnus said flatly.

Inside, he was feeling the pressure. He kept throwing around "our people" like a shield - just trying to keep control. If he could keep these seven officers in line, even if they figured him out, it didn’t matter. As long as they wanted to survive, they’d play along.

If they tried anything, they’d die. Worst case for him, he’d trigger the Metal Crystal and bolt.

By 2 a.m., Magnus was still on his feet. He hadn’t slept a blink. The others could rest - he didn’t dare. Too risky.

At dawn, around five, Ryan passed on the orders. All company-level officers and above gathered. Using Magnus’s map, the unit split into several teams. Infantry carriers and troop transports rolled out, heading for the west side of Coldmere Town to start digging up meteorites.

The shovels were all scavenged from the village - every household had some. Magnus even taught them how to make fire torches and clear areas properly, just to keep them working efficiently.

Truth was, most casualties in the early days didn’t come from centipedes or spiders. Over 80% of the deaths were because of those damn giant mosquito swarms in the sky.

And this whole shovel-torch idea? It wasn’t his. It came from Cliff’s research. The Ice Regiment just copied it in the previous timeline. Magnus only gave them a head start.

Shovels, torches, bug repellents, crystals - these things would’ve figured themselves out sooner or later. Even the term "Awakened" came from Cliff in the first place.

Food and water would last three days tops. Magnus handed over two truckloads of supermarket supplies and a fire engine seized from Oliver’s squad. That added up to about ten days’ worth of rations.

Figuring 1,500 men could clear the meteors here within a week, ten days of supplies should be enough.

The troops moved in waves. Ryan and six other officers, plus a hundred soldiers tasked with protecting them, stayed behind in Coldmere Town.

By the time Magnus sorted everything out, it was already noon the next day.

He clutched a syringe in one hand, trying to fight off the waves of exhaustion crashing over him. He’d stuck close to Ryan and the others without leaving their side once. But he knew this couldn’t go on - he couldn’t stay awake forever. And if he did fall asleep... he was sure these bastards would be up to no good in no time.

He regretted not bringing a few Ice Regiment members along.

Inside the makeshift command center, Ryan and the others were casually having lunch. One look around the room told them all the same thing - Magnus was close to his limit.

Slumped on a sofa, chugging canned coffee like water, cigarette in mouth, Magnus’s mind raced for options. He had to sleep. Really sleep. And do it without worrying about getting stabbed in the back.

Only one solution.

"You. All of you. Move out. Now," he barked, suddenly standing up. His tone left no room for argument. The crushing fatigue had chewed through what little patience he had left - anyone gave him trouble now, he’d shoot first.

"We were just about to - " one officer started.

Click.

Magnus already had his gun to the guy’s head. That shut him up. Silently, the men began pulling on gear and helmets.

They stepped outside to the transport truck. The hundred bodyguards followed closely. Magnus fought off the urge to just shoot them all and whispered to Ryan, "You only get one communications officer. I’ll choose. Now give the order."

Ryan’s face darkened the instant he caught the bloodshot madness in Magnus’s eyes. Yeah, this lunatic would absolutely drop bodies if pushed.

"You all stay here. Only one comms soldier comes with us," Ryan ordered.

"Sir!" The captain of the guard looked alarmed. Something was off, and he knew it.

Ryan didn’t blink. "Do it. Now!"

"Yes, sir!" The captain snapped a salute and turned to look at the stranger who’d just bossed them around - Magnus.

From the group of a hundred, Magnus picked one. As soon as his hand touched the soldier’s shoulder, a wave of dizziness hit him like a hammer. Legs buckled, head spinning.

Shit - passing out...

Just as that thought floated to the surface, the sky above Coldmere Town darkened - suddenly and completely. Like a blink. Like a breath.

One second it was clear blue. The next, like ink spilled in water, the black spread.

The Anomaly Zone descended.