UNSEEN THREATS

Amidst the jarring explosion, a wall of dense, acrid smoke surged into the air, cloaking the scene in an ominous haze. Within the smoky darkness, flickers of flames wove through the wreckage, casting an eerie glow upon the stunned faces of onlookers.

Gasps and cries reverberated through the air as people scrambled for safety, their expressions ranging from disbelief to sheer terror.

Stare's heart raced as he acted instinctively, pulling the stunned Doush into cover behind a discarded vehicle.

"What the hell was that?" Doush finally exclaimed, his voice trembling as he regained his composure.

Such attacks were an anomaly in this era, as conflicts had become a rarity. The shock was etched across the faces of the witnesses, their fear stemming from the unfamiliarity of the situation.

After a few moments, when no follow-up explosions occurred, Stare cautiously raised his head above the vehicle's wreckage, with Doush mirroring his movement.

The security drones, ever vigilant, were already on the scene, attempting to quell the chaos.

While a couple of the hovering security drones focused on calming the panicking crowd and aiding the injured from the explosion, the rest darted into the thick smoke, determined to unveil the source of the blast and rescue survivors.

[Please remain calm. The situation is under control.] One of the drones announced repeatedly, its spherical form now pulsating with a range of colors, an attempt to reassure the crowd.

With the exception of those closely tied to the victims trapped within the building, others gradually found their anxiety easing as they witnessed the drones spring into action. Some even began grumbling and attributing the explosion to the government's recently relaxed security measures.

As the situation seemed to be stabilizing, Stare and Doush emerged from their temporary refuge, stepping into the open area where the drones were providing assistance.

With a weary sigh, Stare shifted his gaze from the lingering smoke to the grumbling citizens and the abandoned vehicles.

"This is just perfect," Stare muttered under his breath.

However, it appeared that none of the transport vehicles—or any vehicles for that matter—were showing any intention of departing soon.

While Stare pondered how he could still manage to get home on time, a fresh series of explosions resonated through the air, causing panic to resurge.

"W-What's happening?" A man who was receiving first aid from the drones stuttered, his tone laced with genuine alarm.

Once again, all eyes turned toward the thickening smoke, a growing veil of uncertainty shrouding their expressions.

"Hey, metallic buddies, don't you think your colleagues have been inside that smoke for far too long without any communication?" Another man's annoyance echoed through the crowd.

The drones seemed unperturbed by the human's tone as they abandoned their current tasks and converged at the edge of the smoke.

While a few drones dared to plunge into the smoke once more, the rest held their positions, guarding the perimeter.

Several tense minutes ticked by, and then a fresh round of explosions shattered the silence.

With collective apprehension, people watched as the hovering drones unleashed laser beams into the smoke, targeting the presumed source of the threat.

After relentless beams failed to yield any response, the lasers ceased, leaving behind a strained hush.

Most citizens trembled with fear, yet no one dared move. All eyes remained glued to the smoke, the enigmatic veil concealing their fate.

Just as hope began to flicker—indicating that perhaps the drones had neutralized the threat—two gleaming daggers connected by a chain emerged from the smoke, deftly incapacitating two of the drones. A fiery explosion ensued, sending the drones crashing to the ground, leaving just two surviving bots.

These drones fired their blasters into the smoke and in the direction from which the daggers had come, a barrage of energy bolts filling the air.

But time and again, their attacks met only silence. Eventually, the blasts ceased, the eerie quiet returning.

Though the people remained tense, the threat seemed to have vanished with the absence of response.

Suddenly, the two daggers reappeared, swift as a heartbeat, taking down the remaining drones before they could react.

"F**uuuck!"

Chaos engulfed the scene anew. Cries of despair and profanities echoed from every corner.

Those who had been standing close to the smoke scattered, putting as much distance as possible between them and the billowing plumes. Some sprinted toward their vehicles, while others fumbled to enter, desperate to flee the area.

People without vehicles or those unable to seize one gripped their phones, trembling as they dialed emergency numbers, seeking refuge in the familiar. 

Stare, too, joined in the desperate effort to reach someone or at least an emergency hotline. 

He was after all well aware that for a blade to penetrate a security drone, it must at least be at tier III weapon which was very rare and for it to successfully take out the security bots, the wielder must be an expert as well, even with his skills, he definitely knew his limit, after all he hadn't put this body under any sort of training and had only been relying on combat knowledge from his past lives.

But each attempt was met with frustration as his calls refused to connect—a bizarre occurrence that seemed to afflict others as well.

"Hey Stare, are your calls going through?…I think my phone is broken." Doush asked while hitting his phone on the palm of his other hand.

"I don't think the fault is from your phone." Stare replied with a skeptical tone as he glanced around, noticing the others struggling to get their vehicles operational as well.

"An E.T Disrupter?" His thought momentarily diverted from the chaos to the thought of a technology capable of blocking communications and techs in general.

Even as he contemplated the source of this malfunction, footfalls resounded from the smoke, capturing the attention of everyone present.

Emerging from the haze came three figures, draped in white hooded cloaks and robes, their golden metal masks leaving only their eyes exposed.

"F*ck!" Doush's voice cracked, his fear undeniable as his phone fell from his grip.

The suspenseful silence shattered, replaced by the unsettling presence of these unknown figures.