Harem Legion: Queens of the Apocalypse-Chapter 191 Hunted by Soldiers, Saved by Fury

Hanford Advanced Finance College - once, its entrance scores topped even some top-tier universities.

Simple reason: back then, graduates got guaranteed job placements. A diploma here meant a desk in a bank.

But after reform, placement policy got scrapped, and the college quickly lost its luster. Most banks began requiring at least a bachelor’s degree, leaving Hanford as an afterthought.

That was until seven years ago, when a man named Malcolm Crane became headmaster.

The guy had guts. Cracked down on academics, built ties with major finance universities, fought hard to win more "upgrade-to-bachelor" spots. Gradually, applications surged and admission scores climbed. The place clawed its way back into Northreach Province’s top vocational schools.

The original campus sat in the west of Hanford. But as success piled on, Malcolm pushed for expansion. He went to the provincial office, laid out his case. Land was cheap, the county wanted a flagship institution, so they approved the plan.

Four years ago, construction started. From a school of 7,000, it was built out to host 50,000 - artificial lakes, a massive auditorium, swimming pools, a campus cinema, even a giant market. By last year, it’d turned into Hanford City’s own Palace.

But that’s just one side of the coin.

As a leader, Malcolm had real drive, real skill. Even leaders from the province came offering promotions - but he never budged. Didn’t matter how many olive branches they threw; he stayed put, unshakable.

Why? Because the man had a fatal flaw - women.

Young ones.

His obsession cost him his family. His wife took their daughter and left the country. The girl, seventeen back then, said only one thing before leaving: "Dad, Mom gave me life, but you... you destroyed it."

After that, nobody stood in his way. Everyone knew what went on in his home. Students - pretty ones from poor families or those angling for the upgrade - went over to "tutor." Sometimes alone, sometimes in groups.

And funnily enough, they all got upgrade spots in the end.

Six months ago when the apocalypse hit, Malcolm didn’t hesitate. Grabbed five thousand students and stormed the Ashbrook Town grain bunker. Took a huge haul.

But they had no guns.

Most of them were female students.

Word came that Evan’s rogue troops were moving in. Malcolm chose not to fight - he pulled everyone back to the college, prepared to defend the campus.

Truth is, had he stayed and dealt with Evan, maybe he could’ve gotten a position. But he didn’t want to leave the girls behind.

In his mind, they were his... assets.

So when Chandler’s lads took the grain depot, they found only a handful of local survivors - Malcolm and his people had already cleared out.

Then, just a week ago, a regiment rolled into Hanford City - three thousand strong.

The Ridgehaven City regulars. Each team of three had a gun. All men. Malcolm only had about 4,700 students left under his command, with fewer than 800 being male. The gap in strength was too much. That night, he grabbed a dozen of his favorite female students and bolted, leaving nearly 5,000 students behind to guard the school.

Two days earlier, Emily and Sophia had led 200 Ice Regiment women into Hanford City. The moment they crossed the border, the lead two vehicles hit military landmines. Then came a barrage of artillery from the rear - more than 70 were blown apart in seconds. Without missing a beat, Sophia and Emily ordered everyone to crush their Metal Crystals, abandon the vehicles, and run forward.

They had no clue how many enemies there were. Even though they’d activated their Metal Crystals, pulling back blindly could land them in another trap. If it was the Ridgebreak Battalion or Springvale forces behind the ambush, they’d have already factored in their enhancements. They were playing by the book.

Moving at double normal speed, the 120-plus survivors sprinted like hell. Only Sophia had quad-speed - she broke ahead to scout. Then - boom! A blast tossed her high into the air. She twisted mid-air, landed clean, and darted back. "Emily! Enemy force ahead, big ones - we need to climb that ridge to the right, now!"

Explosions rang out behind and below them on the mountainside. Thankfully, with their Metal Crystal power still active, nobody went down. But the troops chasing them were closing in fast.

"Forty-five minutes left! We fight now or it’s over!"

Sophia hung back, scanning the rear. About 300 were chasing - more than half not Awakened. This was their only shot. Each woman had just one Metal Crystal. After those 45 minutes? They’d be sitting ducks.

The group of 120 turned and opened fire. Gunfire and grenade blasts lit up the forest.

"Emily! Sophia! More incoming! Lots of Metal Crystal troops!" a squad leader shouted.

"Retreat!"

Time was running out - less than 30 minutes left. Emily and Sophia led the remaining fighters up the mountain, soldiers hot on their heels, not giving up for anything.

The hills stretched on without end, no villages like Willowglen Village around. They kept going, over an hour straight. By the time both sides’ Metal Crystal boosts wore off, it came down to bare fists and survival.

It was stop-and-go combat. The Ice Regiment used every twist in the terrain and their defender’s edge to cut down over 400 Ridgebreak troops. They lost another 60 themselves. But more than 700 were still after them.

Only 53 remained. Everyone burnt out. Emily leaned against a tree, panting hard. "Sophia... ammo... how much do you still have?"

Sophia slumped against another trunk, just as breathless, eyes toward the sky. That swarm of giant mosquitoes still loomed above. A squad leader with a bullet wound in her arm passed insect repellent from her bag. A teammate quickly sprayed down the others.

"Have they pulled back yet?"

Midway up the slope, Emily pulled out binoculars and scanned downhill. Nothing. But across another peak - heads, movement. A new group of soldiers closing in fast.

"Five more minutes," Emily muttered, lowering the binoculars. She turned to the team. "Anyone still got ammo - report now!"

Click-click. They checked clips, one after another.

"Fifteen rifle rounds here."

"I’ve got seven pistol rounds. One grenade."

"Got 18 rifle bullets. Plus one spare pistol mag..."