Athena in Tower Defense Game! [LitRPG]

Chapter 147: 007 Players To Athena's Doorstep?
The world was shrouded in darkness, with only the crimson sun hanging on the horizon, its bloody hue giving the impression that it might bleed and stain the earth at any moment.
The sun had lost its power to illuminate the land, unable to dispel the creeping darkness. Thick shadows writhed, seemingly ready to engulf it whole.
Below, the oblivious humans laughed and chattered joyously.
The surrounding trees quivered, hesitant, held back by the flaming torches the humans carried.
The torches burned brightly, yet they barely illuminated a small patch of ground beneath their feet. The darkness around them seemed almost sentient, its tendrils writhing incessantly, as though trying to drag the men into its depths.
The badge pinned to the man’s chest emitted a faint glow, warding off the encroaching darkness.
Most striking of all was the object beside them—something resembling a motorbike. "Resembling" because all its wires and components were exposed, devoid of any cover, appearing more like a pile of scrap.
The man surveyed his surroundings. The sky had now fully darkened, and the restless shadows, the monsters lurking in wait, and the unease gnawing at his heart—all of it urged him to leave this wretched place.
"Are you done yet? How much longer?" The man asked, his tone laced with irritation.
His companion beside him, a dishevelled figure with long, soft black hair and a petite frame, gave an exasperated response in a gruff voice. "Stop rushin', stop rushin'! I'm workin' on it!"
“Ah, bloody hell! The component’s busted!”
Seeing his partner’s continued, futile attempts to repair the machine, coupled with that dreaded news, the man felt his heart sink.
“……”
“Looks like we’ll be walking back…” The long-haired youth, noticing his companion’s worsening expression, offered an awkward smile.
Before they set off, he had triple-checked that the bike would be enough to take them on a full circuit and return. Who could have foreseen it breaking down so suddenly?
With no choice left, he packed the remains of the contraption into his system backpack and looked back at the man.
“Let’s move.”
The man turned his head, his face concealed from the youth, yet the latter could still hear the gritted teeth in his voice, a tone that spoke volumes of his frustration. He could only feel a wave of guilt wash over him.
Although they both wielded torches, they couldn't deter the creeping, dead trees around them, which were growing increasingly bold and beginning to close in.
[ World Chat Channel ]
036: “It’s already dark. How did it get dark so quickly? Looks like I’ll have to push my adventure plans to tomorrow.”
032: “Stop makin' excuses.”
007: “Hey, anyone nearby? Coordinates shared.”
074: “You mad? Posting your coordinates like that—aren’t you afraid someone will come and raid you?”
007: “We’re stuck outside. Anyone out there? If some kind soul could come and get us, we’d even work off the debt!”
... “Lol, running about after dark? You’re just askin' for it, boy.”
... “You reckon anyone’s dumb enough to fall for that? Fishing with those low-tier tactics?”
Athena hadn’t learned her lesson from earlier in the day, as she was now huddled with the others playing cards.
She felt like she was torturing herself. She had gone through three simulations today—two training ones and one combat—and whether it was in training or fighting, all she'd experienced was getting beaten.
Beaten up during the day, and playing cards at night.
After another round, looking at her entirely disjointed hand with not a single high-value card, she handed them over to Grey, who was sitting beside her, amused by the novelty of it all, and then she opened the World Chat Channel.
Immediately, she noticed the distress signal sent by someone from Area 007.
Curious, she clicked on the coordinates.
The areas were numbered adjacently, like that member of their team who had made contact with someone in Area 003 at the boundary. For someone from a few areas away, it should have been nearly impossible to reach them.
But upon opening the coordinates, Athena's eyes lingered on the map. The shared coordinates not only displayed the other party's location but also gave her a one-sided view of her own.
She confirmed it several times. Judging by the current map display, they were no more than three kilometres away, meaning they had been moving steadily ever since the barrier was activated.
Could they have some sort of vehicle?
Perhaps a contracted beast?
It wasn’t an unreasonable thought. After all, who would have imagined that these people had exchanged various items and cobbled together a "motorbike"?
Anyone brave enough to take such a significant risk and press forward had to be powerful, at the very least capable of handling the monsters they encountered and any minor crises along the way.
Moreover, they said "we" when they sent the message. It was at least two individuals or perhaps a group. Could it be a trap?
Crossing multiple areas just to bait others into a trap?
“One… three.”
“Hahahaha! Hahaha!”
With her final card played, Grey burst into a loud laugh, breaking Athena's train of thought. Grey had managed to turn the game around, despite her awful hand.
Mikmik stared blankly at the "Bomb King" still in her own hand.
Feigning indifference, Athena glanced at the pile of discarded cards and the ones Grey held, verifying her win, before nonchalantly heading back to her room.
Once in her room, she discovered that the window was facing precisely the direction of the people from Area 007.
Three kilometres—a distance that, at a brisk pace, would take about an hour to cover. For individuals like them, who had enhanced abilities, perhaps just a half-hour sprint would suffice.
But since they had sent out a distress signal, it seemed they were trapped by something.
Athena's gaze narrowed slightly. She wasn’t sure if they’d make their way to her location.
If they managed to attack and seize her shelter, her sanctuary would merge with theirs, while her own would vanish.
Yet she knew it was a near-impossible feat. Not only was there the system barrier to contend with, but also her defensive turrets—and Athena herself would ensure they’d regret it if they even tried.
What would happen, though, if she killed them first?
Instead of attacking their sanctuary, she would just eliminate its owner. The system hadn’t mentioned that scenario.
[ World Chat Channel ]
007: “I’m not baiting! I swear! My vehicle broke down, and we’re stranded!”
... “You been drinkin’, mate? Since when do we have cars? In your dreams, pal!”
... “What happens if you kill a player who owns a sanctuary/base, without attacking their shelter first?”
036: “??”
028: “??”
[ System ]: Under normal circumstances, players are not encouraged to kill each other. However, considering the current special situation, killing a player who possesses a shelter will allow the killer to obtain half of that player’s defensive turrets and the materials for shelter upgrades from the player's system backpack!
Note: After a shelter is breached, the player will not die immediately but will become a ‘wanderer’.”