《You Can't See The Sky》 Preface And Prologue Preface And Prologue Just a few quick things before the prologue. Hi, I''m Let It Rain. My work is meant to be read online, although I have my patreon (and maybe my ko-fi), where I''ll post more chapters if it happens to be helpful. I''m publishing this in Royal Road and Scribble Hub. For those in RR, you can check this in SH to see more tags. There''ll be light management and some little politics, nothing too much. It does matter, but it''s not the focus here. This is an alternative modern world, another universe. Yes, there are ''winks'' to certain things, but such is my wish. Now that I''ve said that, I do not intend any hate or negative opinions about anyone''s peoples. Whenever something comes up, controversial or monumental, it''s just satire, one way or another. It is also ''my story'', not what I think ''history'' should be like, and so on. That''s about it. Thank you for reading, and if you like this, I hope you keep reading, always ^,^.
In the 10th century, between 910 and 920, the world witnessed disorder for the first time in nearly 200 years since the Green Transformation. Nearly all of that peace was gone, just because of a few wrong sentences and accidental slip ups on live feed. Bioweapons made their appearance despite their very well-known end from another time. It caused utmost fear across the world. However, and fortunately, such a thing never went further than that. Perhaps the night skies becoming illuminated by enormous bodies of light, soaring into the heavens, were scary, but they were handled, somehow¡­ However, in the end, these accidental, extreme actions were ultimately neutralized. They flew across the sky, only going up and higher. But they were guided elsewhere, where not much life is seen, even in the vast oceans, and saved everything and everyone from ever suffering something like that. However, there was one ¡®casualty¡¯ that couldn¡¯t share such aid, or luck. Preut, the once richest state in the Lymoca, also not yet 200 years of independence, suffered one hasty self-destruction above its sky. It was a beautiful sight, one to never forget, but also one that seeded fear into a few tens of millions of hearts since that night for the following months. A blast so light green yet illuminated like spheres of pure light spread throughout, falling on Preut, rich, beautiful, and flourishing even after several dozens of years. But nothing happened, and as years went on, other than covered situations where people died from sudden toxicity, gaining a new word to the record of fearsome deaths, Preut continued shining. Of course, there was one discrepancy than before the event. Their luscious trees, known to harbor one of the most cherished types of wood in the world, began rotting and killing everything they rooted around. The years went by, and like that, Preut gradually became a source of concern for the world¡¯s nature enthusiasts and research organizations. One of the 10 richest states in the world worryingly became one without tourists and with some nations bad-mouthing the independent Nation State, as it was declared in the Green Transformation. The world continued breathing, and the waters continued flowing underneath. Perpetrators and saviors weren¡¯t much known, to the public, at least. . . . 1,014, Lymoca¡¯s capital, Proteros. At the Presidential Precinct. Everything was packing with people, cameras, mostly people, and bright lights everywhere. It was as if to make their brand-new president look whiter and more dashing in the cameras. He was already handsome, but even his suit was perhaps around 2 million credits, not counting any social points to discount it. The new president laughed and held a young girl¡¯s arm, saluting the cameras and craning his neck to look for some people. Not reporters, political parties¡¯ members, supporters and those who lightly smiled and clapped, or more cameras; just people. However, that proved difficult. His light brown skin and gray-black eyes were dashing, he was very handsome. And tall, of course. The internet would never let go of his 1.91 meters of pure leg-weakening genes. He had short, flat black hair, deeply accentuating a manly aura that made him seem like the best father beside his daughter, who hugged his right arm elegantly. Although his smile appeared silly at times, the shininess he showed was enough to cover that up. His daughter was quite different, but knowing the beauty the country¡¯s new president had wifed, one could only feel jealous and proud of such genes. Barely 14 years old, the creamy white golden lass, with beautiful golden, blonde hair cascading down her body and flowing with her movements, made her seem like a modern little princess. Her profound black eyes suddenly narrowed just as her father¡¯s smile was disappearing, failing to see a good spot of people to brag to his daughter about. ¡°I¡¯m very proud of you, daddy!¡± The daughter said, rubbing her face on his arm, showing no makeup stains on the latter. The president looked down and tenderly smiled. He didn¡¯t notice the infinitude of more clicks and powerful yet ¡®transparent¡¯ flashes flooding them as he petted his daughter¡¯s little head and said loving words of a father only they could hear. Lymoca¡¯s new president had been more or less confirmed about a month ago, but only now were those votes and numerous checks confirmed. Thus, after a ¡®peaceful¡¯, long wait, the country celebrated the new president of Lymoca! ¡­ A few minutes later, with endless images and footage of the president meeting his cabinet, shaking hands, smiling, palming their arms or backs, and so on. The president entered the Presidential Precinct¡¯s main building. It was immensely widespread in a square shape, with unique designs at the corners, making it seem like it used to be a monstrous fortress, huge and impenetrable. It was, and as a matter of fact, it is the historical center of Lymoca¡¯s early days, when they were only an immense tribe, the Lys. However, it strangely had a very tall new addition. It soared up to a little more than 800 meters, becoming extremely large, larger than any other structure in the country. It was built during the last 200 years, far from the Green Transformation it once fathered to the world. It wasn¡¯t known how intelligent it was to create something like this for a perfect ¡®palace¡¯ that needed no further construction. It was meant to be for workers, leaving the security in the main building, while those in the tower did either paperwork or cleaning. The president entered his office, wearing a gladdened, gloating smile. When he opened the doors, leaving his daughter to her security chief from now on, he was greeted by many faces. His cabinet had already rushed there before he entered his reception area outside his new presidential office, waiting for him. His vice president, secretary, and the son whose father died before this ceremony, and was Lymoca¡¯s previous president, who also won the presidency with their political party, Lymoca¡¯s Vanguard. He looked at everyone, giving his female vice president a little nod, before smiling at the leader of Lymoca¡¯s Vanguard. ¡°Everything¡¯s perfect, isn¡¯t it?¡± The president said, wearing a wide, silly smile. The political leader politely smiled before saying, ¡°Of course it is, we left it like that for you, hahaha!¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± - ¡°Hahahaha!¡± The others laughed in unison, making the president a little embarrassed. He rubbed his nose and let go of the man¡¯s shoulder, resting at ease and standing in a small circle. The man looked at him with side eyes before saying, rising his volume with his voice deepening. ¡°Hey, Luis. The day has come. Are you ready to be put to work?¡± The man said, lightly hitting the president¡¯s back. Luis nodded, saying to his cabinet, ¡°I am here for that, am I not? He-hum. I am grateful for everyone here. I will do my best for Lymoca, and continue leading our country. For a better future!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± The crowd responded to Luis, who slightly raised his right fist and his chin. They lifted their left hand, with some hitting their chest afterwards. Their celebrating, quiet meeting began, with Luis catching up with his cabinet and the rest mingling together. Luis spent more time with his vice president, excited to begin working his brand-new job. Who would¡¯ve thought that years after his wife died, from a mere public servant to a politician, he¡¯ll rapidly become the president? Very few things could make a person believe and not believe their lives and fate so far. This was just one of them, but it carried so much heaviness. Did Luis know that? At some point, Luis¡¯s vice president reunited with him again, wearing a work-attitude face. She ushered him a little with her right shoulder before learning her back on a wall. ¡°What are you thinking right now, president Heartez?¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Luis Heartez smiled and drank a tiny bit of juice before facing her. His voice was low but contented, clearly proud of his feat. ¡°Lesly, I am, of course, feeling so damn great. Hey, are you ready to be put to work, vice president Rivera?¡± Lesly Rivera looked at him and took a sip from her glass. She forced up a smirk before saying with a resting face, ¡°We all here should. But, president?¡± ¡°Oh, um, yes?¡± Luis responded, a little silent. Lesly nodded and took half a step forward, nearly confronting him, and lifted her face. ¡°Should you ask everyone if they are ready to put their part in this? Shouldn¡¯t a president make sure they are doing their job instead? It¡¯s your call¡­ president.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis looked at Lesly¡¯s back, who walked away and even headed outside after just an hour in the meeting. After a few seconds, Luis half-recomposed himself and began chatting with his cabinet and other supporters. Finally, after another 3 hours, with the night seeping in, Lymoca¡¯s Vanguard¡¯s president announced to everyone in the middle of Luis¡¯s office. ¡°Guys, please come! It¡¯s time to give an end to this celebration and let our president rest. Today, and from now on, we are a new Lymoca!¡± His voice immediately gained attention from everyone, one way or another. Luis smiled thinly, the left corner of his mouth accentuated, before joining the rest in another small circle. ¡°It is with everyone¡¯s effort that this was successful. Now, let¡¯s give our president some respect and leave. Ah! If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll have some words with the president. Leave us, leave us.¡± The man said, watching everyone exit the room with smiles and praising him and the president. Luis waited on his spot, enjoying his popularity, with his left hand in his pants pocket and his right one holding an empty glass. He said to the man after only a few were left before they were alone in the office; in his office. ¡°Mister Estandarte, you¡¯re very handy for these things. You¡¯re older and more experienced than me in politics. I¡¯m very grateful for your aid.¡± ¡°Aid? Yes, I¡¯m helping you. Come, right now. Let¡¯s get some good shots. I saved it for the best, us, haha.¡± Estandarte said, putting a quizzical frown at first before humorously chipping Luis to follow him. While following the man, Luis thought back to Lesly and her departing figure, not noticing until now that the other ¡®half¡¯ of the 2 strongest political parties in the country¡¯s leader left after her. ¡°That your glass? Give it, let¡¯s enjoy a little chat first, ah~.¡± Estandarte grabbed the glass from Luis¡¯s extended right arm before placing them together with his glass on a small table beside Luis¡¯s desk. ¡°So, tell me. Have you thought which opportunities you choose first? I can repeat them to you, the first 3 were mine, remember.¡± Estandarte said, filling his glass as he did. Luis seemed to fully recover his wits as he shook his head a bit. He tapped the table with his left index and middle finger twice before saying, ¡°No, I was actually working more on other things. I¡¯ve thought of some matters that¡­ do seem to be the people¡¯s¡­ unscratched itch, you know? They are easy to solve. Also, I¡¯ve been thinking of my next cabinet for my second term. Miss Zebel-¡± ¡°What? Wait¡­ Wait, wait, wait. First, you don¡¯t want to pick some of the things we proposed for you? And what the hell is that of Zebel? Don¡¯t tell me you listen to her now? Her husband is the figure you should care about, not his fucking wife!¡± Estandarte said, putting Luis¡¯s glass at the side, just as he was about to fill it. With only his glass full of rich, expensive, tasty liquor, Estandarte emptied half its content before looking at Luis with a hardened face, almost growing red. ¡°What the hell is that about your second term? Have you told anyone? It¡¯s important you do as we said, nothing else!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis halted at this moment, about to say something. He looked at Estandarte and suddenly felt he was seeing another person. He looked down at his empty glass and smirked a little before speaking with a slightly annoying, haughty tone. ¡°I¡¯m the president of Lymoca. Lys count on me. They voted for me, and they want to see what I¡¯m capable of. That, I have to say, Mu?oz, it¡¯s gonna be a lot.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Luis nodded sideways with his chin to the left. ¡°I did tell Miss Zebel. I¡¯m even having her as my advisor. Her husband is the senate¡¯s star, how could she be simple? Besides, they both have expressed goodwill towards me. Of course, I told her, and her husband should know, too. They aren¡¯t dangerous to our plans. They want to help!¡± Mu?oz Estandarte¡¯s face finally grew red as Luis spoke, but he contained himself, muttering many ¡®how could¡¯ and ¡®what were you thinking¡¯ but always stopping. However, when he heard Miss Zebel¡¯s husband knows about it, and that the word ¡®goodwill¡¯ of them towards Luis Heartez, Mu?oz froze. ¡°Are you out of your fucking mind?!¡± Estandarte blasted away with no further hesitation. He placed his hands on Luis¡¯s shoulders. Only now did the president remember his status, but he was too stupefied to confront Estandarte, who only raged on. ¡°Haha. What are our plans? Aren¡¯t you getting ahead of yourself? We planned this for decades! My father worked his fucking ass to pave the road. Do you think this was just because we sat and chatted, drank juice, and had a random talk but suddenly decided to do this?! Those are my plans! My family¡¯s plans! And now you¡¯re saying others know about it? Fuck off, ah!¡± ¡°Whatever. Don¡¯t do anything else, okay? I need to check some things real quick, so can¡¯t stay. Have a good night, president.¡± Estandarte said, turned around to down his drink, and gave his back to Luis, exiting his office. Luis looked at Mu?oz¡¯s back, falling a little pensive with a flabbergasted expression. *** At Lymoca¡¯s utmost, central western tiny lump of land. Preut. In Prequa¡¯s southwestern, high quality residential districts. In a night full of quietness and little to no bright coming from the night sky. Maybe a compensation for the brightness everywhere around Prequa and the other estate districts of the Nation State. Whatever the case, in one of the those many rich houses, of the smallest in these neighborhoods, a house still had many lights on even as it was 11 PM. Music came from upstairs, as did some yellow lights. There was no one in the kitchen downstairs, but their lights were bright, white, and on since hours ago. Some dancing, or other physical activities, sounded from above, where a bedroom with no door, leaving a gape of 3 meters of what a wall should be, was below. In that bedroom, with only a thin curtain that barely impeded bright lights from penetrating, a small bed for a kid was placed in the middle, with a computer on a complex, large desk at the side. Besides that, there was only a drawer and a little table near the window, everything else was empty. On that bed, over the blankets, a boy held his head. His fingers were separated and spread far from each other. His palms covered his ears as he pushed them further into his ears, sometimes hurting himself. The boy¡¯s eyes were fully open, but not extensively. He was calm and quiet, but only he knew how annoyed his heart felt. He didn¡¯t move away or rotate. Ever since a few hours ago, trying to sleep ¡®early¡¯, he¡¯s been unable to due to the music and hitting sounds from above. Each of them, even the smallest or even barely audible sliding sounds creaked inside his body like something cutting long and sharply from within it. Yet, he moved not. He remembered, just this afternoon, how the Preut news broadcasted Lymoca¡¯s presidential celebration, which seemed more like a private meeting than a festivity. Everything was quiet, tranquil, and serene. He even sat with his mother, sister, and his sister¡¯s boyfriend on the sofa to watch it a little. Yet, just several hours later, things went back to him just ¡®taking it since it wasn¡¯t something harmful¡¯, as if nothing changed. It was a little cold, but the weather was heating up lately. Even then, this wouldn¡¯t be in the 2 digits of times the boy has slept with no blankets, and only after semi-losing consciousness to tiredness. ¡®So long¡­ for tranquility.¡¯ The boy thought, blinking once before relaxing his hands. The music and sounds from above became heightened like never before. He flinched at the absurdly loudness it had compared to just then, but he gave up. It wasn¡¯t the first time it happened. It wouldn¡¯t be the last time it happened. He would grow more tired again some other day. Before going back to his non-moving activity, the boy looked at a corner of the curtain, where a fine, decent wooden model of a palace-like structure with several systems for its livelihood intricately detailed, could barely be seen. His darkened light black eyes looked at it for numerous seconds without moving before darting away without a ripple. No emotion. It was very beautiful and innovating, though. *** 3 years later. Lymoca, Presidential Precinct. In the president¡¯s office. ¡°¡­¡± Luis Heartez sat on a chair facing the window, away from his desk. But his face was down. He held his temples with his widened eyes slowly forcing out a squint, expelling tears as they became reddened, and somewhat sickly. The phone several meters away, facing another armored window, kept screaming from a female voice who now seemed hurried. Meanwhile, the country befell an unexpected, heartrending loss. The doors of the office opened, where a barely young woman rushed inside, with the president¡¯s presidential secretary stopping behind her with a helpless face. The daughter went to her father¡¯s back and hugged him, comforting him as if he was the child instead. So far, Luis¡¯s term was okay. Nothing was being critically achieved, but he wasn¡¯t being stupid, other than embarrassing them here and there with their neighbor overlord, ANS, and other overseas leaders. His secretary slowly stepped in and closed the doors, slowly backtracking to leave the lonely family to their grief. The secretary was really good at being quiet, and understanding the situation. In another place in the main building, Lesly Rivera kept supporting herself on a golden, lavish wall as the surrounding workers looked at each other¡¯s phones or monitors. Even the senior workers were engrossed in the media since a minute ago. It was¡­ crushing. ¡°Sniff. No matter.¡± Lesly picked herself up and stood up before walking away. Taking her phone out, she began dialing someone whose voice was wholly broken and helpless. A man¡¯s voice, one that would otherwise gain lots of attention and brighten any pair of eyes that heard it. Today, right now¡­ however¡­ It only gained tears. ¡°He¡¯s that opportunity¡­ I don¡¯t know what shit you and whoever else is planning¡­ But if you¡¯re to choose, let it be him, now.¡± Lesly voiced back to her phone before going out of the main building with her shoulders moving back and forth, back and forth¡­ ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: ''Ly'' is read as ''Leae''. Leaemoca, Lymoca. Chapter 1 — There Are Many Things Of This World… There Are Many Things Of This World¡­ In 1,017, Preut. A kid whose life is ordinary, albeit poor, and different from other kids his age or older, unbeknownst to him, began to think differently. At first, it was more like a curiosity, but then, things became less explicable, even in his very own mind. Little by little, the kid began to feel different, too. Or, it could be said he finally felt. Things were still as usual for him, and anyone related to him closely. He attended school and continued finishing his daily homework and doing little to nothing when returning home. Having enough luck, the kid had a computer, but only used it to watch videos and read about many things. The computer had only been with him for a couple of years, but seeing him work with it so well was one of the reasons his mother didn¡¯t limit his time on the computer for too much. The kid was only 10 years old, but he was skilled in craftsmanship. When he was only a few months into one of the school¡¯s specialized courses, he managed to create a mini-version of a model of a small house that ¡®beginner professionals¡¯ would achieve after studying in a fancy university. At least after several weeks. It was much less hectic than the original version, but it was still not something a little kid with such inexperience should have made. It could be said to be perfectly done, but it lacked the intricacies the original had. Either way, the kid became a very valuable little thing in his house because of it. It couldn¡¯t be said that his personal life was all good. He had a sister several years older than him and an old mother who appeared older than she should at the still not that ¡®too old¡¯ age of 77. Nevertheless, despite being the smallest child in the house, he wasn¡¯t spoiled or even taught many things. In a way, letting him have the computer made things easier for her, as he learned through it what he should¡¯ve through her instead. It could be somewhat of a guilty feeling being washed by giving him such an ¡®expensive¡¯ toy, but that worked well for her, and for their family. Or so it seemed. Unexpectedly, the kid managed to watch many horrible, unseeable things on the internet. Not by seeking it, merely by chance. One would think that things like this would happen much less after so many years of history are shared across the world, but alas¡­ Nevertheless, those things didn¡¯t weird the kid out¡­ nor scare him too much. While he was easily scared when he was a little younger by things such as darkness, playing video games too much, and seeing other people feel terrible or terrified¡­ those things did not affect this kid. Although, he did start to watch ¡®adult¡¯ things from a very young age because of it. But even then, that wasn¡¯t what brought this kid, whose slight changes should have been easily noticed by those near him, let alone his mother, to a more ¡®advanced¡¯ train of thought. Like a function being discovered in his system, albeit he was no machine to be ¡®fixed¡¯, and he started to know it soon enough. He experimented with thoughts for the first time in his life. This kid is named Phesx Caolia, a combination of words from the universal language, a commodity in one of the ¡®newest¡¯ nations in this Sanctum Order of the world. He is from the little branch family of the Caolia family, living near other such branches nearby, in the same neighborhood. His mother, Rubena Caolia, is a 77-year-old lady. She always slouches, although how much differs depending on her state and mood of the day. But she always has time to show love to her daughter and her daughter¡¯s boyfriend, and maybe deal with her son. She sometimes wears large, pentagonal glasses, which embarrasses her a lot. The whole family needed glasses, but only Phesx Caolia¡¯s sister wore them the most, but that wasn¡¯t even most of the time. Rubena Caolia has a mix of brown and white, pale skin. His sister, Cansa Caolia, has brown skin and black hair, while Rubena already had an obscure gray long hair tied to a thick-braided ponytail. Rubena had many wrinkles, and having gone through cancer chemotherapy, her body was dragged down by its ¡®secondary¡¯ effects. The mother used to clean and advise in other houses regarding a few things, nothing officially, but she worked well her ways. Nevertheless, at a slightly too early age, she could no longer do so, and the reasons were pretty obvious. It did lower the income of the house, as the father, Loan Engende, still gave them alimentary pension for Phesx, while Cansa had finished her studies a few years ago already. Of course, anything about him was unknown to Phesx, who hadn¡¯t seen him in more than 7 years, since he was 3. But even then, as Cansa Caolia had finished her studies, she quit her job and has been living leisurely in the house. Her boyfriend, Jord, is a tall, slender, brown, and slightly older young man than Cansa. That was the Caolia family, at least in this house. They lived in the southern rich housing residences in the Prequa section, one of Preut¡¯s 3 sections. With the Centralized Parliament in the middle of it all. Prequa had the largest and most elaborated farms, and one of the least-worst economies among the 3 sections. It is in the south of Preut, taking the largest amount of terrain from the 3, even comparable to the other 2 put together. Although its housing is a little scarce in comparison. Prona, the northeastern section, has the most stable wealth in the nation state, with the once upon a time largest forest, now dying and causing quite some panic in Preut since a couple of decades ago. They had the most lavish rich residences in the nation state, and maybe overall one of the richest small residential districts in the world. That was how rich Preut was and somehow still is. Prei, the northwestern section, had the largest population of nearly 30 million. Each section has about 1,500-1,700 square kilometers. Adding their wealth, they are rather extremely well populated in abundance, but wherever most of the money goes is another question. Most of these 3 sections are all impoverished. The working districts, where many built their homes nearby or in between buildings at the center of each section for business and the like, is where most population lives in Preut. In comparison, Prona did best, while Prequa provided most of the essentials to Preut. Prei was more difficult to live in. One could easily see this wasn¡¯t a paradise to live in, which was perhaps why most nations in the world warned their people of not traveling to Preut since several decades ago. Not just because of their unique wood from their one-of-a-kind trees¡¯ withering. However, Preut didn¡¯t change, and life in it remained the same, more or less. ¡­ In 1,018, Phesx Caolia started understanding things through himself and his computer. It was easy to gain access to more information on the internet, although Preut was isolated from the outside, with their own functions and methods to communicate. Their reach with the outside world might be basically nothing, but they still had freedom and an ample variety of things to do on the internet, so they couldn¡¯t complain. If only¡­ Phesx¡¯s craftsmanship only improved, bringing himself many extra points in school because of it. The professor in charge of the specialized course was all hyped-up to bring Phesx to a future stage where he could shine. At first, he felt he found a talented kid, but after seeing what he could do with just several months of elementary training, and his innovative instinct, he was convinced to rise a star from the beginning. Even the director became involved, cooperating with the professor to think of a few things. Their school wasn¡¯t anything famous or even remotely seen across Prequa, let alone the rest of Preut, or the world. However, even they, who traveled outside when they were younger, knew Phesx was really something exponentially unique. Nevertheless, as Phesx Caolia found himself and thought more and more at the age of 11, his silence became key to identify him. His resting, seemingly tired, saddened light black eyes were one of the things he became only known for, as he was practically asocial. However, since he still showed growing capabilities, with his hands¡¯ work amazing even some experts in the field, the professors and the school¡¯s director didn¡¯t bother Phesx with any questions. Counting the silence he always carries at home, nobody did anything for Phesx Caolia. Little by little, the year went by, and Phesx Caolia turned 12. However, during the 10th to 12th month before 1,019, Phesx Caolia began seeking his mother for one sole reason. He wanted to drop out. His mother was startled. How could he?! She had finally seen something of worth in her son, and something that many seemed to like in him. Never had Rubena been contacted by her family after she couldn¡¯t go clean their houses anymore after chemotherapy, and without asking for some help in some matters. And now he wanted to stop it? Rubena decisively refused. She couldn¡¯t allow such a thing. However, Phesx Caolia insisted, something he never did before, not even when he wanted to go to the zoo, or some fair or amusement park. Phesx was really bent on this. On the 11th month, Rubena began to show worry. Near the end of the month, she started having talks with her son¡¯s school. She finally knew of his behavior, and how silent he was, even refusing to answer his professors after some incidents where he mumbled incoherent words before giving half-right answers. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. It wasn¡¯t a public humiliation, not always, but it seemed to take a huge toll on her poor kid. Thus, to the school¡¯s incessant attempts to change Phesx¡¯s mind, or convince him and his mother, Phesx Caolia dropped out before the next year, granting Phesx Caolia¡¯s first wish¡­ in his life¡­ come true. Just like that. Although Phesx Caolia felt strangely at ease, he felt little to nothing after the fact, and simply started living with utter leisure from then on. His mother was disappointed, heavily. As a matter of fact, she barely event dealt with him, only giving him a few sentences whenever he didn¡¯t speak first to ask for food or if his clothes and sheets could be cleaned. The year was spent in the computer, nearly most of the day. He was well-behaved and did his chores, even sometimes washing his sister¡¯s and her boyfriend¡¯s dirty dishes and helping move things when Rubena cleaned the house. It was a pretty calm life of leisure. However, how did Phesx Caolia feel all these months after dropping out? He definitely felt a weight he didn¡¯t have to carry be lifted from himself, which helped in more than one way¡­ But he still felt dragged down, back, and heavily. The 1,020th year came, at last. At last¡­ ¡­ In 1,020, Phesx Caolia was just sitting on the sofa with the large TV on the table showing news from Lymoca, the nation they were once part of as Preut. A few hundred years of history did a lot to the people¡¯s mentality, so no one in Preut ever cared about such things, and from what he has seen on the internet, nobody in Lymoca really cares as well. ¡°¡­As you can see, the elections have finally arrived. It is the first month, but many candidates have long finished their campaigns, said what they had to say, and done their part to seek everyone¡¯s votes since last year¡¯s semester. It¡¯s been a strange 6-year-term, hasn¡¯t it?¡± On the TV, a decently dressed white woman spoke in a set before turning to her male co-host. The middle-aged man with short, black, curly hair smiled somewhat forcefully before looking at the camera. Everything reflected in the 13-year-old Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes. ¡°It has been rough, I¡¯d say. Let¡¯s start with the actual president, who¡¯s fighting for his second term, something never really seen before in the country.¡± As soon as his words reached here, the female co-host added, ¡°Indeed! We¡¯ve all experienced the betrayal at the beginning of his term, directly breaking one of our nation¡¯s most respected constitutional laws. It¡¯s been rough¡­¡± ¡°It is unforgivable. What¡¯s more, every single government branch in our country were united. Something worthy to say after a sad lack of life after the Green Transformation gradually dissipated.¡± The female co-host continued, ¡°However, these last 3 years show something else. The construction of so many agricultural lands and projects, and the new reforms to let people have the freedom to build their farming lives as how it is supposed by law, have shown notorious improvement.¡± ¡°Dani¡­¡± The middle-aged man smiled helplessly and lifted his hand to signal to his co-host, but she kept looking at the camera and smiled thinly before saying, ¡°ANS have show dissatisfaction to our president, can you believe it? After so many ¡®different¡¯ presidents, they have finally stopped treating our nation¡¯s representative like a friend everyone knows but doesn¡¯t acknowledge.¡± ¡°Dani.¡± The male co-host¡¯s eyes widened a little. Phesx also rose his eyebrows, surprised at this ¡®breaking the system¡¯-like situation. But the female co-host still continued, with the middle-aged man starting to signal behind the cameras. ¡°We¡¯ve also seen refusals from our president to the ¡®bigger picture¡¯ that has always been notoriously above us. We never saw that before, even less after they went quiet when he refused the umpteenth time they¡¯ve ¡®proposed¡¯ building their military bases¡¯ forces in our homes. What does anyone else think-¡± ¡°And here comes the actual President, Luis Heartez, into the presidential precinct.¡± The middle-aged co-host interrupted the woman, even stepping out of the desk and standing closer to the camera, hiding the woman and her surprised, widened eyes. ¡°The elections will start just this week¡¯s 7th day, but the entire nation is looking and- uh. Look what ravishing smile our president graces us with, haha!¡± The male co-host touched his left ear and made a pleased expression before saying those words as the TV changed and showed Lymoca¡¯s president. He just showed his dashing smile before turning around and walking up the stairs leading to the presidential precinct¡¯s main building. Clapping and light cheering behind the camera aimed at the president¡¯s back. However, Phesx felt weird, as if he could tell just how many people were behind. However, it still sounded a little loud and bountiful. He simply continued eating a simply cooked steak as he continued watching. It was just past 6 am, and some morning lights showed in Lymoca¡¯s capital, but Preut was still far from it, so Phesx¡¯s house was covered in dark even now. As the news continued, showing some international happenings around the south of the supercontinent, Phesx Caolia stood up and went to the kitchen to wash his dish. He served himself some soda and returned to the sofa, but changed the broadcast channels to a streaming platform. However, as he changed it, he could now look at the time and realized he had been there for a few hours already. Phesx stood up with his head down and went to the downstairs bathroom, careful to not make any noise. As he neared the obscure bathroom door, he felt like he was tumbling a little, but as usual, he went in, closed the door, and calmly turned the lights on. As he sat down and waited, he felt his torso and head moving back and forth involuntarily. It was very negligible, but to him, it was far too obvious. His light black eyes remained unperturbed until he came out of the bathroom and resumed watching TV. Occasionally, Phesx Caolia took his phone out and checked a few things, mainly from video games. At times, he stopped watching and played a match of something, or a few, before watching more TV. Like this, once it was 10 AM, and he heard noises from above, Phesx Caolia returned to his room, without a door, just a curtain, and turned his crappy computer on. Rubena Caolia came down after several minutes, with Cansa and Jord also coming downstairs about 5 minutes later. Sound started from the kitchen and living room, to which Phesx Caolia put his headphones on and some loud music of his little mind¡¯s taste before starting reading something with unperturbed eyes. ¡­ Somewhere in the afternoon, Phesx Caolia finally stood up and exited his bedroom, moving the curtain a little to directly step into the living room. His mother was in the kitchen, talking with Cansa about things like when their clothes would be ready, and if Cansa was going out. He directly went to the bathroom and took a piss before washing his hands. Phesx Caolia stopped and looked at himself in the small mirror. At 13 years old, Phesx Caolia is 1.70 meters tall, has light brown skin, light black eyes, and a mix of black and brown strand colors for hair. His hair is naturally strangely shaped. His left side is easy to comb backwards, more than it already naturally does. While the right side has similar properties, it is smooth and flat, unlike the left side, which is a little resistant to any accommodation. After looking at himself in the mirror with ripple-less eyes, perfectly seeing his reflection like always, he dove his head down and washed his face for nearly half a minute before drying his hands on a towel and coming out. He directly went to his bedroom and dried his face with his towel there. It was just another day. Phesx Caolia returned to his computer and continued his daily activities. Somewhere around 8 pm, he checked his curtain was well-closed before sitting in his chair, lowering his pants as he looked at the screen, showing no change. Unperturbed. At last, when it was 10 pm, he left the computer and went to bed. It had been a few hours with no one coming down, and everyone had already dinned. Thus, he roped himself in his bedsheets in tranquility. Yet, just 2 minutes later, 2 people came downstairs. With loud, slapping footsteps on the floor, they started the stove and clanked frying pans and spatulas nonstop for a minute before things became a little silent. However, that is when kissing noises and slight movement body-to-body began sounding. In his bedroom, Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes, which opened the moment he heard them coming down, looked at the empty air in front. They continued kissing ¡®silently¡¯ and moving things around, opening and closing the fridge, much to Phesx Caolia¡¯s senses, causing irritation each time any sound went off. After 15 minutes, cooking sounds were finally emitted, giving him some relief that they were at least progressing. Even if it was amidst kisses and coy, playful, child-like voices from his sister and ¡®tender¡¯ responses from his future brother-in-law. After they finished cooking, Phesx Caolia next had to endure his sister¡¯s eating, whose chomping and swallowing sounds reverberated from the living room¡¯s table to his ears. They put the TV on, loud, and laughed off with the occasional screams and sudden, sharp noises from what seemed to be their comedy show. Then, they spent an hour and a half on the sofa, talking and whatnot. Considering she was 5 years older than him, and gained many opportunities with their mother using most of the pension¡¯s money to give Cansa many special routes to a quicker education. That she was now using every day of her life since a few years ago to do nothing and play with her boyfriend should¡¯ve made Phesx Caolia disappointed, but to him, it just seemed fitting. Even though he quit school first. ¡­ The next day, Phesx Caolia woke up at 4 am and directly went to his computer. He watched a Dawnoon before going to the kitchen to prepare himself something to eat. He was silent and slow, cautious to not make any sound that may irritate him. ¡®Ah, I forgot again.¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought before letting the frying pan heat up on the stove and walked to the living room to turn the TV on, but stopped midway and turned to the bathroom. There, his eyes widened, as his head raised a little. He was looking at the floor no more after turning around in a hurry. Phesx Caolia continued walking to the bathroom, but stopped at a long mirror set on a wall before the door. He stopped and looked at himself in the darkness, as much as he could. Just 1 second later, he felt like something¡¯s mouth and nose were just behind his neck and the back of his head. His eyes seemed to catch the image of another dark face, hidden and larger than his, just behind him. But it was different to what he ¡®felt¡¯ was behind him. He had sensed a large neck and an eyeless, non-humanoid head with large teeth behind him. Yet, his eyes and ¡®senses¡¯ were all different, they have always been. Some tendrils came out from that hidden face, but Phesx Caolia remained unmoving. The tendrils seemed to slid through the hidden face¡¯s ¡®skin¡¯, moving onto his face¡¯s temples and forehead. They moved a little, as if to make him look at them, and seemed disgusting. It didn¡¯t help that Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyesight suddenly allowed him to see his face nearly clearly. Slowly, and like a robot, Phesx Caolia moved his eyes downwards until he looked at the floor in front of his feet. A few minutes later, or perhaps more, Phesx Caolia felt he wasn¡¯t near anything and slowly and calmly moved to the bathroom. His tired eyes didn¡¯t dilate, nor did their contents shrink after turning the lights on, and they even seemed to bounce like a resisting light black bubble jumping around a pearly white pool¡­ Phesx Caolia sat on the toilet and supported his head with his back bending a lot. He closed his eyes, but immediately opened them afterwards, having just been ¡®flashed¡¯ with numerous, clam, inhuman eyes again. He soundlessly sighed, helpless¡­ before closing his eyes again. ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: Phesx -> Phes - ex. This is the beginning of Volume 1 ¡ª When Does A Man Become A Monster? Chapter 2 — That Are Left Unknown That Are Left Unknown A few days later, in an afternoon, Phesx Caolia was in his computer, when he saw his sister''s shadow move through the living room. She opened the house''s entrance and then rushed back to the bathroom. He wasn''t sure if she closed it, but he didn''t pay it any mind, turning up the volume instead. Phesx didn''t want to get into things that would only annoy him. ¡°Aaah!¡± ¡°?!¡± Suddenly, Phesx Caolia heard a sharp scream even through his headphones¡¯ loud volume. He immediately took them down, with his chest beating hard once, and his eyes widening. Immediately, he saw his sister¡¯s figure pass through the living room and run outside. ¡®So, she left it open.¡¯ Phesx Caolia frowned a little as he realized, intending to go back to his stuff, feeling better inside his chest. However, he felt like more wind than from just having the door open entered the house. His eyes slightly widened before he finally stood up after a minute of considering. He opened the curtain and went to check the patio. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes were widened further. His body paused, but his eyes slowly darted towards the entrance. He walked out, calmly and without sharp screams coming out his mouth. He checked both sides of the street but found no one on sight. After considering for half a minute, standing on the sidewalk, he finally walked towards one of the sides but still saw nothing. He took a few turns to where another branch of his mother¡¯s family lived, where he finally found what just happened. There was an old-fashioned car, a middle-aged balding man, his sister, his uncle, aunt, and cousin together, forming a circle around the car, with a pitbull puppy¡¯s body in front of its left front wheel. Its belly was burst open, with some organs showing, especially some intestines and a bit of blood, already obscuring on the dry street. Its little head kept trying to rise up, and its eyes looked at Cansa Caolia, who appeared exasperated while continuously pointing at the car, the middle-aged man, and her dying puppy. Phesx Caolia walked forth, instinctively. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve just turned around and return, as this did not matter to him. He wore a frowning expression, with the corners of his mouth slightly hooking backwards. ¡°Phesx? Oh, have you told your mommy?¡± Phesx¡¯s aunt seemed to notice him first. She called him out, and after that, Cansa turned her head as if she had just seen her nightmares personified. Phesx Caolia stopped, feeling his ears and the back of his head tingling, numbing. ¡°Uhh, no¡­? What¡­ happened here?¡± Phesx Caolia said, not really wanting to have a say in this. But his uncle nodded and understood the situation. He also looked at him with more sense than his sister or mother ever did to him. ¡°An accident. Your sister¡¯s dog was ran over just now. Is your mother home?¡± ¡°Aha, want me to go look for her?¡± Phesx Caolia twisted his torso and pointed backwards, stopping walking, wanting to be told to do so and not return. But his sister seemed to want something different for him. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you be more careful?!¡± She screamed, louder than before, albeit not as sharp. She started tearing up, holding her hands down to her face. Her voice sounded rough and heartbroken, ¡°How dare you walk out calmly like this isn¡¯t because of you?!¡± ¡°Cansa?¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s aunt called out, gasping. His uncle looked at Cansa with a frown, while the middle-aged man looked at them with a side eye. Phesx Caolia, on the other hand, was petrified on the spot. ¡®What?¡¯ Yet, just as he wanted to shake his head and start defending himself, however he could with his always low and stammering voice, Cansa looked at their aunt. ¡°I was going to show my puppy the park nearby, wuuu. But I had to rush to the bathroom quickly. I put Samson in the patio and told him to check the doors were closed.¡± Cansa emphasized ¡®him¡¯ with venom and similar emotion. She pointed at Phesx Caolia¡¯s face with her right index fingertip. ¡°But when I came out of the bathroom, wuaa. My puppy was gone, and I heard someone say ¡®what a cute puppy¡¯ outside my house. So I hurried out¡­¡± ¡®¡­What?¡¯ Phesx Caolia felt his back and neck sweat. It could be true, because he had his volume up, so he would¡¯ve had a hard time hearing her. Phesx considered it and felt it might be his fault if that was the case. Although they never talk, unless their mother makes her ask him if he wants some food her boyfriend usually orders, Phesx Caolia always maintains himself and their relation ¡®neutral¡¯ and decent. Always being the bigger person and behaving mature. After Cansa¡¯s cute stop to explain what she heard, she continued, making Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes shake for a second before becoming hardened. ¡°But I remember closing at least the patio door, while the security gate was also closed from the entrance. I was only worried because my puppy could peek his head through the gaps and get stuck. But when I came out, both were fully open! Only he was downstairs, so he opened them while I was in the bathroom!!¡± Cansa shrilly screamed. At this point, Phesx Caolia heard footsteps on the dry street, filled with some rocks, behind him. He didn¡¯t give it much thought, as he was too startled by his sister, and thought it was a random person walking by. ¡°What?!¡± But when his mother¡¯s shout resounded, he felt even more lost. His sister started bailing out immediately. She was barely able to walk to their mother while his uncle and aunt looked at him, judging him. ¡°Is that true, Phesx?¡± His uncle asked, looking down at him with a ¡®disappointed father¡¯ look. Meanwhile, his aunt didn¡¯t even doubt it. ¡°Ah, my heavens. Phesx! How could you have been so careless? You cost your sister a life! Don¡¯t you know how horrible is that? Would you like that happen to you? Oh my heaven, how can this be? I can¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Phesx Caolia lifted his shoulder and spread his arms, but he saw their unchanging expressions and immediately gave up any further. He slouched and lowered his head, feeling the sides of the back of his head as if they were trembling, and tears trying to rush up his lacrimals. He forced them to stay beneath his skin. ¡°You damned spoiled boy!¡± Rubena screamed, moving to her son¡¯s back, making him turn around. Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes¡¯ contents shrank when he noticed her right arm was lifted, and further as he looked at her hand, relaxing from a fist. He stood there, motionless. Cansa was no longer in the picture as their uncle and aunt looked at this scene. Rubena stopped her actions in the end, putting her hand on her hip, and looked up at Phesx. ¡°Get to your room, no computer, no TV, and you¡¯ll apologize to your sister after we return!¡± Phesx Caolia looked at his mother a few more seconds before walking away with his hands never again leaving his pockets. He always wore a jacket that covers even his neck when coming out, and almost always zips it up. Today was no different, but today, he felt really stupid for walking out. He was sure that if he hadn¡¯t, this would have just been an accident. Now, it was maliciousness everywhere. From whom didn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s all his fault. As he left, a head from a young girl his age, peeking from her house, looked at his back before looking at the other Caolias. That was naturally his cousin, but he couldn¡¯t care now that things were like this. ¡°Oh, ma¡¯am. Are you this lady¡¯s mother? How sorry I am, I couldn¡¯t see it from the car, I want to apologize.¡± The middle-aged man felt most of his cold sweat disappear by now. He sneaked a glance to the kid who was berated before looking at Rubena, thinking she was an old lady above 120. ¡°Please, call me mister Medina. How should we deal with this, ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°Oh, I can understand well. As you can see, this was a commotion caused by my son. I don¡¯t mean to be greedy, but my family needs compensation. I think this can be fixed with the payment fee for accidentally killing an animal, and emotional damage compensation. That should be enough.¡± Rubena Caolia said, looking at her sister and brother-in-law and nodding. ¡°Ah, ma¡¯am. You¡¯re a very kind person to someone like me. Of course, should we talk about it?¡± The middle-aged man said, thanking her however he could. Cansa walked towards them at this moment, wearing a sad face, and pulling her lower lip out. ¡°Oh, sister. You¡¯re truly nice. Let¡¯s see, we¡¯re lawyers, so we can smooth this process. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t threaten you, this was a tragic accident. Nobody wants to go through this, hahaha¡­¡± The aunt said, lightening the mood a little and caressing the poor Cansa, still crying. . . . A month later. ¡°Recently, news of stealing, assault, and even sexual abuse on the streets have been more and more recent. The last week, 11 women of varying ages were found in the morning, lifeless and alone. The rural zones in Preut are seen with more and more trucks with people holding weapons in them.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Military appearance has never been clearer than ever. Prona and Prequa are being vigilant. Could they be too paranoid? Or is there something happening? Lately, Preut has been seen more trouble because of ¡®the withering¡¯, but the section who has had it the hardest, Prei, has already shown signs of distress even among their civilians.¡± ¡°The rich households of Prona, where the largest wealth of the nation state lay, have been seen scheduling for long trips lately. However, 3 families have been stopped at the airport and denied exit through the borders with Lymoca. Those who were in Lymoca on vacation have been returned to Preut, of which some claim they were treated awfully upon returning by the military, and some have been lost for days¡­¡± ¡°How many days can the population go like this? It¡¯s incredible to know the people aren¡¯t doing anything! Our nation state is in decline. Just¡­¡± ¡°Lymoca has grown excited over the last week. We¡¯ve seen multiple cities become filled with people like never before! It has happened in the past, but never have this many people attended those marches. The country knows what they want.¡± ¡°Exactly. So what if President Luis has shown a horrible start? He is still the prince that wants to lead us into the future we deserve. Doesn¡¯t everyone know how amazing those projects are? The people have seen some really expensive food down a credit, or two. It never happened before, but what¡¯s more, there¡¯s no increase every few weeks. That is progress!¡± ¡°Preut has no hurricane or tornado threat. It has all been a group of trolls from the outside who only want to fan the flames. Before deciding to believe some news, you should verify them¡­¡± In the house, Phesx was just finishing his daily hours watching TV, when he heard the gate and door open from the entrance. He looked at it and wanted to rush to his bedroom, when the door suddenly opened and revealed his sister and her boyfriend. The tall man entered first, bringing heavy, long plastic bags into the kitchen. He looked at Phesx Caolia and nodded, saying no more. Cansa slowly walked in, looking at her phone, before going to the mirror near the bathroom door. She lifted her shirt from the back to reveal another large tattoo, freshly finished. ¡°Aww, it¡¯s so good. Haha. Hey, can you give the birds their food? My mom should be about to wake up.¡± Cansa smiled to herself in the mirror, sneaking eyes to see her brother wasn¡¯t seeing, and cutely added. ¡°Let¡¯s help her a little, you know?¡± ¡°Aha,¡± Jord nodded after taking some things out from the bags. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia thought they were groceries, but they were all things only those 2 eat, and fast. Some junk food, healthy stuff his sister likes, and some fancy devices. After looking at these, Phesx Caolia was about to enter his bedroom, when he heard Jord¡¯s voice from the patio as soon as the small dogs to the left of the house barked. ¡°Shuuuut it!¡± His hardened, deepened, manlier shout reached all the way upstairs, let alone to a sensitive Phesx Caolia. Phesx Caolia rolled his eyes before moving the curtain and returning to his obscure little cave. The ample space within it caused comfort in the irritated Phesx Caolia, who hadn¡¯t noticed his stomach was twisted from their sudden arrival. He walked and turned around to sit around his desk, when he felt his right leg go through an electric shock-like sensation. This wasn¡¯t the first time, but he was never suddenly paralyzed. Phesx Caolia¡¯s body stiffened as he waited until the sensation subsided. When he sat on his chair, he felt tense again. Only, he didn¡¯t notice because he was so used to tensing his stomach, always maintaining his legs in a non-relaxed pose when sitting, and pressuring his upper back, harming the rest of it. Phesx Caolia began feeling pain in his right knee, but just thought of it as walking erroneously for the past weeks, or something similar. He cracked his neck and leaned back on his chair, when he felt as if air grazed his heart, making him stop breathing altogether. He forced himself to breathe out twice while thinning down his breathing in motions. A little more than a minute later, he was finally fine again. Phesx Caolia relaxingly sighed before putting on his headphones on. It was time to lose himself. Even then, Phesx Caolia started thinking about what he was doing. While he didn¡¯t mind doing nothing instead of¡­ instead of things he didn¡¯t like, he felt a strange sensation every time he watched or heard about some things, be it movies or news. Right now, though, he was just a kid. . . . A week later. Year 1,020, 4th week, 6th day. ¡°?!¡± Phesx was just eating some carrots while watching the news, when a last notice appeared on one of the news channel. Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes remained rippleless until he saw the profile picture of a woman and the censored corpse of her body on the TV screen. The host began elaborating. ¡°The missing host of the TCC channel, R. F¨¢rez, has been found dead after a crowd shooting in ANS¡­¡± The host continued reporting, but Phesx Caolia could barely slowly calm down. That was the host that had spoken up about President Luis Heartez before, and was shut down by her co-host. Now, there she lied, as dead as Cansa¡¯s puppy became a few seconds after he appeared. However, nor she or the TCC channel were from ANS, but from and in Lymoca. Phesx Caolia could only know this as he had the knowledge of the internet, albeit limited, to his disposal. He grew a little interested in her and searched for her public information, but now she was dead. There was indeed a shooting that only severely injured 18 people. However, almost a day after those news, they now reported 1 person dead, and not from one of those 18 severely injured. No matter how one saw it, it was a shady thing that reminded everyone what kind of world they were living in. Today was just the evening, but because Phesx Caolia had hurt himself in the kitchen where everyone else was also moving around a few days ago, and his right leg couldn¡¯t move again, they would go to the hospital. Of course, having other things to do, the hospital trip had to be postponed until today. However, even today, it was delayed to until night, as his mother, sister, and Jord went to a new, renown restaurant that was copying food from one of the renowned restaurants in the world. The other days, they either went to buy clothes or groceries to Prona, where the best things were sold. The money from that ¡®tragic accident¡¯ wasn¡¯t just a few thousand credits, after all. As for Phesx Caolia, although he would rather not come out, the only matter making him tense and annoyed was that he was caught in such a condition. Even more so because it happened when he least expected it. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Phesx lied on the sofa with his right leg down. Whenever he put it on the sofa, it would hurt, so he let it rest diagonally. Now, however, it was nearly 6 pm, and the rainy clouds were making everything grayer and with less light than anticipated. To many, this was something negative, be it a lot or a little. To Phesx Caolia, he adored these days. One of the few things he couldn¡¯t deny these days. ¡®What a world¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought. His eyes became a little vacant, looking at the wall beside the TV. He shut it down before taking his phone out. He immediately opened a video on an app. It was about survival skills. Although he wasn¡¯t paranoid enough to think he would just go homeless because of Preut¡¯s crisis, he grew curious to know about some things. He couldn¡¯t learn everything. He was either too dumb or lazy, as others always say. But to Phesx, he just couldn¡¯t learn those things because they ¡®didn¡¯t go well with him¡¯. That was the only thing he could believe in regarding himself. Phesx Caolia watched a minute of a video he already studied, just to repass it again, for over a minute before he heard 6 different footsteps approach the house. His eyes blinked and stared up, before calming down and returning to indifference as his mother opened the gate and doors. ¡°Why is it so dark?¡± The mother exclaimed after stepping in. She saw her son looking down at the phone, ignoring everything else. She put on a bothered face and turned the switches from the living room and front yard on. ¡°Come on, what are you waiting for? Get ready. Can you walk with that leg?¡± Rubena¡¯s gladdened face after a feast was erased immediately. Cansa and Jord continued to feel pleased and continuously kissed each other¡¯s mouths as sensually yet casually as they could. Phesx Caolia rolled his eyes a little, knowing that even if he was a fine, growing child like 2 years ago, he would still be blamed for not being born in 1,000 so she could have a child turn 101 one day. Things he has long become numb to, despite their stupidity. ¡°Yes, can we go now?¡± Phesx Caolia stood up, with difficulty, and said. His mother harrumphed a little and said with a light, sharp tone, ¡°13 minutes more before the transport arrives. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse us. We¡¯ll change into more comforting clothes.¡± Phesx Caolia was left on the spot, beside the sofa. He looked at them go upstairs before shrugging. He resumed the video from before and studied it, never moving his eyes away, with his jacket already on and zipped up. About 10 minutes later, they returned downstairs, with Cansa and Jord acting playful, chasing each other around and making noise everywhere. Be it their from their mouths, footsteps, or grabbing onto the walls to move around, it all entered Phesx¡¯s ears as he looked at a finished video for several minutes. ¡°¡­ Okay! Let¡¯s go. The car taxi will be here soon.¡± At last, Rubena Caolia came downstairs and semi-shouted. She brought a jacket folded around her arm as she walked to the exit. Phesx Caolia stood up but stopped and asked as she opened the entrance. ¡°Car? Can it be a helitaxi? I¡¯ve never been in one, and they are faster and safer¡­¡± ¡°Heng. Money is not to be wasted for every trip we make outside. And what, are you crazy now, too? There¡¯s news of a tornado or hurricane appearing somewhere in Preut during these few weeks. We don¡¯t wanna die, are you crazy? No, no, no. You¡¯re mad.¡± The mother said, shaking her head and flicking her hand to let Phesx Caolia walk out first. ¡°They are not the same, and those news weren¡¯t the truth. It¡¯s only because ANS¡¯ west goes through many of these that some group on the internet fu- played around with it, nothing more.¡± Phesx Caolia commented. But his mother immediately bashed back, ¡°I know what is truth! Do you think it¡¯s anything you can tell me? I¡¯m your mother, respect me!¡± Phesx Caolia looked at his mother with his head low, almost as if he was pouting. However, he wasn¡¯t feeling berated, only disliked and once again proven how unremarkable he was. If he disappeared, how much would his disappearance be used to let his mother gain more approval from her cherished family? Hell, even his sister would turn into a brother complex figure. ¡°Okay, sorry to ask.¡± Phesx Caolia said before limping out the house. Jord watched, now calmed down, with Cansa. He wore his military, white blank shirt, which he always boasts to Phesx for being part of the military once upon a time. Even then, nowadays, Phesx has some doubts about it. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just don¡¯t ask for things we cannot spend on, and that¡¯s it.¡± Rubena Caolia said to her son before addressing her daughter. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ll be back quick. I¡¯ll make u-¡­ you hot chocolate, and you can watch something while I rest upstairs. Doesn¡¯t that sound good?¡± ¡°Oh, motheeeer~!¡± Cansa smiled and bashfully accepted, exiting the house a little later, almost at the same time the car came, about 5 minutes later, while Phesx Caolia remained on the light rain. However¡­ while Cansa gave her brother some glances, Phesx Caolia enjoyed the light tickle, closing his eyes and ¡®staring¡¯ ahead. ¡®Sigh. I wonder how it would feel like to live in a hospital. Ah, but I would only be there 1 or 2 days at most. But since I¡¯m unlucky, it won¡¯t even be past the night. How does returning at midnight feel like? I wouldn¡¯t have anything of value anyway. Only problem is being targeted by a sick random. Hmm.¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought in tranquility as his eyelids were constantly caressed by the drizzling rain. ¡­ Chapter 3 — Chaotic Descent Chaotic Descent Arriving at the hospital after just 15 minutes on the car, Phesx Caolia went into the building almost alone. He waited after going in, where his mother walked before him to a counter at the side before moving a few floors up. Then, after being told to wait by another receptionist/secretary, Phesx Caolia went to a random chair near the door he needed to pay attention to. The others sat a little near him, but a few chairs away still. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t bring his phone, so he just stared at the ceiling and the sides, avoiding looking at anyone or anything in particular. The latter was because he felt he shouldn¡¯t let others see him stare at one sole point for long, making him feel bothered. Minutes later, when Phesx grew bored and more people arrived at the hospital, as if a convention was underway, he ¡®received¡¯ visitors. They were one of the Caolia family branches in the same neighborhood, or near it. The uncle and aunt who immediately saw him wrong that day, and his female cousin of just a few days younger than him, walked to his mother. Phesx Caolia looked at them for some moments before going back to his stuff. However, after a minute or so of talking and catching up with Rubena and Cansa, and even Jord at the side, Phesx Caolia¡¯s female cousin looked at him. She walked to him after saying a few things to her parents. Phesx Caolia seemed to know it as he looked at them, whereas he saw his mother all contented to receive his uncle and aunt¡¯s support through this ¡®event¡¯. He could already tell they were talking about him and of how to ¡®guide¡¯ him, or something. Then, he looked at his cousin. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re the farthest away from everyone.¡± She said. Phesx Caolia looked behind him, as he was in the anti-shy utmost front row of seats in the area. Behind him, a few rows were empty before the lots of people who have already arrived before him. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia said nothing but positioned his butt to receive his cousin. She sat beside him with her legs crossed before looking backwards. Then, she looked at him and asked, ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all fine,¡± Phesx said. His cousin, Solas, nodded and maintained quiet. This made Phesx Caolia feel more relaxed minute after minute, not needing to put up with a conversation. After a few more minutes, Phesx Caolia¡¯s name was called upon by the receptionist. The entire family around stood up and accompanied him into the door that corresponded to him. He limped up of his seat, when his cousin extended her left hand below his right arm, which he had pushed up to lift himself easier. His eyes shot at the hand, and where it touched him, before lifting his gaze to his cousin¡¯s face. He stared for a second before nodding a little. Then, Solas helped the limping Phesx Caolia to walk forward faster, and without needing to exert much effort. A nurse guided them to another hallway, much smaller, but still packing with people sitting on both sides of the halls. At last, he arrived at a corridor, where the nurse brought them to the respective door, and instructed them to wait until the doctor called his name. This time, his family sat further away from him, even though most seats were empty around the room he needed to wait for. Only his cousin remained with him, helping him sit down while casually saying, ¡°How did you hurt yourself up anyway?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I think it was because of the way I walked around my desk, something like that.¡± Phesx Caolia said before becoming quiet. Solas grinned a little before sitting on his right again. Then, she tapped his shoulder. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t react this time and just looked back at her. Solas smiled thinly before voicing, ¡°And what have you been up to lately? Many asked me about you in my first year after transferring there.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t respond, at least not immediately. His lips twitched and slightly opened, trying to think of something. She added after waiting for 3 seconds, ¡°Ah, right. I saw from some of the guys in the specialized course you were at, and they all seem to sweat even when just listening to their teacher. They said you were always a prodigy when it came to crafting. The professor even showed me some of your works, in case I wanted one. Family privileges, I suppose. I left them there, though. In case you wanted to take them back one day.¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve taken them and then give them to me, no?¡± Phesx Caolia called out, looking at Solas with an ¡®obvious¡¯ expression. She lifted her left leg, hugged it to her chest with her foot atop her chair, and nodded, ¡°Aha. But that would¡¯ve left it too easy for you.¡± ¡°Urgh,¡± Phesx Caolia humorously groaned. ¡°It¡¯s not like-¡­ Ah, forget it.¡± ¡°Mm? What?¡± Solas asked, looking at him, relaxed. Phesx Caolia merely shook his head, a little low. Solas smiled a little, thinly, before playfully speaking. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re too shy cuz¡¯ you¡¯re too ugly? I mean, you¡¯re actually not bad looking, that hair and that serious, cold face. Mhm. But you don¡¯t see that, do ya?¡± ¡°Hm,¡± Phesx Caolia snorted a little, humorously still. Afterwards, they chatted a little, with Solas mainly asking a few things to him about their surroundings, and making some casual, random questions. At last, Phesx Caolia¡¯s turn came as a family of beautiful, decently dressed mother and daughter duo exited the door he was corresponded to. ¡°Caolia, Phesx? And his mother!¡± A male voice sounded from the room. Phesx Caolia stood up with his cousin¡¯s help, feeling suddenly like hiding most of his face with his slightly grown hair, which he cuts himself. Meanwhile, Rubena Caolia also stood up and walked to the door, yelling in a friendly tone, ¡°Here! It¡¯s him! We¡¯re going!¡± ¡°Good luck then, get better soon.¡± Solas said, helping him down a chair that the doctor instructed them briefly with before keyboarding and looking at his screen. Phesx Caolia nodded and watched his cousin wave at him before turning around in half a spin before heading out. He heard her and his mother exchange a few nice words before his mother entered the room. Rubena didn¡¯t notice, but her son¡¯s eyes became indifferent and vacant again once his eyes saw her getting in. ¡°Alright, shall we begin?¡± The doctor looked at the old mother enter the room and asked, looking at Phesx seemingly strictly, but that expression made him feel more at ease. ¡°Yes, please. Um¡­ We don¡¯t know exactly what he has, but, can you make specified tests? We don¡¯t have much money, so¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked down with only his light black eyes moving lower as his mother commenced the talks with the doctor. The noise around his head became like a bubble, and he just followed instructions from then on. ¡­ After a little more than half an hour, in the same room, with the door open. Phesx Caolia and Rubena were waiting there for a few minutes already, with only the former calm and feeling peaceful. On the other hand, Rubena seemed somewhat distressed. Step, step. Footsteps sounded before the doctor finally showed up. He showed them some documents in his hands before walking around his desk and sitting in front of them. He immediately stared at Phesx Caolia before lifting a radiography and poking it with his other hand¡¯s index finger. It was easy for Phesx Caolia to know where to look at. He followed the doctor¡¯s words with ease. ¡°Okay, this is your knee, Phesx. As you can see, it seems mostly fine. You do present a fracture¡¯s painful symptoms, but it doesn¡¯t really seem to be the case. See these chain-like objects at the sides, around these perimeters? Well¡­ I don¡¯t even have enough confidence to explain it, but it seems to be why you have some impairment despite being able to walk.¡± The radiography showed like a pair of thin chains, as if made of bone, at the sides of his knee, fragile yet unbecoming. Phesx Caolia frowned looking at it, feeling as if it was just right, but the hot-fresh pain from his knee kept him from that train of thought remaining for longer in his head. ¡°You told me you can limp around, and though it hurts, it doesn¡¯t seem to harm your body, correct? There are no cracks around here, but those thin chains are concerning. They seem like bones, but when I examined you, your body had no problem or abnormality.¡± The doctor said, ¡°However, I will medicate you with some things, and you should stay over the night. I took 5 different shots at your knee, but I¡¯d like to do more testing, this is something I never head of before.¡± The doctor¡¯s calm excitement helped Phesx Caolia remain at ease. He nodded, hiding his own excitement about staying over a night in the hospital. The doctor nodded in return and looked at Rubena, ¡°Ma¡¯am, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to invite Phesx to the Centralized Parliament hospital. His condition is unknown, and I won¡¯t be able to achieve any accurate reading on his body with this hospital¡¯s technology or expertise.¡± ¡°The Centralized Parliament?!¡± Rubena was shocked. Phesx Caolia lowered his indifferent eyes¡¯ eyelids. That was the same expression, exactly the same, as when his craftsmanship was found out. ¡°I want to go to the bathroom,¡± Phesx Caolia said. He pushed himself up from his chair, when the doctor attentively elaborated, ¡°It¡¯s upstairs. As soon as you come up the stairs, go 2 halls to your right, and you¡¯ll find the bathrooms. They should be mostly empty at this hour, even with many people coming here.¡± ¡°Aha,¡± Phesx Caolia nodded before limping away. When he exited the room, and thought of asking Solas to help him up there, he noticed only his sister and Jord remained, unfortunately. He passed by them, even though he felt his sister¡¯s eyes on him from the moment he exited the room to when he turned around the corner. She so much wanted to tell him what happened, and in whichever way she wanted, but he was too damn tired and fed up with her. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Phesx Caolia returned to the same area from before. As he limped outside the door, and further to the stairs at the center of this hospital¡¯s wing, everyone looked at him. He was just jolting forward with his right leg slightly up, and no contraption or at least some crutches to support him. It kinda made the hospital look bad, as if they didn¡¯t care for their patients, but they kinda did not attend Phesx Caolia with any care. Phesx Caolia felt strange, as he should¡¯ve felt too sensitive in moments like this. He also spotted good-looking people here and there, near or about his age. However, right now, he felt completely unperturbed. Furthermore, he felt a quirky hotness emerge from his belly. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought, and he believed he was right. He credited the sensation to the need to suddenly take a shit. Phesx Caolia limped more concisely like his life depended on it. He only wanted to piss, but now, he had to hurry! Hurrying up the small elevator beside the stairs at the center, Phesx Caolia began sweating as he was lucky enough to get in alone. A few seconds later, the elevator¡¯s door opened to the upper floor. He immediately barged out, not knowing the doctor¡¯s pathing instructions were meant to be followed by coming up the stairs only¡­ For 3 minutes, Phesx Caolia went here and there, semi-lost, until he decided to look for the stairs after endless pondering. He followed the instructions and finally saw the bathrooms. They weren¡¯t like he imagined, as they were clean, with a cold air, and empty. Contented, he hurried to the male bathroom. Once he rushed into a booth and, ignoring the pain of slapping his right foot on the floor, suddenly pausing, Phesx Caolia supported himself with his forearms pushing at the sides. His head began trembling. The sensation seemed to spread down his neck to his spine. Then, he began feeling movement in his abdomen like never before. Without caring about his right knee injury, Phesx Caolia struggled to move forward, but the pain coming from his intestines, with something moving within, as something he had never felt before, was too much. ¡°¡­!¡± Phesx Caolia screamed silently, letting his jaw and teeth feel the contraction from his forceful endurance. His body trembled whole, while his clothes became wetted by his sweat. He stumbled left and right, nearly falling forehead first onto the toilet¡¯s edge more than twice. Pam¡­ pom- pong! Phesx Caolia bashed his arms around, hitting his elbows. On one occasion, within just a few seconds, he hit the spot to paralyze anyone momentarily. Phesx Caolia felt his whole body relax and breathe. He utilized this moment to hurry and sit on the toilet. Ignoring the pain of slapping his right leg against the shiny white porcelain, pants down, Phesx Caolia breathed heavily as he accommodated his parts and began his necessities. ¡°Huh?!¡± However, when he finished pissing, and he thought the horrendously painful sensation was over, his abdomen throbbed. He looked down and lifted his shirt, but there was no cinematic monstrous sight moving beneath his skin. Whatever was inside his stomach, it wasn¡¯t just a particular case of not taking care of one¡¯s body. Phesx Caolia tried to relax his lower body, but his fists tightened to levels he didn¡¯t even know his somewhat weak body could. Nevertheless, he felt his pelvis struggle with pain every time that something touched and grazed inside his body. He began tearing up, whimpering a little before silencing anything coming out of his throat or nostrils, even harshly blowing out. ¡®What¡¯s happening to me? What is this?! Let it be over already!¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s senses made him believe he was bleeding from anywhere, as if he could see from within, that something was touching him. His light black eyes began moving to and fro at any possible angle, while his head bobbed aimlessly a little in the same way. Phesx Caolia started thinking of what it would be like dying by bleeding out from his body, coming out of his ass. Thoughts and sudden emotions of determination made him last until he felt his sensitive area expand and break apart. He nearly screamed to the top of his lungs, feeling it ¡®trying¡¯ to get stuck and kill him right away, or so he thought. He closed his eyes, not wanting to keep crying, but then, he suddenly opened them! His light black eyes¡¯ contents seemed to unnaturally expand, like a dilatation after a person¡¯s death, but they went past his irises and even covered ? of his sclera. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes slowly returned to normal as he felt his body releasing the horrendous ¡®thing¡¯ inside his body. He immediately felt much better, as if that was just his misconception. But he did not hear it falling into the toilet¡¯s water. Phesx Caolia checked he wasn¡¯t bleeding, and as a matter of fact, he was completely clean after a few wipes. The amazed young boy stood up and quickly turned around to look at his mess. His eyes trembled and widened in shock. In the toilet, there was a mass of dark, verdant matter that pretty much wasn¡¯t fecal matter. Phesx Caolia frowned intensely as he looked at it, like watching a ghost creep up to oneself in a long corridor with only darkness around them. Out of consideration, he flushed it, but it didn¡¯t move away, only crumbling after enough water touched it. Only then did Phesx Caolia smell a toxic, simply gaseous, detrimental smell from it. It still wasn¡¯t from fecal matter, but it made him feel it was, so he stepped out of the booth after confirming with another 2 wipes. ¡®¡­ what in the fuck?¡¯ Phesx Caolia stood in front of ¡®his¡¯ booth for a few moments, his eyes trembling like mad, before weakly walking to the mirror. He filled the sink with water before diving inside it with his face. Afterwards, he thoroughly washed his hands. Dropping water on the floor from his face, he walked towards the exit. He felt his body like never before, and he even pondered if he had ever felt like this before his mind and body started showing their troubles, back when he was just a tiny punk. At last, feeling a bit weak still, but better, Phesx stepped out of the bathroom. But¡­ just as he was about to step with his right foot on the hallway floor¡­ Ka-Chaaaaaaaa~~!!! BOOM- TRTR- TRA~! RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLEEE~~!! ¡°!?¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened. His neck ducked, and his body bent really low. His arms folded backwards, he felt his body falling, just like when he came up with the elevator. It seemed to last an eternity, but it lasted less than a second. PITTER-PATTER, PITTER-PATTER, PITTER-PATTER~~! It took only a moment later for Phesx Caolia to understand what just happened, when the heaviest of rains suddenly sounded everywhere around him. Never had he heard rain as loud as this after such a heart-smashing lightning strike that nearly made him go deaf. It was an earthquake, a really insane one. Enough to make the floor everywhere around him quake like man-made waves in a long pool. However, while that only happened momentarily, and the floor stood its ground, somehow. The earthquake didn¡¯t stop there. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Phesx Caolia cursed again as he found his senses all tumbled down by the sudden storm and the earthquake. Although it wasn¡¯t as bad as it was for half a second just now, he could see everything around him dropping dust and cracking apart. Phesx Caolia struggled to take a few steps anywhere. The wall before him, leading to a resting room, had fallen down a bit and revealed female nurses putting their makeup and drinking some coffee. They might¡¯ve been feeling at ease and still heavy for the work ahead for the night, but now, they were all terrified. ¡°Go to your right and straight! There¡¯s an emergency exit there!¡± A nurse looked at Phesx Caolia and thought of him as a hospitalized young boy. However, before she could continue her words, a cracking sound crushed their and Phesx Caolia¡¯s hearts. Crrrrrr-AAAAAACCCKKKKSSHHHHH¡­ bum! Phesx Caolia watched, unable to even breath in and out, as the horrified nurses all threw their arms up and immediately fell down. The rest of the wall revealing them completely crumbled. Phesx Caolia acted by instinct and crab-walked to his right, feeling his heels soft as the floor moved like sand. Phesx Caolia craned his neck and watched a portion of how the nurses and what remained of that room fall down floor by floor, silently, as if they were all dead, or deadly afraid. ¡°Eeeeeeh!¡± Phesx Caolia let out a disoriented sound from his tattering teeth as he rushed to his right for several seconds before looking backwards. He thought he was safe now, but when he turned around, he saw a fragile, cracked gap just half a meter behind his right foot. Phesx Caolia gulped before staring ahead, wanting to follow the path to the emergency exit. However¡­ PRRRR- CRASHH- CRASH- CRAASH- CRASH CRASH CRASH!! The floor before him cracked apart and fell down. The long corridor ahead disappeared second by second, with some sounds insanely louder than others, and too quickly. Just the constant pace and loudness of debris falling somewhere was enough to fill the hospital wing whole in shocking fear. ¡®Motherfucking shit!¡¯ Phesx Caolia cursed to his heart¡¯s terror. He dwindled no more and made way to the stairs, but he had to detour. He rapidly moved through the hallways and saw some people rushing in the distance, wanting to flee from this crashing place. Ignoring them, as they did to him and fled for their dear lives, Phesx Caolia wondered if the destruction also reached the others. He moved with difficulty amidst the earthquake, but the fear of being crushed by debris seemed better than falling down. Thus, he didn¡¯t even glance at some people or corpses under a few debris and simply walked away. Finally finding the stairs, and finding them mostly intact, Phesx Caolia supported himself from the thick railing at the side and walked down for a minute before realizing something. ¡¯My leg doesn¡¯t hurt anymore?¡¯ After stopping for a few seconds, Phesx Caolia cursed himself for wasting time in an event like this. He smiled and chuckled a little, feeling light-hearted, before hurrying his pace down the stairs. ¡®This feels weird, aaah.¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought as he felt his feet slightly numb. It was as if he couldn¡¯t feel them, but was unharmed, and he even moved better than he would¡¯ve in the past. ¡®Adrenaline? Can¡¯t be, the rest of my body still feels everything as usual¡­ What is it? Ha-ha.¡¯ Phesx Caolia continued pondering a little as he walked further down the stairs, finally arriving at the main floor. There were people there, but the electricity was failing. It was clearly not because of the hospital¡¯s fees or destruction, but something else, or so thought Phesx Caolia. He ignored the nurses trying to help, and those crying with blood and/or dirt stains on their bodies struggling to keep themselves conscious while walking. Phesx Caolia suddenly felt at ease¡­ so free¡­ He exited the hospital and walked forth with leisure. The earthquake had already begun decreasing its degree, the intensity was still a lot, but Phesx Caolia had become used to it, somehow. Phesx Caolia looked up, feeling comfortable, and breathing really pleasantly for the first time after several years. A strange thought formed in his head. Did he not even remember how to breathe without feeling tensed, pressured, and like he¡¯s done everything wrong in his life? ¡®How funn- the fuck?¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes suddenly became shocked. ¡°My heaven!¡± - ¡°Is that real? It isn¡¯t one of those prototype holograms from the first world countries, right?¡± Phesx Caolia heard voices behind him, but he couldn¡¯t care any less. Right now, he was looking at something terrible, creepy, and spirit-consuming. A hurricane so thick and yet far away crashing everything on the ground, still appearing to be nearby, maybe just a few hundred meters away, reflected in the young boy¡¯s eyes. Just looking at its windy body spread from the skies to the ground from far away was hair-rising. ¡®Just¡­ how many hundreds of square kilometers does it have?!¡¯ ¡­ Chapter 4 — Preuts Dismay Preut''s Dismay ¡°Ah.¡± Phesx Caolia was alerted by the heavy rain still pouring down. He looked in the direction where many people were congregating, where it is known all kinds of taxis wait for customers. Looking at the flowing water accumulating everywhere, Phesx Caolia didn''t want to wait any further. He walked towards there, not even bothering to see if his family was affected back in the hospital, trusting his luck. At first, Phesx Caolia wore a serious expression as he looked at the crowd ahead become larger and larger. The rain also kept him awake, keeping him from losing his calm and patience. If one thing was sure to get through this, it was to remain calm. He walked ahead, concentrating on what he had to do. There was nothing else but to go back home. Counting his luck, that hurricane was moving left from the hospital, so it wasn¡¯t going anywhere near him or his house. However, the ¡®common¡¯ districts¡­ Phesx Caolia kept walking, coming closer and closer to the taxi area, where people had long forgotten their calm and started pushing. But this was only the beginning. Yet, despite Phesx Caolia wanting to keep himself awake and not fall like them, after a minute, he was just like them. He found himself pushing through the gaps, wherever he could find them, of people towards a helitaxi. Many also had this idea, but he was a little faster. If it wasn¡¯t because of the daily stretching sets he did daily, as opposed to workout or exercising, he might¡¯ve lagged behind many others. His stamina was deplorable, still, but he moved as nimbly as he could, even bypassing adults. While many would watch exercising videos and look for instructions on the internet, Phesx Caolia was of the few who only wanted to make their bodies more flexible. It was also for another matter, but all he could think of right now was to get into a taxi somehow, anyhow! ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Para! Don¡¯t push, or you¡¯ll break it! Let me see you!¡± Phesx Caolia neared a helitaxi, where an older middle-aged man with orangish brown skin and short, gentlemanly hair finally couldn¡¯t keep the crowd around him well-behaved. He pushed others while letting some younger people go through. Phesx Caolia saw this and widened his eyes before pushing forth as quickly as possible. He extended his hands forth and tripped his left foot with his right foot¡¯s toes. Just as he was falling, near the middle-aged man, he felt a strong hand hold onto him. It wasn¡¯t bulky, but its grip on his wrist was firm. Afterwards, 2 hands held onto his hands, pulling him up and forwards. Phesx Caolia lifted his face to stare at the middle-aged man, who looked at him with a stern face and nodded, making him feel safe. Phesx Caolia kicked his feet from the ground and boosted himself forth. The young boy passed by the middle-aged man, who immediately pushed some others away before following after him. Phesx Caolia entered the helitaxi. It was about 3 meters long and enough for up to 6 people to sit as passengers, and 2 for the pilot and co-pilot. It didn¡¯t have the sturdiness or long tail of a helicopter, but it could go well up to 50-80 meters in the air and maintain a secure, rapid speed. ¡°Thank you!¡± Phesx Caolia said to the middle-aged man after sitting beside a crying aunty, slightly younger from the middle age, who had some bloodstains on her. The middle-aged man looked at him and nodded. ¡°Someone¡¯s gotta do what others won¡¯t,¡± the middle-aged man said. Phesx Caolia nodded and relaxed. When he felt the helitaxi soar into the air, he felt marvelous but hid it from showing. A woman in front, with 2 babies in her arms, turned her head backwards and said to him, ¡°Oh, poor boy. Where is your family?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Phesx Caolia shook his head. ¡°I was in the hospital.¡± ¡°Gasp! Oh my heaven, how could it be? That¡¯s so horrible.¡± The woman looked genuinely concerned. Her eyes teared up, making Phesx Caolia feel her sincerity, startling him. He nodded at her, not having more to say. The woman thought he was shell-shocked and gave the young boy a comforting gaze before staring ahead. She held her babies dearly to her neck. Phesx Caolia contemplated on the woman¡¯s actions. He was quite unseemly baffled at seeing such emotions in person. What¡¯s more, directed towards him. The middle-aged man asked everyone their addresses, or just where to drop them. Since Phesx Caolia¡¯s stop was closer than anyone else, the first stop was near his house. Phesx Caolia could see the earthquake had already mostly subsided, but some rumbling still went on. Not even 10 minutes later, following the lawful aerial route for helitaxis, they arrived a few minutes before his house. By then, the earthquake had finally gone away, but aftershocks would come and go every few seconds. It was a strange, detrimental day that humanity would have never experienced if not for such tremendous coincidences of tragedy. The woman gave Phesx Caolia a long, strong smooch on his forehead before he dropped from the helitaxi. Because of that, Phesx Caolia mentally wished her well and waited until the helitaxi flew away before continuing towards his home. Bang-¡­ boooom! ¡°?¡± However, before Phesx Caolia continued walking for long, as he only had to keep going down south. He heard a strange sound. It wasn¡¯t like the hospital debris crashing, or the power exploding in a sudden overcharge somewhere. ¡°¡­!¡± Looking at the source of the noises, which only began and became more and more apparent. Phesx Caolia watched as a large, wide vehicle with 2 cannons in front went over a hill near the factory districts to the east of the residential districts. There were many kilometers from where Phesx Caolia lived to a lake, which only the rich in the northern rich residential district could enter. Further to the south were the factory districts, small but very important in all of Preut. However, even with all that distance, Phesx Caolia could easily see, as night descended and electricity seemed to start failing everywhere, how countless figures moved against other countless figures. ¡°¡­!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes were already widened, but as he realized what was happening, his scalp felt solidified, like a higher level of helplessness. He turned around and rushed to his home, running with both legs, and heavily breathing out of fear. ¡®What is the military doing here?!¡¯ Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t take his mind off that explosion from earlier. Only 1 cannon seemed to fire from the tank, but a wide, almost linear explosion annihilated a row of soldiers covered by the night. His eyes remained widened, but he continued running for his dear life. He didn¡¯t even consider the helitaxi in case it returned, as he wouldn¡¯t have. Step after step, Phesx Caolia passed by Solas¡¯s house, where he saw lights on and their outlined figures through their window curtains. They were watching the news, but he didn¡¯t stop for a moment. Stomp, stomp! At last, Phesx Caolia arrived at his house, he saw the door open, with Jord coming out and his mother behind him. They stopped and looked at Phesx Caolia in shock, but he went straight past them and pushed the remote control¡¯s button to turn the TV on. ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡± - ¡°Nice one, Phesx! You made it back!¡± His mother and Jord yelled at him, surprised and in disbelief. But Phesx didn¡¯t bother with them. Yet, the control remote failed. Phesx Caolia looked at the plug and tilted his head with bothered eyes. He hurried over and plugged the cable back in, ignoring his mother¡¯s blabbing as he put on Lymoca¡¯s international shared news with the south of the supercontinent. ¡°I unplugged it because the electricity is failing! Do you want us all to explode?! Is that why you came back, just to kill us off with you?!¡± ¡°¡­Although Lymoca seems to rejoice in their President¡¯s successful re-election, even with all the downs and how pressured President Luis Heartez has now become, it seems like paradise is, indeed, in trouble.¡± The host¡¯s voice stopped Rubena from saying anything else. She, Jord, and even Cansa, who just came down the stairs, became engrossed. Phesx Caolia looked at the host, a man in his prime, handsome and well-dressed. He spoke with a calm expression and hints of curiosity and bits of superiority on his face. ¡°The Centralized Parliament is in the sight of the hurricane, but experts estimate it to stop before actually reaching the range to destroy it.¡± ¡°However, half of Preut¡¯s Prequa section forest, and most of their eastern residential district¡¯s west, has become a horrendous image.¡± The host stopped for 2 seconds before continuing with something else, ¡°On the other hand, Preut¡¯s group government has been¡­ ¡®dismantled¡¯ by the military. Preut has been divided into 4 ¡®powerhouses¡¯.¡± ¡°3 of them are the differently associated military with each section. For now, they are known as the Prei, Prequa, and Prona military camps. It is believed they had elaborated this scheme for a decade, or more, perhaps. However, with the recent earthquake and the still ongoing gigantic, history¡¯s most enormous, disastrous, and lethal hurricane, their ideals seem to have warped.¡± ¡°Currently, Preut¡¯s military forces have begun fighting among themselves, ignoring the 4th powerhouse in their nation state, the criminal groups.¡± The host put on a severe expression, making everything more dramatic. ¡°It seems like everything is going to worse for Preut. While the military fights against themselves, the organized crime, with relations to Lymoca¡¯s organized crime groups, have been sighted taking over Prequa farms and all of Preut¡¯s electrical plants.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Now, we¡¯ll go with you, Karla.¡± The host said before the TV made an awfully slow transition to a climate-themed set, where a beautiful young woman was smiling and directly addressed the camera with calm. ¡°Yes. Preut¡¯s hurricane is a strange ¡®deformity¡¯ of nature right now, as you can guess.¡± ¡°It is at least several hundred square kilometers in diameter, but that¡¯s only for the vortex column of air. Its top, as you can see, is present in half of Lymoca. It also takes as much area in the Lyclean Sea. It has been discovered that it isn¡¯t just your typical tornado or hurricane, and it is predicted it would cease after a day or a few, moving very slowly to the center of Preut.¡± ¡°For example, it contains from electrical discharge that somehow keep the vortex going even at a slow speed for the gigantic volume it has. Additionally, it isn¡¯t just brown from what it¡¯s taking away and destroying. There are some darkish¡­ greenish¡­ colors showing¡­ here, here, and there. This is a matter we cannot fathom. There are no such records of any of this in the previous Sanctum Orders. It is a first!¡± The young woman dashingly smiled at the end before a seamless transition returned the TV screen to the host from before. Now, however, he was seated with a few more people around a small, circular, fashionable black table. ¡°Thank you, Karla. Very enigmatic, heh heh.¡± The host said before signaling to the others around the table. One of them, an old male, smacked his lips and commented. ¡°But that¡¯s so weird. The military is actually still fighting each other? Do they just think they can beat their criminal groups like this? Because this isn¡¯t ending any time soon.¡± ¡°Well, before we go into any more of that, what does anyone think our President would make of this situation?¡± The host led the program somewhere else, igniting everyone¡¯s attention and intrigue, including Phesx Caolia, who now sat on the sofa. ¡°Ah, well. I believe he has something to say. Preut was part of us, once upon a time. This isn¡¯t debatable, it¡¯s just a truth.¡± A woman said, behaving elegantly and proud. A middle-aged man added, ¡°It isn¡¯t Lymoca¡¯s way to deal with other nation¡¯s internal affairs. We just hope¡­ the par¡­ people of Preut can have their peace left intact.¡± ¡°Mn, that¡¯s always what war shouldn¡¯t touch! Never! The people have to be respected,¡± another old man said. But then, another middle-aged spoke out, kinda interrupting the old man. ¡°War? Lymoca has been war free since almost 600 years ago. What¡¯s there to speak about war? If the President has something to say or not doesn¡¯t matter. Preut concerns us, and is something only Lymoca can have the rights to discuss with the people of Preut.¡± ¡°That¡­ it¡¯s true. But, hold on!¡± The host seemed to hesitate to the middle-aged man¡¯s words. Just as he could only acquiesce to them, he seemed to receive a notification about something. He excitedly looked at the camera before announcing. ¡°Since we¡¯re talking of our President so much, let us hear what he thinks about this!¡± The TV screen changed again, immediately transitioning to an image from a lower angle of President Luis Heartez looking ahead. Enough light to illuminate him from every angle showed Lymoca¡¯s first second-term president since the Green Transformation. ¡°Thank you for coming to see me tonight. It¡¯s become a drastic matter that took us all by surprise, I reckon.¡± President Luis Heartez began. His expression was a little silly, but he tried to appear serious and respectful; with sincerity, too. ¡°Preut¡¯s matter is a subject that, indeed, Lymoca is concerned about. They might not be our people, but they have always shared origins with us, despite circumstances. Lymoca has reigned peace with our Humane key, and that won¡¯t change. Preut is a Nation State we¡¯ve protected, be it with our navy, or with a long ¡®shield-border¡¯ with us. There¡¯s nothing that Preut has suffered from the outside because of it. However¡­¡± President Luis¡¯s word led to a pause, but it didn¡¯t last long. He looked at the camera aiming at him for a second before embarrassingly looking away. He cleared his throat and continued, ¡°Lymoca has never interrupted nor intervened in another country¡¯s process. Preut will remain as it is, but their internal affairs are not Lymoca¡¯s to meddle in. Regardless of the situation, I expect us Lys to honor the past that has always been glorious.¡± ¡°¡­¡± A strange silence ensued after the president¡¯s words, but he continued, this time become more serious. ¡°Lastly, I¡¯d like to advise our always dear neighbor, ANS, that they have no jurisdiction to interfere as well. Preut is Lymoca¡¯s matter, but the division within their nation state is theirs alone, no one else¡¯s. Lymoca has to respect such sovereignty, and with Lymoca showing such respect, I believe others must as well.¡± ¡°That will be all, thank you. And thank you for list-¡± Beep. Phesx Caolia pressed the button and turned the TV¡¯s screen black. He stood up and looked outside his window. It faced the south, so he couldn¡¯t see the lights from the east as the battlefield became hefty. He could hear a few sounds coming from it, but his family and Jord didn¡¯t seem able to do the same. ¡°Did you buy groceries? To eat food, I mean?¡± Phesx Caolia suddenly faced Jord and asked, making Jord startled at the extra ¡®I mean¡¯ words. However, Jord nodded and replied, ¡°Aha. That¡¯s what we did. We were about to look for you after buying them. We even bought some of the things you like.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia narrowed his indifferent eyes but said nothing. He felt weak and dispirited. Then, he walked to his bedroom, pulling the curtain apart, and went directly to his bed. He didn¡¯t even glance at his computer. ¡®What now?¡¯ Coldly, the thought emerged inside his head. He felt peaceful still, but also hollow. When he least expected it, the lights in the living room and kitchen went off, with a few strong explosions sounding from the immediate neighborhood¡¯s transformer boxes. ¡®Sigh¡­ was it the scum, or did the military take it out on them after suffering that loss? Was it even true? Why the hell now? Couldn¡¯t it have happened when I wasn¡¯t alive?¡¯ Phesx Caolia slowly closed his eyelids, tired and hungry. But he cared not. He wanted to do nothing¡­ this time, not even move out of bed. . . . Several days went by. Phesx Caolia no longer heard battling sounds from the east, or the north, for that matter. Since they were at the ¡®cheap¡¯ rich residential districts¡¯ utmost south, they were quite away from any Important place, or so he thought. Maybe that¡¯s why they didn¡¯t suffer any ¡®cleaning¡¯ from soldiers, or the criminal groups. He no longer went out of his bedroom besides going to the bathroom. His mother was kind enough to leave one glass of water and 1 or 2 dishes every day since the war in Preut started. By now, everyone knew the Centralized Parliament must have been assassinated, although the neighbors have felt unsafe lately and no longer went out to meet. Thus, not much information was shared since then. Since there was no electricity, internet or phone chargers became useless. The only way to communicate was through meeting in person, reduced to such regression. But it was unknown if it was so bad because it couldn¡¯t be helped, or because of the lack of cleverness. Phesx Caolia continued stretching in his bedroom, thrice every 6 or 8 hours, depending on if he trembled a lot due to lack of nutrients and consumed water in his body. However, even though he knew he was being stupid, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to utter a word about his situation, let alone do something about it. He needed help, perhaps, but at least it wasn¡¯t so bad. For now¡­ Lymoca kept their word and didn¡¯t interfere in Preut, not even politically. It was almost as if they were letting Preut suffer from their own comings. After all, a rich state or province wanting to separate from their country, having enough authority and chance of success, wasn¡¯t rare even in these hundreds of years of worldwide peace. ¡­ On this day, Phesx Caolia rested on the sofa as his bedsheets were taken by his mother when he went to the bathroom last time. It was the afternoon, but the peaceful sound made it feel like it was night instead. Crgg. crrgggh¡­ ¡°?¡± Phesx Caolia pushed himself up from the sofa. Surprised, he looked towards an antiquity, a radio a neighbor gave them a couple of days ago. It was making sounds, at last. Phesx Caolia sat properly, almost, and thought, ¡®Ah, so it does work.¡¯ ¡°Attention¡­ Attention¡­ Attention to all Prei, Prona, and Prequa civilians.¡± The radio spoke with a voice, but the way it commenced made Phesx Caolia frown. He stood up only to crouch before the radio on a small, tall table. ¡®Is it similar to the other sections?¡¯ ¡®Besides, the distinction between sections is no longer the so-called ¡®preis¡¯, ¡®pronas¡¯, or ¡®preqs¡¯. Are they going to shrink the size of this already tiny nation? Really?¡¯ Phesx Caolia frowned as he continued to hear the radio. The voice was surely from whoever was in charge of Prequa, if he was correct. ¡°Prei and Prona have joined hands with the organized crime. They¡¯ve betrayed the country! Prequa¡¯s army has only just repelled the enemy. But the Prequa military camp also thinks of its people. Some of you might know this already¡­¡± ¡°!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened and trembled. With the little communication anywhere in Preut, he knew how critical not knowing what happened even 10 minutes up north could mean. If there was something good that would finish soon, anyone would feel mad if they miss it. ¡°Our military camp has opened congregation points for all civilians to be brought safely to Lymoca. Their borders aren¡¯t closed, and anyone with identification can go through. We¡¯ve prepared food and direct transport to operate since a few hours ago until the next light in the morning. Anyone who hasn¡¯t joined any of these points should hurry to safety!¡± ¡°The country will face its most tragic event in history. We¡¯ll send the weak and innocent away, but please¡­ we need to defend the true color and banner of this country! Any volunteer will be offered direct communication with their contacts in Lymoca every month, without limitations. You are needed here to defend your land.¡± ¡°The Centralized Parliament has fallen to their hands, but the natural disaster has provided us with time. Nobody will be sent to their death. Prequa¡¯s army is still strong! You will be trained, disciplined, and guided to defend your country! Please, present yourself to these congregation points!¡± Crrrghh¡­ boop. ¡®Ah, it turned off.¡¯ Phesx Caolia looked at the radio as it went off on its own. He remained crouched for some time, facing downwards and holding himself to the small table¡¯s surface before standing up. ¡°¡­¡± He was startled to see his family behind the sofa, looking at him with shining eyes. They seemed to say, ¡®there is hope?!¡¯ and ¡®we gotta move! My heavens!¡¯, but Phesx Caolia felt helpless. ¡°That¡¯s it, we¡¯re going away. We can¡¯t stay here for longer, it¡¯s not safe!¡± Rubena Caolia said, starting to pack some jewels from a few drawers and bookshelves in the living room and hidden in the kitchen. They were still poor, though. She looked at Phesx Caolia before going downstairs and ¡®said¡¯, ¡°No buts. We can¡¯t afford to think now. It¡¯s survival or misery. Who knows how many are dying of hunger out there right now? Or have already? Quick! Bring your things, quick!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing his mother¡¯s fussy attitude, Phesx Caolia remained on the same spot. He lowered his eyes after he was left alone in the living room. It was suddenly like he was in an abandoned house out of nowhere, or maybe he always felt like this. ¡°Humf~.¡± Phesx Caolia placed his hands in his pockets and softly sighed through his nostrils before circling around the sofa. ¡®I¡¯ve got nothing to bring.¡¯ Phesx Caolia took his phone out from his rear pockets and looked at it before throwing it under the sofa. He slid it on the floor before grabbing an extreme corner of the sofa¡¯s backrest with a straight back before lifting it and letting it fall. One of its legs went straight at his phone¡¯s screen before letting go of it, allowing it satisfyingly crush the rest. Even he surprised himself at how efficiently he achieved it. ¡­ Chapter 5 — Yes, This Is How The World Works Yes, This Is How The World Works Lymoca''s Eusat State. A few tens of minutes from the border with the nation state, Preut. A few hours after Preut''s 3 military camps notified their civilians of the congregation points. In a safe house, large and lavish. ¡°Yes, sir. Miss Vice president is coming here now. She will arrive in about 5 hours due to some matters,¡± a woman spoke to Luis Heartez, the man who had become Lymoca''s first second-term president. The president was a young man not even in his 40s, but he had already been a sight to behold in the world, breaking Lymoca''s renown policy in those first 3 years of his first term. Nevertheless, he once again convinced the people he was their natural leader, one way or another. Light brown skin and serious, sharp, gray-black eyes, 1.91 meters tall, and short, flat black hair. He was a young man still in the beginning of his prime. Besides being handsome, he had a smile that only grew more dashing with each passing year. ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m glad. Thanks, Rena. Leave me with my daughter, please.¡± The president said. The woman nodded and took her black leather case away with her. Luis breathed in, feeling troubled, before looking at the tall white doors with floral patterns of similar colors all over. Closing his eyes, he seemed to remember the past, way before becoming Lymoca¡¯s president, where he lived a leisure life with his wife and daughter, gone down the gutter and momentarily pushed away. Taking this position has been life-changing multiple times for him. He couldn¡¯t imagine what it was like for his daughter, who now can¡¯t even step out of safe buildings without a security team. After another light breath went into his lungs, he opened the doors and carefully went inside, slowly closing the doors behind him. ¡°Oh my, did you see that?¡± A young woman, working as secretary of one of the president¡¯s employees, who followed him here, spoke to another secretary. Another young woman nodded and covered her mouth before whispering, ¡°He still treats his daughter well. Hm, at least he can still show care for someone. With the way his first term went¡­ Tsk. I couldn¡¯t really say he would dare to remain here.¡± ¡°Mhm~, it requires balls.¡± Yet another secretary spoke, followed by the first. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure he has some after all his lonely time. Don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯ve never seen or heard anything about him being with another woman, or man, for that matter.¡± ¡°Oi, do you think he and his da-¡± The second secretary to speak smiled and even snorted to herself before speaking, but the third secretary stopped her with a whispered bark. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid! Keep saying those things, and we might have to meet a new coworker soon.¡± ¡°Tsk,¡± the second secretary exclaimed but said nothing afterwards. One of them sighed a little, ¡°Many things have gone and could still go wrong, or badly done, but here¡¯s one thing they don¡¯t seem to fail at. Their spying tech is really good, huh?¡± The young woman who spoke just now was stared at before the other secretaries took small steps away from her, making the former feel a little apprehensive. ¡­ In the room, Luis Heartez was just a father sitting in front of his daughter, who looked barely something like him. Now almost a young woman, 17 years old, and growing ever more beautiful, the president¡¯s daughter sat on the other side of the white, exotic, lavish table with countless gaps in its design. Her appearance came mostly from her mother, which the heartbroken father could only marvel and reminisce about as his little baby continued growing into a clever mini version of his deceased wife. She had creamy white golden skin, beautiful golden, blonde long hair, like a cascade down her hips. She was shorter than her father, and it didn¡¯t seem like she¡¯d grow much taller than that. Profound black eyes that showed more of her character, something that reminded her father of his younger days with her mother. ¡°How is my little baby doing?¡± Luis asked her, holding her right hand atop the table with care. The lass looked at him with upturned eyes and a slightly lowered head, but she didn¡¯t move her hand away. They were larger than hers and warmer, making her feel safe. She had a few bruises on that hand, which he caressed with the softness of his palm, but her other hand, which was worse, and even with dried blood, was hidden in her clothes beneath the table. Luis looked at it fleetingly before his daughter finally spoke. ¡°I am fine, father. I just reacted too slowly. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Then, why did you go there?¡± Her father gently asked, slightly letting go of her hand to reveal her bruised knuckles and half of her fingers. It trembled, exposed before his sharp eyes. ¡°I¡­ I just wanted to be like you and mom. It is my aspiration to not just be your daughter, can I not have ambition?¡± The daughter asked, putting up a slight front towards her father. He simply smiled though, and looked at her with an affectionate glance, he couldn¡¯t do anything else. ¡°Going to the school march was a bit not what interests me, but I had to go there and see, feel, and experience just what you and mother did. I liked it, until the brawl with other classes started.¡± She kept her head low after speaking, feeling embarrassed, or perhaps feeling she disappointed her father. ¡°But was it what you wanted?¡± ¡°¡­¡± His soft words came to her ears like the soundless whistles of wind caressing her temples, gentle and caring. Her eyes shuddered a little as she looked up at him and saw his ravishing face. Feeling a tiny bit of pride in her heart, she sniffled her little nostrils and said, ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°There, there¡­¡± Luis caressed the back of her hand, letting her feel comforted, even if just a little. Seeing her expression soothing, albeit embarrassed still, he took a soundless, large breath into his lungs through his nostrils before using his fatherly voice. ¡°What is that? Is my ambitious daughter, who kicks me out of the house every day the country isn¡¯t doing well, feeling girly and all ¡®daddy is my hero¡¯ now?¡± Smiling, he saw his daughter¡¯s cheeks blush. He grinned even harder and let go of her hand. He placed his hands to the sides before him, on the table, and tapped them as he continued. ¡°Your mother was very enthusiastic to make a point. Even if it was just a letter, just a screaming word from the back, or merely her hand signs or infuriated face, she¡¯d work to achieve it. How do you think she got us three into this hassle?¡± The daughter smiled a little, feeling sheepish at hearing more of her mother like this. ¡°I¡¯m the president because she had such a strong presence whenever she put herself to the task. It¡¯s only her weak body that slowly made her soar higher than us, and sooner.¡± Luis dropped a few tears from his eyes, not even bothering to hide it. ¡°But it is because of your mother and I that you could be born, Esme.¡± Esme looked at her father with upturned eyes, but this time with her head held high, as he stood beside her. With his left hand on her right shoulder, her lips twitched, seemingly in pain, as he continued. ¡°If, em¡­ if¡­ If you want to make your road ahead, and don¡¯t want anyone¡¯s hands having anything to do with it, then start by following what you desire. The heart and the mind are different¡­ err¡­ err, things. But they work bilaterally. Both won¡¯t be complete without the other, you¡¯ll learn that very fast, soon.¡± ¡°Mm? Soon?¡± Esme asked, a little perplexed. Luis smiled, looked down, and took a small notebook with thin pages, barely a finger thick, from his suit. ¡°I want my daughter¡¯s help again. She was so good last time that I need her again. Besides, who, besides Lesly, can help me so much wherever I am?¡± ¡°What about Roam?¡± Esme asked, but she still took the notebook with an elegant smoothness. Luis looked at her and said, teasing her, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to give this task to Roam? If you don¡¯t want it-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get right away with it.¡± Esme said, headstrong. She cut her father off and gave the notebook a little ogle. She hid her eyes¡¯ excitement and trembling well, already used to it. But then, she looked at her father¡¯s face, seemingly noticing something. She asked in a low volume, ¡°Wait¡­ What does this mean?¡± ¡°It means your father wants your help. But you still need time and experience. With it, you might even surpass your aunty, or even the vice president. Heh. Don¡¯t you want to make us proud?¡± Luis responded at once, just waiting for her to ask this. But his smile was silly, albeit charming. ¡°Then, what do you want for me in the future?¡± Esme asked. Her eyes glowed and shook a little, feeling immeasurably contented. Luis smirked with mirth, ¡°I want to see my daughter, of course. But I also am going to see her married and beloved.¡± Esme¡¯s face blushed with every passing nanosecond. Her face turned so red it could replicate the sun in a small model project about nature. She clenched her fist like a little girl and said in the cutest voice she¡¯s had since being a little kid, melting her father¡¯s weak heart. ¡°So you accept my terms?¡± ¡°Sigh, yes. Go ahead and choose your future. What would I be doing, limiting my child¡¯s life? Tsk, you better not choose anyone from that school, alright?¡± Luis said, with his hands in his pockets, coming in and out to express his attitude. Meanwhile, Esme stood up. ¡°Okay,¡± she cutely said before hugging him behind his armpits. Her beautiful, small forehead against her father¡¯s chest, she then said while looking up at him. ¡°Pa, can we go to the big ass living room and watch the match there? Those were you and mom¡¯s favorites, right? It¡¯s been a while since I watched some fut with you. Do you wanna?¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Of course¡­ Wow, I almost forgot how many ¡®different¡¯ words you used back then. Sigh, so many clips of my beautiful gem acting like a ruffian¡­¡± Luis said, remembering something, and making his daughter¡¯s face red and ashamed straight away. He even added, ¡°Eh? How did you know that? You know, that team has always been your mother¡¯s favorite because they¡¯re ¡®half¡¯ as headstrong as she was, or so she said. But my team knows how to play better, and have fun! Aren¡¯t they better?¡± ¡°Mhm, whatever you say, emperor¡­¡± Esme rolled her eyes, remembering his words of not allowing her to choose anyone from the school despite saying he wouldn¡¯t limit her. It annoyed her a little, but she understood¡­ She understood she¡¯ll only understand when she grows up herself. ¡°Oi~!¡± Luis noticed this, of course. He became playful and hurt at the same time, but all was well. However, while he became more calm now, after things happened, and his daughter was no longer marching with her school to demand Lymoca to rescue Preut and their trapped civilians. He still wouldn¡¯t go back on forming his brand-new security body to protect his precious daughter. No matter what, he¡¯d do anything to protect her. Even if it meant a chaotic Lymoca. ¡°Dad, do you resent me?¡± - ¡°I would never.¡± - ¡°Hehe¡­¡± - ¡°Hah! You laughed like a little girl!¡± - ¡°Grrr¡­¡± *** Preut. In one of Prequa¡¯s congregating points. At an avenue that could be considered a center between the southern, northern rich residential districts and the worker district northeast from them. It would soon be night, but even then, tens of thousands of people kept walking here, while more than 100,000 were already present. One of them was Phesx Caolia, who walked forward with his family, remaining behind them. They were still in the ¡®outskirts¡¯. While his family moved forth without thinking, and as rapidly as possible, pulling each other to not lag behind, not doing so with Phesx Caolia, he felt his head becoming ever more clearer. Ever since arriving nearby, he wouldn¡¯t stop feeling uncomfortable. Looking around, it was easy to see metallic railings, 6 meters tall, with dangerous countermeasures to deter anyone from climbing them, forming an area. Some of them were even so thick that it made Phesx Caolia believe just grazing one¡¯s hand on them would leave it showing bones everywhere and hanging flesh, like scrapped cheese. Step, step, step- step step¡­ The notion wasn¡¯t only his, as others also didn¡¯t feel comfortable here, especially since everyone was being told to enter ¡®the perimeter¡¯. Everyone walking here could see a larger area, in a square shape, surrounding about 100,000 people who had arrived beforehand, but only half of it had been filled. Phesx Caolia frowned as he continued walking, hearing his steps, his family¡¯s, and the people around him who kept stubbornly moving forward but had no idea of what was up ahead. However, the hope in their eyes, and their leisure, demonstrated they didn¡¯t feel endangered. Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t tell if that was good or¡­ ¡°S- should we go back to the house? I don¡¯t feel safe here!¡± Phesx Caolia suddenly said, pulling on Jord¡¯s arm, easily stopping everyone else from moving forward. They each slightly lifted one of their feet by inertia before looking back. They thought some random kid was shouting to their parents, but it was Phesx Caolia instead. ¡°What? No!¡± Rubena Caolia sobered up the fastest. She flung her hand to pull Cansa, who was the closes to her, harshly towards her. ¡°We are already here! We just go in now and get to Lymoca. Don¡¯t worry! This is going to help us. Now, waste no more time and let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes narrowed. Now, even if this place was heaven¡¯s paradise forming in the world, he wouldn¡¯t enter it. He remained behind and simply watched as they continued ahead. With his arms resting at his sides, he saw his mother look back fleetingly a few times, finding him just as he was, but continued. Afterwards, with Phesx Caolia crossing his arms and waiting, she no longer looked back and continued moving forth, rushing into the perimeter. Phesx Caolia felt the eyes of a few ¡®guards¡¯ around here. He was pretty easy to notice after his family separated from him. Feeling their stares, he slowly turned around, lowering his head, and relaxing his arms. ¡®I¡­ need to get out of here!¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought before slowly stepping in the opposite direction as almost everyone else. His legs moved a little faster after a few seconds, and a few more later, he was jogging away from the perimeter and gained a few looks from others. ¡®!¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s body numbed, and he felt his scalp tingling when he saw the ¡®guards¡¯ around move and hush to each other while staring and pointing at him. His eyes trembled. With no further hesitation, he began running away. Now, it didn¡¯t matter if this was a misunderstanding, he didn¡¯t like being seen and ¡®plotted¡¯ against like this¡­ or in any way. About 2 dozen guards around the crowd and Phesx Caolia, moved and tried entering the crowd, but they had it rough and only ended up complicating things. The people immediately got nervous and stopped, stopping others in a chain reaction and causing newfound terror to spread among those little spots amidst the thick current of mostly curly haired heads moving forth. ¡°Le- let me pass!¡± - ¡°Huh? What are you doing? Did I do something wrong?¡± - ¡°¡­No!¡± - ¡°Then why am I being stopped? Hey!¡± - ¡°What¡¯s going on? Can we just continue, please?¡± - ¡°Calm down, calm down!¡± - ¡°Don¡¯t stop moving! The perimeter will be filled before we can enter it. Come on!¡± - ¡°Wait, no! Calm down, I said- calm down!¡± Like this, many of those guards were stopped, unable to deal with the sudden situation, and needing back up from a higher-up. However, some others just ignored the people and moved into the crowd. Phesx Caolia¡¯s mind rumbled with their moving trajectory as if he knew where they were going to¡­ It was the path he wanted to use to flee! ¡®Am I wrong? Fucking fucks.¡¯ Phesx Caolia doubted himself for a moment before hurrying on his way outside this place. He began pushing people backwards with his shoulders, which were like spearheads amidst a packed battlefield, bashing some people away, even the bulky. He wasn¡¯t fast, but he was able to snake away and deter his body from heavy collisions. Even though he hit some kids younger than him, he didn¡¯t stop, only careful to not step on someone. He knew he was causing a commotion, but the more he continued, the more he felt his scalp feeling more at ease, and his brain like an impossible itch was slowly scratched to satisfaction. When he was just a few minutes away from the ¡®exit¡¯ which was slowly enlarged with the newly coming ¡®refugees¡¯; Phesx Caolia faced a few guards who couldn¡¯t arrive before him in time and extended their hands, trying to grab him. Seeing their behavior, Phesx Caolia felt he accomplished something. ¡®Going so far just for me? This went out of proportion¡­ I can now have more chances to get out of this trap!¡¯ Phesx Caolia doubted himself no more as he went down the ground, feeling his heart palpitate at the possible death he was calling upon himself, and started moving like a lizard to the direction he remembered. He couldn¡¯t see the path from there, but with his mind working its magic, always letting him know his ¡®instincts¡¯ were the ones he could only follow, he crawled forth. Helplessly, Phesx Caolia grabbed onto some ankles, and even hands from people who tripped. Fortunately, people were still somewhat calm and weren¡¯t desperate. Thus, they helped those people up, even those who didn¡¯t know each other. The hurricane also went away. There was nothing to sow seeds of panic into the people¡¯s hearts besides the incoming civil war. Phesx Caolia crawled, out of the guards¡¯ sight, who could only look around without any idea where that boy went, and reached his desired outcome. Phesx Caolia himself couldn¡¯t believe it when he saw the gaps of the field east of the southern rich residential districts, a little burn from the previous battle, through the gaps of several legs and shoes. Phesx Caolia was glad, but his face was impassive. He gently grabbed some ankles and pushed them apart. A young man with a hat and shorts felt his hairy shins grabbed and spread. He instinctively followed the motion as he was barely entering the crowd of people moving into the perimeter, as some guards inform the newcomers. Finding an easy way through, Phesx Caolia virtually shot past the young man¡¯s legs and rolled once before sliding down a brief slide. His shirt was lifted from the back, so he got dirt on his skin, but he ignored it and dexterously stood up before jogging away. He didn¡¯t look back before remembering his situation and started running away. The guards, not informed yet, looked at the strange kid who fell off and ran away. They were going to help him, when he jogged on the opposite direction. And when they wanted to shout at him, he began running, baffling them. A minute later, they received a communication from a thin, radio-like device from their left chest pocket, making them look in the direction the kid had left, helpless and knowing a punishment would soon follow their soon-to-get-worst night. On the other hand, the orange-haired young man whose legs were used by Phesx Caolia to impulse himself out of the crowd noticed the guards¡¯ actions and felt weird. He looked around, searching, before walking in a certain direction. He talked to a uniformed person before he helped the young man move somewhere else. While Phesx Caolia had long run away from the sight of the tail of the crowd of tens of thousands of people reunited in an avenue, a sight to shock anyone, the congregation point started getting hefty. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s going on here? Why can¡¯t we leave?!¡± A white middle-aged man, stout and friendly-looking, yelled at a guard stopping them just as he led his family to turn around. He had seen too many people act and move like helpless animals in a forest fire. ¡°Don¡¯t raise your voice, sir. Go back to the perimeter! You¡¯ve already come all the way here, don¡¯t waste other people¡¯s time!¡± The ¡®guard¡¯ shouted back, keeping a straight back. Another person walking by looked at the middle-aged man and said, trying to help and feeling the guard was correct. ¡°He¡¯s right. Nobody wants to miss this opportunity. Your family is with you, so you should be more careful, sir.¡± ¡°Bullshit! I¡¯m alone, but I was still retained here! Now what¡¯s happening, huh?!¡± A young man, looking strong and very bothered, came run-walking here with forceful strides. When others looked at this development, something clicked in their heads. ¡°Oh no!¡± - ¡°Mom?¡± - ¡°Come, we need to get away, fast¡­¡± - ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Stop touching me! Why are you grabbing me? Let go, cabrones!¡± - ¡°Everyone, keep calm! There¡¯s nothing to worry! We¡¯ll put this young man to the side so he won¡¯t cause tro-¡± - ¡°Then why did you tell me and my friends from school to stay? Isn¡¯t it because we¡¯re young and strong? Fuck you! Fuck off!!¡± ¡®Agh, damn. This is happening¡­¡¯ The guard who stopped the middle-aged man looked troubled as he saw a group of 20-year-olds come to their little spot. The moment these people said those words, more and more young people, some who were detained at the side, and others who were close to the former, realized and joined hands. They exclaimed, questioned, and demanded. Things were getting out of control. It was even more obvious when it began spreading everywhere else, and not just around that guard. ¡°¡­¡± Suddenly, the guard pressed on the earring device on his left ear. Silence ensued, something was brewing. The guard took heavy breaths, and after taking his backpack off, he took a weapon out and whispered. ¡°Please forgive me, heavens¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡­ ¡­Bang, bang¡­ bang, bang, bang¡­ Bang bang bang bang bang¡­ ¡°AAAAAAAHHHH!!¡± - ¡°RUUUN!¡± - ¡°No! Take them down, they¡¯re less than us!¡± - ¡°Oh m- my, heaven, is that a tank? Preut doesn¡¯t even¡­ W- wh- why?¡± - ¡°!!!¡± ¡°Follow the line! Get into the perimeter! Anyone attacking the guards or trying to trick and use others¡¯ lives will be dealt with immediately¡± - ¡°Get going!!¡± - ¡°Don¡¯t stop! Move, move, and move!!¡± Bang, bang¡­ boom! Bang bang bang bang- boom, boom¡­! ¡­ Chapter 6 — No Escape No Escape ¡°Huff, huff, huff¡­¡± Phesx Caolia pressed his hands on his knees, bent his back, and struggled to breathe for his dear little life. He knew no one was following him since he ran from the congregating point, but just in case someone did, he wanted to have the advantage. Thus, he was all sweaty, his clothes were wet, and he felt like his legs were missing parts. ¡®Okay, that¡¯s enough.¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought. He struggled to straighten his back, wiping his forehead with his right forearm. He spread some down his right temple, making him irritated, but his clothes were even more soaked to use them like a towel. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Phesx Caolia turned towards his house and let the wind clean his face as he went down the sidewalk. It was a very long road ahead, but he was now closer to home. It was also downhill, so even when he was running, he began recuperating. Now that he only had to walk, he felt more at ease. Phesx Caolia walked like he worked in a factory for 12 hours straight and barely returned home. He wanted to take his shirt off, but there were some people around the neighborhood, moving in and out of the houses. He could barely see their clothes, which surprised him, as he needed glasses, and identified them to be from the military. They moved inside and out, taking some things outside and moving them, but nothing more. He didn¡¯t see the neighbors, but he still felt tranquil. Walking towards his house, the military folk looked at him, but also didn¡¯t do anything. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t know what they thought of him or what they were doing, but he ignored it and cared no more. When he neared his house, and saw the clothes and some rich belongings littering on the gardens of the neighboring houses, he frowned and looked at other military people moving into another house, not realizing he was there. Entering his house, he noticed his was left ajar, with the gate metallic gate and the door forced open. Some gunshots were visible on the door¡¯s knob and other safety locks. When he pushed the door open, he was in for a shock. ¡°!¡± - ¡°¡­ gulp, gulp, gulp. Aaahh~.¡± A man wearing a military uniform white blank shirt drank from a small glass in front of the kitchen¡¯s fridge. He had just closed its door but directly downed that glass of its yellow content. Phesx Caolia looked at this, befuddled instead of surprised, and immediately felt in danger. The TV was packed in black bags and its cables and control at the side, as if to depart with it. All the food, junk or not, were in other white bags, while Jord clothes were littering on the ground near a bag that could only belong to this man. Furthermore, his military jacket was on the sofa, of which one of its sides aimed at the door. Looking at it, Phesx Caolia spotted a drawing on its center, halved by the zipper, making out an¡­ emblem? It was a bunch of houses in fire on the background and some very long arms raising a fist into a scarlet-orange sky. It was colored and all, but the art and its dimensions seemed¡­ a little bizarre, yet well-defined. However, that was when the man¡¯s relaxed eyes went to the door, expecting a comrade of his, perhaps, but only saw a kid watching in horror. At the same time, Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes instinctively darted to the back of the side of the sofa aiming at him. A rifle, not from those he¡¯s seen on the internet lately as one of the supercontinents¡¯ defined weaponry, but from an older century, leaned against its back. ¡°This your house? ¨®rale.¡± The man suddenly spoke, putting ¡®his¡¯ glass down on the fridge before kicking its door a little from the lower end to see if it was well-closed. ¡°It¡¯s good you left it closed. Most things are still well inside. I was hungry from waiting in the dark and then fighting, dammit.¡± The man suddenly stopped. He noticed Phesx Caolia¡¯s stare, and so did Phesx Caolia realize of his own obvious actions. There was sudden silence as Phesx Caolia somehow knew this man wasn¡¯t from here. He might have curly hair, but such were his thoughts. ¡°Wa- don-¡± The man stammered. Phesx Caolia suddenly, albeit not that fast, moved to grab the butt of the rifle. It had a lengthy structure, with a ¡®stripped¡¯ sticking out metal pattern near its barrel. He carried it on his right side and aimed it at the man, feeling a solid pause of security grow within him. However, he also gained enlightenment. If this man was to be against him, why didn¡¯t he move before he could see the gun? Did he forget? Or was he trying to lower his guard first? Phesx Caolia thought, but then saw the man take a knife out of his back pockets. Now, Phesx Caolia no longer doubted. Just seeing a knife taken out for him, against him, something ignited within him. Nobody, trying to keep the situation under control, would take another weapon out of nowhere. Remembering something, Phesx Caolia brought the rifle¡¯s butt to his right shoulder before placing it atop his chest. Then, under the man¡¯s widened eyes and constricted pupils, he lowered his stance. This lowered his presence before he pulled the trigger, or attempted to. ¡®The fucking safe!¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought for a millisecond before knowing his fate changed. The surrounding air suddenly became fragile as he used his last bits of intelligence and strength to react, throwing the rifle away. Slam! A second later, at full starting speed, the man tackled Phesx Caolia down, tumbling him backwards and closing the door with a rapid slam. ¡°!¡± Phesx Caolia shut his eyes before opening them in pain, horrified. He thought his torso broke at once, but the man moved and half-straddled him with his left leg, kneeling. Phesx Caolia felt his body hurting, but not to that exaggerated thought he had. But then, he saw the man look at his face and hesitate with the knife in his right hand, raised up to his shoulder level. Phesx Caolia kicked and kicked, before finding and grabbing a nearby shoe of Jord¡¯s, smacking it at the man¡¯s eyes. Dirt entered the man¡¯s sensitive eyeballs. He lost balance and moved his torso backwards. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes shone as he pushed the man with his right hand, supporting himself with his left one, using the floor as a base to push the man further away. ¡°Arrgh.¡± The man groaned as Phesx Caolia tried to stand up rapidly, kicking once at the man¡¯s solar plexus. The man nearly spitted saliva. Seeing this, Phesx Caolia tried it again, to gain advantage, but his foot on the floor stepped wrongly, and his kick hit the air above the man¡¯s left shoulder. Slam. ¡°Eh?¡± The man breathed heavily, finally opening his irritated eyes to see the boy in a similar position, albeit slightly different. His expression became raging. He lifted his hand and squeezed but didn¡¯t feel the knife and looked down to look for it, finding it just where Phesx Caolia¡¯s left foot tripped. Both pairs of eyes widened, one feeling extremely stupid, and the other gladdened. Phesx Caolia found the way to suddenly kick the man¡¯s face, but it did little other than somewhat hurt the man to stop him. He turned around and tried to pull himself up with the doorknob but failed, breaking it as the man pulled him back while keeping the door closed with the soles of his feet. ¡®He doesn¡¯t want to be seen?!¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought as he felt dizzy from his chin hitting the cold, solid floor of his house. He rapidly turned around, realizing he couldn¡¯t ¡®intimidate¡¯ this person from killing him, as his comrades might just do the same. It was just that this man didn¡¯t want to be seen in such a sorry state, perhaps. Unbeknownst to him, the terror Phesx Caolia showed in his eyes, sincere and alive, made the man hesitate again. He held the knife normally, but his chest heaved up and down as his left hand grabbed Phesx Caolia¡¯s right shoulder. The young boy¡¯s light black eyes intensified. His left knee moved with splendid smoothness, dazzling even the man after his knife was struck out of his grip, loose after hesitating for the second time. Phesx Caolia stomped on the man¡¯s groins and used the motion to impulse himself to the side. His left arm fearlessly extended where the knife was falling, as if he could see it with the top of his head, and made a grabbing motion with his hand. To the two¡¯s surprise, Phesx Caolia¡¯s hand caught the knife and held it accurately. The blade¡¯s tip aimed at the ceiling. ¡°Heh, heh.¡± Phesx Caolia chuckled, a little out loud. Because of it, he suddenly lost his advantage. The man rapidly lunged forth and grabbed his elbow, clawing it fiercely. Phesx Caolia immediately let go of the knife by mistake, allowing the man, who roughly slapped at his hand, to grab it back. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened, but the man¡¯s eyes had now become murderous, punishing. ¡°AAH!¡± Phesx Caolia half-hoarsely screamed, not really realizing his hands moved to his abdomen, forming a yin yang-ish motion. The man threw himself at the young boy, easily overpowering the kid. Meanwhile, the knife was held regularly again as it dove towards the young boy¡¯s ribs. However, Phesx Caolia¡¯s hands stopped the sudden charge. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes narrowed fiercely amidst a sudden stop, which the man continued with putting force behind the knife, still trying to stab him. Phesx Caolia realized he was out of opportunities. However, even if he wanted to stop, his body wasn¡¯t. Despite the soldier¡¯s arm strength, the young boy¡¯s 2 hands stopped the knife, although it trembled fiercely and continued advancing. Phesx Caolia looked down and watched as the knife¡¯s tip, which was just his ¡®ally¡¯ a couple of seconds ago, poked his flesh but retracted time and again. Just a few seconds, very few, later, he felt a sensation he never before did in his life. A metal tip entered his skin, drawing a bit of blood before it continued to seep into his body. Phesx Caolia twisted his neck from the left to the right, facing the ceiling as he opened his jaws and screamed silently, hurt at the hands of someone else¡¯s vile acts. But when he moved his neck to the right at the end, with his hands slowly giving in, his head thumping as he felt it heating up like crazy, and his heartbeats beginning to hurt; he saw it. Bullets littered in the direction of his room, where the curtain was already taken down and put somewhere, he could see the magazine detached from the rifle. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s fierce, sweating narrowed eyes indifferently looked at the trails of bullets positioned in a semicircular trail as if to tease him. His mind felt utmost relaxing as he let go of the struggle. Immediately, the knife went halfway in. Prrkk! ¡°Pufsh!¡± Phesx Caolia inadvertently spout saliva from his lips, pressing together. But he became flexible, as if this body wasn¡¯t his anymore, and moved his right hand to the man¡¯s left. Knowing he had his handgun holster secured, with no one in front or behind him able to easily undo it, he continued pushing the knife into Phesx Caolia¡¯s body. Blurry vision, heated head, hurting-like-hell abdomen, Phesx Caolia¡¯s index and middle bloody fingers grabbed onto two bullets. He raised his hand, but one of them fell. The clicking, metallic, familiar noise alerted the man, who stopped for half a second. Then, he continued pushing into the young boy¡¯s abdomen before looking to his left past his shoulder. ¡°?¡± - ¡°¡­¡± The man looked at the two bloody fingers and the bullet on the floor before staring at a dying kid¡¯s face. Phesx Caolia, on the other hand, looked at the bullet in his bloody fingers. He didn¡¯t know if it was because of his blurriness, or that some flesh pieces might have gotten under his nails, but he felt his nails hurting. Furthermore, his fingers looked somewhat strange, like their tips changed, becoming more oval-reverse triangle shaped and particularly primitive, so to speak. ¡°¡­¡± Nevertheless, Phesx Caolia turned his head to look at the soldier¡¯s face, who was bent on fully penetrating that knife into his body. His light black eyes were calm and indifferent still. But he suddenly moved. Fwiiip~ slap! ¡°Uoooooghhh Eeekk!¡± The man suddenly heard a tiny whistle, similar to how even kids could move their hands, holding things or not, with about dozens of kilometers per hour of speed, before feeling a piercing pain. His vision changed, but the knife in his hands had fully entered the young boy¡¯s ribs. However, he still wanted to finish it. Finish this shitty situation. The soldier forced himself up again and began introducing the handle into Phesx Caolia¡¯s abdomen. On the other hand, Phesx Caolia trembled from the sensations. He looked at the man¡¯s head¡¯s left side and thought, ¡®Is that not enough?¡¯ The soldier had a bullet ¡®embedded¡¯ in his skin. It was positioned laterally, as Phesx Caolia¡¯s fingers were too slippery, and he couldn¡¯t aim its tip well. He looked at the man¡¯s injury and also noticed a bit of blood falling from his left nostril. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes went catatonic, with the pain of almost half the knife¡¯s handle breaking apart his body from within keeping him awake. As casual as the sound of wind on a field, he light black eyes abruptly gained focus. Phesx Caolia¡¯s right hand formed into a fist before smashing down with its lower, reverse side! Pa! But it did nothing. He was weak, but people can unfold their potential for their own survival. Alas, that wouldn¡¯t be enough to detonate a bullet. Not even if Phesx Caolia was at his peak. He would¡¯ve needed a rock or something really hard to do so. As for right now? It was pointless. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes immediately lost spirit, but he didn¡¯t stop there. After waving a little, the pain in his abdomen made tears spill out of his eyes, but so did his right arm become a crazed living being, smashing and raising nonstop like a maniac. Fwuu- pa! Fwuu- pa! Fwuu- pa! Fwu- pa! Fwu- pa! Fwu-pa! Fw-pa! Fw-pa! Fw-pa! FWUPAH! Bang! ¡°¡­!!!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes suddenly opened. Like waking up to a lover¡¯s caress. He watched as his fist took another stance. His fingers joined together, he dove them towards the bullet, expecting it to be the last time he tries. He was too tired and painful, should he just die? But then, the bullet went off with a bang. His hand was coated with a flash, along with the man, whose eyes suddenly widened. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t immediately feel the man stop stabbing him. Only 2 seconds after the bang, and his head abruptly tilted to the side, did the man limply fall and let the young boy feel the knife lose all strength behind it. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked ahead, shocked. The bang was very small, not even surprising him. What stunned him was the dashing light it made, and the way the man died. He looked at his hand, worrying he¡¯ll be one-handed from now one, but saw his fingers mostly intact, with only black substance and blood coating them. Oh, and some brain matter. The only injury he received was a wide, long cut on the back of his hand, down his thumb, near his wrist. Nothing more. ¡°Eak.¡± Looking at the organ matter on his hand, and stuck under his nails, Phesx Caolia stood up, pushing the man¡¯s corpse away. He stood up with a lightened head, looking down at the ¡®weapon¡¯ of his first kill. It wasn¡¯t murder since the man had the weapon, but that didn¡¯t even go through the young boy¡¯s head. He felt lighter, now. Like he just left a deep pool and was now resting. Phesx Caolia fell pensive for a few seconds before looking at the fridge. He was thirsty, too. Thinking no more, he walked to the fridge, took another glass from a drawer with his left hand, and opened the fridge with his bloody hand. He grabbed a jar with it and served himself some pineapple juice. At last, he drank from the regular glass of water. ¡°Glu, glu, glu, glu, glu, glu¡­¡± Phesx Caolia drank it in one go, feeling refreshed at once. He threw his head backwards and rested a little, feeling shit and contented at the same time, maybe wanting to die a little, too. His head¡¯s heat finally dissipated, albeit slowly. It made Phesx Caolia feel very dizzy, like he could just lose consciousness. He had never fainted, but he felt it would feel like that. Was it because of the strength he used? Was it too much? ¡°Hah¡­¡± Phesx Caolia relaxingly sighed, wanting to serve himself some more, when his ears heard a round ¡®step, step, step¡¯ noises towards the house. It came from several people. He lowered his gaze and looked through the window. The curtain was closed, as it was with the other sacked houses. ¡°!¡± Then, he suddenly looked down, remembering he had a foreign object ¡®injecting¡¯ him so far. He was about to pull it out in disgust, when he remembered some things he recently studied. He face-slapped himself with his right hand, making him jolt and stiff for a second. Phesx Caolia looked at the window with a long face before moving towards the man¡¯s corpse. Halfway there, he looked at his bedroom, where the rifle and its magazine were. Then, he looked at the man¡¯s pockets and found one with items similar to the magazine¡¯s shape. Phesx Caolia first went to the rifle. His hands were trembling as he tried picking all the bullets. He stopped and closed his eyes. ¡®Slow¡­ steady. It doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t do it in time. As long as I can at least do something¡­ fight back¡­ Yeah, fight back. It doesn¡¯t matter if I die. I just don¡¯t want to fall out with my back facing them.¡¯ The poor young boy reassured himself with these pathetic thoughts as he picked the bullets and put them in the magazine one by one. The last one to be re-introduced was the bloody bullet that fell from his fingers a little while ago. Then, as Phesx Caolia continued with his random plan, he walked to the man¡¯s corpse. He wanted to take the knife out of his body and return the favor to the man, but he might kill himself. The other soldiers might not even need to do the job themselves. Phesx Caolia lifted his right foot and aimed it at the side of his first kill¡¯s head, but then stopped. He looked at the shoe he hit the man¡¯s eyes with before, just behind him, and then back at the bloody spot around the man¡¯s head. He placed the rifle¡¯s strap around his neck and crouched, also making sure he had the man¡¯s belt and those magazines in his pockets. ¡­ 2 minutes later, the other soldiers finally arrived at his house. They waited for a minute outside, smoking and talking about victory. Then, when they smelled a strange taste in the air, and their comrade didn¡¯t respond or seemed to hear them or smell the smoke, they went in. ¡°Shit!¡± The moment they stepped into the house, they saw their comrade¡¯s lifeless corpse. His head was bashed open with perhaps an explosive They didn¡¯t know who or how, so they rapidly inspected the house¡¯s main floor before reuniting at the corpse. One of them crouched and went out of the house before communicating with a device. The rest waited for a moment, taking out radios to speak to the nearby units. Then, they prepared to go up so they could check the house before moving with the others. ¡°Dammit. We were sure they were cleaned up, didn¡¯t we?¡± - ¡°Yeah.¡± - ¡°Who is it even? Preqs? Or just some scum?¡± - ¡°Sigh. Hei, shut it, let¡¯s go up.¡± - ¡°Oh, right. Right, right.¡± They carefully went up, following each other in a line as they checked every hidden corner. The staircase had a curve, and a half-meter wall at the side, while stuck to one of the house¡¯s walls. They went up and silently signaled to each other to go 2 on 2 after using a flash grenade. Once a person threw them, and they banged in the 3 rooms, one by one, they rushed into them. At the corner of the white walls, on the other side of the hallway where the staircase, Phesx Caolia kicked the white table he used to cover himself. He had to thank his mother didn¡¯t like the idea of different colors to decorate the lower or upper walls of the house, or it would¡¯ve been contrasted immediately. He didn¡¯t think as he raised his rifle and, positioning himself in the middle of the ample hallway where all rooms¡¯ space could be perfectly seen, he sucked in sharply and frowned harshly. His finger flicked the safe switch before pulling the trigger. Bang, bang! Bang! Bang, bang, bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The first 2 shots killed 2 soldiers in the room on his left, hitting them on the back, near the middle and upper sections, with some distinctions between both soldiers. When they dropped to the floor, Phesx Caolia had stepped back with his right leg and aimed into the room in the middle. He shot once, failing to hit anything as the bullet flew out the house through the window. The other 2 shots hit, one in their left eye, and the other in their neck. Her chocking screams resounded as Phesx Caolia aimed at the last room. One of them was in front of him, almost a meter away. This complicated things for the other 2 behind the soldier. Phesx Caolia shot once to his left, cutting part of the soldier¡¯s right ear in front of him. He thought he failed to kill the soldier, but the bullet hit the soldier behind, forming a red splash at his jugular. He fell and writhed on the floor as Phesx Caolia aimed at the other soldier in the room, surprised and elated. Before the other soldier could raise his rifle, Phesx Caolia shot. The bullet went straight into that person¡¯s brain, letting them fall to their knees and stare at the sky for a moment. Then, only Phesx Caolia and the soldier in front of him remained. He had a slender figure, a pale complexion, and glasses. The soldier looked at the young boy, whose bloodied face stunned him this far. When he looked sideways to check the dismay his comrades had fallen into, Phesx Caolia¡¯s fiercely, indifferently narrowed eyes reflected a flash, and a cheek disappeared from the soldier¡¯s head. ¡°Phuuew¡­¡± Phesx Caolia lowered his rifle, feeling hi arms trembling and numbing all over. His right chest also hurt, with his spine tingling a little. His neck needed some rest, and his wound bled a bit more. He looked at the bloody footprints he lured the enemy with, wanting them to get into the largest room, but only 3 went into. Despite his surprise, he managed to one-shot most of these people, making him cry out of joy for a bit before remembering his situation. He looked at the corner he hid, where the bloody shoes were, and ruefully smiled with thin lips. His complexion had paled a little. Then, Phesx Caolia went to the female soldier, still choking. She lifted her head, whereas it went back down, unable to move coherently. When Phesx Caolia stood near her and looked down at her, letting her see his face, she widened them in shock. ¡°I like this rifle,¡± Phesx Caolia said, showing the rifle to her and tilting it before crouching to pick her handgun holster and knife. He looked at her shocked, beautiful pristine blue eyes for a moment before stabbing her in her sternum after staring at her neck. Little by little, a few seconds later, she stopped moving. Phesx Caolia retrieved his hands awkwardly and disgusted, feeling the very life on her leave, stolen by him, and that knife. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t close her dead open eyes as he left with another belt and some magazines. He also took the pants of a soldier that weren¡¯t dirty and put them on. Going downstairs, he thought, helpless. ¡®What do I do now? These aren¡¯t even Prequa¡¯s camp soldiers. If that battle was won by them, did the military leave the civilians to fend for themselves? I¡¯m all trapped here.¡¯ Not having any idea of what happened in the congregation points all over Preut, the young boy passed by the sofa, grabbed the jacket after some pondering, and exited his house. But then, the house¡¯s dogs to the left began barking. ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: On my patreon and ko-fi, for free, there''ll be maps to ''see through'' more of the story, as the story progresses. Chapter 7 — Walking In Circles Walking In Circles Carefully moving through the front yards, Phesx Caolia held ''his'' rifle to his chest and slightly crouched. He went towards the house where the dogs were barking. He could''ve jumped over the wall separating both houses'' courtyards, but something told him, deep within the sides of his body, that that might not end well. Arriving at the door, he softly opened it with his left hand, doing his best to hold the rifle, trembling, with his right one. Only at these moments did he realize the ridiculousness of the situation. He pushed the thought aside and did his best to silently step inside. He immediately saw a young man in military uniform grabbing a few things and putting them in black bags, with some white bags near the entrance, at the side. The young man wore the same military uniform as the others. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m coming! What were those sounds, anyway?¡± The soldier looked up and saw a ¡®comrade¡¯ trying to see if the house was safe. The soldier immediately ¡®friended¡¯ Phesx Caolia and hurried to the entrance, grabbing towards his gun. On the other hand, that ¡®comrade¡¯ was awestruck by the soldier¡¯s cluelessness. It was pretty much sincere. ¡°Ah-¡± Bang! However, as the soldier hurried over, and grabbed his rifle from the barrel, he tripped and slammed the floor with the rear flatness of the butt. At the same time, his body fell, with his face directly aiming at the muzzle. The rifle suddenly shot under the soldier¡¯s face, sending a few flocks of hair upwards and destroying a portion of that head¡¯s front and back. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked with incredulous but calm eyes. He wasn¡¯t really that calm, but he was in a bit of a shock after the things he lived for the past several minutes. What¡¯s more, he also immediately felt this was good for him. After a few seconds of watching the motionless corpse in the middle of this house¡¯s living room, Phesx Caolia walked forth and peeked at the courtyard. Like other houses, this one wasn¡¯t larger than 6¡Á2 m big. The two small breed drugs looked up at him silently, almost like kids whose naughty endeavors were finally successful, and they looked at their partner in crime contentedly. Making an approving nod and curling his mouth¡¯s corners downwards, Phesx Caolia opened the door and let the ¡®kids¡¯ out. They bypassed the corpse, smelling it a little before pissing on its back before finally rushing out. ¡®What kind of people leave their dogs behind in such an obvious incoming civil war situation?¡¯ Complained the kid with a rifle and blood all over his body, from clothes he stole from corpses. Afterwards, Phesx Caolia walked to the entrance to also leave. He couldn¡¯t find any medical supplies in the soldier¡¯s backpack or pockets, so he simply took the backpack and headed outside. However, when he stepped with his right foot near the door, he felt pain and stopped. The knife freeloading in his abdomen never stopped hurting, keeping him the hell awake, and he didn¡¯t know how long he could endure. But this sensation was strange. It was like his right leg and spine weren¡¯t well-connected. It wasn¡¯t too painful, but the thought of moving more to ¡®fix it¡¯ made Phesx Caolia believe he could just end up paralyzing himself. Even breathing made the connection where his thigh and torso meet feel like it could dislocate, or something. While in pain, waiting for it to subside, and with trembling, numb arms, Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes darted to his right. The white bags seemed to make more sense now. After feeling a bit better, but still with some pain and that ¡®dislocation¡¯ sensation when walking, Phesx Caolia grabbed some white bags and took the essentials, and some junk food. Thus, the young boy walked into the open streets with thin white bags in his backpack. Just as Phesx Caolia walked towards the main street, he stopped. Something clicked in his mind. What about his other family branches? He didn¡¯t care about them all, but what about Salas and her family? Phesx Caolia decided to check their house. Walking about 5 minutes, with his injury and the sensation from his right side, Phesx Caolia saw a sight that made him feel a little hopeless. The door was forced open, with the railing around the front yard showing it was broken apart by something heavy, either a car or a heavy tool. He silently sighed before walking into the front yard. Phesx Caolia felt his arms a little heavy as he lifted the rifle to his hurting, numbing right chest and crouched a little. He waited at the door for some time, hearing a few hushing words and something like a device beeping. At last, he moved his left hand to knock with his palm once and pushed the door open right after. His body remained collected, and cooled off, as he raised his voice. ¡°I¡¯ve heard gunshots but have only seen corpses. Is there anyone here?¡± ¡°Who go-¡± - ¡°Wait.¡± Phesx Caolia heard a panicked voice before a calm, more mature one interrupted the former after he spoke. Opening the door, he revealed his bloodied face and his military equipment. Although the white bags¡¯ thin contents caught the 2 soldiers eyes behind an island table, they softened when seeing one of their comrades. As for his face, while they couldn¡¯t figure out how familiar it was, they felt a sense of camaraderie when seeing his poor state. ¡°Oh, is it only you two? I saw other 8 dead in another house.¡± Phesx Caolia commented, slightly standing up, but kept his presence reduced, slightly bending his knees. He saw a relatively small corpse half a meter before him but refused to look at it for now. It looked familiar, though. ¡°Yes. We came here alone, just the two-¡± Just as the more mature soldier opened his mouth, the younger one answered while lowering his rifle. Phesx Caolia casually lifted his muzzle a little and shot twice at the young man before barraging another 3 at the shocked, mature soldier. Bang, bang! Bang bang bang! The younger soldier was shot slightly to the right side of his collarbone and at the forehead. The more mature one had just taken his pistol out, when his stomach became a puddle of blood and his back slammed against the kitchen counter behind him. ¡°Hawwf,¡± Phesx Caolia restrained his breathing as he heavily exhaled out. He stepped forwards twice before looking down. Immediately, his tired arms slumped, and his light black eyes uncomfortably concentrated, as if they could zoom in and increase image detail on their own. However, they began blurring after a second. Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes looked at Solas¡¯s face after looking at her body. Her lower body¡¯s clothing had a roughened appearance. It was obvious she was about to suffer, but then, the quirky, ugly knife injury, embedded into her left chest, showed she didn¡¯t want to. Her dull-purple shorts weren¡¯t taken off, and her sleeveless shirt was bloodied. Despite being dark gray, it was wet and even darker around her left breast. Her face seemed fierce yet relaxed now, but who knew how she felt and was like whenever ¡®this¡¯ happened. A few tears started spilling from his eyes before a torrent silently slid down his cheeks. He dropped the rifle, with the safe on. After watching that other soldier accidentally kill himself, he no longer thought he was controversially more clever than ¡®the rest¡¯ by having it off at all times. The noise it made when it fell to the floor fell on deaf ears, as Phesx Caolia cried and cried tears without moving an inch. His face became uglier, and his throat began making guttural, embarrassing sounds. But he couldn¡¯t stop it; himself. Looking farther into the living room, towards the kitchen, he saw 2 pairs of feet coming out of the bathroom, peeking out from a wall positioned before him, and closer to him. Phesx Caolia felt heaviness in his head, and his hands and feet felt heated. He looked at his cousin again before falling to his knees towards her. His arms found their way to weakly hold her left shoulder and head, placing her lower back on his bent knees. With his back bent, Phesx Caolia lowered his head, and with tears falling down his cheeks and chin to her clothes, he whispered near her right ear. ¡°Why- you¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Phesx Caolia closed his mouth into her forehead and lightly kissed it. He didn¡¯t stop there and repeatedly kissed her many times, shutting his eyes but still flooding tears out, ignoring how cold she was as her face became a little wet with them. Forehead against forehead, Phesx Caolia caringly held the back of her head. They had barely talked a few days ago, and when she came to his house to deliver news, they at least glanced at each other if they couldn¡¯t catch up. Since he dropped out, Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t have anyone he wanted to talk to, except this cousin ¡®nowadays¡¯. Step, step¡­ Phesx Caolia let her down gently before raising to his feet. He walked to the bathroom and saw his aunt and uncle¡¯s corpses. His uncle had a bloody wound on the side of his head. Comparing it to what he¡¯s done, Phesx Caolia figured it came from a heavy tool, maybe the same one to break open the metallic railing around the courtyard. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. His aunt had a bullet wound in her intestines, but her clothes weren¡¯t taken off. They probably weren¡¯t in the mood after everything that happened anymore, nor were they mentally unstable to ¡®get something at least¡¯, as Phesx Caolia has read about before. ¡®I can¡¯t figure out if you two died after her, but at least you tried.¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyelids dropped when looking at his family members before staring at the 2 soldiers he just killed behind the island table. He ignored everything else and returned to Salas. He grabbed a large mantle from one of the white bags¡¯ contents before wrapping them around her. Phesx Caolia carried her outside before returning inside, he took a shovel out from their courtyard and began digging. He thought about lighting up a fire, but he didn¡¯t know how to create a proper one to burn corpses to ashes. Besides, it was cold and humid lately, it might not even work. After digging for at least 3 meters, deep in the night, Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t notice the lights in the distance of vehicles moving about and away from here. Luckily, he didn¡¯t run into any soldier comrade of those he killed. Or they ignored him, thinking he was burying some comrades instead. His weakened arms were numb and fragile after he was done, but he still knelt, painfully straightened his back, and lifted his cousin before cautiously falling down the hole. Placing her body in peace in the little tomb he made, thankful he didn¡¯t meet any tube or infrastructure hidden beneath, he returned to the house after staring at her white mantle-covered self for long. Phesx Caolia returned to the tomb with several more large white mantles. He fell down the tomb again and placed them atop her one after another, doing what he thought was best to safely send her off. Once he was finished, he began returning the dirt to where it belonged, but not without leaving a few words on a tablet atop the white mantles. An hour later, the young boy felt very numb everywhere around his arms, barely feeling when his hands tapped and slapped them. But, at last, he had finished burying his cousin. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Phesx Caolia lifted his chin, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the suddenly piercing cold breezes of the night against his face. He wished he could fall asleep, but he wasn¡¯t able to. Maybe fall backwards and lose consciousness, but he just couldn¡¯t. Before leaving, Phesx Caolia went back into the house and searched the 2 soldiers. He couldn¡¯t find any medical supplies again, leaving him dispirited, before taking some more food and drinks with him. Most were water bottles, but he knew how substantial they could be in moments like these¡­ It was like humanity¡¯s always present, hidden nature was unfolded. It just happened to be before his very own eyes. Walking into the night, Phesx Caolia weakly went into the main street, before heading east. He entered the fields, but he didn¡¯t look ahead and kept staring at his feet. His eyes were lost, yet he kept the heavy backpack behind him on his back. An unknown amount of time later, still far from the morning, he stopped. Slowly, he lifted his head. ¡®I think this is enough.¡¯ There was a mid-tall vegetation and many trees around him. He could try and see if he could rest here. Wanting to sit on his butt, the young boy slowly fell backwards, but he lost balance and the backpack fell first before his back hit the solid ground. ¡°Hahh¡­¡± Phesx Caolia squinted his eyes and knitted his eyebrows before slowly relaxing. He looked down and traced half a handle of a knife embedded in his abdomen. It was dried with blood, like his face. He forgot to wash up, but¡­ it wasn¡¯t like he would care. His lost eyes moved down and stared at the left side of his abdomen, where the knife had stabbed him deeply. He wondered if it was normal to last this much with such an injury before his head was emptied. Then, so suddenly, his right hand grabbed the handle and pulled. It was surprisingly easy to pull it, but it hurt like hell. Phesx Caolia almost felt he would vomit, but endured. He hit the ground with the back of his head, somewhat cushioned by the long grass. He licked his dry lips but refused to move and grab a water bottle. Phesx Caolia felt his legs resting, ignoring the pain a little, and his shoulders at ease. He looked towards his left without a care. He no longer worried about what to do tomorrow to survive, if to seek help or anything else. A small toothy smile showed between his lips when closing his eyes and facing upwards. ¡®Ah. I¡¯m so tired¡­ Why do I have to face this? Mm¡­ You know what? Might as well. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes barely opened, looking indifferent and dreamy. But then, he began breathing in and out hard, gasping for air and perhaps entering shock. The notion made him frown, hard. But a few seconds later, that expression relaxed. He continued breathing hard and disorderly, but now, he felt unbothered. ¡­ Several hours later, feeling like his head and nape were full of mud from within, Phesx Caolia gradually opened his eyes. He was in the exact same position as before, only with a peaceful, sleeping posture and eyes that broke apart when he lifted his eyelids. The lights further awoke him, but he felt his body refreshed, as if he was on vacation and was a tiny child again, not bothering about every little thing, and not worried about¡­ others. Phesx Caolia spent minute after minute like that, feeling the cold, morning air and slightly warm sunlight on his skin and clothes. At last, like a machine, he sat up and looked around. He saw no one, only nature. He remembered his wound and lifted his shirt a bit. Phesx Caolia looked down, only to find his wound wasn¡¯t magically cured, and it had gotten purplish instead. Sweat accumulated at the sides of his forehead and face, as if activated when he looked at them. He sighed and let go of his shirt before struggling to get up. He looked down at his backpack and remembered the small bread and some milk he picked. To not waste it, or to avoid eating garbage, he took them out of the white bags and ate them. Since yesterday, all he ingested was a bit of cereal for breakfast, nothing else. The young boy ate standing, wolfing down while feeling his wound moving, feeling like cracks spreading within, reminding him of his horrendous situation. Once he felt like choking, he took half the milk he brought with himself before eating more bread. When he felt like choking again soon after, he lifted his chin to drink some more, but realized it wasn¡¯t the food. His cheeks were circled by tears. Phesx Caolia stopped and looked vacantly ahead. But he had to eat, his body and heart told him to. Crying even more and feeling pain as his light black eyes were wetted, he ate his bread and drank sips of milk in between to let it all through. 15 minutes later, he picked his backpack up and confirmed the safe switch on his new pistol and the rifle before walking further to the east. There were a few houses there, from poor people who formed their own residences after the Centralized Government no longer ignored them about 80 years ago, after the tragedy and the matter with the biological weapons subsided. Today, Phesx Caolia felt better than yesterday, physically. His mentality was a mess he hadn¡¯t noticed yet, and might not even in the following years¡­ ¡­ Phesx walked for a bit, almost an hour, before finding a road in the distance. He saw some remnants of the battle he saw before, smoked spots on the grass, some shells, and even cartridges here and there. Some limbs were also found, although they were covered by insects, maggots, or had attracted some birds. Phesx Caolia knew he wasn¡¯t the only one to think of coming here, as he got the idea from the information his cousin brought him one of the previous days. People, even those living up north, had moved towards these places, outside the populated residences, but still a little away from the factory districts. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t know if many successfully did it amidst the battle, but he believed these ¡®villages¡¯ and their ¡®villagers¡¯ should be aware of the situation by the people who moved here during those days. Step after step, Phesx Caolia crossed the dirt road and followed natural paths leading towards a village. It wasn¡¯t too small or impoverished, but it did seem a little desolate. When he entered its perimeter, it suddenly dawned on him. Maybe these people also knew about the congregation points and went there. He still didn¡¯t know if something occurred back there. But with how he suffered in just under an hour back home, Phesx Caolia figured they could¡¯ve gone through something, too. However, his stakes were on that they were fine. After all, with his luck¡­ Looking around for a minute, not entering any house, he moved around with his backpack and rifle, not realizing how scary he could look like with the ¡®enemy¡¯s¡¯ uniform on his body. At last, Phesx Caolia decided to go to the largest residence in this semi-village. It had pavement roads, albeit of a lower quality, and it still had many rural facilities that should¡¯ve been improved at least somewhat, but didn¡¯t. ¡°Hm?¡± When Phesx Caolia entered the large house through a front window, seeing the front entrance gates seemed to protrude forwards, and might be barricaded, he was stunned. Maybe it was because the lavish places would be ¡®ownerless¡¯, or mere human instinct to search for an authoritative location in case of help. But he and many others would¡¯ve chosen to go to this large residence no matter the case. ¡°Who are you?!¡± - ¡°Kyaa!¡± Such was the case. Phesx Caolia looked at a few people in front of him. A male and a woman who seemed unrelated to each other. One was a mother, with her children close to her, a girl and a boy, while the male had a little girl hiding behind his right thigh. ¡°No, I- aw-¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s throat, after so much, had clogged with some phlegm and become hoarse, but only now did he notice. He cleared his throat and lowered his rifle, which he accidentally lifted like yesterday, whenever he found something moving. ¡°These aren¡¯t my clothes, I stole them from some¡­¡± Phesx Caolia said, but he stopped and looked at his rifle, not really wanting to imply what he did. However, the man spoke, while the woman covered her baby boy in her chest and turned around, giving him her back. ¡°Are you from a rich residential district?¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the man who frowned when asking. He nodded and said, ¡°Mhm. I just rested on the fields.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± Helplessly, they fell into silence. The man was startled, waiting for Phesx Caolia to say more, and the woman was terrified, but Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t have anything else to say, so he just kept quiet. ¡°I¡¯m moving north to see¡­ well, just to move, I guess. I only wanted to look for medicine and then leave¡­¡± Phesx Caolia said and looked at their expressions. The woman turned around slowly and looked at him. Her eyes widened a little, realizing how young he was. With the words he said earlier, but being at that age¡­ Her motherly heart was struck, something Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t understand even as he saw it happening. ¡°Can I?¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s questioning made them startled a bit more. The man and woman looked at each other before nodding. The woman instinctively took a step forth and said, ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°Ah, uhm¡­ this.¡± Phesx Caolia hesitated to show it, but seeing the mother ask, and remembering the helitaxi ride, he lifted his shirt. ¡°!¡± The woman was stunned. After staring for 10 seconds, she turned to the man, who hurriedly extended his arms. The baby seemed begrudged, but the little girl walking around her mother smiled and went to the other little girl behind the man. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you there.¡± The mother said, grabbing Phesx Caolia¡¯s left hand and bringing him away. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t have time to react. He almost retracted his hand, remembering the image he thought he saw before killing his first enemy, those ¡®nails¡¯ protruding strangely, sharp and dangerous. However, he looked at his right hand¡¯s nails. They were normal, albeit somewhat damaged, and relaxed. ¡®That¡¯s right. It was another illusion, another¡­ Hmmm.¡¯ ¡­ Chapter 8 — Trapped Trapped On the first floor, Phesx Caolia was in a bathroom with the lady. She picked up her sleeves and thoroughly washed her hands before grabbing several medical supplies from the cabinets and behind some mirrors. This bathroom, even for this residence, was a bit too much for the village. ¡°Clothes off,¡± the lady said. She knelt before him as Phesx Caolia hesitated. She patiently waited, seemingly understanding him. Phesx Caolia took his jacket off after a minute pondering. His shirt was next, revealing his torso and the blatant injury, having become a little obscure. ¡°Pants too, sweetheart.¡± The lady demanded again. Phesx Caolia pouted, feeling a little embarrassed¡­ But thinking of her patience, and how nice she was with him, he grabbed the top of his pants. At the same time, the lady tried lightening the situation, ¡°Hurry! I¡¯ve taken care of my family¡¯s boys and girls for decades. What haven¡¯t I seen? I promise you, your health is more important than not wanting to be seen.¡± Begrudgingly, Phesx Caolia revealed his little butt and wiener to the lady, who led him to the toilet and helped him sat on its lid. She first took some cleaning products and cleaned his body around the wound. Then, she picked a few medical supplies, a spray among them, and held a cotton ball to smear a glue-ish liquid on the outer perimeter before spraying on it directly. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia ignored the twinges of pain as he strangely felt that part of his body reacting. He felt his skin contracting and relaxing, as the contents on his wound pained him but also worked on his body. He started feeling like his body was healing, as strange and improbable as it could be. ¡°Stand up,¡± she lightly whispered. Phesx Caolia obeyed and let her turn him around to examine his body. After doing so, she brought him to one of the bathtubs in the wealthy bathroom before going outside. A few minutes later, she returned, whereas Phesx Caolia got used to the coldness of the bathtub. ¡°This is going to hurt a lot, but bear with it. It¡¯s already infected. To avoid it getting any worse, I have to use this right away. There¡¯s nothing here to treat a dying person, or a severely injured one.¡± The lady said with a comforting tone, looking up at the kid before her. She imagined the young boy feeling fear, but he just nodded after she looked at his indifferent, semi-vacant gaze for a few seconds. The lady nodded back and used a few motions with her yolks to place some sort of gel around his wound. She didn¡¯t put any liquid on his wound. The glue-ish liquid from before coated around his wound like a layer, protecting it from the air and perhaps even water. Phesx Caolia had only heard about these medical supplies on the internet, as Preut doesn¡¯t have many of these, let alone a little village. Wondering what this place was about, Phesx Caolia lost some of the notion of time. When he returned to look down, the lady held a strange, soft-looking contraption. It had 2 sides, and was somewhat oviform. One of the sides was aimed at his wound, while the other protruded outwards. The outer side had a soft touch, feeling like cotton but feathers at the same time, with tiny white hairs everywhere. On the other hand, the inner side was creepy. It had 2 cm long needles, or extremely thin tubes, sticking out. Furthermore, the surface on that side looked strange, making Phesx Caolia feel they were used to not accidentally slid on if water touched it, or to suction. His guesses weren¡¯t wrong. As he felt the needles penetrating his awfully sensitive wound, he trembled and nearly broke his jaw off from pure brute force, but he felt a suction motion on his abdomen. The contraption reached from his left side to the right side of his abdomen. Its oviform shape flattened, becoming flexible, as Phesx Caolia nearly cried from the sensation and pain. It was the sensation that most affected him, after all, he was nearly stabbed once, but to death. The lady caressed his thighs and wrists to calm him down and bring his attention away. She looked up at him with a worried frown, helping him sit back in the bathtub. His little wiener was the only sensation Phesx Caolia could focus as it flapped around to touch the cold ceramic, bringing the sensation to the rest of his body. Little by little, he felt his body cool off. What he didn¡¯t know was that the fever that suddenly erupted within him while the lady had left was subsiding. Now that he was becoming cold from head to toe, he shivered a little, and his chest felt airy, but his head started clearing up. ¡°We¡¯ll move at noon, okay? We¡¯re also hoping to move away from here.¡± The lady said, kneeling beside the bathtub. Phesx Caolia looked at her with side eyes. Then, they darted to his rifle and handgun holster. She shook her head and closed her eyes, ¡°Kids shouldn¡¯t play with those. But I won¡¯t touch them. That man downstairs is too busy taking care of the children, so just relax.¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes indifferently returned to stare ahead. When he relaxed a bit more, he asked her with trembling lips. ¡°Do you know anything? The north¡­ or the rich¡­ districts?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± the lady nodded, touching his jugular and forehead before sucking a long breath into her chest. ¡°I come from another village down south. The owners of this residence have¡­ had some connections with Lymoca. It was purely filial relations, but they helped build these villages for the past centuries. Well, 50 years or so.¡± ¡°You come from a village near the factories¡¯ districts?¡± Phesx Caolia slowly asked. The woman lowered her eyes, becoming lost, and lowly muttered. ¡°Yes, I come from one close to there.¡± ¡°Since it was close to the factories, and on their way to the southern rich residential districts, some villages became their playgrounds. Many of my village didn¡¯t¡­¡± After a pause, the lady said, before she stopped and supported her chin on the bathtub¡¯s edge. ¡°The Prei military reinforced their ¡®invasion¡¯ here. Preqs retreated, and that¡¯s all I know. So far, we¡¯ve seen some rich people get here or arrive at the nearby villages before heading up north. If we walk soon, you might catch up to them. They¡¯re waiting for more to arrive, so they could make whoever finds them pity them, securing their overall survival.¡± ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m¡­ going all the way into the working districts. I have no other option, after all.¡± Phesx Caolia breathed smoothly in and out before saying. The lady¡¯s eyes widened in surprise a little before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll see what we do afterwards. When you¡¯re ready-¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Phesx Caolia said, interrupting the lady by raising to his feet. She looked at him blankly, asking him, ¡°What the¡­ Are you sure? This is too soon for your wound to stabilize.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can move better now,¡± Phesx Caolia said, rubbing his arms and sternum, feeling healthier out of nowhere. He also felt the tiny needles deliver an impossibly tiny amount of some liquid. It gave him a burning sensation, but it was also enjoyable, like a guilty pleasure as his body healed. ¡°Can this keep my wound away from liquid?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, poking his contraption. The lady slowly breathed in before blinking, exasperated. ¡°Yeah¡­ As long as you don¡¯t move your skin, stretch too much, or fight others. Are you sure you can move?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± Phesx Caolia said, stepping out of the bathroom and comfortably putting his military clothes on before heading towards his weapons. The lady stood up and turned, worried, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll still wear that? With the word moving between others, they should know what the enemy looks like.¡± ¡°Yeah, but on- if we¡¯re found by other preis, if I wear this uniform, it can help us in a bad situation, I think.¡± Phesx Caolia turned his head back to look at the lady, who looked at him with a worried frown, clearly unconvinced of the circumstances. ¡°Movies and fiction action aren¡¯t good¡­¡± The lady stood up before hurrying to Phesx Caolia. ¡°At least let me clean your face and hands.¡± After Phesx Caolia was cleaned and refreshed, he went down the stairs. The man was checking on the little girls playing on the floor with some toys as the baby boy remained in his arms, looking around as if searching for food. When he saw his mom, the baby cried out in joy. ¡°What-¡± The man wanted to stand up but carefully remained seated. The lady nodded, ¡°We should leave now. We don¡¯t know how many can even come here anymore, or when the preis will head towards here. The kid¡­ err, well, he can move now.¡± ¡°Are you¡­ sure?¡± The man asked, slowly standing up and frowning. The lady knowingly went to pick up her boy and to talk to the man. Phesx Caolia checked around the house and before heading into the kitchen with his backpack on his back. When he returned, the two and their kids waited for him, while his backpack became heavier. Phesx Caolia now had his belts and pockets organized with magazines and lone bullets. They looked at him, and he at them. Nodding, he headed to the window where he entered the residence from after saying, ¡°You can guide me, but I should go to the front in case someone finds us from afar. Let¡¯s go.¡± Phesx Caolia made a few sounds from his mouth as he jumped over the window, but he marveled. His body was really feeling better. Who would¡¯ve thought these medical supplies were this good? He looked back but didn¡¯t find the others coming out after him. However, he heard sounds towards the back. He walked around and saw them exit from the backdoor. ¡°Em¡­ I should carry the luggage. We don¡¯t have much, so you can carry our things. Let your wound rest a little, alright?¡± The man proposed after reuniting with Phesx Caolia, stopping him from beginning the walk. Phesx Caolia stopped and blinked a few times before nodding. They exchanged luggage. Phesx Caolia¡¯s larger, bulky bag full of food went to the man¡¯s back, while the necessities for the kids were given to Phesx Caolia. They were well-kept in a bag with a warming function to keep certain already done beverages lukewarm, and was about the size of his back. Unlike the military bag, which was almost as tall as himself when fully expanded. At last, they began walking up north. They were a little near a large hill spanning over a few kilometers in the center from south to north, and thin. The kids were full of energy, but they had to stop the group after every 3 hours for 1 to 2 hours. ¡­ When evening came, and they were finally exiting the hill, with trees blocking their way, they showed a few lights as they walked amidst the trees. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t grab any from his kills, but the man and woman had 4 flashlights. 2 were ¡®professional¡¯, while the other 2 were rechargeable, and with very little energy. Clearly, the latter were for kids. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Along the way there, Phesx Caolia kept his head low, always seemingly vacant. But he never tripped or moved away from the direction the woman dictated them. They avoided additional complications. It was clear that the woman knew her way around this whole area. As long as Phesx Caolia was given direct instructions, he followed them easily. They saw many villages, but they were all mostly empty, with some having only very old people who didn¡¯t want to move away from their homes. Phesx Caolia ignored them, but the man and woman tried at least waving at them, only to be ignored. ¡°Phesx!¡± The lady called out, startling Phesx Caolia. His name was exchanged amidst the path, but he wasn¡¯t ¡®recognized¡¯ as the Phesx who went to the Centralized Parliament a few years ago. Phesx is a common name for boys nowadays, where even 70,000 males were named as such, and about 40,000 girls¡­ ¡°Huh? Haah?!¡± Phesx Caolia lifted his head before shocking himself at the sight of people walking in the same direction as them. The sun would soon set, so he could still see them, even without his glasses. He didn¡¯t have to squint his eyes to identify them as civilians! None of them wore military uniforms! ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Phesx Caolia looked back at the others before the woman nodded and the man voiced. They grabbed the kids, with the man grabbing both girls, and ran towards them. Phesx Caolia had it the easiest, but the woman had stamina, albeit not much strength, and was the slowest, so the man had to lag behind a little. ¡°Wait, someone¡¯s behind us!¡± The group they ran after noticed them. Seeing the lights swinging and backpacks Phesx Caolia¡¯s group carried, the group panicked. However, some saw the children in their hands and waited. But then, a languid man voiced, somewhat terrified. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a military uniform? We need to run!!¡± ¡°Shut it! Why would they run towards us?¡± An old, fragile man with a lot of white hair interrupted the man. Others chipped in. ¡°Did he desert to help them?¡± - ¡°He looks tall, but not as tall as the other man.¡± - ¡°He¡¯s carrying a gun!¡± When a sharp, female voice sounded those last words, everyone became nervous. However, it was too late to start running now. It looked like a long weapon, too. ¡°Hold on¡­ here!¡± Phesx Caolia arrived before them and said with bated breathing. He bent a little and rested his rifle at his thighs on his elbows. Seeing him like this, hearing his voice, and noticing his ¡®passiveness¡¯ despite having such a powerful tool, the group was baffled. Phesx Caolia looked back, still bending his back, feeling his wound a bit heated up. The liquid seemed to cool it off, though. He saw that the man and woman still needed a few tens of seconds to arrive, and that the children were a little worried. But then, he heard a strange footstep. It was really strange. He felt as if that step was dedicated to himself. ¡°¡­!¡± The languid man¡¯s face intensified with his mouth closed but casual eyes staring fixedly at Phesx Caolia¡­ at his rifle. When the young boy turned towards him, and the group, he panicked and trembled. ¡®?¡¯ Phesx Caolia negligibly frowned. He immediately turned around, but knowing these were preqs, just like him, he didn¡¯t want to scare them. But when he suddenly turned his head, cautious to look before acting, he saw mostly shadows, as if night had already arrived. He stared for 2 seconds before looking at the sky. ¡®No¡­ there¡¯s still enough light¡­?¡¯ Phesx Caolia frowned a little more, thinking he was just too tired, and that he exerted himself too much just now. But when he lowered his head, he felt the rifle grabbed from the upper and lower receiver, in the middle, and out of his hands. ¡°Kyaaa!¡± - ¡°Gaaaasp!¡± - ¡°Woah, shoot it down, shoot him!¡± - ¡°No- Noo! Wait!¡± A commotion spread out. Girls cried out and gasped. A few male voices made Phesx Caolia¡¯s ears tingle from the inside, and an aged voice tried to futilely calm things down. Phesx Caolia¡¯s vision recuperated, almost on command, as if his instincts helped him recover. ¡°¡­¡± They were a little terrifying, and very serious, penetrating; as they watched the man who took his rifle out of his hands retreat several steps, dragging his feet on the mud. With his hands on his knees, Phesx fiercely yet calmly stared at the languid man who struggled to lift it. ¡°Drop it,¡± Phesx Caolia acted as quickly as he could, also out of instinct, and grabbed his pistol. It was a small type one, from what he could identify, but more than enough. The languid man seemed to find the safe switch and turned it off, with the muzzle still against the ground, and his arms struggling to hold its long buttstock, when Phesx Caolia¡¯s words went out. Looking up, the man¡¯s eyes trembled. Phesx Caolia held the pistol high, aiming at his eyes, the languid man was sure it was aiming at his eyes! Furthermore, the young boy had a stare that didn¡¯t terrify him, not much, but told him and his tingling scalp he was fucking up. Unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t a script of leadership growth. The languid man instinctively kicked the rifle¡¯s barrel and tried to maneuver to catch its trigger and magazine areas with his hands. But just as he looked down to secure his hold, Phesx Caolia ¡®tried out¡¯ his pistol for the first time. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Each shot was powerful and resonated like rippling waves, contracting inwards and outwards inside Phesx Caolia¡¯s thought process. As for the others, their unprepared, untrained ears simply rang and felt attacked, deafening a little. The man and women behind stopped with wide eyes as the languid man¡¯s head was shot twice, followed by his chest, with the last bullet going through his right hand holding the rifle from below. The languid man fell backwards, bleeding on the grass immediately as Phesx Caolia¡¯s hand trembled and felt pained. Even his wound shook for a whole second. Meanwhile, Phesx Caolia critiqued himself, ¡®I forgot to aim at his hands first. Did I already develop a habit to aim around the neck? At least I managed to hit one of his hands¡­¡¯ He was glad to achieve his main aim, but he wasn¡¯t off guard yet. A young man stepped forward and sweated, lowering his hands to pick the rifle with his palms facing upwards. Phesx Caolia still aimed forward, having noticed those movements since the young man acted. He sweated and looked with upturned eyes at Phesx Caolia. Phesx Caolia observed the young man patiently. When he straightened his back and was amidst raising up, he shot again. Bang! Bang! ¡°KYAAAAA!¡± More girls screamed, while the males widened their shocked eyes and stepped back a few times, with terror-stricken eyes. The young man was shot twice in the stomach, falling down while holding his tummy, and looking at Phesx Caolia with a frown. ¡°I said to drop it.¡± Phesx Caolia coldly said, wearing a mostly indifferent expression. Right now, he only felt his life and those behind him saved¡­ nothing else. The group trembled, but they stayed in place. Phesx Caolia heard footsteps from behind, only then lowering his arms, and feeling pain from his abdomen. The man tapped his left shoulder, which nearly made Phesx Caolia kick at his left like he once kicked his first kill. But stopped out of instinct. It was a bit funny, like his instincts clashed by mistake but acted accordingly at the same time. However, his head felt a little heated. The woman walked closer to him and whispered, figuring out what he was going through, and making him feel a little comforted with her small, fair left hand on his right shoulder blade. ¡°I¡¯ll check upon you later¡­ Let us deal with¡­ this.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded. After they walked past him, and Phesx Caolia grabbed his rifle, putting the safe on and thanking it wasn¡¯t accidentally shot, he saw the 2 little girls and baby boy¡¯s eyes covered with fabric. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia fell pensive, but he followed the group a minute after they started moving further up north. The sun had already set, where only their flashlights allowed them to keep walking ahead. ¡­ 2 hours later, with the children asleep, and the rest walking tiredly, and some even carrying 2 corpses with ropes and blankets, they arrived at another village. This one had a few more people, but nothing else. Phesx Caolia barely heard something about most others having moved away a few hours before they arrived, before he rushed to an empty hut and sat on his butt. The man visited him to give him a few rations, but the rest were shared among the others. Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t asked, but he was okay with it¡­ After what happened, it seemed fitting. When the young boy was close to falling asleep, in the hut¡¯s complete darkness, the door opened, and Sofia, the lady, entered. She sat in front of him and presented him a few pills, ¡°These can help¡­ is there a problem?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked down at the medicament without any once of likability. Sofia thought he disliked the taste, but Phesx Caolia pointed at them and babbled, ¡°I get drowsy and¡­ more ¡®free¡¯ er¡­ volatile, when I eat these¡­ any type.¡± Sofia frowned, but she nodded and thought for a few seconds before picking another tablet of pills from her rear pocket. ¡°Even then, whenever you feel awful symptoms, you can take one of these. They¡¯ll help you shoo them away, okay? If you feel like something that, you can eat just half a pill to prevent it. It should be enough.¡± Sofia didn¡¯t know what kind of allergy or condition the young boy could have, but she still helped him anyways. She caressed his face a little before stepping outside again. Phesx Caolia picked the pills and put them in one of his pockets before continuing staring into the darkness for who knew how long. ¡­ The next day, at late in the morning, Phesx exited his hut. He heard yelling and some raised volume responses from one party to another, with one of them belonging to Sofia and the man. When he showed up with his backpack and weapons, the situation went quiet. Phesx Caolia just looked at them before walking to Sofia and standing on her side. After a silent stare-off, the discussions began again. ¡°If we stay, we¡¯ll be safer. You-¡­ you¡¯ve seen it yourself! There are traces of the preis coming near us. What if the pronas do the same? They¡¯d look for anyone who doesn¡¯t stay in their homes next!¡± - ¡°Absolutely not! I won¡¯t wait to be told what fate my life and my children will have at the whims of others! You¡¯re not reasoning!¡± Sofia responded to the other party¡¯s spokesperson, a tall, middle-aged man who simply didn¡¯t want to leave. Phesx Caolia had been hearing them for almost 2 hours. Tired of it, and kinda curious, he wanted to see what was happening. ¡°¡­Forget it. We shan¡¯t discuss anymore. But my rations are my own, grab yours before we leave.¡± Sofia shook her head and covered her face with her left palm. Saying those words, she turned around, but the man¡¯s words stopped her. ¡°Fine, thank you. That¡¯s fair, but give us a gun.¡± ¡°No.¡± Phesx Caolia firmly said. Although yesterday was also ugly, he realized how difficult it was to deal with weapons. He wouldn¡¯t let others kill him so they could take all. Sofia returned and berated, ¡°You already have yours! Just pick the food and don¡¯t complain!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not fair! We have too few bullets! Our pistols are too old and-¡± The man showed one of the pistols, holding its receiver laterally, and exposing how rusty it had become. But, immediately, Phesx Caolia lifted his rifle. Out of the corner of her eye, Sofia watched this and stood her ground firmly. The man and some other civilians also felt a little stronger now. The other party grew terrified, while their spokesperson stiffened before cracking a few chuckles. ¡°Alright, alright¡­ You¡¯ll see. Leave! We don¡¯t want your food, nor your fucking ammo, at least! Fuck off!¡± The other party departed from the spot, heading to their houses. Phesx Caolia narrowed his eyes, relaxing his arms, while looking at that spokesperson¡¯s pockets. Sofia turned to the others and asked them, one of them was the old man who spoke up for him yesterday. ¡°Are you ready? We shouldn¡¯t stay here¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s safe anymore.¡± The people nodded. Phesx Caolia looked at them for some minutes before lowering his head. Then, under Sofia¡¯s directions, they looked at a map and exited the village, with the others left behind watching their backs. It wasn¡¯t a nice atmosphere. Phesx Caolia looked at the few kids his age, some girls looked younger than him, but they seemed tougher than their parents. In fact, Sofia and the man¡¯s children seemed to be a little more energetic than other kids their age. The others his age looked at him like he was a whole different person than someone similar to them, but instead of discomforting Phesx Caolia, this made him felt at ease. ¡°¡­?¡± Phesx Caolia stopped, walking ahead of the group, and looked back. He seemed to see something as his ears felt a tiny wisp of rumbling. Then, he voiced by mistake, widening Sofia¡¯s eyes, ¡°A car?¡± ¡°!¡± - ¡°!¡± -¡±!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a car!¡± A kid shouted from the rear. Phesx Caolia, the man, and Sofia looked in the direction, he pointed at, only to see a military vehicle driving towards them from afar. They were near the road connecting the factory districts and the worker districts. They were farther up north, safe from the Prei military camp¡¯s invasion, but danger wasn¡¯t out of the question. ¡°Crouch.¡± Phesx Caolia whispered lightly before advancing forth rapidly. He kept his jacket and crouched, facing off the vehicle. It was a truck, a little too large, with enough room for about 20-30 people to comfortably sit at the back. The truck rushed before him and stopped, drifting sideways before him, with someone¡¯s voice coming from it. It belonged to a young man. ¡­ Chapter 9 — Joining The Military Joining The Military ¡°Wait a second! Don''t shoot! We won''t harm you!¡± The young man''s voice sounded, stopping Phesx Caolia from just moving ahead and firing at anything that came out of the truck. Once he showed this, sounds of doors opening and people walking around the other side of the truck were heard. ¡°Put that down!¡± - ¡°Kneel!!¡± - ¡°Hands up!!¡± Soldiers walked around the truck with rifles pointing at him. Phesx Caolia slowly placed his rifle down and knelt, hearing footsteps behind him as he was shouted the second loudest in his life. His mother was always first¡­ ¡°Wait! He has a bad injury on his abdomen, it¡¯s very bad! He isn¡¯t prei. He just wore that in case we met any of them!¡± Sofia¡¯s voice loudly screamed. The soldiers continued towards him and cuffed him with a contraption spread to the back of his hands and coiling around his fingers. When trying to move them, he felt like his bones would dislocate if he continued trying. However, the soldiers, who seemed intent on barging his face to meet the ground, slowed down and looked at each other but still separated Phesx Caolia from the group of civilians. He looked back at Sofia. Seeing she was being heard by the soldiers, whose uniform and helmets made them look taller and bulkier, he looked ahead at a young man with orange hair. ¡°Bring him in. We should report this quickly.¡± The young man said, giving Phesx Caolia a slightly long glance. Then, he nodded and went back into the truck. Its front had the driver seats and another 2 small rows for more people. The young man went to the one furthest to the back. Phesx Caolia was shoved into the truck and also placed in the same row as the young man. The other soldiers sat beside him, with the rest still outside as they guided the civilians up the back. One of the soldiers returned to the car and sat on the driver¡¯s seat, with a panel of controls between the seat and the co-driver¡¯s. He looked serious and had a bushy, relaxed, attractive black hair. Phesx Caolia looked at the soldiers sitting beside him. One of them was a woman. He realized that quite a few of the soldiers outside were also female. Then, he turned his head to the orange-haired young man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know you¡¯re no prei. But I¡¯m surprised you could escape back then and survive all along. Looking at the direction you fled, you went to the rich districts, right?¡± The young man looked to his right, at the young boy, and smiled a little. The soldiers on Phesx Caolia¡¯s right noticed but didn¡¯t say anything, letting them have a moment to chat while the back was filled. The young man was white, with freckles. His orange hair, flat and short around his forehead and sides, contrasted very well with his obscure, striking eyes. He wasn¡¯t too youthful, and was of regular height, but even the soldiers who seemed to be in service for years here listened to him. No questions asked. Phesx Caolia nodded, saying not a word. The other 2 soldiers looked at him. So far, he has been very silent, but what they mistook as fear and cowardice seemed to not be the case anymore. The young man nodded maturely before extending his palm a little towards him. ¡°Paul. I¡¯m an instructor of a Prequa military camp¡¯s encampment, leg-grabber.¡± The young man said after Phesx Caolia looked at his right palm, facing the ceiling, for a few seconds. Phesx Caolia looked up and saw Paul¡¯s little smile. He titled his head and asked with a soft, semi-broken voice. ¡°Leg-grabber?¡± ¡°Eh,¡± Paul nodded, ¡°You used my legs to shoot out of the crowd. I almost made a son with a brother over here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s widened his eyes, startled. He looked outside before staring at the driver, who looked at him from the mirror with eagle-like eyes. Phesx Caolia lightly exclaimed, ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t worry. He doesn¡¯t bite. Unless you provoke him, ah?¡± Paul said, elbowing the young boy a little. Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t help showing a smile. Sofia, who just walked a little away from the line of people boarding the truck, was startled. ¡®Kid, so you can smile.¡¯ Her surprised eyes relaxed as she followed the others, with a soldier calmly guiding her back to the line. Paul smiled at finally seeing that young boy alive. He looked quite charismatic. Phesx Caolia tapped Paul¡¯s palm out of compromising before saying, ¡°Phesx. Thank you.¡± ¡°Take his cuffs off. Unless you want to try and see if he bites, ah.¡± Paul said to the soldiers sitting beside him. One of them looked at Paul before grabbing Phesx Caolia¡¯s wrists. After what seemed 3 ticks in Phesx Caolia¡¯s senses, the contraction around his hands were released, like a snake letting go of prey. Phesx Caolia looked at the vile things, but they were only like one of those toys that expand and shrink, either to relieve stress or just to help spend time doing nothing. They didn¡¯t even look like handcuffs, although they had a little mechanism at the center, where a tiny keyhole seemed loose. ¡°You¡¯re just a civilian, but because you held a gun and pointed it at the army, you¡¯ll be prisoner until new notice. It will be decided once we arrive at the encampment. Just keep quiet for now, alright?¡± Paul said with a neutral expression before the soldiers outside boarded the truck. The driver looked back at them, and where a couple of spots were left vacant. The driver asked them, ¡°They¡¯re outside?¡± ¡°Yes, sir, they¡¯ll take care of them.¡± A soldier said, slow and relaxed. His tone was at ease. The driver nodded before driving the truck in an u turn. They were returning from where they came from. Phesx Caolia looked back and then up ahead. Noticing this, Paul tapped the boy¡¯s shoulder before nudging his head upwards to the front. ¡°We¡¯re going to the outskirts of the worker districts. Many encampments are there, don¡¯t you know it?¡± ¡°Know what?¡± Phesx Caolia asked with an indifferent face. Paul was a little startled, looking at the boy. One of the soldiers in front voiced, loosen up. ¡°The civilians didn¡¯t have time to steal or buy radios before each army acted, sir. Theirs are run by cylindrical batteries.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± Paul exclaimed, finally understanding. He grabbed Phesx Caolia¡¯s shoulder and began explaining with a heavy-ish expression, ¡°The preis acted strangely out of nowhere. We found out there was a group that infiltrated them. It put them restless, immediately moving their troops in circles. It seems they lost 1 squad and a half in less than an hour, without anyone noticing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia lowered his head and looked at the floor. Paul continued, letting go of his shoulder. ¡°Dunno what people in hell can be that crazy, surrounded by an entire 10,000-division around and another down the south, but they sure let Prequa take advantage. We destroyed most of their mechanized forces and forced them out, now, they¡¯re just like rats trying to bite our tails.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the preis won against¡­ Prequa¡¯s military?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, frowning. Paul titled his head and hooked the corners of his lips downwards for a moment. ¡°There was a retreat, but a defeat? Haha. I forgot to ask, I¡¯m just curious but, how old are you?¡± ¡°¡­ 13.¡± Phesx Caolia took a moment to think before responding. Paul blinked a few times before nodding, ¡°No wonder.¡± From then on, their trip was silent, with Phesx Caolia occasionally hearing the soldiers chat with each other. However, it was nothing compared to what he¡¯d seen compared to his classmates once upon a time. Paul also seemed very easy to chat with by his soldiers, as even the serious young man driving spent a few minutes chatting nonstop. About 20-30 minutes later, Phesx Caolia saw the hints of civilization nearby. With many trees, hills, and steep, natural walls around the road, they moved to the left, nearest to the southern rich residential districts, but still 20-40 minutes from them on car. What used to be a smaller worker district, separated from the center of the western worker districts, was now a massive encampment. Well, massive for Phesx Caolia, who barely even got out of his neighborhood since he was 12, and never went further away from his school before. The entrance was open, as nothing else could be done with it in such modern times, but there were many towers with several, large strong lights installed around them. About a dozen people worked on the towers¡¯ few floors, putting pressure in Phesx Caolia¡¯s shoulders despite ¡®being on the same side¡¯. ¡°You don¡¯t mind being separated from your group, do you?¡± Paul grabbed Phesx Caolia¡¯s attention again, just as the latter looked around, bending his body and moving sideways, trying not to touch the soldiers and Paul. Phesx Caolia shook his head before looking around, more calmly this time. A minute later, they drove from a few tents that seemed deserted to a really lively place. Before, the tents were small but amassed like walls, with only a few armed people walking around, alone or accompanied by another soldier or more. Phesx Caolia noticed the similitudes between these and the guards he saw before, especially on the bag on their backs. Now he understood that the ¡®guards¡¯ from back then were just soldiers in disguise with folded military backpacks. However, after passing by them and entering a little further into the encampment, Phesx Caolia understood. That deserted area was perhaps a ¡®wall¡¯ in case they were attacked, at least from the outside. Now, Phesx Caolia watched as dozens of people were everywhere at the sides of a path, easily rounding up to hundreds for every 10 tents on each side. They moved to and fro, mostly walking with bags or loose, long robes that kept some of their items safe from pickpocketing and to not unnecessarily carry bags or backpacks for light items. Phesx Caolia could also see credits were still being used as currency, but so were ¡®coupons¡¯ with writing and even drawings on them, all white and black. There were many civilians, but the number of soldiers moving around wasn¡¯t that far behind. They also wielded rifles, the same Phesx Caolia used, but also different models. Some were past versions of weaponry that led to the 3 supercontinents¡¯ current weaponry, and looked more fearsome than the rest. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The relations between civs and soldiers didn¡¯t seem all that stable, though. At least, they peacefully lived and walked around these markets. All of this was in a semi-destroyed city, of what the previous worker district was, with only some tall buildings remaining. Although the young boy didn¡¯t know if they were safe. The truck stopped after another minute. The soldiers came out, arriving at a simple building that looked like a bakery store before the civil war. There were tents at the sides, where buildings should have clearly been standing tall, but were now all leveled to the ground and replaced by military tents. Phesx Caolia was guided out of the truck and held by the 2 soldiers who sat beside him. Paul stopped beside him and said to him, ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait for some time elsewhere. I¡¯ll go check what opportunities you have. Those people will more or less decide that, so you better be a good kid now.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded before looking at the group of civilians who walked behind him just half an hour ago. One of them, another young boy, hurried to another soldier and pointed at him. The soldier looked down at that young boy make signs with his hands, pointing at Phesx Caolia at the end of each gesture. ¡°Come on,¡± a male voice reached his ears before Phesx Caolia felt his body pulled into one of the tents to the left of the bakery store. He was cuffed again, but there was nobody to save him from the sensation. After entering the tent, Phesx Caolia was brought to a simple, metallic chair to sit down. Meanwhile, the other soldier talked to a receptionist, who was an old military officer, and constantly nodded at the soldier talking to him. The one near Phesx Caolia remained beside him, standing with his long, squarish shaped rifle, with a long carrying handle that also worked as a near sight. With nothing to do, Phesx Caolia looked down and slumped his shoulders, hunching his back and spreading his legs. He felt really comforted in this position, somehow. ¡­ About half an hour later, with Phesx Caolia spending most of that time not moving a bit, unnoticed by the soldier and the old military officer, another officer walked into the tent. ¡°Phesx?¡± Phesx Caolia lifted his face. He indifferently glanced at the man looking around the tent, there was no one else but him and the soldier guarding him. The old man at the reception nodded and gestured towards Phesx Caolia, to which the officer nodded and walked to him. ¡°Get up. You¡¯ll be seen by a recruiter,¡± the man said before turning around, not waiting for any response. The soldier nudged his head at Phesx Caolia before he finally stood up. The young boy cracked his neck and back before following the officer. Phesx Caolia was guided into the bakery store, where Paul waited for him, already inside at the entrance. The soldier was given a glare and was dispatched off by Paul and given a tiny, thin key before he took it from there. The officer looked back but didn¡¯t bother and just continued walking. ¡°On the way here, the others were interrogated. You gave everyone a ¡®noticeable¡¯ impression.¡± Paul commented. ¡°The odds were 50/50 against you, but our LT Colonel decided to talk to you himself. He¡¯s a recruiter whenever he¡¯s taking a break like everyone else, so don¡¯t be offensive, or rash.¡± It seemed like Paul became a little aware of Phesx Caolia¡¯s behavior, whether he heard exactly what he did or exaggerated things. Either way, the young boy didn¡¯t care as he nodded. He understood that, perhaps Paul spoke for him to that ¡®LT¡¯ Colonel, or that colonel happened to pity him. He was very young, after all. Of course, Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t really aware of things. Paul directed Phesx Caolia around the small building, chatting to him a few times about the things to consider when he talked to other officers, almost as if he believed Phesx Caolia can remain here, unrestrained. Phesx Caolia silently pondered, believing he¡¯ll just disappoint the fella. ¡°It¡¯s here. Just go in and don¡¯t think of anything. It usually goes better that way.¡± Paul showed him the door without forgetting to give Phesx Caolia random advice. Phesx Caolia just nodded before Paul did as well and uncuffed him. Then, he opened the door for Phesx Caolia after knocking. ¡°Enter.¡± A loud voice emerged as soon as the door opened. Phesx Caolia inadvertently raised his face to stare at a brown, aged, short man. Entering the small room, Phesx Caolia felt a little more comfortable before sitting down on the chair, trying to shorten any possible talk. ¡°So, you¡¯re Phesx?¡± The officer spoke, looking at a few documents, and writing below them as he held them with his other hand. Phesx Caolia nodded, before realizing he wasn¡¯t being stared at and softly spoke with a semi-broken voice, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the officer put some glasses on and looked at him. ¡°I¡¯ve found your files. Who would¡¯ve thought you were that kid.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The corners of Phesx Caolia¡¯s lips arched downwards, and his eyes became indifferent, slightly lowering as well. His fingers found each other on his lap as the officer continued, ¡°State your name, officially, and your age, height, and address.¡± ¡°¡­ Phesx Caolia, 13, one-seventy something tall, and I don¡¯t know my address.¡± Phesx Caolia said with his eyes still lowered slightly. The officer nodded once and took notes as he spoke, but looked up after hearing the last few words. ¡°You don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± The officer briefly glanced at another document at the side before writing on the one he noted Phesx Caolia¡¯s official statement. Then, he lifted his head, took his glasses off, and looked at the boy. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with something else. Where and how did you get those weapons?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes darted up and down a few times before sitting straight and facing the officer. However, he looked at above the officer¡¯s left ear, not at his face. ¡°The rifle¡­ after finding a man, a soldier, in my house. I was just returning from the congregating point, when all of this happened. After brawling, and nearly dying, I¡­ found a very small explosive and used it to kill the man.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The officer looked at the young boy with his left hand supporting his chin. Phesx Caolia kept staring at the void beside the officer¡¯s head until the latter frowned and asked, ¡°You killed a man like that? To overpower a soldier in a brawl, how did you achieve it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ He hesitated a few times. Even though I could have died, that gave me enough¡­ to live.¡± Phesx Caolia neutrally said. The officer nodded before briefly pointing at him, ¡°Is that how you got the rifle? What about the small pistol?¡± ¡°¡­Mmm, when I went to check my cousin¡¯s house, I found another 2 soldiers. I al- shot them with the rifle. My cousin¡¯s family were dead.¡± Phesx Caolia caressed his left arm with his right hand as he spoke up to here. ¡°Mm, I see.¡± The officer nodded again, he looked down at his notes before lifting his face again. He seemed¡­ unconvinced? He opened his mouth again and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take the pistol from the first soldier?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking straight, I was also injured.¡± Phesx Caolia said, pointing at his abdomen. The officer nodded yet again and finally noted down twice. Phesx Caolia noticed it was a single word, and that the officer wrote twice, one below the other, further below where his official statement was written. ¡°When you killed those 2 civilians, did you feel regret?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. I wouldn¡¯t know what could have happened. But it would have been probably the worst, from what¡­ I saw so far.¡± Phesx Caolia said, slightly stopping amidst his words to remember which to use, slightly confusing the officer. However, he narrowed his eyes before sneakily glancing at another document at the side. ¡°Sigh.¡± The officer relaxed a little before continuing, ¡°You also threatened more civilians again before you were seen and brought here by a squad. Why did you do it?¡± ¡°I saw a gun, and I felt like I should¡­ like¡­ let ¡®them¡¯ know I would act. That I¡¯m not going to do what they tell me nor want me to do.¡± Phesx Caolia said, relaxed and leaning back on the seat. The officer stayed quiet for a longer period of time now. ¡°You grabbed many supplies from other houses, and also nearly threatened another 2 civilians, one of which helped your wound, right?¡± The officer asked, and Phesx Caolia answered with a nod. His voice remained semi-broken and soft, ¡°Yes.¡± The officer said nothing more and wrote down again, adding the third word. Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t see it entirely, but he could make out ¡®daring¡¯ and ¡®tactician¡¯ already written from this angle. He couldn¡¯t see his statement or the other words above it, though. The third word seemed to be ¡®committed¡¯. ¡°Fine, so. What about your address? How come you don¡¯t know it but still found it after escaping the congregating point?¡± The officer asked, but Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes shone imperceptibly, ¡®Escape? So I was right?¡¯ ¡°I can walk to it from memory¡­ photographic, or something like that. I used to do it when I went to school for several years since I was a kid.¡± Phesx Caolia calmly responded. The officer nodded, not taking much importance to such a ¡®feat¡¯. ¡°Do you feel regret now? After killing people who weren¡¯t enemies?¡± The officer asked. He seemed very interested in this answer. Phesx Caolia felt a detaching, weird feeling of someone being attentive towards him. He simply answered, ¡°No, I do not. It¡¯s good that I did. If I didn¡¯t, that event before being caught would¡¯ve been different. It made sense in the end. But also¡­¡± The officer raised his chin a little, ever more attentive to listen. Phesx Caolia voiced in all tranquility, glancing at the officer indifferently and with lowered eyelids. ¡°They were my enemies.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The officer looked at Phesx Caolia without saying a thing for several seconds. Then, he tilted his head and noted down a fourth word. Phesx Caolia read it as ¡®rebellious¡¯. ¡®Wow, I like that one.¡¯ Phesx Caolia looked down at it and felt the officer¡¯s gaze, realizing he could read it, but he didn¡¯t shy away from it. Instead, the young boy smirked a little. He looked childish. ¡°Phesx Caolia, would you be interested in joining the military?¡± The officer asked, slowly standing up. In response, Phesx Caolia blinked and calmly jerked his head backwards. The officer nodded before asking him at the side of the desk. ¡°Would you kill those who ¡®sold you out¡¯ in the radio if you knew they¡¯d do something like that?¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the officer with upturned but still narrowed eyes before answering, ¡°It depends on what happens to me here, I think.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± The officer uproariously laughed, making Paul, who stood outside with his upper back against the wall beside the door and with crossed arms to open his eyes, baffled. Then, the officer shook his head while staring down at the young boy with squinted eyes. ¡°Okay, what if you knew that could happen, but the ones to take that message were all preis?¡± Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t respond immediately. His silence caused coldness to fill the room before finally saying with upturned, decisive light black eyes, ¡°Kill, of course.¡± The officer said nothing else and nodded with a neutral expression, letting Phesx Caolia think whatever he wanted. ¡°Please, stand up.¡± At last, the officer gestured to Phesx Caolia. The young boy followed instructions and casually stood with a slightly bad posture. The LT Colonel gently flapped the document where Phesx Caolia¡¯s statement was written on the desk before elaborating. ¡°This is your recruitment form. Very few things are necessary as requirements, and these are all to pre-evaluate you and identify you. Whether you¡¯re recognized later on is up to you.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Phesx Caolia nodded. The officer kept a strict face and spoke after a long pause, ¡°Phesx, what do you think about the world, about people?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like people.¡± Not even thinking about it, Phesx Caolia looked at the officer¡¯s military shirt¡¯s buttons and replied. The officer was left speechless, but also somewhat awestruck. After showing himself in such a state before a kid, he bent over his desk and wrote the fifth word. This time, he was quick enough to not let Phesx Caolia know what he wrote. He placed the sole piece of paper in an obscure, black-gray folder, which looked like leather and metal at the same time, resistant yet flexible and wobbly, before calling out to the outside. ¡°Paul, bring this new recruit to the military zone!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The door opened immediately and so did Paul come in right away, feeling contented like a cheeky dude. ¡­ Chapter 10 — Soldier Phesx! Soldier Phesx! ¡°I''ll bring him away now,¡± Paul nodded at Phesx Caolia before saluting the officer with a rapid nod. Guiding the young boy out of the building, Paul held the gray-black folder and continued nodding to himself, letting Phesx Caolia process what just happened. His near future wasn''t going to be nice. ¡°You see,¡± once outside the building, Paul grabbed the young boy by his shoulders before helping him walk further into the encampment. ¡°We¡¯re heading to the military zone now. It is where all the good stuff is, and where you¡¯ll mostly live from now on. Tell me something.¡± Phesx Caolia lifted his eyes to match Paul¡¯s, who wasn¡¯t that tall, unlike Phesx Caolia, who was quite tall for his age. Paul asked with a smile, ¡°Did he note down anything after interrogating and testing you? A word, perhaps?¡± ¡®After?¡¯ Phesx Caolia blinked twice, tilting his head to the left in between, before responding. However, Paul added just before he started speaking. ¡°Yeah, did you manage at least one IK?¡± ¡°I got like 5, I think?¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s words came out calmly. However, Phesx Caolia continued walking forward, while Paul stopped and remained on the spot. Phesx Caolia seemed to not notice it as he continued walking aimlessly forward. ¡®¡­Uh, what? Five? Words? Even with¡­ huh?¡¯ Paul shook his head and hurried forth to catch up with Phesx Caolia. Once again, the young boy¡¯s shoulders were hugged. Paul shook the previous matter away, when Phesx Caolia innocently asked, ¡°What¡¯s IK?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something all the military in the world don¡¯t like the media knowing about, professional or influencers alike. It¡¯s integrity key. It doesn¡¯t matter. Anyway, you¡¯ll have some free time just observing because of your injury, but you have to get checked still.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Phesx Caolia nodded. Paul did the same and said, ¡°That doctor, miss Sofia. She seems very resourceful. When her name was written in the system, a few of our medics and our only ER surgeon immediately came to advocate for her. She¡¯s mainly the reason why the LT Colonel promised to speak with you. However, even then, no one would falsify info¡­ hm¡­¡± Phesx Caolia ignored Paul¡¯s last few words and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. Paul smirked and nudged his chin upwards, appearing very handsome. ¡°What? Not content that it wasn¡¯t because of me? Hah, what can an encampment instructor do? No, no.¡± Phesx Caolia rolled his eyes, but he also grinned a little. After a few minutes walking, Phesx Caolia saw that the tents were much better distanced between each other than at the ¡®wall¡¯ on the outer inner perimeter of the encampment. It also had many more people moving about than in the previous areas. Instead of fewer civilians present, there were just more. Of course, the ratio between these and soldiers also thinned down. Furthermore, the quality of items being sold, and the amount of different food and drinks shown was better. A little later, they finally arrived at a metallic gate, with a railing comprised of square-shaped bars about 15 inches thick, surrounding a large area in the center of the encampment, further to the west. The soldiers guarding it only glanced at them for a few seconds before giving the sign to open the gate. Then, Phesx Caolia was shown the military zone in its maximum splendor. Paul smiled as he saw the kid¡¯s widened eyes and surprise. Knowing well what the kid felt, as he experienced it, too, he softly elbowed Phesx Caolia¡¯s side. ¡°What? Thought it would be dirty and everyone would be men saying they want to rape women? Unfortunately, we¡¯re all human, too.¡± Paul said, making Phesx Caolia feel somewhat unusual with that advice. ¡°I expected it to be dirty, yes.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded. Paul grinned and wasted no time to say, ¡°Alright. Let me show you around. Then, you can go to the administration facility and deliver your document. Make sure to first visit where your quarters with your new comrades will be, and check that wound.¡± ¡°Hm? Why?¡± Phesx Caolia tilted his head and frowned a little, sincerely asking. Paul tsk¡¯ed without noise, ¡°Do it. Just do it.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Phesx Caolia lowered his head and darted his eyes to the left. Paul lightly led him around the military zone with his arm behind his back. He was friendly, without airs of superiority. This zone wasn¡¯t simple, like a circle or any shape in particular, for that matter. It was pretty irregular, focusing on logistics, perhaps, as there were many paths leading to alleyways where different tents were pitched up. Some looked important, showing cases with weapons being reassembled or placed inside, part by part. Others showed they were half-full from pistols, explosives, devices, and magazines and clips. Other tents showed ration-looking bags, with some beverages, which were thin, slightly long, and flexible. Others had several soldiers or recruits reunited around them. It might be because of the distribution of tasks and other things Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t familiar with. While he ogled around, Paul acted as his tour guide and presented a few places to him, offering him to show him the place if he wanted, or threatening him to. ¡°That¡¯s the area where everyone eats. You have to go through a quick check before being allowed in¡­ and further inside. There¡¯s a vicious cycle of plagues, so don¡¯t hesitate to search everywhere in your body if you suddenly start feeling sick.¡± ¡°That one is for getting your equipment, in case you¡¯re new, need repairs, lost some, or used it all up. There are limitations, don¡¯t forget that. Social credits are used more within this perimeter than the rest of the encampment, alright?¡± ¡°Oh, see that one? That¡¯s where all soldiers go to, male or female, to find the comfort they might need. It¡¯s not forceful, although it might be ¡®eventful¡¯ within some groups. Either way, they are our kitten household. Anyone can go there and try their luck. Maybe some kitten will give it to them if they just ask, but usually, one pays social credits and credits to lay with them.¡± Paul lifted his arm and aimed to a section of the military zone, where many beautiful women, all appearing mature enough, walked around. They wore military pants or jacket, but didn¡¯t have any equipment on, and they either wore something ¡®relaxing¡¯ underneath, or nothing at all, and it showed. It was easy to differentiate between customers and providers, as the ¡®kittens¡¯, as Paul says and calls them, are the relaxed bunch who do look like they own the place. The customers are either flirted and seduced, or doing the flirting themselves. Phesx Caolia saw many trying to court one for free, which, to his eyes, seemed the same as fuck buddies, as he heard a lot of from his envious classmates before he dropped out. He saw some being quite understanding, and others were good losers. But some were aggressive, without showing signs of action, only on their ¡®ways¡¯, and a few were abusive. Indifferently, Phesx Caolia looked away. Paul understood when he looked at this, there was no shortage of rare people in situations like this. However, before they walked away from the kitten household section, Phesx Caolia saw a pretty lass with red hair walking nearby wave at them. She had creamy-bronze skin, and large, clear, sepia brown eyes. She was truly a beauty. Paul waved back at her, while Phesx Caolia only stared at her fleetingly before staring ahead. It wasn¡¯t him who she was waving, and he didn¡¯t like taking advantage of others to meet new people, so he did nothing and walked ahead. ¡°Look at that, that was kitten supreme, so to speak. She¡¯s a good person. When you¡¯re ready, I can let her take your childishness away, eh?¡± Paul nudged his chin towards him before saying with a smile. Phesx Caolia looked at him with a neutral expression, ¡°Would you say the same if I was a girl?¡± ¡°Good weather today,¡± Paul looked up and commented, staring at the gray, night sky. ¡®Eh, no. I¡¯m not getting into trouble again.¡¯ ¡°Okay, here¡¯s where I leave. This is the team you¡¯ll be working in the future with, and squad, if there¡¯s a need. Just work hard in your training, and if there¡¯s something you need others to know, then let the instructors know.¡± Paul said. Phesx Caolia frowned and looked at him, speaking with his voice, soft and semi-broken. ¡°How do you know this is my place? I haven¡¯t even gone to the administration tent.¡± ¡°I did pull some strings, aye.¡± Paul scratched his head, looking at the side and feeling a little silly. He passed the gray-black folder to Phesx Caolia and warned him, ¡°Don¡¯t open it. If you do, you might be delayed into becoming a soldier even 2 years later. You¡¯ll be up to 4 times later than newer generations behind you.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Phesx Caolia took the folder. Paul seemed to think of something before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t call them tent!¡± ¡°?¡± Phesx Caolia bent his neck, titled his head, and frowned. Paul didn¡¯t wait before explaining, ¡°if you call them something like building, that would be stupid, as we can¡¯t build anything like that in a few weeks, or months, without machinery, duh.¡± ¡°Then why tents-¡± Phesx Caolia was interrupted before he could show his irritation. Paul shook his head, ¡°If you call them tents¡­ try telling that to the people working there, who work their asses to keep the camp afloat. So¡­¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Just tents,¡± Phesx Caolia finished the words. Paul nodded. He muttered something about Phesx Caolia¡¯s ¡®potential¡¯ while tapping his back before walking away. However, he had just started walking, when a soldier passing by voiced, ¡°Hey, Paul! You¡¯re with the kids, now? Hey kid, don¡¯t let him touch you when no one¡¯s watching!¡± ¡°Is something the matter, soldier?¡± Paul looked at the guy and spoke out loud. His tone, casual but direct, made the soldier shut his trap and keep walking away with a low nod. Phesx Caolia looked at the development, gradually fully opening his eyes, growing little thoughts in his head. Thoughts he didn¡¯t even know existed and somehow understood, just like when he was little. ¡°Aight, go ahead.¡± Paul nodded at Phesx Caolia before turning around and walking away. Phesx Caolia looked at his folder after Paul left. He stored it in his military jacket, which no one seemed to care about, and eyed the tent before him. It was a little long, but not so wide. Phesx Caolia stepped into it and expected it to be empty. It was night, and the other tents, similar to this one, were empty with no sign of life showing. But when he pulled the curtains away, expert at doing so for more than 13 years, he was stunned. A few soldiers, refreshing their bodies from the sweat, and topless, male or female, looked at him from their respective 1 person-tall lockers. There was a long bench, spreading almost across the tent¡¯s whole length, for people to sit on opposite sides comfortably. Phesx Caolia was shocked to see breasts in real life, outside a meager computer screen, for the first time, but he somehow kept it cool. Furthermore, he strangely gained sudden eloquence as he gestured his black-gray folder, ¡°I was told I would work here in the future. I wanted to present myself without bothering you first, pleased to meet you.¡± With that, seeing a few nods out of the corner of his right eye, Phesx Caolia smoothly walked away towards the infirmary. After walking for half a minute, he felt as if he had done something that made¡­ sense. ¡®Huh¡­ I feel like I acted appropriately. It¡¯s weird.¡¯ Meanwhile, back at the camp, the soldiers reacted. Some jumped their eyebrows, some hooked the corners of their lips downwards, and some tilted their heads, or all of these. One of them, a female soldier looking for a new, fresh top, said while putting it on braless. ¡°Nowadays, very few recruits are so attentive. How cute, no?¡± ¡°Haha,¡± another soldier, a male this time, smiled before storing his muddy boots away in the open locker for the cleaners to take care of. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s super talented and will bring us to the preis and pronas main camps to assassinate and explode the enemy¡¯s leaders and bring peace in the Centralized Parliament in the future, heh heh.¡± ¡°Ah, like in that Dawnoon!¡± - ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± - ¡°Let¡¯s see if he survives first.¡± - ¡°Awww, party pooper.¡± - ¡°Someone needs a few kittens¡­¡± - ¡°Or the whole household!¡± - ¡°Hahaha, kukuku¡­!¡± When arriving at the infirmary, Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes reflected bright, gentle lights lighting up the entire, massive tent. It was maybe 400 square meters inside, quite the sight. This wasn¡¯t the infirmary for battle wounds or soldiers to rest and be treated, but where anyone getting sick, struck by a plague, insects or illnesses, could attend any time. As soon as he went in, a doctor seemed to be waiting for him. Phesx Caolia politely followed an old man to an open booth, before the doctor enclosed it with sliding blinds. Then, he took his shirt off and was left with his boxers for an examination. ¡°¡­Well, it seems you¡¯re really healthy. Let me take this off. Seeing how old this one is, it should have gone dry since a few hours ago. It should be still suctioning the filth out of your wound, but you¡¯d need more nutrients.¡± The doctor said after Phesx Caolia put his pants on. Phesx Caolia nodded and sat on the comfy stretcher as the doctor sat on a lower stool to check his contraption. The doctor detached it from his abdomen by just tapping at the center. There were some buttons Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t notice before. They also looked friction-proof, and were very resilient. Yet, the doctor considered it an ¡®old¡¯ medical equipment. Phesx Caolia felt the needles living his body, his flesh. He could feel them perfectly, as if they were his bones, and he somehow could feel every millimeter conforming his body. He grimaced and put on a disgusted face, feeling the cold needless leave him, and expelling some purplish, gooey contents spilling from within them. ¡°Ah, yes. It also needs nutrients to clean that. My, it would¡¯ve been bad if you were here any day later.¡± The doctor said before saying nothing else and grabbing a couple of smallish devices and a small bag with bright yellow contents. He used one of the devices to fill the tiny bags in the contraption with different, tiny tubes, whose top was opened, before closing it again. ¡°Wow!¡± Phesx Caolia looked down at his abdomen and saw the rosy, plastic-like, healing flesh. It was like a tender, bulbous piece of flesh, with several rumps all around, closing the wound. The doctor nodded, looking at the state of the wound, ¡°It seems miss Sofia does have sacred hands. But the filth left behind would¡¯ve ruined it all. It¡¯s good now.¡± ¡°Here, don¡¯t hurt your teeth.¡± The doctor passed a resistant object, with fabric glued around it, to Phesx Caolia so he could bite it. But the young boy gave the thing a nasty glare and gritted his teeth. The doctor, surprised, asked before letting the young boy be, ¡°You don¡¯t like biting then? Mm, she said you have strong pain tolerance. Just tell me if you need your teeth checked, too. As a matter of fact, I¡¯ll just check them, too. Now, here they come.¡± Phesx Caolia pressed his yolks on the stretcher until reaching the metallic bed frame. He stuck his chest out, but his abdomen was calm and relaxed, as if it belonged to another body, unrelated to Phesx Caolia¡¯s intense coping reaction. After the doctor confirmed the contraption worked, distrusting these ¡®old¡¯ things, which Phesx Caolia considered heavenly, he looked up and commented. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that. A good thing these relics have is they already have a Mintip percentage to help stabilize the flesh. It doesn¡¯t matter even if it became stone, as long as the tip penetrates the wound, it can enter it.¡± The doctor slapped Phesx Caolia¡¯s left knee before taking a few dentist¡¯s tools, and telling the young boy, ¡°Always remember to keep your wound fully checked, and understand them. You¡¯ll know what I¡¯m talking about after your semester regimen. And clean as deep as you can, alright?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Phesx Caolia nodded, already calming down a bit. Similarly, he noted the importance of being repeated such a thing twice in his first ¡®pre-day¡¯. Next, he got his teeth checked, which were¡­ perfectly healthy, according to the doc. Out of curiosity, Phesx Caolia asked his nails to be checked, too. Yet, his hands were perfectly fine, except for the large gash on his right backhand from that exploded bullet. At last, Phesx Caolia went to the administration facility. He saw more guards than in the infirmary, which was to be expected when no battle had been fought. Either way, Phesx Caolia talked to the young girl working in the reception and waited a few minutes before he gave his black-gray folder away. At first, he might¡¯ve cared to know about his fifth IK, but right now¡­ he cared no more. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s all ready. You¡¯ve been checked up and are now in the system, ¡®sir¡¯. Welcome to Prequa military camp¡¯s commander Karlos¡¯s encampment.¡± The pretty young girl smiled cutely and handed Phesx Caolia an ID, with the back being the same as that black-gray from his folder. It had his picture and rank, date of admission, and what seemed like the preqs¡¯ emblem. Crops to the 2 extreme sides, with the middle consisting of fertile, brown worked land. A shadow of the Centralized Parliament far away in the upper center of a blue sky. ¡°Thanks,¡± Phesx Caolia said while checking his ID. ¡®Is every camp doing this? They must have a fool-proof anti-copying mechanism, or something. Hmm¡­¡¯ . . . 3 days after Phesx Caolia joined Prequa military. In the same encampment, in a small room from one of the few buildings that remained mostly intact. An overweight yet not obese man of regular height, light cinnamon skin, black eyes, and curly, medium male hair sat in a small room. There was only 1 chair and a table in front of it. The man held a radio, waiting for the other side to answer. ¡°Commander Karlos, do you hear me?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Finally, brother.¡± Commander Karlos sighed in exhilaration. He felt his sweat cooling off, calming down. Wearing a complicated expression, he began, ¡°General, I have the reports of casualties during the congregation day. It¡¯s¡­ I have to say, if our information on the other military camps is accurate¡­ We have really sinned.¡± ¡°Ugh, okay. Brother. What have I told you? In matters like these, if one isn¡¯t ruthless enough, there¡¯s nothing to do but wait for someone else to make a move. You see, we weren¡¯t the only ones to go through until the end. Our soldiers died in just a few days, we don¡¯t have the right to decide if their sacrifice would be left adrift.¡± ¡°Even then, brother, it was too much!¡± Karlos insisted, trembling as he hunched his back, as if careful to not be heard. Hearing the tension from him, the other side went silent. Karlos added, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen it yet, but you will understand once you do.¡± ¡°Does it go above a hundred thousand?¡± The other side, the general, suddenly asked. Karlos went silent for 3 seconds before closing his eyes, starting to sweat more. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Preis did worse, don¡¯t bother about it anymore. They are already above our numbers, and they haven¡¯t even started recruiting. Don¡¯t vacillate any further. Catch the rats, have your fill, and become my new second-in-command. Have you seen any good prodigies?¡± The general went on. Karlos weakly answered, ¡°Mm, there¡¯s a few. We¡¯ll need a few years to have them checked out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it! Keep going. I¡¯m checking with the other commanders. Remember your role. Yours is the most important so far. Don¡¯t let the awful truths hit you now. Hold in there, brother. Endure!¡± The general said. His voice was handsome, so to speak. It was guaranteed he carried strong pride and power, and not because of charisma. ¡°That Centralized Parliament can become the written history of us 2 brothers to overlap the weakening of the world, that laughable Green Transformation, in 2 centuries!¡± The general continued. Karlos¡¯s breath became heavy, but not because of pressure, not anymore. ¡°Yes, brother.¡± Karlos nodded, wishing his brother could see it. The general spoke through before cutting off, ¡°I, and the Nation State Prequa will be counting on you. Cleanse the south.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Karlos kept his posture for a few minutes. The heavy pressure from before returned, reminding him of all those images. But he was a man destined for greatness. Others could do it, but only he and his brother put each other forth to accomplish it. At last, he sighed that heaviness out. ¡°Sigh.¡± Standing up, the overweight man turned around, grabbed a coat, and walked out of the room. A few hallways later, he went downstairs, where a few soldiers guarding him saluted. Feeling a bit of pride, commander Karlos nodded before heading to a door. ¡°¡­Here he comes!¡± - ¡°He¡¯s the commander? Oooh.¡± - ¡°¡­¡± The commander walked from the building¡¯s side, showing up to a few new recruits, before walking around the corner towards a stage in the middle, facing everyone. One of these recruits was Phesx Caolia, who looked up at the higher floor the commander stepped into. ¡°Welcome to the encampment¡¯s recruitment regimen! You are the first recruits who will become Prequa¡¯s brand-new generation of soldiers from this camp, and to all of Prequa¡¯s military! All of you, hear my words!¡± The commander began the pre-programmed speech, with Phesx Caolia looking at him with upturned eyes. They were indifferent, and absolutely different from the rest, with a natural behavior that hid him from the discerning eye. Paul, like all other hundreds of instructors, watched as the thousands of recruits were accommodated and welcomed in. Paul¡¯s eyes were on Phesx Caolia for some time before departing them. He looked outside this scenery and up, wondering¡­ But then again, what could the human do, but think, when there¡¯s nothing? ¡­ Chapter 11 — Growing Older Growing Older Northeast of the world map, the behemoth of the Twilight supercontinent, Zyckevele. In one of the cities near the Orcesta and Fresna nations, a pair of old enemies. It was an exquisite gala, with not many people, but enough cameras to cover most of the people inside a lavish, brown, bright hall. Currently, the attention was grabbed by the night''s main event, the world''s most extraordinary studies as of yet. They came from a young person not even past mid-20s, nonetheless. The star of the night stood before a tall, small square table, with some old fellows taking turns to stand on the opposite side to sign and congratulate the young lady. However, was she simply a young woman who went to work with her old man as soon as she could legally apply to work in the government? Having a wide and heavy position in one of the world¡¯s most powerful countries? A true beauty, to delight one¡¯s respect and eyes alike, the young woman had grayish white skin and big, pretty, light brown eyes. Long brown hair with an unremarkable ponytail, and was slightly short. ¡°Welcome back, hehe, mister Orlan.¡± As she welcomed the guests one after another, each one taking about 10 to 30 seconds, the young lady smiled and melted the oldies¡¯ stern or strict expressions. They couldn¡¯t help but give the lass acknowledgement. How many times have they visited this country just to participate in the discussions of what this girl¡¯s brain and written thoughts have made? ¡°Of course. I can¡¯t say anything else I haven¡¯t said before, just congratulations, miss Morozov.¡± The old man called Orlan said, squinting his eyes before nodding at her, then leaving. The young lady courteously bowed her little head before she looked at the next guest, intrigued. ¡°I¡¯d like to talk for myself first, as I¡¯m very honored. But duty says: ANS is once again marveled at miss Morozov¡¯s findings. If you were willing to escape this ¡®little¡¯ place, I assure you humankind will cross the space barrier none of our previous orders have been able to.¡± A black man gently stepped forth and said, smiling helplessly as he did. ¡°Ah~, Mr. Laen Worfield. It¡¯s good you¡¯ve been sent this time. I was growing concerned of seeing tired misters bothered to come all the way here. How is Mr. Heyn doing?¡± The young lady¡¯s smooth, soft voice drove any rolling of eyes away, replaced with shining pupils instead. ¡°Mn, he¡¯s doing well. But rumors say the old man is looking for a supplant,¡± Laen said, lowering his head in a greeting. Miss Morozov smiled dashingly and squinted her eyes cutely, ¡°Then, you better bring back good news!¡± ¡°If miss would be so kind¡­¡± Laen helplessly looked at the young lady, doing this was simply a polite act between countries. The young lady shook her head gently, as expected. ¡°I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t feel surprised and proud that ANS, such a nation, thinks highly of me. But humankind isn¡¯t set in one place in the world.¡± ¡°I will deliver the message, young miss.¡± Laen showed a respectful bow before signing the title page of her work. He had pitch-black eyes, was bald, and tall. Handsome, too. He looked at the bearer of that amazing brain and conveyed, ¡°Thank you for receiving this inexperienced person. I, and ANS, wish Miss Morozov and Zyckevele prosperity in these times of advancement.¡± ¡°Senator, the only thing standing between every person¡¯s dreams and humanity is the same, I believe. Doubt.¡± The young lady nodded and said, wearing a slightly serious expression, but kept her youthful beauty and cuteness. Laen looked at the lass, with respect growing in his eyes, before nodding. He looked behind him, at the next guests, before departing. The young lady looked at the next guests afterwards, whereas her eyebrows were slightly lifted. Her eyes shone in surprise and gladness. ¡°Miss Morozov!¡± A white, blondie younger woman than miss Morozov, walked forth with a white man behind her, smiling when the blondie used faster steps. Her sparkling green eyes reminded the young lady of something, ¡°You are Lymoca¡¯s youngest deputy, and the youngest official in its history, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, but I¡¯m not important tonight, ¡®my lady¡¯.¡± The blondie responded, smiling as she shook hands with an eager miss Morozov. The latter smiled from ear to ear and praised the blondie still, ¡°A Metelti isn¡¯t a small thing. So is a Zebel. I¡¯m glad and honored to have such a wonderful person show up in my ceremony. And you, sir, is Sebasti¨¢n Lara?¡± ¡°Indeed, miss. But let me tell you,¡± the man behind the blondie briefly saluted with his right hand on his left chest before respectfully nodding at the young lady. ¡°It is us that are glad to be here. It was a rough ¡®debate¡¯ back at home to come here. It¡¯s all thanks to this young deputy¡¯s sharp, penetrating¡­ beautiful voice that gained us tickets.¡± ¡°Ehehehe,¡± the young lady opened her mouth to chuckle, giving the blushing blondie a pair of squinted eyes. Then, she recomposed and said with fully opened eyes, ¡°Sir, my ceremony is only so known and seen live. I gained inspiration from your president, to propagate the knowledge.¡± ¡°Well,¡± the man was perplexed at the comment, but he still said, ¡°I believe tens of millions of viewers don¡¯t think so, miss.¡± ¡°Oh, stop it~.¡± It was the young lady¡¯s turn to blush. From afar, with his back against the wall, a man with light brown skin, small, pitch-black eyes, and sharp, gray hair smiled. Of course, who wouldn¡¯t, when the young lady genius of the world behaved all bashful and like a human being would? ¡°I read about Preut¡¯s tragic nature phenomenon. It¡¯s been hard on the Moonblue supercontinent,¡± the young lady said, squeezing the blondie¡¯s hands before gently letting go. The blondie sucked deeply in before blinking and smiling. ¡°Lymoca was fortunate it didn¡¯t happen within its borders. The odds were more terrible than one could imagine, as it was on Preut¡¯s innocents.¡± ¡°All grown-up into a politician, I see.¡± The young lady smiled, silently praising the blondie. However, she took her hands again and said with a firm tone. ¡°Lys are in need of each other and have supported one another since hundreds and hundreds of years ago. You¡¯ve had it the harder than any other supercontinent and nation, even if others, like my own, don¡¯t admit to it.¡± The guests and genius chatted a little more before signing and leaving, creating an image of harmony amidst sad eyes, contented smiles, and a few blushing of cheeks and even necks. ¡°Oh¡­ damn it.¡± However, on another location in the hall, Laen looked at his phone after excusing himself from a small group of people. He hurriedly took his phone out and opened a live stream of something impactful enough to shock his trembling eyes. ¡®Oh no¡­¡¯ Across the world, the president of ANS, a nation recognized as the most powerful in the world, if not one of them, spoke to the world. ¡°A tragic casualty has increased in Preut. The humanitarian aid had to be canceled because of the civil war that those pariahs have created for no reason! When will this protectorate¡¯s protector do something at last? If there¡¯s nothing they are capable of, ANS will bring the help they can¡¯t provide! I request all nations who seek to aid Preut¡¯s civilians to a meeting so we can discuss¡­¡± ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯ The young senator stored his phone and returned to the small group, contented to see him return. Tomorrow, he can have as many headaches as his coworkers back at home. Tonight, he¡¯ll work to craft his little path and enjoy breathing and¡­ whatever life can mean. *** Preut. Prequa¡¯s commander Karlos¡¯s encampment, several tens of kilometers from the Centralized Parliament. Time flew by as the civil war commenced. The soldiers who have trained for about a year or so, and have been in the army from years to even a couple of tens of years have battled here and there, between their section¡¯s ¡®borders¡¯ with another section. Their casualty rate was ferocious, from 3,000,000 raised soldiers across Preut¡¯s latest records, whereas veterans were barely even counted, they became less and less in the heated war. But for Phesx Caolia, who remained training in the camp, he couldn¡¯t know what kind of heat the civil war had embraced. He could only hear about it. Furthermore, now, he knew more about his position and that of this encampment. It was to deal with preis that remained within Prequa. At the start of the civil war, the preis, pronas, and preqs all moved to the other sections¡¯ territories. It was surprising, but not unexpected, that each side wanted to destroy the hell out of each other¡¯s residential, worker districts, and take over their factory districts. Prequa, in this case, sent most of their military to the central front, where they forced more than a million soldiers to meet. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Sending a plethora of soldiers to Prei and Prona¡¯s south, the destruction of tall, abundant buildings was guaranteed. The other 2 sections had no other choice but to match Prequa¡¯s mobilization. To this, Prei took advantage the most and pressed on Prequa¡¯s west half¡¯s central south, winning the battlefield in the fields near the factories, and taking over them. They had dug, toured near the sea, and advanced through a monumental column before the civil war fully struck out. Somehow, they managed to hide themselves well. However, Prona also sent soldiers to attack them, intending to pincer invade them, with Prequa advancing through Prei¡¯s south, leaving Prona to take Prei¡¯s rich residential district in the northeast in one fell swoop. Of course, having the least people, and battling 2 fronts, Prona had it worse than Prei, who had the largest population in Preut, but fought in 3 different fronts. Meanwhile, the Centralized Parliament was assassinated in 1,020, 2nd month, 4th week¡¯s 3rd day, 3 days before Preut welcomed the most insane hurricane, earthquakes in the world, and a deluge. Of course, it also welcomed the civil war on that date. At last, the hurricane and earthquake changed things at once. The preis who moved underneath to Prequa¡¯s south were half-buried to death, losing many thousands of soldiers. It also meant the destruction of what little mechanized and artillery units they had. The soldiers fighting in Prona¡¯s massive forest mostly died, with the corpses being fully cleaned out a long time later. And a large population of Prequa, directly suffering the vortex, stopped any attempt of taking the Centralized Parliament. The damage was so insane that it affected all parties fighting in the central front, downing about 1,000,000 soldiers overall, and many more civilians who just didn¡¯t have the fortune to survive it anyhow. Each section¡¯s army retreated, with some areas lost or successfully defended, but still retreated. Those who didn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t, like the preis in Prequa¡¯s south, were trapped and alone in enemy territory. Nobody dared touch the water, as Lymoca¡¯s navy, as small and feeble as it was compared to the top 30 navies in the world, were looking tight at the situation. The only thing that remained was some of Prequa¡¯s worker districts left intact by the war. But all the few tanks, artillery, and warplanes the 3 armies had, were rapidly wasted in the first weeks of the civil war. Prona¡¯s southern rich residential districts, surrounded by death and destruction. And Prei¡¯s central worker districts¡¯ north. Everything else, from ordinary buildings to those 80 to 200 meters tall, were mostly razed to the ground, especially at Prona, the wealthiest section. Phesx Caolia now knows the encampment he¡¯s in is tasked to deal with approximately 25,000-35,000 prei soldiers left in their south, hidden and threatening. With nearly all factories in Preut destroyed after the criminal groups took over them during the natural phenomenon and disastrous civil war, including the congregation points¡¯ massacres, Preut had become poor. Electricity wasn¡¯t much trouble, but necessities were. One could have enough energy to light up a city, but not the medical supplies to treat one, much less food¡­ However, it was somewhat enough in the encampments outside the military camps. For now, all military camps centered in one thing while preparing; to clean up the disaster around the Centralized Parliament to take it. Even if the other 2 sections weren¡¯t annihilated, or capitulated, occupying it was a step closer to winning the civil war. Now knowing what happened in the congregation points from Paul, amidst other stories of what Paul saw in the worker districts, Phesx Caolia felt strangely more stable. He became used to the life as a soldier, life in the military. It wasn¡¯t anything simple, and it revealed just how damn fortunate and hopeless he had been in those first few days of the war. Of course, his mind was on other things, as he said barely anything to his fellow recruits, and then, his fellow soldiers. In the first few weeks of training, Phesx Caolia¡¯s body was met with many disadvantages. And because he didn¡¯t speak about anything with his instructors, each of them experienced the same. It was the same little guy who got real hurt just by running, squatting, push-ups, and jumping ? of a meter multiple times. Little by little, they had to work their way to know how to deal with Phesx Caolia. Seeing his ¡®report¡¯ and information, they didn¡¯t seem like wanting to give up on him. Thanks to this, the instructors helped Phesx Caolia not fail his semester of training. Of course, that wasn¡¯t exactly all that aided the young boy into ¡®graduating¡¯ in his first semester of training, as intended. That¡¯s because Phesx Caolia started taking drugs! However, it wasn¡¯t doping, or ¡®helpful¡¯ ones to keep one¡¯s senses or body going and healing fast. At first, Phesx Caolia only took pills to decrease or limit inflammation and allergy reactions, similar to those Sofia gave him before being caught. Then, he took strong antibiotics, pain management products, and even other products that were much stronger. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t know what type they were, he only knew they were more and more strong than the last. The provider of those drugs was Sofia, who also analyzed Phesx Caolia to ensure he wasn¡¯t having any trouble. It all started when Phesx Caolia noticed his body was¡­ becoming no longer weak after he went through the first few treatments, where he felt like his body would snap into two around his knees, elbows, and even neck. Each treatment made Phesx Caolia feel like his body regained stamina, impulsing him to exert more strength each time, hurting himself at the end of each few days. This brutal regimen, unique to him, could only be semi-supervised by Sofia, not wanting him to do it alone. That¡¯s how, in a few months, Phesx Caolia was called ¡®humanity¡¯s malfunction¡¯, or venom/poison incarnate by Sofia. This came from long-term analysis on him. That¡¯s because, at some point, she realized that Phesx Caolia¡¯s thin blood spread on a glass along with bacteria or a mild virus, his blood would prevail. She wasn¡¯t an expert on the field, but her knowledge was wide, so to speak. His white and red cells weren¡¯t moving like such, and sometimes made her believe they were like big bad bugs going after newborn bugs in the wild. Of course, it was all figuratively. There was also no equipment to research further into this. But she still dutifully aided him. Nevertheless, that¡¯s how Phesx Caolia carried out ¡®his¡¯ training. Paul didn¡¯t become one of his instructors, though. But, after 6 months of training, he became a soldier. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t be sent on tasks right away, let alone to battle. After graduating from the regimen, Phesx Caolia was put on tasks everywhere. He also joined the tent where the naked fellas he saw back then lived. He could also enter the dormitory ¡®facility¡¯, as he now had his own equipment and weapons. However, his rank was still private, and had no insignia. In the encampment, that would usually go away after another 4-6 months. In Phesx Caolia¡¯s case, it took 5 months before the camp¡¯s superiors brought him and a few others to a meeting, where they discussed a possible integration to the other soldiers¡¯ tasks soon. It had been about a month since then. Ever since Phesx Caolia joined the military, 1 year and week had passed. It was now the 1,021st year, 3rd month, 3rd week, and 6th day. Phesx Caolia was now 14, and he had spent enough time in the military to grow a little taller and get rid of his sickly, slender figure. Currently, it was not even 4 AM, as Phesx Caolia laid in his bed on a semi-recently built hut, where dozens of other soldiers slept, with 1 upper floor and a small underground floor. Not everyone lived in huts like these, made of wood, with nice beds. Worse than those in the infirmary, but still something comfy to rest in. Most lived in tents, who also had a well-worked underground, little room. Phesx Caolia moved outside the hut, going through the doors. He looked at the empty area in front, whereas a huge moon illuminated the world in darkness, but only scarcely despite being so humongous. He calmly looked ahead, with his face becoming illuminated brightly. Then, behind his left shoulder, 3 crooked, dry branches like fingers slowly landed on his shoulder. Phesx Caolia wobbly turned around and looked at a face with plastic, rosy pale skin and long, humane teeth but with no gum around them. The face¡¯s mouth was open, but it wasn¡¯t smiling, it was just resting. Its eyes were smaller than Phesx Caolia¡¯s, but its head was 2 times larger. The young boy felt its breath on his nose and its bridge come and go. It tasted nothing, it was only coldness and brief. Its mouth opened, but only the darkest smoke that could ever exist came out of its widening jaws. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes remained unmoving as he stared at the ceiling above him, with his head resting on his left arm, atop his pillow. Even as he ¡®returned¡¯ to himself and his eyes only saw this wooden ceiling, he didn¡¯t move. Rustle. At last, he turned to his left and felt the immeasurable pressure of his organs and blood moving, feeling utmost comfort. He rested his cold face on his bed, heating it up a little before standing up. He went to the back of the hut, where a little room that looked like a bathroom but didn¡¯t have a toilet was located, and entered it. Closing the door, he pulled his pants down and checked with a piece of smooth, moist paper after gently swiping his butt¡¯s crack. When he saw the blood, he groaned in his mind, ¡®Ugh, again?¡¯ Just yesterday, he was finished with another week at the nearby markets, patrolling the streets on foot with his rifle and equipment, and inspecting the prices and quality of the products being sold. Each task like this goes from the first to the second-last day of the week. Phesx Caolia had seen indications of another plague hitting the soldiers a few days earlier. There were some hints that every soldier was told by their comrades to look after, as there were many around here. Although he can also see through some other things, which others don¡¯t seem to as much as he does. Usually, when this happens, it takes about 2 weeks for a hut or group of tents to free themselves from whatever struck them. However, Phesx Caolia¡¯s comrades had just spent about a week since overcoming yet another instance. But now, with such an obvious notice, it was clear that his hut was plagued again. Phesx Caolia hurried to the bathrooms nearby, holding his tummy a little, but reaching a booth in time before relaxingly counting dragon sheep. This plague wasn¡¯t much, and was a ¡®low-level¡¯ one within the camp, but it couldn¡¯t be ignored. After exiting the booth, he went to a separate section within the bathrooms, where he could take medicament and use whichever product he needed. There were cameras in it, but technology allowed for the soldiers to keep their dignity intact. Whoever stole or misused these products gets a heavy beating from an instructor, at best. Afterwards, Phesx Caolia exited the bathrooms, feeling relieved, and his body working with the medicament to fight those nasty things. He walked for some seconds before turning around a corner of some tents. He walked ahead before spotting a person of similar height as his walking in the dark towards him. His eyes effortlessly recognized her, and felt a little better. ¡°Ah? Phesx,¡± a soft voice came from the person. She walked a little faster before stopping on his left. She stretched out her hand, landing it on his abdomen, and looked eye-to-eye with Phesx Caolia with a straight back. ¡°Fancy meeting you here. Do you mind instructing me into stretching? I never do it in the morning myself.¡± ¡­ Chapter 12 — Debut: Scouting Debut: Scouting Her soft voice was enjoyable to hear. It made Phesx Caolia look a little down at her lips. The redhead smirked a bit, just enough to look charming. Phesx Caolia affirmatively nodded, ¡°Yes. Do you want to, now?¡± ¡°Heheh, I thought you didn''t want to.¡± The redhead said, making Phesx Caolia blink his eyes. After blinking them again, exasperated, he pinched her waist and added, ¡°To stretch. Stretching. I''ll instruct you.¡± ¡°Okay! Hmm¡­¡± The redhead let her waist be held by Phesx Caolia¡¯s pinching hands. She looked directly at him with a relaxed, thin smile and smiley eyes. Seemingly thinking of something, she stepped backwards once before comparing her height with his, her hands moved from her forehead to his. ¡°Look, I think¡­ If I was your age, I¡­¡± the redhead bent her knees and crouched until her face was at Phesx Caolia¡¯s stomach level. ¡°Should have been this small! Would you have noticed me more then? Hmm? Eh~?¡± ¡°Miss Priscila, you are a very beautiful person. The height wouldn¡¯t have mattered, I¡¯m sure you know this.¡± Phesx Caolia said, rubbing his yolks on her exposed, soft skin at her sides. Priscila smiled and insisted, softly saying, ¡°But it would¡¯ve been more attractive to you, right?¡± ¡°Okay, yes¡­ pu.¡± Phesx Caolia embarrassingly said, pushing air out of his pressed lips, towards the middle, at the end of his words. Hearing his words caused Priscila to lift her chin proudly. Then, she narrowed her eyes when hearing that typical habit of his lips. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Priscila grabbed his left wrist with her right hand and led Phesx Caolia elsewhere. If Phesx Caolia hadn¡¯t gone to some campfires at night, pulled over by the stronger Paul every time. He wouldn¡¯t know what a scenery like this of a woman pulling a man from the front in the dark could mean in other situations. After arriving at a free spot, with no one around, Phesx Caolia began instructing Priscila. He first made circles with his head, before continuing with his feet, arms, waist, and finally his feet. With his hands at his waist, Phesx Caolia observed Priscila, who has more time in the army and should be better than Phesx Caolia at anything. It was just that she didn¡¯t stretch as much or as daily and heavily as he did. When he began stretching his arms, Priscila asked him to hold her waist, which he did as her form was detrimental. From then on, whenever she bent, or whenever her body wouldn¡¯t hit Phesx Caolia, she¡¯d make him get glued to her back, front, or sides. Thus, holding her waist, or legs, Phesx Caolia stuck that ¡®oh, I¡¯m a man¡¯ part of his body as he finally grew to that age. Her waist was simply good to hold onto, be it his hands, fingers, or arms. Her butt leaned towards ¡®small¡¯, but it was very well-defined, and his thighs and groin approved. Sticking his waist as she did the same towards each other was a little uncomfortable, but with time, he grew used to it. Then, with Priscila¡¯s kittenish smile in between, Phesx Caolia no longer cared about what she thought of his body up against her. Afterwards, Phesx Caolia instructed Priscila on legs stretching, something simple. She had awful balance, of course, so Phesx Caolia had to be her wall so she could bend her knees up her waist, to her chest. A little while later, Phesx Caolia directly hugged her and felt her well-defined, proportioned body. She wasn¡¯t voluptuous, but one could take several handfuls here and there. Despite Priscila looking at Phesx Caolia all the time, casually, indifferently, neutral or flirty, she did listen well to her instructor. Of course, she also had experience of difficult positions her body had to change to. At last, they were finishing stretching after an hour, nearly at 6 AM, when a few lights began lighting up. Phesx Caolia could also hear a few loud noises run across the dormitories area. Priscila didn¡¯t seem to hear them as her back and bum rested on his front. Both were standing and gasping. As time passed, Phesx Caolia increased the different stretching he would do, as well as the time spent on each set. He was only sweating and slightly left without breath, but Priscila was all wet from warm sweat and gasping for any bit of air she could suck into her lungs. Phesx Caolia returned his attention to his expertly apprentice, not noticing he was leaning his chin on her left shoulder, and that she was looking at him. Phesx Caolia felt comfortable and kinda roguish, so he didn¡¯t move his head away. At last, she smiled before voicing, softly and weakly, ¡°Have you ever kissed before?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Phesx Caolia thought for a bit, about to say no, when he remembered his silly childhood and popularity with the ¡®girls¡¯. He nodded and politely asked in return, ¡°Have you?¡± Priscila humorously chuckled in silence, smiling dashingly with those red lips, sweaty and meaty, twisting. ¡°To those that treat me well, and whom is not my first time with. But you¡¯ll be completely different.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡± Phesx Caolia speechlessly exclaimed. Then, he tilted his head, knocking hers gently before asking again. ¡°Have you ever fallen with any of the soldiers visiting the household?¡± ¡°Nah¡­ Kitty, I¡¯m, uh, a-romantic. Aromantic.¡± Priscila casually shrugged her shoulders. Then, she pinched the tip of his nose, let go, and said. ¡°We are more alike than you and I thought, hm.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Phesx Caolia said before retracting his head. However, he rubbed her tummy and sides with his palms before Priscila turned around. With some of the camp¡¯s lights in the early morning, he could now see the beauty before him. Her appearance was now perfect for anyone to see and identify. She had creamy bronze-milk skin, dull red hair, striking and always beautiful. Big, clear, sepia brown eyes, and freckles on her cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s better to enjoy it all on the moment it happens, no teasing, or taste beforehand!¡± Priscila put on a mature expression and crossed her arms, taking a stance against him. Phesx Caolia blinked and tilted his head to the right, ¡°I wasn¡¯t insinuating something.¡± ¡°Oh. Were you admiring my beauty again? Look all you want,¡± Priscila blinked and said, spreading her arms before resting them at the sides and sticking her chest out. At some point, she suddenly lowered her sports bra¡¯s left side, flashing him. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go. We need a shower,¡± Priscila said, locking Phesx Caolia¡¯s neck with her left arm. Phesx Caolia grunted before nodding. As they walked, and the sunlight began descending on them through the trees¡¯ leaves, hill walls, and tall vegetation, they chatted. ¡°By the way, I heard Paul talk about something regarding¡­ taking you out somewhere. Have you two kissed? Fucked? Hey, don¡¯t leave me out, wuuu¡­¡± ¡°What? No. What are-¡­ gasp.¡± Phesx Caolia frowned, thinking this fucker was shitting with him. But then, he realized something and widened his eyes. Still, it was too calm from what Priscila wanted to see in his reaction. She tsked and said, ¡°Oi. Reward me for being such a good older sister, aight? I¡¯m coming with you two, after all. Oh, and clean that ass. We don¡¯t need some bugs tagging along. They aren¡¯t an extra weapon, eh.¡± ¡°You always touch my butt¡­¡± Phesx Caolia complained. She smiled and stepped forward quickly, teasing him with her ass. Her eyes seemed to say, ¡®come and get it, then¡¯. Phesx Caolia never moved forth whenever the kittens dared him, but this time¡­ ¡°Ooh! Gasp. Was that a squeeze? Wait, how are you so¡­ nice with those hands? You¡¯re always just stretching, and it¡¯s not like you¡¯re big.¡± Priscila said tons of shit before Phesx Caolia had enough, ¡°Shut up! Let¡¯s go.¡± . . . 3 days later. Phesx Caolia checked his military bag, with his rifle strapped towards his right arm. It was the exact same model he used when the civil war just started, but good, and not malfunctioning. He also had 2 pistols, a small type near the right side of his waist, and a medium type nearer to his right foot on the inner side, hidden by his boot. It wasn¡¯t that the rifle he took from that Prei soldier was shit. Those rifles are good for immediate, close, and slightly long distances. It can fire to a maximum efficient range of about 220 meters, but it has a rather beneficial property when using it nearly at melee. When firing it, it has the same potency and ¡®effect¡¯ on personnel that a shotgun would, practically destroying half or a third of a person¡¯s body without any equipment on. This would make the bullet lose its momentum past 200 meters, letting it keep whatever remained rapidly dissipate. The bullets would act like paper planes suddenly ¡®walling¡¯ downwards from a fast, steep, and sharp decline around 250-260 meters. Either way, when Phesx Caolia learned of this, he was astounded. The rifle he had brought was only efficient as a shotgun up to 2 meters, instead of the usual 8-20 meters range, and its maximum range efficiency had decreased to below 100 meters, just 80 shy meters. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. If that wasn¡¯t helpless, then what would? Had Phesx Caolia actually participated in a shooting, he would¡¯ve been fucked, more fucked than any fuckers. Even a medium pistol would be better than that rifle at that point. After checking his supplies, Phesx Caolia looked up before picking his bag and placing it around his left shoulder. His light black eyes moved to the left, where he saw a young man looking at him, standing near a serious soldier. The serious soldier was the driver that brought Phesx Caolia to the camp in that truck on that ¡®fateful¡¯ day. He was also Paul¡¯s pal, Emilio, or Em for short. At least, Phesx Caolia could also call him Em, so they were on good terms. Emilio was an older soldier than Paul, a white man with black eyes and a relaxed, bushy, attractive black hair. He was tall, and one of the most dedicated soldiers Phesx Caolia had ever met. Even then, thorough this year, as one of his instructors, Phesx Caolia always saw him helping the new recruits. On the other hand, the young man looking Phesx Caolia was a recruit from the same batch as him. He was Le¨®n, and for whatever reason, he took Phesx Caolia as a rival after the first month. That was when Phesx Caolia started showing signs of improvement after being the laughingstock. Le¨®n was a creamy white young man with black eyes and curly hair. He was a little short, and although others didn¡¯t see it that way, Phesx Caolia always saw a vacancy of intelligence in that young man¡¯s eyes. Dorky would be the second least offensive way of calling it. Phesx Caolia ignored Le¨®n¡¯s glare and looked ahead at his teammates for the scouting task. Among them were 2 of his hut¡¯s comrades, Priscila, Paul, and one of the soldiers in the same unit as Paul. He walked towards them. His comrades waited a little before him, waiting for him to check his stuff. It was his first task outside the camp, and the only one with such inexperience. They tapped Phesx Caolia¡¯s arms as he passed by them before walking side to side. ¡°Ready?¡± Paul looked at Phesx Caolia and asked, and received Phesx Caolia¡¯s nod, before looking at an incoming vehicle. Meanwhile, the other soldier looked at Phesx Caolia with a glare. This was a much older soldier in the scouting team. He wasn¡¯t a veteran, but maybe a few years more would be enough to consider him as such. To see such a young soldier, and having to go on a mission with him, it displeased him alright. Phesx Caolia ignored it. He knew the army stuff he ought to take care of, and looked at the incoming vehicle. It was smaller than the trucks used for squads and even platoons, or just to move people. However, it was just as agile in urban and forest areas, and faster. The experienced soldier muttered before the truck stopped, ¡°With what time am I to put up with guarding a preteen now?¡± Paul glanced at the soldier, who got to work and placed his military bags in the truck before hopping onto its back first. Phesx Caolia¡¯s comrades were a young man and woman. They nodded at Phesx Caolia, when Paul instructed, ¡°You, go with Hellcat to the front. And you, drive.¡± Thus, Phesx Caolia went to the front, sharing backseats with his male comrade, with Priscila driving the truck. Paul and the other soldiers remained on the back, with everyone¡¯s bags with them. Of course, those at the front kept their weapons with them, just not more equipment. Like this, Phesx Caolia began his first ever task for the camp. No longer checking things around the military, or acting as an assistant for the instructors with the new recruits of the semester, which were more than the first. Or working in the workshops. ¡°How is it?¡± His comrade asked with a smile. Phesx Caolia lowered his head, looking at the floor, with his rifle¡¯s butt between his feet. ¡°I¡¯m just glad I don¡¯t have to learn so much stuff anymore.¡± ¡°Hahaha, ah~.¡± The young man smiled before relaxing. However, his assault rifle, shorter but with a higher potency than Phesx Caolia¡¯s rifle, was held with a stable grip, just in case. Phesx Caolia also relaxed his back. Priscila smiled at him from the side while driving. Unlike all of Phesx Caolia¡¯s comrades, or fellow soldiers from the same batch, he wasn¡¯t interested in participating in the main battle. Even those who were cautious and wanted to train themselves the most before being sent into battle were secretly waiting for that moment. To Phesx Caolia, that was even worse, as they could just die, ¡®making use¡¯ of those months of training for a bullet or explosion to end them. Of course, those were just his thoughts. It¡¯s not like he could feel a sense of patriotism, be it now or when Preut government quite didn¡¯t care about its people. Similarly, Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t feel the desire to ¡®battle for Preut¡¯. What¡¯s more, there was no Preut as of now¡­ or from ¡®hereon¡¯. ¡°We¡¯ll take a look behind our camp, then we¡¯ll check the districts¡¯ southwestern outskirts.¡± Priscila said, driving towards the right after exiting the encampment. Phesx Caolia¡¯s comrade exhaled, ¡°Understood, boss.¡± Phesx Caolia looked at their relationship. He had seen him and others go to the kitten households, every day, at any time. But he never saw them together outside the camp. Now, he realized that the camp¡¯s soldiers weren¡¯t ¡®abusive¡¯ of that relationship. Priscila was a sergeant already, while his comrade a private 1st class. Paul was a corporeal, in charge of this task, of the same rank as the experienced soldier. Yet, his comrade was respectful to Priscila, not just because of the rank, it seemed. Not everyone, at least. Phesx Caolia relaxed, enjoying the movements inside the truck as it went into the field. At one point, they stopped and stepped out, with the others stepping down the truck to disperse a little. Phesx Caolia went out with his male comrade while the girls went out together, and Paul and the older soldier remained to check on the truck. He led the front, bringing his comrade around before finding a slight hill to camouflage himself and drag his body to the top. With a binocular, he checked for about an hour before dragging his body back whence they came from. His comrade watched him during this time. When he returned, Priscila and his female comrade had already arrived, but they had nothing to report. On the other hand, Phesx Caolia saw some abandoned small camps. They didn¡¯t belong to civilians, and the records didn¡¯t speak of anything like that appearing before. The older soldier looked at Phesx Caolia for a long period when he reported this. When they boarded the truck again, he sat with his female comrade inside the truck. Unbeknownst to those at the back, Phesx Caolia could hear them talk about him once the truck was on the move again. The older soldier harshly criticized him still, but he was pretty higher in the soldier¡¯s eyes now. ¡°¡­Hmm, I wonder how Le¨®n should be doing. With Em in that squad, they should easily bring 2 or 3 dozens more into the camp.¡± Priscila said as she drove through the pavement. Phesx Caolia lifted his chin and looked at her while speaking without thinking, ¡°He should be getting busy suckling ballsacks everywhere.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± His female comrade burst out in laughter. She made a hook with her hand and tugged her groins, turned her head towards Phesx Caolia, and laughingly said, ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll know how to suck on mine after learning so much. Hahaha¡­¡± It put a silent, uncontrollable smile on Phesx Caolia¡¯s face, whose torso jerked a little. The soldier¡¯s helmet and hair covering her face were pretty amicable, making Phesx Caolia feel at ease, truly relaxed. Priscila also joined in, putting Le¨®n¡¯s name to good use before teaming up with Phesx Caolia¡¯s comrade to make him blush. Several hours later, moving a few kilometers near the lake and between the worker districts¡¯ outskirts, Phesx Caolia was tasked by Paul to grab the sleeping bags and tents. After an hour of working to create the whole camp himself, Phesx Caolia received his teammates with an organized, neat, and well-thought small camp. 6 tents were pitched up, with the largest one at the center, and the other 5 surrounding it in a 3-2 side by side formation. A fire was already started. They just needed food, which the others took care of. They had the encampment¡¯s rations, but those weren¡¯t as tasty as catching a small animal, let alone a pig or a bird. There were many wolves in all of Preut, but not even the criminal scum would touch these. Preut¡¯s symbol was the Graywhite Wolf, a wolf with 60% gray and 40% white fur, from top to bottom, divided below its nose. Its symbol was a Melancholy Eagle before, when they were a part of Lymoca. It was their estate symbol, one of tradition and respected customs. Even though it was replaced, the wholly black eagle was still respected and represented most of Preut¡¯s government and historic buildings. Thus, since it was night, the team was careful to not hunt any big ¡®bird¡¯. It could be the Melancholy Eagle flying about. It wasn¡¯t so they wouldn¡¯t accidentally hunt it, but so they wouldn¡¯t provoke it. It is said that any bullet hitting its belly or wings can only have a 10% of penetrating them. It is a ¡®psychopath¡¯ predator. Even though it isn¡¯t crazy, it would chase its prey until either of them died, or the Melancholy Eagle grew bored, or lost it. The last option almost never occurred, according to the documentaries Phesx Caolia wouldn¡¯t stop seeing year after year in the past. These were especially protected by Lymoca back then, not allowing research to be done on them. However, it was rumored that these eagle¡¯s feathers mimic a thick fur¡¯s properties, and sometimes deflect bullets from rifles or handguns. Nobody would be stupid enough to aim a sniper rifle skywards, as these always flew high unless they were heading home in a nosedive. ¡­ The night fell on the encampment. The older soldier was on patrol tonight. Paul entered his tent at the center early, with Phesx Caolia¡¯s comrades, Priscila, and Phesx Caolia himself remaining outside their tents for a little longer. At last, Phesx Caolia silently bid farewell to his comrades with a nod, but when he was 3 meters from bending down to enter his tent, barely half a meter tall, he was hugged from behind. He felt a head on the right side of his back before Priscila¡¯s soft voice huskily sounded, ¡°Don¡¯t stop, help me in.¡± Phesx Caolia put on a bitter expression before going into his tent. He was horrendously groped with her hands on his belly when he bent. But once he laid on his back on his sleeping bag, she rolled off and stared at him from the side. Phesx Caolia jumped his eyebrows and kept looking at her. Priscila looked at him with those beautiful eyes before saying, ¡°Umm, I¡¯ve done my part all year and more. If you want it, then it¡¯s your turn to convince me. Seduce me. As for how, brainstorm, will you? Hum!¡± With that, she turned around with her arms crossed. Phesx Caolia was baffled, alright. But then, he narrowed his eyes and wormed forth with his body facing her. He grabbed her pants and stuck his pelvis forth, sticking to her derri¨¨re. A lewd spoon. Not leaving it there, he placed his right hand on her right breast, immediately hearing a barely audible gasp. Priscila¡¯s hands suddenly grabbed his wrists and brought his naughty right hand to her crotch before hugging it with her upper inner thighs. Then, she grabbed his left wrist from behind and passed it under her body to cover her breasts with. Their bodies stuck to each other. Phesx Caolia blinked a few times and gulped at these new physical sensations before letting their warmth do the bed talks. ¡®Mmm. It feels very good like this.¡¯ Peacefully falling asleep, with nothing ¡®under his eyelids¡¯ or between his eyes and the colors of reality, Phesx Caolia rested his face on her hair and nape, with his breathing coquettishly consoling her. Tomorrow, they would work more, and in 2 days, they¡¯ll return. If Phesx Caolia had to, he¡¯d have to act tomorrow. His instincts wouldn¡¯t stop telling him to do it! Either way, this was also his first task, not just his debut. Just another task from hereon. He had to always do well, otherwise, what is he still alive for? ¡­ Chapter 13 — Nothing Stops Conflict Nothing Stops Conflict Phesx Caolia woke up early in the morning. Not as early as 4 or 5, but near 6 AM. He immediately sensed a hot body in front of him, with a butt rubbing on him. He realized he had been humping a little before waking up. After realizing and thinking about it, he went back at it again for a few minutes before his eyes darted to the back of Priscila''s head. Half a minute later, her body seemed to grow stiff for a moment, and her breath relaxed, changing rhythm. She softly turned her head to look at Phesx Caolia¡¯s face as he kept lightly doing that. Smiling, Priscila hugged his neck and lazily wiggled her ass on him. ¡°Here I thought you gave up after not getting it last night.¡± ¡°Hm,¡± Phesx Caolia hummed before ¡®thrusting¡¯ hard a few times, and finally stood up. Although it felt better each time, insanely even, he wouldn¡¯t want to get a boner when they had to move. He was followed outside by Priscila, as he met with the other 4 standing around a dry campfire. ¡°Good sleep?¡± Paul spoke as he drank from something with steam coming out of his cup. Priscila tapped Phesx Caolia¡¯s left shoulder and walked ahead, taking a cup from Paul and drinking it. Walking forward, Phesx Caolia received a hot cup from his female comrade, who hurried him. ¡°Drink it up, come on.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, but he was also already lifting his cup politely to drink it. Paul smirked, saying, ¡°The elixir of life.¡± ¡®It¡¯s just hot water.¡¯ Phesx Caolia drank a third immediately, realizing. Then, he looked at his teammates before drinking the rest, slowly. When he was done, and cleaned his mouth, his male comrade offered to pour him more, which Phesx Caolia accepted. ¡°We¡¯re returning to the encampment a little later than at this hour tomorrow. Let¡¯s get ready to search the outskirts then. Hellcat, you¡¯ll be at the front. Clear the areas. You¡¯ll also investigate the distances. There¡¯s not much to confirm from just written records, but anything will do. Keep it cool and report it to me, so that no one has to do your job for you.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded, not giving out a verbal response. The older soldier rolled his eyes a little with crossed arms, but the others didn¡¯t mind it. It wasn¡¯t mandatory, but it was the same as unspoken rules; such as not insulting the elderly and standing up to greet someone. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Paul lightly exclaimed, grabbing Phesx Caolia¡¯s shoulders as the older soldier kept the cups and returned them to his bag. Phesx Caolia heard his pal try something again, ¡°You see, being an instructor lets me ¡®rule¡¯ over an older soldier like him. It does feel really good, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°That is¡­ I¡¯ve barely just started my military career, and this is my first assignation. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s¡­ too early to be talking about that?¡± Phesx Caolia looked at Paul with fully open eyes, but the latter just shrugged before heading to the back of the truck. ¡°Nothing waits for nothing and no one. If you wanna wait, others won¡¯t. It¡¯s up to you, ¡®kitty¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kitty, no, Phesx Caolia fell silent while Priscila entered the truck, along the female soldier. Getting into the car, his comrade nodded at him, slapping his thigh approvingly, making Phesx Caolia almost blush again. Once the teasing was over, the truck drove off to the northeast. They wouldn¡¯t enter the worker districts, not even the extremes of their perimeter, but the middle between the west¡¯s western and eastern halves. The eastern was more ¡®fancy¡¯ and with elegant or lack of ¡®non-rich¡¯ residences, while the west had it all. In between was a road, a place that ¡®is¡¯ somewhat protected by the government. Of course, it was now filled with destroyed tankettes, smoked spots, and a few pieces of weaponry here and there. Phesx Caolia looked at a rather modern-looking fallen helicopter while Priscila drove through. That was weird, as Preut never had an advanced military to speak of. They only had the weapons they took from the criminal groups, and some situations every decade where Lymoca ¡®donates¡¯ some so they can defend themselves. Clearly, all those weapons need maintenance and even new parts to be fixed, yet increasing the ¡®emotional cost¡¯ of the government so they could be sent to the military. Preut opted for numbers in the army rather than industrializing a military production. This made them become even richer, but now, it had become their awful downfall. No matter how one put it, 3 million soldier units, 1 million per section more or less, and no decent machinery, would have led to a disastrous bloodshed like it was still in the first SO century. However, here and there, and in some records, each section showed they somehow had war vehicles of high technology. Very few, but they had them. Wasn¡¯t that weird? It didn¡¯t matter, be it Phesx Caolia or any other person in Preut, military or civilian, wouldn¡¯t care about it. Their lives were all that mattered, not some conspiracy. About an hour later, driving through some complex debris and destroyed flora, Priscila stopped the truck at the accorded spot, and everyone exited the truck. Phesx Caolia readied up his rifle, with his bag on his back, and his pistols checked just before coming out. The moment he received a nod from Paul, he nodded in return and headed to the immediate outskirts of the west¡¯s half worker districts. His male comrade followed him as his shadow. They went deep into the semi-urban concrete jungle, with several buildings 20 meters tall at most or so destroyed, leaving only fashionable remains. Phesx Caolia moved nimbly, stopping never and checking everywhere, with his rifle remaining solid and stable against his chest¡¯s upper section, ready to pull his small pistol if needed. His head turned and tilted as he crouched and ran up and down through solid debris, ignoring the loose ones. He didn¡¯t have to stop and check if some pile of walls was safe to walk on, his military training took care of that. The knowledge that military officers had gained during the past few hundreds of years, despite separating from Lymoca, was good enough for Preut to maintain its military relevance. After 15 minutes of navigating through the streets, Phesx Caolia chose a tall one that used to be a parking lot with multiple upper and underground floors. His male comrade followed him, taking a few stops, sweating and breathing, before rushing up to meet with Phesx Caolia. When his comrade arrived at the uppermost floor, Phesx Caolia was finishing scouting the west with a binocular. Phesx Caolia¡¯s left eye saw most things were a cyan, sky blue color, with only a bit of ¡®melting¡¯ brown spots and stains, indicating where explosions might¡¯ve occurred. When he was done with checking the north and south, and not a source of movement was detected, he stored his binocular and looked at his comrade. The soldier was playing with his feet and sitting atop the roof¡¯s entrance, smoking a good piece of cigarette while keeping his bubble gum tasty and warm inside a little box. ¡°Got bored,¡± he said, making Phesx Caolia blow air out of his nostrils with a small smile before joining him. Phesx Caolia shook his head when he was invited a cigarette, hating them all his life. But he took his own bubble gum out and chewed it in delight. It was pure sugar, nothing else, no flavor or smell, just gum and sugar. Looking at the empty, lifeless outskirts, which had some hidden refugees and criminals they couldn¡¯t just search around, they noticed how insanely calm everything was. Before, even a part like the worker districts¡¯ outskirts will be filled with hundreds of employees walking out of their homes and collectively going to work. Many Preutian influencers would record a livestream of these things, just wanting to show it to the people of the world, and the rest of Preut. It was tranquil, and some even let the real audio loud and on instead of rain or crackling fire, resulting more peaceful and comforting. All of that was gone now¡­ ¡°Your stamina is really good. Even a girl of your batch can beat your ass, but you definitely outrun even some of the soldiers with a couple of years in service. You¡¯ll be a glad, new delicacy of the ladies, kit.¡± The soldier said, breaking the silence. ¡°Thanks, I suppose.¡± Phesx Caolia looked down at his beloved rifle, liking how clean and well-repaired it had become after a couple of months working on it. It was the same as before, with other rifles¡¯ parts installed on it. ¡°How good¡¯s your aim anyway?¡± The soldier puffed a good, long smoke into his lungs before saying, letting it all out in the opposite direction of Phesx Caolia. The latter simply responded, ¡°Better than mediocre at long distance, it gets a little better nearer.¡± ¡°Mn, not bad. There¡¯s no trick to it, either you learn it your way or you rely on luck. Good luck, though.¡± The soldier calmly conveyed, enjoying the sight, although it was all destroyed rubble. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t speak anything more, but he gladly accepted those words from his superior. It¡¯s just, ever since he joined the military, he no longer acts to please others at his self¡¯s cost. Maybe to respect authority, but not to undermine himself. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I never saw these places when they were with people,¡± Phesx Caolia commented out of a hidden corner of his heart. The soldier chuckled and pointed at a certain direction where a large ¡®circle¡¯ was filled with the same kind of rubble. ¡°Over there, I once met a 12-year-old whom I lost my virginity to. I was only 14, but she was almost half taller than me, and her proportions were stupidly mature. It was like heaven for me¡­¡± The soldier said. Phesx Caolia frowned, looking at his comrade¡¯s body, and rapidly ¡®calculating¡¯ his tall body with his ¡®precise¡¯ eyes. ¡°My family has always been filled with tall people. Our proportions might not be¡­ ¡®plentiful¡¯, but we¡¯ve always gotten our way around the world together, and life¡­ I was a drug addict before joining the military. Finding something that wasn¡¯t hurtful was innovative and¡­ ¡®better¡¯ than all.¡± ¡°One day, around my 17s, over there,¡± the soldier pointed elsewhere. Feeling comfortable, the silent young boy looked where a ¡®square¡¯ load of rubble, ¡®somehow¡¯ making out a large precinct, was located. ¡°I found a little girl from Lymoca.¡± The soldier lifted his chin, looking in that direction. Phesx Caolia could see the strong emotion behind this story. He continued, sounding somewhat rebellious, ¡°Even with all the words the governments give to their people, the times when we obey them unquestioned are far gone. No warnings stopped some Lys from coming here.¡± ¡°She showed me a book. When she told me about how kids were all protagonists, one of those that could¡¯ve become a digital success in the past, but would now become an uninteresting choice to gain money from; I wanted to refuse it. But she kept explaining it to me with such passion in her eyes that I couldn¡¯t tell her no. So I took the book.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia continued listening, at ease. The soldier threw his cigarette away. ¡°I read it. It was about a group of kids, with some adults showing at the beginning and every now and then. It¡­ it was about how weak their psyche can deteriorate in a war to the point of fantasizing everything they see.¡± ¡°Ah, it comes from a tale of the Wondurs nation, from the 5th century, where all things went¡­ worse and worse. The wishes of a government made an entire country move elsewhere, helpless and leaving whomever behind¡­ It¡¯s a history lecture, one of the most talked about from back then. I only recently found out it was written by the sole survivor of those children.¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia looked down at the butt of his rifle. The soldier said nothing more but looked at his clock. Seeing that there were still 20 minutes left to return, he voiced to the former, ¡°Let¡¯s enjoy the wide picture for 5 minutes.¡± ¡­ Less than 20 minutes later, Phesx Caolia presented himself before Paul and reported his findings. Afterwards, Paul sent him to the east¡¯s half worker districts with the older soldier. Thinking that it would¡¯ve been with his female comrade, Phesx Caolia still went out with the grumpy grandpa. The fella wasn¡¯t that old, only about 30-40 years old, but he was that grumpy. During the scouting, the older soldier kept looking at him whenever Phesx Caolia echoed with a ¡®pu¡¯ from the center of his lips. He also kept up with Phesx Caolia, except for the activities that required nimble, fast actions to cross or climb to. At last, when Phesx Caolia choose a tower-like destroyed building to scout the north, east, and south, the older soldier silently let Phesx Caolia do his job. When they returned, everyone was silent, but they all wanted to rest a little and eat something good, if possible. They got into the truck and traveled for 2 hours before stopping, still a little far from the encampment. They searched for a near place to camp, with Phesx Caolia tasked to bring any sort of food back. ¡­ After Phesx Caolia left, about a few minutes later, the other 5 waited near the camp, when a baby boar turned around a few tall bushes and thick trees and met them. They stayed silent, wanting to secretly watch their youngest and most inexperienced comrade bring whatever he could find. He only had 30 minutes outside, after all. It was his initiation! They wielded their weapons, of course, and ignored the baby boar that looked at them, confused. Priscila looked at the brainless thing, whose mother shouldn¡¯t be far away, and exclaimed to scare it off, ¡°Aerm.¡± Gurrrg. The little piggy turned tail and kicked the ground away, but after a few seconds, it stopped and looked backwards, now curious. At last, being ignored by the long things it saw, not moving towards it, it relaxingly went through another set of trees and thick bushes. ¡­ Sush~. When the team was still amidst waiting for 20 minutes, they watched the bushes from where Phesx Caolia disappeared into move a lot. They narrowed their eyes and took the stance, but didn¡¯t lift their rifles. Then, a young boy wearing a military uniform and a mostly intact baby boar¡¯s carcass running towards them abruptly appeared. ¡°Phesx?!¡± Priscila shouted, incredulous and glad. The rest of the team was awestruck silent, including the older soldier. ¡­ While the food was getting ready, Phesx Caolia got the first turn to shower. It was at a little spring with a very gentle waterfall, about 3 meters tall, which carried lukewarm water down to his head. He stood naked with a few products by his feet, where the gentle falling water wouldn¡¯t drive it into the water. When he was just starting, and spent 2 glorious minutes enjoying nature¡¯s gentle caress on his face down his back and hands, Phesx Caolia heard bare footsteps coming near him. He didn¡¯t need to look back to know it was Priscila. She hugged him from behind. With her shoulders against the center of his back, her hands found his navel and belly button, finding the slightly defined body of a military training, and enjoying herself rubbing him. ¡°Mwah, mwah, mwah,¡± Priscila smooched his light brown skin. She was like a warm, wet pair of soft fingers teasingly pinching him, ushering him with affection. Phesx Caolia saluted her the way only a man can without moving, before feeling her hands touching him. ¡°I¡¯ve been successfully seduced. I know I said no teasing, or taste test, but can you let me? I¡¯ll give you a heads-up.¡± Priscila ¡®implored¡¯, suckling on his neck and licking his ears. Phesx Caolia sighed and lowly muttered, ¡°Mn. Go ahead.¡± ¡°Mn, you are at least gifted in these two. Okay, look here. These have to be treated¡­ When you start playing with this part, be gentle, but very decisive. Speed and length isn¡¯t important¡­ Anyone can put it in and pull it out, but making these moves¡­ different pacing¡­ while doing this¡­¡± Priscila embarked in a lesson where nothing happened, and she just semi-showed Phesx Caolia the theory behind some actions and things to consider. With a manly obstruction between their bodies, they ended up showering together, with Priscila nonstop growing addicted to being spooned by him while standing. ¡­ About an hour and 25 minutes later, with Phesx Caolia and Priscila long returning to the camp, with their other teammates done showering, and finished eating. Most went to their tents, except the female soldier, who was patrolling tonight. Only Paul, Priscila, and Phesx Caolia remained to keep her company near the campfire. ¡°Hahaha, just grabbed it with your bare hands?¡± Paul, the last to shower, keeping his team contented first before himself, asked as he ate a bit of boar off a bone. He laughed, making Priscila nod repeatedly with a dumb smile on her pretty face. ¡°Like this,¡± Phesx Caolia made a motion that anyone else would¡¯ve thought he was holding a puppy off the ground from behind. Then, he pushed his thumbs¡¯ lower end downwards, using them to direct the rest of his thumb bones into a sharp diving motion. ¡°I remembered where its heart is, so I tried it. Didn¡¯t know how efficient it would¡¯ve been, but it was.¡± ¡°With your bare hands¡­ Damn, someone¡¯s waist might be broken tomorrow.¡± Paul said, giving an obvious, solid side eye to Priscila, who innocently looked at the barely discernible tenth of a moon. Phesx Caolia innocently blinked, though. Why would he hurt her like that, too? ¡°Right, about my first time¡­¡± Phesx Caolia shamelessly spoke of this. Since it would¡¯ve happened, then he would go along with it. Just like with his rite of initiation, of course he knew what was going on. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve returned with some apples, oranges, and herbs he immediately found. Also, it did work to ¡®convince¡¯ Priscila. ¡°Are¡­ you gonna be there and teach me together, or¡­?¡± Phesx Caolia lightly frowned, looking at Paul as he asked this. Paul stopped eating and looked at Priscila, she showed an ¡®oops¡¯, guilty expression with her big eyes staring back. Clearly, she had forgotten about something¡­ or was too embarrassed to tell Phesx Caolia? Her cheeks blushed delicately. ¡°Hellcat, there¡¯s something we haven¡¯t told you about. Priscila, eh¡­ she¡¯s my half-sister.¡± Paul let it down slowly, but not so gently. It was a heavy tone, like telling someone their partner was tossed around at a party. Hellcat: (??) . Immediately, images of Paul and Priscila talking about how to help him lose his virginity while together were smoked away and replaced by evil faces of the two, planning how to send him into debauchery. Paul didn¡¯t waste much time to crackle in laughter. ¡°Hahahahahahahahahahaaaaa! My heavens¡­¡± Priscila rolled her eyes after a bit. Then, she stood up, bending over before Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes, letting him see his dessert. She extended her left hand down. Phesx Caolia looked up before letting her hold his left hand. Then, with a sexy, delicious walk, she brought the silent young boy to his tent, leaving a ridiculous Paul laughing to himself all alone. Made to wait outside, watching an ass fumble side by side with the entrance curtains tracing it back and forth, up and down, Priscila accommodated the sleeping bag before going in. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t need to be told before he stepped into his tent as well. His gift sat before him with her legs crossed and knees up. She looked at his eyes with a mature charm that wasn¡¯t there before and gently told him, ¡°Open it. Unwrap me. It¡¯s yours if you want it.¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s breathing slowly sounded. It was calm. Its noise drowned his knees and hands sliding through his sleeping bag. He arrived before her and kissed her cheek before directly drawing her lips¡¯ meat out. After tasting it with the tip of his tongue, suckling on them, he spread her legs and connected their lower bodies. He looked down and took her garments off, slowly revealing what he¡¯d already seen, but dried yet getting soaked somewhere¡­ Returning to the kisses, he employed the techniques he recently learned, making Priscila, the kitten supreme, gasp and emit little moans. Biting his ears¡¯ lobules, licking his neck up and down, leaving hickeys left and right, he was ready before he knew it. As for her, he could make a pool out of her body. Phesx Caolia was thrown down with his back first. Her hands were all over him as she traced her tongue from his chest downwards, from up to bottom, not even sparing his butt, she brought him to a heavenly sensation next. But Phesx Caolia, new to this and seduced, wanted much more of that. Thankfully, with her earned experience and resistance, she helped Phesx Caolia meet paradise a couple of times, utilizing all her soft and slow, passionate techniques to achieve it. Soon after, with their mouths inseparable, Phesx Caolia lost his little V title, mounted by a kittenish beauty squatting with passion on him. Right now, only he and Priscila were in this world to enjoy the moment. Of course, his brain couldn¡¯t stop thinking about everything he was doing and rapidly learning. Priscila didn¡¯t know it yet, but she was in for a crazy night. At first, it might be mostly experimental for Phesx Caolia, but he¡¯d also succumb to passion not too long after. ¡°¡­Oh the heavens, you¡¯re squeezing my waist so hard!¡± At some point, Phesx Caolia realized what Paul meant. From man to man, he understood, a comrade seeks guidance from another comrade. He relaxed his grip on her waist while his new doggy kept ¡®whimpering¡¯. Only for her to supplicate, ¡°Wait, no. I really liked it. I can tell you to stop if it harms me.¡± Thus, Phesx Caolia put raging blazes into the locomotive, and it started roaring sharply and delicately, on and on throughout the night¡­ ¡­ Chapter 14 — Alias Alias Phesx Caolia woke up to kisses from a beauty, still unknowingly connected in the most passionate way. His groggy eyes watched as a pair of lips refused to go off his until he bit them twice. Priscila separated from him, letting a ''plop'' sound from somewhere, before kneeling beside him to put her clothes on. ¡°I was already finishing anyway. Hurry, there might be a feast waiting for us.¡± Phesx Caolia blinked, waking up, before following her suit. He yawned and sneaked glances at his comrade, who giggled and teased him back. After a minute, they exited the tent, with both in a good mood. ¡°Feeling great, I see.¡± As soon as Phesx Caolia came to everyone¡¯s view, he noticed, and ignored, their knowing smiles. Paul voiced a little, making Phesx Caolia blush. Meanwhile, the kitten supreme walked forward, relaxed and in high spirits. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Paul nodded at his team before heading to the truck. ¡°Girls, to the back. Let us men talk heart-to-heart, no shirts allowed.¡± ¡°Woo!¡± The female soldier cheered before packing Phesx Caolia¡¯s tent, the only one left behind, with Priscila. The dudes went into the truck while the back was readied up. Phesx Caolia sat on the back, between the older soldier and his comrade, while Paul drove. ¡°Okay, little Hellcat, let me just tell you this so you can prepare.¡± Paul said, slapping his thighs. When he heard a knock on the back of the truck¡¯s floor, he started the engine. Phesx Caolia looked attentively, curious. Then, Paul dropped the soup, ¡°Thanks for putting the team at attention all night long, but now, tell us. How was it?¡± ¡®Oh boy.¡¯ Phesx Caolia felt a somber shadow eclipse over him as he looked at the two sitting beside him. Even the older soldier had a grin that said all Phesx Caolia needed to know, no doubts were left in his heart. He sighed in defeat, ¡°Phuu¡­¡± ¡­ They drove for less than an hour before arriving at the encampment. The entry felt different from when he first came here, feeling like this camp was welcoming him. When they returned to the military zone, they were welcomed big time by a few instructors and many soldiers. The new recruits, just like Phesx Caolia had done, watched as they started sweating from just warming up a little far away. ¡°Here he comes, wuaaaa!¡± - ¡°Hehehe, all grown-up. Another little bat has formed in our cave, wooo!¡± - ¡°Look! He already looks like a grown-up man, doesn¡¯t he?¡± As soon as Phesx Caolia stepped out of the truck, he was welcomed by loud words and most of his hut¡¯s comrades. There was a white cake with purple cream around the perimeter in the middle, held by a serious Em, who looked like he was just doing his job. Le¨®n was at the corner of the group, looking in jealousy as everyone treated Phesx Caolia differently than when he returned. When Phesx Caolia was a few meters before the cake and Em, he realized something and stopped. However, Paul and the older soldier had long been on guard. They slapped his shoulders from behind before helping bring his body forward. Phesx Caolia tried stopping it, using his heels like hooks to drift through the dirt, to no avail. ¡°Aigh,¡± cruelly accepting reality, Phesx Caolia sighed and closed his eyes in defeat. He lowered his head before slowly opening his eyes and lifting his head later. The cake was just 2 seconds away from him. He steeled his heart and opened his jaws, mimicking a bite. That¡¯s when it happened, Emilio brought the cake below his chin, with Paul and the older soldier slamming Phesx Caolia¡¯s face against it. His fate was sealed. ¡°Woooo!¡± - ¡°Get that, rat!¡± - ¡°Welcome!¡± - ¡°What does it taste? Better than pussy, huh?!¡± - ¡°Oh heavens, shut up. He¡¯s a kid!¡± - ¡°Err! He ain¡¯t! Look! Isn¡¯t he in that phase? He¡¯s just learned what motivational drug means.¡± - ¡°Wooo! The prophecy! It¡¯s true!¡± - ¡°Come on, hey. Take the cam- bwahahaha! Tell me you took a picture of that¡­¡± After being heartlessly brutalized by the comrades he has shared a hut with for almost half a year, Phesx Caolia was brought to a different place, where the soldiers could drink liquor. Only a select few units could drink liquor every few weeks or a couple of months. Planned by Paul, he calculated so Phesx Caolia could get the high-end treatment in the military zone after his rite. Thus, Phesx Caolia tasted liquor for the first time in his life, with his first woman challenging him to a few cans, before the party made an officer come and berate them. In the end, they were allowed a bit more of celebrations. Of course, the officer left, but not without something to ¡®celebrate¡¯ for himself. ¡­ The party was mostly over, but Phesx Caolia still had something to do. Because he was young, didn¡¯t have enough volume, and was his first time drinking, Paul told him to get a ¡®resistance candy¡¯ elixir from somewhere. Having his trusted doctor, Phesx Caolia arrived at a small ¡®infirmary¡¯. ¡°You¡¯ve returned,¡± a female, mature voice sounded as soon as he opened the entrance. Phesx Caolia went in and met Sofia, trying to hold his breath, but Sofia turned around from her desk, still on her chair, and smiled. ¡°What, you think I¡¯ll be worried about you getting some liquor? You must feel terrible, only tasting but not feeling. Come, I¡¯ll give you something sweet.¡± Sofia stood up and grabbed 2 large cups from her desk¡¯s lower drawer. She walked to a reception desk where a hot chocolate machine was, and turned it on before returning with him. Phesx Caolia seemed somewhat distracted, he kept looking at his nails. ¡°What? Another illusion?¡± Sofia asked him, taking his wrists and examining them softly. She frowned a little, feeling like his bones seemed¡­ a little sturdier and elongated? Yet, they were the exact same length and volume. ¡°No, I just keep feeling strange¡­¡± Phesx Caolia shook his head but didn¡¯t move his head away. He calmly elaborated, ¡°Yesterday, I caught a small boar- no, a baby boar. I crushed its back and front, reaching its heart. I don¡¯t really know if it had some injury beforehand, but I did it easily. Since then, I¡¯ve felt a tingling sensation between my nails and meat. It makes me feel a bit of¡­ ticklish, and an electrifying vibration. I feel like I now have accumulated strength within me.¡± ¡°Hmm, they do seem a bit ¡®touched¡¯.¡± Sofia said, examining his nails in detail, lifting them to her eye level. She rubbed each of them on top before grabbing something from her jeans¡¯ rear pockets. Sofia showed a small, stout bottle of pills to him, holding it with cyan-painted nails before his face. ¡°These are a very special kind of medicine. They are ultrarare.¡± Sofia said, showing excited eyes. However, Phesx Caolia could see how much more willing she was to give them to him in her eyes. Her white skin had become a little paler, but her long, smooth black hair had been well taken care of. ¡°How rare are these?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, gently taking them from her fingers. Sofia smiled a little from the right corners of her lips, ¡°Even Lymoca¡¯s president couldn¡¯t get these. It was in his last year of his first term that he had people develop it. Many wonder what kind of secret he uncovered, because this is one of a kind in the world¡¯s history. Anyway, many contribute it to luck. I like to believe in-¡­ people¡¯s capabilities.¡± ¡°Everyone in the world wants one, but they are too costly and efficient. Every leader of a nation obtained one a few months ago, leaving many oligarchs thirsting for it. I have no idea how some criminals got it.¡± Sofia was marveled, caressing Phesx Caolia¡¯s head as he read it. ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­¡± After hearing her words, Phesx Caolia slowly lifted his head and voiced his concern. Sofia smiled and caressed the back of his head, smiling with narrowed eyes at the silly kid. ¡°Of course not. It was from a kill. A little someone gave it to me before it fell on anyone¡¯s reports. I¡¯d get killed otherwise.¡± ¡°Mn.¡± Phesx Caolia seriously nodded. He understood. A slight beeping sound went off from the chocolate machine. Sofia went to check it. She remained behind the reception for 2 minutes, preparing a bunch of things before returning to Phesx Caolia. Meanwhile, he popped open the lid and took one of the medicine¡¯s most valued light silver-blue pills in the world without much expectation. He read its name while he felt it fall in his stomach and start doing its ¡®wonders¡¯. ¡®Hmm, Vicissitudes.¡¯ Phesx Caolia nodded, feeling a little rumbling in his stomach, but nothing much. Sofia walked to him, passing one of the hot chocolate cups to him. It had square marshmallows on it, threatening to melt if he didn¡¯t eat them quick. He mentally smiled before taking a sip quickly. Then, unable to stop, he took one after another. It was brownish, foamy, and so good¡­ Sofia watched with fully open eyes, calmly sipping her chocolate little by little. In over a year, she went from being mature in front of this kid to follow his tendencies in not hiding her likes. Besides, she became really good at making hot chocolate, not even the officers who usually visit her, can deny her. ¡°Do you still want this?¡± Sofia asked him, showing him a pink pellet with lateral lines forming gaps in the middle. It was the size of a pinky¡¯s fingertip, quite small. Phesx Caolia looked down at it before finishing his hot chocolate. ¡°Yep.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°It will only last 3 to 4 hours, so don¡¯t waste it drinking coffee. Alright?¡± Sofia added, tapping his forehead with 2 fingers. Phesx Caolia pouted, dispirited and wronged. Sofia warmly reminded him, ¡°Don¡¯t abuse.¡± ¡°There you go, I already let it bathe in your hot chocolate beforehand. Will you do more than drinking alcohol?¡± Sofia said before blurting out. Phesx Caolia nodded, looked at her with a neutral expression, and said, ¡°Paul will bring me whoring tonight.¡± ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t need to know more. Take care,¡± Sofia turned around after gently bumping his forehead with her closed fingers. She could enjoy her hot chocolate without hearing those things. Phesx Caolia innocently walked out of the office, placing the pink pellet on his tongue. Before he retracted his tongue, it latched onto its meat before slowly integrating itself within, melting. Feeling the breath of hot chocolate going into his nostrils, Phesx Caolia felt that liquor wasn¡¯t so bad after all. With an unbendable back, he returned to Paul, who brought him to the kitten household asap. There, along with some fellow soldiers, Phesx Caolia went into the numerous tents and cottages, recently built, to see if there was any food to taste. Seeing a lot of pretty girls, from young to mature, to the point Sofia could join the club if she was like that, Phesx Caolia walked around. Maybe he was picky, but even those who immediately caught his attention and were checking their phone, bored, didn¡¯t attract him. He wasn¡¯t a lecher, at least not yet. But since he¡¯s already entered a world like this, limiting oneself to the hero¡¯s path and getting no girls would be awfully funny if he accidentally dies before going into the actual battle. When Phesx Caolia went deep into the kitten household zone, he caught Priscila¡¯s cottage nearby. He walked around but didn¡¯t see her anywhere, probably shaking her ass elsewhere. Phesx Caolia pouted, as she was at least someone he liked to talk with and got used to. Just as he was leaving, he looked at a nearby, smaller cottage. His instincts told him to go¡­ Thus, being an intuitive slave, Phesx Caolia listened to them and parted the curtain. Immediately, he was stunned. Before him, a meter before the doorstep, a light ebony beauty spread her legs in the doggy position, arching her body like a banana, and role-played as a spring like the one Phesx Caolia showered with yesterday. She was on the bed, and when she heard someone enter, she whimpered before greeting him with a ¡®V¡¯ sign using the back of her hand, letting the lukewarm water continue falling on her exotic bedsheets. ¡®My oh my.¡¯ Phesx Caolia quickly thought. Then, the young woman looked back, sweetly saying, ¡°Mmf, I thought you forgot about me. What are you wait- ayo? Hii~.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Phesx Caolia smoothly greeted her back and waved his right hand up to his chest. She had black hair braided backwards, big black eyes, a tiny body, and was pretty short. Phesx Caolia was a polite person, so he only glanced at her body a few seconds before inquiring, ¡°Have you seen Priscila?¡± ¡°I think she left with a trio. Hey, what¡¯s your name?¡± The beauty asked him, so Phesx Caolia had to respond. ¡°I¡¯m Phesx. Sorry, I won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to stay?¡± She returned to her earlier pose, showing Phesx Caolia how to hold a paper roll if he could only use two fingers while the rest of his hands were busy. He couldn¡¯t help sucking a deep breath of air. Her moaning voice went out, ¡°I heard many things about you. She just wouldn¡¯t stop. Is it true? About¡­ your family relics and stamina?¡± ¡°Cough,¡± Phesx Caolia felt embarrassed, alright. However, he was convinced, but still had a few restraints left. ¡°What about your partner, though?¡± ¡°You are here, no? I¡¯m Fer, by the way.¡± Fer said, still showing Phesx Caolia what she was doing ¡®there¡¯. Phesx Caolia blushed more, before walking forward. He stopped behind her, making her gasp and giggle a little. Then, he said before lowering his head, ¡°Well, Fernanda. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Nice to- Oooh!¡± Fernanda exclaimed, feeling a gentle hand grab her wrist and bring it away, before a mouth greeted her second mouth. It didn¡¯t take long before Phesx Caolia employed his learnt tactics, grabbing that small, narrow waist. Those arms, fair and short, or her hair. Wherever it was, it was easy to grab a hold of her and play. ¡°Huh? Hey! Who are you? She¡¯s my kitten!¡± A few minutes later, someone entered her cottage and demanded an answer, smelling of perfume. A few seconds later, he was thrown out with a few shoes expertly hitting his head. Thereon, they were left alone for the rest of the night. ¡­ In the early morning, before 5 AM, Phesx Caolia gave the nice young lady a smooch on her forehead. Wholly different to what he did to the rest of her face just 20 minutes ago. He stood up and dressed before exiting the cottage. Priscila still wasn¡¯t back, or the other ¡®high¡¯ kittens at the center, so he just headed to the exit. ¡®Hm?¡¯ Phesx Caolia heard something, raising his right eyebrow, he looked in that direction before walking around a few corners. He came across a peculiar scene. Yells, agitation, and an abusive person among others. There were 4 people, 1 of them was Priscila. The others were a young man and a young woman, whom Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t know. The last person was a tall, slightly fat person, who seemed to have just found Priscila with them. He seemed agitated, yelling at her for an answer, and he wouldn¡¯t leave without verified benefits. However, Priscila put up a front with him, despite him being over 2 meters tall. He lifted his right hand, but Priscila jerked her head the other way before slapping him. Immediately after, she was slapped by his right hand, making her lower her body for a short while. A cut appeared on her left cheek. At that moment, Phesx Caolia¡¯s narrowed his light black eyes, moving them to the man¡¯s face, staring calmly. Priscila walked off after staring off at the man, leaving with half a reddened face. The other two continued talking shit with the tall man, but the latter left after many others came by and surrounded him, leaving with his hands up. . . . 5 days later. It was already the year¡¯s fourth month. Usually, soldiers go on tasks once or twice per week, but mostly once. At the workshops in the military zone, Phesx Caolia was working on a barrel with several gaps around its muzzle area. Its lower end needed repairing after being dismantled completely. It suffered internal damage due to unprofessional maintenance. Being paid a good amount of social credits for this, Phesx Caolia spent his last few days relaxing in these workshops. He didn¡¯t need a helmet whenever he welded, allowing for a quick movement between parts and tables, although he had to use glasses. He wasn¡¯t fire-proof. ¡°Ooooi, what¡¯s with this part?¡± Whoosh. Hearing Priscila¡¯s yell, Phesx Caolia gave his current task a few more touches before moving to the other half of the workshop. He looked at a piece of small artillery, with Priscila working on the lower mechanisms near its foundation. She wore a mask, the doofus. Phesx Caolia poked her butt with his right index finger before helping her sit up. Then, cuddling her out of nowhere, he showed her what to do, making hand signs as obvious as he could before proceeding. In return, Priscila wouldn¡¯t stop nodding and voicing ¡®ah, ah, ah, ah~¡¯ at his silent instructions. ¡°Mmm, thank you!¡± Priscila smiled, turned around and made him eyes, blinking them many times, cutely. Then, she pointed at another few areas before asking, ¡°What are the weak spots of an artillery, what would make it more dangerous?¡± Phesx Caolia looked at her face before immediately explaining, ¡°This, this, this, and that. As long as those places aren¡¯t well welded, or their openings aren¡¯t sealed close, just moving the piece might cause friction and explode it. It¡¯s not certain it will chain-react, but if they were to fail their safety measures almost at the same time, it might blow up. These are pretty old yet potent.¡± ¡°Aah, you know it all.¡± Priscila nodded, praising him before smooching his lips twice. Phesx Caolia returned the gesture, satisfying the crazed young woman before she turned around and rapidly unbuttoned his pants¡­ Amidst giggles and suckling noises on each other¡¯s necks, Priscila drew an innocent young boy to the near bathrooms, spending a sweet 15 minutes alone. When they came out, a corporal was waiting at the doorstep. He didn¡¯t leave, so he knew what was happening there. Priscila licked the corners of her lips while accommodating her shorts, very contented. Phesx Caolia was in even better, higher spirits. Working in a quiet environment, and being motivated this much every few hours, how could he complain? Phesx Caolia walked to the corporal and saluted, with Priscila¡¯s eyes shining as she nodded at him. The officer nodded at her before facing Phesx Caolia, ¡°Hellcat, right? You¡¯ve been called to new a task. Go to the administration zone and meet with your unit. I¡¯ve been told it might be action-packed, so prepare, soldier.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia saluted the corporal again, this time with more ¡®emotion¡¯ as to thank him. Knowing the rumored Hellcat¡¯s behavior, the officer nodded before looking at Priscila. ¡°Should we¡­¡± ¡°My, he¡¯s my trusted pal. What are you blushing like a bitch for?¡± Priscila smiled, narrowing her eyes to tease the poor officer. Phesx Caolia looked at the young woman he just shared his body¡¯s intimacy with, perplexed. They were more or less equal, but she was this bold¡­ ¡°Ah, sorry. Then. Can we go to our date now?¡± The officer blushed, but his military life has taught him to keep a stern expression even if a dog licked his toes. Thus, Priscila nodded before hugging Phesx Caolia, wishing him luck. ¡°Take care of Paul. Em will take care of you, but Paul lacks self-restraint. Don¡¯t let him die for another person, please.¡± ¡°Mm, I can do that.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded, hugging her small head back with his hands. He definitely wouldn¡¯t be like Paul, and he could keep Paul from being like that. Sounded simple. Phesx Caolia used this moment to stare eyes daggers into her suitor. The corporal let go of his status and fisted his heart noiselessly. Man to man, almost, he conveyed his thoughts sincerely. Phesx Caolia narrowed his light black eyes before kissing her forehead. Then, he made 3 sounds from his mouth, ¡°Pu, pu, pu.¡± ¡°Mheeheem, pupu.¡± Priscila mimicked him before nodding at him. Then, she turned to the corporal and held his left hand with her right one. They left as Phesx Caolia went to pick his military bag, waiting for a day like this, finally arriving. These days, his thoughts had gone over what Paul might have said that intrigued him. ¡°Eh¡­ Did you do something to him with your mouth?¡± From the distance, the corporal asked Priscila. She knew what he meant, but she narrowed her eyes and said with a thin smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know, why don¡¯t you check it?¡± ¡°Oww,¡± the corporal dispiritedly exclaimed. ¡°¡­¡± Helplessly stopping for a moment, Phesx Caolia continued preparing his military bag, still needing to go to the armory zone and pick his rifle up, with its new sight and custom magazine. He had time to think as he left the workshop, leaving a few notes with instructions for his unfinished work. ¡®Sometimes, I hate my extra acute hearing sense.¡¯ Phesx Caolia went to the armory zone, where he picked up his rifle. The lass who delivered it to him was amazed, perhaps wishing she could become his pupil, but Phesx Caolia left with a nod and a small thanks. Still, she and the others working there were amazed. At last, Phesx Caolia went to visit his little ¡®aunty¡¯. He left his bag outside, as she hated guns and anything dangerous in her office, before entering. Phesx Caolia made sure he didn¡¯t smell of Priscila¡¯s natural perfume, nice and pleasant, but obvious to other female human specimens, before greeting Sofia. ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: Don''t know if it counts for anything, if the universes and multiverses sent me a mystical sign, but Show Pony from Glass Animals came to me as I checked (proofr-edited) this chapter. Okay:^). Chapter 15 — Is This My Body?! Is This My Body?! ¡°Prepared to go out again?¡± Sofia stood up from her chair and brought Phesx Caolia an image with documents. Phesx Caolia grabbed it and looked at it before Sofia voiced, ¡°It''s all there. It is strange that you seem interested in things like these. If I didn''t know you better¡­ as good as I do now, at least. I would''ve believed you wanted to become a doctor.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Phesx Caolia gave the image another look before putting it in his bag. It showed the anatomy of the human body, mostly its flesh, and especially the nerves and blood flow. Then, he looked up at Sofia after looking around casually. ¡°Well¡­ take care, then. Lots of it,¡± Sofia said before hugging the young boy. She held his head dearly, letting him feel the caution she grabbed him with. Hugging her back, Phesx Caolia moved his mouth to her left shoulder and moved his lips. After he that, Sofia smooched his forehead and maintained her lips there, also moving them a little. None of them made a sound. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t do stupid things¡­ and get caught¡± Sofia said, finally separating from him. She cleaned his cheeks with some saliva on her thumbs, probably from when he was at the workshop. Phesx Caolia nodded. Sofia also nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you back here.¡± ¡°Goodbye,¡± Phesx Caolia bid farewell before turning around. Sofia watched him leave until he disappeared from the door¡¯s see-through glass. Then, she returned to her desk, investigating more on the body¡¯s subjects that she herself didn¡¯t understand, let alone Phesx Caolia. Phesx Caolia moved to the administration facilities, finding Paul and Emilio and a few dozen soldiers congregated around a small wooden building. They had just finished doing something inside as some leading officers checked the others¡¯ bags. Walking to those two, Phesx Caolia was spotted by Paul, who immediately instructed him. ¡°Everyone¡¯s presence has been confirmed, go in and sign up.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded and headed inside, just in time to see a tall, bulky man coming out. He walked past Phesx Caolia, with the latter ignoring him. Yet, even as Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t pay him any heed, the man stopped, turned his head, and called out, ¡°Hey, you usually hang around that kitten supreme, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia semi-turned his head, hiding his chin with his left shoulder. But even though he said nothing to the man, whom he looked at casually, the latter made a right thumbs up before speaking in a bothersome tone. ¡°Isn¡¯t she good? Anyway, don¡¯t get near her again. This is my nice warning, okie?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia said nothing again and walked ahead, letting the man feeling good to himself. Afterwards, he signed up after making a few procedure¡¯s declarations. When he was signing under his name, rank, and even officially recognized alias, the young man working there commented, ¡°Second mission, and it¡¯s a possible encounter, huh? Much luck, kid.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± Phesx Caolia looked up for half a second and responded, trying to sound positive out of politeness. Once he was done, he went outside and regrouped with the rest of the platoon. ¡°Alright,¡± a minute after Phesx Caolia¡¯s bag was checked again, a man near the middle age loudly voiced. Bringing attention to himself, he went, ¡°We¡¯ll go in 3 trucks, 1 for Em, 1 for Paul, and 1 for me. These are your immediate superiors, you¡¯ll go with them and listen to them until your ass is shitting here, comfortable to know you might not be shot while doing so.¡± ¡°It is not clear if there¡¯s preis or scum around there, but some of our encampment¡¯s civs have disappeared for 2 weeks. We¡¯ll just probe around. No matter what, don¡¯t go alone. Minimum of 2 people walking together, but I recommend 3 or 4 at least. Let¡¯s go!¡± The man spoke while Em, Paul, and a few higher ranked soldiers delivered a few notes to the others. Phesx Caolia checked his unit, finding it to be under the man who spoke, the leader of this platoon. He exchanged glances and nodded towards Paul and Em before carrying his equipment and bag to the back of a truck. The trucks were divided 20-20-10, leaving Phesx Caolia with the 1st Lieutenant¡¯s squad of 10. Only 2 people were left at the front of the truck, as Phesx Caolia sat in front of that tall, bulky man from before. They glanced at each other, once. But after then, they didn¡¯t bother with the other. The rest of the trip was uneventful, with the female soldiers ignoring that tall soldier, and the male ones sharing a few consumables to spend time. Phesx had to change places with someone closer to the front, so the smoke wouldn¡¯t fall on his face. When they arrived at their location, with their truck slightly up ahead than the other 2, at the lowest center of the western worker districts, the lieutenant stopped them. He grabbed their wrists to bring their attention and started delegating them. ¡°Hellcat, you¡¯ll go in the same direction as these 3, try not separating. As for the distance, we¡¯ll be here 4 days if there¡¯s nothing. But the moment you find something, or you¡¯re attacked, immediately return!¡± The LT said. Phesx Caolia nodded, although those weren¡¯t the official orders. However, considering they were only 10, and the scum, even if they¡¯re thousands, only ambush any other force with numbers of 20 to 40, even if the squad was united, they would be in dire danger. After receiving confirmation, the LT walked away towards another direction with 2 others, while another team of 3 went on yet another path. Phesx Caolia would ¡®lead¡¯ a team to the far right, while the LT headed to the center, and the other team to the far left. With this, the LT could move around and support anyone, keeping their numbers as stable as possible. It was rudimentary. They would venture into the worker districts. The disappearances weren¡¯t too dangerous for the encampment, but that the investigators couldn¡¯t find any clues or corpses was. As such, the platoon would have to search around and see if there¡¯s anything threatening. It was a bit like cannon fodder, although neither the superiors nor the soldiers believed there was something that dangerous. The preis were still holing in the south, while the scum had numbers and weapons, but not vehicles and organization that an army would. As Phesx Caolia walked near another 4, taking turns to lead at the front before letting others advance first, over and over, they arrived at a wide plaza. They spent an hour silently searching half the place, before reuniting at the center. ¡°Dayna and I decided to go to the underground floors. We¡¯re good on that, but you two aren¡¯t. Besides, if something happens, we know where and how to move around, and you two are a bit too tall.¡± One of the soldiers said, with a female soldier behind him nodding. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll check the park. With those two places, we might find something,¡± Phesx Caolia said in a low voice. The tall soldier didn¡¯t say a word, probably not caring. He carried a shotgun with a strap over his shoulder, while holding a heavy rifle like it was nothing. ¡°See you at evening, or back at the sleeping dog.¡± The soldier said after the other tapped on his shoulder from behind. Phesx Caolia nodded before lowering his rifle to jog to the east. The other 2 soldiers went to an underground level, going down some stairs in the distance. The tall soldier followed Phesx Caolia, who went slower than the soldier thought he would. ¡®Is this Hellcat? Maybe they did name him like that for his name, hah.¡¯ Hours went by, with many tall buildings that still remained standing tall explored, even if not completely. Everything was deserted, and when evening came, the districts looked grayer than Phesx Caolia thought they would. He only saw parts of these districts at morning, after all. He saw a few places that might¡¯ve trapped people when the earthquake happened, with debris moved and now safer to walk around. But some clothing, or clues of old, broken skeletons under the rubble. Those had to be ignored. They weren¡¯t archeologists. When the sun was setting, and they were nearly done checking the park, with Phesx Caolia leading the scouting, while the tall soldier lazily followed behind. The man finally spoke out, hiding his gasps after moving for hours nonstop, up and down streets, stairs, and jumping from 2 meters or more numerous times. Meanwhile, Phesx Caolia was fine. Perfect, even. Currently, they walked on a higher altitude in the park, where one can see a long slide of sand, about 17 meters tall. It had railing, of course. ¡°Oiii. We¡¯ve been moving a lot around here. Let¡¯s just go back. I want to eat something for dinner, at the very least.¡± The man¡¯s irked voice was quickly cut off by himself, needing to breathe if he wanted to continue. Phesx Caolia slowed down. ¡®¡­5 minutes since the last check-up with the lieutenant¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes narrowed as he crouched a little, touching the ground to feel it with his right palm. To the tall soldier, this looked like ¡®Hellcat¡¯ had grown himself tired, too. Feeling glad, he opened his mouth again. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll continue tomorrow, yes? It¡¯s getting dark, we don¡¯t want anyone to come out at that time, don¡¯t you think? Eh, huh?¡± Fws, fws! The man was just speaking, when Phesx Caolia¡¯s fully half-kneeling position turned. His right knee, against the ground, worked as his foundation as he rotated before immediately kicking the ground with his left foot. Then, with his hands going into his pockets, Phesx Caolia brought 2 throwing knives out, flashing them across the air with the evening lights shining lightly upon them. The tall soldier didn¡¯t respond in time, at all. Pft! Pffu! Immediately, his knees were struck, penetrating just a little, but enough to get stuck from a few to several seconds. Phesx Caolia¡¯s right foot rapidly pedaled the ground after dashing forth. Revealing 2 heavy weights hidden on his abdomen, connected to the knives¡¯ chains coiling around their handles, Phesx Caolia nimbly moved his hands around the weights. As the man was still stunned at his knees being stabbed, Phesx Caolia rapidly wrapped the weights with the other end of the chains before locking them together and throwing them to the ground. Phesx Caolia continued rushing, not stopping once, and detoured around the tall soldier. Throwing himself to the ground, Phesx Caolia felt his chest a little hurt, but he still swiped his hands at the soldier¡¯s ankles many times. He could¡¯ve used a knife, but he didn¡¯t know if it also worked that way, since he didn¡¯t want to bring attention to himself during his training regimen. The tall soldier tried running forth, feeling his ankles hit time and again, but his knees¡¯ injury made it difficult to move. When he wanted to lift his feet, he found them trembling and weakened, further burdened by the weights Phesx Caolia threw away several meters in front of him. Phesx Caolia stared at the chains fiercely. He never expected them to fully work well, but they were granting him time for his mistakes of swiping at the man¡¯s ankles. At last, Phesx Caolia felt a strange sensation around his hands when hitting those ankles. Phesx Caolia looked up and saw the man¡¯s neck stiffen, like a corn dog heavily slamming on a solid surface vertically. He rapidly stood up with dirt around his chin and neck, and pushed the man¡¯s back forward with his right sole. Then, he took a knife out of his left thigh pocket, half as long as an arm. ¡°Euuuuh?!¡± The man wiggled his head a little on the ground before going completely still. He made a sound from his throat and nostrils, but Phesx Caolia had already begun pulling the man¡¯s shirt up. Then, the soldier felt a cold, small tip at his back. His heart beat really fast, and while Phesx Caolia heavily breathed, never having done this before, not to a living human, he could hear that sonorous thumping. His teeth gritted hard, rising the knife with a regular hold, and feeling saliva form at the sides of his jaw inside his mouth. Pffeuk! ¡°Uuuwwwgh!¡± The man roared inside his throat. Phesx Caolia felt his eyes clear up as he stabbed into the man¡¯s back. The left side bled a bit, only penetrating a few centimeters. It had only begun. Phesx Caolia drew the knife upwards, creating a long line, like surgery just starting. Phesx Caolia could see the sweat forming at the man¡¯s skin, while his heartbeat became more powerful and quicker. Yet, the young boy didn¡¯t stop, forming long cuts with an unusual width towards the middle, trying to mimic a very large claw injury. After the first, Phesx Caolia targeted the tall soldier¡¯s thighs, arms, and near his neck. He didn¡¯t turn the soldier around, wanting to let it be seen like a huge, dangerous animal attacked the soldier, who could only run away in response. He didn¡¯t know if it would work well and scare the soldiers, or cause suspicion because of some injuries¡¯ size, but he believed he was doing well. The tall soldier bled profusely, but he was still breathing. Phesx Caolia accidentally let some bones show, but after he was done carving the ¡®scene¡¯, and looked at it from another point of view, it seemed fitting. Then, only one thing remained. Phesx Caolia looked at the man¡¯s nape, narrowing his eyes and emitting a fierce glint within that light black color amidst the darkening sky. ¡°Meeeeeeevvv¡­¡± When the soldier felt the cold dagger, dripping with what could only be his blood, at his neck again, he weakly moaned. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t know if it was suppressed fear, or if the soldier was a little glad it would all end soon. Pffcc¡­ Phesx Caolia directed the knife before cutting the neck in vertical cuts, hurrying after seeing tons of blood seeping out of the man¡¯s interiors. He almost cut horizontally, stopping himself in the end. If he did that, it would be too obvious that an animal didn¡¯t ¡®do¡¯ it. ¡®Now, the last part.¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought as he stood with his legs spread and his feet standing at either side of the soldier¡¯s shoulders, breathing a little hard. Being vicious was tiring. But now, even if the soldier wasn¡¯t paralyzed anymore, the blood he lost and pain tormenting him should have left him immobile. Besides, whether his extra acute hearing sense was ¡®calming down¡¯ or the man was dying, Phesx Caolia heard those heartbeats grow weaker and lose speed at last. He lowered his body and hands, grabbing around the soldier¡¯s jaw, and lifted his head while lowering his. The soldier¡¯s eyes were reddened, with some veins probably rupturing at some point, still coating some of his sclera with red and dirt around a few corners. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia said absolutely nothing, just staring into the man¡¯s face who was about to die. Terrified, the soldier couldn¡¯t help finally pissing himself. Phesx Caolia ignored it and straightened his back, preparing to pull upwards. Using the jaw to hold onto the man¡¯s head, and like lifting weight, Phesx Caolia put strength into his arms. His fingers and hands were positioned as best as he could to not break off the jaw and ruin his plans. The act was anything but simple. After several seconds, even with the cuts Phesx Caolia made, he couldn¡¯t separate the head from the neck, or finish halving the soldier¡¯s neck. Phesx Caolia felt the strain of his ¡®weak¡¯ body even as he supported his wrists with his knees, trying to rest while putting more effort and force behind his pull. ¡°Ah, haff, huff¡­¡± Phesx Caolia felt he would soon hyperventilate if he continued failing. At one point, he closed his eyes and rapidly tried to think of something. The images in the back of his head went back to that baby boar whose heart he unknowingly smashed. The sensation from his nails never left him, albeit it diminished a little these past few days. That sensation¡­ his hands holding onto the actually ¡®mighty¡¯ little body, and his fingertips, their yolk, his hails¡­ puncturing, stabbing, pushing the flesh away¡­ No, that wasn¡¯t the sensation of pushing it away, it was¡­ cutting through! Pfs! Pfs! ¡­Pfs, pfs, pfs, pfs, pfs¡­! Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes suddenly opened and fully widened. He became shocked as he lowered his gaze from facing upwards, frowning as he felt the soldier¡¯s neck breaking apart like melted plastic being separated. Suddenly, his hands didn¡¯t hold a head, but a corpse¡¯s skull with skin, hair, and organs still inside it. The man¡¯s body went limp, while his eyes became bloodied like never before, and stared into different angles, slightly bulging from their sockets. That was the sensation of cutting through flesh, and that was Phesx Caolia holding a corpseless head with his fingers hooking around its jaw. ¡®I did it!¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Gladdened, he threw the head away, falling down that long fall, sliding a little before making a tiny thud in the distance. Feeling ecstatic, Phesx Caolia brought the corpse to the sliding wall of sand. It might be easier if he cut the legs and more, but he couldn¡¯t do that. After struggling for a few minutes, he watched the corpse roll downwards¡­ ¡°You know? I didn¡¯t even think I would succeed like this. But it¡¯s good. I didn¡¯t have to use my pistol, or a grenade. Sorry for leaving you so ugly, I didn¡¯t want me and the others to be imprisoned.¡± Phesx Caolia spoke while looking down before turning around. It was time to leave. ¡®Sigh. What a day.¡¯ Phesx Caolia said as he slapped his hands off the dirt and blood. Some flesh pieces were under his nails, which he cleaned carefully. He seemed to see some sharpening around their edges, but he also felt many shadows moving around his nape and trying to grab his ankles, so he ignored it. Besides, it was getting dark. He kept his head low as he returned to whence he came. A couple of hours later, with a full moon up above, with the night stars illuminating everything below, Phesx Caolia walked out of the worker districts into near an outskirts residential zone. He spotted a pool of water before heading towards it to clean the blood from his hands and some spots on his clothes. ¡®Another springs? Why are they more habitual now? Strange.¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought as he looked at the wholly black, semi-deep pool of water. It had a natural wall around it, seemingly protecting it from getting filth that the wind carried around, which belonged to human necessities like junk and glass. Splashy splash! Phesx Caolia scrubbed and sharply cleaned his hands and clothes with his nails and palms, trying to keep even the slightest bits of blood off his military uniform. The dogs would definitely trail him, but he was hoping the encampment would take too long to act, so it wouldn¡¯t be known he went to this pool himself¡­ Afterwards, with his pants and jacket over his shoulders, a little wet, Phesx Caolia thought for a moment before taking his canteen out. He crouched and filled it with water. Licking his lips as he waited for the canteen¡¯s verification, he felt his dried lips and slightly trembling body. It took a toll on him to do something like that, and to a corporal nonetheless. Bing~. The canteen made a sound before flashing a tiny green dot. Seeing it was drinkable, Phesx Caolia brought it to his lips and drank to his heart¡¯s content. But once wasn¡¯t enough. He filled it with water again and saw the green dot light up before standing up while drinking. However, since he wasn¡¯t thirsty anymore, Phesx Caolia could distinguish a peculiar taste in the water. He checked again, but the canteen showed it was drinkable with another green light. Yet, when Phesx Caolia tasted it again, he realized it did have a weird taste, one that made it feel gooey but was all liquid, and somewhat metallic, but wasn¡¯t blood. ¡®?¡¯ Phesx Caolia watched the water spill out of his canteen, and it was just normal. Cupping it in his right palm, it smelled just like water would. And when he tried it on his wrist, he felt nothing but water sliding to the side. He looked at the falling water from his canteen again, and that¡¯s when he saw a large bubble forming a meter before him on the pool. But then, he realized it wasn¡¯t a bubble, but a body. It wasn¡¯t on the water, but coming out of it! SPLAASH! ¡°!!!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes¡¯ contents constricted. His hands pushed forwards instinctively, while his jaw opened slightly. He jerked his head backwards and saw rows of even teeth and long fangs snap close to his face! His body was pushed downwards as multiple small claws palmed around his torso and thighs. And then, at the same instant, his radio sounded. ¡°To all units, enemies sighted in e3, move to that position!! They¡¯re scum! Some are heading to your position, Hellcat, Dayna, engage them!¡± ¡­ Chapter 16 — Is… This Possible? Is¡­ This Possible? Phesx felt his vision falter for a second, everything went black. That was enough for whatever was hunting him to hurt him. He felt a long, thick, sharp object slide into his left ribs, breaking whatever it found apart and slashing towards his heart. Phesx Caolia screamed and opened his eyes, further widening his jaw, and locked the claw in his body downwards. ¡°AAAAAH!¡± The fear this creature caused on Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t little. It looked like a crocodile, but also a dog¡¯s head, and it had a snout, similar to one of the things always hunting him even if he closed his eyes shut. It had gooey, black skin, like layers upon its body, and it also seemed like a bug, with multiple little arms and paws, with little claws coming from its digits. Its mouth was snout-ish, and its teeth were much like a dog, but better organized, with 4 extremely long fangs that went through its snout. It was 3 meters long, perhaps. Phesx Caolia was too altered to confirm with his calculative eyes. But its strength wasn¡¯t small, and it seemed to have long, tough scales all under that gooey black liquid. Phesx Caolia¡¯s scream made the thing stop for a moment and blink its strangely white, small eyes, with large, curved pupils. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes went mad as he jerked his head forward, where the thing was moving one of its actual arms towards his neck. It had 4 limbs, 2 for each side, and were about 1 meter long. They had half a meter long sole-claws extending from the middle of its paw¡¯s 2 thick, grotesque digits. ¡°Keeeezk!¡± The creature shrieked, watching as sharp, white teeth chomped away its arm, with scales and all. It thrashed about, suffering a loss it never did before. Meanwhile, Phesx Caolia gasped as he felt heated and getting hotter in his left ribs, inside his body, and dizzy. Bang, bang, bang! Screeeaaaach! The creature was startled by the sound of gunfire. It looked at Phesx Caolia, who held his rifle weakly and with its butt against the ground. Yet, even with the gunshot effect, Phesx only saw sparks go off as the creature squinted its eyes, vertically standing on its 2 legs. Gyaaaaah! The thing screeched again, this time lunging towards Phesx Caolia with an arm, as its other claw fell to the water, but Phesx didn¡¯t even think of getting it to hurt this thing. Phesx, however, grew balls and held his rifle high before elbowing down at the incoming thing. The creature felt its head knocked by his elbows, but only that, nothing harmed it. On the other hand, Phesx felt his body hurt, numbing, and semi-paralyzed. It wasn¡¯t that he grew strong out of nowhere, he was still himself! The creature used its smaller arms and claws to attack Phesx Caolia. He squinted his eyes in pain, but also fervently. He opened his jaws wide without making a sound and placed his fingertips together before sending them into an attack at the creature¡¯s back. Kzzzzzzaak! The creature shrieked again. The arm it was about to use to stab Phesx Caolia in the guts stopped, paralyzed by the pain of its scales broken through again. But, this time, from 2 different angles. Phesx Caolia gained ¡®enlightenment¡¯ as his eyes overly widened. He looked at his fingers, which were rooted in the creature¡¯s back, and wriggled them inside. Immediately, he felt his nails inside, cutting and slicing anything it found. ¡®I can¡­ harm its flesh¡­ its body!¡¯ Phesx Caolia looked down, but he couldn¡¯t see his pistol. Just as he felt the thing¡¯s head soar, its jaws opening, he dived his head onto its head, targeting one of its eyes. Raoaaarrr! The thing fled away, fearful of Phesx Caolia¡¯s bite. It went on its 4 and looked at Phesx Caolia 2 meters away while the latter had trouble just breathing. However, he could now see its body better, and in detail. It looked like a grasshopper, but it also had the strange appearance of a long crocodile, and it also had sales. Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t figure out what or how, but the gooey black liquid might have something to do with this¡­ mutation! ¡°AAAAh! Come here!¡± Phesx Caolia lashed out at the thing, feeling his fangs change the sound of his words a little. It was a little similar to the humanized words of a snake, although his were simply short, well-defined¡­ and contained savage, murderous intent. His saliva also slid between his teeth to down his lips. Keeeeeeeezk! The mutant creature launched itself forwards out of nowhere, headbutting Phesx Caolia, who felt some of his bones breaking apart, and an object entering his body from the side of his right thigh. It immediately went further up, arriving at his hip, cutting sections of his bones! ¡°Dayna here! I¡¯ve heard gunshots from Hellcat¡¯s general position! But we can¡¯t move! We¡¯re stuck with scum around here! We need reinf¡­¡± Phesx Caolia heard the radio as his torso was clawed and torn apart by the little claws. However, it couldn¡¯t have come at a worse time. With as much strength as he could imaginably use, he moved his hands below the things¡¯ claws and cut them off one by one with robotic, inaccurate sideways motions. The creature shrieked, and in return, it took its claw out of Phesx Caolia¡¯s thigh and started stabbing him all around. Phesx Caolia threw his head backwards before letting out a hoarse, bloodthirsty howl out of his throat and nostrils, ¡°Greyyywwwwwahhh~!!¡± Ziiiiiiiiiieeeszzzk! The thing responded with its own cry, but only itself and Phesx Caolia could hear it. Phesx Caolia kicked it, using his toes to penetrate at it as well, and felt his boots breaking further apart with each kick. Believing he was successful, he grabbed the thing¡¯s shoulders, if they could be called that, and squeezed with all he had. The creature stopped stabbing from the sheer pain before widening its jaws, throwing saliva out at Phesx Caolia¡¯s wounds and skin. Then, under his fiercely squinted eyes, it dove in with its fangs easily penetrating through. ¡°!!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened, but his eyebrows intensely furrowed as he felt its fangs clipping at his stomach, eating small parts of his skin, and trying to go for the bones. ¡°AAAAARRRGGHH!!¡± Phesx Caolia madly swung his hands, around, moving everywhere around the creature¡¯s back. From its head, to its neck, and as far down its back as he could, but Phesx Caolia still felt his abdomen munched on. His head, neck, and shoulders crazily thrashed while being eaten. ¡°Ehehe- heh, haha- ahahah¡­¡± With all his strength on clawing the creature back, just as it did with his torso, Phesx Caolia began crackling up with low chuckles all by himself. However, unbeknownst to him, he layered the mutant¡¯s back, revealing large spots of mangled flesh and broken scales. Although Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t know it, the creature had considerably weakened, with a lot of its disgusting dark greenish red blood sipping out like bubble gum juice. Still, currently, it had a piece of Phesx Caolia¡¯s flesh between its teeth and was pulling from it, crackling lightning flashes of pain in Phesx¡¯s mind. Remembering he had toes, he started kicking its stomach and abdomen again and again. This time, Phesx Caolia immediately gained the upper hand, forcing the creature to back away. He threw himself backwards, and ignoring the sight of bones showing from his thighs to his shoulders, he grabbed his rifle with his right arm and small pistol with his left arm before aiming. Bang, bang bang bang, bang, bang bang bang bang, bang, bang, bang bang¡­. The mutant went on its four limbs again, as much as it could, and crawled to the side of the wall opposite of Phesx Caolia. It looked at the light black eyes, calmly squinted, and coldly staring back at it. Phesx Caolia pulled the trigger with trembling fingers and feeling his entire body regurgitating within his stomach. The rifle fired away every 2 small pistol¡¯s shots, firing at the same time every now and then. Meanwhile, the mutant¡¯s back exploded part by part, leaving behind only explosive gore and an immobile carcass behind. Slash, slap, fu-tomp, splash, splash¡­ When Phesx Caolia finished shooting at the thing, it was only ? of its original volume, and had lost any signs of life. Pieces of it fell on the water. It was deafening after all the roaring. Its head and a couple limbs remained, but not untouched. Its claws were thrown away, floating on the pool after breaking apart. ¡°Beep. I hear gunshots again, over here! Southwest!¡± Dayna¡¯s voice sounded from the radio as Phesx Caolia picked his feet up and walked out of the pool. He watched, as he walked out of the water, how his teeth were also sharpened and slightly elongated. It was nothing, maybe 1 or 2 millimeters, but they formed a pointy shape, and even seemed a little bulkier. It was similar to his nails, which were only sharpened and pointy. When he arrived at the ¡®shore¡¯, he fell, unable to continue anymore, and trembling all over as he felt coldness seep into his very marrow. ¡®This karma? Heh¡­ don¡¯t really care.¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes blurred as he rested on the ground. His hands no longer held his weapons, letting them rest at the side after killing an unimaginable creature. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°He¡¯s there!¡± - ¡°Oh my heaven, what the hell just happened?!¡± - ¡°Hellcat!¡± - ¡°Move aside. Medic!¡± Phesx Caolia heard the other soldiers yelling as they found him. At last, he heard Paul¡¯s worried shout and Em¡¯s serious but also loud voice. Phesx Caolia kicked his right foot into action, gesturing towards the mutant¡¯s corpse. When they understood, a few soldiers went to investigate, firing at it with a rapid submachine gun just to be safe. Then, the lieutenant arrived and marveled at the stupid, bizarre, maddening sight of a 4 meters long mutated thing. It had 1 meter-long arms, and that¡¯s without speaking of one of its claws still remaining in its semi-intact left leg. ¡°Hellcat, how the hell? What¡­ did you do to this thing?¡± The lieutenant held his head and looked at Phesx Caolia after checking the scales¡¯ durability. Then, he looked around before questioning him, ¡°Where¡¯s Muwdo? What happened to him? Why isn¡¯t he here?¡± Phesx Caolia just rolled his eyes before slowly blinking his eyelids. He just wanted to sleep, but remembering what he¡¯s learned in the training regimen, and Sofia¡¯s caring nagging, he forced those little, heavy eyelids up. ¡°Sir, he needs attention!¡± Paul discarded status and yelled at the LT. Em didn¡¯t wait for an order before nodding towards a medic. Phesx Caolia was injected something in his intact, right jugular. The medic had to pinch his skin and all, while Em put pressure on the other side of his neck. ¡®Mm, that¡¯s useless. Oh well.¡¯ Knowing the injection won¡¯t do a thing to his body, not even the medical properties, Phesx Caolia made a few biting motions, feeling a little less cold. Em and Paul helped carry Phesx Caolia into a stretcher, with the comrades Phesx Caolia went out accompanying him by the side. Paul became silent, and Em seemed thoughtful. The mutant¡¯s appearance was something stupidly enigmatic, but it wasn¡¯t what took their minds away from the current situation. The lieutenant and the other soldiers remained around the area, already getting ready to move the corpse and bring it back in the LT¡¯s truck. He looked at Phesx Caolia¡¯s clothes he left behind, which left him partially bare, all torn up and bloodied, with some skin layers here and there¡­ Staring at a broken phone, so damaged it couldn¡¯t even be considered one, and that he only recognized by the logo of Prequa military camp, the LT shook his head before leaving. ¡­ Phesx Caolia¡¯s body was filled with injuries of all kinds, even those that easily surpassed the ones he did to the tall soldier, and was bloody. They treated him on the way back to the camp, having to immediately bring him wasn¡¯t a problem because they killed about 40 scum before. When they arrived at the camp, every medic was alerted and waiting at the military zone entrance. Phesx Caolia was brought down carefully, as many of his bones seemed dislocated, if not broken. Carried on a stretcher¡¯s modded equipment, making it sturdier and safer to go faster through uneven land, he arrived at the hospital tents. Priscila and other kittens were already present, following nearby, when Sofia¡¯s shrill, headstrong shrills sounded from the side. ¡°Get away! Step aside and leave him to me!¡± Sofia was blocked by some nurses and soldiers, when the LT shouted, granting her entry, ¡°Let her in!¡± Sofia thanked the soldier with a glance before walking to Phesx Caolia¡¯s stretcher, still moving towards a tent. ¡°I¡¯m gonna need 20 litres of water and a full bag of ice cubs. Make sure they come with an icebox.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ you heard the doctor, obey her!¡± The lieutenant shouted at the nurses, who glared at the officer in charge. Knowing this meant they shouldn¡¯t do more than asked, they nodded and departed. Meanwhile, despite being them, Sofia shooed Paul and the others away. Dismissively. Sofia brought Phesx Caolia into a tent and began cleaning his wounds again, which were bleeding still, while the young boy had already lost consciousness. Afterwards, checking there was no pus or more signs of infection anywhere, she bandaged him after putting some medical creams on him. That¡¯s right, nothing else. . . . ¡°Mmf¡­¡± Phesx Caolia opened his eyes, feeling a heavy numbness above his left thigh, and his entire body sore. His eyelids struggled to remember how to move, until they didn¡¯t. He lifted his head to look down on himself, immediately waking the heavy weight on him. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re up.¡± Sofia lifted her head and calmly said to Phesx Caolia. She sat up and rubbed her knees and neck before passing him a large bottle of water. Phesx Caolia felt small, melting ice cubs fall from his forehead, which was further bandaged with black ribbons, and had held the ice cubes so far. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Phesx Caolia groaned. Sofia smiled and seemed to enjoy his misfortune, smiling with her upper lip exerting too much force, looking silly and cute. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Are you feeling it now? Not even that thing¡¯s blood can face yours off. Time to let it go out.¡± ¡®It¡¯s the worst feeling.¡¯ Phesx Caolia squinted his eyes and frowned, utmost disgusted at the worst sensation in the world. He grabbed the bottle and untapped it, but he didn¡¯t feel like drinking it right away. Wanting to vomit, he¡¯d rather shit for days nonstop, but that couldn¡¯t be chosen. ¡°Huh? What about my blood?¡± Phesx Caolia turned to Sofia, processing something, at last. Sofia nodded but said nothing more. Only she knew about the strangeness of his blood¡­ and body. If she were to inject him with medicament, and give him pills, it would only make his sickness move quicker, albeit he¡¯d have to throw up or have diarrhea for a couple of days. In simple terms, Phesx Caolia gets food poisoning from medicament after entering his body once he¡¯s become ¡®immune¡¯ to it. Only outer body supplies, like cream and spray, work on him. But those are only a ¡®side dish¡¯ in the medical world, not meant to be used as the primary medicine for anything. In other words, it could also be said that his body refuses the medicine. Yet, it can heal itself. It wasn¡¯t anything marvelous, though. If he had a flu, it would take him a week and a half instead of a few days with medicament to recuperate. Only time will tell how long until he can fully recuperate from something like this. ¡°I feel sleepy,¡± Phesx Caolia commented, feeling his stomach warm, but at least it wasn¡¯t holes breathing air anymore. Sofia nodded, gestured to the bottle in his left hand, ¡°Then drink. I¡¯ll put more ice between your fingers and toes next.¡± ¡°How long was I gone?¡± Phesx Caolia asked. Sofia forced a yawn down before responding, ¡°Almost 8 hours. The skin partitions will arrive the next day, but you¡¯ll have to wait much longer for your bones and blood. Moving not allowed, understood?¡± ¡°Yes, moooom~.¡± Phesx Caolia groaned before tilting his head backwards. The water bottle slowly lost its contents, all gone down Phesx Caolia¡¯s throat. He felt his stomach move, and the worst sensation any living being could go through, wanting to vomit, became more obvious. A few breaths later, he seemed to calm down a little. Sofia heard a beep from her laptop before turning around. She then faced Phesx Caolia and spoke, ¡°The tests of your ¡®new¡¯ blood will soon come out. It¡¯s so delayed with these machines. Would you like to see it?¡± Phesx Caolia nodded before Sofia passed another large bottle of water to his left hand. He began drinking it while Sofia checked the first result. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Ah. I think I need to go to the bathroom.¡± Phesx Caolia exclaimed after finishing his water. But Sofia, who turned around and looked at him with a small, thin smile, responded. ¡°You already did.¡± ¡°Uh oh.¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s spirits fell, being caught with not wanting to. Before he could say a thing as Sofia went back to her laptop, he twisted his torso and began vomiting at the side of the stretcher. Meanwhile, Sofia¡¯s eyes super widened out of nowhere. There was a representation of a magnified point of view from the moment Sofia poured his blood on a broken scale¡¯s side. Phesx Caolia¡¯s blood would meet anything at its own level and begin ¡®devouring¡¯ the other, basically just destroying it and keeping it away from merging or Phesx Caolia¡¯s body. Now, however, after Sofia found a strange new ¡®feature¡¯ on his healing body, she realized that his blood was ¡®coating¡¯ a very thin transparent layer on his wounds. If going by a mathematical deduction, it might take months for his blood to curate the wounds, and with the skin partitions, Phesx Caolia might heal his flesh back with an adequate diet after 2 months. He couldn¡¯t take this high-end medicament, but his body could work that out on its own. It wasn¡¯t proven, but she could experiment a little¡­ Of course, she also knew something was missing. It was possible that, if not medicament, Phesx Caolia¡¯s body could instead¡­ ¡®evolve¡¯ with technology. Mechanical limbs, robotic synchronization programs, handless driving, and super smartphones and systems were all too well-known and respected in the world, but they were impossible to attain. They didn¡¯t even have a cost. Only governments had these, and they weren¡¯t foolproof. If Phesx Caolia was to have a technology like that, it had to be something humane, not something that could be connected to an existing system. More like a prosthesis, but not a prosthesis. In short, something she couldn¡¯t understand now. However, when Sofia looked at the first results, she was stupefied until her pores shook and shivered. His blood was like a magical, colossal wave, throwing tentacle-like lumps ahead to collide against the scale¡¯s wounded side. However, it didn¡¯t ¡®eat¡¯ or corrode anything. Instead, over the course of 10 minutes, a not-even-a nanometer of the broken scale was¡­ healed? It looked like it became very smooth and repaired, like it had been polished countless times by the greatest craftsman¡¯s hands, trillions of them. A lot of blood was needed for this. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t something that was ¡®uncontrollable¡¯. After that nanometer of the scale was ¡®fixed¡¯, the blood stopped moving and was just like ordinary blood on a broken scale. Nothing happened. Sofia immediately checked the scale and blood again before putting it in a delicate crystal box detached from a small, but long, machine at the other end of her desktop. While Phesx Caolia emptied his guts, Sofia checked the other results. She lowered the tent¡¯s light and slid a black blind behind her in case someone sneaked on her. Phesx Caolia could see it later, anyway. She increased the screen¡¯s adaptability before putting on some glasses that followed her intentions, and further on when she murmured things. Sofia¡¯s eyes were opened fully, narrowing at certain times to check something, when she finally noticed something else. Her hands trembled as she gently and slowly took her glasses off. Her eyes¡¯ contents shrank, losing any bit of rationality in them, waking something hidden deep inside her tough heart, a thirst but now also need for pioneering science; technology. Before her, the screen was reddish, emitting a corresponding glow on Sofia¡¯s face and the blind behind her. However, there was a little something else. It was greenish, but also obscure, almost dark. Or, it was dark and green, with a strange, ephemeral glow that confused the naked eye, as it did with Sofia, not letting her see it on the first time she laid her eyes on this screen. After studying it closely, with her glasses letting her ¡®zoom¡¯ into Phesx Caolia¡¯s blood as if it was materialized just before her, Sofia¡¯s eyes simply couldn¡¯t help trembling¡­ There was a green net moving along any form and movement that a bit of Phesx Caolia¡¯s blood made. Even when it was just a drop of blood, it was perfectly netted, with his blood seemingly not bulging out of it like a tight formation. Confused and shocked to the deepest corners of her mind, Sofia followed her instincts and compared it with previous analysis of his blood, only to find¡­ The net was there before, too. However¡­ it wasn¡¯t as ¡®obvious¡¯ as it is now. This discarded Sofia¡¯s theories of Phesx Caolia being a mutation in human history like never heard before. Could he be¡­ evolving!? ¡­ Chapter 17 — Ambitions Ambitions 3 days later. In the same tent where Phesx Caolia had been nursed, and hurt like hell, he sat on his stretcher. At the side, Sofia checked his stomach, watching how a bunch of rosy hole injuries no longer worsened and began a full-on healing. Of course, it had only just begun, but it was stagnant. The young boy needed nutrients, more than what she was able to feed him during his weakened period. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Sofia tapped his stomach, with a screen-like device on top of it, making sounds on his torso. There were also some under his clothes at his thighs and further around his neck. Phesx Caolia sat up and spoke with slightly dazed eyes. ¡°You know the feeling of suddenly getting sick and spending 3-4 days a little somnolent? Mn, I feel just like that. I think I remember something like that.¡± Phesx Caolia passed saliva down his throat, feeling the pain of every wound and healing bone in his body. Before, he might¡¯ve been fine and threw up without feeling much torment, other than his thorax contracting and his spine trembling. However, after vomiting, the ¡®adrenaline¡¯ left him, letting him welcome the suffering his body had gone through. Sofia nodded, checking the vitals¡¯ scanner under his body on the stretcher¡¯s modded equipment side. She went back to her computer while Phesx Caolia slowly stepped down the stretcher. He felt like little ants were nibbling on his raw muscle all over his body at all times, but he grew used to it after a few days. He briefly glanced at Sofia¡¯s monitor. Although he wasn¡¯t a science little fella, he did understand the theories and implications Sofia talked to him about. However, he felt no different. Leaving his nails and teeth¡¯s change outside of her knowledge, still not sure if those were real, Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t feel anything different within him. If he had become a hero with a superpower, he would¡¯ve goddamn known. ¡°Oh, right. I need something of you to make more tests,¡± Sofia said as Phesx Caolia wore a new blank, military shirt. Phesx Caolia stopped for a moment and thought, before opening his eyes wide. ¡°You won¡¯t take anything from my marrow, will you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sofia slowly turned around, looking a bit creepy. She gazed at the young boy with a playful pair of eyes but serious expression. ¡°Not yet. All you have to do is find a¡­ ¡®kitten¡¯, with a certain condition, and inseminate her.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes seemed stuck, glued at Sofia¡¯s face. She looked up at him, still sitting on her chair, and tilted her head to the right. ¡®Was I too direct? Oh. Was it my choice of words? Still young, I see¡­¡¯ ¡°What is needed for you to do is just find a girl with a ¡®broken¡¯ uterus and have the usual intercourse, nothing changes. Make sure she stays¡­ let¡¯s say, ¡®loyal¡¯ to you, for the experiment¡¯s purpose. I¡¯ll talk with some officers for that matter. Is that clear?¡± Sofia patiently elaborated. ¡°Oh,¡± Phesx Caolia nodded, making a silly face. But then, he frowned a little and hinted a smile that wasn¡¯t a smile. ¡°Broken?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ sorry.¡± Sofia looked at Phesx Caolia, nodding, before realizing. She gently apologized before changing her words. ¡°Someone with a damaged uterus. This is the list of what you should find around the household. It¡¯s best if you only engage in it after recuperating.¡± ¡°Okay. Will you need direct examples of sperm?¡± Phesx Caolia took a paper sheet from Sofia¡¯s hand before thinking of certain sci-fi movies. He tilted his head to the right and asked. Sofia opened her mouth, before becoming paralyzed. ¡°Actually, is fine as long as that girl is sent here.¡± Sofia said, giving up. Phesx Caolia fell silent, too. He thought, ¡®I have a feeling I shouldn¡¯t have asked that. Hmm¡­¡¯ ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Phesx Caolia turned around, unable to wait for an escape. Sofia reminded him, ¡°Every day, before anything else in the morning, come here. Remember it, okay!?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Phesx Caolia fled from the tent. Left behind, Sofia¡¯s face blushed a little. Even though she helped treat her family members¡¯ children in the past, none of them were past 10 years old before the civil war broke out. Also, she was just a doctor, and such analysis would be handled to apprentices or nurses. Never had she asked a person for something similar. Phesx Caolia ran for several seconds before feeling the pull from his body¡¯s condition. He stopped, even holding himself up with his palms on his knees. Gasping and feeling his throat uncomfortable with phlegm, he drank saliva or forced some out before walking again. ¡°Kit!¡± Phesx Caolia turned around, only to feel Priscila¡¯s body against him as she hugged him. She was careful not to hurt him, maybe because of the many times Paul and the others wanted to see him. Sofia wouldn¡¯t let anyone know of his strangeness, even if they suspected it. Phesx Caolia wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. ¡°Hi. By the way, I need your help with something. Don¡¯t ask too much, just know that I will do exactly what you think I will be doing.¡± Phesx Caolia said after hugging the beauty for a few moments. Some soldiers and new recruits looked at them. However, Phesx Caolia somehow knew it wasn¡¯t because of their intimacy outside the kitten household. Why? Because they were all looking at his face¡­ After staring at someone¡¯s ass and thighs, of course. ¡°Mmmw! Why?¡± Priscila separated her head from his neck and smooched his lips strongly for 2 seconds before asking. Phesx Caolia blinked twice at the beauty¡¯s crazy love talk before passing her a paper sheet. Priscila read it as Phesx Caolia spoke, ¡°If you know anyone with any of these, prepare her for me. Oh, tell her that if she accepts to participate in an experiment, she¡¯ll only have to see me.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Priscila read through the list and frowned. However, she smiled towards the end and nodded before staring at him. ¡°I know just the person. I¡¯ll bring her to you¡­ when you recuperate. Okay, with that out of the way, can we go? I was just passing by, but Paul is dying to know when you¡¯re getting better.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Phesx Caolia nodded and exclaimed. He placed his arm behind her back as she guided him away. Although he didn¡¯t need a support, with his dizzy eyes and groggy mind, he required someone to guide him through long distances. A few minutes later, they arrived at an administration facility, which was mostly empty. Priscila walked to Paul, who was just walking outside, and shocked him with Phesx Caolia¡¯s appearance. ¡°You¡¯re better now?¡± Paul asked, holding himself from squeezing the young boy¡¯s shoulders. Phesx Caolia nodded before gesturing to the clipboard Paul had in his hands, ¡°Going out soon?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m somewhat close to promoting, thanks to that finding you got the other night.¡± Paul teased, smiling at the end, and feeling proud. Phesx Caolia remembered something and tapped Priscila¡¯s bare skin on her back before being left to stand on his own. ¡°About that mutated thing, what happened to it?¡± ¡°Oh, hahaha.¡± Paul laughed, making Phesx annoyed. Paul formed a long silence, only to tease him in the end, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it later. Hey, Priscila, can you leave us men to talk? It¡¯s things little girls won¡¯t want to hear.¡± Priscila humorously rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. She turned to Phesx, planted a hot kiss on his lips, tasting his mouth, and left after pinching his cheeks. It hurt, but nothing like the pain he was feeling around his torso and right thigh. ¡°Ugh,¡± Paul made a ¡®disgusted¡¯ expression with crossed arms before walking to a nearby mini-diner zone. It was usually used for the workers here, so they could have their meal without walking far away. They also had their respective bathrooms nearby. When they arrived at it, Phesx Caolia felt tired and nearly slumped on the bench, while Paul sat on the edge of the table. It was all wooden, but it felt too tough and painful to sit on, at least for the current Phesx Caolia. He ignored the countless wired sensations around his body and looked up, ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Paul simply laid it out. He looked at Phesx with a helpless and also disappointed expression, but his words were honest. Phesx Caolia looked up and waited for Paul to continue, which he did. ¡°I don¡¯t know how, and what was it like, but I understand. Things I could never do, I always thought about them. Maybe I¡¯m just- my nature¡­ is too kindhearted deep inside.¡± ¡°Em always put himself in that position for me before, but now you¡­ Look, I won¡¯t blame you. And¡­ I will trust you aren¡¯t a deviant wanting to use random purposes to let the beast out. Doing that for her sake, it¡¯s good. Remember that.¡± Paul struggled to speak up to here, showing how much it conflicted with himself. Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes looked at Paul for a few seconds in silence before responding, becoming more casual, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Paul just smiled and said no more words. Phesx Caolia lowered his head, feeling a little tired. Then, thinking of something, he looked up and innocently asked. ¡°How do I make my aim better?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± Paul replied after a few confused seconds. Phesx Caolia tilted his head a little to the left and asked again in a soft voice, ¡°I aimed knives at shoulders, but they hit knees.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Paul lifted his left hand and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. ¡°Okay, so, were the handles held by something? Ropes? Chain? Heavy weights?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia wore a dumbfounded expression before just nodding. Paul looked up, rolling his eyes from the left to the right, and vice versa, helpless. ¡°Okay, first. If it¡¯s tied to something, or has just a bit more of weight, it will obviously change. You were lucky they didn¡¯t drop sooner, or flew sideways¡­¡± Paul chided the young boy while teaching him. Phesx Caolia took many mental notes before Paul stood up and unceremoniously helped him up, placing Phesx¡¯s right arm above his neck. Then, he said, before teasing, ¡°Let¡¯s go. The hero hasn¡¯t taken his trophy yet. Come, my princess!¡± Paul lifted Phesx Caolia into his arms, holding him like a princess, before jogging away. Phesx Caolia pedaled at first, refusing to be ¡®degraded¡¯. In the end, feeling too comfy and with his drowsiness disappearing a little, he gave up. ¡°Not bad, not bad.¡± Phesx Caolia commented when they were near the central building, with 3 floors, the tallest in the encampment that wasn¡¯t a broken building. Paul shook his head, not even sweating, but complained. ¡°You¡¯ll be the death of me.¡± Then, Paul helped Phesx in, letting him put his feet down to be checked by a few guards. Soon after, they were called to the commander¡¯s office. ¡°Welcome, Paul and Phesx.¡± In the commander¡¯s office, an overweight man gestured to the seats in front of his desk. The two bowed before politely sitting. The commander looked at Paul first, ¡°Thank you for bringing him here, heh heh. It¡¯s a fortune almost everyone made it out alive.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Paul nodded. Then, the commander looked at Phesx. He seemed to think of a few things, seen by Phesx on the former¡¯s eyes, before voicing. ¡°It¡¯s good you are recuperating. Let¡¯s hope those skin partitions will work magic. Any more medicament is too costly. Having you scout around the encampment has proven fortuitous. Any news when you might recover?¡± ¡°2 to 3 months, sir.¡± Phesx Caolia responded. The commander nodded. ¡°Will you work at the workshop again in the meantime, private?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Until I can return to the outside.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded. The commander responded in kind before smiling, ¡°Heh heh. That¡¯s good. You better return and get a good mentality. That helps the body. What better than being promoted to 1st class? Congratulations, soldier.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia was startled. However, considering he did participate in 2 successful tasks, and the first he was the one to do most of the job, it felt nice. He stood up and saluted, at his pace. ¡°Thank you, sir commander!¡± ¡°Mn, mn. Go rest, then. Paul, make sure this little guy doesn¡¯t sneak out or something.¡± The commander nodded twice before ordering Paul. He stood up and saluted before helping Phesx Caolia outside the room with a careful hold of his body. The commander shook his head and chuckled a little more, clearly contented. Meanwhile, Phesx Caolia chatted with Paul while getting out. ¡°What was all this about? Was something new found out from the mutant?¡± Phesx Caolia asked. Paul nodded, helping him by holding the young boy¡¯s arm around his neck. ¡°At first, it was just testing, but it was your doctor Sofia who found out about the toxicity in the water it lived.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Surprised, Phesx Caolia lifted his eyebrows as Paul continued, ¡°Not only that, all the water we¡¯ve been drinking is toxic. The systems can¡¯t catch that, and only ¡®manual¡¯ research proved the water and air¡¯s toxicity. We¡¯ve literally lived for who knew how long with the air like this! Can you believe it?¡± ¡°Is that why we¡¯re always having plagues? It¡¯s all of Preut fucked up?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, quite distressed. Paul simply laid out his words. ¡°No. On the contrary, it is because of the toxicity that few make it into our livelihoods. Furthermore, when we drink it, it doesn¡¯t harm us. It¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Like adaptation,¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes trailed off before complementing Paul¡¯s words. The latter nodded and reaffirmed it. ¡°Yes, we, our bodies have adapted to it. It¡¯s not harmful to us. That¡¯s stupid, don¡¯t ya think?¡± ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Phesx Caolia nodded, feeling tired. Noticing this, and missing other little parts, Paul smiled, deciding to bring him back to his bed. It was just morning, but anyone who saw his injuries could tell what it would feel like after surviving them. ¡®He didn¡¯t know about them? How? Isn¡¯t he always with her? Even more these last few days¡­¡¯ Paul thought, but he paid it no more mind and brought the disabled young boy away. . . . 15 days later. At the military zone¡¯s workshops. Pzzzzzzt! Phesx Caolia worked on a large cannon¡¯s barrel, repairing the several places where it looked like it could fall off in the past, but only needed a few touches now. Besides that, Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t even wearing glasses. He looked at the thing while sparks came out of the blowtorch, going all out on the metal composition before him. Every now and then, he¡¯d draw his head back or sideways slowly and with the world¡¯s calmness, before the sparks seemed to suddenly increase and would¡¯ve reached him if he hadn¡¯t moved. At this moment, muffled sounds came from the outside. ¡°Hm?¡± Phesx Caolia turned around and stopped the blowtorch in time to look at Priscila walk towards the workshop with a pale beauty beside her. Priscila waved and shouted towards him. When she saw him stop, she smiled and pushed the beauty before her, rushing into the workshop. ¡°Hey! Look who it is? The lady you¡¯ve been waiting for all your life!¡± Priscila shouted, making the pale beauty blush. She had white pale skin, short black hair, a cute small nose, and thick, naturally separated locks of hair at her forehead. Phesx Caolia was disinterested, but when he looked at this pale beauty, he stood up with widened eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the kitten Em likes to visit the most?¡± He tilted his head to the right, looking at the pale beauty¡¯s face. Priscila nodded before formally introducing them to each other. ¡°Lisa, this is your experiment partner. Kitty, this is your whore!¡± ¡°Pfut!¡± Phesx threw air out of his mouth like a fart, not expecting that. Meanwhile, Lisa blushed deeply and slapped Priscila¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°Priscilaaaa! I told you. Don¡¯t call me those things outside of bed.¡± Priscilla ignored her and winked at Phesx Caolia with her right eye. With that, she brought the two to the back of the workshop, not caring if there was someone there. Although there was the kitten household, sexual activity was prohibited within soldiers in the military zone. Of course, none of that impeded Phesx Caolia from randomly meeting Priscila or Fernanda, receiving more from them than having mutual pleasure, a paradise for many. Phesx Caolia thought this happened to everyone, but it was only his young ass that gained this much attention, among a few others. The room at the back was empty. Priscila rapidly undressed, with Lisa following suit. Then, they helped Phesx Caolia to lay down on his back while taking his clothes off. Needless to say, with Lisa¡¯s sudden proactivity, different from before, Phesx Caolia was rapidly engulfed in throes of pleasure. Knowing dirty talk went with Lisa, Phesx Caolia accidentally made her too horny. On the other hand, he witnessed his first trio, and Priscila¡¯s dominance over other women during the act. It was a brand-new paradise, which Phesx Caolia barely knew about. In no time, the pale beauty¡¯s slender legs were held together and up as the first round of ¡®experiments¡¯ went on. Youth could be so vivid¡­ . . . Soon, a month and a half went by since the mutant was discovered. It was the 1,021st year, 5th month, 3rd week and 3rd day. Phesx Caolia was confirmed a task at the second half of the week. He could go out, albeit with a shadow to take care of him, instead of habitually protecting him. With such good news, he deserved a reward. Being as young as they were, and ignoring the fact Phesx was younger than them for whatever reason, Paul and the others planned something big for him. It was barely the night, when Priscila, Lisa, and Fernanda were asked to give Phesx Caolia the time of his life. They had to go to a random cottage in the kitten household. However, what they didn¡¯t know was that Phesx Caolia was going through testing another kitten. Creamy white skin, with freckles adorning her face and luscious, long black hair swung back and forth as Phesx Caolia rocked the mattress. Maybe he couldn¡¯t forcefully move, but he definitely could move nonstop for a long time. With their previous experiences, it was clear he had been at it for about an hour. The kitten was also as spent as they would be. When they saw her pitch-black eyes and long eyelashes, they realized it was Brittany, the other kitten whose actual cottage is around the kitten supreme¡¯s cottage. Either way, knowing what to do, they showed Phesx Caolia brand-new worlds¡­ Maybe not in the actuality, but in the future, Phesx Caolia would marvel in the sensation of 4 people joining ¡®heads¡¯ and doing the unthinkable. These days were definitely crazy. There was this embarrassing day when Lisa and Phesx Caolia went to Sofia¡¯s office, and they thought she wasn¡¯t there. Thus, remembering how Lisa¡¯s legs, slender and small, coiled or relaxed, look when placed together, Phesx Caolia¡¯s mind traveled. Holding them felt so good¡­ Thus, being a raging teenager, Phesx Caolia did the unthinkable in Sofia¡¯s office. At the side, hidden by some blinds, Sofia moved her head to where the sounds came from, baffled and scarred. Phesx Caolia heard her gasp and momentarily stopped, but it was too late. He simply went on and on, becoming more beastly to Lisa¡¯s pleasure, perhaps. Besides, even if he wanted to, with how deliciously her moans sounded, Phesx Caolia was a teenager slave to his primitive thoughts and pleasure, and couldn¡¯t stop. But¡­ life was all about learning¡­ from mistakes or not. At last, the day had come, and Phesx Caolia could now leave the camp. He would have to move slow, and couldn¡¯t immediately retreat if necessary. This time, on his third mission, they would venture towards the western half of the worker districts¡¯ utmost west. During these few weeks, the encampment has sighted a good deal of scum moving west and north of their encampment. To stop their effortless moving, the commander has started sending ¡®cleaning missions¡¯ to make a safe route towards the road leading to them up north, from the rich residential districts. They left in the early morning, at 4:22 AM. Phesx Caolia boarded a truck and was put under Paul¡¯s command in his team. However, Em was on another truck, leading a team of his own, with that Le¨®n guy in it. They drove for a little more than an hour and twenty minutes before stopping. Phesx Caolia could see the field filled on the left, and a small piece of the road ahead leading from the rich residential districts to the worker districts, several kilometers from where the truck stopped. It was the only road leading to the western half worker districts and vice versa, with the helitaxi services once upon a time making their living from it, moving people back and forth. Reserves were damn costly. Always making Phesx Caolia wonder how his ¡®family¡¯ afforded it back then. To act fast, more or less knowing the criminals¡¯ hideouts, every soldier moved via hand signs and radio communications, not uttering a word. Phesx Caolia was the first to step down of the truck, forming a semi-line that protected Paul and the driver as they came out. After an initial scout around their parking zone, he stared at a distant Le¨®n, who seemed finally at ease. Lately, the guy had been seen annoyed, ever since the mutant was found out, and the encampment¡¯s ideas to check the northwest of the western half worker districts were delayed. ¡­ Chapter 18 — Following A Great Example Following A Great Example Phesx Caolia advanced first, lowering his presence as Paul hurried a little to the front. He walked in front of Phesx to lead the team of 6. Phesx Caolia followed closely behind, acting like a shadow, while the actual shadow behind him focused half the time on checking his body. Like this, the teams moved around a few buildings and staircases leading to the underground floors. Once they were ready, the team leaders gave each other a sign before starting a countdown with their team members. At the same time, every team turned their flashlights on and moved fast, entering or going down the stairs. Paul¡¯s team had to enter a large building. It didn¡¯t have many floors, but it was nearly 400 square meters, with very wide rooms, but then, it had smallish compartments around long, enclosed hallways. Phesx Caolia walked behind Paul, with another 3 moving into another direction. Feeling the rifle a little heavy, Phesx Caolia supported his right arm with a bandaged-strap to relax a bit. His guard was up, but if necessary, his reaction speed was affected. However, that was why he was following the best shooter in the team, and had a shadow behind him. 3 minutes after entering the building, Phesx Caolia heard footsteps in a room further ahead to their right. Furthermore, those were hurried, and were definitely not the weak, hungry steps of a refugee. He tapped Paul¡¯s right shoulder, making his shadow tense up. Phesx Caolia hadn¡¯t told anyone about his ¡®super¡¯ senses, but the shadow¡¯s purpose here was to protect Phesx Caolia. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t suddenly become a mighty figure, but his image around the encampment was important, at least until the battle for the Centralized Parliament began. Paul frowned but choose to listen to Hellcat¡¯s hand signs. He slowed his steps and headed to the indicated room. Paul instructed lights off before they could reach the door, and when he prepared to grand the knob, he placed Phesx Caolia as the second shoot, with the first being the shadow. The door opened. Immediately, the shadow moved into sight, leaning to the left and aiming high. He crouched as soon as he could, avoiding a bullet above his head, while a few night vision small goggles showed for a moment. Then, he fired 2 bullets away before Phesx Caolia supported him, firing into the room with lights back on. Bang- bang, bang, bang, bang, bang- ta rrrr. ¡°Ah!¡± - ¡°Waah!¡± - ¡°Sh-¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia was followed by Paul, who fired his submachine gun through the wall, making the enemy within panicked at last. They managed to sound a few shrills and curses before everything went silent and only bullets being fired continued. Paul entered 2 seconds after nodding towards Phesx Caolia. Phesx followed suit and looked at the fallen criminals, all wearing obscure jackets and jeans, and some very old rifles. None of them had a pistol, but they had 4 grenades in total. What¡¯s more, those night vision goggles. They were small, just like glasses, but thick. They were for short periods of use, but only within extremely dark areas. These could be used effectively, but using them too much would damage one¡¯s eyes permanently. Furthermore, their rifles were even older than the rifle model Phesx Caolia uses. Yet, they could still penetrate through walls, but these idiots didn¡¯t even think about it. They were either scared or believed they wouldn¡¯t be noticed. If they were given these many grenades, it was to stop them from keeping going further into the building. Knowing all this, Paul pushed a hidden button near his jacket¡¯s collar, ¡°Within the rooms, they have explosives and night vision. Use lights.¡± After notifying the rest of his team, Paul led their clique to continue forward. This time, they separated from each other¡¯s shoulders instead of following in a line. They didn¡¯t turn their lights off anymore, and tried to illuminate as much of the path ahead as possible. Their footsteps were almost soundless, making some criminal scum watching from slightly afar restless. They could see the lights moving, although the soldiers behind them were a little hidden by the lights¡¯ power, they saw a few shadows and movements from their free hands. After hearing the gunshots, they knew their companions were dead and didn¡¯t dare burn their eyes with those goggles and the soldiers¡¯ lights. ¡°!?¡± Yet, when they were trying to communicate without saying words, the soldiers¡¯ lights went out. Nothing sounded, scaring the startled criminals as their heartbeats unknowingly fell on someone¡¯s ears. When each of them tried putting their goggles back on out of instinct, a few heard light footsteps before them. One of them even questioned, ¡°Federico, is that you? Puta madre¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± Phesx Caolia hushed a word before using the knife on the scum¡¯s throat. The man yelped, making sounds with his mouth, alerting the other criminals. But that¡¯s when Phesx Caolia fired his small pistol at the criminal¡¯s abdomen. A loud ¡®bang¡¯ and a bright flash illuminated everything a little, letting them see their comrade with his neck held hostage, impaled and bleeding beside a static soldier¡¯s helmet. Bang, bang, bang, bang¡­ bang, bang! Phesx Caolia watched as Paul and his shadow gabbed onto a criminal and knifed their necks before firing with their pistols at the others nearby. It was a bit exaggerated, but the move was smooth and attained after exerting as much synchronization in just killing them as possible. Phesx Caolia grabbed his rifle from his back before aiming at another 2 scum in the dark, firing at the center of their backs, helping them fall to the ground earlier than they imagined. Things went silent after those 2 final shots. They turned their lights on and checked around, ensuring they were momentarily alone before reuniting where the criminals were grouped. There were even more grenades with them, and they were holed up behind fallen debris. They were heavy but small, allowing them to form a little wall. Next, they continued looking for more enemies in the rest of the building. The pistols¡¯ gunshots were much louder than the rifles or submachine guns, allowing the team¡¯s 2 cliques to figure out their positions if one of them couldn¡¯t communicate. After half an hour of more cleaning duty, Phesx Caolia came to know the other clique had a wounded, a bullet in someone¡¯s thigh. Medical attention was given, and the soldier could still go on without being shot an injection, but slower. Paul increased the pace of his clique, finally securing the wide rooms, before moving to the long hallways. Phesx Caolia followed in a line again, with his shadow behind, as they entered the dangerous zone. There were many rooms, each large enough to hold 20 people or so with their arms spread out. Who knew how much furniture or interior walls would be within them. They proceeded with caution but were still surprised when they had first contact. Bang, bang! Roll¡­ When they were just entering, they received shots from the long hallway¡¯s end, around the corner. The criminals only showed for 2 seconds before hiding. However, a metallic rolling sound constantly sounded after they hid, and after a light thump. Paul acted quick, stepping forth and firing his submachine gun at the grenade, slapping it away a few meters. Phesx Caolia¡¯s rifle was too powerful up-close, and the pistols had too much firepower this close as well. The shadow hurried Phesx Caolia towards a side of the wall and sat him down with his back against the wall. The grenade went in a sonorous ¡®boom¡¯ that slightly deafened. Barely seeing a few lockers and drawers to his sides in the dark after being sat down, Phesx Caolia took his bag out and placed an extra armor on his stomach before nodding at his shadow. The shadow hesitated for a second before following Paul as he slowly crouched towards the immediate room. Phesx Caolia was left behind to act as the sentinel, with his flashlight¡¯s strong mode on. He waited for the enemy to show up with a beating heart, feeling¡­ a little excited. It wasn¡¯t what he wanted, but he just couldn¡¯t stop the feeling. Paul finally entered at the first room, of which Phesx Caolia heard gunshots from. A little later, he heard Paul¡¯s voice in the radio, followed by his shadow. ¡°Clear!¡± - ¡°Clear.¡± ¡®Good.¡¯ They had no injuries and annihilated the enemy. Phesx Caolia looked at the corner at the end of the hallway, but it seemed like the enemy was fearful of stepping into the light. A few seconds later, Paul and the shadow walked out of the first room and went to the next. Bang, bang, bang¡­ ¡°!¡± When Phesx Caolia heard gunshots from it, this time some louder towards the end, movement happened from the end of the hallway. 2 people ran over with submachine guns carried by their two hands. Phesx Caolia aimed his rifle and shot, ending them in 6 shots with one of their heads blowing up. Step, step- bang bang, bang, bang bang bang! Thud, pac- roll¡­ boom! Phesx Caolia aimed around the corner, having just seen something from the corner of his eyes move. Even as he heard a grenade fall on the floor after the corpses, and he struggled to breathe in, he kept aiming there. Then, just as the grenade exploded, a person peeked out of the corner, only to have their head blown off by Phesx Caolia¡¯s anxious shot. ¡°Hellcat?¡± Hearing all that, Paul¡¯s voice sounded in their clique¡¯s radio. Those were many gunshots, and a fucking explosion. Yet, Phesx Caolia was busy breathing slightly heavily and smiling like an idiot before responding. ¡°Meow.¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Paul and the kitty¡¯s shadow looked at each other as they put the weapons and grenades in a box, falling silent and helpless¡­ Then, they smiled before crouching out of the second room. When they stepped out and saw the 3 corpses, 1 illuminated by the strong flashlight, Paul sent a thumbs up back, while the shadow slid the corpses towards the opposite wall. Then, they headed to the 3rd room. Phesx Caolia looked and listened attentively. Ta- rrrrrr. ¡°¡­!¡± This time, as the 3rd room also had criminals, and gunshots were fired, Phesx Caolia was surprised at being shot at as well. The criminals peeked their weapons around the corner, firing towards Phesx Caolia, or at least they thought they were. Having sat around a particularly fortified spot, with a few lockers covering his lower front, Phesx Caolia watched many bullets bounce from the floor and some land on the walls 3 to 10 meters away from him. Many hit the ceiling, as well. Phesx Caolia aimed at their hands, seeing it much clearer with a light blue sight, but didn¡¯t shoot at them. He waited as they fired and fired at him, attempting to, at least. A pair actually made it above his head, half a meter away, but close, making him raise his eyebrows. At last, when the 3rd room¡¯s gunshots subsided, and the enemy didn¡¯t even hear a gunshot from the strong flashlight, they just ran out of the corner with their submachine guns and rifles aiming upwards. They looked like crazed lunatics. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. However, they were sober. Although perhaps too dull to believe they took a soldier out just like that. Their eyes widened when they saw flashes go off behind the strong flashlight. ¡°Ahk!¡± - ¡°Sh-¡± - ¡°?-¡­¡± 3 people ran into the hallway. One had his mouth and collarbone holed by bullets, another was hit on his stomach and throat. The last one was accidentally shot at the left foot, with 3 bullets passing above his back. But immediately after, Phesx Caolia shot at his sides and head, leaving a pitiful corpse behind. It was even pushed away a few times. ¡°Phew, huff¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the mess he almost made¡­ before smiling. He heard Paul and his shadow report through the radio. ¡°Clear!¡± - ¡°Clear.¡± ¡°Outside clear.¡± Phesx Caolia pressed the hidden button of his jacket and reported as well. They exited the room and saw another 3 corpses, this time closer together. Paul helped slid them to the opposite wall before continuing, becoming more careful as they neared the end of the hallway. ¡­ Like this, room after room, the criminal scum were slowly executed. There were more than anticipated in just one building, but not too many. It was true that they appeared to have noticed them beforehand, when they exited their trucks, and some tactics, so to speak. However, instead of putting their numbers against just 6 soldiers, divided into 2, they set ¡®traps¡¯ to lead them in. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t work, these were trained soldiers, of which 2 were in the army before the civil war. However, it didn¡¯t matter. Phesx Caolia was constantly moved to other spots after the clique cleared out entire hallways, taking a couple of hours from the many little rooms around them. The other clique of the team cooperated, but they were even slower. In the end, the team finished their cleaning after the clock hit 8 AM. Reuniting outside with the other teams, in groups of 3 teams, Paul met with Em, which also meant that Hellcat met Lion. Le¨®n looked at him with narrowed eyes, and protruding, pressed lips. Ignoring him, Phesx Caolia held his rifle triumphantly, feeling it was a really good model. After the team leaders had a talk, they returned to their team leaders. Phesx Caolia looked at them from afar, before listening attentively as Paul explained to them. ¡°The teams underground have been forced to hole up.¡± Just these words made everyone alarmed. ¡°They don¡¯t only have equipment like that. There¡¯s something strange. They have more information that scum like them should have. We can¡¯t let our people behind down there¡­ But here¡¯s a quick heads-up. There were sightings of refugees below. Understood?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The team fell silent. That meant ugly things were about to be forced, either by sight, or by them. Phesx Caolia was the first to nod. Since he was the youngest and newest soldier, the others followed suit, echoing at the same time, including the shadow. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Ongoing,¡± Paul put his helmet on and said. Half his word was spoken out loud, while the remaining half was also heard in their ears through their direct communication. Paul tilted his head while facing Phesx Caolia, to which he nodded. Hellcat led the others with his shadow and Paul behind down a staircase. These were long. When they were halfway there, Phesx Caolia stopped. He didn¡¯t hear things, but if he knew where the soldiers had come from and had forced them to defend their little lives somewhere, he¡¯d know more will come to the rescue. With such obvious thoughts, they were the main plate, while the soldiers from before were but the appetizer. The team stopped, but one glance from Paul kept everyone quiet and not mouthing a single sound. As time passed, muffled gunshots were heard from below in the distance, carried by the enclosed subterranean zones towards them from other staircases rather than from outside. There were many, and as time passed, they increased in number more and more. The team grew restless, but seeing Hellcat not move a bit, they slowly regained their mentality. Paul also seemed to trust Hellcat, so they remained on the spot, but crouched and aimed at the sides down the stairs. Bang, bang- thud. ¡°Down!¡± After a couple of shots startled the team, including Paul and the shadow, Hellcat voiced in the helmet radio. The team went down in a rush, sounding their footsteps as they saw a corpse at the end of the stairs, barely visible. Did the Hellcat see that and immediately fired? The nerves to do that. Especially after knowing there were refugees down here. Step, step, step! Metallic footsteps sounded, making the criminals that were just hurrying elsewhere to help their comrades stop and look back. Phesx Caolia had just landed his feet on a step where he could see them before he rushed down while crouching, already firing behind the stairs¡¯ bars. ¡°Enemy sighted!¡± His youngish, stern voice sounded before his face was filled with the power from his rifle. His helmet helped him widen his pupils to aim at the criminals who were just turning around, despite the flashing and rumbling. He didn¡¯t even hear them rush away before, but was just ¡®lucky¡¯ to catch them like this. ¡°Down, down, down!¡± Paul voiced in their direct communication, as only Hellcat and his shadow advanced forth. The criminals began fleeing, leaving their injured comrades behind. As Phesx Caolia hurried to chase them, with his shadow still at the same level of stamina as his, he took his small pistol out and headshot the injured scum on the floor. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang¡­ There were more than a dozen just in the open, writhing or dead. His shadow tilted his head at the ruthlessness, but still followed his target. Meanwhile, the soldiers were just following down the stairs, when they saw a scary hole in the first kill¡¯s stomach. There were 2 gunshots back then, but the corpse had a wide hole in the abdomen. He didn¡¯t even have a gun, just a grenade, and seemed like a look-out. Looking kinda young, too. Phesx Caolia turned around a corner, entering a corridor leading to electric stairs and regular stairs upwards. He crouched, his small pistol sheathed, and fired at the heels of whichever criminal he could still see, before moving forward. The stop allowed his teammates some seconds to catch up. Even more after hearing Hellcat fire away. Hellcat was midway to the stairs when they entered the corridor. Paul and the soldiers rushed forth. He increased his pace after they joined him. Paul and the soldiers started feeling their stamina decreasing, but they could still go on. As they went up the stairs, the shadow put himself before Phesx Caolia, and rapidly received gunshots from fleeing criminals. The teams stopped and fired at them, downing a few before continuing the chase after checking equipment. Paul took the lead again, with the shadow beside him, and the other soldiers, including Hellcat, just behind him. They advanced, very quickly this time, reporting to the other groups of teams of their findings. Little by little, the teams were led towards similar places, somewhat near each other. It was the underground storage floors. Several stairs leading downwards later, and multiple corridors later, tiring more the criminals without equipment than the soldiers, they stopped near a large gate. ¡°STOP!¡± Paul shouted at the criminals who kept using an old-fashioned, huge radio and spoke to it with anxiousness. However, the gate wasn¡¯t opening. Paul glanced at the soldiers before nodding. Then, they made holes in the backs of the last several criminals. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang- ta rrrrrr- rrrrrrr- rrrrrrr! Phesx Caolia only managed to kill 1 and injure another one, becoming someone¡¯s assisting kill. When he looked at the culprit, his shadow, the latter was a little helpless. He was supposed to be here just to take care of Phesx Caolia¡¯s health and life, not to get into it¡­ ¡°Stop!¡± Paul yelled before checking the gate and walls. Looking at the cameras, he crouched and fired at them before rushing to the opposite wall from the corner they were at. When he gave the signal to follow, Phesx Caolia, who was crouched, rushed to his feet and ran after him. Marveling at the aim Paul had, he bumped onto the wall before his shadow and the rest of the team followed them. However, the other 2 teams stood against the opposite wall. Paul was still their leader, as he communicated with the other 2 team leaders before moving. ¡°Hellcat, there might be things ahead. You go, I¡¯ll protect you. Crouch, alright? Your shadow will be on my right.¡± Paul said after tapping Phesx Caolia¡¯s left shoulder. The latter looked up before nodding, sweating from his temples. Shadow immediately moved as Phesx Caolia crouched forwards, walking at a semi-running speed with ease. Some soldiers of the other 2 teams tilted their heads in a gesture, feeling a bit tired. It was good to have young ones, too. As for the team Hellcat was in, they were used to it, but they were also very sweaty. Their footsteps were more obvious now, with their equipment sounding because of them. Only Hellcat and a few other soldiers were as silent as possible. They neared the gate rapidly, but not too quickly. Phesx Caolia held his rifle beside his right knee, aiming a little diagonally low. Paul communicated with one of the teams, who had a better-than-good, decent technician, and made them move towards the panel control on their side of the wall. The team in question moved to protect the technician from the front and rear, while Hellcat led Paul¡¯s team to the corner of the gate. Phesx Caolia gulped down before rapidly looking back up at Paul. The latter voiced that he was doing well, so he turned his attention to the gate and tranquilized his breathing. The other team also moved to the other side¡¯s corner, waiting for the technician¡¯s team to work, and crouched. ¡°It¡¯s ready. Be prepared,¡± Paul whispered into their direct communication, synced to the 3 teams. Hellcat tensed his shoulders and spine, although he still bent it a little as he moved to the right. His shadow moved behind him, with Paul only lowering his presence. Paul was about to give the order, when he thought of something. He checked his team¡¯s position and the others¡¯, before making a pause signal to the technician. Then, he shouted ahead. ¡°Surrender now!! Whoever is inside can live if you arrest the criminal leaders and surrender your weapons! We know you have refugees-¡± Bang- ta- rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! ¡°!!¡± The soldiers were startled as heavy firepower sounded from within, with bullets making a beehive out of the gate. The trail of bullets followed the sides, a little further to the back from where the 2 teams at the corners were, and even the team around the technician were ¡®saved¡¯ from meeting. However, the hurl of bullets was met by a soldier protecting the technician, who was where he was supposed to be, but what seemed 3 rifle shots reached him, hitting her left arm and head. Her hair flew a little as the helmet was slightly pushed about. ¡°!¡± Paul and the others fiercely frowned their eyes, before he gave the order with his hand, previously signaling to pause. The gates rapidly opened, whereas Hellcat¡¯s crouching position allowed him to see whatever was inside. Tens of criminals with rifles and submachine guns, and hundreds of refugees in a vast storage room. Paul didn¡¯t need to tell them to fire away. There were refugees corpses before them, maybe shot down when the criminals suddenly raised their weapons to kill their saviors. Everything was dark, too. The lights weren¡¯t working in that room, with only some flickering lights. Hellcat lighted his flashlight¡¯s strong mode before aiming at a few nearby criminals, immediately aiming at those far away next. Then, he heard other soldiers firing away at the enemy, with submachine guns aiming at those nearest to them while rifles fired at those farthest away. However, even with the best situational aiming, there were downed enemies whose bodies didn¡¯t cover some refugees, and submachine guns who aimed at a slightly far target after just firing a small spray. More bodies that should¡¯ve fallen went down, including those from the soldiers¡¯ sides of Prequa as even Hellcat was shot on his right arm and elbow. However, they continued firing at the enemy, and unfortunately, at some refugees, too. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang¡­ Ta rrrrr- rrrrrrrrrr- rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrr¡­ Countless gunshots sounded, with Paul directing his team and the other at the gate¡¯s corner to advance. The criminals became too few rapidly, to which they rushed to some refugees, but were downed by the soldiers who abided Paul¡¯s orders the soonest, and shouted at the refugees to get down. Hellcat was one of them, as he went 25 meters ahead after a while, and just happened to see a criminal grabbing a mother and daughter, tender-looking but also abused. They had brown curly hair, their skin was tender white, and the little girl was maybe only 12. The mother was like a beast, trying to take the man¡¯s eyes out while his daughter looked at the soldiers, even at the one nearest to them, who looked as tall as most others. The man was very bulky and had a model-like appearance, with brown hair and white. He grabbed their hair with his left hand while moving his right arm to grab a gun on his side. He also ran to the side, trying to lower his body to cover himself. The man was counting on the soldiers¡¯ experience to get out alive. It wasn¡¯t difficult to realize his position should be high in his criminal group. Those in the highest seats fear death and loss the most. More than anyone else. Bang¡­ Phesx Caolia fired ahead, calculating with his ultra-shrunk eyes¡¯ contents, breaking off a piece of the man¡¯s nose. He stopped, stunned, and looked at Phesx Caolia with wide awake eyes. He grabbed his hostages close and perfectly covered himself, showing only his submachine gun through their hair. Phesx Caolia was so sensitive that he even saw the man¡¯s finger dexterously switch the safety off despite the hostages¡¯ head being so close together, and their hair covering most of his hand. Ta- rrr- bang, bang, bang! Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes were ripple-less as he watched¡­ hesitated. The submachine gun fired away, sending bullets his way. That served to help him decide, pulling the trigger thrice after immediately changing his rifle¡¯s mode, and throw himself backwards, but he still felt bullets reach his right leg. Thud- thud thud-¡­ thud. ¡°Hold your fire! Hold your fire!!¡± The storage room went suddenly silent after Paul¡¯s shouts as all soldiers watched the last criminal with a weapon die, but not alone. ¡­ Chapter 19 — Speed And Agility (1) Speed And Agility (1) ¡°Mhmhm, are you thinkin'' naughty?¡± The wonderful, mystical blonde smiled and turned her head around, looking at him with mirth in her brown eyes. He shook his head and hugged her from behind, stretching his arms over her pregnant, massive belly. ¡°I¡¯m only thinking. What will I do when I become president? Make a 10 kilometer tall statue for my first baby?¡± He said, smiling. The woman widened her eyes, ¡°Hmmm?! First?! You want more?¡± ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re the first,¡± the man said, caressing her head. The woman¡¯s eyes dropped, becoming so annoyed. ¡°Tsk! You¡¯ll see. My turn comes first, then yours, if I feel like it. Then¡­ oohohoho, our daughter will form a dynasty!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how it works-¡± The man commented, but she turned around and glared at him. He stopped and surrendered, lifting his hands in the air. ¡°But it could work.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± The woman harrumphed before walking forward, not forgetting to take his hands so they could feel the little thing, getting impatient to come out. The man followed suit, gluing to her as they walked to the endless white. Behind them was a beautiful lady. She looked a little old, but striking and strict. However, only they knew how much presence she¡¯s had over the past years of their lives. What¡¯s more, she would become their daughter¡¯s nanny, whether she wanted it or not! The man looked back, feeling her stare. She looked at him, not smiling a lot, but showing hints of it. Then, he suddenly felt his hands grab soft, comfortable, cool air. He looked to the front, but his wife was far gone, disappearing far away, with a flatness on her stomach. ¡°!¡± Luis Heartez woke up, nearly sitting up as his eyes abruptly opened. His hands were near his chest, like a mummy, which he relaxed after waking up. His body sweated, and he felt his hair all wet. He stared at the ceiling for a second, then 3, 10, and 15 seconds at last, before his eyes hurt like hell. Tears spilled out as his hands turned into fists, and his belly jerked. Blinking, trying to clear the pain and tears away from his eyes, he only felt more pain in the chest as the last memories emerged one after another. ¡°Uf- hah¡­¡± Luis placed his wrist over his forehead before slowly forcing his state. He may start another day with another headache, a bad one, but he had to now be decisive. Reminding himself he could be determined, his eyes changed. Luis looked at the ceiling with a will only he could act upon. *** ¡®No, let me wake up. Let me wake up, let me wake up!¡¯ ¡°GASP.¡± Phesx Caolia lifted his eyelids and welcomed light into his light black eyes. He was being dragged backwards, with his lower body semi-limp on the floor, and hearing muffled voices as the blurriness disappeared. At least, the total blackness wasn¡¯t in his mind anymore. ¡°Put it in, now¡­!¡± One of the voices came from Paul, while another, from Em, sounded while giving orders to others. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened, and his eyes concentrated as he saw a medic aim a syringe to his right shin. He painfully retracted his leg, sounding like bones wrongly placed together, and stopped the startled medic¡¯s hands. Paul stopped dragging his body, while the medic glanced between his light black eyes and Paul¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t need it,¡± Phesx Caolia said, trying to lift himself up, using Paul¡¯s hold as support. The medic was about to say something, when Paul beat him to it, ¡°Ok, but calm down! You¡¯re bleeding still!¡± ¡°Mfhh!¡± Phesx Caolia groaned softly before freeing himself from the hands under his armpits. He turned himself to the right to face the ground and pushed down with his left foot. Tumbling to the left, he leaned on the wall. That was when the surrounding sounds became better audible, and to him, overly sensitive. ¡°WUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡± - ¡°Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy!!¡± - ¡°More medics over here!¡± - ¡°Shit, they had it the worst here¡­¡± - ¡°So, you were brought here with mom, eh? And, where is she?¡± - ¡°Right¡­ over there! Why are you bringing me away? My mom, mommy¡­!!¡± ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia frowned deeply as he struggled to turn around, but failed and had to support his back on the wall to rest. He breathed, realizing his organs weren¡¯t shot, but they were still weak from his previous injuries. ¡°What?¡± Phesx Caolia asked Paul, who leaned on his left. Paul looked at him and moved his head in gestures before finally finding something to say. Paul took a long breath in, ¡°They tried to take the lights out everywhere, but¡­ I have no idea. They either received wrong information, or didn¡¯t know how this subterranean area worked. They fucked themselves up with their goggles and the lights in the corridors.¡± ¡°We¡­ cough, managed to notify the other groups, but ours and another 2 received heavy casualties. There were more scum here than in the oth- hey!¡± Paul shouted as Phesx Caolia stubbornly moved his body back into the garage room after a fit of coughing. Phesx Caolia walked past many refugees and some soldiers from the other groups who came here after the situation was reported, probably by Paul. He gave it no importance, and when he stepped back inside, he looked up at some lights and the ceiling that was shot and broken apart. Giving those a brief glance, Phesx Caolia calculated with his eyes and weakened, hurting mind before returning to the place he suffered the most. Before arriving, with the other flashlights and some illumination from the corridor, he could already see 3 corpses. Phesx Caolia walked until he stood before them. The little girl had bullet wounds on her jaw, cheek, and neck, making a rough mess. They were all from a clearly less potent weapon than Phesx Caolia¡¯s rifle, and were caused by the criminal¡¯s submachine gun. However, she had a large wound on the right side of her head, while her mother had one on the left side of her head, both starting from the middle of the forehead. Meanwhile, the bulky man had a huge wound starting from the upper bridge of his nose to both sides of his forehead. Exploded into a gory mess. They were lying on the floor on their right, seemingly impulsed by something, probably the man wanting to fire away, use them as shields, and run away somehow. Pat. Paul placed his hands on Phesx Caolia¡¯s shoulders. Before he could speak, Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes seemed able to identify colors again. He looked around at all the dozens of corpses, and then at his body. His right leg began bleeding. It wasn¡¯t that much, but he was already weak and feeling wobbly. ¡°Let us go back first. Reinforcements have been confirmed, so we just ought to rest before returning. Come, I don¡¯t want to bring a dead boy back to the camp. Miss doctor Sofia would make me accompany you.¡± Paul slowly helped Phesx Caolia move away. ¡°Where¡¯s my rifle?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, lowering his head. His eyes slowly became vacant as his whole body relaxed through the pain any other would agonize over. Feeling tired, Paul said, ¡°It¡¯s back at the truck already. Come on.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Phesx Caolia lightly nodded. It was the last thing he would say before leaving the subway, unbeknownst to Paul. As they walked, a long path back up, Phesx Caolia saw images around him of soldiers, refugees, and equipment being moved. It seemed like the whole company had focused on this part of the subway. When they arrived at the surface, Paul slowed down, helping an already limping Phesx Caolia who seemed to show no signs of pain with his head lowered still. Paul remained silent after noticing this, looking ahead where their truck was. A few moments later, Hellcat seemed to notice something. He lifted his head, indifferent and exhausted, only to see the team¡¯s truck with 8 people moving around, waiting for them to come. When they neared, one of them immediately shouted. ¡°Feeling sleepy, kitty?!¡± Those weren¡¯t from the same team, but of the same group. Phesx Caolia looked at Paul and asked, ¡°What happened to the rest? That medic wasn¡¯t one of our groups¡¯ team members.¡± ¡°They were all killed in action, along the technician. 8 in total. It¡¯s a¡­ ¡®good¡¯ number when you consider the number of enemies we faced. Unfortunately, many refugees¡¯ lives were¡­ ¡®used¡¯ at that moment.¡± Paul quickly whispered into Phesx Caolia¡¯s face, just before the group of soldiers barged towards them. ¡°How you feelin¡¯? Not good? Ah, can¡¯t run anymore, ey?¡± - ¡°Too tired, kitty? Want us to lick your leg for you?¡± - ¡°Hahahaha.¡± - ¡°Hey, did you not know cats don¡¯t fall on their backs? Nearly died there! 8 more to go, right. But that doesn¡¯t mean you can just waste them, kid¡­ Seriously.¡± ¡®Ah, what a coping method. Just like Paul.¡¯ Phesx Caolia looked at these fellas who wouldn¡¯t stop shitting him, even those who also received gunshots, and looked at Paul. As if to confirm his thoughts, Paul looked at them and blurted, ¡°I know, right? I even saw a wound at the back of his head, and he was bleeding a little. Maybe he¡¯s lost 7 other lives on the way here.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Bwakakahaha!¡± The soldiers laughed it off, simply bashing their attitude to Phesx Caolia, who remained bent over with pain. He struggled to stretch his neck, and even stammered a little in the beginning before voicing at them, ¡±T- then, since you¡¯ve still got energy left, use it to bandage and put cream on me first!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone went silent, even the team Em led behind them. They stopped whatever shit they were saying or doing and looked at him. Then, smiles appeared before their bellies shook, ¡°Hahahaha¡­!¡± Thus, Phesx Caolia was brought to the truck and stripped off his pants, also taking his jacket and shirt off while placing a curtain around the truck to cover from the incoming black clouds. When Paul was about to put cream on his leg¡¯s bullet wounds after taking a couple out of his body, he hesitated. In the end, he lifted the cream with its lid covering it, and warned. ¡°This is one of the most painf-¡± ¡°Just put it on. Sofia has been doing that since months ago. It won¡¯t matter much to me,¡± Phesx Caolia groaned, interrupting Paul. The latter lowered his eyelids, narrowing them, before slapping some yellow cream on Phesx Caolia. The burning, stabbing sensation like multiple scalding red needles and mini flamethrowers torturing his body began again. Soon after, Phesx Caolia was bandaged from his right foot to his neck, focusing on the right side of his body. The bullet in his arm and some at his right thigh were taken out beforehand, although the others left his body when he was shot. It still took a heavy toll on Phesx Caolia. Even with his ¡®self-medicated¡¯ body, Phesx Caolia knew he might¡¯ve fucked up his recuperation. When it was late morning, the sky was all gray, and a rather decent rain descended. The trucks became the immediate hospital tents, where many soldiers and refugees were attended. The medics weren¡¯t too experienced, but it was ¡®enough¡¯ to deal with gunshots. Simulating the nearly coming night so soon, Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t feel like sleeping. He laid on the truck, with the other 8 fellas and Paul also on it in their sleeping bags. Only he and Paul were on the floor, while the others sat or lay on the seats, sleeping or keeping a bit of guard around their truck. There were patrols outside, but as they experienced today, a bit more isn¡¯t too much. ¡°I think I was too hesitating.¡± Phesx Caolia softly voiced. Paul, whose eyes were closed, smoothly opened. He smirked before uttering in a low volume, ¡°At least you¡¯re talking about it. Don¡¯t blame you-¡± ¡°He was aiming at you and my shadow. I tried to see if I could move, changing his aim just a little. I was successful, I believe. But it was still¡­ I tried doing what you would. Save everyone, not just you and the shad-¡± ¡°That was enough,¡± Paul muttered. The 2 other soldiers sitting near the rain looked at them when they first spoke, but returned their attention outside right after. Nevertheless, Phesx Caolia was shut up. He leaned his head on his pillow before lightly exclaiming with a little nod, ¡°Mn.¡± Paul saw the light black eyes finally give it a rest. He felt tiredness looming over him, then, heavy eyelids. Before he knew it, he was falling asleep. It was too damn tiring and emotional trauma for everyone, not just Phesx Caolia. His team had the ¡®most¡¯ survivors, but they also did the most. And now, many experienced soldiers seemed to believe in a little someone with an alias of Hellcat. When Phesx Caolia felt his body waking up a little, the truck was started, and the movement of the truck, bumpy and a little to the sides before joining the long, paved road, comforted him. Feeling too good, and like he wouldn¡¯t have a bad sleeping time, he kept his eyes closed and soon fell asleep again. ¡­ Phesx Caolia was like a kitten, the small animal kind, as he lay in the middle of the seats, with the other soldiers woken up and reminded of their day. Half of them received gunshots, while those who didn¡¯t were either physically overly tired or mentally drained. ¡°Hey, time to wake up.¡± A tired voice sounded in his ears as he felt the back of someone¡¯s hand push his cheek. Phesx Caolia opened his eyes to look at a tired soldier with his helmet off. The expression made him wonder if they felt sober now and were no longer as close as a few hours ago. But then, the soldier teasingly smiled, ¡°Or¡­ don''t tell me you really liked being carried, princess?¡± ¡°Tsk!¡± Phesx Caolia threw his head the other side before forcing his body to sit up. He suddenly stopped as the other soldiers looked at him, just staring. ¡°Ouch.¡± ¡°Pfffft!¡± - ¡°So smaaart! Blwaaah!¡± - ¡°Hahaha. Nice one~!¡± After they teased the young boy, Paul exited the front of the truck and picked Hellcat up in a stretcher, also modded with thicker equipment. When Phesx Caolia saw he was being brought to Sofia, already waiting with a soldier holding an umbrella for her, he felt a little helpless. In the distance, Le¨®n seemed pleased at last, seeing the state Phesx Caolia was in. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here,¡± Sofia said to Paul, who saluted at her and nodded before stepping back. The soldier beside Sofia wanted to push the stretcher, but Sofia didn¡¯t let him. She took the umbrella from him and put it at a corner of the stretcher. The umbrella broadened as Sofia brought the young boy to her cave. ¡°Am I in trouble? Aunty?¡± Phesx Caolia said, nearly spilling out ¡®big sis¡¯ instead. Sofia looked down, about to respond, when she saw his indifferent, vacant eyes. ¡°Sigh. Later.¡± Phesx Caolia exhaled from his mouth, a little humorously. He watched as the umbrella turned slightly transparent, letting him see part of¡­ the rain dropping on its roof. When they arrived at Sofia¡¯s office, she helped him sit down before checking his bandages. She only left one at his leg and the one in his arm open before bringing contraptions to inject his body with liquid cream. Then, she gave him a good ol¡¯ hot chocolate. As he drank a hot drink, something anyone injured like him shouldn¡¯t do, internally or externally, he became pensive. Noticing this, Sofia waited at the side, sitting on the same stretcher. The sounds of the rain were muffled by a little mechanism. Sofia showed him a control remote before asking, ¡°Would you like to hear it more this time, or none at all?¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Phesx Caolia immediately nodded. Sofia returned the gesture before making the sounds of rain a little louder. Phesx Caolia straightaway felt a bit more at ease. His body also welcomed coldness, but not a sickly one like he has felt since waking up. ¡°One was a little kid, like me, but younger. The other the mother,¡± Phesx Caolia commented. Sofia¡¯s eyes softly opened, trembling a little at first. She looked at him, holding his left wrist with just her fingertips, not going further to hold him. ¡°They were held together, very cleverly¡­¡± His voice wasn¡¯t faked anymore, sounding semi-broken and soft, and without any spirit. Sofia lightly pressed her lips together, looking at his stomach or the floor. After a bit of coughing, Phesx continued, ¡°I tried doing everything and couldn¡¯t in the end.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not to blame.¡± Sofia lightly whispered. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t react and just went on, ¡°I should¡¯ve acted first, and quick.¡± Rustle~. Sofia softly threw her arms around his head and hugged him, letting him near her warmth and careful hold. She placed her right cheek atop his head, wrapped her arms around his ears, and covered the back of his head. Phesx Caolia felt very safe now. Tears streamed down her cheeks, holding the young boy whose face remained¡­ vacant. His lips opened slightly to breathe in and out, while Sofia¡¯s nose became a little difficult to do the same with her sobs. Her face scrunched up beautifully as she cried, hugging the impassive young boy tightly close. Those light black eyes went back to that moment. The steps he last made on the floor before having achieved the desired result and making the man run to his left. The man¡¯s footsteps as he was led by Phesx Caolia¡¯s movements. Hellcat had aimed and was ready to go, but he was still bested by the man, who immediately fired towards him while moving. Phesx Caolia fired his rifle, seconding the man, putting a hole in his head with all his senses and something within him writhing. The man and the little girl tripped. The hand holding the submachine gun was affected by the headshot impact as it moved to the left, unnaturally, pushing the trigger even more. Bullets went into the little girl¡¯s neck, followed by the submachine¡¯s recoil, forcing more onto her jaw, dislocating and throwing pieces of her anatomy away, followed by her cheek. Her nose and lips were broken apart as blood profusely stormed out. The mother looked with terrified eyes, shocked and heartstruck. Thus, Phesx Caolia acted quickly, but later than supposed. He fired his readied second bullet to the girl¡¯s head, followed by doing the same to the mother, before throwing himself backwards to receive the incoming bullets. The girl was no adult, so those injuries in the neck were lethal. The dislocation and dismembering of her jaw were even worse off, but with her neck penetrated, and her nose destroyed, with no lips, her daily life would be a hell. A shot in the head. As for the mother¡­ Who could live after seeing their child suffer like this? Phesx Caolia surely didn¡¯t know for personal experience, but he had seen far too many other families die in the encampment out of hunger or sickness that were considered nothing before the civil war. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes¡¯ contents bulged a little without his eyelids moving. He tilted his head to rest on Sofia¡¯s left shoulder, falling into a more comfortable position. Although he didn¡¯t like the skin-to-skin sticky sensation, his tired body felt rested. . . . 1 month and 3 weeks later. After the heavy situation near the end of the 5th month, the encampment sent 2,000 soldiers to deal with the criminal scum holed in there. 2 tanks made their appearance, cleaning and scaring the shit out of the scum like they never thought in their lives. There were also 6 carrier helicopters, larger than ordinary choppers, carrying hundreds of soldiers across the battlefield every day. With these, and the fury of the encampment¡¯s military zone, an entire district was cleaned after several weeks. Paul, Em, and many of the kittens Phesx Caolia has talked about life with went to fight them a few times. Some returned with injuries, but others were very careful, supporting the special forces whenever possible and remaining safe. Dealing with such scum, rushing at them was the same as asking to be blown up. They had an insane amount of grenades and other sticky explosives, enough to kill at least 2 soldiers if placed together. Their weaponry was perhaps deplorable, and their tactics useless with no strategy, but they still knew how to move around, costing time to the encampment¡¯s forces. At last, the enemy was taken care of, with whatever bits were left fleeing through the centralized avenue, the largest and widest roads in Preut, and maybe even in the world. Phesx Caolia would welcome them a little each time they returned. He heard that Le¨®n also went to fight the scum once, before never coming out of the military zone again, very cowardly. Meanwhile, Phesx Caolia advanced in his recuperation and experiments with Sofia. Today, just a few hours before departing to his fourth mission after healing up, he went to Sofia with Lisa. Sofia told him to arrive at the office before leaving with his little experiment partner. He was about to join another mission. After the scum was forced out, a week and several days ago, the encampment has been restless, sending experienced platoons to scout in advancement. The encampment¡¯s goals were clear, to increase their range of influence. Who knew where and how many millions of refugees were hidden in the fields or destroyed districts after all this time? Few escaped this disaster because of so many irregularities. Thus, with many soldiers having hopes of finding at least a known civilian, the number of volunteers was high. Now, the only thing that mattered was the experience they had. As for Hellcat, considering how close the battle for the Centralized Parliament seemed to be, and his ever-growing reputation in the military zone, his petition to join the next advancement scouting mission was approved. What more to fill one¡¯s record, and continue ¡®going on¡¯, but to keep oneself busy? ¡­ Chapter 20 — Speed And Agility (2) Speed And Agility (2) ¡°I brought her, aunty.¡± Phesx Caolia spoke to Sofia, who ignored them after welcoming them in. Sofia waved her hand backwards, saying, ¡°That''s alright. You can go. Leave us ladies alone. Go to your mission, errand boy.¡± Phesx Caolia looked at Lisa, who looked back at him with an innocent pout, and shrugged before politely smooching her forehead. Then, just before he left, he groped her butt and slapped it. This left Lisa with a blushing face and a delicate pout. After Phesx left, she tiptoed towards the scary, ¡®high-end¡¯ doctor. Sofia hurried her and grabbed her over, making Lisa yelp before showing her the monitors. Lisa looked at them and frowned, not understanding anything. ¡°I¡¯ll say it out clearly, you don¡¯t need to come here again for ¡®that¡¯.¡± Sofia hid her excitement as she told Lisa this. However, Lisa was dispirited. Seeing that, Sofia blinked before smiling. ¡°Let me finish. Your IUA has shown some results, look here. Does this image look similar?¡± ¡°I remember it. It¡¯s similar to when I was diagnosed of it. Is there anything different?¡± Lisa frowned a little less, squinting her eyes. Sofia had a sad expression before changing it for a congratulatory one, ¡°It¡¯s here. Phesx¡¯s semen has been directed and maintained here after¡­ coitus. Now, this is the original one from back then. See?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Lisa opened her delicate lips, widening her eyes as she held her tummy. There was a chunk of her womb where the damaged tissue was repaired! ¡°Here, you can use these from now on to continue the ¡®treatment¡¯. It¡¯s still unknown if it will work in this way, but that¡¯s why we can keep experimenting, right? You should petition to exit the household. I heard Em feels lonely lately.¡± Sofia said, blinking and making Lisa feel contented. Nearly bursting tears out, Lisa held her mouth with her right hand before asking, silly and confused. ¡°Eh? If Phesx knew I would be out of the previous experiment, why did he keep touching me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sofia looked at her, helpless. Lisa pouted and blushed a bit more. Sofia shook her head and admonished her, ¡°Little girl, you have to start respecting yourself. No more lewd thoughts around men. Don¡¯t think you can do whatever you want when you¡¯re just recuperating.¡± ¡°Mn!¡± Lisa nodded, vowing to let go of her ¡®old¡¯ life. Of course, this was something that a whole other person in the world, Phesx, wouldn¡¯t nor had to deal with. ¡­ As he walked into the administration facilities, he saw 1 truck ready to depart. Paul wasn¡¯t promoted, nor was Phesx Caolia, but the former¡¯s status was clearly different to a few months ago. In this important, advancement mission, he was to lead a full team, while Phesx Caolia was also to lead one, albeit smaller. They were a full platoon of 24, packing the truck to almost the limit with their military bags and some extra equipment, heavy and lethal. Some machine guns were put at the side, ready to install them after arriving at a bridge. Just as Phesx Caolia walked to the truck after signing up at the respective administration facility, he found Le¨®n walking nearby, targeting him. Phesx Caolia just continued walking without saying anything, but felt his military bag become heavier out of nowhere. He looked back. Le¨®n was pulling on his tent with a slighting smile. Phesx Caolia stopped and turned around. Le¨®n kept smiling before voicing, ¡°I heard you¡¯re going for the instructor position, too? What can a child who can¡¯t even melee others teach the new recruits? Learn your place, no?¡± ¡°What. Have something to say?¡± Phesx Caolia ignored those words. Le¨®n dropped his eyelids halfway before crossing his arms. He stood before Phesx, nearly chest to chest, but that was only because of his elbows nearing Phesx¡¯s chest. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Le¨®n said with a firm tone. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting here to see if you¡¯re really going to ever be considered an instructor. Whether you believe it or not, my aim has improved, and my status in my team is growing. Soon, I¡¯ll be a team leader. What about you? Still riveting in your 1st class promotion? Can you at least show you can be of help to others? If not, then don¡¯t think being stupid will get you far!¡± ¡®¡°Ugh.¡± Phesx Caolia lowered his head and flicked his forehead, feeling dizzy with this stupidity. After his pause, he gave Le¨®n a look before gesturing towards the platoon he was joining. ¡°Something tells me you wouldn¡¯t dare take my place right now if I offered it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Le¨®n went silent with Phesx¡¯s words, but he wasn¡¯t finished. ¡°You know, those sounds might sound well anywhere. But they are shit coming from your mouth.¡± Step, step, step. With that, Phesx Caolia turned around and dragged his head around in the air, resuming his walk to the platoon. Le¨®n was left behind, wordless. His slightly opened, silly-looking mouth closed, pressing. His eyelids scrunched, looking a little vicious¡­ ¡°Hey!¡± - ¡°Welcome to the field, kitty.¡± - ¡°Mn, came to down it to 7, then?¡± Phesx Caolia met his old comrades getting up the truck, already honed by experience, as a few of them had bullet scars from nearly making a nest in their limbs. He looked at the last to greet him before shaking their hands brotherly. ¡°I¡¯m fine with 8.¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± A few comrades laughed, with others shaking their heads. The kid had returned, and he became more resolute. Just what he needed to continue. ¡°You¡¯re all cute, but listen now.¡± A man walked to the rear of the truck, grabbing their attention. Phesx Caolia sat on a seat beside Paul as every soldier in the platoon looked at their warrant officer, leader of this platoon. ¡°The road to the north is clear. We¡¯ll check in with some brothers and sisters on our way there. Our objective is the road leading to our side. We¡¯re going to start a blockade that¡¯ll help the encampment gain control over the worker districts, the western half first. Now, I¡¯ll delegate you. Make use of your expertise, because I¡¯m not choosing you by your pretty faces. They don¡¯t match, anyway.¡± The officer began giving each team leader their team members before selecting 2 team leaders to act as squad leaders. Paul was one of them. Em wasn¡¯t here, relaxing from some wounds he suffered on his feet and was recuperating for the following 2 months. Phesx Caolia was given 2 soldiers under his command to lead a team, both belonging to the team he worked with before. He was the last team leader to be named, gaining him a few shoulder slaps and cheering. There were few female soldiers in the platoon, but they were as brotherly-sisterly as the others. ¡°Now, both squads will bring a little toy to the sides of the bridge. We¡¯ll start there. No matter what, it¡¯s the highest structure, so unless a warplane comes, we¡¯ll be safe from snipers.¡± The man continued. A soldier raised his arm. The man stopped and pointed at him. The soldier nodded, ¡°What if it¡¯s a tank?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll see it from 10 kilometers away, soldier.¡± The man disappointingly responded before resuming, ¡°The orders are to impede any movement coming from the west. Unless they are thin and walking with weak steps and wearing tight clothing, nobody can get close.¡± ¡°You know your training. Now, understood?!¡± The man loudly questioned his soldiers. They yelled in response, ¡°Yes, sir!!¡± ¡°Aight, good boys and girls. Enjoy the wind.¡± The officer said, leaving them baffled as he entered the front of the truck. ¡°Qu¨¦ mierda.¡± A soldier exclaimed when the officer went inside. The window to the front opened, with the man¡¯s voice sounding, ¡°I heard that. 1 hour at the rear. Go!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia was left speechless. That was one of his soldiers. The squads were divided into 9 soldiers. Paul led a team of 6, with Phesx a team of 3. The other squad had 4 teams, the squad leader led a team of 3, while the others were all teams of 2. Paul was about to touch Phesx¡¯s knee with his own, when Phesx Caolia stood up and reported, not requested. ¡°I will take his place, sir. He¡¯s my soldier.¡± ¡°¡­Aight, commendable! Half an hour!¡± The man went silent, while his face could be seen scrutinizing Phesx Caolia from the front. He then said before closing the back window. Phesx Caolia nodded before sitting at the rear. However, he really liked it. It was like the ¡®strong¡¯ wind helped him breathe. ¡°What Hellcat? He¡¯s a cerberus, look!¡± Someone whispered. Phesx Caolia grinned, feeling bullied a little as his soldiers kept a straight face, but even Paul laughed it off. The other soldiers watched as Phesx Caolia hugged his rifle and took his helmet off, letting his slightly long male hair wobble everywhere. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡­ Hours later, with the soldiers turning their asses to sit at the rear, not daring to put their bags in that place, in case they flew away, they neared their destination. They departed at 4 AM, more or less early. Along the way, they ate some dry cookies, and drank a bit from their canteen. The rain was toxic, and will always be, but they were fine. None had plagues, as the last person to suffer one had those blackish tentacles sucking inside near their butthole; was confirmed clean for the mission a week earlier. Now, all that was needed was for them to complete their task. While a bit of rain descended on them, they didn¡¯t need to cover themselves, allowing their canteens to be rapidly filled. As such, well-fed and not thirsty, they stepped down the truck at nearly 7 AM. Phesx Caolia brought one of the machine guns with him, while the other squad hurried down to meet with the hidden soldiers nearby. Paul¡¯s squad waited at the truck, with the warrant officer¡¯s team of 6 chatting them up. The officer selected the veterans on defensive points to be under his command, while the others had notorious survival and cooperation skills. At last, they saw a few soldiers appear atop the broken buildings around them. They analyzed each other before the fake debris was pushed away, giving the truck a clear, open path to the road connecting both districts. The truck advanced slowly while the squads and the officer¡¯s team protected it. There were many cars left behind, forming smallish paths that required very slow movement, making their first step towards their objective one that tested their patience. The numerous tall buildings around were emptied, but a rat or nimble cat can always sneak in. However, they didn¡¯t have time to go up and down those tall, wide buildings. They had to follow and secure the truck, as all the heavy ammunition was in it. They had limited explosives, but those could be very useful, too. Phesx Caolia and his team weren¡¯t the fastest, as they needed precision instead. But they had the most stamina in the platoon. Paul used them to snake their way between long alleys made by several vehicles, securing their weak spots. Meanwhile, the team at the truck checked their rear and always high up at their sides, wielding some small but precise rifles to counter snipers from up-close. In short, their power wasn¡¯t as potent, but it could work still. Like this, hours went by, all spent walking with their heavy military bags and weapons, checking every spot they could afford to take a look into. Phesx Caolia began sweating when his wet clothes met with the heated sun and clear sky after a cloudy morning. ¡­ The bridge they were to secure a defensive line at the very least for a week was just a bit over 100 meters from the worker districts¡¯ perimeter into the road. It was the tallest in the road, and it was built to supervise the traffic speed and in case an accident occurred. It had a rising platform so the workers could attend to it if something happened to it. Now, however, while it still had some equipment there, it had been deserted, with most of the road filled with cars. When the civil war broke out, tens of thousands of people were forced to flee on foot, not just here, but at every interconnecting road in Preut between districts. One could only imagine the immense disorder back then. After exiting the district and entering the road, they all got into the truck again. Phesx Caolia and Paul were at the front of the back of the truck, watching the few kilometers-long road ahead. At least until Paul frowned, ¡°Strange. Not many cars were pushed away. Some criminals or preis should have done it.¡± ¡°Any of the two?¡± Phesx Caolia, whose sight was a little higher up, turned to Paul and asked, feeling funny. Paul nodded, knowing what he was thinking. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve found indications that Prei and the scum are actually in cahoots. Who would¡¯ve thought?¡± ¡°How so?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, thinking of how it all started for him. Paul tilted his head to the right, biting his upper lip, ¡°We saw some refugees talk with hiding criminals and others before they began fleeing. Although they were routed, part of their retreat seemed organized. Then, we interrogated a few people, and they detailed us the ¡®newcomers¡¯ appearance. It all points to those prei.¡± ¡°Hmm, so a maybe-maybe.¡± Phesx Caolia craned his neck and said, returning his attention to the front. Paul nodded, feeling a little exasperated, ¡°Well, yeah.¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯re here! Get down and get working!¡± A few minutes later, with the truck stopping before the rising platform, like a ramp, the soldiers came down the back with their warrant officer¡¯s orders. Phesx Caolia and Paul were the last to step down. After everyone else walked down, they pulled a few hooks on the floor, from a couple of small indents, before getting down the truck. The floor everyone had walked on let out some steam before it became loose. Some soldiers began sliding it out and down of the truck to act as a support, while others took things out of the hidden compartment and slid them down the floor-ramp. The remaining soldiers picked them up and separated them. They were organized and barely exchanged words. It looked like they¡¯ve worked together for long, but this was just etched into their militarized minds. Not only Phesx Caolia and the squad leaders helped, even the warrant officer and his team cooperated. It was already afternoon, and the sun would start a shade of orange in this building-less part of Preut. They didn¡¯t want to work with the only lights in the road telling others where were they, and what they were doing, even from more than 10 kilometers away. While Phesx Caolia was no technician, he basically became a bit of a supervisor as he accommodated the machine guns and advised the working methods of some soldiers. Of course, he further helped his team, wanting those credit points going to him even more. Another hour went by, with the soldiers growing a little bothered. Thus, the warrant officer let them rest. It was too late, after all. They could send word tomorrow about the defensive line being established. At this moment, Phesx Caolia and Paul walked side to side as the world turned orangish, although not that much. There was still time before that magic beauty nobody cares about. ¡°So, I heard you did present a form to become an instructor?¡± Paul asked after sharing their serious thoughts on kittens out of boredom. Phesx Caolia vacantly nodded. Paul grinned victoriously before tapping Phesx¡¯s back. ¡°See? I knew you were made for this. Now, we¡¯re talking. You¡¯re younger, but there should already be talks of your promotion to corporal.¡± ¡°Hm. It shouldn¡¯t be that easy.¡± Phesx Caolia commented, just to be polite. Paul widened his grin, ¡°It¡¯s nothing crazy, you know? Promoting after gaining this much population was your luck, but your subsequent moves were the encampment¡¯s luck. Even if small, I know a piece of our fellow soldiers¡¯ rage when we were counterattacked back then came from your part in it.¡± ¡°Alright, then.¡± Phesx Caolia shrugged, not giving it second thoughts. Paul suddenly became serious, though. ¡°But to become an instructor isn¡¯t the same. Well, it is ¡®here¡¯, in the encampment. But in the army as a whole, it is nothing but guiding new recruits.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re being selected to become special forces¡¯ instructors, you know?¡± Paul commented after his speech, sounding playful. Phesx Caolia stopped and tilted his head rightwards, looking at Paul ahead. ¡°That¡¯s where we¡¯re going?¡± ¡°Hahaha, you get it, at last.¡± Paul returned and slapped Phesx¡¯s shoulders, hugging them. Walking together, he looked ahead and preached to the young boy, ¡°There are instructors who help the seniors when new recruits join the army. They were the ones to be recognized.¡± ¡°Sure, you could, as an ¡®assisting¡¯ instructor, educate the new recruits, even yell at them. Personally teach them, advise them, and guide them, but it is the senior instructor who brings all the attention, memory, and credit to themselves.¡± Paul sighed a bit profoundly. Phesx Caolia looked at him, realizing of the desire Paul had towards a profession like this. ¡°As for you, with a few touches to your approaches, you could be rapidly recognized by Prequa¡¯s military camp before the big battle. You¡¯ll have a solid position and no longer be seen as cannon fodder in the ¡®big and high¡¯ peoples¡¯ eyes.¡± Paul said, but as soon as he finished, Phesx Caolia shook his head. ¡°No, I won¡¯t do that.¡± Paul was taken aback. Phesx Caolia lightly smacked his lips open, ¡°I tried doing your way, Paul. But it¡¯s not me. I tried because I wanted, and now I¡¯ve seen. My way is very different. I don¡¯t know what could be, or what will I end up like, but that is what I have to do.¡± ¡°Whatever it is?¡± Paul asked, understanding, and showing his comprehension. Phesx Caolia looked at him and ever so slightly nodded, ¡°Whatever I am.¡± ¡°¡­Welp, just make sure that little head of yours doesn¡¯t grow cocky, mm?¡± Paul warned before grabbing Phesx Caolia¡¯s neck and hooking it with his arm before rubbing the top of his head. Phesx Caolia let it happen, helpless at melee, and also not really bothered. They were walking atop the bridge. It had a ramp connected to a small pathway in the middle of the read, with only those coming from the worker district able to drive into. The ramp was more than 100 meters long, leading to a very tall base supported by a few, strong columns at the sides. There was a small path leading forth for several dozen meters before it stopped, where most of the reading equipment and electrical systems could be checked and repaired. Its lateral sides were 50 meters wide, or so, with their length wholly covering the road¡¯s width. With this, the entire road was supervised once upon a time, but now, it was a solid blockade in the making. Phesx Caolia and Paul were near the ramp, on its northern side, on the right, as the world around them turned orange, and the sun was no longer a hot mess. Just as they were walking further into the northern side, Phesx Caolia stopped and stiffened. Below, the warrant officer held the truck¡¯s radio with a frown. Interference made it really difficult to understand, but because of the other side¡¯s anxiousness, he didn¡¯t remember how protected the truck¡¯s radio is. For it to have interference when all clouds left the zone several hours ago, it had to be something causing it. ¡°¡­ crsshhh¡­ we didn¡¯t see it before! Y-¡­ gotta- now!¡± The warrant officer frowned, not understanding as he shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t understand you, what is- huh? Is that a chopper?¡± Chuff, chuf chuf chuf, chuff chuf chuff chuff¡­ A large helicopter barely showed as the man looked outside the truck and upwards. It was distinctive mostly because of its contrast with the setting sun, but it was so large that it seemed just a few dozen meters from the ground, when it clearly wasn¡¯t. However, that wasn¡¯t the only thing that was in the air, flying, and very, very fast. Phesx Caolia tackled Paul down, barraging his left heel at Paul¡¯s right shin, and with their arms on each other¡¯s shoulders, falling to the ground with him. At the same time, the warrant officer felt like time stopped, as a warhead appeared just before him, larger than his torso. BOOOOOOOOOM!!! ¡­ Chapter 21 — Speed And Agility (3) Speed And Agility (3) Phesx Caolia heard rockets exploding everywhere. He held his head with his forehead harshly pressed onto the ground. His eyes shut tight, and his heart beat to immense degrees he never thought possible. Phesx even wondered if it was normal, for it was too fast! He dared not move, dared not do a single thing even as the bridge trembled, threatening to collapse. Up above, in the helicopter drawing near, after bombarding several places, mostly targeting the worked defenses the platoon half-installed. A man in the pilot seats shook the pilot¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t hit the bridge! Are you deaf? Keep it steady.¡± The pilot said nothing and just flew the large helicopter above the bridge, searching the few figures they saw atop before the bombardment. There were 4, 2 belonged to Phesx Caolia and Paul, while the other 2 were the ¡®lookouts¡¯ behind the machine guns. The latter had no defenses and were there just in case. Now, as the enemy, whoever it was, suddenly attacked, they were hidden by the smoke from the explosions below. Phesx opened his eyes, maddened. He held his nape as he laid his belly on the ground. He wouldn¡¯t move, not matter what, he wouldn¡¯t move; he wouldn¡¯t move. ¡°Agk!¡± Paul voiced before Phesx Caolia, whose eyes momentarily darted towards him, felt this body pulled forwards. Then, he felt his back covered as the thin, sharp, whispering sound like a sci-fi weapon heating up tingled into his ears like drills through mud. Trr- krrrrrrrrrrr¡­ Phesx Caolia and Paul were the only ones seen through the smoke as the helicopter hovered above them. A small barrel moved about before aiming directly downwards. It fired away what could be considered a small spray, but enough to annihilate any platoon holed up behind a wall or under some trenches. The sound nearly deafened Phesx Caolia, whose hearing became so sensitive he could feel the faraway wind affected by the helicopter. However, something else also entered his ears, shocking his trembling eyes as the heartbeats of someone on top of him became disordered. Phesx Caolia might have completely forgotten the audacity one must have to ¡®cover¡¯ themselves from aerial units atop a large bridge, but Paul didn¡¯t. After the spraying bullets receded, with the helicopter moving backwards, trying to make some distances to push the smoke away and see, Paul groaned and moved a little to let Phesx Caolia also move. ¡°Paul¡­!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyesight cleared as he looked ahead. All he saw were small holes, seemingly from gunshots, penetrating deep into the ground. They were everywhere, more abundant than a heavy rain on dry land, and much more unstoppable. Realizing something, he moved a little to let Paul down. Sure enough, he had 7 gunshots all on his back. His thin armor did nothing to stop them. Blood was coming out of all of them, obscuring his military jacket. ¡°Quiet¡­ it down,¡± Paul complained, reminding Phesx Caolia of all the things he should and shouldn¡¯t do. He nodded and brought Paul to the border, where a few concrete walls were more than enough to hide them. He left Paul with his back against it, sitting down, before going to the wall next to it, on the right, and put his helmet on. ¡°Huff, huff¡­¡± Phesx Caolia and Paul breathed hard, Paul because of his pierced lungs, and Phesx because he was scared the hell out of his mind. Chuff, chuff, chuff, chuf chuf chuf¡­ The helicopter rapidly cleared the smoke, making short work of it a few seconds after Phesx Caolia hid Paul and himself. He muttered under his breath to his helmet while Paul did the same, but he couldn¡¯t keep the helmet on for long. Phesx Caolia exchanged glances with Paul, before both looked down at a few dozens of soldiers moving towards the ramp while the helicopter dropped them from the air. A few nods later, Phesx Caolia and Paul prepared their rifle and submachine gun. ¡°¡­contact!¡± Suddenly, an enemy shouted. A second later, gunshots were exchanged, with the helicopter moving to the southern end of the bridge, on the opposite side. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes hardened, and his breath began evening out. ¡°Quork, hide! Wait until I tell you to.¡± A few seconds later, feeling extremely pressured, Phesx Caolia calmed a little down as he kept hearing gunshots but heard no barrel heating up or firing. He relaxed a little as the gunshots became a little less intense below. They were just about 24 soldiers, while the enemy were who knew how many dozens. The part that became less intense came from his comrades. The enemy kept firing as intensely as before, and uniformly. Phesx Caolia looked at Paul, who stared ahead with his back against the wall and his open mouth. Paul looked at him, giving him a few glances, while a frown never disappeared from his expression. Paul moved his legs, bending them a little, perhaps the only limbs of his body he wasn¡¯t feeling direct pain from. They were both waiting until they had to act, restraining the impulsiveness surging inside their hearts out of fear of dying. ¡°!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened to their fullest as he suddenly began leaning on his right butt cheek. He heard, from a small clique of the enemies, who were going up the ramp, someone whisper while the majority remained below to take down his comrades. ¡°Hey, is that one of them?¡± Bang, bang bang bang- tr- rrrrrrrrr¡­ Just as the soldier made the others¡¯ heads turn, Phesx Caolia hung himself from the upper corner of the wall. With a resistant strap holding him around the corner, his head showed up laterally before he fired, immediately injuring one of them in the abdomen. Immediately after, Paul peeked out while still sitting, painfully stretching his body, before firing away. The enemy spread out before lying prone, but they knew that wasn¡¯t enough. They slowly moved upwards, trying to at least find a common ground in between. Phesx Caolia saw their mouths move through his shaken light black eyes. He fired a few more times, immobilizing another enemy by shooting their right leg off, before feeling invisible needles prickle everywhere around his body. He no longer peeked out. Phesx kicked the wall and took the strap back before landing on the ground with a roll. Phesx lowered his body until only his shoulders were up against the wall before a hurl of bullets went his way, including those from the large helicopter. ¡°Aaggkk!¡± Phesx Caolia covered his head and nape with his hands and wrists. Dust went off everywhere, and his butt felt the vibration from such. When he felt a familiar sensation on his lower back, dangerously near his spine, he groaned and shrilled. Paul looked at this in distress before firing at the enemy, bravely stepping forwards. Phesx Caolia groaned and shut his eyes before forcing himself to sober up. Although he frowned hard, he picked his rifle from the ground and loosened his small pistol¡¯s holster. Preparing to welcome the incoming enemy, his chest rapidly moved up and down, semi-hyperventilating. He didn¡¯t see that Paul got another 2 shots on his chest as he downed a few more enemies, decreasing the firepower his wall received. Focused on the moment, Phesx Caolia spoke into his helmet just a few seconds before the enemy stood on the same level as them. ¡°Quork, use that thing!¡± Phesx Caolia hoped deep in the bottom of his heart that his soldiers would listen to him. Quork out of a wall, hiding from the helicopter, to the machine gun, while someone from below, who was under heavy fire by the still dozens of enemies below, threw a flash grenade to Quork¡¯s back. Prrtrtrrrrrtrtrtrrrrrtrtrr¡­ ¡°Get cover!¡± - ¡°Shit!¡± - ¡°Aaaaah! Out of the way!¡± - ¡°Kill them off first! Kill them off!¡± The enemy reacted to the machine gun sound. To the despair of the last few soldiers below the bridge, whoever they were, the enemy suddenly rushed into their holed up refuge. ¡®Paul?¡­ Paul¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia looked back to see if the signal was given, only to see what his ears heard a few seconds ago, but he ignored. Paul¡¯s chest bled near his shoulders, leaving him very pale but still holding his submachine. Furthermore, noticing Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes, he nodded. And as if to corroborate, a soldier shouted from below. ¡°For Prequa!¡± The soldier¡¯s shout startled the others, who had rushed into the refuge. Not only did a few of them rapidly died because of that, they were suddenly surrounded, with soldiers hidden below a wide car suddenly coming out. However, they weren¡¯t surrounded, and it was only one soldier. Yet, instead of feeling relieved, the enemy anxiously hurried to shot him down, as he held a rocket launcher aiming upwards! ¡°Get out of the way! Mooove!!¡± The large helicopter¡¯s pilot heard from a radio just as he fired their machine gun at Quork, whose back became gory and his body stuck against the weapon. Pfwssssssshhh¡­ The rocket flew up, breaking the soldier¡¯s hands on its recoil. But that wouldn¡¯t matter, as his head and back were riddled with bullets half a second later. The rocket went up, faster than any enemy below could raise their weapons. As for those coming up the ramp, they were hurrying to finish Phesx Caolia and Paul before helping their comrades below, unaware of the rocket launcher. The rocket flew high up, somewhat slow in Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes. It looked stable, but it started shaking. Then, it arched backwards, looking like it would miss the tail by several meters. Phesx Caolia felt dispirited, as did Paul and the other soldier at the machine gun on the north side of the bridge, the only ones remaining. But then, the rocket shook again, inclining head-up into the helicopter from its lower rear. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Huh?¡± - ¡°What the-¡± The pilot cabin reacted with heads turning backwards in less than half a second, only to see a fury of fire and debris already condensed into action. BOOOOOOMMMMMM!¡­ ¡°Fuuuuuck!¡± A shout sounded from below. Although they just finished the last Prequa soldiers on the ground, their helicopter was blasted into fire, forcing them to get into cover again as the rotor and its tail arched downwards. They fell towards below the bridge, endangering them. Bang- bang! Meanwhile, atop the bridge, with the enemies soon to be ahead, and knowing Paul was still there for him, Phesx Caolia crouched and rushed to his right, aiming at the incoming enemies. He surprised them before they could step onto the same height, finishing two of them as their necks were shot and more than halved. Leaving only holes and small chunks behind. T- rrrrrrrrr, rrrrrrr- bang, bang, bang! Bang!! Phesx Caolia felt at ease upon hearing Paul¡¯s submachine gun and watching 2 of the remaining enemies coming up tumble backwards. They didn¡¯t immediately die, wearing thick armor on their torsos, but they were injured. Phesx Caolia fired his rifle a few times, dodged, before lashing his pistol out of his holster and aiming it at 2 enemies who rushed at him, intending to bash him down with their rifles. Their shoulders and necks suffered the heavy, close-up firepower from the small pistol, stopping one like a shotgun shot him square on the face, while making the other trip face down. Phesx Caolia held his rifle high again and fired away at the remaining 2 ahead, who were already firing at him. Pftie, pt! Bang, bang, bang, bang¡­ ¡°Mffk¡­¡± Phesx Caolia groaned, feeling his abdomen shot after he crouched and fired his rifle again. His helmet emitted little sounds, saving him from sure death, as he shot the enemies¡¯ knees before cracking their necks and collarbones open with massive firepower. They lasted a few seconds but could only reach Phesx Caolia on the abdomen with a rifle like his, and not a shitty one. Phesx Caolia walked forward after dealing with them, keeping his rifle hanging from his left shoulder, and took his small pistol out again. He passed by the enemy who tripped, tightly holding her neck and bleeding, before shooting her in the back of the head, letting her hair become bloody and stiffen with a ¡®bang!¡¯. Then, he walked to the other two who were also dying, although with more time than that female enemy. He aimed at their napes from below before also crushing their brains. Below the bridge, the enemy heard the gunshots, especially after they finished sooner than expected. They started coming out of their hiding spots one after another as the gunshots continued. Bang, bang, bang. Bang, bang, bang. Step, step! Phesx Caolia aimed his rifle again, this time at the 2 who were tumbled backwards at the beginning, and destroyed their faces from up-close. He did the same to their stomachs before turning to look at Paul. Phesx hung his rifle over his right shoulder before rushing to him. ¡°Hey, hey, hey¡­¡± Phesx Caolia knelt before Paul without his helmet, whose eyes seemed cloudy. Paul grinned, knowing what Phesx¡¯s just done, with blood clogging some of his chuckles. For now, Paul didn¡¯t care, he was just¡­ it was enough to see the boy alive still, albeit wounded already. ¡°No, you hey¡­ Hey, take care of that- of those wounds,¡± Paul feebly said, sounding so weak. Phesx Caolia took his right hand with both his palms, bending over as he felt him going away. Paul smiled charmingly one more time before saying, ¡°But more important¡­ hey, take care of my sister, are you listening?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re not making me marry her, are you?¡± Phesx Caolia responded with a frown after a second, sounding so soft. Paul frowned, putting on a stern face. ¡°What the hells are in your head?¡± ¡°No- nn- not the moment!¡± Paul struggled to say, barely able to breathe. Phesx Caolia closed in, folding his left arm as he grabbed Paul¡¯s hand tightly. With his other hand, he helped Paul do the same with his right arm, saluting each other as the life went out from those obscure, striking black eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia heard no sound coming from Paul¡¯s mouth again before his hand lost strength. It fell with a ¡®plop¡¯ on his bloodied military jacket, and a relaxed, unnatural bent head and neck on the wall. Putting his helmet on, he somberly notified the other soldier alive. ¡°Shell is down.¡± No one responded, but no one should. Phesx Caolia looked at the remaining soldier under his command, and who responded to his call with just beeping sounds, in case they had to keep silent. After the sudden bombardment and massacre, only they remained. Phesx Caolia grabbed Paul¡¯s submachine gun¡¯s strap before putting it around his left shoulder. His head was a little lowered as he walked. It was night. Even then, with the flash grenade from before, and the striking, breathtaking sight of a large helicopter becoming pure fire of destruction, his vision and senses were fine. More than fine; perfect. It also meant he could still see them at the sides, behind, close to the touch; in the dark. Phesx Caolia gritted his teeth. He grabbed his rifle with his right arm, slowly holding it with one arm alone, making a forceful stance to do so, and grabbed his small pistol with his left hand. Then, he walked to the other end of the bridge before sliding down the rope. ¡®So what if they¡¯re watching?! Might as well walk around them¡­ with them¡­ I must not be seen. I must not be seen. I must not be seen.¡¯ Phesx Caolia went down the rope very slowly. Meanwhile, the other soldier maintained his position at his machine gun, while the enemies formed squads and advanced up the platform. The stage changed, advanced, and morphed. ¡°Move closer together, y¡¯all know.¡± - ¡°Okay, I see no one. Wait! What¡¯s that?¡± - ¡°Oh, is the dead one reported before.¡± - ¡°Mn, there should be anoth-¡± The enemy talked between each other as they came up the ramp and noticed Paul¡¯s corpse. Bang, bang, bang, bang- trrrrrr! Phesx Caolia fired at them from below, making holes in the back of an enemy¡¯s thighs and upper back, before barraging with bullets at everyone with the submachine gun with both hands. Then, he threw a flash grenade at them before the enemy could respond. He was just behind them! Below the ramp! ¡°Aah, fuck! Get him!¡± - ¡°Go, go, go!¡± - ¡°Help Oscar, treat him!¡± - ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± - ¡°After that hijo de puta!¡± Phesx Caolia hid within the night as he heard each of their footsteps. His eyes a little narrowed and indifferent as he put a mod on his submachine gun before lying down on his stomach. The enemy rushed down the ramp, separating into 4 squads, 2 to the left and 2 to the right, all with their flashlights on. They yelled and fired a few times into the air, wanting to scare him. ¡°Come out~! We can let you live, you know?¡± - ¡°Surrender and you¡¯ll be interrogated!¡± - ¡°Come out, perra! Come suck my balls, pinche rata!¡± Phesx Caolia kept his eyes closed and his calm. He sent his thoughts into memories as a squad neared his position underneath a van. After they passed him, cursing as they went, Phesx Caolia opened his eyes and tickled the ground with sharp clicking noises coming from his fingertips. A minute later, an enemy walked nearby. That was all he needed. Fwuomp- rustle- thud- pfshk- pfshk, pfshk, pfshk, pfshk¡­ Phesx Caolia rolled out of the van, bumping into the enemy¡¯s right foot. He looked down, but before he could voice anything, Phesx Caolia¡¯s left hand hit the back of his knee with his knuckles. Overpowering the enemy, Phesx Caolia kicked the solar plexus with his right boot before the enemy fell on the ground. Immediately after, Phesx Caolia kicked his jaw from below, gracing his neck, before stabbing the enemy with his hands, placing all his fingertips together, at the sides of his neck. Time and again, he stabbed and stabbed, painting the pavement and dirt with obscure blood. After watching the enemy¡¯s eyes tremble no more, Phesx Caolia rolled off and grabbed a jacket from below the van, placing it on the enemy¡¯s back, hidden underneath his armor. He left after checking a small device control in his jacket¡¯s pockets with his weapons in hand. Ten seconds later, the enemy¡¯s squad went to his position, somehow tracking a radio or something else with him. They were a little well-organized as they walked to their fallen comrade in formation. ¡°Go check it.¡± - ¡°Boss?¡± - ¡°Go!¡± After a command, an enemy walked out of the squad and shook in fear as he neared the fallen comrade. However, after touching the corpse¡¯s chest a few times, nothing happened. He sighed in relief before turning back, ¡°It¡¯s safe, boss!¡± ¡°Okay, grab his equipment. Even if it got damaged, it¡¯ll be of use when we-¡± The leader walked forth with his rifle down. He spoke words that were like bells to his subordinates before an intense red light went off below their fallen comrade¡¯s back. Kaaa- kkaka kkaka kkaka! Boooom! A tremendous, reddish shockwave spread around the squad before an explosion took place. Everyone was stunned-shocked before they received the full brunt of an explosion. The flaming red lights spread across below the bridge, startling the other 3 squads. Phesx Caolia, nearing another squad from their side, watched as they turned to look backwards. He was glad he didn¡¯t follow them, or he would¡¯ve been seen now. The lights were too intense that it revealed everything beneath the vehicles. Hellcat aimed the submachine gun and fired at their feet, everyone stopped after the commotion. Lying on his side, he did his best to launch the full magazine onto their feet and ankles. The submachine gun fired as it was held strongly between the ground on the side and Hellcat¡¯s chest, reaching the squad he targeted. ¡°Ah!¡± - ¡°Aaah!¡± - ¡°Fuck!¡± - ¡°Take- cuaagh!¡± The enemies fell to the ground after Hellcat impaired them. He crouched up and reloaded, somewhat panicky, before partially showing himself to the squad. The nearest enemy saw him before begging with tears. ¡°Wait, wait, wait! No, no, no- don¡¯t-¡± Trrrrrrr¡­ Bang, bang- trrrrrr, bang, ptf ptf ptf- trr, bang! Trrrrr¡­ Hellcat was seen and shot at by others¡¯ rifles. Phesx Caolia aimed at them and emptied his magazine, killing them along their comrade, who was choking on his blood as his neck became mangled. Taking cover again, Hellcat went behind some cars as the bullets followed him suit. The enemy was injured, but they could still use their bodies, and their spines were perfectly fine. Some of those bullets grazed his shoulders, back, and thighs, making him stop from the sheer pain before resuming. A few also made it to his forehead or the back of his head, reflected by his helmet, and thanks to this rushing body behind the cars. After reloading his submachine gun again, Hellcat stopped behind the side of a trailer¡¯s front, and opened fire at the helpless sloths on the ground. Another 3 went down, but this time, Hellcat received a gunshot on his abdomen. The shot impulsed him backwards, trying to hold onto the front¡¯s side. The shot was mostly taken by the thick armor he wore, but it still superficially penetrated his body. He turned around and fled, throwing a flash grenade backwards, before rushing back into their view. This time, however, he had his submachine gun in his right hand, with multiple straps forcing it solid, coiling around his right arm, and his small pistol in his left hand. Trrr- bang! Trrrrr- bang! Bang, bang- Trrr¡­ bang bang! Phesx Caolia jumped over a car after spraying another enemy to death. Then, as the others aimed their guns at him, still affected by the flash grenade, he rushed between them and fired his pistol to instantly kill an enemy in the chest. It wasn¡¯t enough with the small pistol, so he put the submachine gun¡¯s barrel on the aperture the small pistol created, and released half a spray inside before departing from their view with yet another flash grenade. ¡­ Chapter 22 — Speed And Agility (4) Speed And Agility (4) ¡°Oaaaaah! I can''t see- I can''t see anymore! Heeelp Haaaaghh!¡± - ¡°Someone go grab Dany already! He''s fucking nuts- agh, my eyes!¡± - ¡°We are in fucking danger, retards! Get it together, argh!¡± - ¡°Shut the fuck up, Dany! Shut up!!¡± - ¡°AAAAAH! Please help, help, heeeelp!¡± - ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UUUP!¡± - ¡°The others are coming, hold o-¡± - ¡°I ca-a-an''t! Bwaaaaah!¡± - ¡°I''ll fucking shoot you if you don''t fucking stop! Pendejo de mierda!¡± Hellcat watched from a hidden spot as they went on, slowly growing reckless and irritated with each other. ¡®The preis I had met were like them, organized, but they were at least disciplined. These only look trained a bit¡­¡¯ Hellcat narrowed his light black, dull, indifferent eyes as he kept a pose with his rifle aiming at them on another trailer¡¯s front, waiting for the exact moment. When he found it, his eyes lighted up a little, and his breathing stopped. He aimed at the blinded young man, or boy, and fired. ¡°No! Don¡¯t you dare shoot him! Stop it!¡± - ¡°HEH HEH! Watch me!¡± - ¡°Enough! Try doing that and you¡¯ll be next, cabr¨®n!¡± - ¡°Are you fucking serious?! He¡¯s just useless-¡± - ¡°Try me then! Try me!!¡± Bang! ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± There was silence. The enemies looked at each other before facing the one who threatened Dany first. They stared at him, but the man only felt wronged. He trembled and sweated, barely forming a thought of realization. ¡°No, you see-¡± Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Hellcat was about to shoot again, when he saw the scene before him unfold. Before he could kill his enemies, they started killing the life out of each other, entering confusion before anyone knew it, but still engrossed in it even after recognizing their mistake in silence. ¡®How predictable.¡¯ For the first time in his life, Phesx Caolia looked at something so¡­ ¡®alive¡¯ without feeling any bit of emotions and reactions he¡­ absorbed from others. 4 seconds later, the infighting stopped, with the other 2 squads rushing here. Hellcat finished off 3 enemies writhing on the ground with his rifle, making the squads coming here startled, thinking they were being targeted before realizing they were not and resumed their push. Meanwhile, the leader of the squad, easily identified by Hellcat, felt despair as his last comrades died around him, but he had to press on his neck¡¯s wounds. ¡°You know, 2 bullets to the neck and still moving¡­ You are lucky. I guess you¡¯re an adult, and these are all growing still¡­ You are no military people.¡± Hellcat softly spoke at the leader before aiming his small pistol at the head. ¡°No, wait¡­¡± The leader spoke softly, a white, slightly overweight woman whose helmet went off at the cost of bleeding a bit more. Hellcat paused, giving her weakened eyes light. ¡°Pleeease, there should be a way to let me live. We can talk, and I¡¯ll surrender. Can you let m-¡± Bang! A head was burst open, leaving a portion of it looking inhumane, with a part of the brain bouncing within the crushed skull, and spilling out as it hit the ground. Hellcat looked back, calmly and indifferently, before crouching and walking away at a regular pace. ¡°Over here!¡± - ¡°No mames!¡± - ¡°Check the area!¡± - ¡°No need, he¡¯s there!¡± - ¡°Over here, sir!¡± As soon as the enemies arrived near, they started delegating orders, somehow. Hellcat was hiding near a wide car, when a female, young voice sounded, yelling towards him. He didn¡¯t look back to know it was one of the enemies checking everywhere around each other like their lives depended on it. ¡®Grr.¡¯ Hellcat picked his rifle up on his right arm, beside the strapped submachine gun, and rushed about between the vehicles. Several gunshots went his way as he heard footsteps disperse and trying to net-surround him. Their sound crashing on the cars numbed his scalp. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Trrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrrr¡­ ¡°Look for him!¡± - ¡°Find him!¡± The 2 enemy squad leaders commanded before they separated. Of course, they didn¡¯t go paths away, simply choosing different paths through the vehicles, not following each other carelessly. Some had their pistols out, with 2 flashlights, 1 aiming ahead and the other below. ¡°Fuu, fuuu¡­¡± Hellcat lightly breathed out before accommodating his rifle between the lower end of a fallen bike¡¯s seat and its steering wheel. He held it with his left hand while accommodating his torso beside the frontal wheel. Preparing his right arm to aim at whoever came running towards him. Then, when an enemy walked between 2 large trucks, he pulled the rifle¡¯s trigger. Bang¡­ There was silence again, accompanied by the sounds of someone struggling to walk, support themselves on one of the trucks, and finally fall down with no further movement. ¡°Around here! Gwen is down! Her head- shit!¡± Hellcat heard before numerous footsteps moved around him. His eyes widened as 2 enemies showed around the corner, where he aimed with his submachine gun. He immediately fired, but only scared them, forcing them to take cover. ¡®Too far away!¡¯ Hellcat fiercely frowned, gritting his canines harshly before standing up. He dropped a grenade beside the bike before feigning retreat. The enemy who shouted rushed after him after seemingly communicating with those 2 Phesx Hellcat scared. Bang- boom¡­ When he jumped over the bike, as expected, Hellcat, who was aiming prone behind a car, shot the grenade 16 meters away. The enemy¡¯s torso and groins disappeared, leaving only his legs and part of his arms and neck falling from the air. The head seemed to implode from the shockwave flow, but the helmet was okay. Hellcat stood up and turned around, but just then, a tall, slightly bulky man without helmet approached him from behind. A knife cleaved towards his left shoulder. Hellcat¡¯s eyes widened beneath his helmet before using his helmet to stop the man¡¯s strike. He succeeded, but the man grabbed his helmet and forced Hellcat into a lock where Hellcat couldn¡¯t free himself. Hellcat brought his joint fingertips to slice the man¡¯s right armpit, but just then, the man¡¯s left hand moved like a snake before pushing against Hellcat¡¯s stomach on the left side. Then, it fired the pistol it held, instantly breaking apart the thick armor covering Hellcat¡¯s ribs, nearly getting to his heart. It happened too fast. ¡°Blarghh!¡± Phesx Caolia jolted his body upwards, just a little. The man grinned before lifting his aim. Hellcat lifted his helmet just a bit, feeling like vomiting, just like when he brawled the mutant. The only difference being¡­ he now knew what he was capable of. While the man tried to shoot Hellcat¡¯s heart next, feeling how weaker the soldier¡¯s body became, Hellcat opened his jaws and lunged at that arm¡¯s nook. Immediately, the man¡¯s eyes widened, his hand dropped the pistol, and Phesx Caolia munched on flesh, broken bones, and blood. ¡°!¡± - ¡°!¡± The man looked with fear into the light black eyes, barely visible behind the helmet¡¯s visor. Phesx Caolia looked at the man, feral and infuriated, with insanely frowning eyes and scrunched nose. Hellcat ignored the pain from the man¡¯s arm¡¯s bones stabbing his mouth as he turned his head. Pfsht. When the man seemed about to scream for help, Phesx Caolia¡¯s left hand stabbed his under chin, stunning the man when he felt fingers drill into his tongue and mouth. Phesx Caolia gained enlightenment as he thrashed his fingers about, destroying the man¡¯s tongue as his eyes rolled backwards. But he was still conscious. Cajj cajj cajj, kggh- tear~~, crgsshh! Hellcat let go of the man¡¯s under chin before moving those claws, spreading before clawing at the man¡¯s torso. The armor barely lasted before all that remained was flesh and blood, all turned into a mess. Even his bones looked like clay before Hellcat sobered up. Looking at the lifeless, played corpse on the ground, Phesx Caolia breathed heavily for a few seconds before picking his rifle up with bloody hands, lowering his presence. After he walked away, other enemies arrived and saw the corpse, growing terrified. However, Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t even reach 10 seconds hidden, when he felt several flashlights aim at his body. ¡°There he is!¡± - ¡°Get him!!¡± Bang bang bang- trrrrrrr rrrrrrrr! They didn¡¯t waste time and opened fire at Hellcat, forcing him into more tight places as they chased him, but he disappeared from their eyesight, as did their gunshots. Hellcat crouched but moved faster than them. Finding a person who was searching for him from the back, Hellcat looked at his victim¡¯s nape, crouching towards them until he was 8 meters before them. Then, he pulled the trigger and rushed towards the falling corpse. Bang-¡­ thud- booom! ¡°What the hell was that¡­?¡± One of the remaining squad leaders turned around after seeing the chained explosion of grenades nearly 100 meters behind him. More and more enemies congregated around the area, shrinking their searching zone. Feeling more danger, Phesx Caolia stood up a little, but still remained crouched. He momentarily ignored his submachine gun, aiming high with his rifle. Like this, he snaked through the vehicles as he chased, avoided, and cut tails from the enemy. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Turning around corners, looking below vehicles and seeing feet, any time Phesx Caolia saw someone ready to be shot at, he pulled the trigger. Bang, bang, bang, bang! ¡°!¡± The enemy grew restless as they heard more and more gunshots near but far from them. At first, they were far away, but now that they shrunk their searching circle, and received fewer reports from comrades, they felt their bodies begin hyperventilating. Fear and aberration was forming deep within. Little by little, as they could see each other from across small distances, they also caught sight of Hellcat¡¯s moving body. But it was too fast for them, physically tired and mentally drained. When one chased a butt and bent back moving past them, a few tens of seconds later, believing they were close to catching him, another gunshot and grenades explosion would prove them otherwise. ¡°To hell with this!!¡± When only 3 enemies remained, from a number Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t aware of even now, a person shouted before rushing out of the area below the bridge. The other 2 were left speechless, one was a young woman, and the other the last squad leader. ¡°Hey, come back here! Nobody will believe whatever the whores you sa-¡± The squad leader became enraged and shouted, feeling their enemy was soon to find his limit. Even if 60 of their lives was the cost, it would be a glorious feat of killing the enemy¡¯s greatest talents. But then, he felt a presence behind him. Maybe it was luck, but it was also too late. Before the enemy squad leader could physically react, Hellcat placed his left hand around his neck, already piercing his neck, while supporting his rifle on the enemy¡¯s right shoulder. Hellcat aimed at the young woman who hadn¡¯t noticed while breathlessly muttering to his helmet, ¡°Do it now.¡± Prrrr trrtrtrrrrtrtrtrrrrrr! The machine gun atop the platform suddenly sounded. The enemy who was fleeing stopped and threw himself to the ground, scared for his life. Meanwhile, the squad leader Hellcat held shouted at the young woman, while the fleeing enemy seemed to notice something. ¡°Behind you, he¡¯s right behind me!!¡± Bang! The man¡¯s voice was grotesque, shouting through Hellcat¡¯s fingers, which vibrated at the motion. But Hellcat still shot the young woman. Unfortunately, his blurry sight and weakness ruined the shot, with the bullet passing by the young woman¡¯s helmet on the left. Bang bang bang bang!!- Trrr! She stumbled but picked herself up as Phesx Caolia squeezed harder. Yet, after so much, his grip was too loose. The man separated himself from Hellcat, gaining an even worse injury. He took his pistol out, a medium type, and fired it. But even as Phesx Caolia fell just behind him, the man¡¯s aim was focused on the ceiling. He could barely even move his limbs, let alone think well. As the gunshots landed on the bridge underside, Phesx Caolia locked the man¡¯s neck with his arms and used his legs to attempt locking the man¡¯s arms. Just then, the young woman aimed her submachine gun at them before opening fire. Phesx Caolia silently groaned. A bullet hit his neck somewhere. He couldn¡¯t tell where, but the sensation was obvious, and just present. It was clear she didn¡¯t want to harm the squad leader, as she let the recoil go all-out before throwing her weapon away. While she rushed towards them, the dizzy man freed himself before Phesx Caolia¡¯s legs could lock his arms. He stood up and made a grabbing motion with his left hand at Phesx Caolia, but the pistol was on the floor. Phesx Caolia agonized over the pain before kicking at the man¡¯s left knee with the tip of his left boot. The man sidestepped at the last moment, with the young woman taking his place, who got hit on her right thigh. She rolled over in the air, headbutting Phesx Caolia¡¯s stomach with the top of her head. With flash reaction speed, he used this momentum to roll backwards, standing up and holding the young woman from behind, just as he did to the man before. The man had long picked up his pistol and checked its magazine ammunition before aiming it at Hellcat. Blurry-eyed, he noticed the current predicament, but that only made him pause for a second. They were just 4 meters away from each other, with Phesx Caolia lowering his hand to his small pistol, when the man shot thrice. Trr- rrr- rrrr¡­ In the distance, gunfire sounded, making Phesx Caolia frown a squint. However, the next second, he felt his solar plexus and right hip shot at. Bang bang bang!! As loud as the shots that went to the ceiling had been, 3 bullets hit the woman at her chest and pelvis, with the last one at the head. On the other hand, Phesx Caolia was only hit twice, but both penetrated his thick armor. Thankfully, because of his half-victim¡¯s thick armor as well, he didn¡¯t suffer much, although the bullet remained inside. ¡®Well, I expected it.¡¯ Phesx Caolia coughed, holding his stomach as the young woman fell like a doll beside him. He backtracked a few times as the man neared him, still aiming it at him. Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes¡¯ contents wobbled before he took one weak step forward. ¡°Maldito! You realized? It -COUGH, doesn¡¯t matter¡­¡± The man depreciatingly commented as Phesx Caolia threw himself at him. The man let it happen, confident in the much better state of his equipment. He drove the pistol¡¯s butt at Phesx Caolia¡¯s head, but he still wore the helmet, which the man only saw through a blurry eyesight after getting too close together. Phesx Caolia tackled the man down and headbutted him thrice, breaking each other¡¯s protection a bit. Then, he used his right hand to punch, but saw the man decisively switch the safety switch off. ¡°!!¡± Bang!! Phesx Caolia deviated it at the last goddamn moment with his left hand. A long, inhumane gash appeared on his wrist and the back of his hand, showing all his bones. Meanwhile, the man looked slightly perplexed. He was stunned at failing, and at the age of his enemy, thinking, ¡®So young!¡¯ ¡°Graaaaaawwwghhh!¡± Phesx Caolia cared no more and raised his arms. With his fingertips joining, he stabbed and stabbed the man¡¯s helmet. Then, he destroyed the thick armor on the torso with ease. The man died halfway Phesx Caolia¡¯s rage. ¡°¡­¡± When Phesx Caolia finished, his head rapidly bobbed back and forth in circles while sitting on the gory mess he made of the enemy. He saw many of those hidden shadows around him. With all flashlights gone, and only the young woman¡¯s and this corpse¡¯s weapons pointing at him, they illuminated him. The dried blood around his chin belonged to some enemies, but also his own. Remembering the way the young woman died, Phesx Caolia grinned before struggling to stand up with an even more weakened breathing. His expression returned to an indifferent one before he walked outside the area below the bridge. Step, ste- step. ¡°?¡± Phesx Caolia stopped, barely able to hear someone¡¯s hurried footsteps. He looked at the ramp, where he saw the enemy he had ignored rush down, with his chest bleeding, and his neck having a few knife cuts, all horizontal. ¡°Mm.¡± Phesx Caolia lightly exclaimed. The enemy looked down, tripped because of it, and slid down the ramp. He stared wide-eyed at the young soldier, shocking him. ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia walked in front of the enemy, whose back was against the ramp¡¯s floor, and eyes looked at him with fear. An idea occurred to him. The young man didn¡¯t dare underestimate a dying soldier, not after trying to kill one before returning, out of shame and wanting credit. ¡°Information,¡± Phesx Caolia said with a broken voice. His light black eyes were indifferent, and his strangely healthy-looking lips, with dried blood around and on them, looking¡­ depreciatory? ¡°W- w- w- wi- will you let me live?¡± The young man asked, terrified. Phesx Caolia took his small pistol and aimed it at the young man¡¯s head. ¡°Information, and you can leave alive. I won¡¯t shoot you or kill you after you tell me. So, tell me.¡± Phesx Caolia calmly voiced, with his voice completely laid back. Just broken. ¡°Okay!¡± The young man¡¯s eyes broadened. He contentedly chirped, ¡°Our contact was a man from that tower control. Where the gate is opened. Although their information was lacking, they didn¡¯t say you had explosives!¡± Phesx Caolia patiently listened. He reminded his ¡®prisoner¡¯, ¡°Information. Details.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± After nodding like a chick pecking on rice, the enemy blabbed on. ¡°I think he¡¯s a robust 30-something man. Should be sergeant or staff sergeant. A- an- a- and h-he always has a cigarette in his fucking lips. It makes it hard for anyone to understand whatever shit he¡¯s saying. He might think that makes him seem cool and never takes it out. He always has it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After the enemy finished, Phesx Caolia just looked at his face. He didn¡¯t move a bit. As for the young man, he looked up at him, relaxing a little before asking. ¡°Will y-¡± Bang bang bang bang bang bang! When the enemy tried to speak, Phesx Caolia emptied his small pistol¡¯s last magazine. Then, wasting no time, he grabbed his medium pistol and shot the man¡¯s torso, everywhere, after destroying his head with the other pistol. Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!! After glancing at the legs and groins without a complete corpse, Phesx Caolia indifferently looked around him. It was night. He took his small phone out, believing it to be destroyed. But when he took it out, it was complete. Cursing his ¡®good¡¯ luck in silence, he checked the time. It wasn¡¯t even 9 pm. Not even 20 hours after their mission, they had failed it. Everyone died, and Phesx Caolia was only left standing for now. The future was too uncertain, as it always has been. Without any more care, Phesx Caolia fell back first after walking ahead a little. He checked the helicopter¡¯s crash site. Unless they had space suits for heating and fire hazards, then they melted, no doubt about it. ¡®Hmmm¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyesight remained blurry. Minute after minute passed, but as his blurriness seemed to recede, he looked at the platform the platoon was supposed to protect. ¡®Why am I not losing consciousness?¡¯ Beep- piib. Out of nowhere, Phesx Caolia heard a few things from his helmet¡¯s direction communication. His eyes closed, and his face faced upwards. ¡®M- uggh.¡¯ . . . The next day, late in the morning. At the gates where Prequa military camp hid and formed a control point. ¡°It¡¯s coming,¡± a few hidden soldiers inside a building chatted when they saw an old car finally arriving. Then, a shout came from their radio. ¡°Open the gate! Identity confirmed!¡± Phesx Caolia watched the gate open as the fake debris were removed, and drove forth. He stopped near a tall building that looked empty. A person came for him and brought him inside. Weak and dizzy, Phesx Caolia ignored his surroundings. They had perfect lightning, and electricity to maintain it, of course. Meat and tea smelled came from every room, while the scent of medicine was pungent towards the underground storage. Ignoring everything, Phesx Caolia went to an enclosed room with many guards watching it. A few minutes later, a gunshot was heard from inside. The guards were notified a few seconds later, avoiding any possible misunderstanding, just as Hellcat exited the room while holstering a blood small pistol at his side. Before leaving the building, he stopped and spoke to another person. The previous one was a bit timid in meeting him again, after seeing what he saw. ¡°Ah, give me medicine. And a cryobag.¡± ¡°Err¡­ sure. This way, please.¡± The officer nodded before bringing Phesx Caolia to the underground levels. He was given everything he asked for. Before leaving Phesx Caolia was also ¡®rewarded¡¯ another truck of the same size as the one he arrived here with. When Phesx Caolia left, many soldiers looked at his back. Doubtful, semi-respectful¡­ and/or pretty much uncaring. ¡­ Chapter 23 — Speed And Agility (5) Speed And Agility (5) Vrrrrrum¡­ After making a short stop and doing as much of the medical procedures Phesx Caolia learned in his training and from Sofia, Phesx Caolia continued driving towards the encampment. Sometimes, Phesx coughed. When he did, it was nonstop, almost vomiting blood each time. However, he didn''t need to stop or take a break, what''s more, he wasn''t even feeling sleepy. At first, getting the truck from the control point, Phesx Caolia felt awake and feeling just like in any other day when the sun was bright. He was lucky the world didn¡¯t decide to rain on him, although he covered the back of the truck with the curtains. Nevertheless, as he continued driving amidst the slightly packed road, he finally started showing signs of ¡®injury¡¯. His body trembled and sweated a little. Phesx also began to feel drowsy. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Phesx Caolia bemoaned. He doesn¡¯t make sounds, even when showing he was a big, dependable, strong man. Although he was sometimes bested by the experts. But right now, he felt the need to just make a sound, maybe to remind himself he was awake, or that he was definitely feeling strange. ¡®Oh, what does it matter?¡¯ The young boy, unused to driving, slightly steered off to the side with narrowed eyes. He drove towards a space of green between the worker districts and the ¡®far¡¯ rich residential districts. It had many trees and steeps for even people to cross through safely. Brerrprrrr¡­ pot. The truck drove off-road for a few seconds before striking a little tree. However, for that matter, the truck was already going slow, so the small tree only served to fully stop it. At long last, the shivering young boy with a fever lost consciousness. At least he got what he wanted. ¡­ Many, many hours passed before Phesx Caolia began recuperating, and many more after he more or less stabilized. His wounds were taken care of before it happened, but the fact that his wounds should be infected was the problem. No matter how much ¡®healing¡¯ his body could do without meds, not having those precious contraptions was troublesome. Any other person, without better medicine than the ones Phesx gained at the control point, would have been stuck earlier on in the road, unconscious. ¡°Mfn.¡± At last, Phesx Caolia moaned a little as he woke up, or at least began to. After what he felt were like 20 seconds but were actually 15 minutes, he lifted his head from the side of the wheel. He looked ahead, at the green space he shouldn¡¯t have driven into, and the dirtied window. ¡°Woke up, at last?¡± He heard a voice from behind. Phesx Caolia looked back to see the only soldier under his command who remained alive, the one in the last machine gun, and the fella who probably injured the last enemy. On the other side of the truck, an unconscious but evenly breathing female soldier laid. The rest was packed by corpses. ¡°I¡¯ll get going,¡± Phesx Caolia ignored it all and looked ahead. The corpses were put into a cryobag, a really big one. Back at the control point, who¡¯d dare say no to Phesx after his ¡®heroic¡¯ feats? He even wanted to bring their corpses back ¡®home¡¯. ¡°Aye aye, sir!¡± The soldier responded, rather weakly, before closing his eyelids. Looking at his small phone, Phesx Caolia noticed it was only a day after he lost consciousness. He was also feeling a little better, if better could be considered as such, and only because he no longer felt numb all over. With pain overwhelming him, Phesx Caolia drove for the last hour and a bit more before arriving at the encampment. When he went into it, the guards were already waiting for him and the gates were opened. Driving through, everyone watched how a young boy drove a truck alone. And when the truck passed by, they looked at its back. With the curtains on, they couldn¡¯t see it directly, unless they looked from the rear. What the civilians and some soldiers and recruits saw were about a couple of dozens of corpses. Finally, arriving before the military zone¡¯s entrance, the gates were opened, with Sofia and some officers waiting there. There were a few soldiers waiting, too. All in all, there wasn¡¯t much attention or crowd to this. Getting out of the truck, Phesx carried the 2 living soldiers and left them in some nurses¡¯ care with the stretchers before returning to the truck. He took one bagged corpse from the see-thru, heavy cryobag, cooling his hands until they were caressed with some frosty layers atop. Phesx Caolia walked to Em and Priscila, who looked at him with saddened eyes. Phesx Caolia stopped before them and presented Paul¡¯s corpse to Emilio. An attentive nurse came over with a stretcher so that Em could place Paul on it. ¡°Oof,¡± Phesx Caolia lightly exclaimed as Priscilla went to him and hugged him softly, careful to not turn him into a dying little kitty. His neck was her arms¡¯. As they pressed ear to ear, Phesx Caolia swiftly whispered, ¡°He told me t-¡± ¡°Oh, I know. It wouldn¡¯t have been my brother if he didn¡¯t.¡± Priscila sadly said, caressing Phesx Caolia¡¯s head from the back. Her caresses were neat and precise, comforting him and herself at the same time. Phesx Caolia hugged her back with his bloody palms and nails, which looked perfect. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my guardian angel now. No sorries.¡± Priscila buried her face in his neck and hugged him a lot more before letting go. He should be badly injured, after all. Phesx Caolia wore the same clothes from before, only some gunshots were visible, with his military bag hiding most of those he received from the back, and that grazed his body. ¡°Pr¡­ Corporal Caolia, the commander-¡± An old officer came to him with his hands behind his back. But just then, Sofai walked over and lifted her palm to stop him before arriving at the young boy. ¡°He needs treatment, and he will get it after coming here and delivering every fallen comrade of his.¡± ¡°No buts,¡± Sofia added when she saw the officer about to open his mouth with the corner of her right eye. Then, she ignored everything else, patted Priscila¡¯s head, and grabbed Phesx Caolia¡¯s wrist, pulling him away. The trip to her office was very silent, but her hand gently held him, fearing he was wounded all over. Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes looked at her back¡­ It was as if he could see right through her. She seemed hurried to treat him but didn¡¯t want to rush him and get any possible thing worse. Sofia so much wanted to run into her office, but his safety was priority. Getting inside, Phesx Caolia saw her go to her desk and grab a prepared hot chocolate. His mouth salivated. He hadn¡¯t eaten for more than a day. Sofia brought it to him and sat him on a stretcher, locking her office until new notice. It was just before the afternoon. While Phesx Caolia finished his first of many hot chocolates, Sofia went to rummage her well-prepared arsenal. Phesx Caolia never noticed before, but it seemed like she really prepared for a situation like this, or maybe to supply him until he left the encampment. Only she knew how to treat his wounds and bizarre body. Step, step, step. Sofia finally returned to him, carrying a box and a shoulder bag with many items inside. She also never made idle chatter while testing or treating him, and only spoke to be playful or tease each other to laughter. Phesx very much appreciated it; each time. ¡°You know, I have something I haven¡¯t told you yet,¡± Phesx Caolia voiced. It wasn¡¯t even a decision he pondered upon, he just went to it. Sofia looked up at him when she was just putting her cheap gloves on, startled and worried. ¡°I have a strange body, more than I¡¯ve said. It¡¯s not on command yet, but¡­ my nails change, and so do my teeth.¡± ¡°When I fought the mutant¡­ I can¡¯t say definitely, but I was forced into ¡®this¡¯ change, too¡­ My nails cut through the scales that bullets, even from my rifle¡¯s close-up, couldn¡¯t break. My teeth and jaw were unstoppable, too. And I felt like I could even eat metal, haha. I¡­ also have a healing body. Am I mutant, or something?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sofia was truly perplexed. She looked at the young boy before smiling, although she sweated a little. Anyone telling this to anyone was sure to make a rift. Yet, after a bit of thought, and having found out what he didn¡¯t even know about yet, she became collected. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Although I have theories, one that does involve mutations, it¡¯s not with you at the center. It would be something more to do with the air and the water, probably from a hundred years ago. It¡¯s something not even in its elementary stage, so don¡¯t you bother too much about it. Leave this stuff to me.¡± Sofa held his head, cupping his face, and brought her face close to his. Then, she smooched his forehead and eskimo kissed his nose before gently speaking to him with love. ¡°You¡¯re no mutant. But there wouldn¡¯t be anything wrong with that. You need food, heat or cold, drink water, need the help of others, bleed, and, hehe, shit. You¡¯re nothing but yourself. Even if someday you are declared not human, you¡¯re whom I know.¡± ¡°Rather than mutation, what you have is something more. Something unique, even amidst the known possibilities and old legends from the past sanctum orders.¡± Sofia tilted her head to the right, tearing up a little. ¡°You¡¯re evolving.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes trembled, shocked. His hands were lifted by instincts. He held Sofia¡¯s hands, still cupping his face, and began tearing a little, too. Sofia smiled, but she was ruthless. ¡°Show me, I need to know more to continue my research. Right, you aren¡¯t coming out of here without me going over every little spot left unwashed by me.¡± ¡°Sofia~~!¡± Phesx Caolia hollered as his clothes started falling off the stretcher, like a pure, innocent kitten being wronged. Amidst Sofia¡¯s crackling giggles, his wounds bled a little. But, already used to, Sofia quickly wrapped him up and prepared him for better, future days. . . . Almost a whole week later, Phesx Caolia exited Sofia¡¯s office, wearing new, civilian clothes and carrying many hot chocolate beverages from Sofia¡¯s crafty hands in a bag. He immediately walked to the central building. There, he saw the preparations to congratulate the third batch of recruits. ¡®Hm, the new batch¡¯s recruits should have been confirmed by now.¡¯ Phesx Caolia ignored the thought before entering the building. The officers and guards around looked at him, some with disgruntled eyes. When he was granted entry to the commander¡¯s office, bribing the guards with a couple of bottles so he could get in with the bag, Phesx Caolia was welcomed by an unsightly sight. There were many high-ranked officers here, other than the commander himself. ¡°Welcome, please take a seat.¡± The commander, Karlos Medina, immediately invited Phesx Caolia in. The latter nodded before sitting at the side. The officers here all looked at him with narrowed, scrutinizing eyes. ¡°Tell us what happened¡­¡± The commander tried to speak with the gentlest voice possible, which Phesx Caolia disliked. Nevertheless, ¡®Corporal Hellcat¡¯ initiated his report, ¡°After the platoon paused the installment of the first line¡¯s defenses, at around¡­¡± ¡­ During the report, around 2 hours long, with all the questions Phesx was asked, of which he had to detail time and again, more like an interrogation than a report, the room became silent. It was only him repeating everything he said to the letter. A few people to the side wrote on a laptop as Phesx Caolia talked, but not whenever the others chipped in. ¡°I¡¯d like to add,¡± Phesx Caolia suddenly said, ¡°Sirs, those people were organized, trained, and knowledgeable. But they were no military.¡± At last, his report finished, and everyone wore a face of still incredulity but also holding some hints of awe. Phesx Caolia looked at them from his chair before the commander bewilderingly said, standing up. ¡°All of that by yourself? It¡¯s strange to imagine. I can¡¯t fathom something like that¡­ Right, I saw your form to become an instructor.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the commander¡¯s eyes with his light black eyes. The commander nodded with a little smile. Before the ¡®formalities¡¯ began, Phesx Caolia opened his bag and revealed why it was steaming hot. Everyone watched as the god¡¯s envoy, Phesx Caolia, distributed hot chocolate to everyone. Since he was with doctor Sofia all this long, then, this hot chocolate could only come from her! At once, Phesx Caolia gained over the grumpy officers, making them all caring and warmed up to the young talents. Like this, Phesx Caolia entered the building as a ¡®suspicious¡¯ brand-new corporal, and came out as instructor Hellcat, rank corporal. His ID changed, and all. What¡¯s more, the encampment would welcome recruits into the training regimen tomorrow. Phesx Caolia had to attend as an instructor. Furthermore, he would be allocated to a senior instructor to start this new phase of his military career. It was all going well. ¡­ At night, Phesx Caolia was isolating himself from everything. The Centralized Parliament¡¯s battle would begin ¡®soon¡¯ enough, about 2 to 6 months from now. Thus, with his achievements, Phesx Caolia was allowed to rest for 2 months not only because of his injuries, but the damage hos psyche could receive. Phesx Caolia¡¯s wounds were only known to Sofia. Although he arrived in a horrid position, and the soldier he brought were still in the hospital tents, he could walk after a little week. He was more or less fine physically, right? The ¡®renown¡¯ Hellcat was just lying on the camp¡¯s dirt, looking at a few tall trees, with branches similar to palms, with his arms beneath his head. He wore a short-sleeved shirt and military pants. He heard footsteps. Recognizing them as Priscila¡¯s, Phesx let her get near and lay beside him. She cuddled her head on his right chest before staring up ahead. ¡°How are you doing?¡± Priscila¡¯s voice was calm, albeit saddened and hurt still. Phesx Caolia nodded, ¡°I¡¯m free at all times for a couple of months. If you want me to guard you in the household, tell me.¡± ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Priscila stretched, resting the back of her head on his chest. ¡°Lisa quit the household. The officers were very lenient. They usually not let the kittens even think of doing that. She and Em are getting together now.¡± ¡°I see. The experiments should have worked. It¡¯s good, then.¡± Phesx Caolia calmly spoke. Priscila sighed through her nostrils, ¡°Yeah.¡± In all tranquility, Phesx Caolia and Priscila chatted. Sometimes, they just stared above and silently enjoyed each other¡¯s presence. Others, they crackled a little laughter here and there. It felt so good that they would repeat this to spend the night, a lot different than they would¡¯ve before. . . . Days passed. Soon, it was the last day of the 6th month. Phesx Caolia woke up in his hut, feeling strange from his lower body. He inwardly grunted before directly taking his pants down. He was silent, and no one was up nor woken up because of his actions. With his hand probing, Phesx Caolia was first deep into being dispirited, before growing astounded. He hurried to the little booth at the back of the hut before lighting a flashlight. He softly grabbed a handful of his rear before lifting his palm. There were a few obscure brown tube-like thingies, with 3 to 5 tiny mouths on one of its sides, disheveled and sick. They were deader than dead. Furthermore, he further probed into his intimate region and pulled. He was ready to put force, but the ¡®thing¡¯ let go beforehand. Lifting the thing, pinched between his index finger and thumb, Phesx Caolia saw a tiny black tentacle-ish thing limp and discolored. ¡®Dead?¡¯ Phesx Caolia realized as he poked the things before throwing them into the trash. Ever since facing that mutant, he had been more careful to avoid getting plagued. Even to the point where he smears his saliva on the edges of his bed, perhaps nearing insanity. However, this was the first time he suffered one after that time. What¡¯s more, but 2 of the worst ones to have, and at the same time. However¡­ they were all dead. Were the other times when his hut was plagued, the fact that Phesx was free from such because of¡­ his body? Phesx Caolia cocked his head at the possibility before returning to his bed. He took some clothes from the drawers and put them on before heading outside. After putting them into his spot in the laundry area to be washed, he went to the bathrooms. As usual, he trained his ¡®new features¡¯, as Sofia described them and instructed him. Using one of the booths with bad camera angels, where one couldn¡¯t see the mirror or the front of the person standing before it, Phesx experimented. After a week and a few days of practice, he could ¡®sharpen¡¯ his nails and teeth after trembling and feeling ¡®the creeps¡¯ for 15 seconds on command. Of course, if the Hellcat was immediately stimulated, he would do it immediately. Knock knock- thump! ¡°Hellcat, sir! You have to hurry. There¡¯s a commotion outside!¡± A young girl¡¯s voice sounded outside Phesx Caolia¡¯s booth. Her age was only slightly older than Phesx Caolia. Such a thing became normal, making Phesx wonder what the differences were between those criminal groups and them now. Even his image was used to recruit ¡®younglings¡¯. ¡°What is it?¡± Phesx Caolia was already 1 hour in there. He felt satisfied with today¡¯s practice. Exiting the booth, he saw a young private sweat and crease her eyebrows worriedly. She pointed outside with her arm fully stretched, ¡°There are some criminal group leaders who came here¡­ to make a deal with the commander.¡± ¡°!¡± Phesx Caolia immediately frowned in worry. He nodded and slightly pushed the soldier away with his backhand, who followed him right after. With long, powerful strides, Phesx Caolia walked to the military zone¡¯s entrance. There were a few hundred other soldiers present, with only a few officers and commander Karlos Medina facing a few people outside the perimeter. ¡°Are they here?¡± - ¡°You¡¯re seeing them, no? Where are mine?¡± Phesx Caolia could barely hear what they were saying. He looked around, understanding it was a trade, before finding out a few kittens standing in a line in front of the officers to the side. The criminal groups¡¯ leaders nodded or crossed their arms, looking contented after looking at their new stuff. They made signals to their henchmen behind them, before a few trailers drove by with actual artillery pieces atop them. However, Phesx Caolia¡¯s widened, shocked eyes were directed towards the red head among those kittens, Priscila. ¡°Phesx¡­¡± Lisa softly whispered, holding his hand and wrist with both, small, trembling hands. Phesx Caolia looked with unchanging, lost eyes at Priscila¡¯s back. Seemingly noticing him, she turned her head back casually. Finding him in the crowd, she didn¡¯t smile or try to tell him something. If someone could understand her without words, just her eyes, that was him. Priscila faced ahead again, helpless yet¡­ also hopeless. Phesx Caolia looked to his right, where another corporal looked at this with nearly tearful eyes. His fists were horrendously tightened. Phesx Caolia looked at them indifferently before looking back at Lisa. She looked up at him, worried and wanting to stop him if he were to do something. In the end, he didn¡¯t. Phesx Caolia, and many others, especially the emotionally and psychologically afflicted, watched kittens leave their encampment in exchange for¡­ broken artillery. The commander looked at Hellcat and smiled, signaling he had work to do in the future, before departing with the officers. That included the young man whose hands were probably fractured now. However, what the commander didn¡¯t notice was Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes locking onto his face and body figure. Just like that tall, bulky soldier whose body hasn¡¯t even been found was observed by Hellcat in the past. Prey and predator. Em and Lisa stayed with him a little more, with Lisa rubbing her face on his shoulder to console him before softly leaving. However, Fernanda and Brittany went to him with heir hands pulling his arms and shoulders. Their lips suckling the skin of his neck, and their hot breaths begging him to come with them. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t spend even a minute before turning around, intertwining hands with them as they brought him to the kitten household, where he¡¯d be safe¡­ From himself. Yet, Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes were horrendously fierce, staring ahead, and lightly squinted. When Brit and Fer looked at his face, after feeling an initial fear from this ¡®new¡¯ face, they became attracted to it. Once they went into Priscila¡¯s ex-cottage, clean with nobody¡¯s belongings inside, just the bed and some bedsheets, they couldn¡¯t stop moving his hands and fingertips around their bodies. It was like an electric sensation shocking their most delicate parts, from top to bottom. Worshiping Phesx, licking and suckling every inch of his body, such was their task as the last remaining kittens in Phesx Caolia¡¯s ¡®list¡¯. Furthermore, it was their task by Sofia¡¯s caring, understanding, growing-quick-witted mind. However, they were hurt, too. Priscila was their little leader. Although there were no groups within the household, Priscila would always protect their integrity, even when it didn¡¯t work. Now, more than ever, after many things occurred, month after month, it wasn¡¯t just to Phesx Caolia, the kittens and soldiers needed each other. But that wasn¡¯t something in the commander, and some officers¡¯, mindset. ¡­ Chapter 24 — Speed And Agility (6—Last Part). Just Run Speed And Agility (6¡ªLast Part). Just Run 2 weeks later. Phesx Caolia hasn''t been in a good mood lately. The only times he wasn''t causing the officers and instructors headaches or troubles was when he stayed with the kittens. He didn''t spend even half his days there, which made it even harder to deal with him. Either way, Phesx spent time with Sofia, too, who could ''calm him down'' somewhat. Today was the 7th month, 2nd week, 4th day of year 1,021. Phesx Caolia was just leaving the large cottage, with Brittany and Fernanda tired to the insides of their bodies yet again, when a female high-ranked officer walked to him. ¡°Corporal, the commander has called you. Please shower and present yourself neatly to the commander as soon as you can.¡± She professionally said before waiting for his response. Phesx Caolia nodded, ¡°Aah.¡± He put his military jacket on and walked towards the kitten household¡¯s exit. The officer frowned, having had hot chocolate before and talked to the goddess, she wondered what was of that promising young talent. She didn¡¯t know about him, but also didn¡¯t know she knew less of this place. Either way, Phesx Caolia slowly went to the showers, practicing some more. He had shortened the duration of his body¡¯s trembling and feeling ¡®creeps¡¯ to expose his nails and teeth, but that was it. This change didn¡¯t make him powerful, more resistant, or able to fly. He¡¯s just a person. After finishing showering and practicing, cleaning his perfectly healthy body, albeit with obvious wounds still far from healing, he wore civilian clothing to meet the commander. But first, he went to the armory to check on Paul¡¯s submachine gun and his rifle. He told a brand-new private soldier to prepare them after he met the commander for whatever he wanted, as he had to lecture recruits with shooting practice. Phesx Caolia was to meet the commander in a wooden house near the central building. Although he carried his small and medium pistol, he held no intentions to assassinate the commander. It wasn¡¯t time yet. The guards nodded upwards at him in greeting before others opened the door for him. The building was small and seemed more like a watching outpost for a small area. There were no rooms, just the house as a whole, with a fridge, diner table, and humble lighting. A good setting. From the guards to facing the commander, Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t speak or react. He just walked forward, giving a brief salute to the high-ranked officers who crossed his way. Phesx sat before the commander¡¯s desk, after glancing at Le¨®n, who for some reason knelt at right the corner. ¡°Corporal, I¡¯ve brought you here for an important matter-¡± The commander voiced, but was rapidly interrupted by Phesx. ¡°Sir, permission to speak freely?¡± ¡°¡­Go on.¡± The commander leaned backwards before nodding. Phesx Caolia breathed in deeply before standing up. His wooden chair squawked a little. ¡°With all due respect, I have seen no matters happening with the information I gave. The preis or pronas have surely started training those criminals for months. They are planning to use them against us!¡± ¡°We might not be the strongest or largest military force, but we have the farms and most of the terrain they don¡¯t have and lack.¡± Phesx Caolia became heated up, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter that ¡®if that¡¯s really true¡¯, the criminals could bite back at them. It¡¯s different when you place the ¡®spirit¡¯ and morale our encampment has right now.¡± ¡°If we were to join the Centralized Parliament battle like this, wouldn¡¯t we just gift the other sides of this civil war with more armament and boosted morale? Not just the other camps, the scum, too! Dying for nothing! Below even playing around, just wasteful!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s behavior was completely unseen before, not only were the commander and Le¨®n surprised, Phesx Caolia felt himself in this state for the first time in his life, so personally. ¡°We are weakened, and the scum will see it after fighting us just a few times, even selling our ow-¡± Phesx Caolia was interrupted by the commander, who lifted his hands and hurriedly shook them. He pointed at Le¨®n, ¡°Wait, corporal. There¡¯s a reason I brought you here. This is it.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Stopped, Phesx Caolia glanced at Le¨®n, whose eyes looked up, guilty. With a frown, Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes returned to the commander, who spoke. ¡°Ever since the criminal scum appeared in the district back then, we¡¯ve been investigating. Some of our soldiers met with refugees, mostly to look for their families or loved ones. But others¡­¡± ¡°A dross like this,¡± the commander said, staring daggers at Le¨®n. ¡°Met with those who were in cahoots with the criminals, and the prei.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the commander without saying a word. The latter went on, ¡°Le¨®n met with a refugee and a prei, who was disguised as a criminal. They received information of our soldiers moving there a few days prior, just after we gave the involved elements the news and plans. This information was obtained after kidnapping that refugee. Le¨®n also had another ¡®visit¡¯ during the conflict to free the district, where he contacted the criminal groups with the prei.¡± ¡°We only captured a criminal group¡¯s leader a few days ago with our special forces,¡± the commander continued, but Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes shone when he heard ¡®special forces¡¯. They hadn¡¯t shown much life for days without end. ¡°Le¨®n was given up the moment his freedom was secured. Now, we¡¯ve got the mole behind the tragedies our encampment has suffered. Including¡­ the day your platoon was assaulted.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The commander¡¯s eyes became confused when Phesx Caolia lowered his head and held his face with his left hand. Phesx Caolia felt¡­ so tired of so much bullshit¡­ All of this, for what? That¡¯s when the commander added, as if knowing what he was thinking. The commander probably went through that before. ¡°Le¨®n is¡­ all yours to deal with, corporal.¡± The commander nodded after Phesx looked up at him with indifferent, narrowed eyes, uncaring and bothered. ¡°The guards outside know what will happen. I stayed here for that motive. A gunshot in the central building won¡¯t be simple, unlike here or¡­ at a central point.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks, can I ask a few things, too?¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the commander before asking. The commander nodded, ¡°But of course!¡± ¡°What was in your mind when you did that?¡± Phesx Caolia immediately looked at the cornered young boy his age, a little older, kneeling at the corner with wrists and heels tied. Le¨®n squirmed, pressing his lips and reddening his creamy white face. ¡°Are you¡­ serious?!¡± Le¨®n raised his voice towards the end. The commander¡¯s expression hardened in silence, while Phesx Caolia remained too impassive, enraging Le¨®n. ¡°You all did this to me. Disrespecting me, talking shit behind my back, and not treating me like an equal!¡± Le¨®n began bawling, screaming amidst hateful words. ¡°Isn¡¯t it nothing to just treat me the same as others?! Even this kid was esteemed higher than me! We were just outside training, but he was grouped by many others. That¡¯s not fair! Who said he had to have that? No, you had to learn to know my-¡± Fwip- bang bang bang bang bang bang bang! ¡°!¡± The commander was scared and jolted at the immense quickness with which Phesx Caolia pulled his small pistol out of his holster and emptied half its magazine on Le¨®n¡¯s body. Brain, lungs, groin, and another 3 bullets in his stomach. ¡°Phesx¡­ Caolia?¡± The commander gulped a little before letting it out. The guards outside were startled with so many gunshots, but received no danger alert from their commander¡¯s hidden button under the table, which Phesx Caolia knew he was close to pressing. Phesx Caolia held his pistol low, to his side, in his right hand, not holstering it yet. ¡°?¡± Phesx Caolia slightly breathed in and prepared to say something, lifting his gun with the muzzle aiming down to holster it, when he heard familiar light footsteps outside. And a very strange sensation went about inside him. It was like invisible needles prickling his skin and rotating on the spot, somehow making him ticklish. The young girl outside was pale with fright as she hurriedly ran forward, wanting to run into the small wooden building with Phesx Caolia¡¯s weapons encased in her hands. The guards lifted their weapons, aiming ahead. Prrrr- trrtrtrrrrtrrrr¡­!~! The young girl fell with blood escaping her mouth involuntarily, her eyes rapidly losing focus and rolling backwards as she fell forwards, struck by the machine gun behind her. The soldiers guarding the wooden house were next, mowed down rapidly. Meanwhile, Phesx Caolia instinctively crouched, ducking his head from a few machine gun bullets coming from his front, and several more behind. Wwwwwwwwwwwwooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnggggg~~! The most alarming siren in the encampment went out, too late to make sense. Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes wholly opened as he looked in front. The commander was shot from behind. Large bullet holes appeared behind him on the wooden walls, while his shoulders seemed shot at after he slumped on his desk. Phesx Caolia walked forward, noticing he was still alive as he heard gunshots everywhere around the central building, and perhaps the encampment. The door remained closed, but he heard an incoming vehicle as he neared the commander, whose spine was bullet wounded. ¡°Tell me¡­¡± A vague, feeble voice reached his ears. If he was another person, he might not have understood it and would have confused it with harsh breathing, as it was only breath going through bloodied teeth. ¡°Were you going to kill me?¡± The commander¡¯s voice traveled to his ears again. Phesx Caolia stepped carefully, not wanting to be heard by whatever reason. He only had his pistols. He bent over a little and whispered, ¡°No. I couldn¡¯t. You are the only connection who can get to those criminal groups you sold my sister to. Only after would I have killed you.¡± ¡°Kehkehkhekheheh¡­¡± The commander tragically laughed, but his body didn¡¯t even jolt at the hearty, last-lived crackles. Phesx Caolia looked at the commander¡¯s head on the table, turned to the right, without bothering to meet eye to eye. So much confusion was happening, at least that¡¯s what the commander believed. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Just run¡­¡± Two very weak words sounded before the commander made any noise, and his breathing stopped. Phesx Caolia heard the commander¡¯s heartbeat slowly dissipate, losing all that¡¯s called life from it. Turning around, Phesx Caolia looked annoyed as his kill was stolen. He kept his small pistol out and soundlessly walked to the door¡¯s wall. Then, he focused. ¡°Go check if the piggy¡¯s dead. Everyone, come! Let¡¯s loot these apes! Haha.¡± A voice sounded from the outside, before various footsteps went about around the wooden house. Creak. A person entered the house. Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t initially seen, laying prone against the wall as the man walked forth, wanting to look the deadass commander first and foremost. Behind him, Phesx Caolia closed the door with his hand before soundlessly standing up and launching himself on the man¡¯s back. Hellcat¡¯s nails were already sharpened, which he placed on the man¡¯s right jugular while locking his neck with his left arm. Knowing his place, the man stopped, not moving an inch. Then, Phesx Caolia shocked the already sweating man by pointing his small pistol at the man¡¯s legs. Bang, bang, bang! The people outside were startled silly. They waited for a moment before the leader of the group shouted, ¡°Benny! Are you alright there? Respond!¡± ¡°Come on, say your part. Or I¡¯ll have my slow fun with you before ending you,¡± Phesx Caolia forced a wet hitch under his throat while threatening his hostage. The man sobbed in pain, lying on the ground with Phesx Caolia¡¯s legs locking his arms to his torso. It was a delicate situation. ¡°I am hurt! There was someone still inside! Ahh~!¡± From the house, Benny¡¯s pained voice sounded. The leader frowned. He looked at a person before signaling with his hands. The medic nodded and took his small bag out of the tankette before rushing to the house. ¡°Benny, it¡¯s me! I¡¯m going in!¡± The medic shouted before opening the door. First, he saw the dead commander, before staring at a small pistol aiming between his eyes when he noticed 4 sets of legs on the floor beside him. Bang- bang, bang! ¡°Shit! In the house!¡± The leader shouted a second after more gunshots sounded from the wooden house. The people outside moved, taking cover and others advancing forth. Inside the house, having just rapidly headshot their medic and fired at the other¡¯s chest twice, paused, Phesx grabbed the latter¡¯s rifle before peeking out of the house. The man wriggled in pain on the floor, slowly dying as he saw Phesx Caolia aiming at his comrades. ¡®Shit¡­¡¯ ¡°Sir! That was our medic!¡± Outside, a person shouted to the leader immediately after taking position, turning his head to the latter. The leader turned his head to that person, shouting, ¡°Shut up, private! Get your eyes on th-¡± Bang, bang, bang, bang bang! Phesx Caolia saw 2 enemies moving towards the house. He took an angle to shoot at them before the surprised fellows could lift their weapons. Shooting them down, square on the chest, one of them received an extra one at their left shoulder. Phesx Caolia rapidly peeked outside and trusted what he heard before, finding 2 people shouting between each other, and aimed. ¡°But sir, what will we do if-¡± The person suddenly stopped. The leader¡¯s head was burst by 2 bullets. The first destroyed any humane aesthetic image it had. The second broke apart whatever skin and skull remained after blasting off into the air. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Phesx Caolia cocked his head, glad at the first lucky shot. He immediately back stepped and aimed the rifle at the spots where he heard movement before, and hadn¡¯t moved away. With no armor or his weapons, Phesx Caolia felt bare. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Step step step step! Phesx Caolia fired the rifle once, with its single action mode on, and heard thumping sounds after some choking or gasps leaving his targets¡¯ bodies through the wooden wall. With that, most of the enemies he heard nearby were finished, but just as he wanted to pick the submachine gun, bending over to the medic¡¯s corpse, a person came rushing at him. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± ¡®A soldier¡­ They are disguised prei!¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the incoming brown soldier with a knife out come at him, raging and afflicted by his comrades¡¯ deaths. Phesx Caolia was tackled, reminding him of that first time¡­ But things were so much different now¡­ Phesx Caolia struggled to keep the man away, who stabbed his right side twice, easily and cleanly into his ribs. He slit the man¡¯s left wrist to get rid of the knife. Ptf- bong. After the knife was thrown away, Phesx slightly opened his jaw, but he was punched twice before the man lowered his head to bite his left shoulder. Seeing the soldier¡¯s hands move to his holstered pistol, Phesx Caolia kneeled the man, but he wouldn¡¯t budge, with his shoulder getting sunken with teeth. ¡°AGH!¡± Phesx Caolia fiercely narrowed his eyes and scrunched up his nose before opening his jaws wide. Lunging at the soldier¡¯s neck, he easily bit down, taking a chunk of meat he immediately threw out. The man began screaming with horror. ¡°YAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡± Blood tainted the right side of Phesx¡¯s face, also painting his shirt before pushing the man away. Too much blood was coming out of the man¡¯s neck. Leaving the fella to die, Phesx Caolia only cared about his small pistol and came out, holding his left shoulder, where the bite stung and bled a little. Walking outside, Phesx Caolia saw a panicked, terrified soldier crouching behind a few barrels beside a female soldier¡¯s corpse. He lifted his right hand and aimed the small pistol at the terrified soldier before firing, but he had used all 12 bullets. Phesx Caolia paused for a second before throwing a knife out before the soldier could grow balls and aim his submachine gun at him. Not caring about his luck, Phesx Caolia walked down with his indifferent eyes and vacant emotion in them. When he walked a little away, he noticed a young girl¡¯s body far ahead, slumped face first, carrying what he recognized as his rifle and submachine guns. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia was paralyzed for a few seconds before walking to her. He could now hear explosions everywhere, maybe even a tank was added to this operation. Before crouching and taking his weapons, Phesx Caolia looked at the new recruit and softly said with a semi-broken voice, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sure that if you saw what I did, you¡¯d feel glad¡­ No promises, but I will avenge you. You shouldn¡¯t have been here in the first place¡­ Okay now, go rest.¡± Phesx Caolia smooched the back of her head, ignoring the bloody, golden chestnut hair before turning around. He only received some instructions, but that tankette¡­ he could drive it, somewhat. ¡­ The entire encampment was thrown into disorder. Several tankettes moved around, firing at everything that existed. More than 7 such vehicles, armored to destroy all personnel, toured around the military zone before 3 of them were destroyed. However, as this was just the small beginning of a smaller victory, the enemy began rushing into the perimeter with mounted machine guns in trucks, wide vehicles, and even on helitaxis, dropping bombs or enemy soldiers. As the Prequa encampment was filed with deaths everywhere in the military zone, dozens dying every few seconds at least, and the civil areas, most of it, was forcefully occupied with stealing and abuse of power. Phesx Caolia hurried to the nearby kitten household. However¡­ it was all silent. Only the corpses of everything that was once alive remained. After taking a look, and noticing a few nearby tankettes, Phesx Caolia slowly drove away. He noticed Brittany and Fernanda¡¯s corpses, seemingly gone before they could be stripped off their clothes. Driving away, he looked down at his right side. He palmed it gently. When he lifted his right hand, it was all bloody. He rolled his eyes before continuing driving slowly, simulating he was patrolling, wanting to kill more helpless people of the encampment, venting stress out with his squad. After all, preis had been ¡®jungling¡¯ for months without end, nearly 2 years by now. When he arrived near Sofia¡¯s office, the second only place he cared about, with the kitten household being just another, Phesx Caolia stepped out of his vehicle. He placed many grenades inside and prepared a device to detonate them all. After walking 10 meters away, Phesx Caolia pushed the button from a remote device, when he saw Em rush towards Sofia¡¯s office, coming out of a corner of the nearby, brand-new small wooden buildings. He was carrying Lisa in his arms like a princess. Only, she wasn¡¯t awake, and her head hung on Em¡¯s right arm, facing Phesx Caolia. Her neck was so¡­ delicate, and she bobbed up and down without care, with blood coming out of her stomach. She looked unhealthily pale. Phesx Caolia saw them enter Sofia¡¯s office, with its doors opening after a second of waiting. Phesx Caolia began jogging forth, when he barely saw a tiny, rapid projectile move from further ahead to right into Sofia¡¯s building. Bang- BOOOOOOOOOM- crraaassshhhhh~! Before Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes, seemingly losing light for good, Sofia¡¯s office broke into flames before crashing down in a few more explosions. The building helplessly collapsed down, while those smaller explosions finished crushing any other hopes left in him. Watching it all blow up, Phesx Caolia instinctively faced where the projectile exactly came from. There was a tank a few hundred meters away, with one long cannon, and 2 multidirectional antennas working round and round atop it. Boom- boom- boom- booom! The tankette behind Phesx Caolia emitted a flaming red electric shock before explosions went off. The tankette blew up, mostly destroyed from its upper section. It was quite efficient, but Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t feel any less lucky. He slowly saw the tank¡¯s cannon move towards him¡­ ¡®So this is what it feels like.¡¯ Phesx Caolia felt his scalp numbing. With his right side hurting and bleeding, he ran for his life behind Sofia¡¯s destroyed office. The tank didn¡¯t fire its cannon, but one of its small machine guns aimed at him without anyone behind it and fired. Prrrrrrr trrrrrtrrrrrrr- brck brck brck¡­ Fortunately, Phesx Caolia had already started running. He was fast, alright. With the rubble on fire and amassed around the building¡¯s base, the machine gun¡¯s bullets were obstructed, losing sight of Phesx Caolia as he ran back into the fields. The fields east of the rich residential districts in the west half of Prequa, which he once saw a battlefield spark upon; he was now returning to them from a battle. The tank didn¡¯t pursue Phesx Caolia, or look for him again, continuing on its way to the central building after reporting what happened to the missing squad and that tankette. Meanwhile, Phesx Caolia rushed out of the military zone before joining the man-made horror. The encampment was littered with corpses, all trampled by the multitude of tens of thousands madly moving about, rushing everywhere, like an enormous colony of ants trapped in a small space. Phesx Caolia was shoved and pushed around, so he pushed and shoved others instead. Caolia¡¯s eyes widened the further he went away from the military zone, with the images he once saw in his daily life flashing before him. He himself trampled on others, but he couldn¡¯t tell if they were dead or alive. He wondered if this was the same when the congregation points happened. When he left the encampment through the trees after rapidly climbing some hill¡¯s natural walls, opening his new and not-yet-healed wounds, his eyes became tearful. Sofia, the office, that endless hot chocolate¡­ Even the damned kitten household, his hut, and sometimes having dinner with Em after a day since Paul left them. It was¡­ As his eyes watered, Phesx Caolia could see less and less. He didn¡¯t remember the topography either, so when he tripped from a tree¡¯s root and rolled down, down, and down the steep fall, he didn¡¯t bother protecting himself. After falling, seeing that he wasn¡¯t numb enough, he rushed his legs to stand up. With a more than ugly crying face, he went to the east. His body rushed like crazy. He couldn¡¯t feel anything, or even see well. But if someone were to look at Phesx Caolia, they would look at an inhumane sight from the morning to the night, of a doll forced to move, powerfully; and very fast. Phesx Caolia¡¯s body jolted upwards, with his legs rapidly striding forth, keeping his body in an upper level than he should. A strange, rare sight that continued until the night. Phesx Caolia went past the western half worker districts to the north, the lake to the south, and even went past the eastern half worker districts before he slowed down. All unbeknownst to him. When he went up a hill, not knowing he was moving up a large terrain, he felt his body lose sensitivity, and his limbs started ignoring his commands. His arms went limp first, before his legs made him collapse in the middle of a small forest atop a hill, surrounded by small trees. Phesx looked up, it was night. Natural light and branches¡¯ leaves welcomed him, with the cold wind seeping into him from his soles, palms, and his nose. His light black eyes, dried at last, began watering again. ¡°¡­What am I supposed to do?¡± The young boy sobbingly asked himself and around him before slowly, very slowly¡­ falling asleep. The trees whooshed, and the whistling wind sliced through, accompanying his sleep¡­ and loneliness. ¡­ Chapter 25 — Leaving Marks Of Oneself Steps Leaving Marks Of Oneself Steps It had been 2 days since Phesx fled from Karlos Medina''s encampment. After waking up the next morning, he scouted around and found himself a few kilometers down the center of Preut. Below the roads leading to Prequa''s western and eastern halves, he picked his military bag, with only weapons and some other tools, before heading northeast. Phesx walked and walked, not directly going into any road, and keeping himself in the fields. It had been a long time since he came out of the encampment without a task. It was the first time he freely moved through Preut since the beginning of the civil war. Now, he had no further options. He was still alive, no? Thus, the only thing left for him was yet another side to this, and he wasn¡¯t aiming to take control of scum. Prona it was. Phesx had to take precaution of a few things to not be ¡®seen¡¯ by any military or criminal group. Stay away from the center, and the forests. The Centralized Parliament, according to the handwritten records Phesx Caolia could read through as a corporal, told of the many refugees who went to the Centralized Parliament, all to be kidnapped. In the worst case, the criminal scum; on the lesser worse, the military. Some weren¡¯t even grabbed and just disappeared to who knew what kind of fate. Phesx Caolia walked and ventured into the field to the right of the roads interconnecting both halves. He saw many people moving about from the distance, especially in the morning and evening. It seemed like they found out the best timing to move between military scheduled patrols and the criminal scum most recurrent periods during the day, where they moved around. Phesx Caolia applauded to that, as the peoples¡¯ actions did ¡®attack¡¯ on the military scheduled patrols¡¯ blind spots. Of course, nothing was absolute, but it was safer than just moving during the day or the night, with lights exposing them. As for the forests, they were a sickened place to be. Currently, with no one taking care of them, Phesx Caolia read about these places beginning to rot. Even the soil outside their perimeter began turning dull, with grass writhing and sinking underneath. Some refugees who wanted to hide there never returned after a few weeks, with some soldiers scouting inside, finding decaying yet slowly preserved corpses amidst the dirt and grown ugliness around the dead trees¡¯ roots. It was simply anti-life. Because of these, Phesx Caolia only had a thin path between the Centralized Parliament and Prequa¡¯s small forest below the eastern half. He had to go through the east half worker districts, where most of the tornado struck, before moving towards the Centralized Parliament. This was also where most people lived in Prequa, and where Preut, even until now, had the worst casualties since the start of the civil war. It was time for a little trip to the half he never visited. Phesx Caolia took 2 days to walk, only resting 3 hours in between, to arrived at the westernmost outskirts of the worker districts. He was only 3 short hours before arriving at the main roads surrounding the district, when he walked into a small jungle-like spot in the green field above the middle road leading in. Phesx saw many paths that were obviously stepped on before. The grass was leaning a little to one side, with the trees¡¯ surroundings semi-empty. Phesx Caolia¡¯s indifferent, narrowed light black eyes to half stared ahead and continued walking, when he heard a few impatient rustles about 7 meters to his left, behind some small bushes, and slightly heavy breathing to his front-right. Whoosh- rustle- ¡°Stop! Take off everything you got, and you won¡¯t be harmed!¡± At last, the boy who thought his back wasn¡¯t seen amidst the semi-mid tall grass stood up. His childish voice was nothing worth of, with a large submachine gun held so badly he would break his hands after firing once. Furthermore¡­ Phesx Caolia narrowed his eyes before taking one step forward. The boy lifted his gun rapidly and shouted, ¡°Do as I said, or I¡¯ll shoot you, puto. Don¡¯t try me!¡± Phesx Caolia grinned from the left corner of his lips a little before grabbing his small pistol. The rapid speed scared the boy, who shot the gun, but the safety switch was on¡­ As a click sounded, indicating it was on, and the boy shut his eyes tight, Phesx Caolia aimed and fired. Bang- cank! ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± The kid, probably 10 years old or so, screamed to his heart¡¯s fear, falling to his bum. The pain of his body when falling down on the hard ground, not cushioned by the grass, woke him up. He stopped screaming and opened his eyes. The gun he was just holding fell to the ground with a gunshot on its side, 1 whole meter away to the side. Phesx Caolia walked towards the stupefied kid before kicking his chest down. Stomping on the boy¡¯s neck as his eyes returned to him, Phesx Caolia aimed the pistol down. ¡°Don¡¯t yell at me. Tell them to come out, or I¡¯ll do the same to them.¡± ¡°Aah! Help! No- come out! Please! He¡¯s going to kill mee!!¡± The kid cried out, fearing for his little life. The bushes to Phesx¡¯s left moved, with a few other children coming out. Then, from the front, a few adults stood up. These were a few children, with the adults mostly being female, except for a few elderly men. ¡°Come together,¡± Phesx Caolia said, still aiming at the kid¡¯s chest. His shin was grabbed, but the boy didn¡¯t do anything else, maybe just wanting to breathe better. The women came first, with the children being chided to come over. With all of them in front, Phesx Caolia inspected their faces before finding a woman whom he recognized. Picking the boy up, Phesx Caolia threw him forward. The boy looked back at his lost gun, but Phesx kept aiming at his back, so he just ran to hide behind the adults. After this happened, an elderly opened his mouth, ¡°Young one, you¡¯re too y-¡± ¡°Cut all crap. I¡¯m not interested in irony. Where is your camp?¡± Phesx Caolia shook his head at the man before holstering his pistol. He moved his back, which only showed a small bag made by a cut-off blue fabric made into a ball with straps around his shoulders. The woman Phesx recognized didn¡¯t realize who he was, or maybe didn¡¯t remember, and pointed backwards. ¡°Over there.¡± ¡®So they had it on their way back to run away if it went wrong.¡¯ Phesx Caolia nodded, picking his hidden military backpack under his shirt at his back. He took his rifle out and prepared it before holding it with ease. Then, he nodded upwards at them, ¡°Do you have meat?¡± ¡­ A few minutes later, with Phesx Caolia walking behind them, they arrived at a small camp of a few dozen people. The men in the camp, very few, moved out of their tents and were stunned to see their people packed together like prisoners. Phesx Caolia showed himself behind them with a rifle in his hands, making them draw cold breaths. Before they could say anything, he walked to the mother he recognized, ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t remember me, but all I want is food. I can tell you where to go if you want to wait, in case another country offers safe passage to refugees in the future.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The woman looked at the young boy, who looked more like a young man until now. Hearing his voice more up close, everyone realized he was young, too. While some men, including the elderly, had a glint flash in their eyes, the woman recognized him. ¡°It¡¯s you! Oh my heaven, you¡¯re still alive. Are you doing w- uhm¡­¡± The woman¡¯s eyes widened before she stopped herself, being in such a strange situation. Phesx Caolia nodded and asked after looking around, ¡°And your kid?¡± ¡°Melissa,¡± a bearded, brown man came over after receiving a nod from the woman. He walked around, not wanting to walk behind Phesx Caolia, and brought a sleeping baby into her arms. Phesx Caolia nodded at her before telling her, ¡°I just want some food, and then I¡¯ll leave.¡± ¡°Well- why don¡¯t you stay with us? You can bring us away, too. To safety!¡± Not knowing why, the woman wanted to bring Phesx Caolia with them, perhaps to avoid him getting wherever else he was going. But Phesx Caolia shook his head. ¡°I am busy. I will give you directions. When I trained in the military, we were given lessons of Preut¡¯s detailed maps for future mobilization.¡± Phesx Caolia said before also taking out a piece of paper and a pen. ¡°These are the lists of herbs and other flora you shouldn¡¯t eat. Also, leave your weapons, just hide them or throw them down a river. You are refugees, not paramilitary groups.¡± ¡°What rank were you?¡± An elderly man interrupted Phesx Caolia and the woman¡¯s moment. He looked back at the elderly before casually saying, ¡°Just a new recruit.¡± ¡°Let me bring you to it,¡± the woman nodded at Phesx Caolia after they stared at each other again. The situation was still a bit tense. She walked away, with Phesx Caolia following her. As he walked past the other men, he was calm and didn¡¯t look at them. It somehow erased the ideas they might have had brewing. Phesx Caolia received a few rations from Melissa, who also gave him a few bottles of water. They had many, and soda for the kids, maybe. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t say much before leaving her, not giving the other refugees another look, and reminding her to put herself to safety first. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡­ Phesx Caolia continued on his way to the worker district as night approached. His mood wasn¡¯t as depressing anymore. He still had flashes of the things he saw before leaving the camp, but he was helplessly mentally resilient. Now that Phesx has moved far away from the western half of Prequa, it felt like he was leaving it in the past, never to re-exist again. He continued walking, already seeing¡­ the lifelessness ahead. Only hills of dust and dull gray dirt remained. ¡°?¡± When Phesx Caolia continued walking with night having fallen down, he heard a large campfire behind a few hills. He went over to check, finding out quite the spectacle. There were 4 people whose guns were left at the side, but surely hid pistols somewhere. What¡¯s more, they were dragging long, bagged things through the dirt before throwing them into the fire after peeling the plastic off their bodies. They had an improvised wood tool work to roast the bags¡¯ contents, eating piece by piece with a knife in their hands. Phesx Caolia thought for a while before walking over. He had the blue ball ¡®bag¡¯ showing again, with his military backpack folded and hidden underneath his civilian shirt. ¡°Who the fuck are you?!¡± When Phesx Caolia walked behind one of them, the only person who wasn¡¯t facing the same direction shouted, alarming the other 3. Phesx Caolia stopped, startled. He looked at their campfire and said with a dry tone, ¡°Can I please eat something?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone stared silently at the young boy, who wore a somewhat coarse jacket, but showed his backpack, waist, pockets, and hands empty. His sleeves were folded backwards. After looking at each other, one of them smirked and shrugged, throwing his head back to the side. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The young boy thanked with his hands placed together. Then, he joined them, sitting beside the man who saw him first. They were all males between their 20s to 40s, looking quite young still. He grabbed a piece of what seemed a well roasted thigh with his fingers before putting a third of it between his teeth. He munched, blowing out of his mouth from how hot it was. Seen by the other 4, he munched more and ate it, closing his eyes to relish on the taste of meat. Then, he picked 2 more smaller, thinner pieces before they smiled and cheered. Phesx Caolia munched the 2 pieces in his mouth, but didn¡¯t eat them. He looked at them. One had long hair, looking dirty, falling below his shoulders, and was white. The others had semi-long male hair, with rather decent clothing, albeit dusted. Only 1 of them was a fatty, who drank liquor the most. ¡°Where did you get these?¡± Phesx asked. The white man with long hair answered, ¡°I¡¯m not sure where it came from, but before killing it, it told us they had a camp west from here. We¡¯re checking out later, wanna come in?¡± ¡°Sure, I guess.¡± Phesx shrugged. The fatty looked at him for an extra second before pointing out with his bottle of beer, ¡°Won¡¯t you eat those tw-¡± ¡°You know,¡± these 2 words from Phesx, simply spouted out, interrupted the fatty and grabbed the others¡¯ attention. They still grabbed more pieces from the corpses being roasted in the fire. Phesx spoke in a neutral tone, ¡°You were easily seen moving them from your underground, dug storage. You shouldn¡¯t drag them around, but cut into pieces. That¡¯s what is done to animals for a reason, don¡¯t you think? Imagine moving huge pig carcasses from a farm or slaughterhouse to the city, and in mass. No, no!¡± Phesx Caolia directly said, making their eyes look at him like a suspicious person as he shook his head and exclaimed. But immediately after, he ¡®elbowed¡¯ forward in the air. His right coarse folded sleeve went past his wrist, letting his fingers grab a small handle in between the folds. Bang, bang, bang, bang! ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia shot them squarely in the chest, even the fatty. He wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯ll kill them if he aimed at their heads after seeing their hands move close to their handguns, whose one wrist always remained near a side of their waist. ¡®So cautious.¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought, immediately raising to his feet and spitting the pieces of human skin out of his mouth with disgust as their bodies slowly fell backwards, dying. He ignored them, holstered his pistol, and put his index and middle fingers deep inside his mouth¡­ before stopping. Phesx sat back down, slumped, and hung his head. ¡®It¡¯s not like that¡¯ll be noble of me.¡¯ After a while, Phesx Caolia stood up, taking the coarse jacket made of leaves and some stems off, throwing it into the fire before doing the same to the tools with corpses in them. Then, he looked at the cannibals, before looking around, far into the distance. ¡®Maybe there¡¯ll be wolves around who come for you.¡¯ Phesx Caolia grabbed his small pistol again and shot 2 ¡®bang!¡¯ at each of their abdomen again, effectively emptying another magazine. This reminded him a little of when he killed that squad. ¡®I have to stop wasting ammo.¡¯ Phesx Caolia then moved forward, continuing on his journey. This time, he had to go through a part of the districts before entering Prona¡¯s forest. He picked the shortest path to cross through, but it might still be dangerous. Before leaving, Phesx took a small block of ham out of his military bag and looked at it, smelling it before taking a chunk off. ¡°Nom, nomng~, nom nom nom¡­¡± Phesx Caolia began eating it like a savage. Not only did he miss meat, he also wanted to erase what he did before. He trembled as he felt his body ¡®cleaning¡¯ from that previous action. It was just night, and a long road ahead before the first lights of the morning got to him. With this ham nurturing his body, he could keep going without resting, or so he thought. It was a long road, more than 10 kilometers for sure. And he also had to cross a main road of all Preut. . . . Hours passed by slowly. Being careful of the time and his path, Phesx Caolia¡¯s mind went back to the map he and others were put to learn during the training regimen. It was very enjoyable to move alone and in silence, but this also left him helpless. Nevertheless, he could move faster alone. Phesx felt the first lights of the day fall on him when he was still about 5 minutes from entering the forest. The main road was behind him, and it was a cold and silent crossing through, putting him in a good mood. Unfortunately, just as he was a few tens of seconds from entering the forest, with large, thick trees and grass welcoming him, and already walking on some ¡®dying¡¯ grass and dirt, it happened. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened before the trees and grass before him shook. Whoosh- rustle rustle rustle! ¡°Stop!¡± A few men with weapons and stolen military outfits from all 3 sections came out of hiding and aimed at him. Phesx stopped, already with his hands up beside his shoulders, and widened, scared eyes. 3 of these people walked towards him, one of them belonging to the one who shouted just now. ¡°Take your bag off! Slowly¡­¡± The man shouted again, giving Phesx indications. He slightly nodded and slid the blue bag off his back. The 3 people arrived before him, whereas one extended his left arm to grab his bag. The person crouched to rummage through it. ¡°What did you find?¡± The leader asked, but the person searching Phesx Caolia¡¯s bag shook his head, taking rolled pieces of clothes out in his hands. ¡°Noth-¡± Phesx Caolia blinked, very slowly, and prepared his body to ignore the sound as he pressed a button behind his back from a remote device peeking out of his shirt. Bang! A flash grenade exploded in the face of the man searching his bag, immediately going limp. Phesx Caolia tackled the leader, whose weapon aimed at the sky diagonally, but fired away as he felt his body down and ¡®little knives¡¯ stabbing his neck. He was stunned by the flash grenade. The other person fell in a crouch, covering his eyes before screaming like a madman. Unable to hear himself, he kept firing. Within the tall grass, Phesx Caolia rapidly grabbed the leader¡¯s weapon while stomping and standing solid on his wrists. The leader bled from his neck, choking and convulsing as he wanted to free himself, but was weak, and only continued to grow weak. On the other hand, Phesx Caolia opened his eyes wide and crouched amidst the tall grass. Aiming the submachine gun ahead, feeling it a little heavy. He fired at those still beside the trees. They were already at ease, when a flashing nearly blinded their eyes. Before they could identify anything with blurry eyes, they started falling. Phesx Caolia¡¯s aim was only slightly above average with rifles. With submachine guns, he needed better practice. Even then, emptying its magazine, he took out 3 people before rapidly taking his small pistol down. Bang bang bang bang- trrrrrrr rrrrrr¡­ bang! Bang! Bang! Bang bang bang bang bang! Before Phesx noticed, he was in a battle zone where he had no cover whatsoever, and couldn¡¯t move away. The enemy began shooting him, failing to immediately find the spot where his body actually was, but being rather close. He could hear the blades of grass being blasted apart. Readily taking his medium pistol out of the holster, he aimed and fired once, then twice, and thrice. Another 2 enemies fell, with one receiving a shot to his chest, falling before receiving another at his groins. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t think he¡¯d hit at first from a nearly 30 meters range, but he did, accidentally giving a worse injury to the first kill with it. Then, as he killed another with also only 1 shot. Gaining confidence, Phesx Caolia looked at the remaining 4, and aimed. His medium pistol had the longest range besides his rifle and submachine gun. Phesx Caolia felt 2 bullets almost burst his ear apart twice before he could take the last enemy down. Of its 20 bullets in the magazine, he only used 8 before finishing the last one off, dealing a crushing gunshot at her right chest, sending her stumbling backwards despite nearly 50 meters away. Lucky or not, Phesx Caolia achieved it in one shot after needing more than that to kill the previous 3. Phesx Caolia was left alone in the tall grass. ¡°Wuuuuuuh! Huh?!¡± The enemy crouching before him, holding his reddened eyes and dizzy head, sobered up. He looked around, only to see grass, before staring at Phesx Caolia¡¯s bloody, strange, and creepy sharpened right-handed nails and a medium, powerful pistol in his hands. Bang! Phesx Caolia casually aimed before blowing off his head. He glanced at the other fella who suffered the flash grenade¡¯s full brunt, and fired at his chest. Then, he looked down at the leader below him, whose eyelids already relaxed. ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°!?¡± Phesx Caolia suddenly looked up. He felt his vision uncomfortably focus farther than he should be able to see with detail, where a few leaves and branches were slapped away. ¡®Someone was behind them? Their enemy or comrade¡­?¡¯ Phesx Caolia frowned. There was something deep in his heart, correlating to his brain everywhere, telling him to do something. His instinct. However, this was no survival ¡®need¡¯. Instead, he holstered the medium pistol before lifting his military backpack up his shirt. Without taking it completely out, he looked for the larger barrel before carefully taking it out. His instinct told him¡­ It was¡­ to hunt. A rare excitement surged within Phesx Caolia. Phesx Caolia held his rifle in a fashionable motion, appearing a little fearsome. Of course, to him, he only lowered his presence, keeping his eyes amidst the tall grass top, and advanced forward with his rifle¡¯s butt against his right chest. It felt comfortable, and just fitting. Just right. Then, he stopped, thinking to how he executed those 2 after killing the rest of their group, with their weapons left behind, buried under some dirt. ¡®They might be paramilitary¡­ Oh, I wasted ammo again.¡¯ ¡­ Chapter 26 — Another Side Another Side Phesx Caolia advanced through the forest, looking at his sides and trying to take the path where his sides are more or less ''protected'' by many rows of trees, even deviating a little just to have it done. With more than a year in the military, holding his rifle like this was no trouble, but the esteemed time to cross the forest was between 1 and 2 hours. Not that little. ¡°¡­¡± As he continued for half an hour, having traveled a little deep into the forest, Phesx Caolia silently looked up. His light black eyes contents dilated, ¡®Are those oranges?¡¯ If there was something that could take place in Phesx Caolia¡¯s mindset, of which Sofia couldn¡¯t traffic into the encampment despite being able to get chocolate, it was oranges. Phesx Caolia¡¯s salivated a little, but he didn¡¯t move, debating. He cannot just get distracted. 3 minutes later, Phesx Caolia peeled his first orange with one of his knives and ate it right after. Once he ate, forgetting he was in a unique forest, with the dirt he stepped on already dead, with a dull, grayish purple tone to it, he continued hunting for possible paramilitary folk. While it was better if he did not find such people, and could keep his ammo, with less than 7 magazines of his rifle and 3 of the submachine gun in his military bag, still hidden. Phesx Caolia wanted to find more people to ¡®play¡¯ with. Either way, he¡¯d be fighting whether he joins Prona or finds danger within Preut, alone. Yet, as time passed, and the first hour went by, Phesx Caolia continued advancing with his stance lowered. He ate another 2 oranges, feeling super energized and in a good mood. He found no one, although he could distinguish a few traces of having taken paths nearby. Those were old, though. Phesx Caolia continued moving and still found nothing. He couldn¡¯t tell how long he was from the other side, as this was his first time here, and he was just employing what he was taught. Fortunately, Phesx didn¡¯t lose his way when detouring, and after picking his sweet, delicious oranges. ¡­ 40 minutes later, Phesx Caolia saw the revealing the image of buildings in the distance amidst the trees. These districts were the wealthiest in Preut, with the tallest buildings, where if they weren¡¯t 80 meters tall at least, they were 60 or 70 meters tall. It was also much more packed than in Prei, the most populated section. Let alone Prequa, with the least population and most territory. Phesx Caolia advanced with long strides as the morning lights showed him the desolation yet beauty of Prona. At first, he thought he¡¯d see himself surrounded by the interconnected districts made into a single one, yet, he realized he was much higher than the ground level. There was a high steep leading down, but there were some construction site¡¯s structures to either go down the forest or up. These might have been built to take care of the forest from this side, as they expanded throughout the forest¡¯s northern perimeter. However, a lot of it looked destroyed, probably during the Prona Prequa battles in the beginning. ¡°!¡± Phesx Caolia was just stepping out of the trees to look at the nearest structure to the steep, when he heard vehicles move towards a close by location. He stepped back and hid behind a thin tree before checking the dirt areas and roads directly down his location. There were several vehicles parking relatively near each other in an open space, trying to keep the distance between each other. Phesx Caolia only needed to hear their engines to know it was military, but he still checked them with his uncomfortable, enhanced vision. ¡®Prei and Prequa?¡¯ Phesx Caolia jumped his eyebrows, surprised. ¡®They don¡¯t seem to be trading, or playing the spy game. Is this some negotiation talk?¡¯ Phesx Caolia frowned. Wanting to hear more, he stepped forth. He had just stepped down, and felt his left foot stabilize in the solid ground, when he witnessed a sudden gunshot take place. A preq sitting on the hood of a military car suddenly stood up, turned to the preis, and lifted his left arm, firing off the chest of the preis¡¯ leader. As the prei fell, the other prei aimed their weapons and fired away. The preqs seemed prepared, but they still got confused when the signal was given, regardless of how obvious it had been. 3 preqs immediately fell, riddled with gunshots even after falling. Blood and gore unmasked each side¡¯s hostility as death descended upon everyone. The military vehicles had no machine guns installed on them, so it was a matter of personnel alone. Phesx Caolia was still far from them, about 200 meters from their battle zone. He fearlessly crouched down in front of the tree, remaining immobile as he calculated with his mind alone. He didn¡¯t bother about his slight visibility from where they were and counted. They were approximately 40 and 60, with more prei, but the preqs were simply better equipped and knew how to hole up, exactly as he expected it. Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes slightly flashed, showing untraceable emotions before taking off. Phesx stepped off the edge, skidding his feet down the steep before landing on a platform, falling lying down. His body inadvertently made a loud, dull ¡®pang¡¯ sound. Although not that loud, it traveled far. It attracted the 2 sides¡¯ focus, alarming each other, but seeing nothing, they rapidly returned to shooting each other. After feeling his back was no longer creeped out, and the sensation of about to be cut disappeared from his neck, he dragged his body to the side, where a few other structures would obstruct his body after standing up. ¡®Phew.¡¯ Phesx Caolia stood up at once, aiming down, but didn¡¯t see any soldier and just stared at a few empty areas, with bullets being shot about from afar. ¡®The prei are retreating.¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought, becoming alarmed. He looked to his left and started looking for routes. The prei were to the front in the west of him, while the preqs were at the east. He had to think fast. After looking at the platform leading further to the left, Phesx Caolia discarded it, as he would come out of hiding and become visible if he followed that path. After not finding a good route, he just looked down before strapping his rifle behind his left armpit and around his neck. He walked to the edge, turned around, and soundlessly dropped himself, grabbing the tubes and stepping down on them as he went further down. Boooom- bang bang bang, bang! Trrrrrr rrrrrrr¡­ Hearing more gunshots, submachine guns, and the use of explosives, Phesx Caolia calmly climbed down the structure. When he was 3 meters from the ground, he jumped off, impulsing himself slightly backwards to not hit himself unconscious in the head, immediately crouching once down. He aimed left, then right, before crouching to the nearest building wall. After checking his left, with the prei still not retreating to his position, and securing his moving wouldn¡¯t be seen by the preqs, he advanced to the building left of him crouching. He was fast, maybe even faster than soldiers running with full equipment amidst battle. When Phesx Caolia¡¯s back was against the other building¡¯s wall, and he stopped to hear if they were talking about him, the preis were barely starting to retreat. ¡°Back, go back!¡± - ¡°Go to the 2nd point!¡± - ¡°Grenaaaade- boom!¡± - ¡°Shit!!¡± - ¡°Leave him! That¡¯s just a fucking foot- leave it, I said!¡± Phesx waited at the left corner of this building, checking when the preis¡¯ footsteps further retreated. When he heard them stop still 20 meters behind his position, Phesx looked at the buildings from behind, where biologists and some guards might¡¯ve lived in the past. Some were destroyed, but there was a good elliptic row of small buildings on the preis¡¯ rear. ¡®Hm.¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought in a good mood before running forth with his back lowered. He would now be seen, but he had expected it. On the Prequa side, the soldiers firing at the prei, finally taking another 2 down as they forced the preis to retreat, suddenly noticed a civilian running away with a long weapon. A soldier wearing sunglasses asked his immediate superior, ¡°Sir, did you see that?!¡± ¡°Keep shooting. I haven¡¯t commanded you to act as a judge to this battle. Get those fuckers! They¡¯ve allied with scum, they are worse than scum!¡± - ¡°Hurrah! Hurrah!!¡± - ¡°Hurraaah!¡± - ¡°Aye! Hurrah!¡± The soldier wearing sunglasses, with short, balding blond curly hair, cocked his head before taking down another prei fella. ¡®There¡¯s still more of them than us, shit¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t care he was seen, as the prei didn¡¯t notice. He rushed into the back of one of the buildings, expecting them to have their backs broken apart by a shell or explosion. The buildings behind them were destroyed, but those he targeted were completely fine. Cursing his luck, Phesx Caolia discarded the thought of rushing to one of the front entrances. However, thinking like that gave him an idea. Taking a few deep breaths in, he raised his posture and aimed ahead before walking to the right, showing himself behind one of the houses. The preqs were momentarily startled, and some aimed at him, but then, Phesx stopped moving, crouched, leaned against the wall near the corner before firing off at the head of a prei from his helmet. The preis didn¡¯t notice at first, engrossed in the front, but a few looked down when their comrade didn¡¯t respond to their calls. ¡°Behind! Enemy behind! Behind!¡± A prei soldier exclaimed, turning around before his immediate superior could stop him, an older, brown, gray-bearded man. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t-¡± Trrrr- The older man watched his soldier turn into a porcupine, with blood splattering on that soldier¡¯s back before falling limp on the dirt. Immediately after, prei divided a third of their less than 50 elements to aim at their rear and get rid of the enemy. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t cover. He didn¡¯t have grenades, but he had a slightly good angle from here. But he was still exposed. A prei soldier shouted, half scared and half enraged, ¡°FIRE!¡± Tkrrkkk¡­ Phesx Caolia heard the bullets graze the wall above him and stop before him. He fired his rifle, immediately bursting the third portion aiming at him, as they had to move to get into place first. It wasn¡¯t that Phesx Caolia was really good at fighting larger numbers, he just took them by surprise in the worst moment and in a decent spot. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Aagh!¡± - ¡°Oooh- holy shit!¡± - ¡°Aagh, al carajo!¡± The soldiers struck by Phesx Caolia tumbled down, some with their abdomen bleeding, and others with their sides cut by flying bullets. They were approximately 70 to 80 meters away, keeping Phesx Caolia safe but in a difficult position to accurately kill them off. This was truly the first time Phesx Caolia participated in the war, fighting another section, or more. What¡¯s more, from large distances. If he used his medium pistol now, he¡¯d at most hit 1 or 2, instead of about 5, like now. ¡°Mff!¡± Phesx Caolia felt a bullet go through above his left shoulder, dangerously near his neck and head. He groaned through his nostrils and prepared to retreat, when a grenade arched towards him through the air. He stopped and remained crouched, calculating with his light black eyes. Anyone would¡¯ve wanted to dash away while shooting a grenade and forcefully explode it coolly. But even without training, Phesx Caolia knew how guns and grenades worked, and his rifle had a good chance of doing that only when up close because of his accuracy. Phesx Caolia looked at the grenade, only slightly lifting his rifle, and ignored the bullets closing up to his feet and sides, landing on the ground. But even then, many would fail to explode a grenade in the air, built to resist things such as other explosions, albeit not impenetrable. Bang- boom! Fortunately, Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t that bad at aiming. His rifle¡¯s special effect destroyed the grenade, just it 8 meters before him in the air. Although he only felt a slight impulse backwards, and most of it was directed at the small building¡¯s wall he was leaning on, he let his body¡¯s right side loose. Like swimming against the current, only putting strength on his left side, he was dragged backwards. With an additional light tap from his right foot, which he nearly tripped from, Phesx Caolia threw himself around the corner, mostly safe from the gunshots. But remembering the past, where his spine was nearly blown off, he forced himself up and away. ¡°Where did he go?!¡± After the grenade, Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t suddenly appear and continue shooting at them just to get barraged with bullets. A prei soldier in position around the corner of another house in the opposite direction shouted, but no one had the answer. ¡®Oh no!¡¯ That¡¯s when they realized something, returning their sights to the front after getting distracted with the single enemy¡¯s disappearance. They saw their comrades fall one after another. Their bodies no longer moving and others receiving hurls of firepower at them. Before they noticed, the preqs cleaned their comrades¡¯ right flank and aimed at them near the houses. One of the preqs even shouted, ¡°Support our friend! Fire!¡± Trrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrr¡­ ¡°Aaaaaagh!¡± - ¡°Efk- bblm¡­¡± - ¡°Grrflgh- ggrrlggh¡­¡± The preis on the houses¡¯ walls rapidly fell, with no cover or support from their comrades. The remaining preis grouped and moved towards another building, wanting to follow the example of their enemy, but it was only slightly nearer than those in their rear. Seeing the preqs were now doing well behind another house far from his previous position, to the rear left flank of the preis, Phesx Caolia rolled away and continued moving into their left flank. Little by little, the preis were mowed down, but the preqs were not without casualties. While the preis became less than 10 a few minutes after Phesx Caolia¡¯s intervention, the preqs had lost more than 20 of their numbers. ¡°Aaaaaagh! Damn you, tyrants! Blaagrrhk!¡± The remaining soldier, the gray-bearded brown man had 3 shots on his right leg, nearly gone limp, as he shouted and took a large pistol out. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened when seeing this, as did the preqs. The preqs¡¯ leader rapidly shot his neck, letting the man choke while snatching the large pistol from the brown man¡¯s hands. Now victorious, he lifted it and asked out loud, ¡°This is a nice prize. Who wants it? No one? Well then, I¡¯ll generously have it. Thank you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The soldiers looked at their leader and snarled, but didn¡¯t dare say a thing. The leader got busy with cleaning the blood off his new, extremely costly pistol, when a soldier came and reminded him. ¡°Sir, shouldn¡¯t we check for that guy?¡± ¡°Right¡­ You, you, and you, go check the flanks. Arrest him,¡± the leader said, pointing at a few soldiers who were at the sides. They nodded before rushing ahead with their full backpacks. Some soldiers frowned, still aiming at their flanks and the front. Why not send them with a partner? That person was clearly a good scum, or ex-military, even paramilitary. The leader wanted to take a look at that rifle, it was modded, obviously, and he liked it, too. However, what he didn¡¯t know was that the unknown guy, a young boy still, had moved to the flank where his soldiers used the least explosives¡­ 3 soldiers rushed to the front, where Phesx Caolia fired at the preis, another at the left flank, where he first showed himself, and another to the right flank. Phesx was hidden underneath a house in the right flank. Step, step, step, step. As the soldier with the full backpack rushed around, aiming carefully at his sides, Phesx Caolia opened his eyes and extended his right arm towards the soldier. His nails out, and his body no longer trembling, he crushed a left leg¡¯s ankle joint. ¡°Uwaah!¡± The other soldiers heard their comrade¡¯s scream, easily identifying it, before a few pistol gunshots went off. They didn¡¯t raise their voice and just moved towards the house with their guns aiming and their nerves wracking inside. Bang! Bang! Trck tck- ¡°Spread!!¡± When they were moving towards the house¡¯s side, and saw a body after bending down but no extra feet, a pair of mechanisms sounded. The leader and a few soldiers remained behind. The leader frowned, constantly looking at the soldiers gone to investigate. Suddenly, some soldiers rushed back out before a couple grenades exploded on each side of the house after bouncing off the walls a couple of times. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡± - ¡°Daaammiiiiiit!¡± - ¡°My legs, holy fu- AAAAH!!¡± Several soldiers were killed or maimed. Not letting the moment die out, Phesx Caolia threw flash grenades amidst the smoke after hiding beneath the first soldier¡¯s corpse. He came out with his eyes closed and, after stealing someone¡¯s helmet, with his submachine in his hands and his folded bag out. Trrrrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr¡­ A few fleeing soldiers were finished off on the ground, with others tumbled down after being shot at from behind and the side. Phesx Caolia pushed his gun aside and made a full-on run for it towards the other side. Phesx wasn¡¯t just fleeing, though. As the leader looked at the explosion, he noticed a helmet coming towards him and mistook him for one of his soldiers despite the difference in clothing. The soldiers behind the leader aimed at Phesx but lowered them when their leader did nothing. ¡®Isn¡¯t this the guy?!¡¯ They all thought, but didn¡¯t shoot in the end, dooming their leader. Phesx Caolia clawed his fingers deep inside the man¡¯s neck after a slight jump and lunge forwards. The leader was looking at his injured soldiers, which meant less ¡®rating¡¯ for this successful mission, with a hopeless stare. ¡°AAAGK!¡± Feeling his throat hurting, with liquid coming out, chocking him and bathing him, the leader didn¡¯t realize when he was kicked down before his aggressor fled. The soldiers were shocked, they should¡¯ve had done something! Bang bang bang bang- trrrrrrrrrrrrr¡­ But it was too late. Phesx Caolia was already running into their left flank, disappearing into the houses as they fired at him. Ptf ptf ptf ptf¡­ ¡°Arrgh¡­¡± Phesx Caolia groaned, feeling a few bullets almost penetrate his back, with his bag failing to cushion their force. He continued rushing into the buildings while feeling bleeding from his lower right back. He began tying his submachine gun to the left side of his right arm before strapping his rifle around his neck after having stored it. Phesx Caolia hurried up to the platform, climbing rapidly and making sound all over, sometimes impulsing his body half a meter higher even. As he did, a preq shouted, raging and scared of returning without an explanation, ¡°He¡¯s right there! Leave the wounded¡ª go after him! Go!¡± ¡®Impossible¡­¡¯ The soldier with balding blond hair and glasses looked at Phesx Caolia¡¯s back, astounded. Here he thought they had a hidden ally. The soldiers aimed at him, but Phesx Caolia once again had a great angle. This time, it was against them, though. Half his body was hidden by the corner of a house, while the rest moved agilely up the tubes and onto the platform. Once atop it, he aimed at a blonde guy with glasses before blasting his head off, then rushed to the steep he had come from at first. ¡°Huff, huff¡­¡± Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t notice it, but his right hand was shot at, with its lower right side torn off and dangling from his flesh. He used a sticky tape from his belt to strap it along his submachine gun¡¯s straps, continued fleeing from the rain of bullets with the higher ground on his favor, when it happened. Booom! A grenade exploded a few meters behind him, immediately lowering the platform he was running on. He stopped and inadvertently half-crouched with his left knee up. He instinctively held his rifle and aimed at the remaining preqs. With his higher ground, and the house¡¯s rooftop covering for him, he fired at them. He simply felt he would fall in the next second, but it didn¡¯t happen. However, he headshot the preqs one by one. He saw the helplessness they were filled as he killed them off, but instead of feeling a sense of camaraderie from his past, he enjoyed taking them down faster. Phesx Caolia was too engrossed to notice a trail of dirt smoke slightly raising from the distance, moving closer towards them. ¡°!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes strongly widened when he realized the platform was only momentarily holding on. He impulsed his body forth, lunging it forwards, feeling like his blood was too slow to follow his movements, thus feeling colder as he acted. He rushed to the next platform, whereas some soldiers who were nearing him from below stopped, not wanting to be crushed. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! However, being in such a sensitive state, Phesx Caolia looked back, crouched, and fired at those 5 soldiers while others rushed to get a good angle of his side from the empty space ahead. After killing the preqs, Phesx Caolia rushed forth but was shot in the left knee. He immediately understood what happened and widened his eyes, baffled and in disbelief. But Phesx fell down, helplessly. His back faced the soldiers who brought him down. He covered his neck and ducked his head, when a few bullets took his helmet off, grazing the back of his head with blood, and semi-stunning him. The notion sobered him up, albeit with a blurry expression, to rapidly stand up and aim his submachine gun. The soldiers felt at ease, seeing that rifle slide almost off the platform¡¯s corner, hung by the strap, and completely unprepared to face Phesx Caolia¡¯s submachine gun. Trrrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrrrr¡­ Phesx Caolia fired his whole magazine in a couple of seconds before reloading as fast as he currently could, with all these injuries and his dizzy mind. After reloading, barely noticing those 4 were all caught by surprise and died with wide awake eyes, he emptied the magazine again and wondered how he could stand before feeling weak. It all happened too fast, making Phesx Caolia feel an incoming headache. After a while of aimlessly looking down, he felt some tears from his eyes, possibly from the oh so near death sensation still shuddering over him. He didn¡¯t even bother checking the mess he left behind, as all preqs and preis were finished. Feeling the new bulge in his bag from the large pistol, he limply went to his rifle, picked the strap, and suddenly, he was able to hear without muffles again. The doors of vehicles being closed and shouts emerging from below, slightly far away, became thunderous. ¡°!¡± Phesx Caolia reacted like someone whose both sides of their head were impacted with the extremely loud claps of hands. His shoulders jolted, and his neck ducked before looking ahead¡­ and below. ¡°Don¡¯t move anymore! Don¡¯t! Move!¡± A female voice, headstrong and unchallengeable, shouted at him, with a modern rifle aiming directly at his lucky, still untouched brain. Phesx Caolia looked in shock at the gun, while the soldier in question, wearing a different emblem from a hand raised up or farms on her shoulders, gave him the sensation she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to off him. His age wouldn¡¯t even be considered higher than the fact that he was just suspicious-looking. Phesx Caolia stood with his legs spread. His right arm was down, with his left hand slightly opened, and its palm faced upwards. He was bloody and dirtied, with a mix of both as he looked at the row of military vehicles and a few dozen soldiers, from more than a hundred, wielding modern weapons and similar armor as this female soldier. ¡®Pronas¡­ Is she from a special force unit?¡¯ Phesx Caolia frowned, preparing to kneel in his weakened, trembling legs; to rest, more than in surrender. When the platform he stood on was pulled backwards by what his sensitive ears recognized as the other platform, exploded and crumbled, continued to fall. Trriit trriit- rumble, screeeech~¡­ ¡­ Chapter 27 — A New Recruit Again A New Recruit Again CRASSSHH~~! Clank clank- claaang~! ¡°COUGH- cough, cough, cough!!¡± After the platform fell apart, lifting some dust and throwing Phesx Caolia to the ground, landing with his knees after rolling forth in a lucky momentum from the fall, he coughed like his lungs were exploding. He faced towards his left, on all fours as he bled from his bullet wounds, even those he hadn''t noticed before. ¡°¡­don¡¯t¡­ move¡­¡± Phesx Caolia could swear he heard muffled words, and similar to those before, but he was feeling an awful headache right now, and hurting. He looked where the female soldier was standing through the smoke before realizing she was moving towards him, still aiming her modern rifle. ¡®Ah.¡¯ Phesx Caolia tried to stand up, moving his hands backwards to rise to his feet, but his legs just wouldn¡¯t respond. He could feel them try, but the numbness made his legs not move, they only shook and were like dead logs attached to him. Bang! ¡®Uff¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia coughed a few more times after his right hand was shot. A bloody hole opened it in the middle, even burying into the dirt. It was quite penetrating. Phesx suddenly felt his hearing return, just like an implosion underwater. He felt stunned as a hand turned him around to lie on his back. He looked at the muzzle with dizzy, moving eyes. ¡°I- said don¡¯t move!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The headache increased as the soldier¡¯s shouting words were enhanced out of nowhere. Phesx Caolia coughed more times, until his lungs were empty and he had to suck a deep breath in before immediately coughing again. His head hurt more and more, but that wasn¡¯t all. His right hand felt like it was breaking apart from the wound. It felt like it would crack apart at any moment, and if he touched it, it would crumble at once. The soldier looked backwards while placing her foot on Phesx Caolia¡¯s solar plexus, communicating with her people. Phesx Caolia could tell her equipment was better than those criminal scums he faced at the bridge, let alone his past soldier uniform and armor. Her helmet covered her head but seemed more comfortable, and she moved much more nimbly. Next, Phesx Caolia watched as another soldier brought an extra bag towards them. She stepped aside while the medic soldier crouched and tore apart a piece of his pants. Just when he was about to inject him something, Phesx Caolia read the flask¡¯s contents and stopped him. ¡°Put your hand down!¡± The female soldier nearly butted the side of his head with her rifle, aiming at him as she shouted. Phesx Caolia said in a roughened voice, ¡°Allergic. To that¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The medic looked at Phesx Caolia, baffled, before nodding. He looked at the soldier before she nodded. Thus, the medic simply took out a few other syringes and different flasks. Just as Phesx Caolia wanted to stop him again, the other soldier pushed her foot on his collarbone. Phesx Caolia looked at the syringes with slightly shaking eyes before the soldier spoke, as headstrong and unchallengeable as before. ¡°Those aren¡¯t just medicine. Some are for numbing your body, the others to stop the internal bleeding within. Your lungs might also be punctured, so you¡¯ll be injected a few¡­ ¡®contents¡¯ into them, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the soldier, a little baffled himself, as the medic rapidly put 4 different injections on his right leg, one below the other. Then, the medic tore his shirt sideways before aiming a needle at his lungs. When Phesx Caolia sucked a deep breath, the medic shot them into his rib cage. Phesx Caolia relaxed his neck, unable to do anything else. His head shook a bit, nearly convulsing, but his body took the shots ¡®well¡¯. The medic looked at the young boy, worried to murder him without giving him the pre-shots to endure the procedure. He looked at the soldier, but she just nodded at him, like telling him ¡®good job¡¯. Then, more soldiers arrived as a couple lifted him up before carrying Phesx¡¯s arms over their shoulders. They didn¡¯t move, though, and stopped before the female soldier, whose rifle was finally lowered. ¡°Identify yourself,¡± the soldier said after the others couldn¡¯t find an ID from his military bag. As Phesx Caolia felt the ringing of his head subside, just a little bit, as they took his weapons, including the ¡®new¡¯ large pistol. He looked at her emblem, a small version of a map of Preut, with only the Centralized Parliament detailed, and flames outside its borders. ¡°Phesx Caolia-¡± Phesx answered, feeling weak and like his body was solid from inside, but no longer bleeding, and generally better. The soldier interrupted him after a soldier passed her the large pistol. Her helmet stopped tilting as she inspected the beauty in her hands. ¡°Who trained you?¡± ¡°¡­An encampment from the Prequa military camp.¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the large pistol briefly before staring at the helmet¡¯s visor. It seemed to cover her entire front, but the glass was only for her eyes, letting her see well around them. The rest was ¡®bait¡¯ so to speak. The soldier looked up at him when he answered, paused, and asked with a tilt. ¡°Why did you attack your very own people?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Phesx Caolia said, emitting a ¡®pu¡¯ at the end of. That little action made him feel like her eyes were focused on his lips when they moved on their own. After the silence, another soldier nearby, with a modern submachine gun lowered, snarled. ¡°Heng, told you. Prei might have started to share their treasury, but it¡¯s the preqs who feed them the most.¡± ¡°Nah. Do you really think Prequa can give birth to a good one like him? Scum or paramilitary fanatic, he¡¯s got talent, ey.¡± Another soldier said, shaking his head before gesturing towards Phesx. The female soldier looked at Phesx Caolia, doing nothing as the soldiers commented. Phesx returned the look. Since they saw him fight, and then the results of what he did, then he wasn¡¯t just a prisoner they wanted alive to get information from before deciding his life and death. ¡°Rank and alias?¡± The soldier asked, putting order in their little circle as the soldiers stared at Phesx Caolia. The young boy didn¡¯t bother and said, ¡°Corporal; assisting instructor. Hellcat.¡± ¡°Pfft- what?¡± - ¡°Wait, that Hellcat?¡± - ¡°The Hellcat? Bwahahaha.¡± - ¡°Man, who would¡¯ve thought he didn¡¯t die in the assault. He¡¯s lucky, alright.¡± - ¡°Ohohoh, now we¡¯re talking.¡± The soldier continued staring at Phesx Caolia some more before facing the medic with a lazy tilt, she cocked her head towards Phesx Caolia before walking away, back to the long row of vehicles. The medic nodded and took a thick, long syringe from his left chest pocket. ¡°!?¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the huge syringe before being shot with it in the sternum. He immediately felt like coughing, but it stopped, as did the sensation of being ¡®stuck¡¯ from within. ¡°!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened when he felt cool and comfortable liquid move inside his body, like a trigger after a long time. He realized, ¡®Was I going to die if I wasn¡¯t compliant?¡¯ The soldiers brought Phesx into a vehicle as he experimented in the sensation of his body recuperating. However, his wounds weren¡¯t healing, it was just a treatment for the moment. When getting into the car, they were careful, but not caring, and nearly shoved him inside. He went to the back, whereas other soldiers sat in front of him and on the sides. This wide car had a square shape with connected seats. It wasn¡¯t too roomy, but it was much better than the trucks he used in the encampment. The female soldier was there, too. Tck tc- brff, vrrum¡­ The car started, bringing a bit of bouncing inside before it all evened out. The vehicle drove in a ¡®u¡¯ before simply speeding ahead, Phesx could barely feel it moving from then on. ¡°You were actually lucky,¡± the female soldier said. Phesx Caolia turned towards his right, starting to get sleepy and heavy in his limbs. She added, ¡°I actually aimed at your back after seeing this.¡± The soldier grabbed the unstrapped submachine gun taken off from his right arm. Phesx Caolia remembered his military bag and his new large pistol. The soldier commented before putting the submachine gun in a bag with the rest of his guns. ¡°If you keep being lucky, and someone gets interested in you, you might be able to keep them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t speak and just nodded. The car¡¯s seats were steep and ¡®short¡¯, allowing only for sitting and not lying back, but he still let his body loose to relax. He looked at the other soldiers¡¯ armor and uniform from the lower ends of his eyes before turning to the female soldier on his right. ¡°Are you from the special forces?¡± ¡°No,¡± the soldier looked at him and shook her head. ¡°If I still was, our equipment wouldn¡¯t be just this much¡­ Why?¡± ¡°Train me,¡± Phesx Caolia lowered his head and said, feeling the headache return, this time to stay. The soldier looked at him in silence for a few seconds before saying, turning her head to face ahead. ¡°It¡¯s not dependent on me. But I am curious to see that Hellcat I¡¯ve heard about.¡± ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll give you a gift if you do it.¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the soldier and intently proposed. The soldier looked at him, seemingly thinking about it, but said nothing and continued staring ahead. Phesx Caolia dropped the matter and relaxed, hoping she¡¯d consider. A few minutes later, seeing how the long trip back to base was just starting, which Phesx wondered if it would be their headquarters, the soldiers chatted among each other. ¡°Will one of the commanders take him in? He¡¯s Prequa, after all.¡± - ¡°Um, ya. But he is Hellcat. If others were to know of this, they¡¯ll be curious. If the other sections were to learn about it, it¡¯ll be strategic, and fun.¡± ¡°Hahaha, the preis are one thing. Don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true in the end, but some of their plans backtracked because of him, no? They suddenly attacked their encampment after failing again. That¡¯s no coincidence.¡± - ¡°Sure, that¡¯ll be fun to see. But what about the preqs? They¡¯d fume, haha! And if the feline becomes an asset for us, which would mean he¡¯s at least somewhat good, then that¡¯ll give them all hell! Haha!¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡­ Phesx Caolia managed to rest on his way to wherever he was being brought to. After half an hour, he felt too tired and lost consciousness. His legs and feet kept him in position, barely moving around with the car¡¯s smooth driving. Somewhere amidst the trip, he began feeling fever. The other soldiers didn¡¯t notice at first, and Phesx Caolia woke up a little to the sensation, but he was already in ¡®healing process¡¯ where medicine couldn¡¯t be added to his body. This happened a few times, whereas Phesx Caolia began sweating after the 2nd time. He wondered why the soldiers weren¡¯t helping him, because they clearly noticed. He could feel their stares, and their understanding of his body¡¯s strangeness, already sweating and slightly shivering. Yet, they did nothing and just looked elsewhere every now and then. He woke up somewhere around 2 hours later, when the convoy was driving through the streets of a destroyed district. The day was cloudy, with so little light that it looked like it was night instead. Phesx Caolia looked to his left, where a small part of the window let him look outside. Phesx stared at the buildings. Those that used to be the famous urban jungle of Preut, with each building being considerably tall in the past now reduced to halves or parts. Their broken walls and decimated interiors were only a side to the utter terror in this civil war, then and next¡­ Phesx Caolia tried to stay awake. He wanted to see the streets he never visited before. The row of military vehicles moved between the districts instead of the road surrounding the worker districts. To his understanding, this was to avoid spies from any side from detecting or reading their movements. Anything helped in a situation like this. Thus, they were moving slower than on the semi-open road in the districts¡¯ perimeter. However, after traveling for so long, albeit dizzy, he could tell they went through many streets. They should be near Prona¡¯s central east, moving towards the camp¡¯s headquarters! The female soldier occasionally watched the young boy stare out the window. That was until he fell unconscious, in more fever and shivering. The soldier finally put a mantle on him, without letting him grow too cold or hot, evening his temperature instead. ¡°¡­We¡¯re here.¡± Phesx Caolia felt a voice speak to him. He opened his eyes, watching a pair of hands grab his shoulders and bring him outside the car. His nose felt stuffed with a smell¡­ coming from inside his body. He sniffed and sniffed outwards, ignoring how he was being brought about like a rag doll. The soldier looked at this and softly said, without much emotion. ¡°No matter how much you sneeze it out, it¡¯s a smell that won¡¯t go away. Stop playing and let your body rest. You might get into surgery soon.¡± Hearing her, Phesx Caolia stopped but kept frowning. It wasn¡¯t a bad smell, but it was unnatural and invasive. What he hated the most. They brought Phesx Caolia into a brand-new scenery that distracted him from that smell, though. These were the headquarters! It was nothing like an encampment. Prona¡¯s headquarters were located in the southeast of their wealthy districts, the largest and most lavish in Preut. Many military officers and wealthy ¡®nobles¡¯ so to speak were in charge of Prona¡¯s military camp. The military was in charge of recruiting, training, and fighting. The wealthy were busy with the camp¡¯s logistics, keeping their party many times better than in Prei or Prequa. For starters, one of the things that differ Prona from Prei and Prequa¡¯s military camps was the lack of so much ¡®brothels¡¯. They only used a few designated buildings in the headquarters for the returning soldiers, who had to be replaced every now and then from their posts elsewhere. However, instead of being seen as ¡®selfish¡¯, this policy was well-welcomed. The headquarters were still like a functional city. Phesx Caolia was brought to clean streets, with pavement, not dirt, and people walking on the sidewalks. It wasn¡¯t that the civilians here acted like they weren¡¯t in a war, but that their situation was simply much better than in the other sections¡¯ encampments. Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t sight see much. They were already in front of a large mansion, with a lake in front and a green space where he was brought through. The mansion had many guards and towers. It had a military fashion to it, with a few banners from Prona¡¯s emblem, and Preut¡¯s ¡®2¡¯ symbols, the Graywhite wolf and the Melancholy Eagle to each banner¡¯s left and right respectively. It took Phesx Caolia¡¯s attention away as the female soldier took her helmet off and met with a high-ranked officer after passing through the gates. ¡°The commander has corroborated the information. It looks like him, so he¡¯ll see him right away!¡± The officer strictly said, letting the female soldier understand before walking to Phesx Caolia. When she returned, Phesx Caolia was a little amazed, she was good-looking, to say the least. Although her body proportions were modest, her facial features were no longer hidden by her helmet. Tender white skin, blonde, with burnt chestnut lines. Celeste eyes, tall, and very slender. Now, Phesx Caolia wondered how she looked under that uniform, because the strength when pushing him around and down with a large rifle aiming at him wasn¡¯t little. ¡°Behave when you meet the commander. You won¡¯t find another chance if he isn¡¯t interested in you.¡± The soldier advised him before walking ahead. The others were discipline and looked ahead, following after her without trying to check her butt or hips, just another bro. They brought Phesx Caolia inside the mansion after a slightly long walk. Somewhat in a bad state, with his clothes torn apart, Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t given new clothes and was directly brought to someone in an office. The mansion was enormous, giving Phesx Caolia an 8 minutes walk up some stairs and through long hallways. They were all lavish, giving him the impression he was walking through the money of every person in Preut. When knocking on the office¡¯s doors, seemingly average, white, with thin black floral patterns, the doors were opened by a few male guards. Phesx Caolia was brought inside by the medic soldier who treated him before. The others left without a second look, including the blonde soldier. ¡°Okay, thank you for bringing him in. Sit him in front,¡± a voice brought Phesx Caolia¡¯s attention to his front, where he saw a man sitting behind a desk and writing some things at hand. He also had a couple of laptops at the side, with modern communication devices around the top right corner of the desk, encased with glass and a fingerprint lock. It was a short man, white, with blue eyes, and curly black hair. Phesx Caolia was helped down to the lavish wooden chair, which was many times ¡®lesser¡¯ than the ¡®commander¡¯s¡¯ seat. Phesx waited for a few seconds with the medic standing at the side before the man gestured to a few documents on his desk. ¡°Confirm these for me. Is this you?¡± Phesx Caolia looked at his profile photo, documented ID, and the classified document of his declaration to the Prequa military camp, with his IK info and other sheets blacked on print. Phesx Caolia nodded after giving them an uncaring glance. When he lifted his eyes to the commander, the latter was briefly glancing at him. He felt a little startled. The commander nodded with fully opened eyes, ¡°Okay. So, Hellcat, do you know why you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to join Prona,¡± Phesx Caolia indifferently said with narrowed eyes. The commander frowned a little after hearing his voice, soft and semi-broken. His expression relaxed as he supported his chin with his index finger and thumb, ¡°Well, are you willing to swear fealty and your honor, life, and future to Prona¡¯s wishes?¡± ¡°No.¡± Phesx Caolia said, decided. He didn¡¯t even shake his head. The commander stared at him without change. Phesx opened his mouth, ¡°I can promise to never betray Prona and their goals. Work under Prona, and cooperate with other pronas just like any other soldier.¡± ¡°Hmm, is that it?¡± The commander nodded, but then said with his eyes still glaring into Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes. Phesx Caolia looked at the commander, stopping before almost saying something. Seeing that resilient nature, the commander smiled and shook his head. He looked down and returned to writing with a pen, ¡°When we received news of Prei¡¯s attempts, Prequa was a couple of days from suffering that crushing blow.¡± ¡°We also noticed you beforehand, when the bridge northwest of your encampment was also assaulted. Mn. Your encampment should¡¯ve seen that coming, why was there no reaction? Did you say nothing at all?¡± The commander questioned, far from interrogating Phesx. ¡°I was just a corporal.¡± Phesx Caolia kept looking at the commander, who jumped his eyebrows and tilted his head, continuing writing without looking at him. Phesx frowned and pondered for a bit before asking, ¡°Sir, Prona knew about these movements early on¡­ You could have warned Prequa about it, right?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Of course, we could have.¡± The commander said, simply and at a regular pace, still without staring at Phesx. Phesx Caolia lowered his eyes, not even bothering to scream or demand ¡®justice¡¯ for at least Paul, Em, and the kitten household. He lifted his eyes after a while, ¡°Why does Prona know this, and Prei evaded Prequa¡¯s intelligence, when Prequa had better expertise in that field?¡± ¡°Hmhm,¡± the commander chuckled. His eyes stared at Phesx Caolia playfully, ¡°Well, I can tell you. But you¡¯ll have to shoot yourself in the head before any of these apes do it for you afterwards. Try to decipher it from this; Prequa was too greedy in not spending some of their gains like we did.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia probed no further. He relaxed his back on the chair, still feeling a slight fever. The commander finished writing on a document before scanning it in one of the laptops. It was instantly digitalized. Then, the commander rotated it and showed it to Phesx, along with the written document and a pen on top of it. ¡°This is the declaration you just gave me, in hand and digital. Sign it, and you¡¯ll proceed with Prona¡¯s specialized procedures. As it says here, you¡¯ll become a new recruit, spend a week or two there before being fully analyzed by our experts, and then we¡¯ll see if you¡¯re worth it.¡± ¡°You can also keep your weapons, but you¡¯ll only have access to them later. Anyway,¡± the commander continued, a little impatient and uncaring as Phesx signed his¡­ name. ¡°There will be a list of officers you can apply to be under after your ¡®training¡¯-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve chosen the leader who brought me,¡± Phesx Caolia interrupted, not wanting to be ¡®helped¡¯ on choosing someone. The commander looked at the monitor for a few more seconds before finally turning to Phesx, ¡°Who, Adams?¡± The commander asked, a little confused. Phesx Caolia jolted his neck backwards. No matter how unique the universal knowledge is, the name ¡®Adams¡¯ isn¡¯t one to be confused like his, of a mix of words. ¡°The blonde-¡± Phesx Caolia tried to specify, but the man waved his hand back and forth with a smile and shaking his head a bit. The medic soldier stepped forth and forcefully helped Phesx Caolia up his seat. As he was brought away, with his back facing the commander, the latter spoke out loud. ¡°Someone who lost their high role isn¡¯t a leader¡­ But with luck, she can be one again. Such a natural leader¡­¡± In the hallway, ignoring the commander¡¯s words after some pondering, Phesx Caolia faced the medic and commented. ¡°The commander didn¡¯t give me his name.¡± ¡°Are you worthy? On equal grounds with him? Hmph,¡± the medic responded. Phesx Caolia blinked with his mouth closed before popping a ¡®pu pu¡¯ sound from his lips. Then, he remained quiet until he was brought to another wing in the mansion. There, he was met with a surgery room, and many surgeons, nurses, and high-end equipment. Not in the world, but for Preut. Phesx Caolia looked around, searching for something, as he was passed from the medic soldier¡¯s arms to a few nurses and the leading surgeon. Phesx frowned, but slowly calmed down. Seeing the good state the young boy was in, the lead surgeon faced the medic soldier, who had to remain behind, and asked him. ¡°Have you given him anything recently?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± the medic soldier nodded before naming a few medicines. Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened, while the leading surgeon just nodded in return before ordering his nurses around. Sitting on the edge of the stretcher, Phesx Caolia grabbed the surgeon¡¯s right shoulder and stressed out. ¡°We need a bucket, a long one¡­ and wide. Make it two, or three.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The surgeon frowned a bit, looking at the young boy and debating internally before ordering a few nurses with it. Phesx thanked the surgeon¡¯s instinct before relaxingly lying supine on the stretcher, taking his clothes out. ¡°What am I being operated for?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, feeling his body stabilizing with the coldness from the stretcher. The surgeon didn¡¯t answer and darted his eyes around for a little more before walking to the lower end of the stretcher, near Phesx Caolia¡¯s feet. He grabbed underneath, where no one could see, and pulled a control device attached to the stretcher before sliding it up to Phesx¡¯s bum level. He pressed a couple of buttons. The stretcher under Phesx Caolia¡¯s butt opened in a circle, uncovering most of his bum from below. The lead surgeon nodded to the startled nurses and other surgeons before shouting, ¡°Let¡¯s get ready!¡± ¡°¡­Spread his legs a bit more,¡± the lead surgeon told a female nurse after thinking. The woman moved Phesx Caolia¡¯s knees, giving better access to the hole below his butt, before injecting something in the young boy¡¯s right butt cheek. ¡°We¡¯ll repair your broken knees and get rid of the bullets in your body. Now, we know you¡¯re¡­ allergic to some things, but this is to put you to sleep. Even if you can¡¯t feel a thing, we can¡¯t have you scratch an itch or involuntarily move.¡± The surgeon said. Phesx Caolia nodded, also understanding someone ¡®like him¡¯ wouldn¡¯t get things to cover his bare self. He wondered if this was a sort of initiation for an ¡®outsider¡¯ preq like himself. ¡°Why are the bullets dissolved in 14%? Mmm¡­ one injection isn¡¯t enough, shot him 2 more times¡­ How can he walk with such knee damage? Anyways, we got work to do.¡± Those were the last words Phesx Caolia heard as the lead surgeon seemed busy looking at a bright screen. His eyes felt heavy, finally closing them to rest. ¡­ Chapter 28 — Time Has Come Time Has Come Lymoca, in the capital state of Proteros. Presidential precinct. In the president''s office on the main floor. Luis sat on his wide, beige, sparkly desk. His presidential secretary, Roam, was just beside him. He is a white man, bald from the front, with still some hair on the back and sides. Small brown eyes, slightly fat, with an underchin, and was middle-aged, older than Luis Heartez. Roam stood with his hands behind his back, propping his chin up and looking around the office to check everything was neat and comfortable. Luis read letters from his desk¡¯s thin screen, with only a thick support exiting from underneath. He was passing the letters on his right into the screen. They weren¡¯t even opened, still unpacked, but the screen presented their info to the screen in detail and instantaneously. ¡®Another one?¡¯ Luis wondered. He read the letter with a helpless expression, supporting his head on his left backhand. **Mister President, I am Luciana Becerra. I¡¯d like to inform you, Mr. President, of the recent rising price of honey in all the nation¡¯s stores. As a person in charge of one of the country¡¯s largest honey producing companies, I failed to notice this alarming trend.** **I have received many letters from all over Lymoca. All of them have spoken to me with regard to this. Did you know there was a period of 10 days when all honey brands increased the cost by 1 credit per day? Nowadays, the delinquents don¡¯t dare to try such a risky trick again, but I fear they haven¡¯t stopped.** **This has started propagating to other everyday products every person in Lymoca could obtain, no matter their income. Yet, it has currently become a difficult addition to their households without ruining their balance. I urgently ask President Luis Heartez to see this matter. The only piece of information I¡¯ve gathered was a suspicious decrease in the efficiency of honey production.** **With all regards, Lucy. Founder of the Cielo Ca¨ªdo de Miel.** ¡°Sigh. Why do all of these things happen, Roam?¡± President Luis asked his secretary before taking a blank paper sheet from his desk¡¯s surface. He pushed his fingers down in a specific stance before it exited the desk. Then, he grabbed it between his fingers. As the president wrote a reply, Roam looked down and said in comfort, ¡°Some store owners have a strange mindset for money, sir. Even if it¡­ borders breaking the law, they aren¡¯t too exaggerated about it.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Luis quietly exclaimed. He continued writing. Roam looked around, searching for another answer, not wanting the president to grow annoyed, or feel irritated. But then, the president lifted his head and looked at him with the same silly, positive expression. ¡°Well, we just have to take care of these matters one by one, right?¡± Then, the president placed the letter on the top left corner and sighed. ¡°Ah, another day, another pile begins. Okay¡­ ha, look. This one also has evidence of the prices going up by 1 credit¡­ every week¡­ 3 days, sigh¡­¡± President Luis Heartez placed his attention on the letter before writing a response to it. This time, it wasn¡¯t a wealthy figure, with a company behind them, or under their name, but a simple civilian enraged by the stealing the store made towards ¡®its own people¡¯. While Luis wrote the response, Roam smiled, feeling a little contented as he looked at the diligent, changed president. ¡°Sir, if I may. I have no concrete opinion on the store owners ¡®syndicate¡¯, but I can see the president¡¯s diligent work, caring for his people.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t distract me, Roam. I don¡¯t want to see another cute lady come at me trying to flirt me up with my daughter beside me.¡± Luis didn¡¯t raise his head but replied. Roam held his belly and crackled, ¡°Kahahaha¡­¡± ¡­ Hours went by. The president finished the last letter after several breaks and small meetings with his cabinet, finding time between meals and work. Resting at night, Luis Heartez looked at the pile of 500 letters with a tired expression and drinking a hot beverage from his cup. ¡°You can come take them now!¡± The president shouted to the secretary outside. A young woman came in a few seconds after, bringing a large case with her, before asking the president. ¡°Are these the last 500 letters for the week, sir? Congratulations, Mr. President!¡± ¡°Ah~, I know. They are going to kill me one day. Are they still doing that trend to, eh¡­ make me increase the number to 7,000 per week?¡± The president asked. The secretary smiled before hugging the case, nodding at the presidential secretary, and leaving. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get on with it. You said something came from the islands?¡± After the female secretary left, the president downed his cup before asking his secretary. Roam nodded and delivered 4 letters to him on the desk, well organized, all with the symbol of a different nation. Roam saw the president¡¯s momentary frown and elaborated, ¡°The Pyot and Meztle Islands have sent their thanks to you, Mr. President. Their small ¡®strife¡¯ has been quelled. The resources also arrived safely to their storehouses. As we speak, their new government is preparing to distribute them to their population.¡± Luis Heartez read them, beginning with the Pyot Island¡¯s letter, of the symbol of an irregularly shaped blade. Then, he read the Meztle Island¡¯s letter, with the shape of a third of the moon, but coarse and dull. ¡°Siiigh,¡± the president reclined on the back of his seat. He shook his head and commented, ¡°To think a few groups can just do so many erroneous things trying to make a point. We were lucky to ride a blind, limping tiger back then¡­. And what of the clues? Did they really show ANS¡¯ involvement?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Roam was wordless. The president¡¯s expression became serious when changing the subject, albeit not much. Roam gulped saliva, twice, before answering, closing his eyes. ¡°There were, sir. They were careful to not be seen, but we caught notorious hints¡­ 72 rogue participants in the coup were also compliant and confessed.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis showed a pair of indescribable gray-black eyes, returning his attention to the other 2 letters. Roam gestured towards them, ¡°These are from Endessa and Carnge. They¡¯ve spotted more strange abnormalities in their waters. They have asked when Lymoca will participate in that naval ¡®group training¡¯ you spoke to them about before. What is¡­ you answer, sir?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis remained silent, looking at the 2 letters. He lifted his right hand but stopped. Then, he looked at Roam and voiced, ¡°Roam. I¡¯m going to need your help here. If we go forth with this, we might make matters better for our relationship with these 2 neighbors, but ANS will know it. We can find their footprints, but we¡¯re always exposed like clear water in the open to them. Should we proceed, we have to make amends.¡± ¡°Does the president worry about something else?¡± Roam thought before cleverly counter-questioning. The president didn¡¯t react and just said, ¡°If there¡¯s any involvement of their government with Preut, there¡¯s no stopping since a year and a half ago. Then, I wouldn¡¯t have to consider.¡± ¡°President, you are Lymoca¡¯s leader. And, so far, the only person in the south to deny the ANS of being our patron under tables. If only Cors wasn¡¯t so quiet lately. But I¡¯m getting out of the subject¡­ I believe your cabinet will trust your decisions, sir.¡± Roam said with joined palms. The president looked at his secretary before writing on the letters. He began with the Pyot and Meztle Islands, replying to their success and congratulating them. Luis offered some words of continuing the relationship that has lasted for hundreds of years, hoping for their acceptance. Then, writing to Endessa and Carnge, Luis replied he was already considering the dates and procedures with his cabinet; to wait for an answer soon, next week. When the president finished, he looked at Roam, ¡°Bring me a form, I will send some hidden forces in the relief of the current embassy there. Since they¡¯re going to pay for our new one because of the collateral damage, our heroes don¡¯t need to remain there any longer.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Roam nodded, noting it in his head, and awaited for further instructions. ¡°About Preut, again,¡± the president moved in his seat, facing Roam. ¡°What do you think will happen? It should happen tomorrow, and¡­¡° ¡°Sir, it will be successful.¡± Roam took a few seconds to realize what was this about before comforting the man. Luis tilted his head to the side, somewhat forcefully, ¡°That¡¯s secured. But I¡¯m letting all those people kill each other to gain advantage later on.¡± ¡°That is true, Mr. President,¡± Roam nodded, feeling that was correct, and understood the heavier weight on this ¡®growing-new¡¯ president¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Yet, everyone¡¯s watching. We¡¯ve erred yet again in our first 3¡­ 6 years, but Mr. President has started changing his people¡¯s hearts. How many national leaders can say that without manipulation? Hell- excuse me for my wording, sir. But even the opposition¡¯s campaign is only making the people more curious not enraged towards us, at least not for long.¡± ¡°Sir, if the people have to believe in you,¡± Roam stared at his president directly in the eye. ¡°How can you not believe in yourself first? No one else might.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis looked at his secretary for a long moment of silence. He lowered his head and patted his cheeks afterwards, ¡°Siiiigh! You¡¯re right. Mn, your words should be put in boring books and unknown magazines.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rater let my president steal them all and grow his self-esteem and popularity with them. Remember, no manipulation allowed,¡± Roam replied. Luis rolled his eyes and faced his desk again. He scratched the back of his head before commenting, ¡°Let¡¯s hope Preut¡¯s incoming event won¡¯t destroy each other.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. *** In the night of the 31/08/1,021, a couple of weeks and a few days since Phesx Caolia joined the Prona military camp. Almost a year and a half had gone by since the start of the civil war. The initial target of all parties in it had been postponed due to the disastrous natural destruction at the central south of Preut, bringing about the fastest, most immediate millions of deaths in human history, excluding previous Sanctum Orders. And from nature itself, not human-made. When Phesx joined the pronas, he received surgery and some expensive creams to recuperate from it. He spent 3 days after surgery to rehabilitate himself. His wounds were all beginning to heal, and with further treatment, they would continue improving faster than with just his body. When he joined the recruits, he met with a few ¡®instructing¡¯ experienced soldiers, including the female soldier who gained his attention. Rather quickly, the other recruits noticed the difference between them and Phesx Caolia. At first, it was nothing much worth mentioning. But then, as the recruits realized one of them had the stamina they shouldn¡¯t have, was faster than the rest, and nimbler than even some experienced soldiers, the word ran amok. Phesx Caolia was granted access to the Prona military and allowed to choose his leader after meeting many of similar age as his. Naturally, he went to the blonde young woman, who had thrashed him around. He didn¡¯t know much, and he knew he had to be low profile, but he intuited she at least used to be from the special forces. She also showed her worth, even if just a little. Phesx Caolia wanted to be trained by someone with an attitude like hers. Besides, she used the modern rifle, home to the Moonblue supercontinent. Phesx felt he met one of his. When the young woman accepted him, Phesx Caolia gifted her ¡®his¡¯ brand-new large pistol. Even before he did that, that medic soldier, whose name was Adams, had already joined her new team. Indeed, he was that leader of the squad of special forces that arrested him. Naturally, Phesx wouldn¡¯t mistake his subservience towards the young woman as an act. As for his new leader, the blonde young woman, she was called Maria. After the large pistol was passed to her hands, she had several more soldiers join her, all from the same force quality she went to arrest him with. They were a bit too many, but taking her previous position in consideration, her team evolved into a squad. Phesx Caolia met hell for the first time of his life. He had never spent a whole day and half the night training, with only part of the morning to wake up and eat before repeating. He was also honed, with his reaction speed increased, and his aiming put to the test with heavy firearms. For the first day of training under her leadership, Phesx Caolia was made to hold the heaviest machine gun for 10 minutes without moving because his aim wasn¡¯t at least 72% accurate beyond 200 meters with his rifle. He wasn¡¯t given a new weapon, nor did he want it. Phesx only requested for a larger magazine, and better contraptions to hold his guns. The 10 minutes became 20, then 30. They increased until they became 100 minutes, which nearly dislocated his shoulders and broke his ribs. However, he endured, much to what he shouldn¡¯t have. Phesx Caolia understood her hidden actions, wanting to incapacitate him from the incoming situation, but it was inevitable. No matter if Phesx wanted it or not. Gaining her recognition, suffering through her hints to quit, Phesx Caolia began training with the others. Maria was always ahead, be it running, shooting practice, brawling, working with wolves such as dog partners, or agility. But as Phesx Caolia summed up to the squad¡¯s training, he became faster and faster, much more agile, and improved his accuracy. While he was still thrashed by the squad¡¯s best shooters, he was recognized as a soldier who was like a lost, precious treasure. And in one of Maria nightly meetings to tell them of how to follow up with their training, and what to improve, she worded him as ¡®a treasure only needing polishing to achieve its greatest splendor¡¯. Needless to say, unlike ever before, Phesx Caolia felt encouraged to do harder and be crueler to himself. Even more than when he began his military career and hurt his limbs without end. During the last week of his training, he was faster, more agile than Maria, and on par with the squad¡¯s qualified technician. His shooting was below Maria¡¯s and the other best 4 in the platoon they belonged to, but it had increased immensely. It wasn¡¯t about just standing somewhere and firing a weapon. Nor was it entering a segment and advance through a building to eliminate the cardboard enemies. Phesx was put under heavy stress to secure his efficiency during the incoming, nightmarish battle, more than his teammate or fellow soldiers in the sub-sub unit. To survive wasn¡¯t enough. The superiors knew it, and Maria understood it. Being flashed with grenades, through smoke with open or closed eyes, and ¡®understanding¡¯ more the ¡®less severe¡¯ bioweapon explosives like bombs to contaminate the air or water were all put to the test against his body. It made Phesx Caolia¡¯s situation difficult whenever his tummy brought him to the toilets. It was even worse off when he had to endure 2 hours in such situations with minimum protection and still attain more than 75% accuracy from 200 meters or more. Hell. But at last, the day has come where the things every party in this civil war had worked to achieve were ready, and the people even more so to ¡®go¡¯. At these moments, while Phesx showered after his last training, feeling some bloody bruises with cream on them clean up and heal, Maria stood atop the mansion he was brought to. She stood beside the commander who incorporated him into the military camp. ¡°Sir, thank you for letting me have another chance. I know that kid was only the perfect example to put me back where I am supposed to.¡± She spoke to him. The commander looked in the distance, watching the numerous military vehicles, large, medium, and small, prepared with provisions and to be boarded in several hours. Trailers were loaded with artillery guns instead. ¡°I would have hoped you¡¯d get away of this quickly.¡± The commander finally spoke. Maria couldn¡¯t understand his meaning, but she chose not to bother him. The commander turned to her for a moment and ¡®advised¡¯ with an insecure, frowning face. ¡°At the first sign or opportunity, leave the fight and don¡¯t return. This is your vocation, as it is for many. But not here, no.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maria returned the stare silently. After a minute of watching the sun set from their left, like a space phenomenon with so little lights on around the mansion, she left. The commander remained there for a longer time, sighing as he hoped for this and wished that. ¡­ A little over 2 hours later, Phesx Caolia lied his back on his bed in a small room of the guest hotel building within the mansion¡¯s perimeter. Prona wasn¡¯t wealthy just because of the money they make, but what they did with it, in their rich residential districts, of course. It was comfortable. Cold, a little soft but actually tough, and his pillow was like an elastic rock. He lived in the main floor, with the garden and green, short grass outside shining by the moonlight. Today was a clear, bright, full moon after its 10 parts teased the world for a whole month. Tomorrow was another month, and another history page for the Phesx of the future. With his forearms beneath his head, he breathed in and out comfortably. It was the first time he slept ¡®early¡¯ and not when the first lights were already coming out. Thankfully, his door faced the west, so he wouldn¡¯t be here when the sun hit his door. This room had no windows and was small, with only an individual bed and a refreshing, cool temperature. Just as Phesx Caolia enjoyed the peacefulness and quietness, he heard very light footsteps walking towards his room. He just watched the door with a startled, silly expression. A few seconds later, a silent Maria walked into his view, with her uniform already on her, and all her equipment readied in her hands. She threw her bags and backpack on his floor before walking to Phesx Caolia¡¯s bed. He wanted to stand up, but a hand to his chest kept him sat down, then further pushed him to lie on his back again on his bed. Maria sat on his left, watching him as he lied comfortably on his bed. Second after second, Phesx Caolia relaxed and breathed at ease. That¡¯s when this sudden ¡®invader¡¯ talked, ¡°You know about bedding¡­ I¡¯ve read about it.¡± ¡°In my¡­ spied report?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, lifting his left eyebrow and with his wrists beneath his head. She nodded, then asked, finding a glint in his light black eyes. ¡°What? Do you want me to tell you your IKs?¡± ¡®I only read 4 out of 5. Mmm, how high was her position before to know that?¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought, but he shook his head in the real world and tentatively went to the first matter, ¡°I do¡­ have some experience. Is there¡­ something I can help you with that?¡± ¡°Bold,¡± Maria worded, rather simply. Phesx Caolia gulped down a bit, but he didn¡¯t keep his eyes off from his squad leader. She voiced in her voice of every day; always, ¡°I¡¯m requesting you to have me. In this battle, not even I am sure I¡¯ll survive. I don¡¯t think humanity should be animalistic when sex is involved, but those are my wishes. What say you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia blinked while Maria¡¯s breathing became slightly heavy and her belly moved a little faster. He obviously noticed she was trying hard to not sound like she was seducing him, making the situation more like a trade to distance each other. He nodded, ¡°I accept.¡± ¡°Good for you,¡± Maria commented, lifting her left leg before kneeling it on Phesx Caolia¡¯s right, under his waist. Her breathing heaved as she unbuttoned his military pants, unblocking his belt with her face near his groins. Phesx Caolia felt the blood rush, no doubt. ¡°You gifted me a large pistol, I wonder if there¡¯s another here,¡± Maria commented, already visualizing the forbidden lines while caressing his slender, slightly defined abdomen and pelvis. Phesx Caolia widened his eyes, feeling very tight somewhere. ¡®Oh! She¡¯s in the mood!¡¯ Phesx Caolia became emboldened, and how could he not? Such a fine young woman with a teenager, he is lucky. When Maria freed the truth to her eyes, she went silent and grabbed it, doing some massaging without saying anything with slightly pouting lips. ¡°Disappointed?¡± Phesx Caolia casually asked, showing her a hint of a smile when she looked up. Maria didn¡¯t shake or nod her head, but let go of him before going up his body, murmuring across. ¡°You have no idea how many are doing this tonight. So, don¡¯t mind me and my¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Since she didn¡¯t finish her words, Phesx Caolia tilted his head to the right. Maria closed in to kiss him but stopped with just a few centimeters separating their lips. She was on top, but she was the most heated of the two. With his eyes widening, Phesx asked, ¡°Your moans?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maria narrowed her eyes, nodded slightly, and finally kissed down on his lips. After a few pecks, she experimented, caressing his cut-short, strangely smooth/flat hair. ¡°It¡¯s not disappointment, it¡¯s just¡­ it felt perfect.¡± Phesx Caolia nearly sharpened his nails and teeth. Trembling after hearing her seductive words time and again. Maria wasn¡¯t finished, though. As he kissed her, grabbing the back of her head and caressing her sides and back, down to her bum and narrowly close to her mound of venus, she separated and whispered to him. ¡°But I did find a couple of big things down here,¡± Maria immediately went down after licking up the middle of his lips, letting Phesx watch her oh so submissive, giving image of her head going down his crotch, then up, and down again¡­ nonstop. ¡®Fucking fucks!¡¯ Phesx Caolia released a few ¡®pu pu pu¡¯ sounds from his mouth as the night just commenced. ¡­ Chapter 29 — Charging Into The Centralized Parliament Charging Into The Centralized Parliament Phesx Caolia woke up in the morning, first of the 9th month. He was under his bedsheets, with barely a few lights illuminating the world around him. A blonde head rested on his chest, with comfortably closed eyes and evened breathing. Phesx Caolia looked at his door and lifted his eyebrows when he heard someone knock before opening the door. ¡°Hey, Phesss¡­ ooh!¡± Adams stood beside a cute brown-haired, naturally curly, young woman. They locked arms, when Adams looked ¡®0o0¡¯ at Maria¡¯s hidden but bare body under the sheets. Phesx Caolia looked at him, wondering what he¡¯d do next. Toc- toc¡­ Adams knuckled on the door again, already fully open, and said to Phesx while shaking his head and grabbing his girlfriend¡¯s waist, who was shocketh. ¡°This¡­ I knew something like this would¡¯ve happened. The others are idiots who want meat, you aren¡¯t.¡± Phesx Caolia tilted his head to the right, wearing a strict-ish expression. However, Adams continued, seemingly unafraid of his boss, thinking she was gone out cold. ¡°You have it in you, respects. Okay, when she wakes up, tell her that our unit¡¯s turn is coming soon. Hey, I see you¡¯ve really done it this time, she¡¯s-¡± ¡°You really want me to kill you?¡± Maria fake punched Phesx Caolia¡¯s abdomen with her left reverse fist before turning her head to the door, hiding her body still. Adams¡¯s eyes widened in shock. He stepped back before hurrying away, ¡°Of course not! Come on, Jimena.¡± After watching them leave, with that Jimena giggling, Phesx Caolia¡¯s attention was brought to his new playmate. He looked down at her face, raw and resting, with a naturally serious pose. Her celeste eyes slightly narrowed, nose defined and somewhat small, and slightly protruding, elegant red lips. Seeing his ¡®daze¡¯ with his gaze on her face, Maria softly asked. ¡°Contented to see me still here?¡± Her hands wrapped around his neck before hugging his nape. Phesx Caolia relaxed and licked his lips, remembering all her head movements in between rounds, exquisite. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder. Your stamina¡¯s still lower than mine, ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Maria nodded, agreeing with him. Her face grew closer to his, ¡°I can only give you that. It was¡­ very enjoyable.¡± ¡°Mn, you were delicious.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded too, before saying, showing the weight of those balls. Very heavy, just fitting with their¡­ Phesx Caolia felt her powerful standing banners atop the small mountains graze his torso skin, bringing him a shivering sensation, before she smiled and kissed him. Phesx Caolia looked at the time with his new clock. It was from his equipment as a soldier with that type of armor and uniform. He spoke while his tongue wasn¡¯t his anymore. ¡°We stiw gwot 30 minwtes¡­ I¡¯ll show you what a qwickwy ish.¡± Kneading her bum with his hands, dexterous and already experienced of her body, Maria blushed and nodded, falling into yet another deep, long kiss as he worked the magic he¡¯s learned. ¡­ 25 minutes after Adams knocked on Phesx¡¯s door. Phesx and Maria showed up at their squad¡¯s meeting point, where everyone looked at them but dared say nothing because it was a matter related to their boss. Then, they moved to congregate with their platoon. They would join a platoon of 60 elements, with 3 sections of 20 elements each. All of the same force, to go on solitary groups within the Centralized Parliament and take out as many enemies as possible. Anything that wasn¡¯t Prona inside was a target to kill. They were given a large truck, where more than 60 could fit. After 10 minutes of being briefed by an officer under the commanders, the segment of the column Maria¡¯s squad belonged to was set on the move. They boarded the large truck and met the rest of their platoon again. They had already known each other and trained near each other before, but never really went out with each other. However, they could identify themselves, even with helmets on. Everyone sat for the first 20 minutes of the ride before the staff sergeant in charge went out with his section. He walked beside the large truck for half an hour before indicating the section Maria¡¯s squad is from to do the same. After 30 minutes, the last section was also brought out to walk along the truck and watch the surroundings. From then on, with only an hour of break after all sections participated, they would step down the truck and walk around it for 30 minutes. After various breaks, Phesx Caolia and Diego, the squad¡¯s technician, walked behind the truck while the rest of the column segment behind them advanced at the same pace. The column moved slow, as it was not just a few tens of thousands moving through tens of kilometers, especially throughout destroyed districts. Diego is a white young man, with small, light brown eyes, and bright, chestnut curly hair. He¡¯s tall but fat, and as the squad¡¯s technician, he¡¯s one of the 2 best in the entire platoon. Walking together, they chatted of the things Phesx Caolia has learned so far. ¡°How much have you learned by now?¡± Diego asked Phesx, referring to the classes for technicians. Phesx Caolia shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I used to only use some basic things in the encampment before. Even now, I only know enough to be considered initiated.¡± ¡°And you? How are you in crafting?¡± Phesx thought before asking, politely continuing the conversation. Diego thought for a bit before replying, ¡°I guess a little worse than my tech part. I always struggled with it. I don¡¯t have such fine hands for little details. It¡¯s strange, right? Anyway, I struggle with crafting the most, but not when I have to do my job as a technician. I¡¯m wired like that.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Phesx Caolia was nodding his head until Diego said that last phrase. He exclaimed and looked at the ground. Diego noticed before clearing his throat. ¡°Ahem, well. I¡¯m just like that.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded a few more times, saying nothing. Diego added, patting his chest. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll teach you as much as I can in the parliament. There¡¯s not much to work with there, though. I heard there are some transporting carts left inside, and if we find a machine gun¡­¡± ¡°You see, there were times that the Centralized Parliament had to move many things in short periods of time, as there was a lot of work in there. One person couldn¡¯t bring a heavy load from one side of the place to another, right? And using a lot of personnel for that matter would just slow things elsewhere. That¡¯s why the carts were introduced nearly 200 years ago. It has only been improving since then.¡± ¡°The best thing is, they are powered by power energy from Pugor with mini power plants under the precinct to recharge them. It¡¯s gonna be fun inside.¡± Diego said, rubbing his palms in anticipation. Phesx looked confused and asked, ¡°Pugor?¡± ¡°Right, you¡¯ve been very little in the military, and Prequa has always been above Prei section, but not ours.¡± Diego jolted his head backwards before elaborating, ¡°Pugor is just one of the resources the world fights for and has become tensed over. You know, outside this little cage.¡± ¡°Oh~,¡± Phesx Caolia raised his eyebrows, intrigued. Diego smirked and elbowed his right shoulder, ¡°Now you¡¯re interested, ah? Heh heh! I¡¯ll teach you something about it when the time comes. I don¡¯t know much about Pugor, only the ¡®basics¡¯.¡± Phesx Caolia grinned at Diego¡¯s words. Then, Diego got closer to Phesx and ambiguously asked, ¡°So? How was the squad leader? Did she dominate you? Or is she more passio-¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± Phesx Caolia elbowed the fat guy away, making him smirk even harder. He went back and asked again, ¡°At least tell me, are you a thing now?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not a thing,¡± Phesx Caolia said, confirming with a firm tone but casual. He then looked up and thought before adding, ¡°But we have grown closer, yeah.¡± ¡°Hahahaha,¡± Diego crackled about. When he relaxed, and the journey ahead became relaxing and silent, he asked Phesx with a brotherly tone, ¡°How is your life? Used to the military life?¡± ¡°¡­-¡± Phesx Caolia opened his mouth, going to respond after thinking for 2 seconds with a light frown and looking down. But it was neither of both their voices who went to the other¡¯s ears. ¡°Hellcat! Diego, will you let me speak with him alone?¡± They looked ahead at the staff sergeant, who walked towards them and addressed Diego. Diego¡¯s attitude changed. He saluted and nodded before leaving Phesx Caolia with the staff sergeant, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia and the officer exchanged eyes before the latter took Diego¡¯s spot and walked side by side with him. Phesx gave him another stare before staring ahead. The officer finally spoke in a slightly comforting tone. ¡°How were you before, leading a team? Or working inside one, under someone else¡¯s orders?¡± ¡°I did my best,¡± Phesx responded. The officer immediately continued, but didn¡¯t try pressing on Phesx for an ¡®honest¡¯ answer. ¡°What did you feel in those moments? Until now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not to be made a leader, sir. I¡¯m good at working with others, too. But I sometimes go ahead of them and don¡¯t notice when¡­¡± Phesx Caolia stopped for a moment. The officer thinly smiled a little and finished for him, ¡°They are left behind?¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Well, Hellcat. I¡¯m not here to give you lessons of being a leader when you don¡¯t want them, expecting you to lead in the future to victory, saving us all from defeat.¡± The staff sergeant said, taking a pin out of his left chest pocket before giving it to his right palm. Phesx couldn¡¯t refuse. It was mandatory as a military personnel, as per the rules. The officer continued, ¡°But while I disavow why the commander wants this for you¡­ If anything happens to me, this is your platoon to direct.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the officer with the pin on his palm, further holding it with his fingers. The officer shook his head a bit, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that. I may look middle-aged, but I¡¯m still not 60. I don¡¯t want a newbie getting his hands on my sub-sub unit. Either way, orders are such. I trust my superiors. Now, you will have, too.¡± ¡°Stay behind and don¡¯t get into enemy firing lines when the time comes. My platoon won¡¯t fall into disorder if we both die, but this isn¡¯t just a symbolism in Prona, it is honor.¡± The officer shook his head, looking at the ground. ¡°I have no idea why the commander chose that. Even miss Maria was the one to send this message. Even if I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t let go of such an obvious hint.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia stopped, startled. The officer left without saying goodbye, quite rudely. But Phesx Caolia was only thinking of those last words before tilting his head to the right. ¡®Ah.¡¯ ¡­ The day continued moving. When night came close, the soft front lights of every vehicle turned off and stopped moving. By then, tents had been pitched up everywhere, with the supplies safe from the environment, and the soldiers resting with their military units. Forces of equal importance as the staff sergeant¡¯s platoon were divided into full platoons like these, but the rest of Prona¡¯s mobilized force was amassed in the hundreds, further segmented in thousands along the column. While Maria¡¯s squad was already resting, with Adams and others lying with their partners, Phesx was elsewhere. Atop a small hill, Phesx Caolia lied on the short, soft grass with his hands behind his back and his eyes closed, facing up. He felt the breeze and night moistness, warming the refreshing atmosphere. It felt like on a beach, as he went to one when he was a little kid with his mother¡¯s family. With so much urban destruction, it spread everywhere, reminding Preut how close it was to the sea. Although some foul smells sneaked through air currents at times, probably from the rapidly decaying forests. ¡°Leaving your position,¡± Maria¡¯s voice finally arrived after Phesx heard her light footsteps from afar. ¡°Do you really think that pin won¡¯t matter if we return alive?¡± Maria sat on his right, with her right knee up and her left leg lying on the grass, folded. Her right foot near her left knee. She was tomboyish, just to somebody¡¯s tastes. Sitting up, Phesx looked at her but said nothing and just flashed a smile. Maria looked at the sky after receiving his greeting. Then, she sighed and looked down. Looking away from him, she came closer to him, cuddling her left arm, shoulder, side of her head, and body to his chest and cross-legged position. Whiffing her hair¡¯s scent into his nostrils, nothing lavish, but feminine and natural, Phesx Caolia felt his humane body react. But he simply hugged her shoulders with his right arm and supported himself with the other. Everything in silence. ¡°How were you ¡®demoted¡¯ from the special forces of Prona?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, looking far ahead into the pure dark that Preut has become used to for the last several months. Maria murmured, blowing slight air into his neck¡¯s apple. ¡°It happened during the civil war¡¯s beginning.¡± Her voice seemed tired. ¡°When the total power of the country fell on every surviving wealthy figure, or military officer. I was offered something worth dying for¡­ that I refused.¡± ¡°I can imagine,¡± Phesx Caolia lightly commented. He felt Maria¡¯s arms slowly hug him afterwards. Then, he heard her voice again, ¡°Prequa is below a worldwide weak military in foundation, Prei is worse off and only has numbers, all buying their guns and ammunition from who knows where and whom.¡± ¡°Prona has the best equipment, having always sold the best and largest quality of our country¡¯s unique wood. These uniforms were already outdated when they were bought more than 100 years ago. Functional, but lacking things the world uses nowadays. Only the armor is considered within our timeline, but it is also very low in quality.¡± ¡°Yet, Prona has also focused more on its military. We are the better equipped and most capable, but we have fewer people, and the resources to remain self-sufficient in the civil war are not ours. The storage is growing thinner¡­ but there¡¯s some who still think like animals, with sex.¡± Maria snuggled her face on his neck, making him feel the tip of her nose. ¡°In Prona, the corruption spread to its military. Every section amassed ammunition and food supplies to last for 10 years of war, but the first thing that happened was the demotion of many soldiers. Other wealthy figures disappeared after the war. Male or female, half of pronas¡¯ higher-ups are like this.¡± Maria smooched his neck, quite cutely, before facing him with only a few centimeters of air between them. ¡°You have to be careful if we win this.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Phesx Caolia nodded, almost eskimo kissing her. Then, he thought of something before asking her with slightly widened eyes. ¡°Even of you?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Maria tilted her head to the right and replied. Phesx Caolia smiled; Maria smiled before holding his jaw. ¡°Sometimes, you¡¯re pretty intelligent. I wonder¡­¡± She looked at him and stopped, creating a short pause. Phesx Caolia tilted his head to the right and whispered. ¡°What would our kids be like?¡± ¡°Maybe too intelligent.¡± Maria rolled her eyes, her intrusive thoughts read through, before kissing him. After traces of saliva fell down their chins and their clothes while cuddling so tightly, Phesx looked at her, silent and intently. After the little prank, Maria recomposed, but she wanted it now, and her behavior made it apparent. She stared at him as if confirming something time and again before whispering into his ear, undoing his collar. ¡°It was a similar pin, of a higher demand, one enough to command thousands of others like us. But none of it mattered, not when I wouldn¡¯t be me, nor gain it for myself.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s just my luck for not being born elsewhere. Where I could grow and not depend on how much I¡¯m willing to demote myself to an animal.¡± Maria expressed before eskimo kissing him left and right, hugging his neck with her elbows near his shoulders, before opening and looking straight into his eyes. Celeste and light black met. ¡°You¡¯re a kid, but¡­ I feel we help each other well. Now, I have no pin, but you¡¯ve got mine. ¡®They¡¯ still have ¡®unused¡¯ pins for later, still thinking they¡¯re immortal. Yet, no one has what you¡¯ve taken from me. Sorry if I didn¡¯t directly tell you to wear it. It had to be official to be immediately effective, and the staff sergeant giving it to you officialized it.¡± Phesx Caolia looked into her eyes. He knew Maria wasn¡¯t talking about the pin, that of which he took from her. Smiling, he pushed his head upward, meeting her face and feeling its skin again. Then, feeling playful, he made her smooch each other¡¯s protruding lips before saying, ¡°You know, you¡¯ve technically raped me.¡± ¡°Mn.¡± With her eyes closed and her lips still moving to do more tender kisses, Maria slowly lifted her eyelids, wondering what gives the void of his lips, before grabbing his shirt¡¯s collar with no jacket on top. ¡°Then let me rape you more¡­ shut up, and fuck me.¡± With but a whisper, Phesx Caolia¡¯s mind rumbled. He found his hands grabbing her waist, before they moved further down and up, grabbing, pinching, sensually caressing. It had just begun. When their warmth commenced heating the other, both thought, ¡®Here I thought it was a one-time thing¡­¡¯ . . . 3 days after departing from the headquarters, the Prona column approached the Centralized Parliament. It had been a slightly long trip, more than anticipated, but they pulled it off with ease. All 3 sections have been informed with their intelligence gathering. Prei brought 300k soldiers to attend this event, one that ¡®should¡¯ve¡¯ happened long ago. Prona made their way to the Centralized Parliament with 180k soldiers, while Prequa only brought 140k. However, it is more or less recognized that Prequa ¡®gained¡¯ many artillery guns, and other things, in the past month from who knew where. They brought the least military vehicles, but they brought at least 3 times more trailers than Prei and Prequa added together. Furthermore, there were the criminal scum and paramilitary groups, who have been lurking since the civil war began. Phesx Caolia never experienced it, and only saw signs of it when the war commenced. Groups of civilians planned to form ¡®fortresses¡¯ to defend themselves, grabbing whichever weapon they could find and forming a force with such. The criminals amounted to an actual fearsome number of 400k, but the portion that had any weapon or explosive was minimal, too small. However, these people formed all around Preut, and like the paramilitaries, they were looking at the Centralized Parliament after the armies set out. On the other hand, still scary, the joint paramilitary groups amounted to 250k. The paramilitary groups joined each other on the way to the Centralized Parliament, finding and killing any scum they found, even depicting vicious acts of impaling their heads or hanging them bare and dead. They had more weapons, and while some ex-militaries aided the cause, training, and some ¡®arsenal¡¯. It was another party without rule. Even with their weapons, which were already a tremendous disadvantage, they couldn¡¯t do much. However, both ¡®rogue¡¯ sides would participate. They didn¡¯t just come to the Centralized Parliament to watch like it was a football match. No, this was more important¡­ and suddenly, it became all too deadly. After leaving the last corner of the districts, destroyed and desolate, under a light rain that has lasted since yesterday, Prona advanced through the field, more than 1 kilometer from the forest. Their path led directly to the northeastern tower that once corresponded to Prona¡¯s role in the parliament. It was vacant and without personnel now, with their members, even from the military and wealthy, assassinated by the preis and preqs. Naturally, each section assassinated the others¡¯ towers¡¯ personnel, leaving no survivor to aid before the dispute began. All unbeknownst to the entire Preutian population. However, these towers were built to protect against even nowadays bombers, let alone ¡®simple¡¯ artillery. It would take too long. Besides, although they were armies, they had little experience with anything that isn¡¯t raw infantry. It was just better to aim at the other sides¡¯ numbers; to scare or decimate. Atop a hill, the Prona column spread and prepared their military vehicles at the back, while the trailers brought the artillery forth. They were about 1.5 km from their tower, but 5-10 kilometers away from each other. Preis, pronas, preqs, and the rogue groups were all standing still. With little communication room, only using radio and helicopter scouting from afar, each military camp was wary against each other. All armies were prepared to move in the afternoon, having finished preparations, and installing their artillery guns on their heavy, wide, and large military vehicles. Like the other section, squad, and team leaders, Maria remained behind with the other forces, waiting for the order to advance, but Phesx Caolia stood with the platoon leader ahead. They stood slightly away from other watching military officers, who were similarly with their second-in-command, and devising the field ahead. Including the enemies¡¯. ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: In case someone wonders, which you should not. I do not encourage nor support any underage illicit. Chapter 30 — Battle For The Centralized Parliament (1) Battle For The Centralized Parliament (1) ¡°The artillery isn''t to give cover, they''re just to kill each other.¡± The officer said. Phesx Caolia looked at him with trepidation building inside him. If only he didn''t have a pin, and Maria reminding him of its worth every day at night. The staff sergeant ignored him, not noticing Phesx''s state, and continued, ¡°Our platoon will act like a spearhead, but thousands will be behind us. It will be like a curtain, we''ll just ''pull it'' until we can safely run forward.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long kilometer,¡± Phesx Caolia commented. The officer remained silent before sighing, ¡°Sigh, indeed, it is.¡± ¡°Prequa¡¯s 2 towers are very useless, but the preis have too many people. When we enter, we¡¯ll ignore preqs and go after criminals and paramilitary groups. If you see preis distanced from others, kill on sight. Other preqs might not do that until we¡¯ve driven the bastards out.¡± ¡°But no matter what, take advantage of every chance at eliminating prei.¡± The officer reminded Phesx. He lowered his head and caressed his submachine gun, while his rifle was on his back in his new military backpack. ¡°I won¡¯t hesitate, sir.¡± ¡°Mn, that¡¯s nice.¡± The officer looked ahead with binoculars before facing Phesx Caolia, ¡°In case I do die, bring everyone ahead. You¡¯re allowed to flee into the tower if that happens. Just know you need to clear it out before anyone else. There are no friendlies inside, so be careful.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Phesx Caolia looked up at his superior and calmly reaffirmed. The officer nodded and squeezed his left shoulder for a moment. ¡°Every prona will go after the territory inside the parliament. Our jobs are to help until we can go through a quick path to the other towers. Ignore preis after driving the scum and fanatics out. Go after the southeastern tower first.¡± ¡°And then, sir?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, frowning a little¡­ but also feeling¡­ excited? The officer blew air out of his mouth and looked at the sky, ¡°Survive.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes contents shook a little. He faced the Centralized Parliament, the tallest structure in Preut with a superficial height of nearly 400 meters. There was only 1 floor, the main floor, and some underground compartments. Although it was lavish and unnecessary at best, it was a resilient, lasting structure from its foundation¡¯s construction. It isn¡¯t just the center of Preut, but like a third symbol, and dedicated to its people, it is the house of the ruling hand, previously hands, in Preut. It was necessary to declare a ¡®winner¡¯. The sky turned even grayer, with the light rain starting to pour a little faster, and the amount of water entering the ground also increased. But no more delays could be made. Phesx Caolia and the officer walked back to the platoon, which the officer left to Phesx Caolia before going elsewhere to meet his equals. Phesx walked by the other squads, the 2 sections, before arriving where Maria¡¯s squad was waiting, practically ignoring the rest while looking down. His submachine was held in his hands because he wanted to bring Paul with him to the battle he could never accompany and protect him in. And because inside the parliament there are no lights, and night vision en masse was impossible. ¡°You already know?¡± Phesx Caolia asked the squad after he closed in on them. They looked at him as if expecting something. They were all the people he trained with during these days, and who didn¡¯t treat him like a child, but just another fella who might die beside them. However¡­ Now that the time has come to enter a sure-death location, where they could only rely on their very own people, as it is with the other military camps, a connection was brewing. These 6 people in the squad were his mates. Maria was the leader, and he was the newbie. The other 6 were all quite something in the platoon, just as is Maria, the ¡®strongest soldier¡¯, in the platoon. Only such a highly esteemed squad is fitting of her, and Phesx liked to think of that of himself, too. Gustavo, Maria¡¯s second-in-command in the squad. A white young man, with short, curly brown hair, honey brown eyes, and tall. He was very bulky, but still somewhat agile. He was quite a rigid soldier, but only when ¡®in service¡¯. When relaxing, he was just another pal the squad wouldn¡¯t want to do without. Jonathan, a somewhat short, brown young man with curly black hair and small black eyes. He was a little overweight, and his status in the squad was a brick that relaxed the atmosphere. With those like Maria and Gustavo around, he was pretty chill, and very easygoing. Ulises, a very tall, young man with light brown skin whose body was thin, but also very efficient overall. An allrounder in the squad. He has very short black hair and small eyes. A ¡®dude¡¯ who is very ordinary, and most of the time, the source of laughter around their bonfires. Edwin, the young fella who is the cruelest whenever there was training or sparring at melee with other squads or teams, but the most energetic in the squad. He is dark brown, with small pitch-black eyes and a very thin afro. He has a regular height, which let his sparring partners suffer the most at the start of each bout. Then, there was Diego, the indispensable technician, who was as valuable as Adams. Lastly, it was Karla. She was a very precious member in the squad, but overall, she was known as the precious ¡®little¡¯ gem in the platoon. A young woman with pale, tender white skin. She¡¯s very tall, with raven long black hair and large eyes of the same. Even with Phesx, an outsider and a newbie, she was dorky adorable, the fucker. Furthermore, she lectured him lots when he obviously failed to utilize his body¡¯s natural disposition towards agility and reaction. While she isn¡¯t too fast, she¡¯s super agile that she and Maria often compete to improve with each other. Of course, after training the monster, the monster surpassed them. Now, the top agile soldier was no longer Karla. Yet, everyone protects her, although she is quite decisive and quick to enter or initiate a brawl from an adverse person¡­ or people. Once, someone tried to hit her up in the canteen, when she landed an upper punch on someone¡¯s jaw before Edwin could even stand up from his seat with his typical, cruel frown. The entire squad summed up and had a moment with another squad, where even Phesx joined in out of instinct. Nothing went overboard, but the other squad¡¯s platoon leader arrived and demanded apologies from Karla, and that¡¯ll be it. No trouble would be allowed to continue when the battle was so close. Yet, that¡¯s when the staff sergeant arrived and dueled the other officer. In the end, bloody from their noses, the staff sergeant forced the other officer to surrender. Thus, gaining the ¡®gem troop¡¯ more recognition. ¡°Hey, Phesx.¡± Edwin stood between the 6. ¡°You have that pin, and we respect that. But you better listen to mommy Maria if you know what¡¯s good for you, eh?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± - ¡°Kekeke¡­¡± The squad laughed it off. Phesx Caolia inadvertently smirked from his mouth¡¯s corners before Maria, who was behind Edwin, placed her left hand on his right shoulder. Edwin stepped to the side and let her walk out. Maria stood before Phesx before extending her right hand. They looked at each other¡¯s eyes within reason. ¡°Don¡¯t care about the pin, now or later. I¡¯ll be there to aid you in case you need help. There¡¯s no relieving here before death, understood? And you may be the platoon¡¯s second-in-command, but you¡¯re my soldier. Let¡¯s work together, private.¡± Maria offered. Phesx Caolia blinked and slightly smiled before lifting his right hand, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it will be an honor to cooperate. With you all.¡± ¡°Good. Because now, you have other people to shake hands with. Hurry it up, you only got a few minutes,¡± Maria coolly said before walking off. Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t help looking at her back, baffled, before looking at the ground. He shook his head and looked up, mentally preparing. ¡®Uoogh¡­¡¯ However, Phesx Caolia stared at the squad only to realize the rest of the platoon walked over and stood side by side with them. Their faces were obvious, including those of his squad. He was the platoon¡¯s second-in-command, nothing less. Feeling the pressure now, pretty heavy. Phesx Caolia got to work. He was glad he wore thick gauntlets, requesting them to the administration as soon as Maria let him into her new squad. ¡­ A few minutes later, the officer returned and put them into position, with the section Phesx is in behind his. Maria¡¯s squad was also the first in line after the 1st section, letting the rest know shit was getting real, making their scalp numb and heads cold. ¡°Advance!¡± The staff sergeant shouted. The 20 people marched forth, with the squad leaders gave their soldiers a glare or nod before jogging forward. The 2nd section almost immediately acted after his order, following about 4 meters behind them. When the 3rd section¡¯s footsteps rang in Phesx¡¯s ears, the ground trembled as the whole army of dozens of thousands of soldiers marched forth. The military vehicles carried those artillery guns forth, moving just 300 meters before the ¡®hooks¡¯ that was every force with the best equipment below the special forces¡¯, and modern weapons, mostly. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Phesx Caolia walked beside Maria and Gustavo, while Karla was protected by 2 at her sides and the rest of the section behind her. After a few seconds, the marching speed became faster, and the sound of the army moving forward louder. If he looked behind, he¡¯d see everyone move, or the strange effect of nobody moving, as they were all at the same pace, more or less. Even the helicopters above, from either side, could see the armies move forwards like waves, fluctuating in speed and pacing between each other. The hooks at the front of Prona¡¯s side also begun receiving shelling. But Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t look behind, not unless they were in immediate danger. Either way, if he did and lost his cool, he¡¯d become useless. However, not looking back and feeling the tremor of the earth cost him some sanity. He wondered what it looked like, and what he would also look like from the sky, or in front of everyone else. ¡®March, just go forward.¡¯ Phesx Caolia breathed in and out before beginning to run slightly. His submachine swung side to side as he kept his pace and velocity, matching Maria and Gustavo. Then, looking at the sides, he saw the other military camps moving onwards to the towers. They were the only ones with such a tactic. The others simply moved forth with their sub-sub units, or subunits. Meanwhile, criminal scum and paramilitary groups were quite disorganized. Prona was the only one with ¡®hooks¡¯ pulling the mantles of green military uniforms and vehicles. ¡°Incoming!¡± PUM! ¡°!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes expanded, and its contents insanely constricted when an artillery shell exploded just 100 meters before the staff sergeant. His sensitivity immediately enhanced, with his eyes able to see the other sides¡¯ soldier faces, and his ears stunned at the explosion. He barely broke away from a ¡®lock¡¯, impeding his body from stopping moving. Maria checked on him before staring ahead, satisfied. Meanwhile, Phesx Caolia returned to observe and hear the world as usual, only enhanced, after the second artillery shell dropped farther to the right. PUM, PUM, PUM, PUM~! Dirty clouds of grass and pebbles flew into the air, making a slightly powerful shockwave around the epicenter, with dangerous shrapnel and stones flying a few meters outwards. Seeing it from so up-close, Phesx Caolia felt the danger, alright. Although he was trained not to, Phesx looked up, trying to identify the fired shells and calculate their trajectory. He could see barely visible, blurry black-brown ¡®pigeons¡¯ sharply cut the air several hundred meters away and dozens of meters in the sky. After seeing many, careful to follow silent instructions, Phesx Caolia frowned. He confirmed his sight again before looking down, searching the officer¡¯s back. Seeing him move to the left, trying to detour a wide elevation on the plains, Phesx flashed his eyes upwards before frowning even harder. ¡°Sir, move away from there! The shells are going exactly in that direction!!¡± Phesx Caolia pressed his helmet¡¯s left ear area to communicate to the staff sergeant. However, he was loud enough to be heard by the squad, who looked at him, wordless. ¡°We¡¯re already moving away from shelling zones! Keep moving!!¡± The officer responded, very loudly. Thankfully, this uniform model at least had audio leveling, or they both would¡¯ve deafened each other with such audio quality. ¡®There¡¯s still more than 400 meters for safety¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought, looking at the tower ahead before looking at the ground. Whether he was right or wrong depended on his tough luck. He insisted, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s not enough time for the others. Our mantle will suffer many attacks-¡± ¡°Shut up and follow! This isn¡¯t a table to debate! You wouldn¡¯t even get inside a room with that in your entire fucking life! Follow me, soldier!!¡± The officer shouted back, more than clearly wanting to expose Phesx Caolia¡¯s real rank and authority. ¡°¡­¡± Running forwards, sweating a little at last, Phesx looked at Maria, who was already looking at him. Without making the visor transparent, he wordlessly begged her to let him lead. Maria looked at him for a few seconds before looking ahead, slowing down just enough so he was half a step further ahead. The manipulation of one¡¯s body to do this without losing pace was shown on her. Looking at Gustavo, who nodded at him, Phesx Caolia felt his chest sunk a little as he moved to the right, slowly but surely. The mantle changed directions, gaining a few commanders¡¯ heads to rotate from the rear, and other hooks to frown. What in the fuck¡­? ¡°What the FUCK do you think you¡¯re doing? You little traitorous shit-¡± The officer noticed this, of course. One of his section¡¯s soldier realized their mantle had separated from them, the spearhead. The reason was the second section, of which someone who shouldn¡¯t lead was leading. Before even addressing the mantle¡¯s leading officers, he shouted to the top of his lungs in Phesx Caolia¡¯s helmet. Even then, a small, thin fraction of the left flank of the mantle followed the staff sergeant¡¯s hook, while the rest blindly followed Phesx Caolia¡¯s intervention. Before the officer could continue screaming the life out of himself towards Hellcat, from the sky, several whistling sounds sounded for 2 short seconds like the longest projectiles in the world before falling down. PUM PUM PUM PUM PUM PUM PUM PUM¡­!! The officer¡¯s section was engulfed in who knew how many shells, along with the fraction of the left flank, slaughtered in under a few moments by Prequa shelling. However, they were only at the climax of the preemptively prepared bombardment zone. ¡°Aaaah!¡± - ¡°Hold! Fast!¡± - ¡°What the fuck are we walking into?!¡± - ¡°Shit! They got Salinas¡¯s platoon!¡± - ¡°That''s another troop!¡± Soldiers behind Phesx Caolia¡¯s platoon, and further to the back of the mantle, screamed and hollered as they ran away, trying to keep their pace that inevitably slowed down. The left flank of what Phesx Caolia led was still reached by the shelling. Dirt and grass flew everywhere, with some projectiles flying off the ground towards those charging onwards outside the perimeter. The intense bombarding spread into their ranks, taking away lives and slowing them, but the soldiers still moved forward. However, of the dozens of shells that reached the mantle, just 2 of them managed to mow more than 100 soldiers down. Who knew how many shells were too close to the mantle? Even the current spearhead was bathed in dirt and nearly stopped, with a wave of dirt rushing at them. This image, no matter from which angle it was looked upon, was very ugly. After exiting the bombarded zone and continuing ahead, Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t think twice before moving to the left in a semicircle, immediate turn. They gained speed, and so did the alerted mantle. Maria took her spot back, but Phesx still looked up to confirm. When he did, he sweated coldly, feeling his feet warm. Then, he looked where the bombardment occurred, with smoke everywhere. His eyes were madly focused, nearly reddening. ¡®If I didn¡¯t¡­ just a bit late¡­ even I would¡¯ve been reached¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia coldly sweat more, shivering from deep inside before the next shelling fell 200 meters straight to their right, where the mantle would have been led to if he hadn¡¯t rapidly turned left after the bombardment. PUM PUM PUM PUM PUM PUM PUM¡­!! As the second bombardment reached them, the mantle that had just begun recovering was surprised with more shelling. A couple battalions momentarily stopped before following the wide path left behind by the spearhead, and the in between the first bombardment and the new one. ¡°Sir, what do we do?! It¡¯s too many bombardments! We¡¯ll get killed for sure at this point-¡± Leading officers felt their scalps numbing to the point of not even feeling them anymore. Calling to their commanders, the latter responded simply. ¡°Follow your spearhead! If you¡¯re not sure, just go after them! Leave your mantle behind!¡± After Phesx Caolia¡¯s mantle¡¯s second bombardment, of which the soldiers followed his path to the letter, with some subunits even stopping and controlling the situation to let the rest go through in a thinner path between bombardment zones. The rest of the prona mantles were targeted by both the preis and preqs¡¯ artillery. Without much choice, unable to deal with such matters out of their hands, unless they were gods or devils, the commanders ordered some of their soldiers to follow ¡®that¡¯ mantle. Others gave as much good advice as they could, but they had nothing to read the enemy¡¯s aiming, other than patterns. But by now, hundreds had fallen from each mantle¡­ ¡°Only 30 seconds ahead! Lead the path, sir!¡± Maria shouted after the second bombardment nearly finished, and their mantle further closed in onto the tower. Phesx Caolia gulped down. This time, he did not want to look back, nor did he dare to. ¡°Soldiers to the-¡± Phesx Caolia opened his mouth, ordering with gasping breaths, not out of tiredness, though. But Maria berated him, ¡°To the mantle, sir! Not me!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia side wide-eyed his little playmate lover before communicating with the leading officers, whose ranks vastly surpassed his even in the encampment. He ordered, sounding equivocally breathless, ¡°Mantle onwards! Secure a wide area and wait, quiet, before the tower is cleared! Assault forces, to the tower! Follow me!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maria looked at him as they headed into the tower, while the rest of the mantle was to move into the Centralized Parliament¡¯s entrance at the corner near the tower. Looking at the sight of nigh instantaneous death, she wondered. ¡®How did he do it¡­ just how?¡¯ ¡­SLAM! Phesx Caolia kicked the tower¡¯s entrance door down, using the force he was taught to control, and was seconded by Maria and others in the squad, quickly stepping in. Phesx Caolia then entered with Gustavo and the rest of the squad behind them. The section followed after them. His rifle up, Phesx rapidly advanced with his presence lowered before touching Maria¡¯s shoulder. She moved her head towards him before nodding while still staring ahead, before loosening her body language. Phesx walked towards one of the rooms. Every floor was circular, with several rooms in each, and a reception desk in the middle. Maria divided the squad into 3 to check them before other squads went further up to do the same. As the other assault forces went into the tower, going further up with Phesx Caolia¡¯s instructions, and as he received their rapid reports, they went higher and higher to secure it from anyone¡¯s hands or explosives. Whenever he went a floor higher, Phesx Caolia looked outside the windows to check the influx of pronas into the parliament, receiving positive reports of not finding enemies immediately. Confirming they were quietly guarding and occupying more space in the pitch-black parliament, Phesx Caolia cleared the tower. When he was on its highest floor, and he checked with the squads who cleared it, he was genuinely breathless and a little exhausted. Phesx checked with Maria before ordering the assault forces to move down. The other forces outside the tower, guarding it and scouting the possibility of an enemy trying to surround them, waited for them outside. Then, Phesx Caolia led them all into the Centralized Parliament. Phesx Caolia moved towards the entrance, with the gates wide opened and several assault forces guarding them. They would be replaced by soldiers later on, but for now, the assault forces were working packed together. Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t the leader of the operation, but still in the mantle step, he was the figure they ought to listen to. Later on, they would go on their own to achieve their tasks however they wanted and could. Going inside, walking abreast with Maria, with most assault forces following after him, Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes shone one last time before entering the black, life-empty, death-carving maze. Maria tapped his shoulder after entering the darkness. They waited at the side of a hall to wait for their trained eyes to get used to the darkness. Once they had achieved it, Maria led them further inside, where they could rest as the heavy rain outside and the sound of artillery fired ad nauseam. Sleeping and resting were part of the operation. ¡­ Chapter 31 — Battle For The Centralized Parliament (2) Battle For The Centralized Parliament (2) ¡°Mf,¡± Phesx Caolia woke up in his small black tent. He found Maria''s face staring at his in the dark, with her body completely bare and her hands hugging his slim back as his laid on her breasts. Seeing him wake up, she cocked her head outside the tent before putting her pants on, inclining her body on his before fully dressing up. With only her helmet left to wear, she exited the tent. Phesx Caolia followed her out. Once outside, she turned to him as he placed his helmet on. ¡°Take it off. All the other soldiers should have arrived by now. Some of them might be heavily injured and in dire situations. There aren¡¯t many medical supplies to take care of everyone. Go and meet them.¡± Phesx Caolia tilted his head, confused. Still, he took his helmet off and faced her. Maria stepped her right foot towards him, firmer and stern. ¡°Go and do it.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Phesx Caolia voiced, picking his equipment and weapons before heading to the medical stations in the darkness. Maria echoed behind him, walking in another direction. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your platoon leader¡¯s duties. Come to the central tent afterwards.¡± Phesx Caolia said nothing and continued walking. When he arrived at the medical stations, where a few black tents were pitched up, he heard the bemoaning and grunts of others. His eyesight allowed him to see through and observe the faces and horrendous injuries of soldiers. Walking into the few tents and in between, where a large screen of fabric faced the west, covering them from being easily seen in the distance, Phesx¡¯s image was seen. It wasn¡¯t that simple. He spent 1 minute walking around the stations before he was recognized. Afterwards, the more he stayed, the more faces looked at him. Phesx saw the same thing in most of them, they wanted to see their savior. It was no exaggeration. Who can see and calculate shells in the sky? That is only tough, dumb shit luck. Before Phesx knew it, some soldiers with bandages around their limbs, covering their faces, or missing a few parts of their body walked to him, just wanting to shake hands and word a few things. It wasn¡¯t worship, only recognition. One of greed and lust¡¯s highest drugs. When the young boy had enough, some others wanted to meet someone like him, but they were only soldiers and he was a platoon leader. He even had a pin, and were saved by him. Phesx was his name, and while nobody knew his alias outside the assault forces, that was it. Arriving at the central tent, roughly 60 square meters big, all made of the same black fabric, the guards saluted him before letting him in. Phesx ignored this as he went inside and met an enigmatic, even mystical, sight. The black tent seemed to consume the light inside, coming from the candles and a few weak lamps, which Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t notice outside the tent. Now that he entered it, they were impossible to miss. They weren¡¯t too strong, but he wasn¡¯t stupid to think he was crazy now. ¡°It¡¯s the fabric,¡± Maria voiced from the side. Exiting his slightly idiotic reaction, Phesx looked at her, waiting at the side while leaning on a shelf. She walked towards him and accommodated his uniform with a slight frown. ¡°I told you to meet them, not let them grope you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the fabric made of?¡± Phesx Caolia hinted a smile that wasn¡¯t a smile before asking, looking around as a group of officers around a rectangular table debated in low volumes. Maria gently accommodated his jacket¡¯s collar under his armor. ¡°You never went to camp in a forest?¡± ¡°No,¡± Phesx Caolia shook his head and looked at her before responding. Maria¡¯s celeste eyes let him enjoy as much of her face as he wanted before responding, bringing him to the table. ¡°Our trees. It isn¡¯t just the wood that¡¯s worth something. Light and sound are a little¡­ muffled and blurry from the inside out. Its process is too long and complicated, so not many nations were interested in it. Only our forests¡¯ wood became notorious.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see,¡± Phesx¡¯s eyes intensified for a moment. Maria ignored it before patting his back. They walked forward before Maria shouted, ¡°Platoon leader present!¡± ¡°On time,¡± the officers turned their heads to meet the two, not bothering to straighten their backs. Phesx walked a few steps forward and saluted. The nearest officer looked at him and nodded, ¡°Are you setting off now, Hellcat?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Here¡¯s my word,¡± Phesx nodded and relaxed before taking a document out of his jacket under his armor. The officer grabbed it and read it before nodding. He grabbed a pen, turned around, and showed Phesx his sign. ¡°Your road ahead is open, soldier.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded before turning around. Their meeting continued, with the officers¡¯ stares on him making Phesx a little more aware of his actions and their consequences. Maria walked with him outside the tent, both feeling refreshed and with a new, heavy stone to kick on their path. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Maria suddenly smooched his lips, rewarding him for being a brave little fella. Phesx Caolia rapidly blinked a few times before following after her. When they met with the squad, and the remaining 2 sections of 40 elements in total, Maria was greeted first. Afterwards, Phesx Caolia stood before them in silence, putting his helmet on, as they already had it, including Maria. He faced them, drank a small bag-bottle of juice the size of his palm in one go, and quietly voiced. ¡°Follow me, quiet when I instruct to, and kill when we feel like it.¡± ¡°Hua!¡± The squads raised their fists and roared, lowly but still loud. Their reaction surprised and gladdened Phesx. The latter came to him strangely. He turned around, lifted his submachine gun, and gave the hand signal to follow him. As the first assault force to charge forward and bring the mantle into the precinct, the gem platoon ventured into the darkness first, with the others watching. It didn¡¯t take long for the other assault platoons to set out, searching for the center or the south. The gem platoon went southwest to meet with the soldiers in conflict. ¡­ Hellcat semi jogged, walking into another hallway, when he heard the sound of gunshots and yelled orders. When the door was closed by the last few soldiers in his platoon, he looked back at them. Maria walked beside him, not leaving his side, and he couldn¡¯t be more thankful of that. After facing Maria though their helmets, he turned around, crouched, and showed the rest some hand signals before advancing with his presence lowered. The other soldiers followed after him, forming a spread, distanced line as they neared prona soldiers¡¯ backs. Whiiiistleee~. Phesx Caolia emitted a 2-0-1-1 sharp whistle order. Just as some soldiers discovered movement behind them, with gunshots 50-70 meters further ahead at the ongoing conflict zone, the signal reached them. They lowered the weapons they were about to lift and saw incoming assault forces. ¡®Finally!¡¯ Some soldiers thought. Hellcat walked to one of them before half-kneeling together. The platoon stood behind a counter with the other soldiers, keeping silent. He voiced into the immediate-near radio transmission to the soldier, ¡°Situation?¡± ¡°Reporting,¡± the soldier nodded, ¡°We¡¯ve been facing many preis and rogues. The preqs are in the southern zones, just behind us, dealing with more. The prei are moving weird, but I don¡¯t know. We¡¯re just a few hundred meters before the core¡¯s outer walls. Some preqs are here, to check on us, I suppose. But there are 3 paths where assault forces can move undetected, sir.¡± ¡°Enemy positions?¡± Hellcat asked. The soldier pointed a few times in the same direction as he explained, not expecting Hellcat to have a slightly inhumane eyesight. ¡°Preis are definitely here. Scum are over there, but they seem to have quarreled with their lover. The paramilitaries are being cautious now, but they were very aggressive all night long.¡± Hellcat nodded. The preis were more to the northwest, with the paramilitary northeast. The scum were in the middle, seemingly stuck between the paramilitaries and the military camps. They were helpless in the dark, attacked from every angle, except their rear. They could only flee if they couldn¡¯t break any other side, but Prona and Prei have placed at least 50k soldiers to take turns shooting at each other from afar. Hellcat tapped the soldier¡¯s shoulder before crouching to Maria. She and everyone else breathed evenly, just wanting to know when they¡¯ll be put in danger, also giving their trained bodies and minds their stage. ¡°We can go for the scum or paramilitaries first,¡± after explaining to Maria and other squad leaders, Hellcat proposed. Maria inquired, ¡°What are the chances the scum flee when they see others suffer a blow they cannot defend against?¡± ¡°Half,¡± Hellcat said, already having thought of the matter. It was just his opinion, but the other squad/section leaders thought similarly, nodding a little. Maria suggested, ¡°Paramilitaries. The scum won¡¯t matter. The military camps are going to decimate them here anyway.¡± ¡°Okay, any other thoughts?¡± Phesx Caolia nodded before looking at the others. He was tall, but his slim body reminded everyone he was just a young boy. It was difficult not to daze a bit when thinking about it. In the end, they presented no differing thoughts. Hellcat nodded again, ¡°Paramilitaries it is. More assault forces will arrive in 10 minu-¡± Phesx Caolia suddenly stopped and pressed his helmet¡¯s left side. After a few seconds, he faced the others, who noticed. ¡°Our spies in the paramilitaries have relayed information, they¡¯ve found civilians inside and are evacuating them. However, they are retained for now.¡± ¡°I think we are all thinking of the same thing,¡± Maria commented, a little excited. The other section leaders nodded enthusiastically. Hellcat nodded and ordered, ¡°Tell your soldiers, we¡¯re rescuing civilians.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The platoon gem went on the move, leaving information for the other assault forces with the soldiers, wanting to get ahead immediately. They slowly moved through the dark, far from the gunfire exchanged between fellow soldiers, preis, and criminals. Nearing the paramilitary¡¯s territory, the platoon silently crouched inside, careful where they stepped, avoiding glasses and water. Hellcat heard low voices not far from his position. Thinking for a few seconds, he decided to ignore them before advancing further in. Then, he found more sources from other fanatics, roughly calculating the distance between them. Afterwards, the platoon returned to the first group of paramilitaries. They approached them slowly, nearing them every second, completely undetected, and with coordination surpassing what Hellcat was capable of in the encampment. Siiip, siiip, seep- siip. ¡°Agghkk¡­¡± - ¡°Gasp¡­¡± - ¡°Hu- mmnf!¡± - ¡°Hello-¡± A dozen paramilitaries fell, almost at the same time. Their throats cut from behind, their jaw locked, and their words stuck in their bellies as blood came out of their throats. They didn¡¯t even realize a pair of muzzles aimed at them from the dark, in case something happened. After shedding the first blood since the battle commenced, Hellcat brought the bloodied forearms and gloves of his platoon to the next group. This time, the 2 sections divided, one for each group, as they were a bit too close. Hellcat led one, with Maria in another. When the section Maria was in finished their assassination, no inconveniences occurring, they met a waiting section crouching and guarding the path ahead. Although Maria wasn¡¯t leading her section, she was their leader in name. Her actions and movements were also those of a leader, setting the example, with the section leader just repeating her choices and instructing the soldiers. Hellcat felt his right shoulder tapped. He didn¡¯t turn his head to know it was Maria. With their helmets tilting towards each other ahead of the 2 sections, they conversed. Hellcat directly relayed to her, ¡°I¡¯ve found the possible location of refugees. It¡¯s another 20 groups ahead, but they¡¯re surrounded by many.¡± ¡°How did you get that info?¡± Maria looked at his body, finding the answer quickly with all the blood around Hellcat¡¯s forearms. It was dark, but even she could see they looked wetter and darker than any other soldier. ¡°Crumbs?¡± Hellcat directly asked her after tapping helmets. Maria nodded, ¡°Who do you think taught you that, hm?¡± Hellcat humorously hummed before giving the hand signal to move. The soldiers behind them didn¡¯t care about their antics, a little too warm for the situation, and followed them suit. And so, they went on. Hellcat grew used to telling almost 2 dozen people how to do the assassination. They were as well-trained as he was, if not better, but Hellcat had certain ¡®rules to follow¡¯ when employing them. Maria also tried his methods, they carried on, silent and cautious, with a single soldier not daring to gulp in fear of alerting the enemy. They left proof behind that this was their work to their fellow assault troops, continuing ahead while the paramilitaries were focused on the refugees. Continuing moving, Hellcat led them slightly to the right each time, finding themselves avoiding packed groups. Because of this, they assassinated those paramilitary dozens around the edge of their perimeter, undetected and safe. However, the moment a soldier grew a bit tired, lost focus, or didn¡¯t notice something in the deep darkness, arrived. Hellcat led the assassination of a 20-big group of paramilitaries with a few lights on. They felt secure enough to have a few weak lights on and just walked around, bored and waiting. Their weapons were with them, afraid they might not find them afterwards, which had happened before. Hellcat moved the entire platoon after calculating the enemy¡¯s behavior, immediately running at them with the most silent soldiers. Maria and Karla were among them. When they came close to the enemy, they threw hatchets at their necks, only a few. Nobody failed. Hellcat and the others threw their knees into the air, at a low height, but still fast and unexpected. They tumbled a few enemies, with 2 soldiers snatching the lights from those walking around, bored. More than half the enemy was felled, gone before they could emit more than ¡®huh¡¯ or gasp. Other soldiers walked around with lights on, imitating the previous paramilitary fanatics waiting. ¡°Aah!-¡± However, one of the last enemies to die was stabbed in the chest at the last moment, pushing his body upward after noticing a shadow moving towards him with light contrasting it. It was something the soldiers didn¡¯t have to worry about before, and now were seen because. The enemy screamed, even with his chest stabbed. Hellcat immediately felt the suspicious words in other nearby groups. At the same time, he heard footsteps behind them, with heavy equipment and waiting for any situation to unfold, wanting to join the gem platoon. ¡°Lights off,¡± Hellcat ordered, still strangling another enemy to death. As he heard his soldiers¡¯ heartbeat increase, and darkness clouded everyone¡¯s sight for a couple of seconds, he trembled for 10 seconds. Just as the strangled enemy thought he had a chance to live, he felt little knives pierce his neck before blood gushed out like juice out of bubble gum from his neck. ¡°You, rush back and tell the other assault troops we need their help, and more. Don¡¯t forget the signal.¡± Hellcat¡¯s whisper could be heard in the dark, barely audibly to the soldiers. One of them, feeling their right shoulder grasped, nodded before heading in the opposite direction. Just like the others, that soldier knew how to orientate himself in the deep dark. Watching his back disappear in the dark, towards the other assault troops¡¯ footsteps, Hellcat turned and led the platoon to the side, slightly forward. Although they could no longer get close to the other groups, faking to be paramilitary, the platoon moved, ready to act. Hellcat looked for Karla and gave her a bag before she slowly crouched away with Gustavo as her shadow to protect her. Karla wouldn¡¯t be left alone without protection. The rest of the platoon lied prone on the floor, waiting for Hellcat¡¯s orders, believing in his quirk timing and the like. Lying down beside Maria, he rubbed his shoulder with hers as they aimed in a direction. She rubbed him back a few times, waiting for the moment to act. Bang! ¡°!¡± Hellcat looked in the direction his soldier went to just as he heard a group of paramilitaries walk to the last group his platoon killed, becoming surprised and scared of such a smooth round of corpses lying so near them. Furthermore, the corpses were a little warm¡­ ¡°What was that?!¡± A paramilitary immediately shouted, terrified. Hellcat knew it was over. Things became complicated. He activated his helmet comms and contacted Karla with beeps before opening the prona radio. ¡°To all Prona assault troops, the paramilitaries¡¯ hostages are held by hundreds of paramilitary elements. Come and support the liberation of the refugees.¡± ¡°Lights means fire!¡± Hellcat loudly roared. The paramilitaries who just aimed their weapons to the incoming assault troops were startled, rapidly aiming to where his platoon was, and fired. Bang, bang, bang, bang- trrrrr trrrrrrrr trrrrrrr rrrrrr trrrrrrr trrrrrrrrr trrrrrrr trrrrrrrr trrrrrrr¡­ ¡°Die! Fuckers!¡± - ¡°AAAH! What army? Fucking traaaaitooors!¡± - ¡°Empty your bullets on them! Ahahahaha!¡± That roar, as strange as its meaning was, was too close to the paramilitaries, who immediately fired in that direction. The gem platoon remained prone, watching as the enemy showed themselves, but still didn¡¯t act. Feeling the passing of bullets above their heads so near, even with their helmets, some soldiers held their heads, feeling their heads about to be lost. At that moment, Hellcat whispered into their minds, like a remedy to insanity. ¡°Remember their positions¡­¡± His soft, semi-broken voice was disrupted by the sudden flash grenades exploding everywhere, from dozens to a couple of hundred meters away. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG¡­ A plethora of paramilitaries were the target, becoming easy targets amidst the isolated walls, near reception desks, and around some corners. All of them were lighted up by flash grenades with continuous, small detonations, blinding and deafening them on a row. ¡°Fire!!¡± Hellcat crouched up and lifted his submachine gun, letting the trigger loose on the enemies ahead. He finished 3 of them, when Maria and the squad followed him. In less than 3 seconds, more than a dozen paramilitaries were surprised, taken down with bullets hugging their bodies. Then, the platoon stood up, lowered their presence and followed their leader. The slaughter had just begun for them! At last! Trrr rrrrrrr- trrrr- bang, bang, bang, bang! From behind, the assault troops fired at a group of paramilitaries flanking them, proportioning fire support. Hellcat made use of the sudden emergence of the enemy just suffering 100 assault troops acting into their territory to rush forth. He stopped, emitting a single beep, before standing firm and firing at one of the spots they saw the enemy exposed. His platoon knew what to do, although they still took time before following his actions precisely. Hellcat became hyper sensitive, watching the enemy fall as he felt his platoon¡¯s weapons fire away. Once an enemy group was finished, they went to the other. Behind them, assault troops made their appearance, charging forth as they followed the gem platoon¡¯s movements. At first, they proportioned support, getting rid or maiming the enemy from barraging the gem platoon. But time passed, and more and more assault troops showed up behind them. ¡°Fourteenth assault platoon is here, sir¡­¡± - ¡°40th troop presents itself!¡± - ¡°912th troop. We¡¯ve come to help with the numbers!¡± ¡®That¡¯s how it goes¡­¡¯ Hellcat hid his marvel at the situation, feeling more and more firing lines destroying the paramilitaries as his platoon had to compete to meet more targets. It wasn¡¯t a joke. While the prona assault troops were separated in very small numbers within this massive parliament, their movement and reaction was massive. In just 20 minutes after the gem platoon was discovered, even though they were now forced to take cover and wait for opportunities where another side gained advantage, or the enemy peeked when the troopers aimed. Thousands of troopers went on and marched together, becoming an unstoppable charge that only grenades formed a momentary stop to. With the numbers prona showed, and the unpreparedness the paramilitary groups replied with, the latter could be seen slowly fleeing from a few zones of their territory. The refugees were only sighted in one of their zones, but they retreated further away with all those numbers prona obliterated them with, scaring them. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! Karla had long returned to the platoon with Gustavo, both unharmed. Hellcat had also taken his rifle out, keeping his heated submachine gun away so it could cool off. The enemy was holed behind structures like desks, columns, and carts. They tried to wait to see if their leaders would send help, but after various minutes with their radios gone soundly dead, and possibly a thousand assault troops chasing those who fled, they lost morale. Still, the paramilitaries showed their will, or fanaticism, and kept fighting prona despite the imminent doom. ¡°AAAAAH! It¡¯s not fair! We had a good shot at this! Dammit!¡± - ¡°Forget it¡­ they left us to die¡­¡± - ¡°If we surre-¡± While some paramilitaries were chatting, watching their comrades faraway still shooting at the prona holed far away, unable to accurately return fire that far, but still trying like mindless puppets. A fast, nimble, ruthless platoon rushed at them, surprising them by first exploding a young man¡¯s head, which a tall but slim prona crouched behind to shoot at the back of his head. Immediately after, an excited Hellcat remained crouched and headshot the other few complaining about others when their lives were in peril. Meanwhile, the platoon dealt with the rest, infiltrating the enemy¡¯s defensive line to massacre everyone else. Maria¡¯s squad was the fastest, with Hellcat not allowing his mates to leave him behind. The incursion ended, with prona more or less easily gaining a few zones from an enemy¡¯s territory, and some refugees. Now, Hellcat had all the rights to collect his spoils first. ¡­ Chapter 32 — Battle For The Centralized Parliament (3) Battle For The Centralized Parliament (3) BOOOOOM¡­! ¡°What the¡­?¡± Diego voiced, baffled. Everyone, not just the assault troop, or just pronas, but even those preis and preqs in conflict, looked in the southwest direction. Hellcat frowned the harder. His sensitive ear hurt a little, and his feet, even through his thick boots, felt the tremor throughout the floor. ¡°That sounded like a tank.¡± Maria spoke, walking to stand beside Hellcat. They looked into the same direction, as Hellcat couldn¡¯t help wondering, ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°The kind that Preut could have never acquired or built¡­ modern.¡± Maria¡¯s somber voice expressed her distress. Hellcat frowned a little before relaxing his light black eyes. Turning around, he walked to a group of scared refugees, mostly skinny and without clothes. Hellcat grabbed a woman by the shoulder and half knelt after turning her around to check she didn¡¯t have anything dangerous on her. The paramilitary groups could¡¯ve given them clothes but didn¡¯t and kept them like that, and some showed obvious signs of rape. Male or female. Nevertheless, the pronas weren¡¯t giving them something to cover themselves, either. ¡°What have you seen around here?¡± Hellcat asked ¡®impatiently¡¯, slightly squeezing the refugee¡¯s shoulder with Maria and Edwin standing behind him, looking down ¡®indifferently¡¯ through their helmets. The woman dryly gulped, ¡°There¡­there¡­ many parts¡­ we helped, ah¡­¡± ¡°For- gulp, water. We¡­ moved things¡­ cannon parts¡­ a lot, and¡­bombs¡­ cone¡­ shaped.¡± The woman looked at Hellcat, begging with her silent, trembling lips and eyes. He let go of her, nearly like letting a rag doll fall, before standing up. ¡°Refugees here, bring the humanitarian support and some soldiers to write them on the records.¡± Hellcat pressed his helmet¡¯s left side before ignoring the refugees, he looked at Maria and Edwin in silence. Edwin felt preoccupied to talk, but Maria crossed her arms and said, ¡°We should return. A report like this might save lives and¡­ sigh, let¡¯s just go.¡± Hellcat just nodded and looked at Edwin. He stopped and waited for him to say something. Edwin remained silent for several seconds, making Maria look back at them, before finally speaking up. ¡°How do I convince Karla I¡¯m responsible and can be cute? She keeps saying no to my advances¡­¡± Hellcat: (?¨å_?). ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Maria restrained a laugh before Hellcat tapped Edwin¡¯s left shoulder. He wasn¡¯t the person to ask that. Even if he ¡®banged the boss¡¯ and everyone just accepted it. All he could say to Ed was, ¡°I think she¡¯s playing with you. Teasing you until¡­ hmm, dunno. It¡¯s your problem.¡± Edwin was left baffled, blinking and thinking of many things¡­ ¡­ After securing the zones they now owned from the paramilitary groups, Hellcat brought his platoon to the meeting where the refugees were found. After the meeting, with some ambitious platoon leaders remaining behind until soldiers came, the gem troop prepared to leave. ¡°Hey, a moment?¡± A voice stopped Hellcat from reuniting with his platoon, already waiting for him a few meters ahead, 39 soldiers instead of 40. He turned around to face a man without his helmet on. The man immediately bowed his head, ¡°I was just behind your platoon. I think¡­ my soldiers committed a mistake and fired at your soldier. He must¡¯ve forgotten the signal, because we didn¡¯t receive it. Fortunately, he gave us enough information before passing away.¡± ¡°It was you?¡± Hellcat didn¡¯t take his helmet after the man bowed his head. The man nodded again, feeling a bit exposed despite the darkness. ¡°I apologize. It was something unavoidable. I feel embarrassed, and deeply apologize for my platoon, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hellcat stared at him, unresponsive. The man straightened his head and slightly lifted his chin. Then, Hellcat quietly inquired, ¡°Have you brought his body back to the tents?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The man looked at Hellcat, perplexed. Hellcat took his helmet off, showing a deep frown, and a slight pout. Maria¡¯s crossed arms loosened as she turned her body towards him, feeling something wasn¡¯t right. ¡°Anyways, can you fill it in for me in the report?¡± The man¡¯s attitude changed, he ogled Hellcat¡¯s platoon before smirking, ¡°I¡¯d like to know your gem troop, too. They have many famo-¡± Punch! Hellcat directly dove his right fist into the man¡¯s face. He could feel his knuckles moving something, even though nothing broke, before the man fell on his back. The platoon leader looked up, held his jaw, and hurried to stand up with his feet stomping on the floor. ¡°Uwummff¡­?¡± However, he tripped back down after he realized his jaw wasn¡¯t moving. Not only that, it wasn¡¯t positioned correctly. The notion made his eyes painted with fury scarce, replaced with fear and startlement. ¡°Weet! Weet, weet, weet!¡± While the man voiced, or tried to, Hellcat walked towards him, tightening his hands into fists, Maria stepped quicker towards him and yelled in a low volume with a warning tone. ¡°He¡¯s 2 ranks above you! Pipe down if you don¡¯t want that kind of trouble!¡± But Hellcat wasn¡¯t paying attention, he bent his back and, under the platoon leader¡¯s platoon watchful eyes, he folded his right arm before punching down at that face again. It was sharp, making the man¡¯s other side of his face slap against the floor. Hellcat folded his left arm next. Punch, punch, punch, punch, punch, punch! After 5 direct hits to the man¡¯s face, Hellcat straightened his back, looked down, and moved the soldier¡¯s body with his left foot so he could face the ceiling. Then, with his right boot¡¯s hindfoot first, he began stomping the man¡¯s face, particularly aiming at his lips. A good mouth-washing. ¡°AAh- pffflt! Stop it-pfflt!¡± The man spoke after a few good hits made him dizzy. Hellcat stopped, but only after interrupting him. Then, he looked down, with his frown the same, only his pout disappeared. He had to separate his lips a bit so the shape of his sharpened teeth weren¡¯t seen. Even though it was all dark, he doesn¡¯t lower his guard. Hellcat looked at the man, bleeding more from his broken lips and kicked off teeth than his nose or cheek. Hellcat softly voiced, ¡°You know, it wouldn¡¯t have costed you anything to shut your trap. Don¡¯t touch my people.¡± ¡°!¡± Hellcat lifted his right foot, standing with his feet beside the man¡¯s torso, when the latter¡¯s right leg was raised and side-kicked his waist to the right. Hellcat was pushed to the ground, sliding half a meter before stopping. He was still not a strength, muscle guy. ¡®Ugh, time to calm things down.¡¯ Hellcat supported his body off the floor with his hands before rapidly standing up, as the man hurried his steps towards him. Hellcat held his right wrist, covertly taking his gauntlet off before receiving the man¡¯s following attack. Dodging a direct collision with the man¡¯s right arm, Hellcat hugged it with his left arm after the punching motion before scratching his left cheek, from where the man already bled. At the same time, he was kicked away like a stuffed animal. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you?! Cut those nails!¡± The platoon leader felt the large amounts of blood escaping his face. He exclaimed before hurrying to his platoon, ignoring Hellcat, who gasped for air and felt glad his ribs remained unbroken thanks to the armor. Hellcat was aided by Maria and Edwin. The latter was like a robot as he stared at the platoon leader¡¯s back. Maria only gave Hellcat a brief glance before placing his left arm above her shoulders. Then, as the platoon leader suddenly plopped to the floor with a ¡®thud¡¯, Hellcat smiled. ¡­ Back at the camp, after a brief, solid berating from his squad leader, in front of the whole platoon, which Phesx Caolia took well; inside his small tent. Bump, bump, bump, bump¡­ Having pitched his tent near a piece of furniture, he pushed Maria¡¯s sweaty, bare back against it as they cuddled towards one of its corners, gasping and breaking each other¡¯s breaths with their mouths. The thin rolls around her stomach and his incessant stamina were all in each other¡¯s senses, their pleasure. ¡°I¡¯ve checked¡­ umnf¡­ tomorrow¡¯s assignments. We¡¯ll surely be sent to deal with the tank. The southeastern tower was destroyed, and preqs were forced to move near us. If another tower is destroyed¡­ angh!¡± Maria gasped, talked, restrained a few little moans, and gasped again. Phesx Caolia listened to her, but he was also focused directly on her. Maria held his neck with a soft grasp, calmly taking him. Her body rocketed on the furniture as she went, ¡°But there¡¯s another path the platoon can take. It is either to continue moving where we left it, or go in an expedition to distract any enemy¡¯s attention. The truce with preqs will break and- annngh¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ talking too much¡­¡± Phesx Caolia said through his teeth. Maria flashed a smirk before saying, ¡°Think about it. There¡¯s been more events of friendly fire. Besides, even those refugees were separated¡­¡± ¡°I get it.¡± Phesx Caolia shut her mouth before speaking with their saliva falling around her mouth and nose, thickly amassed during their last exchange. Maria smiled before playfully whispering, learning from him after a few beddings. ¡°You hit him faster and harder than you do me.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked at her, perplexed and in disbelief. Then¡­ Bump! Bump! Bump! Bump! Bump! Bump! Bump! ¡­ The next day, at the central tent. Phesx Caolia was brought inside by Maria, who checked his clothes just before entering. When he went inside, there were only a few officers. One of them was the person who signed his form. ¡°Hellcat, you come timely-¡± The officer¡¯s eyes expanded a little, glad to see his face. But Hellcat saluted and said, not giving him a chance to order him. ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ve come to ask for permission to bring my platoon in an expedition. It is an important risk that we must take.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The officer halted his intentions, pressing his chin on his left backhand before saying in a low voice, ¡°Is this¡­ about lying low for now?¡± ¡°Affirmative, sir,¡± Hellcat slowly responded. The officer nibbled his lower lip and nodded. He slapped his sides before presenting him a small document already signed, extending his hand for gem platoon¡¯s expedition task. ¡°You¡¯ll still have to go to the core and look for that tank, at least for today. There¡¯s enough explosives and equipment to deal with one, no matter what it is.¡± ¡°Understood¡­ sir,¡± Hellcat voiced while Maria lowered her head and tightened her fists. Hellcat asked after storing the small document and giving his to the officer. ¡°What tank is it, sir? Is our equipment enough?¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough. It¡¯s just a tank. You might not even see it. Either way, you¡¯ll be on your own and onwards to your new requested task. By the way¡­¡± The officer suddenly added at the end of his words, just when he was already hurrying Hellcat away. ¡°?¡± Hellcat stopped in his tracks and looked at the officer. The latter laid it out carefully, ¡°The reason you fought with that other platoon leader wasn¡¯t specified.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hellcat¡¯s eyes went vacant. He blinked them, but they remained the same. ¡°I understand, sir.¡± With those casual words, Hellcat turned around and walked out, not bothering with any more courtesies. Once outside, Maria sighed and elbowed his left side. They were about to get into a problematic situation. With luck, that tank really won¡¯t appear. They met with the platoon a few minutes later before embarking on the path to the core. It was similar to the one they took yesterday, but they won¡¯t stop and make a turn to a rogue party¡¯s territory this time. Today, they had to make a run for their lives into the core. With luck, the preqs wouldn¡¯t have gone mad. There was one thing that wasn¡¯t reliant on luck, and was positive for the squad. Karla blushed and pouted cutely whenever Edwin threw her a glance for particularly no reason. Onwards to their task, Hellcat went back into the battle zones, but today was a little quieter. When he arrived at the long defensive line the pronas built in just 2 days, he saw other soldiers not belonging to the same side a little farther from it. ¡°Hey, troopers.¡± A soldier caught their attention before briefing them at the side, ¡°Preqs have come to us, just to cooperate. It¡¯s the preis who have the tank, not the scum or paramilitaries. We¡¯d be all fucked if they knew how to drive one, let alone shoot it.¡± Hellcat continued listening as he looked at the rows of preqs tens of meters behind the pronas¡¯ defensive barricade. He could also see that the criminals were intimidated into turtling in their territory, and the paramilitaries felt more so, even without the tank rumors. ¡°Have other assault platoons gone into the core?¡± Hellcat asked after hearing the soldier. The latter nodded, ¡°About 240 elements, at least from those who passed by this path. Either way, we¡¯re all ready to intercept those prei bastards.¡± Tap, tap. Hellcat tapped the soldier¡¯s shoulder before walking away. He waited for his platoon to catch up into a ball before instructing them to do the same as always. However, this time, if the tank appeared, they had to take it down no matter what. Not for patriotism alone, but survival. The tank changed all sides¡¯ plans, underhanded or public, to take the Centralized Parliament. Hellcat wasn¡¯t stupid. Maybe still a young boy with errors, but his age was long overcome by his experience and maturity by now. Did a soldier that could become an assault trooper really not remember or know the signal the superiors emphasized everyone to know about? Why would the generals send their armies into the Centralized Parliament when most of their numbers remained outside, and they could dispute each other¡¯s territory instead? It was like opening a slaughterhouse for all parties. Even after taking the parliament, if the other 2 military camps remained, what did it matter if the population chose to follow Prona? They would still need to exterminate or make the other 2 surrender. Hellcat brought those thoughts into smoke and out of his mind as he entered the core. He was the first to step into an ordinary door, which he checked for 1 minute with his hearing before going in. Maria didn¡¯t say anything, still trusting his ¡®gut¡¯, but followed him inside right after. With submachine guns aiming ahead, the platoon went in, not spreading too far from each other before clearing up with beeping noises. Just as Hellcat reunited his platoon and prepared to choose a location to hide in waiting from a map of the parliament, sounds came from where they just came from. They lifted their guns and aimed at the door, which the other side didn¡¯t even wait and just entered. Hellcat frowned as they stepped in, observed them, and didn¡¯t give any signal for identification. With the little truce, preqs and pronas had a sole signal to identify each other, but these people didn¡¯t even use that. ¡°Stop! Weapons down!¡± Hellcat shouted. His platoon spread wide, preparing to shoot. A person walked in, raising his palms and spreading them sideways, ¡°Stop! You! I¡¯m a staff sergeant, lower your weapons. Lower them!¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up! Down or you get dropped. Weapons down!¡± Hellcat raged out, rasping his throat. The preq officer looked at him and tilted his head before severely counter-threatening, ¡°We are allies. We just watched you get in. It¡¯s fine now, just tell us where you were going and we can hole up together. Nobody wants to be left alone in the open when a tank might come at any moment, no?¡± Hellcat kept his rifle aiming at the chest of the preqs, but after hearing their officer¡¯s words, he thought for a couple of moments before lifting his rifle, aiming at the preq officer¡¯s head. The officer was scared shitless, he grabbed towards his pistol to aim at Hellcat. ¡°!?¡± But suddenly, Hellcat turned around, making his soldiers widen their eyes in shock, including Maria. She seemed to think of something before looking at him with attention as her body trembled. Then, the platoon saw their leader make a signal before letting go of the submachine gun, with its strap hanging from his neck, before rushing to the side. The preq officer was confused, wondering if he should still aim a pistol at the pronas, but the power trip got to him. He smiled and prepared to shout a few words, when a wall 500 meters in front broke apart, followed up by the flashing light of a projectile flying straight into his head. More specifically, entering his mouth. CRASSH¡­ BANG- BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG- BOOOOOOOOOM¡­! The projectile crashed past where the preq soldiers were, destroying the wall behind them, the wall further behind them, and the walls further behind those. Countless walls after, it continued flying until it met an extensive row of thousands of soldiers hiding in the defensive line. But it did not stop there. Continuing on its trajectory, it reached the pronas¡¯ headquarters, and then, its target: the tower. The projectile was only about half a tall adult person¡¯s height long, and as thick as an adult¡¯s torso. But it ignored any living being or structure it touched, melting the material it shot through afterwards, and exploding to bits any lifeform, regardless of the armor they wore. Scorched and charcoaled limbs laid on its path, leaving only unimaginable terror before their demise, with only torsos remaining mostly untouched but rapidly igniting with a bright orange flame that dissipated a few seconds later. It was destruction in its perfect example, but the tank didn¡¯t stop there. It was easily 10 meters tall, with 3 cannons, one atop the other, and 2 multidirectional antennas at the sides. It recalibrated, seemingly knowing the exact position of things, as it aimed southeast with 2 of its cannons and the other remained aimed at the northeast. BANG- BANG, BANG BANG BANG BANG- BANG- BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG¡­ As the tank began firing away, Hellcat stood up after the projectile was shot way too close to him and his platoon. He was stunned, and with his senses becoming hyper sensitive, he felt it more than others, but he recuperated first. Hellcat limped to Maria, who only barely didn¡¯t take her helmet off from the discomfort. He helped her up before confirming she was recuperating. Bringing her rifle to her hands, he went to check on the others, ignoring the legs or halves of heads and arms and hands littering on the ground from his platoon. ¡°Get up,¡± Hellcat¡¯s soft, semi-broken voice sounded enraged. The remaining 20 soldiers under his command sobered up and looked at the firing tank, which seemed to ignore them, but not for long. Just as they sobered up, one of the machine guns behind its cannon rotated towards them. Hellcat and Maria rapidly aimed at its barrel and barraged it, steering it away before it shot. Prtrrrrrrr rrrrrrrr ptrrrrr! The other small machine gun further behind aimed at them. Hellcat didn¡¯t care about countering 1 machine gun anymore and hollered before bringing Maria up some stairs nearby, as she kept firing the first machine gun. ¡°Mooove! To the upper floor! Surround it!¡± After that, there was only silence, with just their harsh stomps, ragged breathing, machine guns¡¯ firing, and cannons blasting things several hundred meters away with near-perfect accuracy. And nothing to stop each of its shots. The core didn¡¯t have more floors, but it had a library with countless books at the walls. There was a platform to walk around them so they wouldn¡¯t take space for the people working coming and going. These platforms weren¡¯t connected all around the core hall, but there were dozens. Now, they were becoming beehives under the machine guns¡¯ aiming and ceaseless ammunition. The platoon had their equipment on their backs, the explosives were there. Even if it meant going slower, or growing tired more rapidly when fleeing from brutal death, they could only do something with them. They couldn¡¯t leave those behind. That was just a delayed death. When arriving at the platform¡¯s end, where the next was 2 meters away, they had to bash their nerves away and rely on their fear to perfectly jump from railing to railing. Their bodies rolled, jolted, or tripped afterwards, but they didn¡¯t dare stop. Maria and Hellcat were the fastest 2 who ran atop them the earliest. After the machine guns aimed at the others, to at least kill something, they stopped and checked their equipment. Despite the dashing lights from the cannons, it was difficult to see. The machine guns were also too small to light up the enormous, 10 meters tall tank. Maria looked for the explosives while Hellcat inspected the tank. With 3 cannons, it was impossible for it to not be affected by such firepower. And indeed, there was a pincer-like limb exiting from the tank on each corner, digging into the floor before retracting like a hook underneath. The ground trembled whenever it shoot once, let alone thrice every 4 seconds. ¡°It¡¯s its legs, and the cannons¡­ I think I can time it¡­¡± Hellcat murmured. Maria placed an explosive in his left palm, dispiriting him. It was an adhesive bomb that was powerful if placed directly against flat surfaces, it looked like a white bag, tightly packed with tiny dot-sized balls. Then, she passed him another. It was an anti-armor grenade, heavy and supposed to attack the bellies of some vehicles, but tanks nowadays were even protected from inner heat. Only getting into their road wheels before exploding would help immobilize it, but here, that clearly wouldn¡¯t be a problem for it. ¡°It can work¡­¡± Hellcat said with a sigh, then, he looked at Maria, who just stared at him, saying and expressing nothing. Then, he expressed, ignoring her tightened fists, ¡°I¡¯m faster.¡± ¡­ Chapter 33 — Battle For The Centralized Parliament (4) Battle For The Centralized Parliament (4) Phesx Caolia crouched and grabbed a few larger bags to put the smaller ones in. Meanwhile, he spoke to Daniel, who kept running as Phesx and Maria prepared everything. ¡°Daniel, will these work? How should I place them? Is it fine if I place them wherever those limbs come from?¡± ¡°Uhh, yeah! But no!¡± Daniel gasped, hurrying along. ¡°You don¡¯t have to place them there. Just look for whatever seems like a joint, that should be enough!¡± ¡°Alright, what are you doing? Soon to safety?¡± Phesx Caolia said while putting the bags onto his back like a school backpack, with Maria helping him put it on. On the other side of the core hall, Daniel ran beside Karla, ¡°Nope. I¡¯m just checking on Karla. Those fuckers want my thick body to explode. Hellcat, blow them up for me!¡± ¡°Mn, that¡¯ll blow them up?¡± Phesx Caolia nodded, before shaking his head and asking. Daniel responded, with difficulty. ¡°Er¡­ um¡­ no, but they will to themselves with those cannons. You have no idea, that tank isn¡¯t the iconic tank for any supercontinent, but its model is SF-00¡­¡± Phesx Caolia cut the signal before taking his helmet off and facing Maria. Maria took her helmet off and pusher her lips into his, closing her eyes to let the moment elongate as much as possible. Phesx did the same after staring at her. Mwpoh. Separating their faces, Hellcat asked as he put his helmet on, ¡°Was that a love confession? Is it my chance?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re too small for that. It¡¯ll be bizarre¡­ but maybe if you grow up.¡± Maria said, giving more than one meaning, making Hellcat humorously scoff through his nostrils and smirk. He looked at the tank, which now ignored them, before grabbing the railing with his left hand, jumping over it. Maria watched him depart before grabbing her rifle and taking cover. She looked at the sides, worried of his warnings, before refocusing on his back running towards the tank. ¡®He is very fast¡­ Does his legs not hurt?¡¯ Hellcat¡¯s speed when rushing to the tank was almost inhumane, especially considering he carried at least his small pistol and those explosives, which weren¡¯t light at all, on his back. Stomp stomp stomp stomp stomp! ¡®¡­¡¯ Hellcat¡¯s mind was empty as he neared the tank, running through the smooth floor he could see, impulsing himself a little forwards each time. His body felt perfect, although maybe getting tired from running at this speed. He didn¡¯t know how he managed to last several hours when the encampment was assaulted. Slam! ¡°¡­¡± Hellcat¡¯s body slammed to the tank¡¯s side, but he didn¡¯t even make it tilt. A few machine guns rotated towards where he was, gaining his soldiers some time to breathe. He also heard the footsteps of many more soldiers coming towards here, be it ally or foe, and allied or not, outside the core hall. He looked up at the small machine guns, which couldn¡¯t get to him. Hellcat grabbed one of his 4 bags and searched for a pincer-like limb¡¯s joint, but it was all smooth and flat. Giving a small machine gun a stare, he went to the limb and faced the ceiling while holding himself around it. Placing the bag below, Hellcat strapped it around the limb¡¯s curve while the machine gun opened fire in small actions, trying to scare him off, because they were far from touching his body. When Hellcat finished strapping it and let go of his feet, he heard like a door opening. Looking up, he saw a prei soldier peek out from a lid on the tank¡¯s surface, beside the cannons, wearing headphones to help with the noise. Hellcat had the helmet, but it was costly for Preut, where only assault forces of Prona, the ¡®best¡¯ military camp, could afford. Bang- bang bang- trrrrrrr¡­ Hellcat took his pistol out, with his back on the floor. The upside down view didn¡¯t deter his cognitive agility as he headshot the enemy at once. The prei tumbled backward, fully firing the submachine gun in his left hand after firing it with single action after being shot dead. It didn¡¯t stop until someone else within the tank brought him in, closing the lid. Hellcat rolled his eyes before doing the same to the other pincer-like limb drilled into the floor. He rapidly strapped the second bag before moving around the tanks¡¯ back, not wanting to pass by where the cannons aimed, not even below, as that turned many to unrecognizable corpses. ¡°He¡¯s there!¡± When Hellcat was moving around the corner, with the machine guns following after him, clearly stressed out, another lid opened. He heard a prei soldier speak before feeling shivers down his spine. Looking to his left, he saw someone aim a pistol at him. Hellcat¡¯s eyes widened. He moved his back, placing the explosives behind him, and received a shot to the lower left side. Bang! Bang bang bang! With his right hand, Hellcat aimed at the 2 preis who came out, shooting the one who shot him on the stomach and head, before blasting the other¡¯s throat. Hellcat almost tripped, feeling the powerful blow of a pistol from so close. But he didn¡¯t kneel and continued crouched, moving to the other side. ¡°Agh!¡± Hellcat rapidly found the next limb before hugging it with his legs and using his abdomen to keep his torso near it. He could feel the pain and bleeding from his gunshot wound. After strapping it, he checked the tank, ensuring no more surprises put him through more torment, before once again beating the shit out of himself to strap the last bag around the fourth limb. 10 seconds later, feeling his fingers getting a little numb, Hellcat returned to the other side. He faced where Maria was hidden, covering behind a tumbled bookshelf, and gave a thumbs up. Then, he received beeping confirmations from his soldiers while he prepared to rush out, and ignore that gunshot in his abdomen. Once he received them, Hellcat raced away. Prrrtrrr trrrrrrr trrrrrr ptrrrrrrrrrrr prrrrrrrr- bang bang bang bang! Bang, bang, bang, bang! At once, 19 soldiers aimed their guns at the tanks¡¯ small machine guns. Maria laid prone to get a good angle as she and Gustavo, from different angles, and more than 250 meters away, deviated one from aiming at their platoon leader. The rest aimed at the other 3 in groups, barraging them with bullets to deviate them. Even those small things, covered with a layer of that Mintip armor, didn¡¯t have good resilience. As Hellcat ran away, just 30 meters away to cover behind a thick counter, the small machine guns the prei aimed at were all tumbled about like bobbleheads. The tank sparkled with all bullets on it. ¡°Go,¡± Hellcat whispered. He didn¡¯t have the device to detonate them, in case he died. That¡¯s why Maria was hell-on bet to not be seen and get killed so far. When she received his call, Maria didn¡¯t waste more than half a second before pressing a small, cylindrical object¡¯s one-sole button. Bu-tang- BANG, BANG, BANG- BOOOOOM! The tank roared in incandescent orange lava-like smoke. The tank¡¯s limbs were cut off in the multiple blast, and it not only suffered unbalance, tilting backwards, it also cracked around its front near the canons. BANG BANG- BANG! The cannons continued firing, only now with their aiming completely out of place. The first 2 shots at the southeast, no longer able to hit the tower, didn¡¯t do much to it, as Hellcat expected after hearing it from Daniel. But a second later, once all cannons reloaded, and the one that aimed at the northeastern tower fired, it sunk backwards into the cannon in the middle. The second cannon then fired, immediately ricocheting 40 meters away at lighting speed. It flew into the ceiling before starting to fall, but by then, the first cannon had broken apart a segment of the cannon and gotten stuck where the second was; letting Hellcat, who had already stepped out of his cover, listen to fearful screams. ¡°AAAAH! It broke!¡± - ¡°My eyes, aah, aaaah, aaaaaaaah!!¡± - ¡°Medic!¡± - ¡°He¡¯s down already! Fuck!¡± - ¡°The radar! There¡¯s someone nearby!¡± - ¡°Shit!¡± - ¡°The 3rd is still working¡­¡± ¡°They have to shoot again!¡± Daniel¡¯s voice sounded from the helmet communications. ¡°Most of their systems should have fried from the inside, but one more will do it¡­¡± Hellcat jogged towards the tank, still feeling tormented by the gunshot in his abdomen. He took his pistol out, preparing its new magazine. He jumped up the tank, peeked in once, unnoticed, before hanging from the open aperture with his small pistol aiming inside, with only 1 arm. Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang! ¡°Hellcat! The third cannon is about to shoot! Get away!¡± Daniel shouted after the third cannon moved, aiming where he was hanging from. Hellcat kicked the tank¡¯s surface and rolled off. He ran away, but when he was halfway back to the counter, the comms sounded again. ¡°Behind!¡± Maria shouted, she peeked out of her cover and, with the same rifle, only elongated somewhat, she aimed at the tank before firing. Yet, it was a bit too late. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Bang! Pang! The first sound came from the rifle a prei soldier aimed at Hellcat¡¯s back, penetrating a bullet through his right ankle joint out of pure damn luck. To Hellcat, of course, it was unlucky. The second went from the sharp, immediate snipe shot from Maria¡¯s rifle, breaking apart the prei soldier in 2, blasting most of it into smithereens. Thud- tumble tumble. Hellcat fell to the floor, his head hurting a little. Only after falling belly-first did he notice he was profusely bleeding from his gunshot. ¡®Ah¡­ shit?¡¯ Hellcat turned around when he heard mechanical sliding noises, which gave his body a shiver. He looked at the tank¡¯s 3rd cannon, aiming towards him. The tank was still tilted backwards, and its sole functional cannon would only fire 2 meters above him, but no one would be near that range. Hellcat watched its lower side heating up, slowly extending to the rest of its structure, very slowly¡­ Hellcat¡¯s body was momentarily paralyzed. Besides, from his lying position to crouching, it would take him 2 seconds with his injuries if he wanted to gain a good stance to lunge away. His light black eyes contents began shrinking, rapidly. The third cannon heated up completely, going from a melting orange tone color to a reddened one. Then, its banging sound went off. Hellcat¡¯s pupils dilated strangely, as if halving and forming into 2 bubbles in each eye, before gyrating his body to the right. Crrack crack crack snap snap snap craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack~¡­ Hellcat¡¯s body, under his soldiers¡¯ eyes, inhumanely rolled to the side. His limbs flailed around without any form, bending, and like jelly, when the cannon fired 0.5 seconds after. Maria had already run 2 platforms away and jumped to the third, when the cannon¡¯s projectile penetrated where she had taken cover before like paper. BANG! BANG- BANG, BANG, BANG¡­ ¡­ boooom¡­! The projectile penetrated a few walls before flying out of the ceiling. A few tens of seconds later, when the platoon went to their platoon leader, 80 meters away from the exploded tank, now melting from the cannons¡¯ area to the rest. The projectile exploded very loudly elsewhere on the outside. Hellcat couldn¡¯t move. He felt his body numb, as if it never excited, or at least no more. He could still see blurry and hear muffled voices. Maria shouted, helping Adams, who immediately treated him, although that was outside his blurry vision. ¡°Why the hell did you say that, Daniel?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know there were still living preis inside¡­ oh little heavens, tell me he¡¯ll be alright.¡± Danial responded weakly, almost sobbing. Adams¡¯ deepened, gasping voice resounded. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t fucking know, his bon¡­¡± Hellcat submerged into a black screen of heavy eyelids. *** Lymoca, Sargonde state. Year 1,021, 9th month, 3rd week, 7th day. A group of young men and women waited outside a traditional laundry service building. They chatted and conversed, before a very young woman with blonde hair and an indifferent, cold expression walked out. One could even say her resting face was murderous, yet, exquisite. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said, ordering the others around. They nodded and walked around her, but in truth, they walked near her. The closest ones were a step behind her, following her. A young, pretty woman asked, concerned. ¡°He wasn¡¯t willing?¡± ¡°No.¡± The blonde replied. A young man pressed his lips before speaking to comfort the situation, with no hopes of succeeding if he wanted to comfort her. ¡°Nobody here has children. When we do, we¡¯ll tell you how much it weighs on.¡± ¡°Are you saying I couldn¡¯t?¡± The blonde countered, looking behind at her follower, but still walking. The young man blinked, helpless. He opened his mouth, but his instincts and looks from the others helped him shut up. The blonde didn¡¯t bother and kept walking. Suddenly, stopping on the sidewalk when a red light from the other side of the street kept them in place, as the others chatted, the blonde said. ¡°Find me an apartment in Proteros¡­¡± She looked down before staring ahead, just before the green light stopped the cars and cleared them the road, ¡°That¡¯s his choice¡­¡± ¡°Yes, cap,¡± another young woman said, crossing her arms before the blonde led them down the sidewalk, not crossing the street. *** Preut, Centralized Parliament. Prona territory. Inside a medical tent, Phesx Caolia blinked with his eyes closed before lifting his heavy eyelids. The light black eyes as always were shone by light again. He looked at a nurse, Adams, and Maria, who conversed at the tent¡¯s entrance. ¡°Cough- COUGH, COUGH, COUGH¡­¡± Suddenly, Phesx Caolia felt his body recoil before exploding with coughs, loud and wet. He spit phlegm and tiny traces of blood. When he finished, Maria had already driven the nurse out, with Adams helping on the matter, and was sitting beside him, lightly slapping his back. ¡°Aggh¡­¡± Phesx laid on his bed again, relaxed and resting after such tremendous coughing fit. His vision blurred a little before he could see well again. He nibbled his lips while looking behind Maria at a calendar, with only the day visible, telling ¡®7th¡¯ instead of ¡®6th¡¯. ¡°How long was I gone? A day?¡± Phesx asked, not even realizing how his body looked under the sheets. Maria looked down at him and shook her head after blinking once. ¡°2 weeks.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh.¡± Lifting his eyebrows, Phesx looked at Maria¡¯s face. She patted his chest before lifting the sheets. There, he saw all of his body, except the neck, was bandaged. Before he could voice ¡®what the fuck happened to me?¡¯, Maria explained. ¡°All of your bodies were¡­ bizarre. They bent, and some even twirled in place. It was very strange. Adams exhausted himself to move them to back position. If we delivered you like that back here, they would¡¯ve just shot you.¡± ¡°Waking up like that is not living.¡± Maria added, checking his temperature. ¡°Mn, you¡¯re getting warm again. But not enough. You need solid food now that your body is¡­. ¡®normal¡¯ again.¡± Phesx saw the look in her eyes when emphasizing that ¡®normal¡¯ word. He felt her right hand move under his head before he asked her, ¡°Would they have done that?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Maria nodded, unperturbed. Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes became distanced. Maria remained in silence until they were on her face again. She continued, ¡°I had to break your bones the first 3 consecutive days because you were¡­ healing on your own.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no medicine you¡¯re allergic to was used on you. You were lucky to be alive when we arrived here.¡± Maria said. He blew thorough his nostrils before asking with a light smile, ¡°How much medicine was used on me?¡± ¡°No, on the contrary. It¡¯s not your worth that kept you alive after that feat. After the tank was destroyed, thousands and thousands of fucking bastards poured in, just as our comrades and preqs showed up. However, when we arrived here, we exposed you to the watching soldiers, especially those who knew your face. Your tummy showed breathing, and some remembered your deeds. So, the higher-ups had to keep you alive. You¡¯re lucky.¡± ¡°Um, I see,¡± Phesx¡¯s face didn¡¯t react, resting his sight on Maria¡¯s face, not illuminated by the lights in the tent. Then, he poked her left backhand resting on his tummy and voiced ¡®pu¡¯ before expressing, ¡°Thank you¡­ for not asking more.¡± ¡°You did the same for me when I opened up to you, soldier.¡± Maria nodded slightly. Then, Phesx grinned and made another ¡®pu¡¯, this time more humorous, before lowering her face with his right hand on her left cheek. It was a light and gentle pull, more intuitive than physical, but her face went down like he manhandled her. Mwpah¡­ After a long transaction between saliva and pressing each other¡¯s lips on the other¡¯s, she lifted her head with wide eyes. ¡°Where was that from? Do you love me?¡± ¡°No,¡± Phesx responded, not hesitating once. ¡°It just thought it would feel good. Mn, it felt just right. Besides, hasn¡¯t your hand been caressing my head all this long? Do you love me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx felt Maria¡¯s fingers below his head stop caressing him, tenderly and just to give him comfort. She also looked at him without giving a word. She shook her head, ¡°No. You¡¯re too young. That would still be bizarre. As I said, perhaps when you grow up. Otherwise¡­ Our relations are purely physical comfort, is it not? Why would I go for more?¡± ¡°Mn, unless¡­¡± Phesx nodded before innocently looking at her belly. Maria looked down as well, before staring up at him, opening her mouth in shock and steeling her eyes. ¡°You were just thinking¡­ how dare you!¡± ¡°Ouww, awff¨C heh- haha, wait, I¡¯m ill¡­¡± From the tent, Phesx¡¯s words echoed a little, only enough for the squad outside to smirk at each other and share lustful, perverted glances. It was almost as if their squad leader was corrupted by their platoon leader under their machinations. ¡­ A few hours later, after going through procedures, and causing a loud cheering sound in the pronas tents, Phesx was helped to a small black tent. It was where Maria has been resting for the past 2 weeks. It smelled like her, and had her unique femininity. ¡°The tank destroyed 2 towers, the southwestern and northwestern towers. One of Prequa and the other their own. That last cannon shell? It blasted the Prei tower from the center. Hundreds died just there,¡± Maria elaborated as they laid facing the ceiling. ¡°Just there? Hm?¡± Phesx pressed for more, becoming intrigued, and proud? Maria nodded with a neutral expression, ¡°Then, the shell continued moving into the sky, arching towards their command post. Even with the preis running from it, many high-ranked officers were reached. It was just a nice beginning.¡± ¡°Hm~,¡± Phesx smirked. Maria faced him, supporting her head up with her leg and hand on him. With such intimacy move, Phesx felt a¡­ twinge in his heart? It was soft, and it correlated to his brain and body reactions. Maria continued, just beginning to brief him on these 2 weeks¡¯ happenings. ¡°Preqs were exhilarated, and after the stalemate at the core, we joined hands to shrink the preis back to their little turtle shell. Once that happened, we hunted the remaining criminal scum and paramilitary groups. The latter remains in the parliament, but the scum ran away.¡± ¡°Just as we ended the little alliance with the preqs, the scum noticed the immense number of artillery they had. They actually stole half their remaining artillery, whatever was left from the first day. Hmph~,¡± Maria sharply hooked the left corner of her mouth. ¡°Well deserved¡­¡± Phesx commented, also in a good mood, but tired. He ate, after 2 weeks of liquid and being cleaned by others. It felt exhausting. Maria cocked her head a little, ¡°The prei and preq generals are still alive, though.¡± Maybe she saw wrong, but Maria witnessed a glint in his eyes. ¡°Well, we took advantage of the preqs¡¯ situation and stormed over their tower. Now, their tens of thousands are spread across the southern halls and core. It¡¯s all a hellish all-out, never-ending combat out there. Few return from every team, although it¡¯s better when they go in groups of 100 or a little less. For soldiers, at least. Mn, other assault troops have been¡­ reckless.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough of the situation in the parliament.¡± Maria said, leaning half her body on his left side. Phesx looked at her face, curious. ¡°Hm?¡± Maria straddled him, bending her back and holding his jaw with gentle grasps, with her face just above his. Their eyes locked into each other¡¯s and the other¡¯s face, none looking away. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for 2 weeks and a day. Make it up to me.¡± She lowered her lips, removing her clothes. If he had to take his off, that would come later, her needs and desire for his touch came first. Who was Phesx, someone who might die later, to refuse? ¡­ Chapter 34 — Battle For The Centralized Parliament (5— Last Part) Battle For The Centralized Parliament (5¡ª Last Part) A week later. Arriving at the central tent, now healed, with not many doctors allowed near him, Phesx Caolia presented himself to the same officer as before. This time, he went into the tent alone, but the cheering and clamor he created from just showing his presence showed. Inside, the officer welcomed him in warmly and spoke in a positive tone. ¡°You have come. It¡¯s good to see you in good state, soldier.¡± The officer lifted his arms to the side, contented. Phesx saluted and reported, ¡°I¡¯m just filling in, sir. I¡¯ve already presented my expedition form. I¡¯m here to announce my departure to go on my task.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The officer opened his mouth with a silent ¡®ah¡¯ before closing it down. ¡°Are you sure about it? You wouldn¡¯t be willing to do something else?¡± ¡®Is that preoccupation or lust? Should I not die for some soldiers¡¯ morale, or am I just going to be used again?¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought to himself before politely replying, ¡°Reporting to sir, I am willing to go on an expedition. My assault troop is more than ready, and we need it now that all sides are against each other.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± the officer sighed and gave up his attempts. However, he still had a card beneath all those tight, elegant sleeves and few medals gained during Preut¡¯s peaceful times. ¡°This is your ticket. Take it and just help with whatever you can. Many avoid this place, but it¡¯s yours to begin your task, soldier.¡± The officer passed Phesx a small document. Reading it, Phesx found he had to search near the southeastern tower, where the preqs have amassed their people to try retaking the tower. He also had to rescue the platoons of soldiers trapped inside. ¡®So much for victory.¡¯ Phesx Caolia looked up at the officer and saluted, slowly saying, ¡°Will do, sir.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± the officer nodded, wearing indifferent eyes. ¡°Now go, and good luck.¡± Walking outside the tent with a bit of a long face, Phesx met with Maria and her squad, with the crowd from earlier long dispersed. Maria frowned, asking with her helmet under her left armpit. ¡°What is it? Were more troops not available?¡± ¡°Ooh, no. Forget about that.¡± Phesx cocked his head, sarcastically commenting before putting his helmet on. Maria asked, concerned, and put her helmet on. ¡°Are you sure we can safely move with 20?¡± ¡°Oh yes. It might even be easier this way.¡± Phesx said, but the squad was still a little concerned, let alone the rest of the section. Then, he paused to think about something else before asking them. ¡°Why am I leading still? Shouldn¡¯t we let Maria take charge? What do you guys think?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± - ¡°Eh, why not.¡± - ¡°Sure, right?¡± - ¡°Ey, that sounds nice.¡± - ¡°You can take turns, no? You¡¯re already not bad, and a good learner.¡± - ¡°We trust you both, and after mingling, it¡¯s like it just doubled.¡± - ¡°Edwin!¡± - ¡°Qu¨¦? Heh heh.¡± With that, the squad put their helmets on and reunited with the rest of the platoon. But, to be fair, now they were only a section. Thus, the section leadership changed. Maria took charge of the section, while still leading her squad. Meanwhile, Hellcat became vice leader of the section, just a member of Maria¡¯s squad. ¡­ The section set out into the dark. Even with the holes the tank made to the southwest, southeast, northeast, and northwestern ceiling, darkness occupied more than 99% inside the parliament. It would have been different if the last assassination groups hadn¡¯t activated the security protocols and the windows weren¡¯t armored, but that didn¡¯t matter anymore. The rest of the section was slightly morally hit from not getting new troopers, but it wouldn¡¯t change anything. Although Hellcat was no longer the official leader, after battling together a few times, and going through life and death, they trusted him now. Even if not blindly. The parliament hadn¡¯t welcomed too much death, and even though weeks have passed, there were now forces who used their flashlights. Thinking it wouldn¡¯t matter anymore, and that others would, too, they lowered their guard and showed themselves in the ¡®eternal night¡¯. Because of that, with the gem section¡¯s advantage of having Hellcat¡¯s vision, they ventured through the dark, following him while watching their every step. At first, the section wasn¡¯t going to the little task the officer gave them, but then, it was decided to check around. Moving towards the loneliest paths, with the leas people Hellcat could see, they still found some groups. 2 groups were paramilitary, which the section took out with some assassination and gunshots. They were a platoon, and while they were more, they were only fanatics with weapons, no armor, and no discipline at the level of a soldier. Furthermore, prona assault troops were the best ¡®ordinary¡¯ soldiers in their military, something not even other military camp soldiers could deal with, let alone those rogue parties. After taking care of those 2 paramilitary groups, the gem section found a prei squad. The preis were taken down easily, but from then on, Hellcat found a plethora of preqs taking camp and waiting at the side, preparing to barge into the tower. They avoided that place, not wanting to find themselves facing hundreds, if not a few thousand, of preqs. They carefully toured around and avoided any possible battle or assassination, not wanting to leave a trail, as the pronas would only make an assault in 3 days, not before. When they neared the southeastern entrance, they waited, as it was still daytime. When night fell, Hellcat lead them outside, assassinating the small quantity of guards at the side before heading directly into the tower. With the other military camps, and even the criminal scum owning artillery, chased by preqs, anyone outside the towers was the easiest target to massacre. It was empty around the tower, letting the gem section cross through and infiltrate it, whose gates were loose, but everything was also deadly silent. As soon as the section entered the main floor, they noticed why. Corpses of preqs and pronas were everywhere, with preqs crediting most of them. None had weapons littering around, all taken by the pronas, supposedly. The gem section searched every room in squads of 10, careful and keeping each other alive, just in case. They also transmitted the 2-0-1-1 sharp whistling through few tens of meters in the surroundings before entering the rooms. There was nothing, so the gem section went up a floor. One by one, they arrived at higher floors. On each floor, there were less and less corpses. The magazines and cartridges were empty or blasted, which also became fewer as they continued climbing the tower. The odor was as expected, a disgusting stench, but it got better the more one went up, although not that much. When they arrived at the top, Hellcat led the rest inside as he could see better. He advanced quickly, checking ahead as his comrades checked his sides before supporting his front as well. However, the crouching Hellcat slowly stopped moving before raising to his feet. He lowered his submachine gun before just walking ahead. A few soldiers accompanied his sides as they heard sobbing in front, to protect him. Their vice leader had just ¡®healed¡¯, after all. ¡°Who goes there? Waaaaaah! Who goes there?!¡± A soldier sat surrounded by corpses, with his back to the pillar at the bottom of the hall. He held a weapon, but he dared not shoot around aimlessly. Then, he saw Hellcat¡¯s figure before him, so close and in the dark. Hellcat didn¡¯t light up his flashlight, and when the soldier was lifting his weapon, he spoke through the communications. ¡°Did you not hear? Whiiiiiistlee~¡­¡± ¡°Ah, ah¡­ waaaah!¡± The soldier was stunned, before his eyes widened in realization. He cried as Hellcat crouched before him, analyzing the traumatized young man, maybe twice as old as him. ¡°What occurred?¡± Picking the soldier up, with Prona¡¯s symbol of Preut¡¯s small, simplified map, Hellcat brought him over his shoulder, glad that the gem section couldn¡¯t see through the dark like him. The soldier wept, elaborating amidst wails, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ the preqs sent so many¡­ this morning, waah¡­ We ended up killing each other, man. Awh¡­ I could see everywhere around me¡­ so many flashes¡­ We just opened fire and everyone¡­ just started killing each other. Wooo, why were we sent here?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Hellcat walked back to the others, with the soldiers around him frowning when seeing too many corpses lying beside each other, with some parts unrecognizable. They couldn¡¯t tell if this was because of the dark, or the bodies. The section brought the young man down, with Adams injecting him to send him to sleep. Then, with more caution, and advancing more slowly, as the full moon lighted the night, they re-entered the parliament. However, just when they were near the gates, they were met with a swarm of preqs coming out. ¡°!¡± The gem section was surprised, falling into disorder, when Hellcat advanced forth, passing the young man to another. Just in time, a preq came forward and stopped them with a team. ¡°Stop! Who the hell are you?!¡± ¡°Sorry sir, we had to go there. We left our post, but we¡¯ve confirmed the situation inside. We were just bringing a survivor from the tower, sir.¡± Hellcat lifted his hands, showing his rifle strapped with a strap of awful quality hanging from his left. After seeing the side it was hung to, and the submachine gun in his right hand, the preq frowned but didn¡¯t insist anymore. He looked around, now knowing why there was no response from the entrance before, and returned to stare at Hellcat. ¡°Aw shit. You went in? How was it?¡± ¡°All dead¡­ everyone. Those pronas massacred everyone and took our weapons to the top, but we killed them still. This rat is proof of that.¡± Hellcat responded, pointing at the sleeping soldier over Edwin¡¯s shoulder with his thumb. The officer nodded before asking Hellcat, ¡°What¡¯s your rank? And alias? I won¡¯t report you, it¡¯s just safety measures, kid.¡± ¡°Hellcat, sir.¡± Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t even hesitate. He lowered his hands and looked at the officer directly, the helmets were suddenly not important anymore to the preq suspecting them when he took it out. The officer reacted, ¡°Ah? I think I¡¯ve heard it before.¡± ¡°I was in Medina¡¯s encampment,¡± Hellcat responded, looking tough. The officer fell silent before nodding. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see that your bravery is seen¡­ again, kid. You go rest, let me see what hell you found inside.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Hellcat said, bowing his head before cocking it towards the section. The preq nodded, satisfied, before moving his team ahead. The other preqs behind that team looked at them, but since they weren¡¯t stopped, they ignored the gem section. Hellcat slightly nodded towards them. The section moved into the parliament. Before entering the dark, they looked at the bulges of corpses hidden by dirt and grass on top of the dirt below the walls, glad of their vice leader¡¯s unnecessary methods so far. After returning to the dark, no longer feeling naked and vulnerable, the gem section rapidly fled from the preqs, returning to the northeast, where they met another prona force. They delivered the soldier, and with him, the credit of the task, and the information of the preqs entering the tower, but gem section couldn¡¯t care. At last, they could venture further in and swim like fish in the water, unstrapped by any hooks or bonds. Now, just like a few others, the gem section went dark. ¡­ During the following days, some weeks, the Centralized Parliament was disputed from within. That didn¡¯t mean the outside was devoid of any conflict. For starters, after the criminal scum took the artillery guns, now with something in their sights, the prei and pronas opened negotiations with the preqs. In the end, they allied to deal with the scum, recuperating the stolen artillery guns, and distributing them between each other. The pronas and prei now had an equal number of artillery as the preqs, and the criminal scum, after long days with extra forces joining the fray, have been routed across all Preut. They were at the center, so the scum could flee anywhere. The only bad news were that they managed to sneak some artillery guns away, in large trucks. That was troublesome for everyone, but it was tens of times more faceable than letting them have dozens of such dangerous arsenal. Furthermore, having tasted the power of unification, the 3 military camps joined hands, this time with artillery included, to destroy all paramilitary actions. At first, the paramilitary groups encamped around the Centralized Parliament remained calm, not afraid of being seen, as they could flee the moment their scouts heard choppers in the sky. However, before they could hear those, shells and explosive death rained upon them from the sky. Only after they were forced to flee exactly where military units awaited them, who executed them, did the helicopters show up in the sky. As for the spies in the paramilitary groups, what better than to ensure history only knew about the military camps¡¯ exceptional sixth sense to figure out where such fanatic were hidden? A master plan. Inside, the preis, pronas, and preqs were all out against each other, having suffocated criminals and paramilitaries everywhere else. Whatever happened inside stayed inside. Such was the decision the 3 military camps took, and it was healthy, no matter the cost it would have afterwards with their armies. Because that afterwards only existed when one side took over the parliament. The preqs received the worst blows after they recuperated their tower, seconded only by the prei. Just a couple of days later, they were surrounded by pronas, who starved them to death for a week before entering. Pronas expected a small fight to win, but they only executed preqs. When the preis wanted to join in, half of pronas¡¯ assault troops interjected them southeast of the core, forcing them to stay inside the core while massacring several hundred in under a minute. It was a bloody time for both preqs and preis. After it happened, the 2 hurt military camps had talks of alliance, but with previous antagonizing led by preqs with pronas to ally against preis, the latter didn¡¯t want to. And with one encampment massacred, and basically pillaged by Prei in the past, the preqs were dissatisfied with their commander in charge. In the end, no alliances happened, keeping it a 3-way conflict. Nevertheless, that day the pronas ambushed the preis, those preis trapped inside the core, at least from moving into the southeast, were further assaulted. Pronas from everywhere barged into the core hall and surprised the already panicked preis, who were mowed for the rest of the day. Only then was it bloody. A fifth of the core¡¯s floor turned into a small poodle of blood, making many looting pronas trip and get sick. Unavoidable, and as a surprise for all 3 remaining sides, the pronas kept the core hall as their command post inside the parliament. Although the blood and corpses at the side were dangerous, they were slowly taken care of. However, it did affect them through time, only getting worse as the command post realized their shortage of medicine. Rations? Many. Ammunition or explosives? Many, too. Medicine? Preut was often recognized for lacking in that regard even after separating from Lymoca, let alone now. The 3 military camps entered a stalemate, one that led to only small scale operations. Be it assaults, taking, defending, or retaking positions in the parliament. Slowly, very little by little, through endless losses and gains from all parties, a victor was being decided. The preis and preqs never stopped fighting each other, always massacring the other. Prona made use of that since they took the core, fortifying it and making it impenetrable. Maybe if the others joined, pronas¡¯ command would be overtaken, but that just wouldn¡¯t happen. Whenever the other 2 fought, in small or large scales, pronas would be present. Prona made quick work of the others¡¯ conflict, always arriving like rats, even when they seemed too late, or uninterested. They always took the loot and lives of the winners, but only when the other 2 fought to the bitter end, and with intentions to exterminate. From the many hidden small forces of all 3 military camps, one of them, the gem section, quietly took the enemies down. Hearing gunshots and screams was the usual, but nobody would go towards the sounds, habitually. It was too spacious and silent, making one hear sounds that would¡¯ve been impossible to listen to back in the day. When they followed a sound, it might be several times or even 10 times farther away than one originally thought. By then, the winning side either left with the loot, or prepared to lure another fly into their greedy trap. The gem section also moved like a snake from one end to the other during the day, and prepared gifts for all military camps during the night before resting. The preis and preqs were helpless, receiving news of several dozens of their teams exploded to death in their sleep. Meanwhile, the pronas couldn¡¯t stop getting new weapons and pieces of armor every new day in points only pronas knew to get there to receive support or for meet ups. Hellcat and Maria rapidly moved their section. Even though they were very few to ensure their survival in a conflict, with Hellcat¡¯s sight, they avoided any direct confrontation. These methods went just perfect with Maria, who instructed everyone with what she knew, practically training special forces¡¯ seeds. However, after days nonstop taking out enemies in the dark with such specialty, any superior would¡¯ve agreed to such actions. So she felt no guilt. Even Hellcat had a lot to learn. Things such as wildlife survival were taught. Right now, they could go on stealing provisions from corpses, but if this was the world outside, the soldiers they killed wouldn¡¯t pack more than enough rations by military rule. Here, everyone worried they may get lost, even with memorizing the Centralized Parliament¡¯s map. This saved those hidden small forces¡¯ lives. In short, this was the perfect place to stand out and gain merit for them. However, for Hellcat¡­ this was a great place to train himself. He could train everything he knew and¡­ as Maria stated a couple of times already, hone his skills and unique body ¡®features¡¯ to become a slaughter machine. To the section, Hellcat wore unique nail-knives at times, brought to Preut via contraband from the outside. For Maria, it was a little different. This was especially so after knowing his strange healing body, and right after, when Hellcat spit saliva on a cream he uses on himself before giving it to Adams. Karla had gotten scrapped by a bullet, saved by Daniel, who received a shot to his left shoulder. 10 days after they went dark, they found carts, and went underground to charge them. However, they were too noisy and shouldn¡¯t be used. Daniel still taught Hellcat while being able to only move his right arm. Hellcat failed many times to repair the slightly damaged batteries, and other stuff he was brand-new to. However, afterwards, it was suddenly like he was injected with chicken blood, becoming well-versed in the basics before getting to the intermediate stuff. However, that couldn¡¯t be brought up in the parliament, so it was left alone. ¡­ After hundreds of kills each member amounted to the gem section¡¯s war effort, during the last 5 weeks, finding more than 5 enemy forces at least a day, they were growing mindlessly numb. Hellcat seemed fine, and Maria, but the rest were ordinary soldiers. Their training was only so much about their willpower and mindset. This made them worry a little. They could desert, which seemed a normal thought now, but with all eyes on the parliament¡­ This led to less conversations among the section, even when 1 or 2 of their members died in a day, lowering their numbers, and their kill count. But then, one day¡­ Step¡­ ¡°?¡± Hellcat frowned, hearing something about 100 meters to his right, through many walls near the northeast of the parliament. According to the helmet radio¡¯s last communication, all pronas were situated either in the core, or the northeastern corner. They were still a few hundred meters from the latter. Thus, Hellcat warned Maria, who was leading, before deciding to go after whoever that was. They moved with light taps from their feet, hidden even to Hellcat¡¯s ears, pressing their backs against any structure, waiting for the leaders¡¯ instructions before moving again. Nearing where Hellcat heard footsteps, they prepared to take whatever they saw out. They were each on a different location, nearby, but widely spread, and some at elevated spots. Hellcat crouched forth, nearing a door leading into this hall, when the door opened with a rough kick. Hellcat tensed his muscles, keeping silence along the section, which they learned to keep even in situations like these. But the other party had flashlights on, Hellcat¡¯s eyes widened. He stood up quickly, moving backwards while shouting as lights moved onto his body one after another. ¡°Stop!¡± No time to whistle, Hellcat fired once at the ceiling, but this made the other soldiers alarmed. ¡°Shit!¡± - ¡°Enemy sighted!¡± - ¡°What about the whistle?¡± - ¡°Fire!¡± - ¡°No! Stop! That¡¯s our armor!¡±- ¡°Tell that fucker to put his weapon down, then!¡± - ¡°Down with it, idiot!¡± ¡°Put it down, brutes!¡± Maria showed up from the side, leading half the lights onto her. The soldiers were startled, before moving their lights around and finding the rest of the gem section aiming at them. ¡°They¡¯ve got more!¡± - ¡°The fuck¡­¡± - ¡°Alright, alright- put your fucking weapons down!¡± ¡°You put them down!¡± Edwin hollered from the other side. The other side were also pronas, but they were quite pushy after seeing they were all in the same side. Furthermore, their clean uniforms and relaxed voices exposed how little they¡¯ve fought compared to gem section. ¡°I said put them down!¡± Hellcat roared again, firing at the ceiling again before aiming at their leader¡¯s head. Those flashlights were pure danger. The gem section wasn¡¯t alive just because they knew how to assassinate in the dark without being previously seen by accidents or unluckiness. ¡°You down! Fucking listen to what we tell you, morons!¡± - ¡°Get on the ground already! Fucking fags!¡± - ¡°Shut up and quiet! Listen to our command!¡± - ¡°Lower your weapons! Enough of this nonsense!¡± ¡°Who the fuck do you think you are? Fuck off, ah!¡± - ¡°Fucking shoot, then! It¡¯ll be a new sensation for my itchy fingers! Come on fuckers! Don¡¯t you want to fight? Feeling bored? Huh?!¡± - ¡°Fuck! Even Gem is enraged, hahaha!¡± Hellcat¡¯s breathing evened out, and as he felt everything slow down, he saw the other soldiers¡¯ aim better at the gem section. His eyes fully opened, and he pulled the trigger. Bang! Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! Trrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrrr- bang! Bang bang bang bang bang bang! Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang¡­! ¡°Huff, huff¡­¡± Hellcat breathed roughly. His helmet, which had avoided any headshot so far, was filled with slit and webbed cracks on its visor and sides. He took it off before looking behind his right. Rifles, submachine guns, and pistols were fired. The gem section instantly reacted when he fired away, but the enemy still had enough time to fire at them. More than 5 were down, including Adams and his girlfriend. Looking behind Edwin, he saw Adams dead with 2 shots in his forehead and more in his neck and below. His girlfriend lied to his side, grasping his hand and choking in her blood, also shot at the neck. Only, her body was saved by Adams, but not fast enough to save her life. ¡°Eek¡­ cough¡­¡± A groan escaped from a survivor in front of him. Hellcat looked at the prona soldier choking in his blood, also shot at the neck once by him, and elsewhere by his gem section. Maria walked up to him and grabbed his left hand, soothing him. ¡®Again, I was too fucking late!¡¯ Visible by the flashlights, Hellcat¡¯s eyes fiercely narrowed, and his nose scrunched up. Karla sobbed, hugging both Adams and his girl, while Edwin stood at their feet, crying. Gustavo brought the other sole survivors, Jonathan, Ulises, and Diego to bag and carry their corpses. Phesx Caolia looked at Maria, whose eyes narrowed in grief, looking at the now dead girl whose grip didn¡¯t loosen on Adams¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorr-¡± Phesx Caolia voiced, but before he could, the radio on everyone¡¯s helmets, including the dying ¡®enemy¡¯ prona soldier¡¯s, sounded. ¡°Huff, huff. Eh? Is it on now? Alright, listen up! Whoever it might be!¡± A voice from someone who was clearly running, trying to find others, not caring for their safety, sounded. ¡°Prei, Prona, and Prequa have signed a safety passage with Lymoca! All civilians and military can move towards the border between both countries. Lymoca has sent many envoys to ensure the safety of everyone, including soldiers and high-ranked officers!¡± After hearing it, Hellcat grabbed Maria¡¯s large pistol, which destroyed many prona soldiers¡¯ bodies to uselessness early on, and aimed at the surviving ¡®enemy¡¯s¡¯ head. Bang!! ¡­ Chapter 35 — Return? Return? Cheeers! Clamor! The president had just stepped off the stage, publicly addressing the situation with Preut, and swearing to bring peace to the old state that has become riddled in unwanted war. It''s been only a few days since the world knew of Preut''s actual happenings after almost 2 years of silence, where no one could tell what happened inside. Now, with everything known, Lymoca''s declaration of peace-making not even 10 minutes later gained the entire world''s eye. All eyes on the ''royalty eagle'' of the world. The people of Lymoca, independently of their thoughts on this pariah nation state, felt overjoyed after the news of the terrible situation to their people unfolded. There had just been news of the ¡®naval¡¯ cooperation between the Lys and countries down south. But this overshadowed that. The moment Lymoca presented the Lys with footage from within, and simply the number of millions taking over every major road in Preut, flooding the nation state in movement, a commotion spread. Not just in Lymoca, but all of the world. Without delay, the national leaders of the world named Preut¡¯s civil war as the world¡¯s most Disastrous War. For all the civilian casualties during just the beginning, and the massive hundreds of thousands of soldiers who have died so far, taking only a few months to nearly destroy the armies the 3 sections once built. Furthermore, it was the first time when early age recruitment was seen with neither side suffering major defeats, simply employing it because they could. According to the information spread throughout, more than 400k young boys and girls were recruited by the military camps, and this was ignoring the criminal and paramilitary groups¡¯ numbers. In an overly populated nation state, the moment the world couldn¡¯t see into their little ¡®island¡¯ in an enormous sea, the powers within went over their heads with power and lust. At least that¡¯s what any person with intelligence could see after reading and seeing Preut¡¯s demise. Preut¡¯s civil war was on its way to finishing. How long? It was still unknown, but Lymoca had prepared to receive tens of millions of refugees in no time, beating quite the record¡­ The Disastrous War would soon end¡­ *** 1,021st year, 11th month, 2nd week, 3rd day. Prona¡¯s outskirts, northeast from its main road, tens of kilometers away from the center of the nation state of disaster. ¡°Come over here! There¡¯s a line! Don¡¯t cross it! Bring your families around that place! Here, only single entries allowed! No, ma¡¯am, go that way!¡± - ¡°Over here! Any families, be it small or big, just come to this side, please!¡± Prona and Prequa¡¯s borders with the Eusat state of Lymoca were flooded with countless heads of various colors, and generally curly. On the western borders, refugees rushed to the improvised ¡®ports¡¯ the Lymoca navy built on Preut¡¯s coasts, lighting the load of civilians rushing to the eastern borders. On the way to these, of the tens of millions, who didn¡¯t worry this was all a ruse? With the congregation points¡¯ situation, one might¡¯ve thought the Preutians wouldn¡¯t trust any military force again. However¡­ how could others know what they went through? If they weren¡¯t taken by the military camps, more so by the criminal groups or paramilitaries, then they died of starvation. What was a better off fate? Struggle and walk aimlessly like they¡¯ve regressed 4 Sanctum Orders to the past? Or die without knowing how, nor having heart for a country that has completely betrayed them? Even if it meant death, kidnapping, or worse, they were tired. Almost 2 years of hunger, who didn¡¯t want love? ¡°Come this way. They won¡¯t accept us for family or anything,¡± Gustavo said after checking the various segments amidst a sea of people. Phesx Caolia and Maria, along the rest of the surviving squad, looked at Gustavo before following him. They held each other hands, with Phesx at the end of their little line, held by Maria. Otherwise, he would just continue sweating and release his hold to clean his palm, even if he didn¡¯t sweat. They arrived at the single entry passage that more than a thousand uniformed soldiers guarded. Although they were there to put pressure on any wrongdoer thinker, they wielded no weapons. Their military vehicles were there, much more advanced than anything they saw in Preut, with steep, flat surface pieces of armor. These didn¡¯t have a machine gun, but after learning from Diego, and with his own craftsmanship skill, Phesx could ¡®see¡¯ they were uninstalled. All in all, although they had the capacity, these Lys showed no intention to repress them. Of course, their weaponry might be just hidden, or around a corner, in case something did happen. The gem squad still had Diego injured, which gained them attention from the crowd around them and the Lys working at the passageway with sweaty temples. They were rapidly addressed, with other individuals, mostly young people, besides the occasional grieving middle-aged person, giving pass to them and others like them. They knew¡­ those were soldiers. They suffered, too. Maybe they could eat and do more than them as refugees, but they were the people still. Who didn¡¯t want to feel safe? Phesx and the others were attended rapidly. The people at the entrance on their side only took their names and thumbprints as a flash went off 8 times, taking everyone¡¯s faces pictures. Then, they were allowed inside, but they had to register themselves with other uniformed people. Looking at a nearby section for families, Phesx Caolia could see they only had to give their name after crossing the passage and wait for a few minutes before an enormous, armored bus arrived. They would board it and off into Eusat, finally leaving Preut. Of course, he couldn¡¯t know the specifics. There was too much noise around. Meanwhile, on his side, they were approached by a brown female soldier with only uniform, of much better quality color, and the symbol of an imposing eagle on her left chest. ¡°Come over here. You¡¯re all soldiers, did I get that right?¡± ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Maria said after everyone hesitated. The soldier didn¡¯t frown and just waited, already aware of how some would feel being interrogated like this. The soldier nodded and passed them a clipboard another soldier brought to her, ¡°Put your information here. Everything, and if you have some things you feel you should write on the ¡®notes¡¯ space, go ahead.¡± ¡°How do we know we should write¡­ something?¡± Ulises asked, looking at the hundreds of sheets placed just on this clipboard, looking freshly resupplied with pens and papers. The soldier looked at him and calmly voiced, ¡°If you feel you should hide it, you might want to write it down.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The squad didn¡¯t question any further and began writing. Phesx Caolia looked around, waiting for his turn. He could feel the squad¡¯s hesitation and troublesome pondering as they debated on whether to write in that note blank space. When his turn arrived, Maria passed it to him, waiting at the side as the female soldier attended others, but remained nearby, checking them from time to time. Just as Phesx wrote his name, rank, and the military camps he served in. When he looked at the ¡®Hellcat¡¯ alias again, he stopped. His right hand holding the pen visibly trembled for a moment before stabilizing. ¡°I think I¡¯m returning,¡± he whispered. Maria looked at him, flicking her hair before setting her celeste eyes on him. The rest of the squad did, too. The female soldier, who was just walking towards them, twitched her eyebrows but didn¡¯t interfere. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Maria asked him. Phesx didn¡¯t feel like talking, and instead, he just nodded with a blink. He stared at the squad before resting his light black eyes on Maria, who didn¡¯t stop staring at him. Looking into each other¡¯s eyes, Maria broke the silence with a soft sigh. ¡°Sigh¡­ Maybe you¡¯ll just take more time to come out. Good luck; with whatever you¡¯re going to do now.¡± Maria extended her right hand towards him, looking at him with an understanding glare. Phesx looked at her hand before holding it. However, she looked up at him and pondered before hugging his neck. She buried her face in his neck. After almost 2 years, Phesx had grown a little more, making it a little better for her to hug him. It also made their last few talks about life quite memorable, especially with the sudden new-found slow passion he flooded her with. Either way, he was staying now, while the others were leaving. ¡®Oh.¡¯ Before Phesx knew it, he was hugged by Karla, followed by Edwin and Diego, and then everyone else. He blinked twice, stiffening his shoulders, neck, and spine inside their group hug, but he let it be. Shortly after, they let go of him, with Maria holding his jaw before eskimo kissing him. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°A pleasure working with you,¡± she gently smiled a small portion of her lips before saying. Still with the tips of their noses together, Phesx nodded. ¡°It was, indeed. Maybe we¡¯ll see each other in the future.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Maria simply nodded. The others just looked, each looking with a similar but differing stare at Phesx Caolia returning¡­ they were leaving him. ¡°Since you¡¯re returning, would you like to check the records of people who have come here? You wouldn¡¯t be the first. I can bring it to you while you bid your comrades farewell,¡± the soldier proposed, pointing backwards with her thumb. A large tent was pitched behind her, looking rather ¡®futuristic¡¯. Phesx nodded, before the soldier returned the gesture. She left, with another soldiers bringing them and other groups to the exit, where they could wait for smaller buses to come get them into Lymoca. Before that, though, they were brought to another stand, where they were asked if they wanted to become Lys right away. With no much surprise, everyone agreed. With Lymoca finally making a move, and such a big one, it would be strange if Preut didn¡¯t end up back into Lymoca¡¯s states in 5 years at most. They were required of a blood test, thumbprints, their signature, and footage and photo as proof. Afterwards, they were brought to the gate, where a soldier stopped Phesx from walking into the exit. They were surrounded by thick railings, but the guards were still there. The squad stopped and nodded and waved at him before walking away. Only Maria looked back and stopped. She faced towards him, and they exchanged glances again; for longer this time. Before they could be interrupted, she closed her eyes while pressing her lips and turned around, exiting Preut and advancing into Lymoca with her squad. Her closed eyelids looked beautiful, as always. For the first time, Phesx Caolia felt a twinge in his heart; his little chest¡­ But it wasn¡¯t comfortable, nor warm. Yet¡­ he felt addicted to it. From a few hundred meters away, on a side of the flood of people swarming into the passageways, military officers watched the crowd. Some used binoculars, others just looked around, searching for some people. One of them was none other but the commander who recruited Phesx into Prona¡¯s military camp. ¡°Sir Alexis, she¡¯s just leaving. Won¡¯t you try to stop her now? She might listen to you! General Salazar would be content to know this!¡± Another officer said to the commander, who just threw his binoculars down the stand he stood atop and sighed, feeling relaxed. ¡°There¡¯s no time¡­ she¡¯s too¡­ free now.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The officer looked at the commander, frowning and feeling it was such a waste. Prona had taken the parliament in the end. Such a special force¡¯s expert was of good use. ¡°There you are. Here, you can check them, but don¡¯t walk away from me. It¡¯s precious stuff, alright?¡± The soldier came walking from his back. Phesx turned around, wearing an indifferent, neutral expression. She stared at his face as the young boy took a thick panel. He checked the Caolia family name records immediately. After specifying his search to Prequa¡¯s southern rich districts in the western half, he found the name of some of his dead family members before finding 1, yet missing another. ¡°These are dead,¡± Phesx Caolia blinked and thought for several seconds before pointing at the panel. The soldier looked at it and wondered, ¡°Are you sure? Proof is vital for these things.¡± ¡°I buried¡­ ¡®them¡¯ myself.¡± Phesx Caolia said before returning the panel to the soldier. She ¡®oh¡¯ and grabbed it, before watching as Phesx firmly walked to the passageway. He pushed some people apart, ignoring the guards¡¯ warning, and just swam into the flood of people again. Many frowned at him, but they forgot right after, wanting to enter the passageway. ¡®Sigh, there¡¯s a door for that. Young people¡­¡¯ The soldier thought, lowering her head before shaking it. The last name the young boy searched for was in the retention zone, where those who were already reported to Lymoca¡¯s authorities weren¡¯t allowed immediate safety to Lymoca. After walking for 20 minutes through the crowd, Phesx Caolia arrived at a smaller place. This time with the guards wielding some weapons. There was a ¡®wall¡¯, where some soldiers also supervised the surroundings and the inside. Mostly the latter. ¡°What are you doing here, kid?¡± A soldier nibbling on a small, cylindrical pink gummy candy stopped Phesx with a shout. The young boy looked at him and said, ¡°Cansa Caolia is my sister, she¡¯s inside, and maybe the only family I have left.¡± ¡°Agh,¡± the soldier stretched his neck, annoyed, before stepping backwards. He urged the young boy inside with a quick, forceful gesture before ignoring him. Phesx Caolia walked in with a few other soldiers stopping him to question him. He said the same he did to the first guard before someone helped him find her. Phesx was brought to a circular building at the side, left alone. He went inside, finding several dozen people sitting in detention, with a dozen armored guards keeping the place tidy and silent. He stopped at the entrance, where 2 receptionists behind thin armored glass looked at him after staring at their phones. ¡°Who you looking for? You¡¯re not sent to stay here, are you?¡± Phesx Caolia ignored them. When he found his sister, he walked forth, still not seen by her. Many people here were depressed, some with crossed arms, maybe thinking it was unfair someone did report them. ¡°Gasp,¡± when Cansa Caolia finally saw him, with Jord sitting beside her, she opened her mouth in surprise before superficially gasping. She was good at making it sound genuine, though. They brought some attention, with guards and refugees thinking a family scene would develop. She had longer hair, combed backwards and tied into a ponytail, but it looked like she wanted to make a hair crown for herself. It was dusted, with separate tips, and her face was between unnecessary fat and emaciated. ¡®Does she still want to look good for Jord? To keep her safe keep her close?¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought as he looked at them. Jord was emaciated as well, but none had actual injuries on them, and they sat comfortably. ¡°Where is she?¡± He directly asked. Cansa retracted her neck, straightening her back before relaxing. She narrowed her eyes and pouted a little, ¡°Who?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes paused, becoming still as the air in the room stagnated. Seeing this, for whatever reasoning, or one she knew really well, Cansa slightly smirked and whispered a hmph through her nostrils. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Our mother,¡± Phesx unwillingly said. Cansa coughed, covering her mouth with her forearm, before clearing her throat. ¡°Ah, her. I don¡¯t know. Maybe she already went to Lymoca. Is that what you came here looking for us?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Now, his eyes really fixated on her. Phesx¡¯s mind worked its usual magic. The general vision of the room appeared in his brain, checking the possibilities. Then, he looked to the right, where Jord frowned slightly, looking at him in support of Cansa. Pa! Phesx Caolia threw his right hand, opening like a pincer with his thumb and the rest of his fingers put together hitting Jord¡¯s neck and sending him backwards onto the floor. Then, he slapped his sister with the same hand before grabbing her neck just below her head. ¡°What did you do?¡± Phesx lowered his face, fiercely frowning, albeit just a bit. Cansa looked left and right, but the guards and receptionists around were only startled before calmly watching. A few guards seemed keen on finding Phesx¡¯s intentions. They couldn¡¯t allow someone to die here, or so on. ¡°What?!¡± Cansa screamed through the tight lock in her throat, still with those eyes looking at him. Phesx gripped a little harder before loosening to let her speak, ¡°What did you to her?¡± He was still calm, even though he was clearly altered. She looked at Jord, but he had worse trouble breathing, with his head all red and his body coiling under the bench. Returning her eyes to her little brother, she shouted with her hands moving side to side with open palms. ¡°She went with a criminal group on our way here! We were found by some guys, and they wanted to take us away or kill us! Mom sent herself with them to let us go! They said they¡¯d go near home¡± Cansa confessed, but Phesx¡¯s voice became hoarse, ¡°You sold her?!¡± ¡°!!¡± Cansa¡¯s eyes contents shrank, stiffening at his words. ¡®How¡­?!¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s brain buzzed. His body began trembling. 1, 2 seconds went by as he debated. After the Centralized Parliament, he could sharpen his nails and teeth in 5 seconds. 3, 4 seconds went by. The thought gladdened his heart, making him feel at ease. But in this place, if he isn¡¯t shot dead, he won¡¯t even be retained here, immediately sent to Eusat to be persecuted or something. ¡°Aaah!¡± Cansa yelled, more than anyone thought necessary, which made them frown; when thrown to the floor. Phesx Caolia now knew why nobody shouted warnings at him. They must¡¯ve known what those 2 did, and now he did, too. Phesx felt¡­ so damn bothered. He was really going back there. Wasn¡¯t he? His hands tightened into fists, and his entire body felt a strange burning flame, invisible and harmless, rise from within. Without a thought, he exited the retention zone with sharpened nails, unnoticed by the guards, which became ordinary when swimming into the flood of hairy heads. He walked and walked, and before he realized it, he had rushed out of the flood of people. He was a few tens of meters away from them at the side of a hill, where people were still waiting their turn to get inside and be brought back to civilization. Looking back, he ignored the lapse of time before noticing a group of young men with the demeanor of soldiers farther away. Phesx didn¡¯t even bother pondering before he walked towards them. They were about 14 people, all with backpacks of their own, seemingly not wanting to get rid of them, like he and Maria¡¯s squad did before coming here. ¡°Hey¡­ which camp where you from?¡± A chubby young man with regular height noticed him and asked. Phesx ignored it, walked into their circle, and asked them. ¡°You¡¯re returning to find someone?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yeah, we¡¯re debating if it¡¯s a good idea.¡± Another person said, speaking with a worried tone. Phesx Caolia went past any more possible chatter and went, ¡°I¡¯ll go right now. Whoever wants to come, meet me down this hill in 3 weeks. Look around for ammunition and other people. Don¡¯t bring too many, and only let those who seem experienced in the group.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Not caring whether these people would listen to him or not, Phesx Caolia went back to the flood of refugees, this time to cross to the other side, where some of Preut¡¯s military camps'' officers stood. They were watching the people come and go, making many soldiers of Preut in civilian clothes hid their faces from the right side. Yet, right now, Phesx Caolia walked towards a pair of military officers who were just walking away. One of them was looking back constantly, unsatisfied and with depreciation for everyone here trying to escape their home in his eyes. The other seemed pleased and at ease. ¡°Hey.¡± Phesx Caolia greeted with that sole word at the latter, who looked around with a frown, finding that voice somewhat familiar. Just as Phesx presented himself with such stern and determination, he stood before the commander, and he was not going to step back now. The flood of people continued moving, but just like back then, the young boy went against the current, and swiftly escaped it. Disappearing somewhere off in the distance¡­ ¡­ Chapter 36 — Searching, Chased By Death Searching, Chased By Death In the 1st week of the 12th month, 5th day. A gray noon. Vrroooomm~. A group of people with frowns waited under a tree, near a campfire, and just a few hundred meters away from the still crowded passageways. After many days, the situation calmed down, with the multitude of people camping and eating outside the passageway every day. Lymoca ensured their bellies could at least eat twice a day, with enough water for everyone to feel satisfied, even if not full. Suddenly, a slightly loud sound roared from the distance. It became more and more notorious as seconds went by. At last, with those camping looking at the new dirt road the bulldozers made that Lymoca sent a couple of weeks ago, a motorcycle came into view, lifting dust everywhere. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­?¡± A person from the small group asked the others. They each had a bag full of who knew what, with some long things wrapped by several layers of cloth. The others stood up, but only a few nodded their heads, finally growing calm after so much waiting. Phesx Caolia rode the motorcycle to them, slowly stopping beside the tree. He looked at them, finding many new faces, and only a few looked like those he saw almost a month ago. After scrutinizing them, Phesx nodded at them and stepped down. ¡°Are you ready, then?¡± Phesx asked. They looked at each other, with the new faces frowning, silently criticizing him with their gaze, before the others replied. ¡°Yeah, do you have one for us, too?¡± ¡°No, but I do have something that will help.¡± Phesx Caolia shook his head, letting them feel expectation before turning his bike around. The group stood up and joined him on the road, it might as well. They remained there to look for their loved ones, not to become gang leaders or something. As they went on their way, Phesx asked the ¡®leaders¡¯ of the group to brief him. He would take them to get a small vehicle for each, but he didn¡¯t know what they¡¯d decided. Like this, he came to know what happened to the others, because while there were still about 14 people, most were new. They weren¡¯t just waiting for Phesx after realizing their loved ones weren¡¯t registered, they also waited in case one of them showed up. This became one of the reasons why many others the group invited left. The other reason is that there were other groups, smaller, but in a hurry. They left soon after forming, with the slowest among them only lasting 1 day around the zone. All in all, the only ones who waited were these few, who either had nothing to lose or didn¡¯t even know where to start looking. Fortunately, Phesx Caolia had more than small vehicles to offer. He had information of the zones where people were sold off to, or kidnapped. Before the group¡¯s newcomers could start disliking him, Phesx showed them a hideout with several carts from the Centralized Parliament. He got them with nothing more than paying up with weapons and explosives from the corrupt military camps, since it wasn¡¯t just Prona that was smart and took them. These were like a supermarket cart, only of a much lower height, longer, and with a seat at the back, whereas the steering wheel was small but very easy to control. It could only drive through evened surfaces, though, so they stuck to the roads as they went. The group decided they¡¯d only go to Prei and Prequa. Prona was basically all centralized around their military camp, so anyone there would have already arrived at the eastern borders. Only prei and Prequa¡¯s western half refugees would have moved to the western borders, where Ly navy would take them in. As for Prequa¡¯s eastern half, some of the survivors often spoke stories about the districts, from when it happened. It was horrible. Practically no one wanted to return to the districts, and all fled to the western borders after Lymoca ¡®finally¡¯ extended their hand, from the western half. Thus, they went through Preut¡¯s northeastern plain before meeting the main road. Once they arrived there, they saw many people walking through the extremely wide roads. Some wanted to take their carts. The desperate acted crazy, and the grieving silently tried to push them away, but by then, the group had taken their weapons out of their covers. A few shots to the air was all that was needed if things were getting bad for the group. Their road to the Prei section lacked eventful happenings, although they went slow, just to ensure they wouldn¡¯t drive by their loved ones. Unfortunately, no one seemed to recognize a face. Going down the field, off-road, they arrived at the Prei rich residential districts. They were all destroyed, and the buildings that weren¡¯t were all looted, with not even undergarments left inside, littering the streets. A couple of days later, they avoided the large lumps of gray, sickening dirt in Prei from the dead forest and the decaying one, rushing through to arrive at the worker districts, which could also be considered the residential districts. In Prei, there was no distinction. The group first went to the eastern districts, searching everywhere around the streets. They wouldn¡¯t search every single building, but at least driving around and asking whoever they found was feasible. Phesx saw a few from the group step down their carts when arriving at their homes. Some lived in apartments, others in actual houses, while others in stores. There was an occasion where a long silence ensued after someone went to their store, only for a single gunshot to be heard minutes later. Being the only one willing to check, Phesx Caolia gave the others the notice of that someone¡¯s suicide. Others weren¡¯t so unlucky, or tragic. Few found their loved ones still alive, while others either found nothing and continued with them, or left with their living family. It was unknown if they made it, though, because the rest continued searching for their loved ones. When Phesx Caolia led the others into Prequa¡¯s western half, their numbers were more than halved. They first went to the norther rich residential districts, where one of them found no one from his family, but they were engaged by some criminals. This sign was already alarming, but to Phesx, it was a possibility, a good chance that his mother could be somewhere. 2 people in the group were taken down amidst the battle, before Phesx flanked the enemy twice without them realizing of his speed in time. The group was once again amazed at Phesx¡¯s extraordinariness. Not because he was an amazing person, but because of his inhumane, sudden bursts of skill. His speed when moving around, so fast but so nimble, was strange yet efficient. But those 2 who died haven¡¯t checked their homes yet, unlike a few who decided to help them find their family. Fortunately, they shared information among each other. All except for Phesx Caolia. In case they died, they shared their information, to see if their families could still be found. Only Phesx told them nothing about his mother. The group didn¡¯t know why he was like this, but it didn¡¯t bother them. He was always distanced from them, but they didn¡¯t try to change that, feeling that¡­ it was just ¡®fitting¡¯ for him to be like this. When they camped and ate, Phesx still gave them the food he wouldn¡¯t eat by himself. With nothing to preserve rations, not giving it away would be wasteful. They did the same to him, sharing the delicious food they sometimes did. However, there were no more families found in the northern rich residential district. Thus, the group went to the worker districts. A few days¡¯ worth of searching was enough for everyone to find their families in Prequa, at least for those who did survive. The families of those who perished on the way here weren¡¯t found, either gone, kidnapped, or on their way to Lymoca. However, for the last person that accompanied Phesx Caolia, as his home was the farthest away from each other compared to the rest. Phesx left a young man with his aunt, old and weakened, injured lady. Just a couple of minutes later, walking off with his bike, Phesx Caolia heard several gunshots before another 2 ended the gunfight. He hid his bike and returned, only to find cannibals dismembering the young man and aunt¡¯s corpses, along those of their own comrades. Following his rolling of eyes, Phesx Caolia dispatched them, burning the young man and his aunt¡¯s corpses inside their house as the weather was cold and humid, before letting the cannibals rot in the open. After that, Phesx Caolia hunted for a few criminals, finally getting to what he wanted. He interrogated criminals, torturing them, of course. It wasn¡¯t until he found out that the enslaving criminal scum group he was after might be in the fields east of the rich residential districts that he stopped killing any armed person he saw. Phesx hurried to the location. It was near the village where Sofia and a group of refugees fought in words to keep his weapons when the civil war started. When he was just 15 minutes from the place, with his rifle out and his presence lowered, Phesx Caolia heard a sound that baffled him silly. Booooooooom¡­! After frowning, he hurried to the source of the explosion, thinking of the worst. When he arrived, he saw an encampment of about a few hundred people burst into flames, with small chained explosions still going off at the sides. Stolen story; please report. There were many corpses nearby, some incomplete. Others were burnt to death or were amidst dying ablaze. Criminals were around the small encampment, trying to find water and throwing dirt into the massive bodies of fire. Phesx Caolia aimed his rifle and started killing them, one of his many kills was a familiar face that once traded with the commander of that encampment back then. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang¡­! After finishing off most criminals, with the others hiding or fleeing, Phesx Caolia closed in with his submachine gun held in his hands and crouching. He was just searching for more prey, when he felt something strange. He toured around the fire before finding the corpses of naked females in the dirt. Some shot, others burnt. One of the burnt corpses, close to a man with gunshots on his back, was belly-first into mud, with her red hair showing, and her hand held by that man. She had no gunshots on her. ¡®¡­¡¯ As if it wasn¡¯t enough to recognize them, rain poured from the sky, but still not helping with the raging bodies of fire in the encampment. Phesx Caolia looked at the female corpse, dead in the explosion, protected by the man¡¯s back so she could detonate a piece of artillery near the ammunition storage and kill herself along this horrid place. This awful world. ¡®I just won¡¯t stop being¡­ late, will I?¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought. He moved the man¡¯s body to see his burnt face. Despite the disfiguring and charcoal meat, he could tell it was that corporal who courted Priscila in the encampment. ¡®Hmph. Even like this, you were true to it, to this¡­ to her.¡¯ Without caring about his hands being burnt, Phesx Caolia picked Priscila, with the heavy downpour washing down his face, and delivered her into the fire. He threw the man soon after. He only remained close by for a few seconds before departing. His sight was so blurry. But that didn¡¯t stop him from hunting everything he could see. From the day to the night, everything he could catch was claimed of its life. ¡­ Now, it has been 3 days since then. His bike no longer had gas, and nobody to lend him some from their cart, so he dragged it towards another hiding spot until he could find more gas. Thus, he carefully walked towards the southern rich residential districts. In these last few hours, he¡¯s only been thinking of the possibilities, and what he¡¯d do. Phesx had seen what happens in a world like this, but he experienced even more of it as he returned to his cage and fell into danger again. ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯ Phesx sighed as his body turned around the first corner of a few before arriving at his home. He looked down, with his rifle on his back and his submachine gun strapped around his right arm. He wore Prona¡¯s assault trooper uniform and armor, without the helmet. Phesx Caolia stood before his house¡¯s entrance. It had changed. It suffered a bit of rough remodeling and new, coarsely painted blue walls. The sounds coming from inside testified his sister¡¯s claims were true. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Phesx Caolia let out a breath out while checking his rifle¡¯s magazine. Then, he opened the door with a slam, startling the mature person inside the kitchen, and the younger man just walking into the kitchen. ¡°Huh, d¨¦j¨¤ vu,¡± the young boy exclaimed before voicing, pulling the trigger several times. Bang, bang, bang- bang, bang, bang, bang, bang¡­! ¡°Aaaaaa!¡± The mature man received a hit to the forehead, turning him limp. Before he fell on his knees, he was shot in the stomach, blood spurted everywhere. Then, once on his knees, he was shot in the collarbone again. Half a second later, Phesx aimed at the younger man, barraging his body with bullets, turning that living being into a gory mess of blood. The only person he didn¡¯t shoot in the middle of the two was an old woman with emaciated limbs. She walked with an obvious slouch, screamed at the top of her lungs, and threw the plates in her hands into the air. She could barely hold them, harming her wrists in the process. Phesx Caolia looked at her, lowering his rifle as she recognized him. She started coughing, softly at first, before going all-out to explode from within as if she wanted to vomit her lungs. While she coughed, Phesx checked the sides and found a wheelchair. He didn¡¯t care what these people were, or what his mother had to say. He placed his rifle muffle-down behind his left arm and went to the wheelchair. Bringing it to his mother, he helped her sit down, checked the fridge, ensuring no strange meat was inside, and went around to look for something. The old woman, Rubena Caolia, waited in the wheelchair, catatonic-ish, but she was just in shock. Phesx returned with an icebox. He put the fridge¡¯s contents inside before bringing his mother away, with another backpack with him of clothes and water. With this, and not knowing most of the conflicts, at least surrounding the roads, in Preut were finished, the young boy brought his mother out. Furthermore, after the generals were all assassinated, which nobody knew how exactly, Lymoca warned the military camps to cease and desist, or they¡¯ll send a peace mission operation to the sections and the Centralized Parliament. As for his motorcycle? Seeing the condition she was in, that wasn¡¯t feasible anymore. He didn¡¯t have to worry about gas anymore. Only criminal scum and paramilitaries, but he still had his weapons for that matter. Still, as they departed from that house, Rubena Caolia looked up and extended her hands towards an impassive face. ¡°You¡­ are you¡­ You are my son¡­¡± . . . In the 1,022nd year, 6th month, 1st week¡¯s 2nd day. Preut¡¯s northeastern safe passageway with Lymoca. It had been more than half a year since Preut¡¯s civil war piped down. Conflict still ensued, and everyone knew it, but Lymoca was still unwilling to just enter and take the nation state back into their hands. Nevertheless, the refugees who once flooded both borders had disappeared. Tens of millions of refugees fleeing wasn¡¯t a small number, especially when most of these numbers mobilized since the first week when the news reached everywhere. With due time, most of these numbers were allowed passage to Lymoca, with nearly 100% deciding to become Lys before boarding a bus. The last time when a refugee was seen coming here, let alone a group, was 20 days ago, when an old man came up the hill, clapping his hands from some dirt when he slid down twice. He slid thrice, but that time he was seen, so a few soldiers helped him up. Lymoca¡¯s big fish news anchors had long left the borders, no longer finding people to make the Lys feel pity every morning or at night, before or after work, or just their daily lives. It sounded bizarre, but it sold so well. The human heart is what it is. All news anchors left, but only one remained. A small news anchor remained there even after the other mediocre and small news anchors like them also left a few days after the bigshots did. However, even that news anchor started calling their people back to catch new shots of everything else happening in the country. Nowadays, the president separated from his previous conjoint political parties, rising eyebrows and opening mouths everywhere. It was official now, but this also brought the people the sensation the ¡®new era¡¯ they were promised at the start of the president¡¯s first term was coming! ¡°Angelina, look over there!¡± A young man with darkish brown skin, short black hair and eyes stole a hot young woman¡¯s attention. Angelina was just checking her phone, engrossed in the recent debate of the president ¡®inherently¡¯ insulting the Supreme Court after they cut off an approved program by the chamber of deputies and senate. Something they have no right to do. She had what many considered more than enough to climb up her profession quickly. Milk pale white skin, long black hair down the sides of her head, big eyes, and was short. Angelina wore a black jacket that didn¡¯t cover her lower belly, but wrapped around her arms until the wrists. Her breasts were large and drooping, while her bottom wasn¡¯t thick, it looked supple. It could arise anyone¡¯s attention, even of straight gals. Compared to her cameraman, who was somewhat¡­ ugly, with a largish nose, he was overshadowed. ¡°My!¡± Angelina¡¯s eyes widened, looking very beautiful. She walked forward, about to turn to her partner to follow her, when she took a careful look at the incoming refugees. ¡°Eduar¡­ do¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t just them, the guards and workers in the passages, chatting up the cuties soldiers, who wouldn¡¯t stop rearranging their hats, were dumbstruck. Eduardo¡¯s camera made a light beeping sound in Angelina¡¯s ears, waking her up, with his camera emitting a light red glimmer. ¡°We find ourselves receiving refugees at the northeastern borders again after several weeks. It¡¯s been almost a month since the last¡­¡± Phesx Caolia heard a voice coming towards them, it was pleasant yet worried, causing heartache to anyone hearing it. However, he felt bored of hearing it after 2 seconds. He continued walking forth, coughing a bit as his sleeping mother slowly woke up. Rubena¡¯s eyes barely opened with a heavy squint, staring at a beauty who walked near them. She widened her eyes as much as she could before pulling on Phesx Caolia¡¯s dirty shirt. ¡°Phesx, more in front. There¡¯s 2¡­¡± Turning her head, she warned him, worried he might not notice again for walking asleep. Phesx looked down and blinked. When he opened his eyes again, he was staring at the news anchors and their camera, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We are at the border. They¡¯re just here to bother.¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Rubena said before leaning her back on the wheelchair to rest. It was tattered and worn out, but its wheels somehow endured the trip. ¡°Hello, may I know your name?¡± Angelina walked to Phesx and asked him, keeping a safe distance and pinching her nose. Phesx continued walking, responding as he blinked, tired. ¡°Phesx Caolia, si- mm¡­¡± Taking longer to realize he wasn¡¯t speaking to a superior, Phesx retracted, feeling somewhat shameful. Was it embedded into his brain? Maybe he just got used to the military, a bit too much. After all, doing what is expected of the common person is an easy method to remain unnoticed. ¡°Mm¡­ For what I can tell, I think the little guy wanted to say ¡®sir¡¯. Was he in one of those military camps? It didn¡¯t seem like he was ¡®there¡¯ with me. I wonder how much can someone so young endure life in Preut. I saw him tremble a little, although the camera didn¡¯t show it much. Oh my heaven, I¡¯m about to cry¡­¡± Angelina backed way, feeling she made Phesx uncomfortable. She was right, if only she didn¡¯t speak those words so loud. Of course, Angeline whispered them into the mic, but after he and his mother were almost shot in the fields, he tried to keep his senses up at the hyper level as much as he could. Even now, he wasn¡¯t able to put them to rest. Phesx Caolia walked onwards, looking at the ground, wondering what¡¯d be of him. The guards looked at each other as the young boy was driving her mother into the thick, metallic railing. One of them went forth and softly moved Phesx¡¯s shoulders into one of the passageways. The camera behind them didn¡¯t forget to record all this. After being led inside, Phesx Caolia internally cursed the hands touching him, but he let it be and searched around to see if that female soldier was still here or was relieved. It would be faster if she was around. But she wasn¡¯t. A few seconds later, when a nice, gentle hand of a female stranger pulled him to the exit, he remembered this wasn¡¯t the single entry zone and laughed. ¡°Hahahahah¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± The person bringing him was startled, and so was everyone else. Phesx Caolia looked at the person who brought him, whose eyes were getting reddened, about to tear up, before impassively asking. ¡°To become a Ly¡­ we¡¯ll both take it. Would you bring us there?¡± ¡­ Chapter 37 — Voluntary Foster Care Voluntary Foster Care Phesx Caolia sat in a chair, long after his blood and other proof was taken, and he became a Lymocan, now also in paper. Even without joining Lymoca''s society, he could already tell many thought Preut was still Lymoca. And now, he was in a bus station, something that was strangely lacking in Preut. Even though it was evening, and the gray sky began darkening, with little to nobody around. He had done something he never would have thought possible. Stepping out of the country and entering another. Never in his life did he imagine something like that, not for him. His mother was resting elsewhere, with some workers here gone to buy her clothes She was a granny, after all, and the clothes they had weren¡¯t useful. While Rubena was brought away, like she was their grandma, Phesx waited alone in a seat in the middle of the station. It was pretty large, and quite empty, but only a few reception stalls for buying and checking tickets were available, or anything else. A few men and women in suits walked by, smiling at him in a greeting, despite him ignoring them. He had the inkling he was ¡®recognized¡¯ somehow. Fortunately, that didn¡¯t interrupt his good time in a vast, empty space with fresh air and nobody to look at him for long periods of time. It was something. ¡°Your mother will soon return to your side, is there something else you need?¡± A military officer walked to him and bent over, smiling at him with her hands on her knees. Her uniform wasn¡¯t green, like the rest, but gray and somewhat mimicking a metal plate in style. It looked dull, but serious and dutiful enough. ¡°Food, and drinks,¡± Phesx Caolia was about to decline, when he thought of all the things he had gone through, he always ate roasted meat or something distracting and chewy. With no room for salt or more than liquor, he wondered if he could eat anything else now. ¡°Very well, I think I have just the perfect thing in mind.¡± The woman smiled again after thinking for a moment. Then, she sat on his right, ¡°Now, I will tell you some things that can help you.¡± Phesx Caolia looked at her, saying nothing, just waiting for her to continue. She said, with a beaming smile, ¡°There are a few options you can take from here. An organization within the government has jobs, specialized schooling, and advanced studies for refugees.¡± ¡°This is just one of the 3 most popular among other refugees,¡± the military officer said after seeing the unchanging expression in the young boy¡¯s face. ¡°The second most popular is just being sent to one of the recently built precincts for refugees. You know, the president was insulted in every media until he won the ¡®fight¡¯ and his initiative was approved. You will also go to schools for refugees, where you¡¯ll meet your fellow par- those of Preut.¡± ¡°The third one?¡± Phesx Caolia blinked twice before asking. The woman smiled politely, ¡°Ah, well. That one isn¡¯t always successful, but things still happen. Safety is secured, but it might be a bit uncomfortable. It is the voluntary foster care. You sign up to see if there¡¯s someone interested in taking care of you.¡± ¡°This is reserved for Lys who are¡­ wealthy, so to speak. Don¡¯t think too wrongly about this. It is a good image, and if the kid grows up well, ending up in some school through their own merit, it is even better for both parties.¡± She added. ¡°Will it be enough to keep any of our wishes?¡± The young boy asked again, the woman tilted her head to the right, darting her eyes to think. ¡°Well, to a certain degree, yes. They¡¯ll cover any medical necessity you need or might need. They can take care of any studies, too.¡± ¡°Yes, you said that,¡± Phesx commented. The woman blinked, forcing a polite smile further, ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I want the last one,¡± Phesx decided after thinking. The woman nodded before inquiring, ¡°Where would you like to go? A few months ago, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to choose, but now, you can. Choose anywhere in Lymoca, even the capital.¡± ¡°Mn! You could remain in Eusat, you¡¯ll find it very similar to Preut in some areas, especially near here-¡± The woman spoke to Phesx, wanting to give him advice, but he interrupted her, looking at the mini-map of Lymoca. ¡±Sargonde.¡± ¡°Ah, so close to home still, and not that far from the capital. Not bad,¡± the woman praised, nodding and taking the map from his hands. ¡°You¡¯d like to go back home in the future, eh?¡± ¡°Is that it?¡± Phesx asked, rubbing his palms on his thighs with pressure. His new clothes were coming soon, but they hadn¡¯t arrived, taking quite a bit of time. The woman smiled before standing up, ¡°I¡¯ll confirm things for you. It might take an hour, so hold on tight, ¡®kay?¡± Phesx Caolia nodded before she turned around and left, leaving Phesx Caolia to his thoughts in the bus station. It was getting night, and with a wide sight to the sky, he became self-absorbed. When he looked back down, there were many lights everywhere. Phesx came out of his house rarely after turning around 8 years old, but he knew every part of the world where civilization lay was filled with lights at night, making the stars above harder to see. Here, he was surrounded by crystal walls to stare outside. Some trees looked very dark. However, stars or not, just some clouds and the absence of the moon in the sky¡­ was too beautiful. . . . The next day, after driving through main roads, safely and with such speed, Phesx Caolia woke up to the sound of wind on the other side of the window. He lifted his head from leaning it on the window. Others would¡¯ve been frowning at the pain and soreness, but Phesx was used to it. Looking at his mother, he saw her awaken. She was just 2 seats away from his, looking at him. When she saw him looking at her, she jumped her eyebrows before asking, ¡°Are you hungry?¡± ¡°No,¡± Phesx impassively replied, but he remembered the simple fries and hamburger the military officer brought him. Other than its taste, he realized how fun it was to eat. Having eaten steak of poor quality, thin and like a strapped hide with just salt on for several months in his house, new food was alien. That was the meat Phesx knew before the civil war. Having more to chew and of varying flavors didn¡¯t make him feel anything during it. But that hamburger, and the softness of those fries¡­ That was something. ¡°Oh, they woke me up earlier. You were coughing before waking up. Did you get a cold?¡± Rubena inquired. Phesx parted his eyes from her and looked ahead, feeling refreshed at the sight of a lack of people. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re arriving soon. They went to get the wheelchair. Ah, you don¡¯t have to push me. Those things are very advanced. It¡¯s like we lived like poor people in a little farm somewhere, haha.¡± Rubena said, trying to gain his attention by patting his arm. Phesx kept staring ahead. A minute later, someone came with a paper bag before delivering it to Rubena. She thanked the young man and held them on her lap before Phesx looked at it unwillingly. His eyes dilated when he smelled and then saw they were oranges. ¡°I brought them for you,¡± Rubena said, smiling and showing one to her. Phesx looked at the one she grabbed before looking into the bag. 2 seconds later, he grabbed the bag. ¡­ 15 minutes later, the bus stopped, and they stepped down. Phesx ate 3 oranges, using his sharpened nails to cut them faster without his mother noticing. He only sharpened his ring finger to cut. While they were the most delicious things ever, it was also fun to cut them and reveal their white layer. Not wanting to eat while walking, he put half a chewed, fourth orange, inside the bag and closed it tight before coming down. Yet, as soon as they arrived at the new bus station, with the bus¡¯s employees used to seeing refugees, telling them directions, a cute young woman walk-ran towards them. Although she wore slightly revealing clothing, she carried professionalism. ¡°Rubena and Phesx Caolia? Are you the mother and son duo my boss signed up to take care of?¡± She asked them, enthusiastic, to say the least. A young military officer walked to them from behind, smiling as he clarified things for a confused Rubena and a guarded Phesx with an impassive face. ¡°The program has showed results. Someone has proposed to take you and your mother into foster care. If you¡¯re willing, of course.¡± The military officer said, gesturing towards the little family. ¡°Who is this person?¡± Phesx Caolia asked without looking at his mother, who seemed like she wanted to say something but stopped when he spoke out. The military officer smiled, but the young beauty beat him to it, ¡°Oh, he came here himself! If you¡¯re willing to meet him, he¡¯s at the-¡± Phesx¡¯s eyes deviated behind the young woman¡¯s body, a little to the left. A man tapped the young woman¡¯s right shoulder, with his voice reaching everyone¡¯s ears immediately. ¡°That¡¯s fine, Merme. Prepare a table, okay?¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Yes, boss.¡± The gal turned around and nodded before walking to a lavish, large car. It looked ¡®thick¡¯, giving Phesx the idea it was armored. After inspecting it a bit, he realized he might not be wrong to feel so. Looking back at the man, he was already greeting his mother. ¡°Greetings, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m Victor Ruva, I¡¯ve seen your form in the program and thought about lending my livelihood.¡± The man had bronze-brown skin, with short, steep but soft black hair, and small brown eyes. He was tall, charming, and looked like a gentleman. But Rubena stopped him from saying more, gesturing to her son. ¡°Oh, actually. It was my dear son who did that. He¡¯s over there, you see?¡± The man looked at Phesx Caolia, jumping his eyebrows in contemplation, before returning to Rubena, inspecting her eyes. ¡°I see.¡± He walked to Phesx and gestured to the bus station, ¡°Would you mind coming inside to talk?¡± ¡°At the bus station?¡± Phesx asked, doubting a man like him would like to go there. Victor Ruva smirked slightly, ¡°Well, unless you want me to kidnap you into my car? There¡¯s a central for the voluntary foster care program in the bus stations if we can reach an agreement.¡± ¡°Oh, well then.¡± Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t hesitate to agree. He would rather be somewhere closed or without many people, as this bus station seemed packed, but might as well. He walked towards the station¡¯s entrance, with the young woman carrying a few thin plastic blags in her arms. She opened the door for him before following the young boy inside. When they chose a place to sit, the young woman took a foldable stick and flat, square surface out, turning them into a small table for 4 in the middle of their seats. She also took a few snacks and orange juice. When the young boy saw the latter, he smirked. ¡®So that¡¯s why they asked to know so many random things. After downing that yummy orange juice in 2 glasses, Victor gestured to the young beauty sitting beside his mother a few chairs away. ¡°You met one of my workers first. She¡¯s Mermelada, Sometimes, she comes to my house to act as a maid, buying groceries and helping my wife organize some things. She wanted to come see you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Phesx asked with an inquiring frown. Victor took his phone out, a little large but somehow still practical, and showed him a video of himself carrying his mother into Lymoca just yesterday. It wasn¡¯t a downloaded video, but in a streaming platform. Immediately, Phesx felt his spirits leave him. ¡°Ahaha, why that face? Do you dislike it that much?¡± Victor voiced while storing his phone. Then, he returned to the previous subject, ¡°She became very engrossed in you afterwards. Knowing I¡¯ve been talking about supporting refugee programs, she immediately showed me your form.¡± Phesx¡¯s light black eyes, which looked around, focused on the man. Victor wore a serious expression as he began, ¡°You would like to know if someone who is actually willing to foster care you won¡¯t bring you and your mother harm. And I¡¯m looking forward to bringing my business higher in the moral ladder of society¡­ And to my home.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia went silent. So it was, they were two ¡®men¡¯ looking for the same thing. And so, they began considering. More than reaching an agreement, they were just setting the norms of what one could do to help the other. Phesx Caolia wouldn¡¯t show up in public, while his mother could decide that on her own. Phesx wouldn¡¯t be a bastardly kid, abusing Victor¡¯s money, nor bring disorder to his home or enmity with his family. Rubena and Phesx could remain within the house until he turned 18, or they decided to move out, with secured hospitality in Victor¡¯s home. If anything, the Caolias should get along with the Ruvas, and spend time like a family, trying not to force anything. After reaching an agreement, they went to the voluntarily foster care terminal before signing the digital papers, and then the physical ones. Merme brought Phesx Caolia to it asap, while Victor spoke to his mother. When they exited the bus station, Merme opened everyone¡¯s doors, giving Victor what seemed like a headache. Walking to the 5 meters long car, Phesx Caolia asked the man, ¡°What do you work for?¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t even tell you that.¡± Victor jumped his eyebrows, barely realizing. Phesx asked, ¡°Are you one of those politicians?¡± ¡°Wahahaha, heavens no. My wife would hang me if I somehow ended in that. No, I made sure I was safe from it, one way or another,¡± Victor showed a big, manly, charming smile. He gave the young boy a glance before saying, ¡°I run an enterprise. I sell¡­ bottles of water and provide communication services.¡± ¡°Why? Are you interested in those matters?¡± Victor asked the young boy. His eyes glinted, like finding a victim to doctrine in the business matters. Phesx shook his head and emitted a slightly disgusted, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hmph~,¡± Victor smiled thinly, feeling in a good mood. They entered the car, with Victor letting him in the co-driver seat, where he could see the magnificence of the car from inside. Victor stopped for a moment, letting the young boy observe all he wanted. Then, he showed him something cool. ¡°This is a car for wealthy families, or those who won a prize somewhere. It can even secure the passengers¡¯ survival if smashed by a train. It¡¯s not anti-explosives, like a¡­ never mind that. It¡¯s very good and popular to those who only want to keep their family feeling safe for a lifetime.¡± Victor halted there, having forgotten from where the Caolias just came from. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t say anything about it, and Rubena didn¡¯t even notice, but he¡­ appreciated his appreciation, somewhat. Then, he saw how the space around his feet widened and became longer. It wasn¡¯t metallic segments moving around, but more like sponges being drawn elsewhere. ¡°Oooh,¡± Phesx praised like any boy his age would. His craftsman mentality made him like it very much. He looked at Victor and wondered, ¡°If there¡¯s an accident, more things like those come out and hug the body?¡± ¡°Yeah, although it¡¯s not the only thing. But let¡¯s not try it, okay?¡± Victor nodded before starting the car. Merme grabbed Phesx¡¯s seat, alarming him, but her pretty face popping before his face reminded him he was here. ¡°When we arrive, you¡¯ll be stupefied. Boss¡¯s mansion is really nice, and it only needs a few workers. His family is really nice, but you¡¯ll learn many more things there. Oh, right. Boss, these are the program¡¯s specifications. His schedule and options have been decided.¡± Merme attempted exciting the young boy before showing a thin panel to Victor. ¡°Read it to me,¡± Victor said, rolling his eyes a bit. Merme coughed and apologized, ¡°Ahem. Yes, sorry.¡± ¡°Both mother and son will attend a medical hospital for a full check-up, and attend a psychiatrist until the chosen experts clarify their stability. Then, depending on their medical records, they have to be treated on your name, boss. The boy will attend college at 18, but can have homeschool until then, if he so desires it.¡± Merme continue listing things. They were detailed and ample, making Phesx feel the work of an actual nation towards its people. If only he knew this was but brand-new in the country for the last couple hundreds of years, and even more so not spread throughout the world. Even Victor cocked his head a few times, as none of this would be paid by the government, but by him. They took many roads up and down the surface, almost like in an anthill, with cars everywhere, and other vehicles. Phesx Caolia enjoyed the smooth trip, with the sound of speed and wind with the force of the car driving through enjoyed by his quirky ears. When they neared Victor¡¯s home, he noticed an obvious change to the streets and the quality of the materials everywhere. The roads, sidewalks, stores, apartments, houses, and parks were all clean, kinda, and had many technological gadgets for a variety of needs for both citizens and tourists. ¡°The country doesn¡¯t have much money-making capabilities, but it seems like that¡¯s starting to change a little. Foreigners often come to our beautiful places to live for a while. Lymoca has been a good host for them since a long time ago.¡± Victor explained, watching Phesx follow those things with his head left and right through the window. ¡°What are those motorcycles?¡± Phesx suddenly asked, ignoring what Victor told him. Victor looked to the right, on a red light, where a parked bike of the last model made the noon sunlight appear bleak and boring. ¡°Whistle. That¡¯s a scary investment for a young boy. Don¡¯t you like girls more?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx looked back at Victor. Then, he casually asked, ¡°Are there brothels and whores in Lymoca?¡± ¡°Puchi¡­¡± - ¡°Ermm¡­ we¡¯re close to my ¡®house¡¯. That¡¯s the most renown bike across the world, Myertha. It was made by a Ly, but overseas, in another company. It even gained a few prizes in the last IVP¡­¡± Victor ignored his employee¡¯s held laughter and Rubena¡¯s widened eyes, feeling embarrassed. A few minutes later, the car went through tall, black railing gates before parking in a humble garage. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t pay attention before, but he could swear the car went through a long street with thin sidewalks and a white brick wall following along before arriving here. When he came out of the car, and looked around, at the green floor in the surroundings and distance, he realized how large this palace was. It had to be at least a kilometer long or wide, with many flora areas, well-taken care of and concentrated. ¡®What did I get myself into?¡¯ Phesx Caolia asked himself as he felt his breathing improve tens of times compared to ever before in the past. Furthermore, the people walking around was almost null, with other large residences too far to even see their main structures. It was perfect! ¡°Hey, the boss already opened the door. Come on in!¡± Merme¡¯s voice sounded behind him before her gentle fingers wrapped around his left wrist. Phesx Caolia smoothly escaped her grasp and rubbed where she touched before following her. Merme blinked but didn¡¯t say anything or grow insulted. Leading him to the front door on a white stone path, Phesx Caolia saw many small fountains and cute flowers growing around them. Entering the ordinary front door of a house with 4 floors above the main floor, Phesx Caolia saw 2 figures waiting further inside, with Victor talking to his mother at the entrance. Everyone went in at the same time, with Victor walking ahead to his wife and daughter. The Caolias studied the remaining Ruvas as the former walked to the latter. The woman, presumably the mother, was a not ¡®too¡¯ beautiful lady with creamy cinnamon skin. Chestnut curly hair, brown eyes, and of a regular height. She looked at them with her hands on her daughter¡¯s shoulders. The little lass definitely looked younger than the 15-year-old Phesx Caolia. She had the same creamy cinnamon skin of her mother, smooth black hair, and small brown eyes. She was also tall, for her age. Victor Ruva walked to them and grabbed his wife¡¯s cheeks before poutingly kissing her lips. Then, the daughter received a few pulling of her cheeks before she erased her strict face, mimicking her mother, and smiled. Victor carried her up to his chest before facing the Caolias and his employee, with Mermelada smiling at them. ¡°You had a good day, huh? Such a sudden free day. Don¡¯t return tomorrow crying because your employees ask you for a brief leave.¡± The woman commented, teasing Victor. He looked at her and shook his head, ¡°It was important business, now.¡± Victor let go of his daughter before presenting them, the girl blushed after staring for several seconds at Phesx Caolia¡¯s face. ¡°Darling, these are Rubena Caolia and Phesx Caolia. This is my wife, Marisela Noches. And this little gem is my daughter, Lorena Ruva Noches. Say hi, you little thing.¡± ¡°Hi¡­¡± The baby-faced, cheeky lass shyly lifted her left palm and voiced. Phesx Caolia blinked and nodded at her before repeating her greeting, wearing an impassive expression. ¡°Hi.¡± ¡­ Chapter 38 — A Young Boy? A Young Boy? ¡°There he is. I didn''t really know I''d be seeing such a ''celebrity'' so soon after he sprouted into the world.¡± Marisela Noches smiled and commented. Victor held her lower back and said, ¡°Oh, he doesn''t really appreciate that.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Marisela lifted her eyebrows. Instead of apologizing, she smiled again and gently said, ¡°It must have been an awful hell out there to bring your mother to safety. You have not to worry anymore. Let Lorena bring you around, I just picked her up from school. She should have some things to talk to you about. If she bores you, I''ll drive her away, alright?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Baffled, Phesx Caolia nodded by mistake. Victor smiled from ear to ear, while the daughter pouted. ¡°Mommy!¡± ¡°Aiyo, stop being such a little cutie. Go on, we adults will talk about boring stuff slowly. You don¡¯t want that, hm?¡± Marisela smoothly piloted their human minds, with Lorena walking forth to grab Phesx Caolia¡¯s right wrist. His face chanced a little, but he tried to hide it. Marisela and Victor exchanged eyes, but the latter shrugged, and that was that. Phesx Caolia was brought away, first upstairs, up some wide, lavish and comfortable stairs to step on. When they turned around a corner and into a hallway, Lorena stopped and faced him. ¡°When you saw Merme, were you flustered?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia speechlessly stared at the girl. An idea formed in his head, ¡®Is she fishing to know if I like boys?¡¯ ¡°She¡¯s very pretty, but I¡¯m too young¡­¡± Phesx Caolia said, trying to be polite, as she let go of his wrist. Lorena sighed in relief before asking him again, this time stiffening at her own question. ¡°What do you think of my father?¡± Phesx Caolia: (¡ä?_?`). ¡°I like girls,¡± the young boy weakly spilled out. Lorena widened her eyes and placed her hands behind her back, looking at the floor like it suddenly grew eyes and started singing. Phesx Caolia darted his eyes around before asking, ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m 13, and you?¡± Lorena responded meekly. Phesx Caolia shrugged, speaking in a casual voice, just like she hears her male classmates talk to each other. ¡°15, a few months ago.¡± ¡°Oooh, you looked older. Have you had girlfriends?¡± Somehow, she became more at ease with Phesx Caolia as she walked into the hallway, showing him the rooms by opening the doors and saying what it was. Phesx Caolia casually replied, ¡°Aj¨¢. Why? Do you want to know what boys like? I can tell you, but don¡¯t tell your father.¡± ¡°Mm?¡± Lorena frowned, then faced him. ¡°Why not? He married already +and has a family.¡± ¡°Mm-¡± Phesx Caolia was about to respond with something, which he immediately forgot. He looked at her face, only to see a sneaky grin appear below her small, crafty brown eyes. ¡°Aaaah.¡± ¡°Hehehehe,¡± seeing his surprise, and that she made him smile, Lorena giggled nonstop. They continued on their way to check the main residence. Through the windows, she pointed at the other buildings. They even had a creature holding and a stable for small animals and horses. The kids began to know each other. Perhaps the first, maybe even the only one, adequate relationship that Phesx Caolia would cultivate. If anything¡­ maybe he just started his life as a young boy. Nothing else, just a young boy. . . . 3 months later. Several weeks have gone by. Phesx Caolia understood his role in the Ruvas¡¯ household. He had to do nothing. Miss Ruva, Marisela Noches, was a housewife. Although she only helped with light house chores, she was good. She and Rubena mingled a good portion of the day, every day. While they weren¡¯t best friends forever, they knew their kind. Rubena was old and had house chores¡¯ knowledge or ¡®cleaning adventures¡¯ Marisela had no idea about. They had their talks and expertise debates. Meanwhile, the kids got used to their daily lives like nothing. Merme did visit a few times a month, always arriving with her car. When the Caolias arrived was a rare occurrence. She bought groceries, and rapidly became Phesx Caolia¡¯s precious ¡®elder sister¡¯, buying him enough oranges to eat 2 a day for the entire week. Lorena was gladdened to have Phesx Caolia in her house. The shy girl slowly gained more confidence, slowly. When he first arrived, she was blushing and doing what little girls would, but boys wouldn¡¯t even understand. Looking at him, tickling him, making him notice her¡­ In short, the ¡®inexperienced¡¯ Phesx Caolia had to play with her like a kid. Though he was still one. But now, she showed him her panties when waking up, going to the bathroom, and eating breakfast. Victor always left at around 8 AM, as CEO and founder of one of Lymoca¡¯s rich multipurpose company, or enterprise. In the days he didn¡¯t, of course Lorena wore at least some shorts. But Phesx Caolia was practically another girl in the mother and daughter duo¡¯s eyes. Either way, even if that little lass had anything growing worth noticing, he still wouldn¡¯t have cared. Phesx Caolia would read about the world every day. In Preut, the schools were really just like cages where one could broaden their horizons with caged information. Crude but simple. The Ruvas got him a phone, laptop, video game console, and a small dirt bike to train with. Phesx Caolia had experience with a rather ¡®cute¡¯ motorcycle from Preut, but he found some time well-spent with that dirt bike around the green grass of the mansion. Furthermore, Lorena liked to go on rides with him. Although she was fearful of the speed and curves the young boy did, she grew used to grabbing a boy¡¯s torso for protection. If he gave the ¡®boss¡¯s¡¯ daughter joy, that would help him secure a real bike in the near future. Phesx Caolia plotted to achieve his gains sooner rather than later. By now, 2 years and a half have passed with Preut submerged in strife. The civil war was just like an old man¡¯s heartbeat. When would it stop? The more Phesx Caolia read, the more attention he brought to himself from the Ruvas. Marisela started getting him more books. At first, they were of some stories, folklore around the world, detailed and extensive, and the ¡®little languages¡¯ below the universal language. However, as he wouldn¡¯t stop reading them, finishing those with hundreds of pages in about 5 days to a week, she started lending him some from Victor¡¯s collection. He noticed her intentions a couple of weeks ago, when Marisela often spoke to Victor at dinner when he returned, sometimes tired, and while Phesx Caolia read a few more pages before dinner began. Furthermore, Lorena got into reading too. Either by competing, or feeling inspired by him to follow him like a role model, gaining him more bike points! Thus, Phesx Caolia had just begun reading from Victor¡¯s collection. At first, Marisela brought him to his studio in a morning after breakfast. The young boy didn¡¯t know Victor was actually patriotic. He had many bookshelves of a regular width and height for knowledge about business, society, and the world¡¯s history. But Victor had an entire wall with a detachable, extremely wide bookshelf of the history of Lymoca. Or rather, anything about Lymoca. Marisela gave him the choice to start with, but regardless of it, since this was Victor¡¯s, he would have to ¡®pay a price¡¯ for it. Thirsty and wanting more, Phesx Caolia chose a small section regarding creations, such as inventions, innovations, improvements, and new frontlines of technology and science. Marisela would casually ask him about the books she first gave him before, just to satisfy her curiosity on whether Phesx Caolia could process what he read. But now, she practically tested him, spending time with him every weekend during the evenings before dinner. If he got all things right, and even surprised her with a thought, or more, she would ask him what he would like in a new bike. Little by little, part by part, Phesx Caolia was imaginably building his new bike, but he also felt an immense danger and threat loom over his back. Today, 1,022, 9th month, 2nd week, 3rd day, Phesx Caolia was called by Victor after dinner. He had just brushed is teeth and danced left and right with Lorena, hitting each other¡¯s hips while brushing their teeth before a mirror. ¡°Come,¡± Victor sat in a small living room of the main floor. Phesx Caolia walked to him and sat at the side, wearing his new, loose, thin, comfortable, warm pajamas. 4 couches, 2 of 4 seats, and 2 of 2 seats. With a small table in the middle, only the table had thick books on them. They were piled up together, and what¡¯s more, Phesx Caolia saw a few commerce symbols on some. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡®Oh no.¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes flashed, nearly closing, but he flashed them open immediately. However, it was too late. How could a young boy compare to a man in his prime, famous and rich as hell? Of course he had cards under his sleeve! Victor looked at him, seemingly knowing he had noticed. ¡®Oh yes.¡¯ ¡°I know I said I wouldn¡¯t bother you with these things for now, but you¡¯ve changed my mind.¡± Victor sentenced him. Phesx Caolia¡¯s drooped shoulders didn¡¯t last long, as Victor added, holding a book to the left of his face. ¡°Well, don¡¯t put that face. I won¡¯t drag you into my evil corporation. But since you can learn¡­ shut up and learn?¡± ¡°¡­Sigh, yes sir.¡± Phesx Caolia surrendered to fate. He couldn¡¯t beat the villain, so his future and present were in his hands. Victor nodded, satisfied. ¡°That¡¯s the attitude. Hey, in the future, I might just teach you about Lymoca¡¯s history, too.¡± Phesx Caolia: ¡°¡­¡± With that, Phesx Caolia saw the first ¡®professional¡¯ book open its pages to him. He really didn¡¯t know what did it matter for something like this to go into his brain. Ah, old habits never die, they only trick their host, then spark. As for the Lys books, Phesx Caolia knew a few things, like how their empire was destroyed in the far past, along their territory and dignity from the internet. But that was it. . . . Another 3 months went by, it was soon the new year. Phesx Caolia went outside for the first time in half a month, ever since the bus stations. Lymoca had a population of more than 300 million. With Preut¡¯s numbers, it is esteemed that the number would grow to 393 million approximately, if the civil war wasn¡¯t tremendously bloody again, which Lymoca now seemed to care about. He went to the movies! The Ruvas brought him there, but only the fun guys, meaning, Victor and Lorena. Merme, Rubena, and Marisela stayed at home that day, chatting of evil women things. Only then did Phesx Caolia realize the severe difference between the 2 countries. One was overpopulated, while the other was¡­ fine? Either way, he could swear he saw more than a few thousand different people walk by, all chatting loudly and not caring about the others passing by hearing them. At first¡­ it was a little complicated. Phesx wasn¡¯t used to seeing so many people whom he didn¡¯t have to ¡®take in¡¯ with his senses to kill or avoid getting surrounded, or taken by surprise. Victor brought him a cap, which helped him cover most people from his line of sight, and it was black. That day, Phesx Caolia found out it could feel okay being outside. They went to see a sci-fi, special agent, mecha movie. It had amazing effects, but any melee fight was to laugh at, at least in the young boy¡¯s eyes. But Lorena was like a growing man finding out there might be mechas in 20 years with nowadays technology. Phesx Caolia still didn¡¯t understand the ¡®generational¡¯ joke, but he could feel Victor¡¯s grief whenever the subject was brought up. It was about a trainee who refused to use bions. Bion was, as Phesx Caolia got it, mechanical parts in one¡¯s body. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just putting metal and microchips in your body and then able to move it like another limb. For starters, the mecha-lover Victor whispered to Phesx Caolia the history of bions. Before, they were the ¡®can¡¯t cure cancer¡¯ a few hundred years ago. Only the rich could have it, and a microchip was necessary. But after going through the IWS and morals of the Green Transformation¡¯s GHH, these were replaced by pure Mintip and Courusel, which were first found in nowadays Cors. Courusel was another excellent resource, like Mintip, or Pugor. Or another that is drastically important, like the Senida, which is used to make the coins and thin fabric of the paper currency in the world. Only after managing to mix Mintip and Courusel, with Pugor as its fuel, could the world give rise to the ¡®natural¡¯ bions, who do not place danger upon their holders. The world even developed intelligent detectors across every city in the world to find illegal bions. Such things were old news even 100 years ago, at the beginning of the 10th century. Nevertheless, when finishing the movie, Phesx Caolia could only think to himself that it was would be too late for him. He had that strangeness in his body, after all. The movie ended with the trainee becoming a captain of his team, and getting the 2 hot girls in the movie as his partners. After the movies, Phesx Caolia was brought to eat ice cream. He didn¡¯t want to, at first. If someone were to tell him to name a sugary thing he liked it, he would say orange, or orange, and orange. However, when he tasted a mix of chocolate, coconut, and chocolate crust below, he was won over by sweetness for the first time in his life. Not like he got much taste before the civil war. Then, finally, a few days later, in the 3rd day of the last week of the year¡¯s last month, the Ruva household celebrated the new year. Because of Victor¡¯s job, he would be overseas during the new year, so they would just celebrate it beforehand. Merme was invited, although she¡¯d probably celebrate another one with her family. Rubena came out of the hospital early because of it. After many years with lung cancer, she was finally in treatment. It was only treatment now, as it was too late, indeed. But the Ruvas didn¡¯t hesitate to spend the money to keep her going. Thus, the house was ¡®full¡¯ with large candles everywhere encased in crystal, and some light music. Hot chocolate was also made. After making the big countdown and screaming at the top of their lungs, since no neighbor would hear them, they relaxed a little. Rubena didn¡¯t join the countdown, coughing already without even speaking. As for Phesx Caolia, he just watched with a little smile. ¡°Have you danced before?¡± As things relaxed, the husband and wife stuck their bodies together and whispered horrible things in each other¡¯s ears. Lorena walked to him and asked him, no longer blushing when speaking to him. Phesx crossed his arms and lifted his chin, ¡°I don¡¯t dance.¡± ¡°Just stick your body to me. Even if you don¡¯t want to, when you fancy someone, you won¡¯t have to make them feel sad for not being there with you.¡± Lorena extended her palm. Phesx Caolia lifted his right eyebrow, ¡°If she goes with another, I won¡¯t fancy her.¡± ¡°No, dullass. She¡¯d look at other couples dance slowly elsewhere while sitting like an idiot with you. So, just get used to doing something, just something. Alright?¡± Lorena rolled her little eyes, cute and sparkly. Phesx Caolia¡¯s crossed arms stupidly relaxed before giving her his hand. She brought him to a small living room and instructed him. Phesx Caolia held her hand, lifted just below shoulder height and with her face nearing his shoulder. Slowly and warmly, the atmosphere was enjoyable as Phesx Caolia understood her meaning. A few minutes later, Phesx Caolia had to wake the lass when he felt saliva on his pricey tuxedo. He couldn¡¯t blame her, the dims were light, and even he felt sleepy without exhausting himself. Her parents came to the rescue, with Victor bringing Lorena to her bed. Marisela brought a napkin and cleaned Phesx, chiding him along. ¡°If this is how you end up after dancing with my daughter, I wonder how it will be when you find a gal. Just don¡¯t get any odor on you, alright?¡± Her gentle voice and softly spoken words couldn¡¯t hide the teasing in her. Phesx Caolia opened his mouth and did nothing more, he was baffled. ¡°Hehe, you got some here. Ah, who would¡¯ve thought you like hot chocolate that much? You should¡¯ve told me earlier. I make the best in the world,¡± Marisela said, proceeding to clean his cheeks like a good mother would. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes lost focus when he commented that. Marisela motherly smirked, ¡°I have competition? Can¡¯t be. Could it be you¡¯re trying to rebel against me, kid?¡± Phesx Caolia inadvertently smirked from the left corner of his mouth. Finishing cleaning his face, Marisela poked his nose before ordering him away. ¡°Now go rest. It¡¯s fine if you read books until midnight, but stop doing it lying sideways, it¡¯s bad for your eyes!¡± ¡°The weekly medical rec-¡± Phesx Caolia wanted to defend himself. But Marisela started mimicking him with a curled, ugly lips, ¡°The weekly medical report says I¡¯m only improving, wewewewe~. Shut it and go up then.¡± Phesx Caolia hurried upstairs to hide his big smile, while Marisela went to Rubena, to chat a little and then bring her to her room as well. No questions of his relationship with his mother were made, to the best of all. Going up the stairs, Phesx changed his face to a poker face instantly before Victor turned around the corner and looked up at him. He seemed pensive, seriously thinking about something, and something that clearly ignited within him. ¡°Oh, is your mother on her bedroom already?¡± Victor asked, eyes showing he was determined. Phesx Caolia sent his left thumb over his shoulder. ¡°They¡¯re just chatting downstairs.¡± ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Victor exclaimed before rushing to his bedroom, taking his jacket and tie off. Phesx Caolia blinked, staring at Victor¡¯s back, before walking to his bedroom. How could he not want to read all night, when these fuckers spend half the entire night talking about life? Phesx Caolia checked Lorena, who slept with her bedsheets already down her groins. She was a heavy sleeper kicker. Phesx Caolia went in and covered her body. With the cold nowadays, she would get cold. While doing so, he wished the best for her future man. Exiting her bedroom and walking towards his, Phesx Caolia was about to read the last book he¡¯s been onto, when he realized he had just finished it. He grabbed a new one and was amazed to noticed it was the last one about commerce, trade, business, and many more things the young boy feels ashamed to know and can recite to the letter. . . . 3 months later. Phesx Caolia was now 16, and Lorena a cute, growing 14-year-old. Still, she was a fine piece of quality of some wood for a board. Nevertheless, she got the Hellcat treatment. After spending months with Phesx Caolia, her emotional intelligence evolved by leaps and bounds, through seas of fire and mountains of swords. Not only that, but with the books they¡¯ve read together, her intelligence was unearthed. Furthermore, having grown older, Phesx Caolia was a little ruthless when dealing with her. Throwing her in the pools of the mansion, bringing her for a bike ride with his ¡®new¡¯ bike, making her scream and return home with a hoarse throat, but relaxed and joyous. In video games, even though Phesx Caolia was awful at first on every game, after failing like a fucker for a dozen hours, he¡¯d become her biggest nightmare. Yet, she had become quick-witted. One night, on a fabulous saturday, when the kids can be as irresponsible as they wish to, Marisela came to his room to check on them, as it was 12 am. She found her daughter facing the ceiling, her arms spread wide, and her tummy slammed by Phesx Caolia¡¯s stomach. Marisela was about to bring them to their beds, but when she extended her hands to them, she remembered they are bodies. If watching all those morbid movies and shows served her well, moving their bodies wasn¡¯t going to be easy. Thus, she just threw a blanket on their asses and let them be. ¡°Hmph, if sleeping on the floor doesn¡¯t teach you in the morning, see if Victor won¡¯t give you the glare.¡± Marisela departed, wanting to return to her hubby, who must be annoyed at their sudden pause. Her legs moved quickly, still trembling¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia, who woke up the moment Marisela opened the door of her bedroom, opened his eyes and blinked with innocence. When he heard the terrible moans again, despite the soundproof, he mentally sighed. Standing up, he grabbed Lorena, but this time, he cursed whoever would marry her. How luck they would be¡­ If they did something to her¡­ Lorena was lucky to not open her eyes just now and see murder before her eyes, as she slept soundly. ¡­ Chapter 39 — Returning To School Returning To School The next day, it was gray and cloudy outside in the morning. Just as Phesx Caolia was enjoying the day, sleeping even after 7 am, his door opened, welcoming the sight of schoolgirl Lorena. She looked at his sleeping self and pouted, shaking her head in disappointment. Walking to his bed, she kicked the mattress before placing her fists on her hips. ¡°Tsk, tsk. Seriously. If it¡¯s sunny, it¡¯s too bad of a weather, and you rather stay here until late. But if it¡¯s cloudy or raining, you rather enjoy it here until late. Sigh,¡± Lorena knew he was awake and commented. Phesx Caolia opened his eyes and stared at her cute little thighs. ¡°Mmm, chicken?¡± He mumbled, making Lorena stare ahead with her spirits gone. She flicked his forehead before turning around and leaving, at least knowing boys would notice the change in her clothing. With contented steps, she left his bed, and soon, the mansion. Phesx Caolia smiled, rubbing his face left and right as he continued to take naps, waking up to look at the sky, and then continue resting. He was unstoppable. However, his day was ruined when his last nap was welcomed by a light, sunny day. He was already 16, and after reading Victor¡¯s collection for a few months, everything except math was well-known to Phesx Caolia, but only to the level of a student his age. With Marisela advising him to consider, he would soon enter a school. What¡¯s more, it would be the same Lorena attends. If anything, that¡¯ll become another source of good points for him in the future, protecting Lorena from up close. It was no longer a secret that he was actually in the military, at least to the Ruvas, also becoming something only Phesx Caolia had the right to speak about himself if he wanted. Today, he would just go to the first visit with his allocated psychiatrist. After checking his phone and playing a few entertained little games, the young boy stood up and wore the same clothes he went to sleep with, not pajamas, before going downstairs. By now, it had been 2 hours since Lorena left in her new tights. Phesx Caolia had breakfast as the workers of the mansion cleaned worked around the mansion. It would be the last day for the week, so they were more at ease and less serious than the rest of the weekdays. The adults worked around the buildings and on their rooftops, while their kids helped clean around. Phesx Caolia was just putting some books in a backpack, an ordinary one that any student would wear, when he heard things from the outside. It came from the workers¡¯ children cleaning some leaves, branches, and junk that comes into the mansion by rain or wind. ¡°Did you see her today? Whistle, she wore new white ones. Tighter and showy, heh heh heh.¡± One of the kids said to the rest, including the girls around. They were around Lorena¡¯s age. The only reason they were here during the morning and not at school like Lorena might be they¡¯re homeschooling or receiving lessons via the internet. Any of those options are cheaper and more feasible for managing their time. In this case, they worked during the first hours of the sunlight, while studying during the evening and night, perhaps. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t speak of her like that.¡± Another kid said, wearing a sleeveless gray shirt, showing his thin brown arms and fragile figure. At least it looked that way in Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes, as he drank a bit of hot chocolate inside the house. ¡°Or what? Ey, are you gonna keep rising your chin for a chick who doesn¡¯t even respect you?¡± The previous one nudged his head upwards, provoking the other kid. The latter shook his head before turning his head. Just then, the provoking kid added with a snarky smirk from corner to corner of his mouth. ¡°Not like you wouldn¡¯t grab her if we lend her to you when we get to fuck her.¡± ¡°Ergrrr!¡± The other kid turned around, scrunched his face in anger, and rushed at the provoking fella. He tackled the latter down, punching his face twice before changing to slaps. The other kids stepped back quickly, stretching their necks before finally trying to stop them, with their words. ¡°Don¡¯t hit him!¡± - ¡°Fight back!¡± - ¡°What are you doing? Oh my heavens!¡± - ¡°Stop it! Someone¡¯s looking at us!¡± The provoking kid was on the ground, with his face bruised and his tears spilling everywhere. The other kid straddling him stopped, lifting his right hand but didn¡¯t lower it again. He stood up, getting off the crying kid before turning around, where the others were looking. Calmly stepping out of the main building, Phesx Caolia checked the sides, where some adults looked at this scene, stopping their work. A pair looked at this with utmost complication. They were clearly the 2 kids¡¯ dads. The father of the provoking kid seemed about to come down the roof and start reprimanding the other kid, whichever way that might be. Phesx Caolia ignored the sight of the fathers, cleaning his front teeth and placing his mug on the grass before arriving in front of the other kid. The crying kid was encircled by some of the other kids, looking at the gray shirt-kid¡¯s back with hatred. ¡°That¡¯s not the proper way to defend someone. You don¡¯t just wait and let something happen again and again. Lorena is no princess, but seeing her parents¡¯ money allows you to eat some candy you like or buy different things, a little respect is only fitting.¡± Phesx Caolia said, looking at the kid before him and the others before resting his eyes on the former again, ¡°And you.¡± Slap. After unceremoniously slapping the kid, Phesx Caolia nudged his chin upwards and shamelessly said, ¡°You either do it well or not at all. And procure not being seen when causing trouble like this.¡± With that, Phesx turned around to leave. His slap wasn¡¯t ruthless, but neither was he lenient. The kid was stunned, but yelled after touching his left cheek and seeing his aggressor walk away. ¡°I did not cause trouble!¡± ¡°But you just did?¡± Phesx Caolia looked back and said, not stopping, before proceeding to ignore him and return to the house. Marisela was in the kitchen, preparing a soup with rich aroma coming from a stewpot, with Rubena at the side, giving some indications in her wheelchair. ¡°Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t intend to-¡± Phesx Caolia halted and said, trying to excuse himself, but Marisela looked at him with gentle eyes before speaking, ¡°Hush. If there¡¯s one thing I know is that I cannot handle such fine details when managing people. My father was different. If he hadn¡¯t slapped sense into me when I was younger, I might¡¯ve never met Victor.¡± ¡°As a matter of fact, my father didn¡¯t discipline me enough and still nearly missed my life with Victor. But you¡¯re a kid still. Even if you wanted to bully those younger kids, I trust you¡¯ll find your way of living slowly, and not through rash, inconsiderate actions.¡± Marisela stopped before smirking a little, ¡°What if he becomes Lore¡¯s husband in the future? He¡¯ll get you back for this.¡± ¡°Well, he does want to enter the military, it seems.¡± Phesx Caolia relaxed, tilted his head and looked in the upper right corner of his eyes before saying. Marisela looked at him, perplexed, before laughing a bit. ¡°Oh, so you had plans in mind? Wanting to recruit him with a hard hand?¡± ¡°Young kids these days,¡± Marisela stopped teasing the young boy and said, returning to the soup. Phesx Caolia picked his backpack from the kitchen table before heading outside. He bid farewell to her, ¡°I¡¯m returning later, then.¡± ¡°To your mother, too.¡± Marisela suddenly said while cutting some carrots and looking down. Phesx Caolia stopped for a couple of seconds before systematically saying without looking back. ¡°I¡¯m returning later, mom.¡± With direct steps, he went out of the mansion and left the 2 mothers alone in the kitchen. The tone Phesx Caolia spoke with kept the kitchen and adjacent living room silent before Marisela softly voiced, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s best to not force him.¡± ¡°Haha, right?¡± Rubena said lightly before coughing a few times. ¡­ Phesx Caolia took his bike and went into the streets. He had a little garage built next to the others, even the one made for the Lorena from the future. Wearing his helmet, Phesx went into the streets, this time farther than Victor has helped him practice around, towards the city center. Phesx Caolia never missed the occasional smell from the sea, nor the hotness it would sometimes bring further inland. Choosing Sargonde was enough. He didn¡¯t need to live in Lymoca¡¯s east to¡­ let go of whatever he should let go. Biking to the center of the city, Phesx Caolia showed his refugee and permit to drive at such a young age to some state police officers twice. Those from the post offices and arm bureaus didn¡¯t bother with him, being more humane than the bored ones from the police departments. Arriving to a wide plaza, with a tall front structure with an equally large digital screen high up, Phesx Caolia parked his bike in a lower demotion parking zone, where he could lock his bike just under the ground level. Taking his helmet off, he looked at the digital screen, wearing obscure green sunglasses that covered his eyes from the sides, not losing comfort. There was a news anchor program of an old man talking about something to others in a round table. 3 women and 5 men, with subtitles on the lower end of the screen. It would be comically disordering if there was volume so that everyone could hear. It read as follows: ¡°Yes, indeed. And the president has done things targeting the poor of Lymoca. We¡¯re just 3 short years away from the next elections, and he¡¯s doing just what he did in his previous last 3 years, but in 6 now. Appealing to the most needed, saying he is doing all of this for them, but just goes after his interests!¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Ah, ah. And how is that so? Can you tell us?¡± - ¡°Well, you see. It¡¯s very simple¡­ He¡¯s ¡®bribing¡¯ them! That¡¯s illegal. I¡¯m telling you, he¡¯ll run for president again, that¡¯s what he¡¯s going to do! The greed¡­ his nature is like that, hidden from view! Nobody sees it yet, they¡¯re all blind.¡± ¡°When you think of the previous president, he only had 31% points, just a few percentages more than second place. That is not normal. But now, this Luis Heartez has gained more than 50% two times in a row? He even surpassed it, achieving nearly 52% last elections. We¡¯ve been conned!¡± ¡°He has taken more than 510 million credits for the last nearly 10 years in power, and this is just for himself. Who knows what he does ¡®for¡¯ his family. Besides his daughter, he has an aunt living in Omec¨®, another in Lydwe, many cousins in Pretetl and Lyekes. Everyone from the south, and they are involved, too! Does everyone really believe he¡¯s supporting the south because ¡®they are needy¡¯? No! He¡¯s afraid of ANS finding him out. Billions are going to his clan as we speak!¡± ¡°I see. That makes sense when thinking about it. The country has seen nothing, no improvement after almost a decade. Even with our inflation slightly decreasing, everything keeps rising¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t the only one looking at the screen, but this was the first time he had contact with the politics of any nation; of the world. He couldn¡¯t form much of a thought with just this, but he did have an impression, ¡®So it¡¯s like that everywhere, huh?¡¯ Not wanting to think of Preut anymore, Phesx Caolia left the demotion parking zone and headed into the plaza¡¯s giant structure. A hospital was just inside. The palace was enormous, and many people walked in, out, and around it every hour, let alone the entire day. 10 minutes later, he sat in a hall, waiting for his turn while listening to some music with earphones. He read a book whose cover was hidden in his backpack. His head slightly tilted to the left and right as he looked ahead, seemingly not noticing a cutie blondie similar to his age smiling at him. When the blondie became tired of trying to be seen by him, and an interested young boy walked to her out of boredom from his seat, the receptionist called Phesx Caolia¡¯s name. Despite having loud volume and closed eyes, Phesx Caolia immediately stood up and walked to the door. The female receptionist tried to warn him of something, appearing worried, but he neared the door when it just opened, nearly kissing another person who was just coming out. The latter was a tall young boy, who frowned and walked away, his smile erased. Phesx Caolia innocently blinked before looking into the room, where the psychiatrist looked at him, startled. With a gesture to come in, Phesx Caolia stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He heard the psychiatrist¡¯s muffled voice, a woman¡¯s, before pulling his earphones off. ¡°Oh, thank you for closing the door. So, you¡¯re Phesx, right?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Phesx Caolia sat down and exclaimed. The woman had curly hair, creamy brown skin, and thick, curly chestnut hair. She wore large glasses and looked at a load of documents, commenting before initiating his first visit. ¡°You don¡¯t want others to hear your voice? It¡¯s okay, you can speak up. It''s soundproof.¡± ¡®It is¡­ unusually soundproof. But she¡¯s still here. Can¡¯t she notice?¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought, looking around. Not even the soundproof rooms in the Ruvas¡¯ mansion are this good. How could a government worker as psychiatrist manage this? ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine. I heard from your voluntary foster care guardians that you don¡¯t like crowded spaces and being social,¡± the woman started the session. However, Phesx Caolia had other thoughts as she went on, ¡®No. They clearly have said I don¡¯t feel well in broad spaces with multitudes of people, and that I am an introvert. I only speak with others when they talk to me.¡¯ ¡°Oh, sorry. Do you mind taking your glasses off? I¡¯d like taking a look at your eyes for a better, honest communication.¡± The psychiatrist said after looking at Phesx Caolia, pausing her words. Phesx Caolia waited for a moment before taking his sunglasses off. ¡°Very well,¡± the woman nodded before starting to ask him many things. Half the interview was about his thoughts on his current days in comparison to when he was in Preut, but it was put much more softly in the well-worded questions she made him. The other half was about his current lifestyle in Lymoca¡¯s society. At last, about to wrap up, the woman showed thin hints of getting boring through her words¡¯ vibrations in the air and her every detailed body movement before Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes. Hers were also a little more static, relying on moving her head to look around her. Phesx Caolia blinked before she voiced, ¡°Now, there¡¯s just one more thing we have to clear up, alright?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Without changing his semi-broken, soft voice, Phesx Caolia spoke with a polite tone, appearing as young as he looked, and as he is. ¡°I¡¯m only going to ask you a question. All I want you to know is that¡­ if you need more to talk about, someone else, or think that it would be unfitting to tell me, you can just reply with a vague answer. The important thing is you do what¡¯s best for you. You know this, right?¡± The woman tilted her head and slid her hands through the desk towards him. ¡®What a¡­ strange question.¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s mind intensified a little before coughing to the side, making her hands stop from growing near to his and retract. He accommodated his butt on the chair and nodded at her, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Very well. So, tell me,¡± the woman¡¯s eyes slightly watered without crying. Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes looked at them, showing nothing in them. She continued, ¡°Do you feel anything else? A thought others can¡¯t see through? Something you feel inside your heart? A need to do something you don¡¯t want to? Whether you know it¡¯s good or bad? Do you need more help, Phesx?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s head rumbled a bit, like a quake remaining light and soothed, only increasing in its volume as floods of images, sounds, and sensations went back to him from the past. It wasn¡¯t haunting, nor chasing him through time, it was a reaction to the thought of need; he wanted more. He¡­ ¡®I really didn¡¯t like hearing my name like this¡­ I really¡­ hate my name.¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s fingers caved in, twisting and pressing on his thighs, just above his knees, under the table and far from the woman¡¯s eyes. Then, his mind reset. The rumbling stopped, the noise went away, but everyone around him in the dark corners and walls watched. ¡®I¡¯m growing bored.¡¯ ¡°Phesx?¡± The woman¡¯s gentle words and another tilt to the left grabbed Phesx Caolia from everything. He felt like he just left a pool of lukewarm water and felt the humid temperature hug him in comfort. ¡°No, miss.¡± Phesx Caolia answered. ¡°Well then, that¡¯ll be it. You have nothing to worry about. It seems that your guardians have been very efficient. Most kids are burdened by what they lived. You can go, Phesx. If you want to come again, just make an appointment, and you can also choose from someone who has already worked with you. Just saying. Go on, you¡¯re free.¡± The woman said, storing some documents in a thick portfolio. ¡°Thank you,¡± Phesx Caolia nodded before standing up. Although it was all over, according to her words, she seemed a little¡­ disappointed? Either way, Phesx Caolia opened the door. It looked like someone either didn¡¯t pay attention before, or wanted to copy him, as a cute blondie stood in front of the door. ¡°Oh! Sorry~,¡± she stepped in as soon as she saw it was Phesx Caolia. In his eyes, she reacted very slow. Almost like she wanted to be punched four times in a row. Phesx Caolia¡¯s muscles tensed, and her little ¡®accidental¡¯ bump didn¡¯t help. But he kept his reaction steady and looked like a teenager finding love, baffled. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± Phesx Caolia voiced, about to walk away, when the girl softly placed her left hand fingers on his right wrist and said, ¡°Where were you from? I was from Prona-¡± But Phesx Caolia immediately jerked his forearm away, almost like he was burnt. Then, he walked away, putting his sunglasses on. He heard the girl stomp into the room, with a strong emotion of humiliation at¡­ being rejected? Phesx Caolia wanted to lie and just relax. Walking to the exit, the young boy who chatted that blondie before looked disheartened, but he still gave Phesx Caolia a loathing stare. Once again, Phesx Caolia felt like just stopping moving and refuse to move until his body trembled out of hunger. How could he have time for teenage drama? Returning to his bike, he rapidly unlocked the demotion parking lock and sped away. He was stopped another 3 times, one by the same state cops, in which he was all silent and just showed them his permit and refugee ID. He had to return home and lie on something to do nothing. . . . Next week, just 3 days later. Phesx Caolia walked into the Ojazul school. This is Lorena¡¯s school, which she has attended since this year. Simply put, she has been here for 2 months and some weeks, while Phesx Caolia had just started his scholarly life. He was a little late, but it would be fine. It was how he entered the school that was problematic. To imagine the youngest little darling holding the arm of an older boy, looking all meek and affectionate after dedicating many thoughts about life was heart crushing. Many younger boys gave Phesx Caolia bad, evil, cannibal glares, wanting to punch his face and grab the beauty. Meanwhile, as Phesx Caolia felt his right arm hostage, he talked to the bubble gum coiling around him. ¡°Where¡¯s yours?¡± ¡°Oh, it''s 2 hallways down that way. Pick me up. I want to ride with you, okay?¡± Lorena looked up at him and buried her chin on his arm. She wanted to threaten him with pain, but Phesx Caolia barely felt anything. He only felt she was really cute, and for whatever reasoning, he softened up. ¡°Sigh. Sure,¡± Phesx Caolia showed an annoyed appearance when attending one of the school princesses, while the princess in question smiled and rubbed her face on his arm. Death loomed over them, teenage, milk-smelling, toy death. ¡°Well, you¡¯re in the ¡®latecomers¡¯ classes, so you¡¯ll have intense lectures for the first few days to catch up, but you¡¯ll actually be less time in the school. Don¡¯t go around with some beauties, at least let me help you build a pre-story to attract the real ones with jealousy, kay?¡± Lorena babbled on. Nodding his head, Phesx Caolia rolled his eyes and walked until arriving at his classroom. He didn¡¯t know where it was, and if he did, he didn¡¯t know how to look for it. When they finally arrived, they walked for nearly 7 minutes. Of course, Lore took a few long, touristic view routes, but the school was really big. It was also half an hour away through the main roads, which allowed a lot of speed and safety to the city and the surroundings. That meant it was a bit faraway, from 50 minutes to an hour and a half away from the mansion outside that main road. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve arrived. Please behave and don¡¯t slap anyone, okay? It might be too much at the beginning. You¡¯re 2 years late, after all, but make an effort.¡± Lorena said, disarranging his clothes and making his already strange hair have a worse appearance. ¡°Yeah, yeah. What are you doing still here? Piss off, you little fly,¡± Phesx Caolia pinched her nose several times as she stuck her tongue out before hearing footsteps heading his way. Looking back, he saw a professor who looked a lot like the one his schedule illustrated. He slapped her bum, making Lorena blush crimson without anyone noticing before entering the classroom. Lorena walked away with her arms backwards and blushing face staring at the floor. The professor shook his head as he passed by, not knowing what happened exactly, but having an inkling. ¡®Ah, young love. So disgusting.¡¯ ¡­ Chapter 40 — Just A Man… Just A Man¡­ Phesx Caolia sat somewhere at the middle of the class, near the windows leading outside. One of the students sitting beside him was a cute lass, closer to the windows, who seemed shy but sneaked glances at him and the other students near her. Everyone looked his age. Phesx Caolia focused on staring ahead, ignoring everyone''s existence. Just like back then before he dropped out. Since everyone here was a newcomer, there was a chance that Preutians would have joined this class. This wasn¡¯t just in Phesx Caolia¡¯s mindset, but everyone else¡¯s, too. ¡°Good morning!¡± The professor entered. He had a white beard, gray hair, glasses, and old, light brown skin that showed he stayed indoors most of his life, or around cold places. He had a slim figure and made firm, long steps. ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t need to tell you, but¡­¡± The professor was old, but not by so much. His beard was loose, curly, and bushy, not taken care of, with his hair combed backwards. He wrote something on the board after deactivating the interactive feature. Immediately, everyone¡¯s eyes grew bored. Was this a ¡®traditional¡¯ teacher? ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry.¡± The professor wrote ¡®History of the World¡¯ on the board before turning around, only to find bored students disappointed at him. He exclaimed before pointing at the board behind him. ¡°I¡¯ll use the funny one whenever I need to make you understand with drawings what you can¡¯t when using big adult¡¯s words.¡± ¡°As I was saying,¡± the professor sat on his desk before staring at everyone¡¯s faces with his chin up. ¡°You¡¯ll be here for 8 hours. You can go to the bathroom every half an hour. I¡¯ll take brief breaks every then. You can eat at 9 or 10 am and again at 1 or 2 pm. If you need to eat beforehand, ask me first. Don¡¯t just bother the rest with your munching sounds.¡± ¡°If you need any more notebooks or pens, go to the lockers behind you. Don¡¯t abuse, or you¡¯ll be sanctioned with your grade and discipline evaluation.¡± The professor quickly instructed. The soldiers were moved with his quick-wit and attitude, taking note of the ¡®yes¡¯ and ¡®nos¡¯. ¡°Last thing,¡± the professor made a pause, turning the atmosphere serious. ¡°There are some people from Preut here. Don¡¯t go around making a quiz to find out. If I learn someone was asking around, that¡¯ll also count as misbehavior. Now, who can tell me what is the S.O. Sanctum Order?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± The classroom was silent. They didn¡¯t even introduce each other. One would think that¡¯ll help when they were all late-coming students. After inspecting their faces, offering no pressure, and looking at them like he was waiting for someone to tell him his troubles, the professor looked in Phesx Caolia¡¯s general direction. ¡°You, little lass. Go ahead and tell me,¡± the professor chose ¡®the first¡¯. All eyes on her, the shy gal sitting on Phesx Caolia¡¯s left stood up and accommodated her pale violet dress¡¯s hem. ¡°I- uh- is¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to stand up, as long as your voice reaches my ears, nobody else is important.¡± The professor nodded at her, calming her down. But after being helped and sitting down, the shy gal stuttered, unable to start again. Now, even the professor was helpless. ¡°Yes?¡± Seeing a hand being lifted, the professor stared at it like an eagle. Phesx Caolia stood up with his left hand still up. Someone commented from the rear, ¡°Don¡¯t have to get up, you know?¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± The class echoed with a bit of laughter, which the professor and Phesx Caolia ignored. The shy gal blushed crimson for her classmate. When the noise died down, Phesx Caolia answered. ¡°Sanctum Order is the Era where the world finds out and decided to formally make use of past history; be it mistakes, self-destructive tendencies, counter productivity, and progress, success, and positive results.¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s voice echoed. ¡°And when does the Sanctum begin? Why?¡± The professor added in. Phesx Caolia breathed in and stuck his chest out, gulping once, before answering again. ¡°It is after the Aforesanctum Order, when the vestiges of a past order, or various, are known to the world, and we let go of our¡­ history¡¯s previous steps to boost our civilization as a whole.¡± ¡°Very well. What is the Aforesanctum Order?¡± The professor didn¡¯t let go of Phesx Caolia and asked again. Phesx Caolia darted his eyes around, again, as he answered yet again. ¡°It is the time before the sanctum order. According to history, its last years are when the highest technology is of the ¡®first cannons¡¯ and the beginning of peak cold weapons and armor. Just before firearms start taking over war logistics, and clothing becomes more efficient.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s that simple,¡± the professor casually nodded. Phesx Caolia sat down, contented to do so at last. Then, the professor asked the class. ¡°How many sanctum orders have passed since this one? Yes, miss Crescar?¡± Seemingly gaining courage from Phesx Caolia¡¯s previous answers, the shy gal lifted her right hand. After being called by the professor, she struggled for a second before meekly responding, ¡°It¡¯s been 3 sanctum orders before ours, professor. 4 in total.¡± ¡°Very well. And how long was each?¡± The professor swung his feet a bit. Miss Crescar bit her lower lip before gathering as much courage as possible. Her little lips and quiet voice sounded again. ¡°Well, the first order lasted about 20,000 years in the AO, and 2,000 years in the SO. Should I¡­ speak of the reasons, professor?¡± Miss Crescar looked at the professor with upturned eyes, not wanting to. The professor waived his hand, ¡°Those aren¡¯t needed now. Continue.¡± The lass nodded before opening her small mouth again, holding her hands in fists. ¡°The second order¡¯s AO lasted for about 10,000 years, and its SO for 2,500 years. For the third order, 9,000 years passed in the AO before the SO began, lasting for 4,000 years.¡± ¡°Phew~. Our fourth order¡¯s AO lasted 4,000 years before we discovered the vestiges from the past, and we¡¯ve advanced quickly for 11 centuries until this one. Is that alright, professor?¡± The shy gal asked, looking down and starting to blush after realizing how long she¡¯s been the center of attention. ¡°Thank you.¡± The professor nodded, then stepped down his desk before returning to the board. ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure everyone does know about the reason there are 4 orders, but not records whatsoever of those orders, and why we call them civilizations of the past, of all human history.¡± A video showed, immediately obscuring the classroom, with the windows becoming blurry, letting less and less light seep inside. The professor made an intermission before continuing, ¡°We¡¯ll watch footage of actual people going into the ¡®heavenly¡¯ bunkers that saved humanity from extinction thrice in a row. Then, we¡¯ll speak more of the sanctum orders and the orders.¡± ¡°Humankind has seen its glory, especially in the third order, where space pioneering was at the tip of our noses. But just like the first one, we all nearly killed each other until nigh annihilation. Three times in a row. By the time we finish this class, you¡¯ll wonder whether we¡¯re killing ourselves more kindly, or to finally extinguish our race in one go, with no more trail and error.¡± ¡®This is history class?¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought to himself as the first video showed. If he ever thought himself as depressed, then his world changed after he saw the first video. Symbolic pendants, items, and distinctive clothing from the current SO¡¯s were thrown away after a group of few people walked through endless tunnels down the earth. They shed tears nonstop as they threw them to the floor, broke them, and even self-mutilated themselves with them. In the end, those were all objects, and Phesx Caolia couldn¡¯t understand the whys now. The class didn¡¯t loathe Phesx Caolia and that lass for knowing about the orders, and instead felt it was something worth noticing that they knew those things. It wasn¡¯t hidden information, but to memorize such like miss Crescar did wasn¡¯t easy, even with the third order¡¯s rumors of general evolution. The other 2 videos were shown next, much less depressing than the first, and lacking the madness that the first video was abundant of. Slowly, very slowly, the day went by. The massive amount of information into Phesx Caolia¡¯s head was something to get him busy with. ¡­ At last, when coming out of the classroom, with everyone feeling tired, including the professor, Phesx Caolia went to his bike and waited at the side of the school entrance. About 40 minutes later, he saw Lore walk out of her classroom with some little gals around her. She seemed at ease, chatting with them, until she saw him. Lorena smiled, and her eyes glinted. No doubt, she was thirsting his bike. Just as they exited the school entrance, someone a year or 2 older than Phesx Caolia saw her and approached her, trying to chat her up. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Lorena scurried towards Phesx Caolia, holding a couple of notebooks in her arms, and rapidly mounted behind him. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t bother her and rode around, wanting to return home already. The sun was all-on against the ground, threatening to burn skin and dehydrate their poor, humane bodies. Vrrrm! Just as Phesx Caolia was exiting the parking lot, the same guy from before drifted somewhat towards them, stopping just 2 meters from them. He yelled, ¡°That your bike? Haha!¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the guy. He had a motorcycle of a similar model to a Myertha, only less advanced and lacking many things that made a Myertha the best in the world. After a glance, he looked at the guy without helmet. Tilting his head backwards and feeling Lore had a helmet on, Phesx grinned. Lorena darted her eyes sideways, before Phesx Caolia suddenly rushed out. Vroooooooomm! Seeing this, the guy was shocked. But then, he opened his lips in a broad smile before rushing away with his motorcycle as well. Phesx Caolia was caught up in just tens of seconds. With the sidewalk as his close friend, Phesx watched the guy tease him, slowing down and making obscene gestures as his ¡®adult¡¯ dirt bike could only do so much. Then, before the guy noticed, yellow lights flashed in front of them. A state police car saw them speeding illegally around corners and even ¡®race¡¯ while teasing each other. The guy¡¯s face fell, but Phesx Caolia grinned. On the other hand, Lore had a big smile on her face. Sirens went out as they headed down southeast. Lore grabbed his torso as tight as possible, with the bike leaning left and right, and a few bumps here and there. Phesx Caolia avoided all stops, taking the sidewalks each time and scaring some pedestrians every time. The guy was scared, fleeing from the cops with them, not knowing what to do. Then, when another car joined the chase, Phesx Caolia simply drove into a hill at the side of a road. The guy could only watch as he felt his heart fall to his stomach. Shortly after, he was trapped, already driving slowly. Meanwhile, another cop car chased Phesx Caolia from the side, trying to find them amidst parks, small hills, and between neighborhoods with narrow streets. In the end, they could only catch that guy. ¡°¡­Where can I change its paint?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, going through another hill with some trees. Lorena patted his chest, ¡°Wait! Let me check, stop at the top!¡± ¡°Phew!¡± Lorena checked the city. With the sky darkening, and the lights making the ugly cement jungle a sight to at least behold, they felt peaceful. She pointed in a certain direction and looked at him, ¡°There! We can change our clothes¡¯ color, too. You like pink?¡± ¡­ Half an hour later, Phesx Caolia and Lorena drove on his bike outside a workshop. A fatass middle-aged man waved his arm high at them, having received good money, and knowing Lore¡¯s father. Just as they exited it, they watched a helitaxi hover on the other side of this zone, checking the streets. Phesx Caolia looked at Lorena. ¡°What? I¡¯m not the only one who knows what these places are good in. Come on, I want to eat pizza!¡± Lorena heavenly excused herself before grabbing his waist and rubbing her nose on his back, working her magic. Again, Phesx Caolia went soft and drove to a pizzeria¡­ ¡­ Another half an hour later, Phesx Caolia drove the bike back into the mansion. His bike no longer had white as its main color, but pink. And its secondary paint color wasn¡¯t red, but fabulous violet. A small price to pay. Lorena didn¡¯t eat on the way here, not wanting to get sick. As soon as she stepped off the bike, she opened Phesx Caolia¡¯s backpack and took the box out, beginning to wolf the whole thing down. Phesx Caolia parked his baby before opening the door. There, 2 strict, parent-ly figures crossed their arms and looked at him. As for Lorena, what Lorena? There¡¯s only Phesx Caolia. Lorena merely glanced at her parents briefly and greeted them before stepping in. Her parents remained impassive, looking at him. ¡°Hey, dad, ma. This is my pizza. Nom nom nom nom¡­¡± ¡°Em¡­¡± Phesx Caolia pressed his lips together, looking at them without anything to defend himself with. He could invent something, but he didn¡¯t want to trick the Ruvas. Marisela¡¯s crossed arms looked the strictest. ¡°This is your first day! How can you just act like this? The cops called y- called Victor! Do you have any idea what it is to suddenly be called by the cops?¡± ¡°I apologize. Did they ask for too much? I didn¡¯t even burn their gas that much¡­¡± Phesx Caolia put on his innocent expression and puckered his lips out, smelling his philtrum. Marisela looked at him, wordless. ¡°You¡¯ll see, young¡­ boy. Your bike will now have a tracking device. You won¡¯t go above a few tens of km per hour. Hmph. At least you know how to put others in their place. If anyone dares to touch my little Lore¡­¡± Phesx Caolia and Victor walked to either side of Marisela as she reprimanded the former. However, Phesx Caolia looked at Victor, who thumbed-up him with both hands and opened his mouth in a proud smile. Phesx Caolia nodded and thumbed-up his right hand, exchanging secret codes with smirks before mollifying the matron. Days went by¡­ . . . 2 months and 2 weeks later. Phesx Caolia has attended the Ojazul school for weeks now. At first, his classmates only focused on the dreadful information penetrating into their brains. But after the 2nd week, they caught up with the rest of their school¡¯s year. Their class became an ordinary one, with various professors walking into their classrooms and teaching them the many things they were paid to. When the country became bustling because of another initiative debate in politics, this time proposed by the president¡¯s new political party, and the vice president, he heard some teachers talk about it. Everyone complained about the president, of how his attention was on the worst things possible at the worst time. Ignoring it, like any student his age, Phesx Caolia and the school continued their usual daily lives. Now, Phesx Caolia would bring Lorena out in the weekends to meet her little gal friends, and then meet with some of his classmates. She no longer wore panties in the bathroom, flashing him before going to school. Now she wore thongs. If her mother caught her like that, she¡¯d receive a few smacking slaps on that butt, which gave Phesx Caolia a good reason to smirk all morning. Nevertheless, he could never refuse bringing little Lore back home every day. When Phesx Caolia was approached by others, it was only after the first 2 weeks, when the class could finally afford spare time to live like the young folk they are. At first, it was simple questions and greetings. Before he noticed, he formed part of a group who talked to one another. Phesx Caolia was invited to their first meeting outside the school, which he attended, much contrary to what his past self would have done. He met everyone there in detail. He also met a couple of gals who weren¡¯t shy to get close to him. After several meetings, they started going to some bars, buying alcohol at a higher price with someone¡¯s brother or sister being the ¡®dealer¡¯ every new week. In due time, Phesx Caolia became used to the way everyone behaved and ¡®partied¡¯. On one occasion, a girl his age, with large bosom, raven black hair, and moon bright skin approached him. One of the gals always approaching him. If Phesx Caolia wanted it, he could just start fornicating with her, as it would be expected of someone his age. But he just didn¡¯t. He also wasn¡¯t interested in belonging to a drama of teenage sex. That time, he was considering trying it out. Life as a young boy. He had nothing to lose. They were mingling with others from the class and welcoming others who were new latecomers but had already caught up and were placed in their classroom. One of the new guys just bid them farewell, a blond fella with exotic, sharp, smooth hair. As he left, in the mini-circle Phesx Caolia sat around, some of his classmates laughed, picking at the fella¡¯s body figure. ¡°Man, why does every girl adore him? He¡¯s just slim like a leaf and short. What¡¯s he got that attracts everyone? Besides his pretty boy face¡­¡± The classmate drank from his beer, already a bit drunk there. Phesx Caolia drank from his, annoyed at how bitter it was and nothing else after his 3rd glass. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say for sure, but the length of my throat can, haha.¡± The raven black haired gal said, pointing at the end of her throat with a smile, looking sideways at the others. Phesx Caolia lifted his eyebrows and wore an awkward smile that wasn¡¯t a smile. The others looked at her, slowly showing hunger. They continued laughing for a few more minutes before they disappeared elsewhere. On the other hand, Phesx Caolia started feeling more distracted from then on. It wasn¡¯t just in the meetings with his group, it was¡­ everywhere. In the mansion, the school, his circle, and he didn¡¯t even bother raising Lore¡¯s awareness by slapping her little butt cheeks. He was more absorbed in his books, and his nights were spent reading them, or using the internet to do so, resting less and less. Although unimportant, after reading a few things and feeling just stupid, Phesx Caolia could only search on the internet. ¡­ Time passed, and on the 1,023rd year, 5th month, 4th week, 6th day, Phesx Caolia¡¯s bedroom door was knocked at just 3 in the morning. He closed his book and stood up to open his door, but it was opened by Victor, whose face was sweaty, and his eyes were difficult when looking at him. The young boy instantly knew. ¡°Your mother¡­¡± ¡­ A few hours later, in the nearest hospital, with machines everywhere around a bed, allowing only a for a few people to sit in the room. Phesx Caolia sat beside Rubena Caolia¡¯s bed, who laid with a bunch of tubes, bags, and needles injected into her body, specifically her torso. She had just removed her masks for a minute, breathing natural air after failing to see a reaction from her son with all the things she¡¯s told him so far. He was just there, sitting and humping his back a little. Phesx barely moved after more than half an hour spent sitting there. ¡°No matter what, can you promise me something?¡± Her rough, feeble voice sounded. Phesx Caolia, just as he¡¯s done in the past months, heard but refused to give her any sort of attention. When she was close to holding his right wrist, she stopped and just looked at him. ¡°At least continue your studies. It¡¯s all that¡¯s important¡­ it¡¯ll serve you well. More now than ever¡­¡± Rubena said, waiting for his response as Phesx finally turned his face to look at her. That was everything he did, look at her. Rubena felt her body immobile. Knowing she¡¯d see nothing more, she gulped nothing, as even inside her mouth was wrinkled and dry, and said at last. ¡°Take care, then¡­ live well, long¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The son bid farewell to the mother with silence. It was without a doubt, the young boy¡­ no, Phesx Caolia felt ultimately freed from anything; everything. As she passed away before him, he moved his fingers, snapping some noises, before thin tears ran down his eye sockets. Phesx Caolia stood up, turned around, and gently pushed the lifeless objects away. Doctors walked towards him, but the Ruvas were there to take care of the things he didn¡¯t want to. Life in school continued. ¡­
Let it Rain''s note: Sigh¡­ Chapter 41 — Preuts Ignorance Preut''s Ignorance 3 days later, after school hours. During these last several weeks, information that Phesx Caolia couldn''t have known in Preut, wherever he might have found himself, and with whichever status, educated his caged mind. He knew more about Lymoca, and more so about this sanctum order''s recent history. Anything in aforesanctum order¡¯s records wasn''t crucial to the daily life, unless he wanted to study battlefields and strategies, which he did not. Although many people getting into business did become interested in AO records. All in all, they could reflect and gain inspiration. There were merchants or explorers who made riches with just some merchandise and intellect, after all. The most incredible thing that was known throughout the world, and was perhaps the greatest point of history in the human civilizations, was their records of human history annihilating itself. The four orders. More than anything, the world was divided into 3 supercontinents, with the largest being the ¡®western¡¯ supercontinent, followed by the ¡®northeastern¡¯ supercontinent, and last by the ¡®southeastern¡¯ supercontinent. They had names, of course, but they didn¡¯t always have the same, except for one of them. As miss Crescar, the shy lass, had answered before. The first order was 20,000 years in the AO, and 2,000 years in the SO. Like in all the other orders, just as it is with the last, third order, only general knowledge of the time were known. For starters, it was a time when the world was much bigger and complete. The land that this fourth order had was perhaps not even half of what it used to be in the first order, according to some very intellectual researchers. The western supercontinent was called ¡®The Moon and the Stars¡¯ supercontinent. The northeast was ¡®Aurora¡¯, and the southeast was ¡®Dawn¡¯. The language that dominated every other in the world, becoming the ¡®mandatory¡¯ one in that order, was from the northeastern supercontinent. As for its ending¡­ it was the bloodiest, most lunatic, yet peaceful of all. In that order, there were no orders, they didn¡¯t call their times an order, nor something similar. To them, the world was fully theirs, and nothing could neither show nor no one could say otherwise. Human civilization spent a couple of tens of thousands of years to start investigating further than just more technology; space. At that time, the first ¡®traveling¡¯ spacecraft, a satellite was built to turn itself into an unmanned device to travel the space around Resilient, the planet home to all human history. However, such things were barely being invented when the beginning of their annihilation was unleashed. Religion. But it wasn¡¯t a problem of belief, or the fall of gods onto Resilient. Even now, in this fourth order, while there is no such thing as ¡®religion¡¯, belief still exists. The heavens is where everyone goes, ¡®good¡¯ or ¡®bad¡¯, as it would be spoken to as a child to all. One¡¯s life¡¯s decisions decided whether they could see their loved ones after death, and stay with them until they have to leave the heavens. But if they were unworthy, then they would remain alone for a longer time, until they also had to leave. The heavens. There were no titles, no status, and no punishment within the daily lives of the people, unlike in the first order. There, since AO, everything existed within religion, but it only got worse as space pioneering was instilled into the peoples¡¯ minds¡ª all across the world. With the religion as a weapon, and the people blinded by the superiority of theirs, terror struck throughout. The firsts to suffer weren¡¯t the smaller religions, or the newest. It was the beginning of the True Holy War, and it was sparked with the worldwide massacre of countless agnostic and atheist peoples. The war lasted for more than 100 years, but just in the first 10 years, more than a 100 million perished, mostly the atheist and agnostic who remained without religion after hundreds of years in a religion-based and ruled world. There were 110 territories in the world, all more or less large, of which each had their own religion. Some shared the same, but most didn¡¯t. Firearms and explosives were wasted rapidly, and with the devotion the subjects showed to those leading their religions, the ¡®formulae¡¯ to keep supplying for those weapons and ammunition was lost. The world regressed to punches, cold weapons, and fearing fire, even under a heavy rain. More than 100 years passed before the last believers killed each other with swords, knives, and burning one another. It was a long overdue end to all life. The first ¡®heaven¡¯ bunkers were built on the first order, all used by the last few people who grew tired and lived to continue feeling as such, escaping from being executed as infidels. It was the only time that ordinary folk walked into those heaven bunkers to let humanity survive. A piece of beauty surrounded by floods of tragedy. The second order was flashing-speed and merciful compared to the first order. It was just 10,000 years in the AO, and 2,500 in the SO. For the supercontinents, the northeast was called ¡®Sunfire¡¯, the southeast remained as ¡®Dawn¡¯, and the west was named ¡®Moonsky¡¯. The strongest powerhouses were from the north of Moonsky and the Sunfire supercontinents as a whole. Their chosen language was from the north of the Moonsky supercontinent; the west¡¯s north. This order¡¯s annihilation was the first time the world shrank, also the most, but not the only one. In this order, the space pioneering was closer than ever. The moon and the nearby planets were closed in by several different spacecraft, from various nations. They monitored from the outside, and their beauty could be seen from space. It took many years, but everyone could gain access to streaming footage of such. In this order, there was also the creation of the Post Order Concession. The second order was when the orders, aforesanctum orders, and sanctum orders were established. The POC was created to avoid situations of extreme poverty from some nations to others, and taking advantage of it. It essentially prohibits commercial blockades and sanctions without adequate correlation. It also prohibits the use of media to intervene with no right to do so otherwise, but not even fundamentally. But through lectures, Phesx Caolia understood this was a flower vase. In the end, while space pioneering was what the world waited for more like a futuristic ¡®new era¡¯ to the sanctum order, one the generations¡¯ children would enjoy, it was far less important than the world¡¯s rule. Nuclear weapons were discovered, and soon, they were secretly amassed by the world. Every nation went through painstaking efforts to develop their nuclear programs. Or after selling themselves to others. Hundreds of years passed, more than the ending times of the first order, but the first rocket spacecrafts were created about a few decades before the end of the world. It started with just yet another small conflict between small nations. Small because the bigger nations around them cared not for them, or not enough. It developed with the show of nuclear warheads after a long period of their absence. Then, conflict spread, with sides being taken under the 2 strongest powerhouses at the time. Before long, small nations aimed at other small nations, and the bigger nations were shocked when the space territory was invaded with countless warheads. Even worse was when the first strike of the small nations were stopped in space, where things had already started growing terribly wrong for the planet, when more and more strikes shot into the sky. It had become too alarming by then, so as many wealthy people in the world fled to their heaven bunkers, the skies were covered with big and small chaosbringers. Unfortunately, the heaven bunkers managed to gain a couple of angles from the devastation through spacecraft satellites returning to Resilience. The world became¡­ bubbles of destructive fire for a horrid number of years. What was once a planet with so much life and land above the sea¡¯s surface turned into a deformed lifeform. Shrinking. The third order had 9,000 years in the AO, and 4,000 years in the SO. The northeast was known as ¡®Cinder¡¯, the southeast as ¡®Dawn¡¯, again, and the west as ¡®Heavenmoon¡¯. The main language in this order became the southeastern. With this, all supercontinents¡¯ languages have dominated the world once. A feat of little practical importance. Having less land than before, the world decided to avoid the nuclear programs; never again. The strongest powerhouses were the Cinder and Dawn supercontinents. This time, the destruction of civilization was led by bioweapons, a terror that flashed just past the skies of the fourth order more than 100 years ago, but it was enough to cold every living and breathing heart in Resilient. Space pioneering finally happened, with the creation of rocket spaceships, a spacecraft that could finally allow humankind to extend their reach to space. However, the space programs only extended to Resilience¡¯s space territory, not having enough fuel to even tour around the moon. It was just the beginning of all space pioneering, it could finally start after more trial and error¡­ once again, if it wasn¡¯t because of the world¡¯s rule. After the aforesanctum order in the third order, the world let go of all kingdoms, empires, and nobility to advance quickly, and reduce conflict. It worked perfectly. No major wars occurred during the first 2,000 years, even if the map borders still drastically every 100 years or so. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Even though there was not enough fuel for space pioneering, there were some who wanted to go out there and lose themselves in space. Why? Because technology had reached a peak, but it was focused on Resilient only, land, air, and water became the focus of the third order. This allowed communication to extend for a couple of hundred million kilometers at most. It wasn¡¯t a joke, and it was direct, albeit difficult to ¡®connect¡¯ in a straight line. A work that might¡¯ve been improved and evolved if enough credit was given to this department. Many historians and researchers complain and speak about the possibility of finally initializing space pioneering if the third order¡¯s civilization hadn¡¯t focused on the planet for too much. However, others say the situation back then was different, and the fear of annihilation after getting so far must¡¯ve been mind-wrecking. They wanted security for everyone, too. After all, the past is only used to learn. What can be done with it depends on the present, such as in the fourth order. Nevertheless, if space pioneering had been granted more focus, it was doubtlessly a possibility that might¡¯ve stopped the ¡®seed¡¯ for the fourth order. Systematics and technological nets evolved to keep the world advancing and protected at the same time. But with due time, they became every nation¡¯s weapon. Without nuclear weapons, the powerhouses still looked forward to deterring each other from attacking the other. Furthermore, which stable, solid, peaceful territory didn¡¯t want to keep their people safe? Yet, lacked the military power and arsenal that other smaller groups could somehow obtain? Bioweapons were created. Made to destroy nature itself, nobody wanted to use them. Indeed, these were only to scare whoever wanted to march into a country¡¯s borders like it was still the AO times. And while safety was kept, at most, until every single little nation had bioweapons to scare even a third of Dawn, the technological intelligence every nation had started breaking. Bioweapons weren¡¯t enough, so cyberattacks followed suit and right into human history¡¯s humiliating records. Time and again, crimes that go worse than against humanity, and the truths of a country¡¯s income and the use of it for the nation, compared to that of their leaders¡ª all coming out to light was but the beginning. Horrible deeds of humanity, such as trafficking, among worse others, were revealed and shown to the world, even during livestreaming, where the nations were unable to stop it. Tension rose higher than ever before, and the simple disgust everywhere flooded into the hearts of every human. History hasn¡¯t been this ugly to write or read before. It happened in the first time that a random country, one of hundreds, pressed the button to launch a bioweapon after their leaders were exposed bare to the world, their secrets known. Suspecting one of the nations hostile to them, the button became the spark of destruction. But it was from no flame to spread into a raging fire. No, it was like lightning, sending true terror everywhere. When the first, massive rocket flew into the air, coloring the sky and even space with yellow ¡®dust¡¯ behind, tens of thousands more appeared. The world¡¯s interconnected systems and intelligence, even though there was no such accord or act to interconnect them, failed and activated all bioweapons in the world. Every nation first watched their ¡®we¡¯re not going to use them¡¯ rockets of terror fly high up into space, before watching hundreds or thousands more fall towards them, arching in the air with nothing able to stop them. Even though they weren¡¯t destructive like nuclear warheads are, every corner of the world dried its oceans, and the land rotted, if not devoured by whatever took hostage over the air. The absolute worst last minutes of human history began and finished quickly, but the damage it brought to all nature was worse than shrinking again. Land was lost, slightly reducing the borders before diving into the sea. But all lifeforms were devastated. Even stone was turned into gooey ant-sized droplets, while every ore and source of liquid became tiny particles that would kill anything, if anything remained alive after the whole world¡­ ¡®expired¡¯. Such was the terror of bioweapons, and a terrible lesson of utmost value¡­ and learning. Now, thoughts of losing ¡®time¡¯ and ¡®profit¡¯ to the space pioneering department and communications across planets would¡¯ve at least slowed that down. Most died in those minutes, but others watched as their planet became¡­ visibly smaller from space. Dying alone and hot. As for the fourth order? Its times in the aforesanctum order were shorter, more than the ¡®best¡¯ third order had. It had 4,000 years in the AO, and so far, 11 centuries in SO. In the third order, the civilization back then might have created the NPA, the Nuclear Program Accord, but only in the fourth order have they been well-investigated and achieved. The NPA wasn¡¯t to ¡®control¡¯ or ¡®regulate¡¯ nuclear programs of nations or unions, it was enacted in the beginning of the third order¡¯s SO. It constitutes to the non-realization of any nuclear weapons. Of the hundreds of clauses in it, the ¡®only¡¯ most significant ones refer to the use of nuclear activity to the creation of tools, and for safe-empowering level purposes. Such as¡­ suits. But more important than that, what has brought the fourth order peace for hundreds of years wasn¡¯t ¡®better use¡¯ of nuclear programs. In the fourth order, the northeastern supercontinent is called the ¡®Twilight¡¯ supercontinent. The southeast supercontinent still as ¡®Dawn¡¯ supercontinent, and the western supercontinent was named the ¡®Moonblue¡¯ supercontinent. Those were the fourth order¡¯s 3 supercontinents. The heaven bunkers were built to maintain humanity alive. Just alive, not to flourish. Live there was¡­ ¡®small¡¯. They could cultivate and grow some livestock, but it was all limited. Many were built around the world, but they had to last for who knew how long. Their commodity wasn¡¯t critical. In due time, they would beget more and more children, who would then forget their languages. But there was something the third order had regarding humanity that any other didn¡¯t, not even the fourth order. Atavism and¡­ Evolution. There was a worldwide rumor, that only since the third order, humans could ¡®easily¡¯ live past 100 years. Before, that would be the final mark that humanity¡¯s lifespan was all about. 70 to 90s were the years in which many would perish, at least naturally so. Nowadays, everyone healthy enough, poor or not, can live up to 140 years. Those who did were known in their localities, and often spoken and treated like an ¡®elder¡¯, and to gain advice from. More often than not, they give a shit about the world and just do quirky things every day, like do nothing and sit to watch a random, ugly place. It was also known that any fever or sickness that wasn¡¯t 1 or 2 days long would take their lives without medicine, and that gunshots in their organs didn¡¯t have a small chance to regenerate, with proper care, of course. Living through headshots or head or heart trauma were ultrarare in the fourth order, but they sometimes happened. Those were some damned lucky people. Yet, before, just a knife to the side of one¡¯s torso meant death. Even worse for the ¡®first bullets¡¯ in AO. Yet, in the third order, there are clear records of humanity¡¯s resilience having increased compared to previous orders. Still, a brand-new investigation was underway, as some Preutian soldiers, more commonly known as pariahs, showed even more stamina and physical growth capabilities than anyone else in the world. Not out of natural selection, but genetics¡­ and mutation. It wasn¡¯t evolution, but it looked like it. There were also rumors of some governments kidnapping pariahs to research them. But those were just rumors. The human body, just like many things in science and nature, had remained a mystery, and from what Phesx Caolia has lived, it would continue to be like so. All the records of his body were gone when Sofia¡¯s office was blown to pieces. Nevertheless, the fourth order had a great meeting of all nations in the AO. A great war had just been fought, and another seemed about to begin, after the Lylaco Empire conquered countless territories in the west, and the Ziaca nation in the southeast gained lots of power. Instead, knowing of the heaven bunkers, they sat down to talk. Even the tribes and savages in the nowadays Preutorias were brought, after some dominant beatings. A new language was decided. The world halted its entrance to the SO Era and created a new language, turning it into the world¡¯s ¡®universal language¡¯ that everyone now learns. That didn¡¯t mean the previous languages, which those from the heaven bunkers would remember at some point in the AO and spread, prohibited of; always in the same or similar ways than orders before. It just that the universal language became the primary language of every human. Instead of choosing one from the supercontinents, or a supercontinent fighting to declare theirs the primary human language with honor, after endless bloodshed. Then, the world of the fourth order¡¯s sanctum order in the Resilience planet commenced. And so, once more, Resilience watched as its people underestimated humanity¡¯s thirst. In the 1st century, the Great Revolution occurred. From AO buildings and cities, modern ones were built. The world knew trains, planes, tanks, and missiles in just that bit of time. Maybe not to the point of the second order, but not too far off. Yet, nobility and authoritarian rule prevailed. The Lylaco Empire expanded this time to the south, although they didn¡¯t conquer too much, they became more enormous than they already were. Furthermore, instead of becoming a sore sight, they created good relations with their new southern neighbors. At the same time, the Ziaca nation in Dawn advanced by leaps and bounds, curing many diseases, plagues, and becoming quite populated, more than other supercontinents. The rule of the Ziaca Nation was most fitting to progress. However, the 2nd century brought itself the title of the Smeared Century. In it, multiple territories from the Twilight to the Dawn supercontinents started suffering, and the Lylaco Empire saw conflict with their northern neighbors. They cut off connections with them. Slowly, a major stage was being set in the world. The conflicts would only continue growing tenser and tenser. Later on, the 2nd century was recognized to have seeded the Grand Warring period, where the hostility between the supercontinents would only grow for the following 3rd and 4th centuries. Yet, in the 5th century, those hostilities broke everything apart. The fa?ade of peacefulness the world¡¯s growing powerhouses tried to hide, much to show they were better than previous sanctum orders, sparked blasts everywhere. In the 5th century, the Total Change War period was brought to light. It gave birth to the deaths of more than 100 million worldwide with the ¡®Great Haul¡¯ of the new and old nations fighting. Massacring each other, losing, and winning territory everywhere in the world. The Lylaco Empire was destroyed by a new force, one from the State of Estuar, belonging to the isolated territory of the Twilight supercontinent at sea. They escaped when a civil war and conquest war descended in the State of Estuar, fleeing to the north of the Moonblue supercontinent, where they massacred others. The Day¨²n, Pochoank, Jyededa, Kak¨²n, and Mombshtok¨® aboriginals there were annihilated, before thirsting for the Lylaco Empire¡¯s norther borders. They called themselves the Leafless Tree Coalition, shedding the land¡¯s blood everywhere before creating their settlements. Later on, they renamed themselves as the Aggregated Nation States, ANS. A powerful nation that would only grow to be more powerful through time. The destroyed Lylaco Empire, whose southern borders were further destroyed by ANS timely navy, as the Empire had the largest navy at that time, could only live for some years before transitioning. It became the nowadays Lymoca. Despite the bloody feud of the past, in the current days, ANS and Lymoca have been neighbors who undoubtedly support each other. Mighty as it might be, as one of the strongest powerhouses of the current sanctum order, the ANS isn¡¯t made of gold and paradise. Even though it was a bit hectic and a disparaged bilateral relationship was formed between them, they were now aware of the need for each other¡¯s peoples. ¡­ Chapter 42 — What Lies Beyond Daily Life? What Lies Beyond Daily Life? The 5th century was thus the bloodiest conflict in the fourth order, at least so far. The weapons were quite advanced by then, but only compared to the 1st century''s Great Revolution. And even more so inferior to Preut''s armor and the little contemporary weapons they could get. However, a trace of hope ushered the whole world in the midst of the 8th century. In the 8th century, the world welcomed the oh so famous Green Transformation. Led by Lymoca¡¯s humanitarian 1-term president. The world had keys. Once upon a time, it might have been political ideals or simply ideologies that governed the world, but the first order was a great example for every aspect of human intelligence. Now, the world had keys. There was the Heart Key, where a political identity¡¯s ideals are guided by the common good. A nation with this key protects its sovereignty, and expresses their intention to bring their homeland to a higher standing everywhere else. The Peaceful Key is where the nation moves to secure its protection and growth. It is to adopt a neutral stance in the world¡¯s geopolitics, refusing any conflict or the escalation to one. A Peaceful political entity is often followed by a necessary, slow or rapid, economic increase and solid stability. Neutrals who only care about themselves. The Aggressive Key political entity is one that usually seeks conflict, whatever the reason might be, even if not for themselves, but to ¡®aid¡¯ others in ¡®certain¡¯ things. Their leadership is often controversial and qualified as unfriendly. Some are even so-called dictators. The Judgment Key is where the political entities are half-fully focused in rearranging their society, frequently ending in a tremendous change¡­ or furious revolutions. Sometimes¡­ political entities with this Key are typically recognized as ¡®pets¡¯ or ¡®puppets¡¯. Yet, in the 8th century, Lymoca created the Humane Key. It is to seek peacefulness everywhere through word of compassion and hope. But they cannot be weak. Their stance is one that frequently draws discontent from others. Still, it is a Key whose government or rule dictates the improvements of its people, not just on stability. Their plans are usually long term, such as reforms, and worldwide. The famous ¡®green president¡¯, for that matter, only served 1 term in Lymoca, retiring to a little piece of land in the state of Lymaospas¨® in Lymoca. From 738 to 750. His term not only brought a new sight to the future and world peace, but several movements with his achievements. The Green Humanism Harmony was formed after the 738-744 term. There are recordings of the president resting in a little beach, simply nodding his head after the nations¡¯ meeting across the world was concluding via a webcam. The president was no more into politics. The GHH emphasized the care for all nature. Any life, growing organism, ethnicity, or even just some material, are to be utmost protected. Also bringing self-sufficiency to the poorest. It was signed, with the old man president¡¯s nod, in 745. That wasn¡¯t all. The Oscard Marketing Link was formed. The trading ¡®company¡¯ to spread throughout the world. It is to bring the world to a maritime, aerial, and neighboring land territory all signed up to a brand-new globalized market. Bringing the best stabilization to every country/political entity¡¯s trading merchandise. It was written after and backed by the GHH. Then came the HLS, the Humanitarian Logistics Stability. It concludes the civilization as a whole to that of the entire world. Where its members, everyone, could attempt anything before war could break out. It has 3 main phases to avoid war. The 1st phase is through peaceful mediation. The 2nd phase is by marriage, or a similar bond. Both selected parties must be willing, and that¡¯s about it. The 3rd phase is a team vs. team conflict in the search for resolution. It was officially formed in 750. Lastly, the last global agreement was the IWS, the Intellectual World Security. The IWS protects all cyberspace and data exchange in the world. The world¡¯s precious internet and massive communications depend on it, which is now further backed by the NPA of the second order. It officially interconnected the world¡¯s satellites, communications, and data flow. It is only with this one that bions could be further analyzed and researched so they wouldn¡¯t violate the IWS and the GHH. Additionally, with the creation of all these agreements, norms, etc. The previously known flower vase, Post Order Concession, was finally given use during the latter half of the 8th century. Fully empowered and protecting the world¡¯s peoples. That was just about the world¡¯s history Phesx Caolia has come across the Ojazul school and Victor¡¯s collection. ¡­ Just as Phesx Caolia was waiting for Lorena to get freed from her little girlfriends, all wanting to know which boy she likes, and Lore trying to hide her blushing cheeks, someone walked to him. Looking at his side, Phesx Caolia watched a shy little beauty smile towards him. ¡°Miss Andrea Crescar,¡± Phesx Caolia greeted the shy one. Andrea Crescar, a smart gal whose body was boy-repellent, but she was the school¡¯s professors and deans favorites. It is said the director has had dinner with her family just to ensure she¡¯d have a long, arduous, and paid studies. She has to be a big deal for a school director to care so much. Rosy white skin, golden chestnut long hair, and brown eyes. A beauty overall. She was also tall, with Phesx Caolia¡¯s nose at her forehead, should she come closer. Pretty small curves. Phesx Caolia stood while slightly leaning on his bike, now black and red colors, sitting on the edge of his seat with his feet on the ground. Andrea Crescar stood half a step away from his bike, wearing a pink dress with red floral patterns with green stems. They looked strangely cute. ¡°Did you forget something?¡± Being sick for the past week, Phesx Caolia thought she wanted his help with something from the class. He was one of the few ones whom she spoke to. Andrea looked at him and shook her head with her chin slightly low. ¡°Lorena isn¡¯t your girlfriend, right?¡± ¡°Eh? Why not? She always comes running to me. She likes riding,¡± Phesx Caolia said, crossing his arms but supporting his right elbow on his left wrist. Making an ambiguous gesture as Andrea tilted her neck, looking at him playfully. She restrained a giggle, ¡°Puchi!¡± Phesx Caolia blinked once, startled. Then twice, tilting his head to a little to the left. He pushed his shoulders forth to ¡®intimidate¡¯ her, watching her pwetyy cheeks turning rosier. ¡°What? I¡¯m not afraid of the law. Or are you saying she wouldn¡¯t give me it?¡± ¡°Oh no, I wasn¡¯t saying that,¡± Andrea hurried to explain. She seemed serious. Clearing her throat, Andrea walked a little closer, with a section of her upper back bare, letting him see her beautiful skin. ¡°Are you¡­ erm, avail¡­ able?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia slowly turned his head to look at her. After he blinked for the 7th time, Andrea garnered enough courage to return his stare. ¡°I¡­ am not a person you should be with. Not for any ¡®hidden¡¯ motives. I can take care of you, appreciate you, and do you. But I don¡¯t think I can have you mine.¡± Andrea¡¯s eyes watered a little. Was this all for nothing? She just thought a lot and sacrificed good nights of studying all these weeks and finally shot her shot. But just then, Phesx Caolia turned towards her and grabbed her jaw with his gentle fingertips. ¡°Mm, no. I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t like you. You have your beauty. It¡¯ll be dumb of you if you really tell me you don¡¯t think any man would be willing to have you. But I wouldn¡¯t like being the first to guide you into a trail and error ¡®young life¡¯. Life¡­ is too complicated to want to play ¡®love is hard¡¯.¡± Phesx Caolia spoke with his soft, semi-broken voice. Not like he hides it anymore like he did in the encampment years ago, but he rarely talks in school, the mansion, or while riding. ¡°Sniff, but you didn¡¯t say no, right?¡± Andrea said after cleaning the bits of tears that spilled out after hearing Phesx¡¯s words. Phesx Caolia let go of her jaw, looked at her, and returned to stare ahead, where he could see Lorena wasting time after seeing him ¡®flirting¡¯. ¡°I knew it. It¡®s always the quiet ones.¡± Phesx Caolia said, shaking his head and with a ¡®disgusted¡¯ tone. Andrea smiled, so beautifully he felt hurt at the truth behind his words. Then, she voiced, contented like she had just won. ¡°You can teach me, and if I don¡¯t get into your heart, then I¡¯ll remember you like a stupid love that was never there. Isn¡¯t that great?¡± ¡°Tsk. You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re messing with, lass.¡± Phesx Caolia grinned and said, appearing like an uncle with his arms crossed. Andre lowered her face and smiled big time, shaking her head cutely before smooching his cheek. Shortly after Andrea left, Lorena slowly walked towards him, finally letting go of her little girlfriends. Her small brown eyes were like a narrowed cat¡¯s, pretty, and dangerous. Phesx Caolia rolled his eyes before letting her hop behind him. That day, he drove safely to the mansion and didn¡¯t slap-surprise the chick. ¡­ Thus, from that week onwards, Phesx Caolia met with shy Andrea, the cute lass. He also began distancing himself from his previous group, although it wasn¡¯t that obvious, as he was quiet everywhere. Marisela met her after 2 weeks of dating the cute lass. Victor gave him a proud nod and father¡¯s eyes, while Lorena rolled her eyes and stole his beauty away for the whole first day he brought her. Andrea was shy to be in such a rich place, but being with Phesx Caolia, she became shameless little by little until she was shameless enough to become used to it. Then, their nonexistent ¡®deal¡¯ had to be exercised. Thus, on another occasion that Phesx Caolia brought Andrea to the mansion, after Marisela told him ¡®very subtly¡¯ that she¡¯d relax away from the mansion, he went up to his bedroom. When he went inside, he was forcibly assaulted by soft skin, meat, and curves. Feeling it was a crime against humankind to feel all of that through clothes, Phesx Caolia rapidly undressed and felt a woman¡¯s body after years¡­ In short, it was sweet, flexible, innocent, easy to hurt¡­ and lots to be taught. In another viewpoint, it started with the soft caresses from the top to the bottom, from using his palms to his teeth. From restrained moans to light gasps, to loudly calling his name. Hellcat still had it. With Lorena going out with her girlfriends to the movies and to see the beloved female vice president, warrior, and whatever else give a conference, Phesx Caolia laid in bed with his cute lass. With shoulders proving what happened from the bite marks reddening his light brown skin, and the sleeping kitten against his chest, lying sideways with him under his sheets. Her face, neck, collarbone, and other places flushed crimson rosy. Looking at his piece of art, Phesx Caolia caressed just above her cheekbones. Andrea opened her eyes, waking up from a dreamy state with her first love taking care of her in his arms. It would soon be evening, but having met him before, her parents felt more or less at ease. She spoke to them about him so much, after all, and they knew he was good in school. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Who of the new classmates bothered you?¡± Phesx Caolia asked after they exchanged tons of teenage kisses for no reason, simply because they could. Andrea lowered her eyes and dropped her head heavily onto his arm. ¡°I want to find this out from you. The less I get to punch, the better,¡± Phesx Caolia smirked a lot by the time he finished those words. Andrea never saw him ¡®like that¡¯, but she somehow didn¡¯t doubt him. Kissing his veins around his arm¡¯s nook, she hid one of her eyes on his light brown skin before whispering, ¡°The one named Dentado.¡± ¡°Mn, good girl. Now, you¡¯ve gained an extra study session.¡± Phesx Caolia said, smooching her forehead before sliding with his right hip, grabbing her waist and bringing her atop him. Her bent knees straddled him as she blushed. Then, she felt the addictive ¡®plugging¡¯ that she now felt they were perfectly made for each other to do. ¡°But, I promised your mother to stay for dinner,¡± Andrea said before immediately blushing. Even Phesx Caolia felt embarrassed to hell when Marisela knocked on his door amidst the tender, kittenish moans, let alone the source of those heavenly bell-like sounds. The betrayal¡­ ¡°It¡¯s commonly called a ¡®quickie¡¯. I call it nothing, because it¡¯s just about making one another tremble as fast as possible.¡± Phesx Caolia said before going all out on her. Weak and overpowered, Andrea could only giggle as her eyebrows slowly deepened into an exquisite frown. Exquisite from how she looked, and why. ¡­ Day after day, week after week, Phesx Caolia and Andrea spent lots of times together. At some point, after school one day, Phesx and his circle no longer met. On the other hand, Phesx Caolia spoke of some military stuff he lived in Preut. After all, with all those scars that took too long to heal, he couldn¡¯t possibly think of hiding it. It was only after the first talking about life with Andrea Crescar that he was glad he didn¡¯t fuck around like an imbecile. It was honey and warm; reciprocating tenderness. Not just the talks about life, but all the dates and lovely time Andrea had him go through because of her emotions. But at last, another 2 months later, in the last week of the 8th month, Andrea would move out to the capital, where she¡¯d attend a high-end college and build her life and future like she could have never imagined. This was a massive opportunity. Besides, her parents got jobs in Proteros, too, letting her have an amazing beginning any other family would wish they had. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to come?¡± Andrea asked him in front of her house, with her parents moving their things into their car. They would move in a family large car they rented to Proteros, with their belongings like clothes in their car. The costly things and pets would go with them. Phesx Caolia looked at her after helping her family pack their things. ¡°It¡¯s not me.¡± Phesx Caolia smiled and walked to stand just before her. After smooching her forehead a few times, he grabbed her chin and turned her head left and right. Kissing her left cheek twice, he planted more on her right cheek, letting his lips rest on her skin there a bit longer. ¡°It¡¯s not fair. You know how it makes me feel when you kiss me like that,¡± Andrea still blushed, but she wasn¡¯t shy to say those words outside her mind. She grabbed his jaw and pushed her lips into his, lasting the kiss for long before hugging his neck. She looked up at him, who grew slightly taller than her, as Phesx returned the lock of eyes. Holding her waist, their bodies stuck together as their staring eyes did all the talking. ¡°Take care.¡± When the time came for her to leave, as their noses¡¯ bridges formed a little gap, and their tips pushed against each other softly all this while, Phesx Caolia said. Patting her back as her parents waited at the side, her arms softly let go around him, falling down his shoulders. ¡°You too,¡± Andrea said before eskimo kissing him, pushing her nose into his one last time before departing. She looked back at him one last time before entering the car after her parents did. Once their cars left, Phesx Caolia hopped onto his bike and rode to the mansion. When he arrived, it was evening, a little soon for dinner. He parked his bike and opened the door, when he noticed his guardians and ¡®little sister¡¯ waiting for him in the largest living room. He went to them as they stood up and greeted him. In this saddened atmosphere, silent but warm, Victor spoke first. ¡°Are you sure you want to leave the house? It¡¯s understandable if you rather drop out of school, it¡¯s not for minds like yours. I¡¯d be more than glad to help you myself and find others to give you what you need.¡± ¡°If it is because of that cute little lass¡­ we can move to Proteros, there¡¯s no problem. This is just our natal state. That¡¯s all,¡± Marisela voiced, frowning sadly. Phesx Caolia smiled thinly and blinked, spreading his arms to the sides slightly. ¡°Please, don¡¯t worry about that. It isn¡¯t that. It¡¯s just¡­ not me.¡± The Ruvas went silent. They understood him and respected his choice, but they also liked him a lot. They would rather have him close than just knowing he¡¯ll be alright on his own. ¡°Wuuuuuu!¡± Lorena stepped forth and hugged him, burying her sad, sobbing face on his chest. Phesx Caolia held her head and rubbed her back occasionally under Victor and Marisela¡¯s eyes. Their time together was ending. ¡°Will you be fine without me?¡± Phesx asked. Lorena lifted her little face between his arms, no longer tearing up, but wet still. ¡°Mhm. Bruno said he¡¯s registering for the Ojazul next year. All that tutoring should have helped him. Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯ll keep doing the stretches you taught me, and then I¡¯ll learn self-defense, alright?¡± ¡°Well, that sounds promising,¡± Phesx Caolia said in a positive tone. But then, he tilted his head to the right, ¡°But I meant not seeing me around the pools, showing my muscles and all.¡± ¡°Moou.¡± Lorena pouted and pushed him away before Victor and Marisela brought him to a large sofa where everyone could lie down. It was ridiculously lengthy, but comically practical sometimes. They had to spend all night together if necessary. It would be the last time they might see each other in months¡­ or more? ¡­ In the following morning, just as Phesx Caolia bid them farewell, and Phesx spoiled little Lore with a few smooches on her forehead and cheeks, Victor stopped him at the door. ¡°It finally arrived a few minutes ago. I¡¯ve had it prepared and ready to be ridden on the way here. Take it, alright? I know you¡¯ve got a storage with fuel hidden inside. Just don¡¯t sell it, the government will do something about that. You cheeky brat.¡± ¡°Thank¡­ you.¡± Phesx Caolia looked at Victor with wide open eyes. Then, he felt ashamed of trying to hide that from the Ruvas. He smiled, thankful that Victor wasn¡¯t mad. But then, he thought, ¡®The government already knows I bought a little storage and put many barrels of fuel in there? Scary¡­¡¯ ¡°Take care, kid. Maybe you¡¯ll call us father and mother in our faces in the future and thank us back, huh? Don¡¯t underestimate the regulation of goods. And don¡¯t thank me yet, it¡¯s silly to thank twice for being too rash.¡± Victor surprise-hugged Phesx, letting the young boy feel the care he had for him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Phesx Caolia exclaimed as he opened the door. His mouth went loose, but his lips remained closed. His eyes, though, they widened madly. At the front of the mansion gates, a Myertha waited for him. Looking back at Victor, Phesx wanted to hug him. ¡°Keys and documents. All on you. From now on, you break something, you pay it. I had to talk with someone in the KAA to get it, brand-new and on discount. If you¡¯ve got big business in the future, I should be first on the list.¡± Victor passed him some small cases and boxes before smirking like the winner that he is. ¡°Thank you!¡± Phesx Caolia said, looking at the Ruvas again before nodding. He turned around and walked away from the entrance. In the garage zone, his bike was probably beside his dirt bike in Lorena¡¯s garage so she could train with them in the near future. When he checked his beauty, walking around its practical yet fashionable ¡®skirt¡¯ of metal hugging its sides and seat, and its lengthy size, perfect for high speeds and leaning in wide turns, Phesx felt enamored. He put his helmet, a jacket, and gloves on, all part of the gear a professional motorcyclist should wear, before hopping onto it and starting it. Looking one last time at the Ruvas after feeling the insane motor in this thing roar, his new baby, Phesx looked at them standing on the entrance. Vrrrruuuuuuuummmm~! After waving at them, Phesx Caolia departed with his Myertha, feeling like a god whose powers just evolved to become immortal. His heart felt warm. He first rode to the HD, the Housing Department, which are where people from the territory can arrange for a residence. It is also where the compatriots can request counseling, be it physical or mental, and receive aid or advice from. As such, it also became the place refugees can attend to apply for certain programs, some of them were voluntary foster care and¡­ refugee pension. After receiving the green light to receive his monthly refugee pension of roughly 5,000 credits per month, Phesx Caolia went to the Ojazul school. It was the 7th day of the 8th month¡¯s last week, so it was closed, except for official business, be it with ¡®big¡¯ people, employees, or the students. ¡­ Phesx Caolia went inside to formally quit the school. When he came out, the professor who taught him in the ¡®latecomer¡¯ class, Vino Bandera, saw him out. ¡°It¡¯s really a pity. You were really one good student. Not like many of these little shits.¡± Phesx Caolia smirked at the professor, who now felt free to speak to him as a non-student. Phesx Caolia turned around and politely said, ¡°Thank you, professor. I¡¯ll be leaving now. You were also one good professor from the other shitty ones.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Vino Bandera looked at him, slightly startled. He didn¡¯t respond and went back inside, but he couldn¡¯t hide the ¡®sound¡¯ of that big smile silently forming from Phesx Caolia. Watching the professor go inside, Phesx Caolia erased his face of being in a good mood before turning around. However¡­ there was a shorter-than-regular, bald man nearing his middle ages who stood just behind him. Phesx Caolia¡­ was stunned and scared. How did¡­ someone appear just behind him without him noticing?! ¡°Hello- Hellcat,¡± the man said, stopped, and bent his upper body forward to speak with hard emphasis on Phesx Caolia¡¯s overshadowed alias. Phesx¡¯s eyes trembled, and he motioned to step backwards, but the man stopped him with simple questioning. ¡°Why did you do it? And why did you leave? You could have formed a small force, and then maybe rule Preut with¡­ ¡®some help¡¯.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Phesx Caolia frowned and stopped moving, tensing his arms and thigh muscles. The short man¡¯s appearance was simple, of brown skin and black eyes. He lifted his chin, looking at the side before darting his eyes to Phesx Caolia. ¡°Kill- no, assassinate General Medina of the preqs, General Ezquivel of the preis, and General Hungish Salazar, whose commander Alexis Cangrejo benefitted you back then?¡± The short man casually spoke, frowning like he was rebuking Phesx Caolia for being rude. ¡°How-¡± Phesx Caolia was real afraid now. He stared at this man with his body trembling, but the man seemed to not care as he moved his face from side to side, slowly, and interrupted him. ¡°How can I know what you did in that war? Hm, well. Here¡¯s another way to answer you. We can know, and as we do, others can.¡± ¡°Phesx Caolia,¡± the man slowly uttered his name. ¡°You¡¯re a kid who got trapped in the war, how sad! However, was it like that? Didn¡¯t you start killing the very first chance you could? Weren¡¯t you a killing shadow back in that Centralized Parliament? Why are you so contented with living like a rich boy now? Your mother¡¯s dead, nothing can hold you back, and you¡¯re growing.¡± ¡°What¡¯s stopping you?¡± The man asked, frowning. Phesx Caolia formed fists with his hands, hiding his sharpened nails. As for his teeth, he long knew how to speak normally while covering their obviously different appearance with his lips. ¡°Stopping me?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± the short man lifted his palms to stop Phesx and let him continue. ¡°From getting to it again, of course!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want that?¡± The short, bald man lowly spoke, lowering his chin, and eyes upturned. ¡®Don¡¯t I want it?¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes contents shrunk. The man¡¯s words were like magic. Doesn¡¯t he want that?! ¡°That¡¯s the face I wanted to see,¡± the man lifted his chin and nodded, contented. He continued again, ¡°You were not meant for war, though. No, you¡¯ve got something more special in your road ahead, boy. Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± ¡°What¡­ are you talking about?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, suddenly feeling sobered up. His trembling stopped, and he could feel his body¡¯s weight and its cold and warmth from the past adrenaline dissipating. The short man grinned with his chin up, ¡°We are Riverlye, a Lagj organization. In the world, my boy, there are countless secret organizations. Lagj are just a part of that world. Are you interested¡­ in knowing more?¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s light black eyes trembled. This time, it was¡­ desire? He gulped and thought, pondering on what this meant¡­ on¡­ what something like this could mean to him. With the words the short bald man spoke¡­ they clearly liked his killing tendencies. Furthermore¡­ they knew he assassinated the generals of every Preut military camp, wanting to help end the war a little faster. However, none of that happened. ¡°How did you do that? I mean, it¡¯s nothing too difficult, but you¡­ didn¡¯t even use your modded firearms. The generals¡¯ wounds were-¡± The short man had been speaking as Phesx Caolia remained quiet and staring off into the void like a retard with widened eyes. He tried convincing the young boy and mistook Phesx¡¯s silence as doubt. ¡®Who are these people? What can they¡­ do to me? How did this man evade all my senses? I wasn¡¯t attentive, but mine are better than any other person! This¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia smiled out of nowhere. His smile hooked upwards from both corners. His face wasn¡¯t handsome, but neither was it ugly. When his smile spread from ear to ear, with dimples at the side, the short man felt strange but continued trying to convince Phesx Caolia. For naught. ¡°How can I start?¡± Phesx Caolia smiled more! His light black eyes shone! ¡­
This is the end of Volume 1 ¡ª When Does A Man Become A Monster? Chapter 43 — Riverlye Riverlye Phesx Caolia hoped onto his bike, now wearing his full gear after changing in the school. Just as he grabbed his helmet, the short bald man appeared on his left, somehow evading his mirrors and reflection from the streetlights in the evening shining on his baby. Phesx Caolia looked at the man, who extended his right hand and gave him a small device with an even smaller screen. Grabbing it, he asked the short man, ¡°What is this for?¡± ¡°GPS, go carefully. I¡¯ll be waiting for you there¡­ This is a nice gadget!¡± The short man said, hovering the same hand above Phesx¡¯s bike. Lifting his head, the man noticed Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes and retracted his hand, ¡°My bad. Go to the location, don¡¯t take too long.¡± Phesx Caolia moved his head, driving his eyes away, before putting his helmet on. He continued locking the man with his senses, trying to lock his presence and body with his eyes. But as he put his helmet on, the man disappeared. Phesx Caolia looked at the left before not bothering anymore and just rolled his eyes before starting his baby, riding away. Vrrrrruuuummm~! Putting the device atop the handlebar, Phesx Caolia frowned. Turning it on, it directed a road leading to the center of Sargonde, not of the city or municipality. Having a long road of around 2 hours not on the main road ahead, Phesx Caolia relaxed and just enjoyed the sensation of his baby. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t know how to push his body and force it, or lose sleep. Besides, it was night, and he could ride on his brand-new bike, a Myertha nonetheless. What could be better? As Phesx Caolia rapidly drove to the main road through the semi-bustling city, with more pedestrians than cars at night, Lymoca continued breathing. *** Proteros, just a quarter of an hour before 8 PM. In the presidential precinct, the president¡¯s office had dim lights. The sound of writing on paper sounded, it was light but present. At times, keyboard sounds also sounded, but these were less common. The president, Luis Heartez, wrote a few more letters, having long finished the letters of the week from some citizens. These were destined for something else, for something more. He heard some noise from outside, but he ignored it and focused on his work. He had to give his intentions to the right people in the adequate ways. Step¡­ step¡­ -pam! Footsteps followed the sound of his entrance being slammed open. A slightly chubby man with tanned skin barged in, with Roam, Luis¡¯s presidential secretary, just behind the man, failing to stop him. Luis Heartez looked up at the barging man, who stopped when looking at a tired-looking Luis working on some letters. The man had balding black hair, was of a regular height, and had small black eyes. He rearranged his clothes and walked inside with a straight back and his chin high. Luis glanced at Roam and gently shooed with his hand, ¡°Thank you, Roam, I¡¯ll take it from here.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Roam cleaned his face¡¯s sweat before nodding, feeling lamentable for his incompetence. With no other option, he closed the door and stepped away. His footsteps could be heard as the man walked to Luis¡¯s desk without a care. ¡°Hmph. Working this late?¡± The man said, with his eyes drawn to look down at the contents of those letters. Luis didn¡¯t cover them in time, if he wanted to hide it. He looked up at the man¡¯s face before staring at the balding spots in his head. ¡°Mister Mu?oz Estandarte, I didn¡¯t remember your hair was falling this quickly, hah hah.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mu?oz frowned and pouted, almost inadvertently, and ignored Luis¡¯s friendly remark. He commented as he placed his hands on Luis¡¯s desk, ¡°It¡¯s just Mu?oz Estandarte. You are the president, I¡¯m only a political party president. What¡¯s the use of things like honorifics?¡± ¡°Mu?oz, it is, then.¡± Luis reclined his back on his lavish chair and said, tapping his own desk. Mu?oz opened his mouth, but his eyes dropped again, before his hand rapidly took one of the letters. Silence ensued, with Luis¡¯s eyes looking up, not feeling hurried to act. ¡°?¡± Suddenly, Mu?oz grabbed letter after letter, reading them and packing them in his hands, ruining them somewhat. When he read the sixth, last letter, he frowned hard and looked down at Luis, rising his volume. ¡°Are you out of your mind? Ha! I feel we¡¯ve already had this conversation. The ANS have offered Lymoca the opportunity of something we haven¡¯t been able to do for decades. And you just say no? Oh~. You think you can? You think that¡¯s what you can do?!¡± Luis didn¡¯t respond, intertwining his fingers and resting his elbows on his desk. Mu?oz shook his head and turned around. When he took a step away, with the letters in hand, Luis immediately stood up. He spoke in a light, slightly trembling voice. Still, he sounded urgent but firm. ¡°Mu?oz! Lymoca is a whole matter, but let me tell you about me and those before me.¡± Luis rapidly spoke. Mu?oz stopped, but he only turned his head. ¡°Hah? You mean, those way before you. Right?¡± ¡°Allow me,¡± Luis bent his upper body a little. His fingertips were on his desk, as if they were supporting him from the weight on his back. ¡°It¡¯s indeed a struggle for decades, but it isn¡¯t something I fit in that ¡®we¡¯. I have found a way, or ways, and am working to it. It¡¯ll take time, it¡¯s slow, but-¡± ¡°Ah! So you want another term, is that it?¡± Mu?oz¡¯s face worsened with Luis¡¯s words until he couldn¡¯t contain himself anymore and returned to the desk. He slammed his palms on the table, lightly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you also formed your political party? Haha, you really thought well, bringing your hauled mules and donkeys into your rallies just to make the people think you¡¯re worth something. You think no one sees it? Everyone knows it, you¡¯re going to win nothing when the time comes. You can¡¯t keep stealing from our country!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that how you called it? ¡®Defending Our Homeland¡¯? Our?!¡± Mu?oz widened his eyes, growing a wide smirk on his lips. ¡°You will be voted out, and when it happens, you¡¯ll be brought to justice along with every single traitor to our country! Liar!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not playing any games, I¡¯m tired of them.¡± Luis sharply interjected. Mu?oz opened his mouth but froze, blinking as his breathing intensified. Luis licked his lips before breathing into his lungs, ¡°This is what really works for us. Maybe inviting foreigners could help, but if we can do it, and we don¡¯t have to lose anything, then why not go for it?¡± ¡°No, wait,¡± Luis stopped Mu?oz from speaking again, almost touching the latter¡¯s chest with his fingers. ¡°I want to do this, and I plan to do it. I know I can succeed, but if you were to help me, of which I beg you, it¡¯ll happen sooner and with less time wasted. Not only you and Lymoca¡¯s Vanguard, Gal¨¢n and the National Scholars of Honor are invited, too. We would all win! Lymoca will win!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mu?oz became silent and blinked, moving his tongue inside his mouth. To Luis, this meant he was interested. He waited, letting the silence help Mu?oz think, before Mu?oz finally questioned. ¡°What¡­ I mean, what are your plans? Tell me, and I can trust you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis tilted his head forward and rightwards. He would, of course, not tell him when there hasn¡¯t even been a compromise. Mu?oz¡¯s face slowly fell, returning to the same of just a few seconds ago. Showing the letters in his hand to Luis, Mu?oz smirked. Then, he swagged his head while walking away. ¡°Then keep doing the fuck you wanna. Don¡¯t come back at us crying on your knees like last time. Forget about our help with the Supreme Court Justice. Good luck even showing up to the next festivities. I heard you¡¯re too damaging to Lymoca¡¯s image, so some people might decide to exclude you from ruining it more in our national holidays.¡± ¡°Mu?oz¡­¡± Luis¡¯s eyes changed. However, he let that matter float apart and looked at the letters brought away in Mu?oz¡¯s hand. His gray-black eyes hardened after forcefully gulping down. ¡°It is no doubt helplessness is what comes to me whenever I want to even speak in public. I¡¯m hopeless, and I can¡¯t make a move. I haven¡¯t even seen my daughter in weeks. I do understand where I stand, and how fragile my legs have become¡­¡± Luis gulped again, sweating a little, but Mu?oz still faced him with his back and couldn¡¯t notice. ¡°But even then,¡± conviction sounded in the same trembling, urgent voice. ¡°They¡¯re still able to lift my feet and help me see where I can step next. It¡¯s slow, slower than I ever thought it would have been. The hands- the¡­ water, ropes, the whatever¡­ Whatever is holding me down surprised me, and even if I do better, I¡¯m helpless. But I¡¯m still moving.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re completely right. But I am not wrong.¡± Luis straightened his back, softly gulping. ¡°I am the president of Lymoca. I have duties, not only to deal with-¡­ foreign matters, but within. I respect them, their work, status, and what they do. Believe it, I just do. But¡­ I am the president. You can refuse me, disrespect me, plot behind my back, and scare me off¡­¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Luis Heartez¡¯s last 3 words seemed¡­ strengthened. Mu?oz slowly turned around during Luis¡¯s disquieting, silent pause. By then, Luis¡¯s sweat had gone cold. ¡°But only when I am far away and better not be in the same room as you,¡± Luis¡¯s words turned serious. That ¡®you¡¯ was also obviously not meant for Mu?oz alone, and he knew it. Luis didn¡¯t stop just there. ¡°Because if you are, then you will look directly at my face unless you¡¯re leaving! You will behave politely even if there are no cameras or hidden ears to flash a smile or speak for the people! You won¡¯t dare to lie in my face, knowing I¡¯m not ignorant! And you will never threaten me lest you¡¯ll fall before me first!¡± ¡°Out of my building!!¡± Luis Heartez shouted, thundering inside his office. Mu?oz Estandarte dropped the letters, staring directly at the gray-black eyes that have turned piercing, like an eagle¡¯s defending its nest. Even if the hunter fled, he would fly after them. A few seconds later, Luis maintained eye contact, sharply narrowed and staring at Mu?oz, who breathed harder each new second. It was but the last time they would see each other in places without cameras or bright lights. Step, step, step, step, step, step¡­ Moments later, Mu?oz turned around and left the office, walking through the entrance without saying a word. Luis could hear clicks of cameras and people questioning, but Mu?oz only walked away, driving the sound further and further from his office. Thud. Luis fell on his chair. Roam softly returned 5 seconds later, with a hot cup of something in his hands. Luis Heartez was too impacted to notice, looking at the ceiling like he could see something else, or someone. He breathed in and out, sweating and waving his hand for some air. Roam walked to his side, offering him the cup. ¡°Here, sir. Drink something. You need rest.¡± Luis took the cup and drank, he felt the hotness yet flavor it had to the smallest detail. Luis continued drinking with his eyes closed, sometimes opening just as he breathed out, ¡°Aaah¡­ so good. Thank you, Roam.¡± ¡°Nothing to thank me for, sir.¡± Roam closed his eyes and shook his head, ready to take the cup and go outside to fill it again. When Luis was close to finishing it, he voiced, ¡°Mn. Before I forget, or change my mind. Never let any reporters or journalists 100 meters near my office without my or Lesly¡¯s invitation.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Roam nodded, gabbing the cup after Luis downed the rest, throwing his head back and gulping. Roam walked away as Luis continued sitting lazily, thinking, ¡®Ah, the damn cold is already threatening to return. Maybe it¡¯ll go away after a few months.¡¯ Step, step, step. More footsteps echoed, making Luis look up. This time, those steps were different, echoing much like another person¡¯s. His eyes widened when he stared at the lady walking towards him from the outside with the entrance left open. A beauty with creamy white skin, long black hair, and breathtaking black eyes. She was short, but a delicate beauty nonetheless. Slender, but with a perky, notorious top, and visibly well-taken care of thighs. She wore a skirt that could pass as shorts for distracted eyes. ¡°Lesly!¡± The president exclaimed, looking at the vice president, ¡°I thought you would return later at night.¡± ¡°What would I be doing at my boss¡¯s office at that time?¡± The lady responded without much emotion in her face, leaving Luis baffled. Why did Roam have to leave at such a time? ¡°You look like truck shit,¡± Lesly said, tilting her head after entering his office. Luis blinked twice before saying in an honest voice, sitting up properly. ¡°You look beautiful.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Lesly smiled before placing a folder on his desk. Her face changed to a ¡®work time on¡¯ and her voice went straight to the point, ¡°These are the candidates. Is it good enough?¡± Luis put on a face only a disgusted father could have before looking at the endless faces and their profile data. Skimming through some of them, he murmured before glancing at a smaller folder with other people¡¯s information framed with green gold borders. ¡°It will never be good enough. Picking one like this, sigh¡­¡± ¡°Are you forming a little army? This will be bad for your image, mister president.¡± Lesly commented. Luis looked up with narrowed eyes, feeling bothered. As if she didn¡¯t know his daughter wanted her father¡¯s grandchildren to be big monsters in the future. ¡°Why are these with different frames?¡± Luis gestured to those surrounded by green gold. Lesly replied without looking down, looking around the dimly lit office, ¡°Those have talents for something. Some are good physically, IQ, EQ, social skills, military, craftsmanship, and so on.¡± ¡°¡­So many p- Preutians with such diverse talents,¡± Luis read a bit before becoming engrossed with the smaller folder. After reading through it, he asked Lesly while skimming through it again. ¡°Why are there so many Phesx? 7 in total. Hm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a common name in Preut,¡± Lesly shrugged, lifting her left eyebrow as she looked at him. Luis jumped his eyebrows, ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought they like that name so much. I would¡¯ve believed it if it was sanks and not felnx. Well then, I don¡¯t think any are worthy. But¡­ how many of these have good behavior?¡± Lesly smirked from corner to corner. She took a few documents from under her jacket, already knowing what Luis would¡¯ve thought after seeing so much information from people. Skilled people. Luis looked up at her and commented before bringing a chair for her to help him pick individuals by his side, ¡°My hero.¡± *** Sargonde, 10:15 pm. Center, where millions of people walked through the street, even until 2 or 3 AM. Phesx Caolia got off the bike and looked around. Many young people his age and a few years older walked around, still sober and with their pocket money filled. He only had 5,000 credits in his bag, which he had to use 4,000 to pay for rent in a building he just selected in the HD. After staring around, he looked back. A tall building with just 5 floors up, seemingly avoiding any light, even from the passing vehicles, was his destination. Phesx Caolia looked up before lowering his gaze as he heard footsteps. The short man walked up the stairs leading to the building¡¯s entrance, which was strangely ¡®sunken¡¯ below the ground level. When Phesx Caolia lowered his eyes, the man was already 3 meters before him. ¡®He let me hear him.¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought. The short man seemed to know what he thought but ignored it. Instead, he gestured backwards with a thin, wide smile. ¡°Follow me. If you haven¡¯t gotten cold feet.¡± Phesx Caolia expressionlessly locked his bike and left his helmet behind, following the man. Would he be allowed to turn his back on them? Did he really have a choice now? However, Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t worried about it. He came to see how large this ¡®group¡¯ could be, a lagj organization, as the short man called it. Whether he stayed or not might depend on how large this ¡®group¡¯ is. And if it¡¯s worthy. The short man¡¯s figure was shadowed by the darkness, before and after turning around. As he walked further away, Phesx couldn¡¯t track him so easily, but that didn¡¯t scare him off. He continued until he heard the entrance doors open before him, entering them. The man was waiting for him 17 meters away from the entrance, with very dim lights showing a much better view. This place looked like a rich apartment, with 6 doors to the left and another 6 to the right. Trying not to look around too much, Phesx Caolia walked to the short man, who pushed a button on the wall as he did, and an elevator¡¯s doors opened. The short man gestured to let him step inside first. Phesx doubtlessly went in, with the man following him. But then, as he looked at the same room from another angle, he saw 12 ¡®guards¡¯ who he couldn¡¯t notice before, well-hidden from him from the other side of the room, now flamboyantly showing themselves. ¡°!?¡± The doors slowly closed on his face. Phesx Caolia made no questions, though. He gulped as he felt the elevator go down several floors, then many, then a lot more than he thought¡­ At last, he looked at the short man, who wore a casual, serious resting expression and ignored him. When the elevator stopped, it was smooth and he almost missed it. Just as Phesx Caolia frowned, the short man walked forth. The elevator doors rapidly opened, letting the man pass. He stopped once outside and looked back, ¡°Come then.¡± With that, the short man walked away, but Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes were wide and incredulous when looking at the bright, gray, metallic broad hallways before him. Not wanting to be sent back up, also not wanting to mess it up in a silly way, Phesx Caolia stepped out of the elevator. The elevator slowly closed its doors before it went silent. All Phesx Caolia could imagine was that it went back up. He accommodated his jacket and straightened his back before walking after the short man. Nobody seemed to be here, except for them two. Step, step. Step. Step, step, step. Step. Step, step. However, this notion was broken when Phesx Caolia barely heard footsteps around the corner of an immediate, brief curve through the hallways. A man and a young woman smiled, talking to each other, before slightly frowning at the sight of him. They eased their expressions almost immediately, not caring about him. Phesx Caolia ignored them, until he passed by them and turned around, walking backwards, to stare at their backs with a deeper frown. Those weren¡¯t the only people he saw walking around. ¡®I couldn¡¯t hear their footsteps either, but they weren¡¯t hiding them from me.¡¯ Phesx Caolia solidified his frown, no longer appearing too scared. Phesx found the short man waiting for him, with the man¡¯s back facing him while staring at a large, curved entrance of black metal. On his way here, nearly after 15 minutes, Phesx Caolia met maybe a hundred people. Most of them were young men or women, with just a few middle-aged or old folk. When their eyes landed on him, Phesx Caolia felt his scalp was already in their grasp. However, no one wanted to harm him. They also looked pretty normal, as if this was but a college¡¯s group of students who wanted to make their own cult. Yet, Phesx had the strange idea that any of these people could kill him as fast as he could kill with a small pistol, only they would just use their hands and feet. Perhaps just with their clothes, too. It was just a strange notion, but he couldn¡¯t see the future or have a superpower of the mind. ¡°Was the route nice?¡± The short man asked as Phesx Caolia stood beside his left. Phesx Caolia¡¯s frown eased halfway before directly asking, ¡°What are we waiting?¡± ¡°You,¡± the short man immediately responded. Phesx Caolia tilted his head to the right. Clearly not understanding. Just then, a muffled, soft beeping noise emerged from the center of the black metallic gate. It was a bit enormous, but it seemed to be made for security, not fashion. The short man only stepped forth once these opened upwards and to the sides completely, leading Phesx Caolia inside to see an old man sitting behind a wide desk made of thin, black metal, with red lights flowing from within. He was a white old fellow, with crazed white hair combed backwards, looking tall, and muscular but somewhat slender. As Phesx Caolia stepped in, he didn¡¯t notice how, but the short man stood behind him as he introduced the old man to him. ¡°Phesx Caolia,¡± he slowly uttered, ¡°This is Riverlye¡¯s Head, Gerardo Tellez. Accept your call, fate if you must, and he¡¯ll be your supreme leader, the highest superior. Refuse, and-¡± ¡°He knows what if he refuses,¡± the old man interrupted, only staring at Phesx Caolia, who stood a meter in front of his desk. ¡­
This is the beginning of Volume 2 ¡ª Game''s On. Chapter 44 — Just Breathe Just Breathe ¡°Well. You''ve come all the way here. What''s your word?¡± Gerardo Tellez, the Head, looked up at Phesx Caolia and casually asked. Phesx Caolia set his eyes on the man after looking around. The place was a little spacious, but there weren''t many decorations. In short, this was built more for receiving guests or the like, and not to be an office to work in, or a place to stay. ¡°Before I decide that, may I know how many people are there in¡­ Riverlye?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, making the short man behind him frown hard and look at him. The Head jumped his eyebrows without changing his expression. ¡°Why? Not convinced yet?¡± ¡°We have¡­ last year¡¯s recount summed up to 13,392 Artistas. Those are the common ground in Riverlye, for your information.¡± The Head added, looking up at Phesx Caolia still. Phesx¡¯s eyes widened. Those were¡­ a lot. He opened his lips to comment, ¡°Are these Artistas everywhere around Sargonde?¡± ¡°Heh heh, you still need some studying to make. Secret organizations are organizations, not organization, for a reason.¡± The Head chuckled without much emotion. Phesx Caolia frowned slightly, ¡°Does Riverlye let their not-even member meet the ¡®leader¡¯ of their¡­ lagj organization?¡± ¡°Oh no, you¡¯re just a special case. Killing 3 well-guarded ¡®regimen heads¡¯ isn¡¯t as simple as you made it seem to be. And it only took you 3 weeks to complete it.¡± The Head shook his palms in the air, speaking to Phesx Caolia in a way that made him feel restless. ¡°Then, why me?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, pointing at the chair before him. The Head nodded, so Phesx sat as the former spoke out. ¡°It¡¯s simple. First, we wanted you the moment we confirmed news about you were feasible. Other organizations are afraid of the hoogs, but not even they care about Preut¡¯s pariahs.¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia and the Head exchanged glances. Phesx blinked and blinked, while the Head looked at him with wide eyes, never blinking once. Then, Head nodded a few times in a row, ¡°You manage yourself well, even though you don¡¯t notice. You¡¯ll see the anger you held at me at this moment in a few weeks, kid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not patriotic,¡± Phesx Caolia just answered. The Head shook his head a bit, ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Second,¡± the Head counted with his left-handed fingers in the air. His eyes straight into Phesx Caolia¡¯s face, he continued, ¡°We didn¡¯t want to wait until someone else found you. You should know, even though we can also search whom you¡¯ve been with, it¡¯s too boring for this org.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Phesx Caolia frowned and asked, placing his left hand atop the desk. His eyebrows slightly jumped when he touched the surface, ¡®Feels nice.¡¯ ¡°Extortion, kidnapping those you ever spoke to, offering you money, blackmailing you, mounting up a huge scheme that would¡¯ve led to managing many people in different positions. It¡¯s all too brainless. Maybe some organized crime groups would have done that in this world.¡± The Head was reluctant to speak about these things. Phesx Caolia had the feeling the actions the Head spoke about were looked down by this ¡®new world¡¯ of secret organizations. ¡°Third. Your age. We can teach even an old man how to kill the current you in than 3 years. But if it¡¯s a younger member, we give them more space to be accepted directly. However, you also showed¡­ particular skills. We are sure you¡¯ve never trained before, so we want to train you from scratch. Many others similar to you have become great murderers, counter-assassins, and spies everywhere.¡± ¡°Sargonde?¡± Phesx Caolia simply asked. The Head tilted his head slightly to his left and lifted his left eyebrow. ¡°Hahaha.¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the Head, thinking, ¡®Could it be its across Lymoca? More? The Moonblue supercontinent?¡¯ ¡°Please accept me,¡± Phesx Caolia politely nodded, almost like bowing his head. Gerardo Tellez satisfyingly nodded in a slow motion. The Head looked at the short man behind Phesx and declared, ¡°Since he¡¯s spoken, go and introduce him around. He has 5 months to become an Artista. He¡¯ll be lucky to be given attention alone, but the mental fortitude is still necessary in a group. You know what to do, welcome to your new path in life, what¡¯s your alias? We let anyone choose it, this is no initiation. That¡¯ll come soon.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Phesx Caolia felt a little dizzy. Things were going on and on, without any paperwork, no ceremony, and as the Head said, no rite of initiation. Standing up, he faced the Head and asked, feeling the excitement in his throat unable to be contained. ¡°What is expected of me?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll come to know that. But you¡¯re a smart kid, you¡¯d know after coming here. Train and learn, kid. Better not think you¡¯re unique, if you don¡¯t want to end as someone¡¯s rag doll.¡± the Head sparked Phesx Caolia¡¯s interest. He asked again, ¡°What if I don¡¯t learn?¡± ¡°Well, you can keep trying year after year when Riverlye recruits Neophytes, but the training is costly. If you cannot pay at the end of the recruitment test, we will just treat you as someone who would have refused us before.¡± The Head said. Phesx Caolia looked at him for a couple of seconds, twitching his eyebrows, threatening to become a frown, before turning around. ¡°I like a word. I¡¯d be glad if my alias can be Fox,¡± Phesx Caolia said without turning back. The short man frowned again, giving the Head a glance, but the Head ignored him. The short man subtly nodded and departed after Phesx Caolia. Meanwhile, the Head looked at Phesx Caolia¡¯s back without blinking, just observing. His eyes narrowed as the metallic black gates closed down, coming out from the doorstep¡¯s smooth inner sides to the floor. Looking down, he stared at Phesx Caolia¡¯s information framed with gold green borders. He swung his head, mentally sighing in relief before muttering in a low voice, ¡°Vowcs, huh? Felnx, wcslia, voww¡ª vowcs, wecvs, fenlxwsclia, felnksly¡­ Your name¡¯s already a riddle. Stop playing around, kid¡­¡± Nobody could hear the Head¡¯s words, only himself, and a lonely study. ¡­ Phesx Caolia walked for 20 minutes before the short man slowed his pace. Without the man¡¯s knowledge, Phesx had somewhat understood his steps and pacing, figuring something out that he shouldn¡¯t, at least not yet. ¡°Here we are,¡± the short man said. He stopped before a door that led to a particularly large room. Phesx Caolia had to stretch his neck to see the end of the walls belonging to the same room. The man didn¡¯t look at him but berated him before walking towards the closed door. ¡°Stop playing around and play respects. Here is your superior and ¡®teacher¡¯.¡± The walls seemed made of metal, but also rock. It must be one of the mixes of materials by specialized machinery made from Courusel, which allegedly, only governments have. The door was of the same obscure gray color, with steep rectangular surfaces sticking out from irregular shapes as bricks, but smoother and easy to differentiate. The door rapidly opened and closed. Phesx Caolia only saw bright lights and steel silver colored walls and white floor before the door immediately shut down. ¡®Is this because I¡¯m¡­ late?¡¯ Phesx Caolia slightly frowned before walking forth. He mimicked the short man¡¯s attitude, but the door opened slowly. Looking down, there was no light shining on his shoes. Just as Phesx Caolia thought it would all light up once it opened to half or so, he remembered there¡¯re people inside. Why would it go dark after a person went in, even if it was this place¡¯s functions? His thoughts were cut short as the door finally opened fully. There was only darkness he couldn¡¯t see through within. He took 3 short breaths into his lungs before stepping forth. However, just as he took his 3rd step into the room, he saw a fist moving towards his forehead. ¡°!¡± Phesx Caolia could feel his neck bones twisting and screeching as he jolted it backwards. But in an instant, the lights went up, his body lost balance, and a young woman appeared before him. Rapidly regaining a stable foothold, with his right leg up and folded in the air, Phesx Caolia saw the short man and a light brown man standing beside him. After stabilizing, Phesx Caolia stared at the young woman before him. Bright pale white skin, big black eyes, pitch-black long hair combed behind her ears, tall, and with long, slender arms. ¡°Instructor, he¡¯s nothing amazing. Are you sure he¡¯s him?¡± The beauty looked back at the 2 men at the side. The light brown man, with small angry eyes, regular height, bulky, and essentially stout, nodded at her with crossed arms. ¡°Well then, good luck.¡± The young woman looked indifferently disappointed. She faced Phesx Caolia again and said with her chin low, eyes upturned, before walking past him. Meanwhile, Phesx Caolia was still lost in not knowing what the fuck just happened. Wasn¡¯t he being hit? ¡°Come in,¡± the Instructor called out to Phesx Caolia. Phesx looked at him and nodded. Walking ahead, he looked back to see the door also slowly closing now that he walked away from it. Phesx stopped 1 meter in front of the Instructor while the latter inspected him. Stolen story; please report. ¡°Not much muscle¡­ you stretch a lot?¡± The Instructor asked. Phesx Caolia nodded, ¡°Since I¡¯m¡­ 12, I think.¡± ¡°Think?¡± The Instructor lifted his left eyebrow. Then, he looked at the short bald man, ¡°Beni, will you stay?¡± ¡°Yes, he just needs to know his professors. I¡¯ll bring him to meet everyone.¡± Beni, the short bald man, unwillingly replied. The Instructor nodded before walking to Phesx Caolia, stopping half a meter before the young boy. ¡°You¡¯re young, but many blood of the young has been wasted here. When you entered, your dark eyes went dark. When you comprehend it, you¡¯d have started your training. I will teach you how to fight, weapons, your body, or bions.¡± ¡°Even if I already know?¡± Phesx Caolia lifted his right eyebrow while frowning. The Instructor shook his head. ¡°No. You don¡¯t know how to fight. You can fire a weapon, and you can kill with it. You can kill with a knife, and punch someone to death, or strangle them.¡± The Instructor took a step forward, poking his right index finger at his own chest. ¡°You will learn how to fight with me. Your body is okay, mildly prepared. But you only crouch and swing your limbs. When I start teaching you, you¡¯ll know how to survive a barrage of bullets when being naked.¡± ¡°¡­¡± To say the least, Phesx was¡­ astonished. The Instructor didn¡¯t give the young boy¡¯s state importance and turned around, nodding at Beni, ¡°I¡¯m Instructor Cala. Now leave.¡± ¡°Come,¡± Beni walked to the exit, speaking as he left without looking at Phesx. The young boy gave Instructor Cala¡¯s back another glance before turning around. Phesx started to feel like he was understanding this place, and who knows¡­ maybe fitting into it. ¡­ Next, after 2 minutes of walking, Beni brought Phesx Caolia to another room of similar size. Like before, Beni entered before him, but this time while Phesx was still heading towards the door. Phesx went in as soon as possible, but had to wait as the door slowly slid upwards, when that darkness appeared before him again. This time, he waited outside, inspecting it from there, afraid that he¡¯ll be attacked again before he could if he stepped inside. When he was still looking from the outside, and felt like a layer of the darkness dissipated, letting him see half a step further inside, Phesx heard a quiet voice speak to him from within. ¡°Are you not coming in?¡± It was a female voice. Mature, but somewhat sweet-sounding. Phesx Caolia blinked, stared ahead, but still couldn¡¯t see anything, much less hear something. With one last thought, he stepped in. Darkness surrounded him again, before he felt some barely noticeable sensations of his skin being pierced at his heart, forehead, and apple. Phesx didn¡¯t move, not knowing if doing so would kill him. He frowned when the darkness wasn¡¯t shoved away by the lights. That¡¯s when he heard the voice again, this time to his left. ¡°Not a bad resilience. Patient and intuitive.¡± Clap! Phesx Caolia blinked his eyes harshly. He opened them after a couple seconds, where he saw the ceiling and part of the wall ahead. His body was leaning backwards about 20 or 30 degrees. ¡®How could I have not noticed?¡¯ Phesx Caolia¡¯s frown gradually eased as he straightened his back. He looked to his left, where Beni stood 4 steps behind a white woman with curly black hair. He looked cautious. Phesx lowered his head but still inspected her appearance. Her eyes were scary and black. She was very tall, middle-aged, and with her hair falling down to her shoulders. When he noticed the length of her hair, Phesx also realized she held 3 needles so thin he couldn¡¯t see them well, immune to the refection from the lights. They had a bit of blood running up and down their bodies as the woman gently flicked her hand holding them. ¡°He has very good survival skills. Where did you get this?¡± The woman spoke out loud, but her words were clearly directed to the one behind her. Beni stepped forth once, ¡°From Preut. One of the immediately investigated few. We were first to contact him.¡± ¡°Good. We would¡¯ve lost many Artistas before catching him if we didn¡¯t. Remind me to tell Jos¨¦ to pick whatever new bion he wants.¡± The woman voiced without moving her head, or face, only moving her lips, teeth, and tongue. Having those eyes set on him, as she appeared casual and natural despite the creepiness, Phesx Caolia lowered his eyes at last. Then, he heard the woman speak to him. ¡°We¡¯ll see how you do later. I¡¯m your Instructor, Mel. Go on. It¡¯s been some years since I had a little bird all for myself.¡± Instructor Mel said before ushering him off with her needless. Suddenly, Beni rushed out with quick steps. Seeing this, Phesx respectfully nodded at her and left with calm steps. He couldn¡¯t tell, but he could swear he heard her smile behind his back. Neither said anything after exiting that devilish place. Beni brought Phesx Caolia to another similar room. This time, oxytocin from the previous encounter made them become less¡­ unlikeable to each other. Beni waited for Phesx Caolia this time. Before Beni walked into the door, no longer desiring to check things out, Phesx Caolia asked him. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t always like this. Usually, she¡¯s focused on teaching and lecturing the Neophytes. It is when outside the months we teach Neophytes, or in her free time, where she doesn¡¯t bother acting¡­ Remember that¡­ if you don¡¯t want to risk it.¡± Beni said. He looked truly terrified. Phesx Caolia gulped. No wonder. He didn¡¯t see any of these Instructors when Beni brought him to the Head, not even the young woman from before. It wasn¡¯t something simple. There were clearly more with the same status of Instructors, but these were different. ¡°Are you also an Instructor?¡± Phesx asked Beni. The latter nodded, ¡°But not one to teach the Neophytes, only in the field. These big rooms are all able to hold nearly a thousand Neophytes, and you only stay 4 hours with them a day to study. You¡¯ll know more later, don¡¯t bother me.¡± Phesx Caolia pressed his lips together once and made ¡®pu, pu, pu¡¯ sounds as he habitually does, but this time willingly doing it to relax a little. Beni walked into the room. Phesx Caolia waited 2 seconds outside before opening the door by just standing in front of it. Then, as soon as it fully opened, Phesx directly went inside. When darkness clouded everything, except his hearing, Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes darted left and right, feeling amazed with this strange situation yet again. A soft, elegant male¡¯s voice attempted to carry him through the darkness. ¡°Very well, come to my voice, so I can see you.¡± Phesx Caolia looked in the direction of the voice, or at least though he did, and walked towards it. After 5 seconds, he stopped and tilted his head to the left, furrowing his brows a bit. The voice spoke again, ¡°I am here. You are not lost. Walk.¡± Phesx Caolia refused to walk ahead. He stepped backwards, but then stopped. He lowered his presence, or at least thought he did, and slid his soles backwards through the floor. Click. Suddenly, the lights were turned on. Phesx Caolia felt the darkness leave his eyesight, or rather, it was that they left his eyes. Phesx Caolia was confused, mulling over it, when the same voice spoke to him again. ¡°Now, now. Now that you¡¯ve shown me pleasant responses, don¡¯t become an idiot in front of me.¡± Phesx Caolia snapped out of it and looked towards the source of the voice. Beni stood 1 step behind a creamy white blond, with a lifted hairstyle. This time, Beni didn¡¯t stand behind the next Instructor out of fear, but rather¡­ respect? ¡°I am Instructor Jos¨¦. Beni has told me you went to Mel already. I¡¯m glad. My services can be rewarded now. Come close,¡± the blond man elegantly beckoned to Phesx. The latter walked forth and stopped when Instructor Jos¨¦ gently gestured him to stop 5 meters away. Instructor Jos¨¦ walked towards Phesx. He was elegant and slow. Jos¨¦ walked around Phesx, checking him out. ¡°You have many scars, I presume. That¡¯s a good sign. I may not feel too wasteful with someone like you. What did Cala tell you?¡± ¡°That I¡¯ll learn¡­ to survive with him.¡± Phesx Caolia slowly answered. Jos¨¦ nodded, ¡°Well, his teachings and mine will teach you how to unleash something hidden to the eyes of any other. Doing so basically gives you the key to form part of any lagj organization. But with me, you¡¯ll comprehend it and hone it. With Cala, you¡¯ll learn how to harness it, once you¡¯re prepared enough.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky. I believe you¡¯ll be talented in it, mhm. Usually, those like you must wait for their fellow Neophytes to catch up before we teach you ¡®it¡¯.¡± Jos¨¦ stopped on Phesx Caolia¡¯s right and grasped the air above his shoulder. Phesx Caolia frowned at almost being touched, and when he felt nothing in the end and looked up, he saw Jos¨¦ look at him with downturned eyes. It was a bit awkward. ¡°And what is that thing, sir?¡± Phesx Caolia lifted his eyebrows and asked, not backing down. Jos¨¦ studied his face and body movements before speaking with elegance, ¡°No sirs or ma¡¯ams here, except the Head. Instructor for me and your superiors, if you¡¯re an Artista. Since you¡¯ve become a Neophyte, then you¡¯ll address those above you as such, too. Well, I suppose teaching you a little something won¡¯t be harmful.¡± ¡°Sit,¡± Jos¨¦ commanded. Phesx looked up, gulped, and sat cross-legged. Jos¨¦ walked in front of him, stood 3 meters away, and stared deadly into his face. Phesx closed his eyes, thinking that¡¯s what he wanted, but half a minute later, he opened them, only to see the Instructor look at him in the same way. ¡°Just¡ª breathe¡­¡± Jos¨¦ suddenly said, sounding relaxed and peaceful. Phesx Caolia felt his eyelids heavy down. His sight blurred, as if sleepy. His ear tingled comfortably, and he closed his eyes with his chest filling in to the brim. Jos¨¦ looked back at Beni and lifted his eyebrows, with eyes turned condescending. They both looked at Phesx Caolia, waiting¡­ Phesx Caolia felt images trying to enter his mind. Just as he does when he becomes hypersensitive, and he can even calculate the enemy¡¯s armor and best angles, distances, and which weapon to penetrate and kill them with. He refused them any entry until he realized they were familiar. Of his body. That¡¯s when they poured in. His face contorted a little, as if someone was slowly pulling on a nerve of his. An image remained in his mind in concrete. A red, meaty screen-like layer with a white thing connected with another white things, like smooth, viscous strings knotted in the middle. His focus remained on them before it zoomed in. A most strange sensation. Then, he saw it snap, with the lower half swatted to the right, and the upper half immobile like a pillar. Spurt. ¡°Aaagh!¡± Phesx Caolia instantly lifted his left hand, where his right thumb pressed below his palm as blood shot from his nostrils. He knitted his eyebrows, trembling intensely as his wrist was internally flooded with blood. Step, step, step, step! Jos¨¦ hurried forwards as Beni stupidly extended his neck and bent his back, watching in stupefaction. Jos¨¦ immediately pressed his right thumb on Phesx Caolia¡¯s wrist, slapping his other hand away. ¡®This idiot mutilated his wrist by mistake.¡¯ Jos¨¦ thought. Just then, Phesx had suddenly tapped his left wrist with his right thumb. Thus, Jos¨¦ thought that was the reason, but when he felt the left wrist with his thumb, he realized there were no signs of physical tapping. His eyes widened, but he didn¡¯t forget his task at hand. A few minutes later, with the blood in his wrist stopped, Phesx Caolia slowly opened his eyes. Trails of dried blood down his nostrils attracted his attention, but he first looked at Instructor Jos¨¦, ¡°Did I do¡­ well?¡± ¡°Oh, shut up. You¡¯ll be passed around by all the Instructors from now on. You brought this upon yourself. Go get that checked with the weapons craftsman¡¯s medic before going to Bael. Go, Beni. I have things to tell the rest,¡± Jos¨¦ rolled his eyes before commanding Beni. The latter nodded before helping Phesx up his feet. They went out with Phesx¡¯s right arm around Beni¡¯s shoulders. Phesx innocently asked, ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°Mfgh,¡± Beni replied with a groan and an ugly face. ¡­ Chapter 45 — Life As A Neophyte Life As A Neophyte Phesx Caolia was helped into a similar room of a smaller size after several minutes of walking. The doors opened sideways this time. Beni carried the young boy over his shoulder, surprising 3 people at the same time. One was behind a counter, checking a robotic arm for all Phesx Caolia cared and could see, with pain and blurriness still clouding his eyesight. The other 2 came out of what seemed a like backroom, or a bathroom. A brown young woman peeked out, topless, with a sweaty, exhausted young man behind her. He was white, with a salad-like brown afro, and quite young. The woman was a beauty, but she looked at Phesx Caolia like her duty called. ¡°Get on with him, he¡¯s still got to meet other people.¡± Beni said to the pair before the young woman nodded and went back into the room. Beni bashed everything away from another counter, with the parts of weaponry on it all falling to the floor. ¡°Eeh, Instructor, those are my thi-¡± The young man said, coming out with a towel covering his lower body, and his sweaty and wet top uncovered. Beni interrupted the young man with just words, not bothering to look. ¡°Shut it and get her things out. Do you need to knot your towel?¡± ¡°No,¡± the young man shook his head and went to yet another counter, this time smaller and with medicinal scent Phesx Caolia was used to. However, he only recognized a small portion of the scent. Watching the young man bring medicinal boxes, Phesx Caolia murmured, feeling dizzy still. ¡°Mm, no- I¡­ allergic, to some¡­ mm¡­¡± ¡°Take his file out,¡± Beni and the young man frowned before the former said. The latter nodded and went to another counter¡¯s computer with a very thin screen and with his fingers tapping on the counter. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± the young woman from earlier came out wearing a sleeveless white shirt and no bra. Beni looked at her, ¡°What took you so long?!¡± The young woman ignored it and walked to Phesx as Beni talked to her. Just then, the young man frowned and stood up at once, baffled and feeling¡­ insulted? ¡°We can¡¯t use the majority of the things here! What the fuck is he?! His body only works with colored medicine. How did he even survive these conditions?!¡± The young man said, looking at the screen. Beni looked at the young woman. ¡°Let me see,¡± she stopped checking Phesx Caolia and went to the young man. ¡°Get out, Waleks, you¡¯re no medic.¡± Waleks stepped away with a wronged face, but the young woman shook her head dismissively when she read the screen. Returning, she opened the medical boxes while saying, ¡°He can be treated without problem. What does he have? Internal?¡± ¡°Breath. Exercising. He used it wrongly, and more than he should without knowing how to.¡± Beni said, gesturing to Phesx¡¯s left wrist. The medic frowned, checking on the injury as Phesx Caolia had the strange sensation of worms entering through his skin, penetrating yet harmless. ¡°How long is he here?¡± The other person behind the counter, a beautiful red-headed young woman asked, intrigued to join in at last. Beni looked at her and his expression became soothed, clearly different than with the other 2. ¡°Less than an hour¡­¡± Beni¡¯s words caused the 3 to frown. Then, looking at Phesx¡¯s delusional state, they stared with disgust. The medic spoke, grabbing his left hand, ¡°So he¡¯s that guy. Didn¡¯t know he was coming here. I got this. He¡¯ll be sober in half an hour at most.¡± ¡°I can administer breath recuperation.¡± The red-haired walked around the counter. The medic nodded, with Beni stepping away. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem, Instructor.¡± The red-haired replied before grabbing Phesx Caolia¡¯s left wrist. The medic grabbed 3 red syringes and stabbed them below his palm. Leaving them hanging, she picked a green and yellow syringe before tearing his shirt apart after sliding the jacket away. ¡°Oooh, he was indeed in Preut. I bet he had more fun than most.¡± The medic revealed the numerous scars, but those on his right side only peeked before she injected him in the lower belly and left lung. The medic frowned when she shot Phesx at his lung, but returned to his wrist. Injecting him the contents of the 3 syringes, slowly and at the same time, Phesx¡¯s lips filled with saliva as he reacted, instinctively making ¡®pu¡¯ sounds nonstop from them. Beni stood at the side, leaning his back on a wall with resting eyes. Phesx Caolia felt his body improving as he felt cold things open up his left wrist, but only for a few seconds before he felt the sensation of a string stitching him up. The feeling was semi-gone, but he knew it well. His eyes also gained some more clarity. Phesx saw a blurry face with red hair, his eyes moved around a bit, scrutinizing her. She moved after opening her eyes and stared at the other face near him. He heard the red-haired speak as her blurred face moved, ¡°I thought you say he¡¯d be lucid in 30 minutes.¡± ¡°Want to hit his head to make sure?¡± The other female voice responded. Phesx Caolia sighed, exhaling from his mouth. Even though he was like this right now, he didn¡¯t feel injustice or that this place was bad. On the contrary¡­ it had to be good. After a few minutes, with the young women ignoring him, Phesx Caolia rested his head on a cold surface. It was very uncomfortable, but he thought it would be good to make some modifications to weapons, or assemble one. Just then, another face appeared, this time from a white one from the middle to the top. He looked down at Phesx, while the brown face seemed gone. Then, he looked at the redhead as she kept holding Phesx¡¯s left wrist. Phesx could now feel the position his body was in, slowly gaining recognition. The redhead turned her head slightly towards the young man and seemed to look at him, Phesx couldn¡¯t tell for sure. Then, he heard her say in a casual, light tone, ¡°Keep looking.¡± The young man imperceptibly moved his neck backwards before looking elsewhere, where the other young woman probably was. The red-haired continued focusing on Phesx Caolia while the young man stepped backwards, out of his sight. Then, Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes went dark. When the red-haired watched those wide open eyes finally close, she lifted her left eyebrow. The medic returned, staring daggers at the young man, before placing a skin partition screen on Phesx Caolia¡¯s torso, almost undressing him fully. ¡­ When Phesx Caolia opened his eyes again, he was alone with that red-haired face. Only, he could see her face now. He also felt all his body. It felt similar to when one¡¯s limbs nearly grow numb, only to end up feeling ants dancing under one¡¯s skin. ¡°Where¡¯s the medic? And Instructor Beni?¡± Phesx Caolia sat up. A mantle covering his body fell to his lap, but the redhead kept focused on his wrist for a few more seconds. Then, as Phesx Caolia realized he only had boxers on, but they were torn apart from the right side, she looked up at him sharply. Standing up, she let go of his wrist and told him, ¡°Beni¡¯s outside. You don¡¯t have to say his status and name when they aren¡¯t present.¡± ¡°You heal fast. The ¡®main¡¯ Instructors will have fun playing with you,¡± she said before turning around and gesturing to his clothes on the floor. Phesx Caolia stepped down the counter and hurriedly wore his things. She was beautiful. Freckled and porcelain white skin, and large, oval celeste eyes. Her hair was actually orange, but Phesx Caolia only saw red before. Maybe it was his memories playing pretend. Her lips were orange and rosy, looking tender but thorny, too. ¡°Thanks,¡± Phesx Caolia said, now fully dressed with his gloves on. The redhead returned to behind her counter and nodded at him. Phesx Caolia returned the gesture before walking to the door. He moved semi-fast, but as always, the door opened slowly. ¡°Hmph~.¡± Phesx Caolia heard a humorous blow from a little someone¡¯s nostrils. He didn¡¯t dare look at her and just stared ahead. He could see Beni¡¯s feet in front, facing the same direction as his, but he didn¡¯t help with the door. After an awful lasting moment, Phesx Caolia walked outside. ¡°Come,¡± Beni said nothing else and just walked away, leading Phesx Caolia through another little adventure. Once they were on their way, Beni briefed Phesx Caolia of those people. ¡°That medic was the weapons craftsman¡¯s medic. Don¡¯t confused status with depravity. Those two are an annoying pair in the Artistas, always ¡®playing around¡¯. The one who treated you is someone with a more refined comprehension of what you barely had a taste of. She¡¯s the weapons master. That guy is Waleks, and the lass is Pheli. They are Artistas, what you aspire to be.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Phesx Caolia politely responded. He heard Beni grunt, but ignored it and continued walking. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. When they arrived at the next door, Beni unceremoniously stepped inside. This time, Phesx Caolia sunk his left cheek in while his tongue moved around. Then, as the door slowly opened fully, he spit blood on his right index and middle fingers. Spreading his blood on his closed eyelids, he stepped forward with confidence. Opening his eyelids, Phesx Caolia blew from his nostrils as he still saw darkness, but this one slowly dissipated. However, he also succeeded. He felt his eyelids dusted. As the darkness went away, and his eyes welcomed the light, he wiped his eyelids. Phesx¡¯s fingertips had black dust mingled with his blood. It was too small, but they accumulated a lot on his eyelids. A brown hand presented him with a handkerchief. Phesx used it to clean himself before staring at the Instructor before him. He had thick lips, short curly hair, regular height, and was very damn muscular. Phesx Caolia returned the handkerchief, which the Instructor threw away while introducing himself. ¡°Instructor Bael. Beni told me of your inconvenience.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± the Instructor grabbed his wrist and checked before rising both eyebrows. He looked up at Phesx¡¯s face to continue, ¡°I will take care of that body of yours. It will become useful to Riverlye when you become an Artista. Breathing will only become part of it. All you must care about here is building the instrument you¡¯ll need the most for anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia had nothing to say, so he just nodded. Instructor Bael looked at Beni and nodded. Beni sighed in relief. Then, he grabbed Phesx and brought him out, lowly murmuring, ¡°It¡¯s finally over. I¡¯ll bring you back. You can go up and return to your bike on your own, I presume?¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Phesx nodded. Also feeling tired and wanting to get his apartment checked. On the way, neither spoke about a single thing. Phesx Caolia had things to think about, while Beni was Beni. Arriving at the elevator from before, Beni stopped Phesx Caolia and handed him a small pistol. It was the first time he saw a weapon in a non-police or soldier¡¯s holster after Preut. ¡°Take it. It¡¯s a gift from the ¡®house¡¯. Don¡¯t worry about the price. You¡¯ll do more money, enough to buy a dozen DLMs.¡± Beni said, still offering the small pistol. Phesx Caolia looked at his face before grabbing it. He held the small thing in his hands. It had single-action and automatic functions, and it had the largest magazine of 35 bullets. It was clearly modded. ¡°Th- of course,¡± Phesx Caolia lifted his head and wanted to thank Beni, hiding his first gun, albeit illegal, behind his back. But Beni was long gone. Phesx Caolia shook his head before entering the elevator. He looked at the buttons and hit the one that said main floor. The doors slowly closed, as if to remember Phesx of his status here, with his face looking through the gaps. His shoulders felt tired, and not using boxers felt weird. When the elevator stopped, the doors immediately opened. Phesx Caolia saw the same guards from before in their positions. After walking past them, Phesx Caolia realized he could only discern their figures after accustoming his eyes and knowing where they were beforehand. Phesx Caolia exited the building with ease, feeling the fresh cold of the night invade his senses. It felt amazing! There was a group of young fellows around his bike. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t stop walking, calmly stepping towards his bike. When he came close enough to be seen by them, a person pointed at him, ¡°Hey, he must be the owner!¡± ¡°Shit. So young. How filthy rich is his father?¡± Another person said, commenting. Then, they kept silent as one of them, seeming like the leader, walked around Phesx''s Myertha¡¯s rear and slowly landed his right hand on his hip. Phesx Caolia slowed down. The other person gained courage as he laid his terms, ¡°Unlock your shit, and give me the verification. You can leave after I bring all my sluts here for a ride. If you don¡¯t like the id-¡± Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang¡­! Phesx Caolia lowered his presence, and in the same moment, his right hand grabbed his small pistol and aimed it at the person talking. 2 shots in the belly and another in the head, he dropped dead. As soon as the 3rd shot went out, Phesx aimed it to his right, where the second person still hadn¡¯t processed the situation and died with the first shot in his head. Another 2 on his shoulders, he danced a little before falling backwards. By then, Phesx could already hear shrieks in the near alleys. Then, the third and fourth person around his Myertha fell. Phesx Caolia¡¯s narrowed eyes relaxed and opened when the 4th hooligan fell nape-first on the ground. Whoosh, whoosh¡­ tap, tap, tap, tap¡­ Phesx heard whooshing sounds before people rushed from the sides and behind him to the scene. They moved the corpses and cleaned whatever blood and saliva fell on his Myertha. One of them stopped a few meters on his right, turned his head, and nodded upwards at him. It was a black young man, smirking from corner to corner at him. He had a long hood covering his body, but he had black hair and eyes, and seemed interested in his actions. As the other hooded people cleaned, the young man smiled, directly facing Phesx. ¡°Not bad!¡± With that, Phesx Caolia was left alone. He could only hear footsteps rang behind him as everyone disappeared, leaving him alone in the dark with his Myertha. Phesx Caolia¡¯s back muscles relaxed, and his arms went low as he hid his small pistol. He placed his helmet on and started his bike before thinking, ¡®I didn¡¯t waste bullets¡­ But I don¡¯t have any other magazine¡­¡¯ Those 12 bullets were the usual for a small pistol, so Phesx would¡¯ve been left with nothing else if it wasn¡¯t modded. But he felt satisfied. After all, these hooligans were armed, at least one person was. That was all Phesx Caolia needed to act. That sensation when he somehow broke something in his wrist was terrifying back then, but after mulling over it¡­ He felt it could be useful. Phesx rushed to his apartment, though, he might very well lose it. Even if that hooligan didn¡¯t have a firearm and just wanted to scare him¡­ Phesx was allowed to fear for his life, right? Thus, a contented young boy went to his first apartment, the first in his life he obtained with ¡®his own¡¯ money. Of course, objectively speaking, no amount of credits he earned were going to be his. Although the same couldn¡¯t be said about social points and honorary merit. ¡­ Driving a couple of hours back, Phesx Caolia arrived at a poorer suburb, much more than where the Ruvas lived. He rapidly turned his bike off and stepped out, hurrying to a house that could be considered large, with a ¡®garden¡¯ of pavement and with no cars or any vehicle. Knock, knock, knock. Phesx Caolia hurriedly knocked on the door before a white old woman opened it. Her wrinkled face looked up at him. She was quite short, but her eyes showed how sharply she can sting. Phesx Caolia looked down and immediately begged, ¡°Miss Roberta, I¡¯m sorry for the time, I had to do some freelancer work before being free.¡± ¡°Humm!¡± The landlady wrinkled her nose and looked at Phesx like she was a truthseer. Phesx looked back before she shoved a 1-finger thick identification card into his hands. Then, she berated the shit out of him, ¡°It¡¯s late! My son has already returned from a party! What do you think you¡¯re doing this late? Stop bothering me and go to your place!¡± Slam! Phesx Caolia got the door closed on his face, nearly hitting his nose. He didn¡¯t move an inch. After a second, he turned and walked to the street in front of the house. There was a staircase leading to the roof of a pizzeria, whose walls were red bricks. Atop it was a small ¡®cottage¡¯ of metal and cement. When going up the stairs, Phesx Caolia felt contented for some reason. He liked the place being away from anywhere else. His ¡®house¡¯ was located on the west end of the pizzeria¡¯s rooftop. It had a smallish living room with an even smaller kitchen annexed to the side. There was a bathroom and 2 rooms, although only 1 was for humans, with enough space to be considered an actual room, while the other would only let 2 people lie together. There was a closet, but it was tall, not wide, and it didn¡¯t have much volume. There was enough space for furniture that any contemporary civilian would want and need, to the basics and poor quality, but still. Nevertheless, that wasn¡¯t something Phesx cared about. He had to ¡®rest¡¯ for 3 days a week at Riverlye, with those days being the last 2 days of the week and the first. He would attend the rest of the days. Before going to sleep, Phesx Caolia took his pistol out and analyzed it. It was very well-worked. He remembered Beni¡¯s words and the young man¡¯s blurry face and the beauty¡¯s orange-hared face surfaced in his mind. His eyes twinkled with some¡­ ambition. He smiled as he lied on the mattress-less bed frame. At least he had a bedsheet. He¡¯d have to go out tomorrow early on and find a job or a few that would earn him good, be it too heavy-tasked or time-consuming, but that would only need him a couple of days a week. . . . The next day, Phesx went out to look for work, even asking the neighbors, but their delivery man¡¯s and their cook¡¯s wages were too small. On the other hand, they paid well for a repairman, and someone who could act as a guard for the weekends during the last hours of the evening and first of the night. Being in a place as it is, they opened from late morning to early night, earning a lot, and being notorious enough for some ¡®groups¡¯ to eye them. Either way, being relatively close to the center of the city, and a PPO, Police Post Office, they wouldn¡¯t be extorted. Still, some situations might arise. Thus, with both jobs, and being paid by the days he would show up, Phesx Caolia secured 1,500 credits per week. It wasn¡¯t a casual job, and not for everyone, especially the repairing stuff. The pizzeria wasn¡¯t only notorious and received gold rains every day, they also invested lots in their house. They had second-hand high-end machinery and products. Then, now at the outskirts of the city, Phesx found a job in the early mornings of the weekend and first days at a farmer¡¯s moving of livestock. He just had to follow with another truck where he¡¯d watch out for whenever any livestock fell, escaped, or someone wanted to steal it. It was pretty common, it seemed. Nevertheless, that earned him 800 for the week. The farmer was an old fellow, too. He was quite masculine and quiet, which is how they both hit it on without saying too many words. Perfect. At last, Phesx Caolia found a job in the city. It was small, and safe, but it could be¡­ difficult. He had to carry boxes from one end of a tall building to another, which could amount to 300 kg worth of paper work and utilities, going up and down dozens of floors, and even underground. He would be paid 1,200 credits for the 3 days, as he¡¯d spent most of the day there after helping the farmer watch his livestock. Now, it was all calculated. As Phesx Caolia finished preparing his daily life for the next 5 months, it was the 2nd day of the week. His first day at Riverlye as an official Neophyte after he passed that ¡®test¡¯. ¡­ Early in the morning, when the sky was still so dark it was just a late-late night, Phesx Caolia arrived with his Myertha decorating the streets of the center of Sargonde beautifully and lavishly. He stopped in front of the building before a young woman with headphones on beckoned to him in his bike. Phesx Caolia followed her into the building¡¯s front and to the side, where a well-hidden ramp going down led to an underground garage. It was painted so even if it was during the day, anyone passing or even walking directly nearby wouldn¡¯t notice it isn¡¯t just the ground but a ramp. Only with a strong flashlight and the right angle aiming down would one notice. Thus, Phesx Caolia began his first day. ¡­ Chapter 46 — To Be A Killer To Be A Killer Phesx Caolia walked around the dark underground parking, watching other people move towards selective points. Phesx Caolia could see different groups of people moving to the nearest elevators. He picked one and went to it, waiting until he was alone to not share it with anyone else. It seemed like many others arrived at the same time, after all, it wasn''t just him who lived outside this place. Or the only member. As soon as he came out of the elevator, he walked to Instructor Cala¡¯s hall. The door opened a little bit faster, but he still had to wait a couple of seconds before going in. Furthermore, the dozens of people walking by as he waited, much more bustling than before, looked at him like an alien animal in a zoo. Phesx Caolia felt the darkness invade his eyes, and this time, the sensation of that dust falling on his face was clear and evident. ¡®Did my psyche improve, or something?¡¯ Phesx Caolia grinned. The vision before him swiftly dissipated from darkness to light, stunning his eyes a little. He realized this weakened his eyesight, not just clouded it. Otherwise, this little bit of light wouldn¡¯t have even made his eyes blurry for half a second with just this lighting. ¡°Come and sit,¡± Cala sat cross-legged with his back several meters away from the wall on the opposite extreme. He sat beside a desk, with multiple lockers behind it, facing the bunch of Neophytes who would fill the hall in 5 months. Phesx Caolia walked to the Instructor. When he was about 20 meters from him, Cala opened his mouth. ¡°Stop there. Sit for now. I¡¯m the first person you¡¯re meeting, so we¡¯ll have something to talk about before beginning. The others won¡¯t cry too much if I take you away for 15 minutes more. But they might take it out on you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind¡­ as long as I¡¯m not crippled or killed.¡± Phesx Caolia said, shrugging. Instructor Cala looked at him before slowly speaking, ¡°You seem to have attitude, but you¡¯d use sir or ¡®Instructor¡¯ otherwise. This isn¡¯t a palace, nor are you a simple kid meeting the elderly. If someone is to be respected by you, it must be meaningful, not ¡®moral¡¯.¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s lower lip moved, about to say something, but he stopped and looked at the Instructor¡¯s angry, small brown eyes. Cala looked at this and lifted his chin before smiling. He clapped his hands and rose his eyebrows, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± ¡°Riverlye is a lagj organization, a secret organization. Do you know what that means? Lagj is for ¡®low¡¯. It is a little language from Twilight. Their people were the firsts in the world to truly amass talent and form the first secret organization, which was rapidly copied by every nation, except a few.¡± ¡°Nation¡­ so, we belong to the government?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, barely changing his eyes. The Instructor didn¡¯t even react and plainly said, ¡°You know it isn¡¯t. It would have been obvious to someone like you if we were.¡± ¡°No,¡± Instructor Cala shook his head, ¡°At first, maybe. All secret organizations were developed when the GHH and HLS were fully established. It was meant to compete with other nations under the table, but it got out of their hands quickly.¡± ¡°Soon, many other secret organizations started popping out from everywhere, in every nation.¡± Instructor Cala stopped. Phesx Caolia narrowed his eyes before guessing, ¡°At first, it was from the nations. But now, in every nation?¡± ¡°One of the few nations who didn¡¯t initiate the movement with their national secret organization are Lymoca and Cors from the west, and Knight Assembly Association and Zyckevele from the east. Either way, now, every corner of this world has a lagj organization¡­ But only 1 or 3 hoog organizations per nation.¡± ¡°A Hoog organization is a word for¡­ let¡¯s say, ¡®supreme¡¯. It is elevated, and within reason, compared to a lagj.¡± The Instructor continued before letting the young boy ask more in between. ¡°Not only are there many more members in a hoog class than a lagj class, they also have weaponry we can never hope to obtain without dire prices.¡± ¡°They have¡­ more distinguished training and breaths, simply overpowering tens of peak lagj organizations.¡± Cala said, closing his eyes and crossing his arms before shaking his head. Phesx Caolia lifted his eyebrows in a soft motion, surprised by this comparison. ¡°Lagjs have several levels of recognition. The most famous are the strongest, those at the peak, while the smallest ones are like a puddle of a shadow, ¡®droplets¡¯. Ours is in the middle, a slightly less formed shadow.¡± The Instructor lifted his head and filled his lungs before continuing, ¡°Lagjs aren¡¯t solidified and all-terrifying, unlike hoogs.¡± ¡°Riverlye is specialized in assassinations, the wonders of killing, movement of targets, gathering information, and becoming a nightmare of a lagj organization to mess with. That is on purpose or accidentally.¡± Cala seemed proud in Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes, but he couldn¡¯t blame the Instructor. ¡°A hoog is different. They ought to be powerful enough to cover an entire nation the size of Lymoca, ANS, or something more feasible, like Merula and Wondurs. There¡¯s usually 1 or 2 hoogs there, but in countries like Argopolas and the Pyot Island, there can only be 1.¡± ¡°Lymoca has 3 hoogs. One of them is one of the most fearsome in the world, and are what Riverlye could at least hope to achieve. The other one is¡­ a terror for any other secret organization, and self-declared as Lymoca¡¯s guardians from inner conflict and foreigners.¡± ¡°Extremists?¡± Phesx Caolia tilted his head a little to the left and blurted a question out. Cala chuckled, ¡°Heh. I like it. Yes, they¡¯re all a large pill to swallow, but no different from us.¡± ¡°As for the other, siiiigh¡­¡± The Instructor faced the ceiling. Phesx Caolia squinted his eyes and grasped his chin. The Instructor continued, ¡°Not much is known, but they¡¯re powerful. Whatever they are, they are a hidden danger, maybe even more than the other 2. Especially the first.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t know too much even after becoming an Artista. One would only have a chance to see a hoog organization member at work if they are an Instructor. The Head has treated with some for the last 2 decades we¡¯ve been active.¡± Cala stopped here, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Listen here,¡± the Instructor looked at Phesx, turning the atmosphere a bit somber. ¡°Lagjs organizations usually last 30 years. They either die around that time or before, or are on their way to become hoogs.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s a question for you. If hundreds of years have passed since the Humane Key was created, why is there only 3 hoog organizations in the large nations, and they are all more or less the same after so long?¡± Cala tested Phesx. He didn¡¯t know anything, so the young boy just replied, ¡°Hoogs are that powerful, and have contact with the governments.¡± ¡°Yes. These 3 hoogs in Lymoca are the same since the moment they first came to exist and form in Lymoca. It should be the same for ANS and Zyckevele, among other powerhouses. Some of them might directly work with the government, and not just exchange information.¡± ¡°I understand, Instructor,¡± Phesx nodded, also sitting cross-legged and feeling his body instinctively become serious. A strange occurrence without immediate fatality danger involved. ¡°In Riverlye, there are 4 different positions. Neophytes consists of the most. Thousands of new Neophytes are invited to Riverlye every year. Not that many, around a few thousand. A small portion of them are ¡®dealt with¡¯, while a certain proportion become Artistas. The rest repeat through the years.¡± ¡°Artistas remain as the lowest combat force, and the main, of Riverlye. Usually, it takes 3 years for one to be eligible to try for the Instructor rank. There are more than 13,000 Artistas currently, but there were 10,000 a couple of years ago. How many do you think die every year?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia was startled. Cala smirked before explaining a bit, ¡°Not all are Lymocan. If they were, a notorious decrease of population would be seen everywhere in the world. Many come from other countries, or were raised here before finding their way to one of our doors. Still, Lys move faster in the ladder, higher, and survive a little longer than the rest. I¡¯d like to say it¡¯s the same everywhere else, but I¡¯m at least patriotic that way.¡± ¡°Instructors are what you¡¯d call the person leading all Artistas. Whenever there¡¯s an Instructor involved, the mission will be difficult and bloody. More than even Instructors dare to mention. We have a few hundred of those. But there¡¯s only 1 Head. You got that?¡± Cala nudged his head. Phesx Caolia nodded, ¡°Neophytes, Artistas, and Instructors. What about becoming the Head?¡± ¡°That¡¯s only worrisome for Riverlye when the leader decides to step down for whatever reason. If one is too old or weak, or is in someone else¡¯s eye. Gerardo Tellez will be retiring in 5 years. Guess who is the only ticked for those who have the only chance to aspire to vie for that rank?¡± Cala looked at Phesx Caolia like he was gold. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Me?¡± Phesx Caolia politely followed his game. Cala vigorously nodded, ¡°You, a single Neophyte, doesn¡¯t matter. However, your body is different. As a Preutian, that makes sense. But yours can heal. It is barely worth noticing, but it happens. And you¡¯re allergic to medicine. But that¡¯s not enough. You had the breath as soon as you started it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that? The breath, I mean,¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes shone a bit, and his eyelids fell halfway. Cala nodded with a slow blink of his eyes, ¡°That¡¯s the reason. It¡¯s one thing to guide one¡¯s breath with our digits, but you did it by mistake out of your own will. You¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t do it to your neck.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Phesx Caolia spoke amidst a breath, frowning and looking down. Cala finished, ¡°As an Artista, you will have time and money to craft your way to something. You¡¯re good at craftsmanship, so you can try that if you want. It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re rusty or unconfident.¡± Cala added the last phrase when he saw hesitation in the young boy¡¯s eyes, shutting him. Then, the Instructor stood up before commanding Phesx, ¡°Get up. Show me how you stretch.¡± Phesx Caolia followed indications. He showed the simple stretches he¡¯s been doing and improving since he was 12. Cala stopped him after a minute before pointing at the joints connecting his limbs to his torso. ¡°You¡¯re going to work these with me for as many weeks as needed.¡± ¡°When we¡¯re done with them, and you can move your limbs without needing force behind them, you¡¯ll start learning terrific killing moves with Mel. But I will show you how to regulate your blood flow in certain areas. You¡¯ll increase your survival instincts and chances with me then.¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the Instructor. Then, before he could ask anything, Cala made him stretch in a strange position with his right leg stretched to the side. His left elbow bent and arching downwards as his right arm took the same position, but arching upwards. His forearms were against each other. He had to keep them straight, so he started trembling. ¡°When you can go into this position and face both sides seamlessly, able to do so standing, hanging, and while a knife goes through your hands and arms, you¡¯ll be ready for the next step.¡± Cala described before walking out. Phesx Caolia could only gulp as he felt sweat build around his back and armpits soon after. ¡­ 4 hours later, he exited Cala¡¯s hall and weakly walked to Mel¡¯s hall. He was scared of her, but remembering Beni¡¯s words, he hoped that Instructor won¡¯t destroy him. Entering her hall, Phesx Caolia immediately walked forth before finding himself walking in the dark for tens of seconds. Then, the Instructor¡¯s voice sounded around him, moving as he did, surrounding him where he least expected it each time. ¡°Attacking from the dark isn¡¯t as exciting as attacking in broad light, with all eyes on you. It is also not as efficient. You¡¯ll effortlessly kill any civilian, even a soldier of the special forces, with my training. But with my methods, you¡¯ll kill your peers, know when to wait until you can kill someone better than you; and if you¡¯re lucky, you¡¯ll learn how to survive when all odds are against you¡­ not by fleeing, but killing everything else beside you.¡± Clap. A sound emerged before Phesx Caolia¡¯s face. It was low and not impactful, but Phesx Caolia abruptly blinked and jerked his head backwards. When he immediately opened his eyes, he saw a needle caught by Mel¡¯s hands. They caused that clap just now. Mel stepped aside and showed him the small boxes on the other extreme of the walls. ¡°You¡¯ll be questioned here. If you answer incorrectly, you¡¯ll be stabbed by a needle. Just like these,¡± Mel looked behind Phesx. Following her eyes, Phesx Caolia looked at what seemed a dozen needles for each step he had taken, fallen to the ground. He could swear each pile of needles was where he just walked before! ¡®She caught them and dropped them? And yet, I heard nothing¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia looked at Mel with respect and caution. Even the needle in her hands wasn¡¯t something he sensed, but the clap of her hands stopping it in the air that made him flinch. ¡®She did that to show me.¡¯ ¡°Now,¡± Mel walked 1 meter away from him before turning towards him. She played with the needle¡¯s tip between her teeth as she began, not giving Phesx time to prepare. ¡°I¡¯ll ask, and you respond, either with words or gestures. Hand signs work, too. Just respond, or it¡¯ll be a wrong answer, and a needle will shoot towards you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think of running. If you move more than your mouth, multiple needless will shoot. Have you understood? Let¡¯s start. Which are the human body¡¯s weakest points.¡± Mel placed her left hand on her hip before asking. Phesx Caolia gulped before poking at different places of his body, naming them in a low voice while Mel tilted her head and crossed her shins. Tapping the tip of her shoes on the floor, she watched and heard Phesx Caolia as he aimed at his under nails, eyelids, and the thin skin below his lobules. Phesx pointed out everything he could think of. Mel nodded after he waited in silence for 7 seconds. She seemed a bit impatient. Her eyes narrowed as she asked, ¡°How much force is needed to break a neck without employing all your strength?¡± ¡°Gulp¡­ Enough.¡± Phesx Caolia replied after seeing those scary black eyes. Mel grabbed her needles from both ends before tsking with her lips. She asked, ¡°What amount of force is it needed to snap a person¡¯s neck exactly?¡± ¡°Enough¡­¡± Phesx Caolia repeated his answer. Mel narrowed her eyes a bit. She asked again, ¡°I need a number, a quantity. How much would that be?¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Phesx Caolia blinked before repeating his answer. In his mind, he wasn¡¯t wrong, even if it was just the same answer¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Mel rapidly tapped the tips of her shoe after hearing him for the third time. Then, her body halted, and she smiled as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s my family name?¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± Phesx Caolia was stunned. Then, he didn¡¯t even know when, what, or how; but a piercing sensation entered his left chest, just above his heart. He ignored Mel¡¯s wide smile with pearly white teeth shining and looked down at his chest. A 10-inch-long needle stabbed his chest, but only half a centimeter stabbed him? Cliiink~. The needle heaved down from its rear, dropping onto the floor as Mel clapped. Phesx Caolia endured the pain with a distorted expression before looking at her. Things were just starting. ¡­ 4 hours later, with many breaks every 15 to 20 minutes of the same amount to cool down, Phesx Caolia exited Mel¡¯s hall sweating and slowly limping. The Artistas looked at him, grinning and offering a few words while cracking up. Struggling, Phesx Caolia arrived at Jos¨¦¡¯s hall, ignoring everything else like in a dream. He didn¡¯t know if he should feel glad to begin this session, as he resulted badly injured last time. Entering the hall, the darkness lasted a bit more, maybe because he was tired. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived. Calm down and relax¡­¡± Jos¨¦¡¯s voice entered his ear rapidly. The same elegant voice calmed his nerves. Phesx could feel his body relaxing, but it also warmed up from the previous cold of his instincts thinking he was in an alarming state. Either way, his eyesight returned to normal and saw Jos¨¦ before him. ¡°Sit,¡± Jos¨¦ turned and walked elsewhere before sitting cross-legged at the side. There were wide cushions to sit comfortable, unlike before. Phesx Caolia sat in front of him. The lights started dimming, and a glass encasement descended from the ceiling. When Phesx looked up, Jos¨¦ spoke, bringing his attention away. ¡°What you¡¯re going through isn¡¯t the usual for other Neophytes. You¡¯re an exception. One that needs to be forged sooner and better. Do you know what Riverlye saw in you?¡± Phesx Caolia felt his face, shoulders, and skin relax. He blinked and breathed normally before saying in a confident tone with his voice. Semi-broken and soft, ¡°To kill.¡± ¡°To kill, to obey, to do things that aren¡¯t good, nice, or morally acceptable.¡± Jos¨¦ responded with a blink of his eyes. Phesx looked around, where the glass around him kept him in place but didn¡¯t trap him. He could jump over it, even in this state. ¡°From the moment you found dust in your bloody eyelids, you were seen as one of us. Of course, you¡¯re not one of the Artistas, and after you officially become one, you¡¯ll need to be one spiritually. Like the rest, you¡¯ll go through a test, just like you did after leaving the headquarters.¡± Jos¨¦ was slow and elegant, bringing more calmness to Phesx, who closed his eyes and waited to hear more. ¡°Anyone in this profession becomes tired of it. So how do we stop that thinking and those emotions from emerging? The mind. Just like our bodies can do things we couldn¡¯t before, our mind strengthens. Think back to the moments of peace you¡¯ve had. The torment you¡¯ve suffered. The pleasure of lust and sloth. Then breathe.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia frowned as he evened his breathing and kept his guard up. When he heard movement in front of him, he opened his eyes. Jos¨¦ had stood up. Looking up, he saw Jos¨¦ looking down at him. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid now. Breath isn¡¯t to hurt or defend yourself. You won¡¯t gain force to punch cars meters away, or defend your skin from bullets.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a force of movement. One of nature. It is unlocking your body, its potential, and protecting it from the self-harm you would suffer when you work with it. Bions are for the former. If you just want power, then modify your body. If you want to learn what not even 0.1% of the population has the opportunity to see, breathe.¡± ¡°Huu¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s body trembled before falling utterly calm. He saw nothing, only darkness. Jos¨¦¡¯s words echoed in his mind. ¡°What we call the ¡®breath¡¯ is simply the manipulation of our bodies. Your speed and strength is locked by your body so you won¡¯t harm yourself. You¡¯ll learn to let go of those restraints with Bael. But for now, you need to shut up, listen, and suffer.¡± ¡°Use this time to understand. Soon will come the day you do the ¡®devils proud¡¯ and ¡®the gods cry in joy¡¯. It doesn¡¯t matter what it is, we become perfect tools for murder and mayhem. But the world will turn into our stage in return. Nothing gives without taking.¡± Phesx Caolia felt his surroundings faltering. Jos¨¦¡¯s voice became less and less real. Jos¨¦¡¯s words echoed inside his head from ricocheting everywhere, ¡°Continue. I will wake you up when the time is up.¡± ¡­ 4 hours later, Phesx Caolia woke up alone in the hall with the sound of the door opening and closing. He looked around him, a bit dizzy, before feeling like his lungs were bloated. It was like he never breathed until now, always living cornered to the side. Standing up, Phesx stretched his body. His bones snapped, pleasuring him with the afterglow before walking out of the room. He felt the cream Mel gave him for his injuries still cooling around his stab wounds. Feeling like it was more a duty than something he ought to do, Phesx walked to Bael¡¯s hall. In the hall, Bael simply had Phesx sit cross-legged and focus on every part of his body that Bael touched. Bael gave him a few minutes to focus wholeheartedly in said spots. If Phesx failed for just a second, he would know it and tap him on the same spot again, only harder. Phesx Caolia was very bad at it, with at least 3 necessary taps to become fully concentrated. Every other tap above the third made him feel the next would penetrate his body and truly harm him. Yet, when he woke up 4 hours later, he didn¡¯t even have a bruise anywhere. Was that breath? The weapon Bael used? Or an illusory misconception, a trick of the mind with the body and his nervous system? Either way, Phesx Caolia returned ¡®home¡¯ without light in his eyes, wanting to sleep, but only having 4 hours to sleep and eat for the rest of the day. And then, to return to Riverlye again¡­ ¡­ Chapter 47 — Artista Artista 1 month later. During this time, Phesx Caolia has learned to do every bit he was supposed to. At first, it was difficult, especially when he attended Bael''s lessons. The number of strikes his body received per spot was more or less the same, but in the 2nd week that finally changed. Even Bael was surprised, as the young boy went from being a slow idiot in the subject to do it in one go. The Instructor almost believed he was being played, and that Phesx actually knew how to do the job but was just wasting his time. Almost. Phesx Caolia continued proving he could learn what he ought to do, and soon, without Bael¡¯s guidance, the time needed for Phesx to become engrossed in focusing on any part of his body shortened. Overall, the time spent to become skilled was on the regular, but the abruptness of his improvement wasn¡¯t. Nevertheless, Bael began teaching him something else¡ª to do the same, but to others. At first, it was just another person standing in front of him. For this, Phesx Caolia was presented with a chained individual whose eyes could tell he was nearly going mad. A prisoner of sorts, maybe a criminal caught somewhere. That wasn¡¯t enough to feel good about slavering a person. For all Phesx managed to understand from this secret world, the person Bael had him practice on could have just stolen some food from a store or a device from an electronic store. Still, not caring, Phesx placed his palm on the spot Bael hit on his body. He was to focus on the man¡¯s body this time. The first time, he almost didn¡¯t make it, having to imagine someone else¡¯s spot was less¡­ intuitive as just figuring oneself in one¡¯s mind. Nevertheless, just as he felt his back about to be hit again, Phesx Caolia simply let go of the complications of his mind, imagining whatever his head could. He was unable to perceive it, beyond a peculiar sensation akin to his body twisting and shrinking from fear, but just a sensation nonetheless. Phesx Caolia employed a rather superficial, foreign notion with his mind. He simply imagined himself as that other person. Every inch of the man¡¯s body was himself, and Phesx felt himself looking over the man¡¯s shoulder. Then, the spot he was supposed to focus on his mind appeared. He could swear he felt something warm, exactly at the spot he was focusing on, but it also felt like a simple misconception. The first day was purely experimentation. Phesx Caolia had no idea what he was doing, so he continued to try and try. Naturally, after managing to find the hang of it, he seemed unstoppable. Phesx underwent Bael¡¯s lessons smoothly, like countless hot needles passing through roasted, cooker meat. At some point, he also began feeling he was ¡®seeing into¡¯ the man¡¯s skin and penetrating, something that reminded him when he was treated by that medic. But then, when Bael saw Phesx needed no more guidance to understand what he was doing, he brought another Artista to help the young boy. This time, Phesx had to do the same, only with his eyes, and while they moved. It was trickier because of that. Bael would hit Phesx whenever he couldn¡¯t focus at least once in the Artista¡¯s body as they moved. He had endless opportunities, but as long as he did it once during the allocated time, he could pass on to the next. What¡¯s worse, Bael only used 2 Artistas, but they were a male and female, interchanging any day Bael wanted to use one or the other. When Phesx felt he was figuring out one of them, and getting used to their body, not just a male or female type, Bael would change them the next day. At last, during the mid-days of the 10th month¡¯s 1st week, Phesx thought of something. He has imagined every inch of his body from within, enhancing his skin sensitivity, and gaining a strange, weird sensation of feeling his insides. The same happened with the chained man he experimented the same with. Were all of these images fake? Just a fiction of the mind? Were they just to help understand the human body and better his upcoming training to temper his¡­? Or were they real? When Phesx Caolia became more pensive and less practical, trying to get used to the bodies moving before him no more, just like Bael had seen before, the young boy focused on every spot at once. On the first try. With the time needed reduced each day. At first, when he first experimented it on himself, Phesx Caolia might have taken from minutes to a minute and a half. After trying it out in another living being, it might have been reduced to barely a minute and a little less, in intervals. But during the last few days, his time became stuck in a solid 15 seconds time. Phesx still had a way to go to get to the next step, but he was already on the right track. Compared to the others, except for Jos¨¦¡¯s lessons, Bael¡¯s lessons were calm and peaceful, not involving much pain or too much of a detrimental mentality. With Cala, it was a painful, but more tiring and exhausting for the body than the mind. Phesx Caolia¡¯s body stretched in ways that proved not too difficult, but he struggled with each. There was a point he started breaking or dislocating his bones. Of course, Cala was ready for it, with ointment, pills, and colored syringes ready to mend the damage. The ointment was not meant for the pain, but to pour it on his bones after Cala cut his skin open. Enough attention and the right position would amend any broken bones, as long as it wasn¡¯t major. Phesx was just stretching, not lifting things a few times heavier than him. The breaking of bones was minimal, but still dangerous. This was the usual procedure for any Neophytes. But this, and whenever Phesx dislocated his bones, to be rearranged by Instructor Cala, only helped the young boy. It served well to help Phesx realize his body¡¯s current limits. It was pretty tough at first, since he had limitations everywhere, and suffered the most trying to even know his body. He might have studied a little with Sofia and in the Ojazul school, but he had no detailed and experienced knowledge of the human body. Slowly, as he learned how much twisting, to which angle, and force his elbows, arms, hands, fingers, and toes needed to break or dislocate, the same happened with his muscles, nerves, and joints. He could feel them move, screech in his body, and¡­ become better. They weren¡¯t growing stronger. It would be bizarre and strange if they did become stronger. Phesx would develop tumor-looking decorations under his skin, becoming a spectacle for any eyes. But no, his body wasn¡¯t gaining force, it was growing resistant and pervious, allowing for more movement, sudden force, and treatable. Phesx Caolia was going through a stable path to complete the first steps of his training. With Instructor Mel, he had to endure the stabbing of needles on his body, time and again. She had an ointment for those stab wounds. It wasn¡¯t as simple as before, though. Phesx Caolia went from being asked questions to being told curiosities about the body. Each time Mel finished saying another fact, Phesx Caolia would get it. He was free to move around, but the needles always got to him. Be it the front, back, or the sides of the hall, Phesx Caolia was helpless. All he could do was move his body to try protecting his body from the same stab wounds. The more needles came at him, hitting spots that had already been stabbed, the more the next needle pierced deeper into his body. Some would remain inserted, whereas he had to pull them out himself. Phesx was maybe a bit too helpless for half a month, but he learned how to move, and not when, to avoid those needles stabbing the same places too many times. By the time the first month ended, and he was finishing his first steps with Cala, Phesx had a couple of needles raze his clothes instead of poking holes in them. Of course, Mel¡¯s next training step would be not as terrible for his mental fortitude as this month has been, but he still had to get there. As for Instructor Jos¨¦, Phesx Caolia would sit cross-legged, lie down, or however he wanted to sit and breathe. Relaxing, spending 4 hours with the Instructor not leaving his side, and feeling serene. Phesx Caolia thought his patience would¡¯ve worn off soon. However, the more days he spent like that after suffering twice in a row with Cala and Mel¡¯s training, he became more engrossed in the breathing sessions with Jos¨¦. What¡¯s more, Jos¨¦ would remain sitting before him until time was up. In these last 2 weeks, Phesx could feel the movements around him without opening his eyes. Just like his mind calculates his surroundings, what he has already seen, as if he looked at everything at the same time. Yet, this time it was more practical and not something he just seemed able to do, it was something he ¡®gained¡¯ via this breathing. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! At some point, he could see Jos¨¦ moving whenever the time was up, following him with this ¡®gaze¡¯, just his senses, before he walked out the hall after the daily 4 hours. Phesx Caolia¡¯s time in the Riverlye headquarters were well-spent, and he was slowly integrated into this world. ¡­ On the other hand, his lifestyle outside the headquarters, which were indeed in the center of Sargonde, where he goes 3 times a week, was plain and ¡®wealthy¡¯ for a young boy like him. After paying 4,000 credits to the landlady for the apartment, Roberta, Phesx had only 1,000 credits for food. He had to pay for the bills next month, courtesy of the landlady, and the fact it was illegal to make him pay that during the first month. Either way, before his first week of payment, Phesx Caolia used those 1,000 credits to buy enough food for a couple of weeks. He wasn¡¯t eating enough, at least not as much when he was still living under the Ruvas¡¯ mansion, but he wasn¡¯t in the mood to even try. Nonetheless, the first week passed. Phesx visited the old man at the farm and helped with the tractor before moving to the city to help move things around in that tall building. He only had clothes he kept from his stay with the Ruvas, allowing him to at least look like an errand boy in the company. Then, he went to the pizzeria, where he could just go to bed atop their rooftop once he was done working. Nothing happened, although some customers wondered why there was a young boy watching the entrance, just a few steps into the pizzeria. It was only in the first day of the week¡¯s 1st day he worked, and before he went to his ¡®house¡¯, that Phesx was asked to fix an air conditioner. It wasn¡¯t one of those ancient boxes. The pizzeria had long gotten rid of those. It was a panel underneath the floor that kept the storage room fresh. Where cold temperatures weren¡¯t needed, but hot ones were dangerous for their maintenance, that he had to fix. The panel was alright, but some of its circuits were infested with dust and cockroaches. Using gauntlets, in case they sucked blood from some disgusting fluids elsewhere, Phesx Caolia killed them and cleaned the panel before rearranging the circuits. They were mostly untouched, so Phesx saved the owners a few tens of thousands of credits for a replacement. Thus, Phesx Caolia finished his first week getting paid 6,500 credits. It was a hard work considering he had to move a lot around the city, even though it wasn¡¯t as tedious as 2 hours-long trips back and forth to the center of Sargonde. Either way, Phesx Caolia had money! He first went for some shoes. He hadn¡¯t spent his time with the Ruvas exercising or hardworking, so his pretty shoes weren¡¯t helpful. Furthermore, he wanted more full biker gear for his Myertha, but they costed thousands. Thus, he decided to keep some and use the rest to buy a mattress, order internet, and food if he felt like it. The sensation of eating some junk dishes or from other supercontinents was still there, no matter how bland food had become. Of course, he needed a fridge to keep the oranges he¡¯d buy fresh for weeks without end, but they were costly¡­ And he didn¡¯t want a baby fridge. Phesx had no trouble with fuel, thanks to his ¡®plans¡¯ from before. While he never planned to resell his fuel barrels, it was good to be warned about things. At nights, some nights, he wondered how the Ruvas were doing, among other things. He would go on and on, thinking until feeling like he was tired enough to try sleeping. Then, 4 or 6 hours later, he¡¯d wake up to either go to the old farmer¡¯s land or Riverlye headquarters. Today, the 6th day of the month¡¯s first week, Phesx Caolia only had to help the old man bring a cow to the city. They rode on horses, something Phesx was simply unaware of how to, but the animal was gentle. A rope was pulled by both horses on the strong, brown cow¡¯s head piece to not pull her neck, even though it would be butchered. The old man could wait a few months before bringing all his sellable livestock and crops to someone in the city. There was business with them after some reforms from the last 8 years, or so does the old man sometime says. He gains more by bringing a few livestock of great fed and care every week, making those looking on the side thoughtful, and his buyers salivate each tome, more and more. Phesx had nothing to say, but he understood. The old man might not have knowledge of details like he was taught, but he was refined and well-versed in selling and gaining more than what he invests on. ¡°You don¡¯t really like the sun, eh? You also don¡¯t look up when we return,¡± the old man said. Phesx Caolia lifted his head to stare ahead, but they were facing west. Being still too early, the sun wasn¡¯t set, so they were everywhere. ¡°I can see the road, and the cow, which is now limping.¡± Phesx Caolia said. His voice was unlike the old man¡¯s manly voice, but the latter seemed used to it by now. The old man groaned and looked back. He clicked his mouth, making the horses stop. The cow unceremoniously lied on the ground, blowing from its nostrils as it caressed its head on the soft yet hard dirt path. The man stepped down his horse and placed a canteen between the head piece from the horse¡¯s hanging pouches. As the cow happily drank, bobbing its head, the man returned to the horse and caressed its back. Moving his head to Phesx, he frowned slightly. ¡°It¡¯s a pity her lifespan is short. 1 year more and her body would start deteriorating. She¡¯s very emotional. She understands many human words. Hell, she even knew I was sending her to the city soon¡­¡± The old man looked down, his frown easing. ¡°She became lonely.¡± ¡°Are your scanners working well? I¡¯m not a genius in something like that, but if it¡¯s something simple, I might fix it for you.¡± Phesx Caolia said after a few seconds. The old man looked up at him before looking elsewhere, nodding. ¡°I can let you check them later. They¡¯re a bit old. But I checked with her before with another friend. She will be a goner.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia just nodded. The old man questioned as he hopped onto his horse, ¡°How much would you charge for now repairing my stuff?¡± Phesx shrugged. The old man asked again, checking the cow as it rose to its feet. ¡°You repair somewhere else?¡± ¡°I¡¯m paid 1,500 to be a guard and repairman in a restaurant.¡± Phesx Caolia shrugged again. The old man fell pensive and looked back, flopping the reigns to get the horse going. ¡°I¡¯ll increase it to 1,000 credits after you show me your worth, kid.¡± ¡°Aight,¡± Phesx Caolia mimicked his actions and got the gentle horse to walk forward. They continued onward until arriving in the city before moving into a butcher¡¯s store. There, he met with a family owning a food stall, a notorious and big one in the city. They made tacos, tortas ahogadas, flautas, anything the belly could want with grease. After making a deal, of which the other party was ecstatically contented with the cow, the old man and Phesx returned. It was still quite a bit early to go to the tall building, so Phesx Caolia accompanied the old man. When arriving at his stable back at his farm, when Phesx stepped down the horse, and the old man walked to him. ¡°Where do you work?¡± The old man said before guiding Phesx Caolia to check one of his barns where he kept the tech stuff. Phesx answered while on the way there before kneeling to check the panel of a large equipment the size of a fourth of his apartment. ¡°A pizzeria.¡± The old man jumped his eyebrows before Phesx continued, ¡°It¡¯s a little famous. Makes 3 times your weekly gains, I think. Every day¡­ They don¡¯t need much repairing, but they¡¯re generous. Although it might be because I¡¯m a pariah, as they say.¡± ¡°Show me your scars, and I¡¯ll believe it,¡± the old man unceremoniously said, looking at Phesx Caolia as if to see through him. Not because of lies, but spiritually, perhaps. After all, this is the only time they¡¯ve spoken to each other so much. Phesx Caolia stood up, looked at the old man whose gaze wouldn¡¯t move or tremble, and lifted his shirt from the right a little. Once upon a time, claws played up and down with his bones and veins. Now, like a bizarre canyon, all that remained was gunshots and healing flesh. The old man frowned, eyes reflecting disbelief, and let Phesx Caolia keep checking one of his machines, walking slightly away. While Phesx checked the thing, the old man spoke with a low volume, feeling in low spirits in Phesx¡¯s ears and mind, in his senses. ¡°I had a son, once upon a time. He was tired and preoccupied, until he wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t care,¡± the old man said, looking up at the rising sun, ¡°Until he wasn¡¯t around anymore.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Phesx Caolia stood up after his revision, slightly sighing after the effort put in his work. He looked down at the machine, but he wasn¡¯t staring at it. He felt something heavy in his throat, but not the need to cry or pity. Just a heavy¡­ cloud of air. Nothing. But it was heavy. ¡°You don¡¯t seem preoccupied, or hoping for something. You never know¡­ If there¡¯s something, don¡¯t question it¡­ I have learned it¡¯s¡­ do or die, sometimes¡­¡± The old man offered a few words, which sounded nice in Phesx¡¯s ears. Thus, he silently thanked them. ¡°You work in a pizzeria, right? Hah, I think that¡¯s where my daughter goes to with his fianc¨¦. Maybe you could give them a discount someday. I do offer you some supplies, some days.¡± The old man chuckled, lifting his lowered head with a darkened face, and looked back. Phesx was looking at him, serenely. After a few seconds, Phesx pointed at the first machine, ¡°This one¡¯s fine, but some places are ¡®loose¡¯. You¡¯ll need replacements in a few years at best, few months at worst. I¡¯ll check the others.¡± Phesx Caolia saw the old man nod before continuing on his quick check before going to the city again. . . . Year 1,023, 10th month, 2nd week, 2nd day. Riverlye headquarters. 4:45 AM. Today, Phesx Caolia arrived at the headquarters a few minutes earlier than most, but there were still dozens of others who came at this hour. Were they also with nothing else in their lives? Too dedicated? Or bored today and just decided to come earlier? Phesx Caolia could only wonder as he frowned. He was on his way to wait for Cala in his hall, when he met a familiar face when he was near the workshop where he was treated by that medic and the redhead. The latter was just opening the door to the workshop, when she noticed him somehow and looked at him with her side eyes, darting from below to up. She passed a delicate keycard in front of the door and lifted her chin, pulling her head a little backwards before staring at him with slightly knitted eyebrows, when Phesx heard a voice from his left. ¡°You boy, come here.¡± It came from a long corridor leading to a gate, similar to the Head¡¯s study. Phesx knew those places were either storage rooms or smaller studies for certain people in the org. Looking at the person inside it, Phesx Caolia was a little astounded by his appearance. It was a very old man with light brown skin, sharp, very long sword eyebrows that went past his temples. He was very slender, but also very tall. His thin-short white hair was crazed, and he had a sort of white goatee beard. It was all bright white, not even gray or just white. Only he himself knew how old he was. His crazed hairstyle and appearance, looking like a beggar with loose, dull brown robes, only made Phesx Caolia curious and cautious in Riverlye. ¡­ Chapter 48 — Formidable Training Formidable Training Phesx Caolia walked to the old man in the small study room. The latter sat on a chair but looked like he was still standing. He was that tall. Frowning, the young boy entered the room and greeted, looking up and down. "S- Are you an Instructor?¡± ¡°No,¡± the old man pressed his lips and looked down at him. Phesx''s frown eased a bit. He nodded before asking again, ¡°What do you need of me?¡± ¡°Your blood runs funny, and the sound of your body moving is just as fine as any other great¡­ Artista, or so could be said in this organization, boy. But yours is one fine rarity. I know what I¡¯m hearing and what I¡¯m breathing from you, it¡¯s not usual. And boy, let me tell you. I have examined many others¡¯ blood and joints, made bleed as well and saw it for myself, but yours is something.¡± The old man shut any thoughts Phesx Caolia could have had. The old man extended his right arm, pointing at Phesx, before poking his heart. ¡°And it does not all come from here. I wonder¡­¡± The old man lifted his head, just a bit, and looked straight into Phesx¡¯s light black eyes, nudging his head upwards. ¡°Do you dare let me train you? I don¡¯t care what your Instructors now might think. You will stay here during your training days, and I¡¯ll guide you for 5 hours each.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of time¡­¡± Phesx commented. The old man retracted his arm, unhurriedly resting his back on his seat. ¡°I¡¯m training you. Food and sleep can be left for 3 hours. It¡¯s a bit too much, but it should be enough to keep you from bawling.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the old man in silence. Returning the stare, the old man seemed impatient, and his eyes showed eagerness when looking at him. Phesx couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What will you teach me that the other Instructors don¡¯t?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll train you, that¡¯s my wager.¡± The old man nodded and just accommodated his butt on his seat. Phesx Caolia heavily sighed from his nostrils, feeling his sternum heavy as well. But thinking about it, and being weary of old men, Phesx Caolia shrugged his shoulders. The worst could happen was him ending up biting his tongue off. ¡°Sure, why not.¡± Phesx Caolia lightly replied, at last, to the old man¡¯s elated ears. He slapped his thighs and threw his head backwards, ¡°Hahaha!¡± He returned his attention to Phesx, voicing with a weak, fragile old man¡¯s voice, ¡°Good boy. Call me Emer, I¡¯m your teacher from now on. I don¡¯t care what anyone else says. That Head, or those Instructors. Or even a lover or your family. Your training now belongs to me. You must obey me above everyone else. Your first call is¡ª don¡¯t use any more medicament to heal. I prohibit it.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Phesx Caolia tilted his head to the left, feeling lightheaded. The old man, Emer, looked at this and uncaringly added, ¡°Disobey me just once and you¡¯re done, kid. You¡¯ll never see me again unless I turn into a corpse and I either chase you to your bed or you see me being moved outside.¡± Phesx Caolia blinked, he blinked very hard. The old man ushered Phesx away, pointing at him with his right index finger. ¡°Go, now! Go have fun, it¡¯s only going to get better for you. On the long run.¡± With that, Phesx Caolia felt compelled to leave, almost as if the old man repelled him with an intention of pressure coming from his body. Phesx frowned as he walked away after staring at the closed gate for long, ¡®Was that a threat? Or an instinctive reaction? What an old fart.¡¯ Phesx Caolia shook his head and headed to Cala¡¯s hall. Passing by the workshop, he didn¡¯t look inside, but he only heard light sounds from one person working on some weapons, or ammunition. He was not well versed in such things. Arriving at Cala¡¯s, Phesx Caolia stepped in and saw the Instructor meditating, or just resting his eyes. He didn¡¯t interrupt his Instructor and sat cross-legged on another spot faraway. Getting bored, he lied, spread his arms, and did anything else before time was up. ¡°Ok. Come here,¡± the Instructor commanded. Phesx sat up before rising to his feet, only to sit down again in front of Cala. The Instructor opened his eyes and looked at his face. A few seconds later, with Phesx returning the stare, blinking, he voiced. ¡°Are you soul-searching? It seems like you¡¯re planning things in your life.¡± ¡°None that complicates my Neophyte life.¡± Phesx Caolia reassured. Cala shook his head lightly. His shoulders were drooped as he spoke with a ¡®brawny¡¯ voice, ¡°Enough stretching. Time for you to learn hits, and finding out your playstyle.¡± ¡°Playstyle?¡± Phesx tilted his head, confused. Cala nodded a bit. ¡°Some only know how to throw their limbs out, others use defense the most, some are fast or slow. You can either hit light, heavy, powerfully, sneakily, and using trickery.¡± Instructor Cala got comfortable in his spot, ¡°Indeed. You¡¯ll also know how to run and move just about everywhere. The streets, rooftops, and so on.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m learning the big things now?¡± Phesx Caolia asked. His eyes shone a bit. Cala destroyed some of his expectations. ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t get excited. Everything will be done here. Usually, many at a time would have their turn as others wait, but you¡¯ll have all the time in these days to learn.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded seriously. Cala nodded before standing up, bringing him to the back of the hall. As they walked to there, a section of the floor slid away, revealing a compartment below, with a sort of machinery ascending from underneath. It looked like a huge rolling pillar, with certain steps going up and down, farther or closer. It didn¡¯t move, simply static there as Phesx watched it with confusion. Cala crossed his arms, already beside his desk, and said with a casual tone, ¡°2 hours moving, and the other 2 while avoiding my punches and kicks. You can choose the time you spend in each. Ready? 3, 2, 1, go.¡± Beep- vvvveeem¡­ Phesx Caolia lifted his left eyebrow as the mechanism began rotating, with all the contraptions and the steps in it flowing in movement. He tilted his head to the left, progressively¡­ Was he meant to get on that? ¡°Get up!¡± Cala responded his little thoughts. Well-disciplined, Phesx jumped onto the mechanism but was hit on the abdomen by something. Flying backwards, he saw it was one of the steps meant to jump onto. Phesx looked at the thing in horror as it kept moving. He could die here! If he was smashed the wrong way by any, he¡¯ll become a rolling circle of meat and broken bones. Furthermore, the speed of this thing wasn¡¯t slow! ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Cala offered no words or advice and just stayed at the side. Phesx thought of the 2 hours he had to take the Instructor¡¯s punches and kicks. Feeling the urge to get used to this, Phesx jumped right into it. Half a second later, he was thrown away again¡­ Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t have it easy, nor was this made perfectly so he could slowly learn. Get hit or get good. The rotatory pillar had railings going up, down, at the sides, blocking the front, above. They were everywhere. On the other hand, those steps had to be evaded for now, as he didn¡¯t have the balance to step onto them. After an hour of barely able to get 10 seconds on the pillar, Phesx tried to let his brain flow whenever he jumped back onto it again. At best, he managed to double his stay on the rotating thing before he had to step backwards. Cala narrowed his eyes when he saw this. Then, Phesx Caolia nibbled his lower lips before trying to become hyper sensitive, frowning hard. Cala narrowed his eyes further. When he saw Phesx smoothly get onto the pillar, and go 3 steps forth before standing on the base, then continue for half a minute, he walked forth. ¡°!¡± Phesx could hear wind before him but couldn¡¯t do anything as a large palm went to his face and bashed him backwards. After sitting on his bum, he looked at Cala, who sternly looked down at him. ¡°No methods. This is your training, not a showoff stage. Feet, hip, ribs, shoulders, neck¡­ use your body!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s eyes widened before he stood up and watched Cala not leave. Phesx breathed hard before gesturing to him, ¡°I¡¯d like 30 minutes with Instructor¡¯s help.¡± ¡°Well said,¡± Cala commented, feeling pleased after becoming dissatisfied with his previous actions. Phesx jumped onto the thing again. Immediately after, he was kicked away with a right heel. He saw the move and could act upon it, but he didn¡¯t expect it. ¡°Agh¡­¡± Phesx groaned as his bum faced the ceiling. Crawling to his feet, he didn¡¯t even look at anything else but ahead and jumped into the machinery. Time and time again, Phesx Caolia saw the Instructor attack him. At first, he couldn¡¯t even remain 2 seconds in the pillar. Phesx received many punches, unable to truly receive them, and was pushed outside. He was only good with avoiding swinging kicks, but feeling he wasn¡¯t good at receiving punches, and that he should even it out, he began blocking them instead. The time he put Cala to attack him ran out before he could learn how to block, so Phesx simply asked for an entire hour. While it was still complicated, and too much trial and error occurred, Phesx couldn¡¯t afford to think how fast did other orthodox Neophytes learned this. No wonder Riverlye lets others repeat. They make a fortune just out of them. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. At last, way before the hour went up, Phesx Caolia knew how to block those hits. He didn¡¯t have the stamina to continue doing so for long, but he could now withstand 10 seconds before the pillar itself took him out. After the hour went out, and Phesx Caolia could relax, he felt like his lungs were no longer heaved down by the presence of the Instructor. It didn¡¯t become easier, as he still fell after 10 seconds, but he felt himself improve. Was this learning? It better be. Phesx used the rest of his alone time before asking for that final half an hour before the lecture with Mel. When he returned to facing Cala¡¯s attacks, Phesx bested himself and lasted for 12 seconds at the very least each time. Phesx continued to prove new things, using the steps to avoid the Instructor, faking attacks, hitting back, and even trying to deviate those punches and kicks with any parts of his body. As for Cala, whenever he thought he could see Phesx¡¯s play style, the young boy changed and tried other things, lowering Cala¡¯s spirits. But then, Phesx would go and learn his new way, before changing again. The motherfucker. At last, the lecture with Cala ended. A contented, grinning Phesx walked out of the hall with Cala storing the machinery back underneath. Just as the door was closing, Cala narrowed his eyes, looking at the kid. ¡®That was fast¡­¡¯ ¡­ Phesx went to Mel, shivering deep inside, and sweating from Cala¡¯s lecture, but still feeling so¡­ excited! As soon as Phesx entered the hall, he saw Mel stand around her desk, where the needles wouldn¡¯t hit her. Phesx had a bad premonition¡­ ¡°Chicken!¡± Mel loudly voiced. Phesx Caolia blinked before cautiously asking, eating some of his neck into his body. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°This is your coop, a henhouse, if you may.¡± Mel supported her chin on her left palm, further rested on the table. Phesx Caolia walked to the middle, as she would always instruct with her scary black eyes. Mel elaborated, ¡°This place will become your little tomb every last hour from today on. For now, you will only meet needles, the same as before.¡± ¡°?¡± Phesx Caolia nibbled his lower lip and tilted his head backwards to the left. Mel grinned, ¡°Indeed. You have to survive, vie against them. You¡¯ll have to endure a minute with your body targeted by these needles. You¡¯ll have a break every time for 4 minutes.¡± ¡°For now, you¡¯ll learn how to move. Killing is nothing if you can¡¯t measure your distance, speed, and can¡¯t dictate the other party¡¯s possible reaction.¡± Mel boringly said. She stood up and walked into the ¡®coop¡¯. ¡°You will have a few fellows to aid you. 4 of them are other assassins looking to stop you, while 2 of them are civilians, and 1 of them is the target you must kill.¡± Artistas showed from his surroundings. Phesx Caolia was nearly scared, for he didn¡¯t see them before, but they were in plain sight. Immediately, with Mel clapping to start the practice, the 7 Artistas stopped looking and walking around him and stared off like they were walking in¡­ an elegant salon? A banquet? A parlor? Phesx Caolia¡¯s mind suddenly went into wonders. He was about to erase those misconceptions, when he instead welcomed them in. Then, the ¡®hunt¡¯ began. Needless to say, Phesx was about to suffer a hell. The indications were clear, but the punishments had to be learnt by him. When he moved for the first time, trying to dash towards someone he thought acted as a guard, a needle shot to his right arm, stopping him. Mel shouted about the adequate speed and movements an assassin must make to employ any act of theirs, murderous or not. Meanwhile, Phesx Caolia was attacked by that Artista, slammed to the ground with the needle breaking into two. Thus, not only would his erroneous steps be punished. If he attacked a guard, he would be slammed against the ground. They would break the needle stabbed into him before it fell, though. This helped to get rid of any inconvenience. After 2 hours of failing nonstop, Phesx seemed to get how to play his role in this circus. While his mind dedicated each round a new, lavish, crowded place, they were synergized in ways he couldn¡¯t comprehend. When he managed to ¡®fool¡¯ the guards, moving around the scene unnoticed, mistaken as any other person, and attacked the only ¡®civilian¡¯ who was the target, brought away by other guards before, he was slammed down. They change their roles, something he didn¡¯t notice until then. Every time a new round started, they would, without looking at each other, nor following a pattern, take different roles. Sometimes, the same people were guards, which beat the shit out of Phesx for the remaining of the hour. However, he had good close calls to kill his target. Twice, he grabbed a civilian, threatening to kill them if the guards moved. Once, the guards sacrificed the civilian, while the other time, Phesx acted too slow, and a guard neared the target and wouldn¡¯t move away. A checkmate; and he was slammed yet again. Before the ¡®hour of hell¡¯ began, Phesx saw the Artistas leave, barely offering him a glance, exiting the hall and chatting about lunch. Meanwhile, Mel walked to him with a red colored cream already on her index and middle left fingers. She approached Phesx with a smile, ¡°Come, come. Get that body fresh for what¡¯s to ensue.¡± ¡°No, thank you, Instructor.¡± Phesx shook his head lightly, not stepping backwards. Mel narrowed her eyes, ¡°Are you sure? Not even if you get hit in your genitals?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s face changed. Mel walked forth, but thinking of something, he shook his head. ¡°No, I cannot.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Did someone ask you this? Be careful of dying without the other party making a move.¡± Mel said, keeping her ointment before turning around. Phesx Caolia silently nodded, thanking her. Also, he cursed her, about to suffer tremendously. He wasn¡¯t wrong to do so. As soon as she stepped outside the ¡®coop¡¯, Phesx¡¯s instincts warned him off, but they were too slow, and so was his body. From the front, his body was struck by a couple of dozen needles. He was risen into the air before his body was struck continuously. Blood spurted everywhere, leaving Phesx Caolia helpless to move for several seconds. He stood up, almost in a state of shock, when Mel¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°You have only one chance. If you fall, time¡¯s over. You better rest, or you won¡¯t see the next lecture, and Jos¨¦ won¡¯t like that¡­ Which is bad for you.¡± Mel smiled, but Phesx was looking around with such determination to notice. Phesx remained standing before 5 minutes were up. Then, without any notice, another set of needless shot towards him. This time from behind his left. He barely turned his head around, before he felt it lag behind as his body was lifted again and struck severely. He coughed some blood¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­ it¡¯s been a long time since I had fun,¡± Mel commented as Phesx Caolia struggled to move his body. The needless immediately fell on the floor after the impact, but he was hurting everywhere. His mind went back to before, ¡®Am I supposed to not use anything to heal with this?¡¯ Phesx stood up after 3 minutes, feeling he¡¯d lose consciousness if he didn¡¯t. He prepared for the next attack. It was all he could do. Liberating his mind, he breathed. When the next row of needles came, Phesx brutally moved to face its direction and used his forearms and shins to bash at them, jumping into the air. His limbs hurt, but his body wasn¡¯t struck as easily as before. Furthermore, with Cala¡¯s previous lecture, he now knew how to block. More or less. The needless were a few times faster than Cala was with him, which Phesx obviously knew was regulated to his level. But they shot to him from the distance. The hall wasn¡¯t small, if thousands, at most, of Neophytes had to train here, it was enough to give Phesx some diminutive time. Another train of thought entered Phesx, which he pushed apart fast for now. Other Neophytes had to have a slightly differing training, at the very least. Round after round, Phesx Caolia became bloodied. At times, he had to use his torso and thighs¡¯ sides to deal with those things. His face was scratched many times as a result, until he learned to avoid them ¡®completely¡¯. His clothes and skin were still cut open, even if superficially, and his body hurt. By then, his time in the hour of hell had finished. Mel said nothing, but Phesx nodded towards her before heading outside. He was seen by many Artistas walking around, some with bions on their face, with the others hiding or showing it with or without their hoods on from their limbs. Their eyes were dumbstruck, curious, and serious. Was he not getting any medicament? Phesx wasn¡¯t, indeed. He felt all of his body cracked, and each step was like his skin was further torn apart. Like this, he walked to Jos¨¦¡¯s hall. There, he moved to the side. An auxiliary wall came out from the wall near the entrance to cover him as he changed clothes. Once he limped to Jos¨¦ and sat, the latter opened his eyes, letting them half open. His lips seemed cold before he addressed Phesx. ¡°Your attitude is still a problem. I need to take that little boy out of you.¡± ¡°How will that happen?¡± Phesx Caolia asked. Jos¨¦ looked at him still, wearing gentle and understanding eyes. ¡°Breaking you how you weren¡¯t fully teared apart.¡± ¡°Preut. Yourself. The world.¡± Jos¨¦ looked directly into Phesx¡¯s black eyes. They remained the same as just now, but Phesx somehow couldn¡¯t bring himself to look into them. Something not even Mel is capable of, not with such emotions behind them. ¡°Which do you hate, resent, or despise the most?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia was about to respond Preut, just to say something. But with the latter words, he didn¡¯t find it in himself to choose one. And when he thought of the world, there also wasn¡¯t any of the words that could describe it. The reason was simple for Phesx, but he didn¡¯t know how to explain it, at least in a way that others would understand. ¡°Myself.¡± Phesx Caolia responded after a minute of silence. Jos¨¦ didn¡¯t interrupt, waiting for his answer. When Jos¨¦ finally got it, he pressed on. ¡°Which one is it?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± Phesx Caolia responded after thinking for a good while. He lowered his eyes and parted his head further. Jos¨¦ moved his head a little, still looking at the young boy. ¡°What do you keep living, then? Why would you walk here still? No, if there is no word to connect it to, it¡¯s not yourself. Preut? The world? Or are you just sad? Depressed? Maybe the latter, but emotions? Are you even capable of that?¡± Jos¨¦ asked, still gentle. Phesx frowned, but at least he returned his head to the right position. While he still looked down, he wasn¡¯t fleeing as much as before. Phesx blurted, ¡°Resent.¡± ¡°No,¡± Jos¨¦ affirmatively shook his head and crossed his arms. ¡°If you¡¯re going to lie to me, you should¡¯ve said Preut or the world at the start. You¡¯re not sad enough to hide me the full truth after giving me half the truth.¡± ¡°Despise.¡± Phesx Caolia looked up at the Instructor. The latter¡¯s eyes were the same, his expression was the same, and his voice was just as unshaken. Jos¨¦ looked down without a ripple through him before opening his lips, formulating words, and then finally saying them slowly. ¡°No, not that one either. Doesn¡¯t your heart get softer as you lie and lie, lie, lie, and lie to yourself?¡± ¡°Save me the trouble, we both know it isn¡¯t just ¡®I hate myself, you wouldn¡¯t understand!¡¯, so speak up your mind. What does the heart say?¡± Jos¨¦ looked down at the young boy, lowering his head and upper back further. Phesx looked up, not backing away from those eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t even recognize your own eyes anymore, do you not notice?¡± Jos¨¦¡¯s words woke Phesx up, relaxing his expression and straightening his back. Before Jos¨¦ could say something about it, Phesx realized¡­ 4 hours have passed by. He breathed throughout. ¡­ Chapter 49 — Time Running Out Time Running Out Another 5 hours later, Phesx Caolia was in the old man Emer''s study room again. He was wolfing a piece of steak, with nothing other than salt, and with a strange red-orange sauce on top. It was semi-solid and soft, melting once it went into his mouth. It was spicy, and Phesx couldn''t stop eating more and more because of it. The old man sat a bit far away, biting a smaller piece of steak from his left hand, watching Phesx eat as time passed. When Phesx finished his last repeated plate, he looked back at the old man and asked, ¡°It¡¯s all good, and heavy. But won¡¯t something like this be worse for my injuries?¡± ¡°Maybe. Just keep eating until your fill. Rest 2 hours. You¡¯ll need them before I begin with you.¡± Emer kept eating. Phesx looked up at the old man before shrugging. Taking the study as his room, he went to a corner and lied down on his side while facing it. The old man gave him a few glances before ignoring him. Phesx Caolia slept comfortably, although his body heated from the inside, and more so around his wounds, which were many. The old man gave him lots of water to drink, as opposed to the 16 hours of constant learning. Potentially, because he finished the instructor¡¯s time done like shit, Emer had him eat and rest first. When 2 hours passed, Phesx felt light taps against his back. He woke up to see it was Emer, who was ready to train him. Bael had him feel like his body was being stabbed, and Phesx had to focus on the parts of his body that were targeted. The Instructor only used a thin needle, more than those Mel shoots him with, and longer. Every time one went through his skin, it felt like a knife, a wide, teethed one. Whenever it touched something from his insides, it felt like his organs or bones were punctured, and if it wasn¡¯t rapidly retrieved, impaled by that knife. Nevertheless, he had to focus on that spot of his body, or the needle would be twirled and rotated within him. At first, Phesx went through hell to get used to it, but the young boy adapted quickly. He had to be seated on the ground with his back hunching, in case he went into shock and started convulsing so Bael could lie him down. After the disastrous beginning, Phesx managed to focus with a solid regular of 8 seconds per body spot. At the same time, he was learning. Soon, he¡¯ll know about poison, venom¡­ ¡°Get up,¡± Emer brought Phesx to his feet. Phesx was surprised with the setup in the study room. The drawers, lockers, and chairs were all moved to form a kind of ¡®jail¡¯ with a small chair trapped in the middle. Sitting on that chair, only his immediate east, south, north, and west were visible, and Phesx could see the walls at the end of narrow, straight spaces. There were many things dangling from the ceiling, and the drawers and other furniture around. ¡°You would like to learn how to fend off against an unknown number of danger. Not just from people punching at you. If you think others won¡¯t have great aiming, you will be very curious to drop dead in your first mission before you know it. But that¡¯s nothing important.¡± ¡°What are the things nothing and no one can handle? The possibilities of what?¡± Emer said, asking the young boy, but Phesx couldn¡¯t see the old man anywhere. He felt the old man¡¯s voice was behind him, though, and responded. ¡°Accidents? Troubles¡­ irregularities?¡± ¡°Yes, things. Irregularities are the mayhem of any side, of any situation, and for anyone involved. One sole thing can turn everyone upside down, and destroy the rest. True tragedy occurs when these happen¡ª from the smallest of things, becoming too heavy yet unstoppable.¡± Emer nodded. ¡°You won¡¯t be harmed by these things. I didn¡¯t have enough time to grab some knifes, handguns, and poison powder. I¡¯ve been too busy here. Every time you are hit by one of these things, I¡¯m going to pull a hair from your shins or near your ear.¡± Emer¡¯s voice resounded¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia blinked a few times, before a soft ball of ribbons swung towards him at a mild speed. He knew he shouldn¡¯t use breath or his hyper sensitivity, but the speed was mediocre, even for him. He moved his head to the right, also bringing his upper body to the side, and evaded it. A second later, the ball bashed against another, making the other swing backwards. Phesx Caolia dodged left and right as the 2 balls made of ribbons rushed to his nape before heading to his face again. When he dodged them again, they went to separate sides, adding another one to the equation when returning. The 3 weren¡¯t of the same size, and the newest one had a protrusion extending from some of its angles. After another 3 full swings, Phesx felt his right ear traced by that protrusion. Immediately, he jolted as a tiny, sharp pain emerged from his left shin near his heel. ¡°Aoo!¡± Phesx frowned as the balls stopped swaying. He saw the ¡®main¡¯ one half a meter before him hovering in the air, still. Then, it began to swing at him again. Phesx didn¡¯t think and did the same as before, dodging for 2 balls, although he frowned a little. But there weren¡¯t 2, only 1, and this one swayed to the sides as Phesx only moved left once, getting hit by it on his right side. ¡°Au!¡± Phesx exclaimed again, feeling insulted as he saw the main ball get to position. ¡®Oh boy.¡¯ Oh boy indeed, these 5 hours had just commenced. His patience and whatnot were just about to be tested. Patience was the most important, but Phesx learned to keep a steady mentality and to not lose his cool¡­ the hard way. ¡­ When the 5 hours under Emer¡¯s training finished, the cotton, ribbon, cloth, and even feather balls were all stopped, just as Phesx Caolia had learned not to move his body all the time. Sometimes, yes, but not every time. His head and neck moved with ease, flowing smoothly and relaxing, but his mind was hardened, and he was stressed out. Sweating, Phesx Caolia took a breather after everything stopped moving. He felt like a prisoner being punched left and right, but when he stood up and walked out, he felt¡­ anew. His legs and arms, which were ¡®tied¡¯ imaginably to the small chair could now move. He felt so much better as the sweat cooled off and his body dried. His clothes were another set after Bael¡¯s lecture, but Phesx didn¡¯t want to change them now, since he would go to Cala and sweat a whole lot more. This was but the continuation of his training. Phesx started the day with Cala¡¯s lecture, feeling the pillar moved a bit too slow, slower than yesterday¡­ He grinned, as he knew Cala wouldn¡¯t make things easier for him. . . . Time passed. Phesx learned, all right. During these weeks, things only became increasingly more difficult and hair-pulling whenever anything new commenced. However, as Phesx Caolia was new to the next steps, he no longer needed to suffer for too long. He was still slow to get the hang of things, so to speak, for something as ¡®artistic¡¯ as murder and stealth. But no longer as slow as before. With Cala, the pillar moved faster and faster, and Cala¡¯s time with him in those 2 hours became more and more dangerous. But when Phesx Caolia could remain in the pillar for 40 minutes before losing his stamina, and he could do the same while dodging and blocking Cala¡¯s attacks, they followed to the next step. Phesx had to still hop onto another pillar, but this time, it was longer, and he had to move from one extreme to the other, not just maintain himself atop. However, this would only happen after the first 3 hours. Those 3 hours were replaced with Cala directly sparring with Phesx Caolia, nonstop. Every new day, Phesx Caolia had to return to Cala. He had to think and figure himself, his moves and what his body could do to not be beaten down so easily. Phesx went from brainstorming how to endure a beating, even while dodging in the chair with Emer, to how to attack back. As for the last hour¡¯s exercise, Phesx had to reach the other extreme 1 second less after every go. Every new day, he had to start with 1 second less than the worst timing of the day before. If he didn¡¯t follow these rules, Phesx would be bashed down from the pillar. It was essentially a time limit, which Phesx learned to slowly achieve instead of advancing by many seconds lesser every time. With this, he began understanding his speed. He didn¡¯t know others, but Phesx somehow felt he was slow. Cala never praised him, only laughing or nodding his head depending on what happened. When that was over, and Phesx achieved a minimum of 13 seconds to move from one extreme to the other, Cala changed his training to firearms and hidden weapons. The first hour was still sparring with Cala, which Phesx Caolia started gaining strength in his body from. It was rare, of course, as just fighting was inhumanely possible to grow stronger. All Phesx did outside his training hours with the Instructors or Emer was build his stamina. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. But the other 2 hours were about getting used to all types of gunshots coming at him from different angles. Phesx had some ¡®experience¡¯ with Mel¡¯s needless by now, and the bullets used were meant to punish the skin, not to kill. Even then, he was shot multiple times by dozens of bullets, leaving awful, small marks on his skin. The last hour was exchanged with Cala and Phesx having a ¡®duel¡¯ with handguns with the same bullets. Phesx couldn¡¯t hit Cala without being hit twice or thrice each time, so he temporarily sought another way. To stop the bullets Cala shot him. It went from looking like an idiot to deviating one of 3, and sometimes, 1 of 2 bullets hitting him anywhere. At some point, like before, Phesx adapted. When he first managed to shoot Cala¡¯s body several times in a row, although he received 3 on his arms and forehead, Cala was astonished, even though he hid it. Phesx noticed it the moment he shot Cala, how his movements changed at once. Phesx couldn¡¯t hide his grin and was barraged soon after, leaving him bruised all over. From then on, Phesx only continued, and as they went on, the distances between each other increased or reduced, with the hours¡¯ exercises changing a little. Some were meant to solidify the base skill, like aiming, throwing hidden weapons, utilizing bions, and rushing to each other to spar. Other times, it was an all-out to beat the other, with Phesx always in the weak side. As Phesx Caolia¡¯s training neared its end, Cala and Phesx either shot each other once, dodged the others, stabbed each other or hurt one another with hidden weapons once or twice out of a dozen thrown; and landed restrained mortal hits on each other¡¯s body with punches, kicks, elbows, etc. Phesx wasn¡¯t being trained for long just because he could endure it, he was able to be trained to this point because of the Instructors¡¯ desire to vie for the Head position in 4 years. Even as the new Neophytes joined the training, it was outside Phesx¡¯s hours with the Instructors. Phesx was clearly a focus the Instructor granted to him. And as he progressed with Mel, Phesx looked more like a Riverlye member and not a young boy learning how to kill. He wasn¡¯t just learning anymore, the young boy was becoming something else entirely. At last, Phesx was able to find the target he had to kill and killed them. At first, he was still rough. He would be beaten down by the guards afterwards. But after succeeding once, everything became a little clearer, making Phesx feel he was allowed to do more things he thought he couldn¡¯t, or shouldn¡¯t. Round after round, he sought and found. Sometimes, he quickly took a hostage and used the civilian¡¯s safety, when the guards showed care, to cause a distraction and kill the target before being beaten down. Then, Phesx found ways to kill the target without taking any civilians. Although he sometimes made them trip, even causing the guards to ¡®neutralize¡¯ a civilian, Phesx finished off his target rapidly and fled all across the hall, never once being shot by the needles. It would go on, with Phesx and the guards sweating, until Mel clapped her hands and marked the start of another round. Everyone would reset, rerun, and ¡®appear¡¯ in another scenario like nothing happened. Their sweat turned imaginary, and each played their role. When Phesx Caolia figured how to blend in and pass as a civilian, or even a guard, and kill the target, the eyes of the Artistas and the Instructor¡¯s changed. Of course, he was beaten at first, until Phesx figured how to not be ¡®seen¡¯. There were no other people, lights, or shadows in the hall. But in the scenario, it was crowded, there were hallways everyone had to walk and follow, and even furniture. Anything helped, and soon, Phesx could silently take care of the target without the guards or a civilian noticing, beating him down or alerting the guards. The change of the training only occurred when Phesx began targeting the guards first before getting rid of the target. He would overpower them, most of the time sneakily, while the last guard sometimes met him head on. Phesx would surprise them, all of them. Even when the Artistas knew Phesx was capable of surprising them, they couldn¡¯t do anything but to wait being overthrown and ¡®killed¡¯ as he laid few and fewer traces or hints of making a move. Sometimes, just to earn more style points, and for fun, he also killed the civilians before taking the target¡¯s life. Only then did Mel advance with his training. The next time, Phesx welcomed darkness when opening the door. However, it wasn¡¯t from the poisonous dust falling on his face, but the lights turned off. As soon as he stepped, he evaded a needle, blocked a punch with his palm, grabbing it, and used his first attacker¡¯s body to jump and get out of an encirclement. Following that were the sounds of body hits, needless dodged by everyone, and some bodies dropping. Sometimes, only one body needed to drop before the lights went on: Phesx¡¯s. Phesx couldn¡¯t hear anything other than their attacks blocked or dodged by him, followed with the air. When he was finally struck down and the lights went on, he¡¯d see a dozen hooded Artistas walk away. A few seconds later, the lights would go off again, and another round would begin. At first, Phesx Caolia could only hear the wind of their movements after they attacked him, dodged, blocked, or failed to withstand them. But though another week of learning, and spending quite a good deal of time without being brought down, he could hear it beforehand, but pretended not to. He tricked them many times with this newly acquired skill, becoming more and more proficient and lasting longer. Phesx soon started beating them down instead, ¡®seeing¡¯ their body and the human body¡¯s weaknesses in each of them. Through his senses, his familiarity with such. He ¡®won¡¯ each round after a while. Only then were hidden weapons and handguns introduced, making the task more arduous, yet more ¡®addictive¡¯ for Phesx, who felt freed in the dark. It had been a long time since he sharpened his nails or teeth, but it would continue to be that way. As for the last hour, when he had to endure 1 minute every 5 minutes with 4 minutes of break, as Phesx learned to defend himself and dodge, he improved. However, it was still slow, and even as he faced Artistas in the dark with hidden weapons and handguns, he only remained standing for 30 or 40 seconds before being shot down. After that, it became a boring routine, so the 1 hour was reduced to half an hour. Phesx would instead learn killing moves directly from Mel. She would start with him, using only her body, but ended with a weapon in her hands. A whip, knife, stone, heavy spherical object, pens; anything. While they were restrained against Phesx, they weren¡¯t towards practice dummies. All Phesx Caolia had to do was watch and learn. Whether he registered everything in his brain, or some, depended on himself. Mel only had enough time to care for him for half an hour, but she was proficient in her teaching. At some point, his 3 hours of practicing without help were shared with a segment where he was to use handguns, rifles, and hidden weapons to fire and hit targets while in movement. It would be from the shadows, in the open, while he¡¯s put under pressure with actual firepower firing at allocated angles here and there, and a time limit. This exercise became more difficult each new day, and the number of bullets grazing against him only increased, as he was shot a few times during those days. Phesx¡¯s learning under Mel was coming to an end, but he had gone through a lot. Definitely not something the regular human can ever endure. When it came to Jos¨¦¡¯s lectures, they grew somber and more silent, with his breathing taking more importance in his daily training each new day. There were a few times Phesx attended lessons with other Neophytes, where everyone ¡®met each other¡¯. On one of those times, they showed their scars, or the ¡®ugliness¡¯ from the past. Phesx Caolia ended up showing his right side a bit. It was still ugly, and with the subsequent weeks of training, his body became riddled with more and more wounds. Although Phesx did not speak when his turn came, he heard the others talk. Some he could swear were just a little older than him but sounded as typical and ordinary as the girls and boys he met at Ojazul. Yet, everyone had a formidable nature towards Riverlye. They weren¡¯t normal people. Through these weeks, Jos¨¦ had them engage in debate and experiment with drugs, venomous insects and flora, laying their minds out. Even when Phesx wasn¡¯t drawn to the idea, he still participated. It was dull and meaningless to him, and dry for the other persons, but it worked out in the end. Although it was just talking. It was strange, considering these were talks of the most intimate thoughts and events in each other¡¯s lives. Not solely about sex, or romance, nor tragedy; it was like a cocktail of thoughts and forged attitudes. Phesx somehow felt it was his mind being trained here, just like his senses, reflects, speed, reaction, and even strength in the others. Here, his mind grew¡­ Just grew. In the last days before Phesx was given a break after 5 months, he and Jos¨¦ just stared at each other, breathing and saying nothing, not even with their eyes. As for Bael Instructor¡¯s lectures, it was a different type of unending hell. The needle stabbed his body from behind, the front, and even from above to his shoulders, chest, and below to his feet, thighs, shins. Phesx Caolia could feel the ¡®knowledge¡¯ of his body increasing his understanding. It seemed like nothing, but as it happened more and more, Phesx felt he was unleashing his body from any remaining restraint. However, the next steps were hellish. Being stabbed by a needle became a soft approach, as Phesx was next put under heavily hot or cold temperatures. He was to spar with practice dummies, requiring him to stretch, bend, crouch, jump, dash away, nimbly or simply sidestepping. They were new types of pain, overexertion, and the realization of the body¡¯s disposition with nature. When that was enough, and Phesx Caolia knew his body better, something that would only continue to happen like a never ending miracle, the next step was started. Phesx was shot with handguns and rifles. The bullets were specialized, and the angle and firepower, to impact the target with shock and exactly similar sensations as being shot, becoming easy to retrieve. However, they still caused harm. At first, Phesx had no hope in a training like this, but as he experienced it the first time, and his organs were ¡®harmed¡¯ yet untouched, he could only keep going. That didn¡¯t last long, as Phesx only had to get his body used to it. Otherwise, according to the ¡®general¡¯ knowledge, when he was set out to do missions, and mayhem befell him, he¡¯d just die on the streets or a random rooftop without knowing how to proceed to survive. Phesx¡¯s body was also bombarded and tried with poisons, those Jos¨¦ couldn¡¯t use on the Neophytes as they were dangerous and not hallucinogenic or ¡®relaxing¡¯ alone. Those times, Phesx constantly coughed, sneezed, and had awful toilet memories built forever in his head. At last, Phesx went from suffering hits from Bael, becoming used to the possible worst scenarios out there, to being taught to ¡®enjoy¡¯ torture. His nails broken apart, his lips¡¯ skin layered off, and things like his joints and his most sensitive parts being targeted. It wasn¡¯t just torture. Phesx¡¯s body would be selectively targeted somewhere, while the rest of his body was punctured by countless thicker needles with blunt tips, or touched by smoking hot or scalding cold objects. Things like electric shocks became a baby¡¯s steps compared to venom or blades with hooks. The very last training Phesx had under Bael was to exercise like a motherfucker madman, placing his body to the utmost limits in less than 30 minutes, continuing like this for at least 3 hours. He¡¯d sleep for 2 hours in a cold tub, even in front of other Neophytes after his time was over, before returning to the old man and eating his fill prior to the old man¡¯s ensuing training. Phesx would¡¯ve been glad if he hadn¡¯t arrived to Bael¡¯s last training with every muscle of his body worked up all at the same fucking time, and then relaxing in the cold tub, so soon. He spent a couple of weeks with that ¡®last¡¯ training. Either way, when it came to Emer¡¯s training¡­ ¡­ Chapter 50 — The Light In Your Eyes… The Light In Your Eyes¡­ It was the year 1,024, 2nd month, 4th week''s 1st day. Phesx could now be considered 17 years old. He truly wasn''t that young anymore. It was night, and a bit late, so he ought to leave the pizzeria. But just before he walked out, signaling goodbye to the owners, a lady walked to him, carrying a pizza with her. Phesx Caolia stopped, not going to deny a pizza. He thanked the lady in silence before returning to his house. Phesx''s quiet attitude paired with his politeness gained him a bit of popularity everywhere, his employers in the pizzeria weren''t immune. Not knowing why, from the others; not understanding it, from himself. Phesx Caolia had a charm to his silly little self. He had grown taller, much taller. But that wasn¡¯t the problem drawing attention to himself, it was the strange charm that came from his confidence. He hasn¡¯t grown handsome, to his relief. But some girls he always thought could only care to match their pretty faces with someone wouldn¡¯t stop giving him glances. At first, it was natural, he was a strange but understood commodity at the entrance or walking around a tall building carrying heavy stuff. But then, those glances would be replaced by little chats, further emboldened to some moves, innocent or flirtatious. Even though all that training in Riverlye didn¡¯t bring him justice, with his torso-hoodie and his long pants or jeans covering it, his hard work didn¡¯t go unnoticed. After going up, Phesx Caolia wolfed that pizza. It wouldn¡¯t be like before, where the next days would be little food and sleep, something he grew used to. But this was the first time his employers actually gave him a whole pizza. Before, it was a slice or dessert. He enjoyed the full box for himself. Thinking about buying 2 boxes for every new week¡¯s start, Phesx Caolia nodded in satisfaction before preparing to get out. Tomorrow was the day, and it was night already. Ever since he used his small pistol, Phesx Caolia had kept it with him but never used it again. Still with 23 bullets in the magazine, Phesx couldn¡¯t buy more until he was of age and got a permit. It would be¡­ doubtful if refugees from a civil war could not only drive but own weapons underage. As Phesx Caolia went down the stairs to his Myertha, watched by some guys walking by from the neighborhood, and the reason some cars slowed down while driving by, Phesx carried his helmet under his left armpit. He unlocked the Myertha before straddling it. During these 5 months, Phesx has been keeping all his money, already having opened a tedious, unnecessarily slow bank account from Lymoca¡¯s national bank. Not counting the rent and the groceries, which he ate at home very little every month, the rent being 2,000 and the groceries 1,200 credits, Phesx made 28,000 credits a month. Phesx¡¯s income is 31,200 credits, with all the small jobs in those 3 days, and the refugee¡¯s pension. The more he worked, the more he realized how generous the pizzeria guys were. Nothing much happened when he guarded it. There were some drunk fellows he had to check before allowing in, almost being slapped every time out of their own shame. Sometimes, they caused trouble. That gave Phesx more work, but he presented solid responses to that. As for working with the old man, there were a couple of situations where the livestock escaped from his truck and a random person waiting at the side felt lucky. That day, the old man confirmed Phesx didn¡¯t have those scars out of tragedies, but battle. Either way, Phesx Caolia felt good beating people again. He longed to become an Artista more and more. The most boring days, or uneventful, were in the tall building. Every floor was an office, and every office was mindless, spiritless adults getting to work. The occasional chat with coffee, or any other drink of their preference happened, talking in low spirits and rapidly going back to work. ¡°Sigh,¡± Phesx sighed, feeling his Myertha begin roaring, both contented. Having grown used to it, he softly grinned before picking his feet up. He first went to the pizzeria, planning to let old man Emer know a bit of actual food. Then, paying 300 credits for 2 regular boxes, he left. His total saved gains were 140,000 credits in these 5 months, but he used 12,000 credits to get clothes and a fridge. It was narrow, but it could hold all the fruit and water bottles he wanted, so it was perfect. Afterwards, he rushed into the roads and headed to the center of Sargonde. His current balance was of 128,000, that had to be enough to cover for the training. He hoped to at least make 10,000 more credits each month while working for Riverlye. Although Phesx unwillingly learned of the trade and statistics from Victor Ruva, he wasn¡¯t experienced with life. There were things the internet didn¡¯t have, like concrete answers to any question books could have. What books couldn¡¯t have, in retrospect, was the smoothness a good teacher could instruct a person and share their views. Anyhow, Phesx Caolia rushed forth with the boxes in the rear compartment, keeping them warm and tasty. ¡­ Once arriving at the headquarters, barely 1 AM, Phesx breathed deeply in before stepping into an elevator. Now for real, today was the day. He painfully waited in the elevator as it went a couple of hundred meters underground. The doors opened. Phesx Caolia looked ahead before bringing his boxes ahead. He calmly walked, slow and steady. His footsteps were hidden to the hearing of even some Artistas walking around, helping with some logistics. Only noticing Phesx when he went past them. The Neophytes this year only amounted to 1,990, or so he heard. But they still had a month to be considered Artistas and have their mission of initiation. One could wonder how Riverlye could have thousands of missions for the new Artistas prepared each year. The answer was as simple as the word simple is, they did their initiations in group. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t worry about that. He knew his initiation would be alone. He wouldn¡¯t be the only one, but few do in every batch of new Artistas. Phesx only worried about the cost of the training and that of the weapons and bions. There were internal and external type of bions. Phesx Caolia wanted to acquire ¡®void¡¯ bions as much as he could. And perhaps¡­ create some himself? ¡°Hm¡­¡± Phesx Caolia neared the corner to the old man¡¯s alleyway, when he noticed a door elsewhere already open. It was much sooner than usual, or at least since this was the first time Phesx came early. He couldn¡¯t see who was inside, but hearing from dozens of meters away, he could faintly discern the careful and dedication of metal and segments being assembled. Then, focusing more in his hearing, narrowing his eyes to an almost close, he could hear the sweet sounds of joints and bones surrounded by strength. It was just the adequate to do whatever was happening. ¡®Why not?¡¯ Since it wasn¡¯t the expertly but uncaring noises he always heard from the weapons craftsman, Phesx shrugged and walked to the workshop. Emer looked at him with narrowed eyes. Phesx either ignored it or didn¡¯t notice, while Emer felt he lost something. So far, the training of dodging became more and more¡­ unique. It went from dodging balls from hitting his head to knifing them. Phesx had only one chance to stab them, and from then on, he could only stab them in the same place, no matter their rotation speed and angle. Phesx had to stab a ball with every motion he made, no matter what. If not, he¡¯ll be stabbed on his shins or between his toes with porcupine spikes. It was pure sadism. When Phesx became able as much as possible to do that, the old man began teaching him how to dodge-attack with cold weapons. It was more difficult, as he was forced to spin, somersault, dash through air to the side, spinning his body 180 degrees, among other retarded conditions. But things became worse when handguns became the main weapon this time. Phesx Caolia had to keep the handgun close, fire it without putting pressure in his wrist, and never miss a shot. He also had to destroy the balls little by little, and couldn¡¯t hit a wall no matter what, the floor, or ceiling. The bullet had to stay inside or drop without remnant force. It happened a lot, as such, his nails were poked by a thin needle from underneath. Finger or toe, there was no mercy. By the end of each training, Phesx¡¯s nails bled down his wrists, making a glazed donut out of his fleshy hand and its blood. When he finally exited Emer¡¯s study room with his nails intact, Phesx was made to do the same with rifles, and even old world shotguns. Thus, Phesx Caolia found his legs whose bones were dislocated and rearranged each time to become horrendously sore after every training day. Phesx was smart to begin Emer¡¯s training and then rest, but still. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Lately, as Phesx had long mastered that last training session, and did any of what he has already learnt while still training under the Instructors, the old man promised him something. When Phesx proved himself to Emer, not Riverlye, or someone else, but Emer alone, he¡¯d teach the ¡®kid¡¯ a good art for any combat. Meant for cold weapons, like swords, with emphasis in swords, but that can be used with even sniping rifles, let alone any other firearm or explosives. It was a good bait, and while Phesx didn¡¯t know the value of such, he pretty much welcomed the proposal of becoming better at killing. He never heard anyone in Riverlye speak about something like that, so he figured it was either secret¡­ or rare. Knock, knock, knock- Phesx Caolia knocked on the side of the workshop, as its door was long left open. Before the third, quick knock echoed ended, a female voice sounded from inside. ¡°Come in.¡± Phesx Caolia stepped into the workshop and looked left before looking right. The medic wasn¡¯t here, no sound came from the back rooms, and the weapons craftsman wasn¡¯t present. Only an orange-haired young woman was behind her counter, looking at him as if waiting for him to turn his stupid head towards her. Feeling like he wasn¡¯t being ushered because of the smell atop his hands, Phesx Caolia immediately went to the point. He walked to her counter and brought a chair with his right leg expertly moving the heavy thing though the floor in one smooth motion. Dropping them on the chair to not filthy her workbench, Phesx opened the box atop the bottom one and looked at the beauty. ¡°I heard I¡¯ll be relying on you, miss. Also, that¡­ mm¡­ Waleks weapons craftsman after becoming an Artista. Accept my gift, if you will it.¡± The orangehead young woman with beautiful, large, elliptic celeste eyes, with freckles all over her face and shoulders and neck, looked at the box before staring at Phesx¡¯s face. She took a slice and put it in her mouth, staring with her eyes as she murmured, ¡°Is that so?¡± Afterwards, her eyes darted to the ceiling. Phesx lowered his face a little to the left, wondering if she knew where the pizza came from. Then, she lowered her head after finishing half a slice. Feeling in a good mood, with the cheese and bread mingling and melting with each bite, she blurted. ¡°You are so sure you will become an Artista.¡± Phesx Caolia had nothing to say to that. The young woman took another slice with her left hand to take a bite, but then took another with her right and passed it to Phesx. He looked at it when her voice came to his ears, making them tingle a bit. ¡°If it¡¯s a gift you should''ve run away after giving it, I would¡¯ve donated it to some poor beggar. But since it¡¯s a gift, then give the honors, too. Don¡¯t just stare.¡± Phesx looked up before slowly taking that slice in his left hand. The young woman eyed his hand before nodding, satisfied. Then, they both ate quite a bit of pizza. As a matter of fact, they ate the entire box, enjoying the deliciousness. And why not, chatted with some more in their mouths. ¡°How did you get some at such a late hour? You live about 2 hours from here, no?¡± The young woman asked, with the last half of pizza in her hands as she munched. Phesx bit the last bits of his slice. He looked at her, startled at her for knowing his address, and for recognizing where the pizza came from. The young woman spoke with a neutral, almost cold face. ¡°With the way some Arts call you after you stood out in Mel¡¯s personal lectures, many would like to know about you. Don¡¯t fret, the information I gained is only available for Instructors or higher. I¡¯m higher than an Artista.¡± ¡°I¡­ live near it,¡± Phesx Caolia said, watching her eat the last half in one go. ¡°I also work for it. Do you order it yourself, or ask someone to do it for you?¡± ¡°Anyone makes an order through someone. Even other orgs,¡± the young woman said before staring at the other box. Phesx Caolia looked at it, too. Then, they looked up at each other¡¯s eyes. As they ate, Pheli seemed focused on him at some point. Just as he wanted to tilt his head to the left, feeling awkward, she commented before going back to wolf the delicious slices. ¡°Even in your delusional state back then, those wide open eyes weren¡¯t as black as today. It¡¯s like they¡¯re losing its brightness.¡± 20 minutes later, Phesx walked out with the 2 boxes. He kept the empty to throw it somewhere. Just as he stepped at the entrance, he heard the young woman slightly call out. ¡°Pheli!¡± Phesx Caolia turned around, not knowing if he misheard. She tilted her head to the left and blinked, ¡°My name. Pheli. You have to ask the people you meet, or at least those you¡¯re currying favor with. It¡¯s just basics to please the others. I don¡¯t like ¡®miss¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you, Pheli.¡± Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t respond for a second. He didn¡¯t know if he should respond, or if silence was enough. Still, something inside him, not the politeness within, made him want to voice that. Or rather¡­ speak to her. Phesx Caolia turned and went on his way. When Phesx Caolia reunited with the old man, he had a large frown above his eyes, and a darkened face. Phesx flashed a smile before placing the empty box somewhere and the other on the only table to eat in the study. Leaving it semi-open, Phesx ignored the old man¡¯s eyes on his back and put his ¡®work¡¯ boots and gloves on. Much different to his biker gear, these were to work for Riverlye. In simple, brief words, dangerous and murder were possibly involved. Emer was kind to provide these for him, one of the reasons Phesx Caolia thought of bringing him food. ¡°She¡¯s a great choice. Can you handle it? Mn, being with her will be demanding to you. You may not be able to, after all.¡± The old man¡¯s words seemed to mock him, letting him know he wasn¡¯t enough. Phesx opened his mouth and breathed in from it but said nothing in the end. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking of that. Now, you¡¯ve made this weird, Emer.¡± Phesx Caolia said after putting his boots on and standing up to try them. They felt good, comfy, and isolated the sensation of the wind and even cut some of it as he swung his feet. ¡°It¡¯s too small, you know? To feel anything.¡± Emer suddenly said. Phesx Caolia jolted his head backwards with a weird face. He looked back, only to drop his eyelids at Emer eating the box of pizza with a dissatisfied face. Phesx Caolia said nothing. After all, he ate half the box with Pheli. ¡°When was the last time you ordered some, fart?¡± Phesx Caolia asked Emer, seeing him dirty his lips and mouth all over after the first few bites. Emer looked down, not showing any reaction, and just asked, ¡°Never? Where can I start ordering them? It¡¯s so good¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia tilted his head to the right, blinked, and arched his right eyebrow. He smiled before turning around. ¡°See you, old. Wish me luck.¡± ¡°Break your legs and half your spine.¡± Phesx Caolia heard Emer speak behind him. His uncaring, burping words strangely reminded him of the promise. A bad, little idea formed in his head as he headed to Jos¨¦¡¯s hall. ¡­ Entering the hall, he saw Jos¨¦ there. Phesx unceremoniously went inside and sat cross-legged before the Instructor that has costed him the most to learn under. Even up until now. Phesx sat and relaxed for 2 seconds before commenting, ¡°Waiting for me?¡± ¡°When the selected Neophytes embark in their first solo mission, they come to me to be sent off. It¡¯s not necessary, but yes,¡± Jos¨¦ lifted his eyelids and head before looking at Phesx¡¯s eyes. ¡°I was waiting for you.¡± Phesx Caolia straightened his back. Jos¨¦ gently pressed his lips together, almost a thin smile, before asking him. ¡°So, have you wondered enough? Your breath is solid, it only needs polishing. The body is trained, it only needs unleashing¡­¡± Jos¨¦¡¯s words became somber, ¡°The heart is there, it only needs to speak.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx pressed his lips. He looked nothing like Jos¨¦, and his mouth seemed bitter instead. Lowering his eyelids, Phesx suddenly felt empty in his belly, his abdomen, and his thighs. Hollow. His eyelids became heavy, but he wasn¡¯t sleepy. He started wondering things he never did before, or blatantly avoided with robustness. When Phesx felt a little calmer, he looked up, his legs folded, and spoke with his soft¡­ semi-broken voice. ¡°Myself.¡± Jos¨¦ silently nodded his head, awaiting. ¡°I believe it doesn¡¯t matter whether I know it or not. Wanting to know it irritates me, so I¡¯d say I feel irritated about myself, but that¡¯s not all!¡± Phesx¡¯s face shook fiercely. His behavior altered a bit. ¡°It¡¯s like I do want to know it, but not now, and definitely not because someone tells me to.¡± ¡°Others do not deserve it. No one cares, so why bother them with anything of mine? It doesn¡¯t matter, thus!¡± Phesx Caolia cocked his head rightwards, feeling he had the reason. Jos¨¦ continued looking without saying a word. Phesx felt a sudden bout of rage again, that irritation, or was it something else? ¡°No! I don¡¯t even worry about myself, why would others? It- aggh! No!¡± Phesx began shouting. He could feel his nape lighter and itchy to be scratched, but it wasn¡¯t a ticklish sensation. Phesx wanted to carve his fingers in and take out what¡¯s inside. Maybe even fickle his skull. ¡°Making me annoyed! Annoyed, irritated, aagh!¡± Phesx briefly glanced at Jos¨¦ before lashing out again. Even now, as he raged, Phesx couldn¡¯t tell why his legs felt so calm and comfortable. Then, he had thoughts of something again. His eyes contents expanded before regressing. ¡°Myself, me¡­¡± Phesx looked at Jos¨¦ straight in the eye. Just saying 2 words made the itchiness in his nape increase, making him crazy, lose his head, nuts¡­ making him¡­ ¡°Mad.¡± Phesx felt his breath quicken, and his belly funny. It was almost like laughter. It sounded just like what he heard boys and girls speak of butterflies in their stomachs when thinking of their special someone, but maybe it was a bit more like worms. ¡°Mad?¡± Jos¨¦ blinked, knitted his eyebrows, and squinted. Phesx Caolia threw his head backwards and hung his neck. Oh, he suddenly felt peaceful. He repeated, softly and in a seemingly relaxed, actually broken, voice. ¡°Mad.¡± ¡°¡­It fits you.¡± Jos¨¦ heard it for the second time, and after a few moments, he grinned. Phesx kept a relaxed, slothful expression without saying a thing. ¡°Phesx, your alias, Fox, has received a mission. It¡¯s time you go out.¡± Jos¨¦ stopped his left hand from tapping the young boy¡¯s right arm. He waved a bit of air onto the arm instead. Phesx chuckled softly through his nostrils, smiling from the left corner of his mouth, and nodded before standing up. ¡°What are this Fox¡¯s orders?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, relaxed and at ease. Any thought that¡¯d cause him trouble or linger gone, not missing, extinguished. ¡°That¡¯s for the Head to say. Go, your Instructors will wait, but not forever. Nor will your mission. Word; breathe and unleash through your body and heart.¡± Jos¨¦ said, lifting his head to stare at the young boy, at Fox. Phesx, Fox, the young boy; turned, looked back, and nodded. Walking out of the room, he could hear Jos¨¦¡¯s murmurs. The end of which coincided with the last thought crossing his mind before feeling¡­ like himself for the first time of his life¡­ From then on. ¡°¡­ When you change, you are careful the blood doesn¡¯t ruin the closets, or make things worse for those who¡¯d clean afterwards. You act polite, but you¡¯ve been long resigned to being a slave of habit. When there¡¯s something, anything, appearing as a desire, you cannot keep it¡­ No longer. You don¡¯t need a savior or a nemesis, only to liberate and¡­ be yourself.¡± ¡®From now on, I am free¡­¡¯ Phesx Caolia headed to the Head¡¯s study. He would wear the cloak, and when he returns, he¡¯d be hooded still. Flourished into an Artista. ¡­ Chapter 51 — Is Gone Is Gone In front of the Head, in his study, Phesx stood with a straight back and his equipment on the desk. The Head stood beside the desk, looking at him, gesturing to the cloak and small piece of reddish crystal with his head before addressing him. ¡°Your mission is to obtain an important item. It is in one of Sargonde''s museums. It is located in a small room. Likewise, it might be impossible to grab it during the day efficiently, as it is surrounded with guards elsewhere. But these are outside the target¡¯s room at night.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have much time to act, but you will have enough,¡± the Head passed Phesx a small note. He read it before giving it back. The Head walked around his desk to stand in front of Phesx, ¡°Usually, you would gather information about this as your mission, not directly act. As you can tell, you¡¯re no ordinary Neophyte, Fox.¡± ¡°This also means something else. You won¡¯t be messing around there. You¡¯ll prove yourself whatever happens, I¡¯m sure. That¡¯s all. Take your things and leave.¡± The Head sat and gave Phesx another glance before diverting his focus to his desk. Phesx Caolia grabbed the cloak and the crystal. He first put the cloak on, it was an obscure gray with nothing special. Its appearance was mediocre, but it was durable. Only lethal actions, such as using knives, gunshots, or explosions, would damage it. It also isolates water. Then, he picked the crystal with his index finger. He thought for a moment before poking it at his nose. His face was masked by a light crimson crystal color extended from the tip of his nose. It wasn¡¯t metal, but a bion for theatrical purposes. It made a bit of sense and was comical. Taking it off, as it was only necessary if he was to be seen through cameras, Phesx turned around and exited the Head¡¯s study. He headed to the workshop, planning to get some things. His training had already been charged for 50,000 credits, the usual, it seems. When he returned to the workshop, Waleks was also there, with Pheli bored watching something on her screen. He walked to Pheli as Waleks had a surprised face. Pheli lifted her eyebrows, simply voicing, ¡°What do you need?¡± Phesx tilted his head to the right. Pheli knowingly turned her screen around with a resting face before continuing fidgeting with what looked like a weapon¡¯s part. Phesx checked the catalog. After checking, he selected 2 extra 35-bullets magazines for the small pistol. ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s your first mission.¡± Pheli said, but she had already walked towards the back of the workshop. Phesx quietly nodded. Pheli disappeared for a few seconds while he made the payment, losing another 24,000 credits. It flew away so fast¡­ With only 54,000 credits left, Phesx looked at Waleks, who curiously stared at him. He lowered his head in greeting, to which the weapons craftsman lifted his chin. Pheli returned, carrying 3 boxes. Back to the counter, she placed them beside each other and opened them. ¡°Your voids, and your magazines.¡± Said Pheli. The box in the middle was the largest, with an exoskeletal gauntlet contoured to fit a hand. It would cover the sides of ones¡¯ fingers and in between the palm and backhand. The other second-largest box had a few sets of 2 or 3 blue spheres the size of a fingernail chained together. The smallest box had the 2 extra magazines. Phesx Caolia nodded before taking the magazines to his back, and the blue spheres under his right and left sleeves. As for the gauntlet, he could only afford one, so he placed it on his right hand. While an Artista couldn¡¯t just be left-handed or right-handed, the same with one¡¯s feet, Phesx did best with his right side. ¡°It¡¯s just nice.¡± Phesx Caolia said to Pheli. She slowly nodded before he turned around and left the workshop. A few moments later, Waleks drew her attention, shouting. ¡°Psst! What was that? His first mission, and he gets a ton of ammo? What do you think it was for?¡± ¡°Something fitting? Tellez must be bored.¡± Pheli said with her left hand on her cheek. She returned the screen towards her and continued staring at it, bored. However, now, she seemed intrigued in something else. ¡­ Phesx exited the headquarters. He remembered the destination the note¡¯s details marked, hopped onto his bike, and rode off. He didn¡¯t have his cloak on anymore, of course. Phesx rode towards a large parking lot, much like the ones he saw in Preut, albeit destroyed. Stopping at the side before the parking lot, Phesx walked to a bustling bar situated underground, whose bathrooms had windows at the ground level¡­ Whoosh. Jumping from the window, Phesx wore his cloak on the move after calculating the time he saw at the bar. It was near 2:45 AM, which was what the time he needed to get to the museum. This zone was a bit of an entertainment renown zone in the city, center of Sargonde. The museum has been showing a beautiful piece of history from the times the Lylaco Empire was barely forming. It would constantly shift from being shown to the public a few hours a day to being locked and kept safe all night. The museum wasn¡¯t too large, not more than a college, and it was located a few streets from the bar Phesx stopped at. It was still open at night, but right now, it was past 2 AM, so only guards and employees remained inside. The ways to enter were many, all with their own risks. Thus, with his cloak on, Phesx decided for a challenging but possible and functional route. Instead of climbing or using another roof to somehow get onto the well-protected museum with cameras watching every corner of the museum¡¯s streets, even more with their precious daily exposition, he went through the front door. It was a single door leading to some stairs. Hiding behind a few cars on the other side of the street, Phesx waited until he saw a guard return inside, with the sounds of another coming out. He moved fast, making no sound, and moving behind the guard returning. He stepped fast and really low when both guards met at the entrance, as expected by their schedules, and made a passing sound with his cloak¡¯s lower end. The exiting guard turned around, alerted, but he saw the other guard simply walk inside and figured it was him. Continuing, the guard leisurely went on to patrol outside. On the other hand, the guard returning inside also heard Phesx, but he saw nothing when he turned his head. Yet, as he frowned and faced the stairs again, a pair of arms moved to his face. Phesx strangled the guard¡¯s neck and dragged him up the stairs with smooth, quick steps as they faced the ceiling. Just as he was coming up, with the floor in his right arm, choking with a red face, another guard turned around the corner to his left. Phesx Caolia turned around and gently motioned to push the guard¡¯s left shin, making him tumble, before grasping his neck to also choke him. With both guards helpless in his hands, Phesx lowered his body until his shins were up against the back of his thighs. He still moved faster than these guards¡¯ walking. He looked for a corner to hide them as he weakened his hold on them, feeling them lose consciousness. After leaving them inside a dark room, Phesx Caolia put his mask on and walked through the corridors. His legs looked slow, moving only a bit, but his speed was quick. The museum was well-lighted at night, with the guards not needing a flashlight to see. As Phesx walked through 4-way hallways with open spaces showing downstairs, he almost looked like he was crawling, running on 4 legs like an animal. He crossed through corridors when he didn¡¯t hear footsteps walking towards him, and waited in those he heard guards coming, but had to take the path they came from. The latter, Phesx dashed as fast as possible, avoiding making any sounds, and showing his cloak, not leaving it behind his every move. He was successful, but he was sweating every time, no doubt, passing under the corner of every guard¡¯s eye. At last, Phesx walked to the end of a wall with his back against it. He peeked and saw several guards keeping one door covered. It was indeed as the note said, with more than a dozen guards watching everywhere to keep anyone from catching them off-guard. Phesx waited the moment he could evade their eyes for at least a couple of seconds to walk into the corridor and take the door to a side room. Once in there, already knowing no one was inside after concentrating his hearing, he looked at the window. The place he entered was a small storage with large, decorative windows. Phesx looked at them before smirking from the left corners of his lips. Taking a few steps back, he didn¡¯t bother looking outside before rushing into it. Pprrriiiekki~¡­ Phesx¡¯s launched his body with his limbs pressing forwards, protecting his head, torso, and groin. The windows¡¯ glass broke apart like it was melting, only leaving behind a cracked gap with the shape of his body breaking through. Phesx Caolia jumped towards his left at the last step. Once he was outside and heard a couple of gasps, he spun to his left before stretching his left leg, impulsing himself upwards with the wall. With his left hand, he palmed the flat surface before rushing his right foot onto it. Impulsing himself a little upwards again, Phesx repeated the same action with his left foot, then the right, then the left, over and over again. He went up a few tens of centimeters every time, heading towards the windows where his objective was, with a smaller window, more narrow. Just as he heard guards outside reporting him as they looked up, Phesx arrived at the last step towards the narrow window. His left hand served as a directional support so far. But now, he stopped with both feet placed together on the wall before jumping into the air. Phesx immediately dived towards the upper corners of the window, breaking into it like before. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Phesx rolled after diving 5 meters into the floor, sliding towards one of the podium stands as alarms sprung everywhere. He grabbed a small green apple-shaped sphere, with waves of what seemed fire circling its top. He inspected as he heard the alarms and the confusion of the guards just outside. Step, step¡­ step, step, step¡­ step. Some guards moved to the room he entered before, others remained outside, while a few headed towards the door. Phesx directly crouched and hid behind another stand, large and thick enough to cover him. They opened the door, coming towards him with strong flashlights on, despite all lights in every room in the museum turned on. After a couple of guards walked inside, checking everywhere with their sweat smelled by the hidden thief just a few meters before them, more entered the room, moving slower. Phesx Caolia heard everyone¡¯s footsteps as he placed his lower back on the floor and prepared to slide away, when he tilted his head as he heard a few curious footsteps. ¡­ Outside, a few streets away, atop a taller building, Jos¨¦ and Cala looked at each other, frowning as they wondered Phesx¡¯s actions. Phesx could¡¯ve escaped already, not needing to remain inside. ¡­ Back at the museum where the most important item was safeguarded, the first guards to enter neared the item¡¯s podium stand, which was now vacant, while the others slowly ventured in. One of them spoke, ¡°Shit, Dylan. The little fruit is gone. There¡¯s no one here! We should look elsewhere! We¡¯re not paying for that, are we?¡± Wiip- bang! Bang! Bang! Crassshhh¡­ Before the guard named Dylan could respond, turning his head to that guard, Phesx pulled his body forth with the podium stand covering him. As he did, he shot at the lights, turning the room a bit darker. Phesx¡¯s feet kicked the guard¡¯s shins before folding his legs, making the guard fold his as he was kicked into the air before Phesx started rolling and changing positions while sliding through the floor. The guards were scared shitless upon hearing those loud bangs. Then, they became stupefied looking at a guard treated like a rag doll by someone¡¯s legs, and then more as the thief shot at the roof no matter the angle he was in. This stopped the guards from just firing away. At last, Phesx stopped sliding and hit the guard¡¯s head onto another podium. The room became wholly dark, leaving the guards unsure how to act. Phesx Caolia looked down at the guard under him, scared but fast to act as he pulled his handgun up and aimed it at Phesx. With shots fired, anyone would have started shooting by now. But before the muzzle faced him, Phesx took the handgun from the guard after rapidly hiding his small pistol, breaking the guard¡¯s wrist. These handguns were simply worse than military handguns. Bang, bang, bang, bang¡­ Phesx ducked as the guards finally fired at him. He crouched up and fired at the guard next to him on the arm before kicking his face with his sole. Then, he aimed at the other guard who advanced fast, hiding behind another podium stand. While the guard covered his knees well, his shoes showed behind. Phesx aimed at them and fired, rapidly neutralizing another civilian. Meanwhile, the other guards kept firing at him. Phesx aimed at another guard in front, shooting them in the thighs, but then felt something strange. He retrieved his hand from peeking around the podium, finding it locked and with their mechanism jammed. Phesx took the magazine out, pulled the safety switch twice, and loaded it again before it went back to normal. ¡®Ah, so-called ¡®safe¡¯ handguns.¡¯ Phesx Caolia cursed a little before timing the number of times the guards shot. With handguns like these, one could barely fire in bursts. If one did, the handgun would lock itself up, all for the sake of not abusing such a power as any firearm grants its holder. When he detected an opening, he peeked to the right and shoot the guards¡¯ knees, hands, and feet, leaving them weak and helpless on the floor. Some guards took cover, which Phesx looked at with vicious eyes. He took cover as well before peeking to the left, where the other guards just went all out to stop him from ¡®killing¡¯ their comrades. Instead of just peeking, Phesx fired at them, unloading, switching, and loading again in less than a second and a half after each burst, shocking the guards on the other side hiding from him. Once he took the guards on his left down, he aimed at the right again. Phesx exited his cover and stepped forth. One of the guards seemed to hint that at the others before they all came out to get the thief, peeking their heads and shoulders. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang¡­ Phesx burst the handgun time and again, but this time, he only needed 1 second unloading, switching, and reloading again. The guards¡¯ shoulders and hands were shot, falling to the floor except for 1, who waited until the others fell. Bang bang- bang bang- bang bang- bang bang bang¡­ As soon as the last guard not writhing on the floor stepped outside his cover, Phesx rained him with bullets, recharging the handgun nonstop. The guard did the same, showing exemplary experience, more than any other guard. Both sides fired at each other, one walking forth, and the other taking cover. The other guard couldn¡¯t aim well enough to hit Phesx, while the guard also hid well, half-safe from Phesx¡¯s aim. Their accuracy was top-notch, but neither could shoot the other without being shot down in return. Sweating and nearing each other, their eyes trembled. At last, Phesx ran out of bullets, while the guard had just recharged. He threw the handgun to the guard, crouched, and slid forth while picking another guard¡¯s handgun, slapping them unconscious while passing by. The guard was hit on the left side of his forehead with its butt, but Phesx received a gunshot on his right shoulder, momentarily impulsing him backwards. Although it only grazed skin and blood streaked into the air from his shoulder. As soon as Phesx grabbed another handgun, he aimed at the guard and unarmed him by shooting his hands. Standing up, Phesx took large strides forwards, returning what the guard did to him just now. Impulsing his body sideways with each bullet. When his handgun locked again, Phesx recharged it but saw the guard extend a bright green blade from his right sleeve. Phesx dashed forth with his left leg, grabbing the guard¡¯s right shoulder before intertwining their arms together. Then, Phesx let the handgun fall, already recharged, before immediately taking his small pistol out. He aimed at the entrance, where a shadow had just run inside. Meanwhile, the other guard couldn¡¯t move his right arm to stab or even cut Phesx¡¯s body. He watched as Phesx Caolia turned his head and shot twice. Bang! Bang! The shadow¡¯s head lost a portion off before slumping to the floor. When Phesx turned his head, holding the ¡®guard¡¯s¡¯ arm as the latter tried freeing himself to no avail, he felt his left leg struck from behind by the guard¡¯s heel. As soon as Phesx¡¯s left knee bent, the ¡®guard¡¯ jumped and freed his right arm before immediately pointing the bright green blade down at his throat. Phesx¡¯s eyes shrunk. He let his body fall down completely, no longer half-kneeling, and flashed his legs to kick at the guard. Jolting his head to the right, his left jugular was almost cut through. Phesx¡¯s right hand searched the freshly recharged handgun before firing at the guard from the belly button to the collarbone, but the guard had armor beneath his clothes. Phesx even heard a light gasp from the ¡®guard¡¯ as the handgun locked just as he aimed it at the guard¡¯s face, but before the guard could form a tiny smirk, Phesx flashed his left hand. A small pistol¡¯s muzzle faced the guard¡¯s mouth. Bang! As a head was blasted to pieces, Phesx felt his head dizzy for a second before the ringing subsided, and he immediately stood up. Giving no breaks to even himself, he rushed back into the room. Just before going in, he dashed into the air, faced his right, and let small blue things fall to the ground. His small pistol aimed backwards with his left arm over his stomach, while his right hand extended to his left, opening his palm to cover the space in front of it. His left leg covered his groins from the front as he fired. Time paused for an instant. Bang! Bang- kraaaasshh! Krasssh! Krassshh!! Rumblee~! The hooded figure behind him was shot twice, once in the stomach as Phesx just dashed into the room, and another in the head, with his left hand moving a little bit in motion. 2 sets of blue spheres fell around that hooded figure, scorching their feet but mostly landing on empty floor. The other side had 2 shadowed figures, who aimed at Phesx Caolia¡¯s head and fired. Phesx could feel his life in danger as he barely saw bullets arching towards his head, flying with utmost accuracy to kill him. But his right hand, wearing the gauntlet, received those bullets instead, drawing them towards it yet causing them to lose some force behind them. Phesx Caolia felt his hand hurt and penetrated, but the bullets were stopped. He grinned victoriously. The 4 sets of blue spheres he sent towards them to the floor blasted away, making the 2 hooded figures dance, giving Phesx time to aim at them with his small pistol. They moved, trying to escape Phesx¡¯s small pistol¡¯s muzzle, but a hooded figure went limp with 2 clean headshots on their forehead, removing almost half of their head. The other hooded figure used the still standing corpse to protect themselves from 2 shots, landing on the right ribs. Phesx rearranged his aim as the hooded figure jumped to the side, escaping the awful sensation of his feet burning with instantaneous, but continuous, shocks of electricity. Phesx hit his back against a podium, nearly breaking it. His left arm stumbled, but he still held his small pistol. Even then, his arm moved too much. His right hand bounced off his left shoulder after collapsing with the podium, losing protection. Phesx rapidly lifted his left arm, but a gunshot went off, and a bullet penetrated his left shoulder. Bang! Bang! Bang! Thud- bang! Bang! After being shot, Phesx Caolia maintained his left arm up and fired twice. The hooded figure was sent tumbling to the floor with a bullet to his right heel before Phesx crushed the middle of his neck with another. Then, he fired again at the hooded figure after it fell, breaking its skull twice to unrecognizable levels. ¡°Aagh¡­¡± Phesx groaned, standing up with pain in his shoulders as he headed to the window. Seeing no one there, probably rushing here in the museum, as everything happened in less than a minute, Phesx exited the room and let himself fall from nearly 30 meters. Just before Phesx dropped dead, he breathed in, feeling his insides, joints, bones, and organs windy from the inside. With his right arm pressing against the top of his head, he rotated his body downwards while facing the ground. His left foot endured his whole weight and force behind the fall before impulsing himself into the streets, not just kicking. Crack! The gauntlet helped him a little as the tiny stones and dust were pushed away by the gauntlet¡¯s deviating field before rolling on the ground and breaking his left shoulder. Phesx finished his roll by standing on his feet, grimacing and cringing at the pain. He shook his body before hammering his shoulder with a reverse fist once. Then, he rushed to the side, warping out of any eyes around some corner. Behind, still in the museum, the guards writhing on the floor were left aghast. They had kicked their lives¡¯ potential into action and pedaled or stood up to run from the explosions, but they were over before they fled to safety. After everything was over, they looked at the corpses, of which none had a pretty ending, especially the first shadowed person they barely noticed rushing into the room after the thief seemed to have run away. However¡­ now, they were left alone to see all the mess. Even the guard they stopped cheering on in their minds when they noticed they couldn¡¯t recognize him was dead, but those they knew were comrades remained alive, if only feeling pain in their limbs. ¡®What the fuck was that?!¡¯ They all thought. Before long, yellow lights flashed from the outside, giving them relief that reinforcements were finally here. Then, as they heard other guards coming up, yelling at them, and them in return, they saw red lights outside, meaning ambulances were on their way. They sighed in relief. At least they could tell this story to their families. ¡­ Chapter 52 — Thereby, The Life Of An Artista Thereby, The Life Of An Artista 4 AM, the same 2nd day of the 2nd month''s 4th week. Proteros. The president''s residence in the presidential precinct. ¡°As you can see, these are the first images of one of the intruders¡­¡± A cute, brown young woman reported before turning around. Images of a hooded person jumping from a window, barely making a mess out of it, and ''skipping'' up the wall showed. Then, just as the hooded figure dived to a narrower window, the footage stopped. The news reporter looked at the camera again, ¡°This individual is the responsible for bringing down more than a dozen guards, including 2 he left unconscious and were found later.¡± ¡°However, it has been found that one of the guards, the one reported dead, was not an actual guard, but a construction builder in D¨¦sinc¨¢. If the whereabouts of this man far from his state concern you, then the following footage will show you the carelessness of the authorities.¡± The young woman said before turning around once more. More footage appeared. This time, it came from the fights of the same hooded figure, with those he seemed to fight in close calls blurred. When the first kill showed, a blurry shadow barely even showed, with the footage backtracking and zooming to show it again. Its death couldn¡¯t be seen. But when the second kill happened, the ¡®guard¡¯ who jumped slightly into the air wasn¡¯t blurred well, and part of his head blowing up showed. Then, blue and gunfire flashes showed, everything with sound, before the feet of the first intruder showed moving and standing up after another blurred death fell to the floor. ¡°The museum was the first, #1 Archeological museum of Sargonde, where the fruit of nature was moved to after suspicious actions were detected in other museums of Sargonde. It has now been reported stolen, with a value of at least 35 million credits, considering its historical importance in this order¡¯s human civilization. With possible rumors of it belonging to a history long before. If these aren¡¯t pretenses, then its real price could be considered between the trillions!¡± ¡°However,¡± the young woman smiled, charming her audience. She couldn¡¯t see it, but she knew it was happening. She kept a little smirk before continuing, ¡°An hour later, during the search for the intruder who killed in cold blood, the fruit of nature was found beside a podium in the same room.¡± The news reporter continued with a large smile, ¡°It has been placed in a secure room of the government, supposedly a bunker in case any political figure was threatened. As we speak, the construction builder from D¨¦sinc¨¢ is being investigated. For the past 30 years, all he¡¯s done is work there every few days a week¡­¡± Luis blinked as he watched TV. He pressed his lips and gulped a few times, feeling a bit incredulous. Thinking of some things, a frown slowly formed between his eyebrows, when he received a call from his cellphone. He picked it up at once after reading who it came from. Just then, the news reporter finished and said, ¡°Now, an excellent group of experts has rushed to Sargonde¡¯s Delicious Nights news anchor. I¡¯ll let you hear what they have to say!¡± A table appeared, with dim lights smoothly turning up and illuminating a bunch of old and strict-looking men and women. The first to speak was a white, slender old man with a blue tuxedo. ¡°Oh, let me start, alright. Did you see that person just jump from the window?¡± ¡°Only military equipment would help a person do that!¡± The old man shook his head, showing his chin in depreciation. ¡°Now, tell me. Who can give such equipment to random people?¡± ¡°In the streets?¡± Another person asked, complementing the previous words. The old man in a blue tuxedo nodded quickly a few times, ¡°Of course! The army has been irresponsible for many years now! It was properly disciplined and out of our streets before, why are they out now? Who let them out? The streets are for civilians, and now, they are gifting their things to criminals!¡± ¡°Now, who controls the army? Who is the supreme commander for a decade now? He¡¯s liked that position so much to leave it, that¡¯s why he still dares to run for president again. That is the reason. So, who?. Luis Heartez, that ingrate, of course!¡± The old man looked at everyone else in the table. ¡°Now, forget about his corrupted, filthy hands. Let me tell you about what he wants, to put terror in the lives of everyone! He wants the people to feel afraid before telling- no, asking his bosses to please stop tormenting ¡®his¡¯ streets¡­¡± Luis¡¯s complexion improved after he took the call. Before the call ended, he breathed at ease again. Putting his phone down, he watched the TV again and showed some anxiousness between his eyebrows before looking at the time. It was nearly 5 AM. He jumped his eyebrows before getting off bed. *** Sargonde, Riverlye headquarters. ¡°Cough¡­! Cough, cough, cough!¡± Phesx coughed while waiting outside the Head¡¯s study after returning. Instructors Cala and Jos¨¦ looked at each other before staring at Phesx, whose sudden coughing fit attracted their attention. Phesx didn¡¯t know if it was blood waste or phlegm that became stuck in his throat. When he stopped, he returned the stare. His eyes blinked innocently, of course, as he waited for the Head to give him answers. Phesx knew he did well, maybe slightly overextended, but it ended well. However, the Instructors¡¯ eyes seemed to express they weren¡¯t sure he¡¯d come back. At last, the Head¡¯s voice came from the study just as the gate began opening, retracting into the walls. ¡°Fox, come in.¡± Phesx nodded at the Instructors before walking inside. They looked at his back. The Head breathed deeply in and gave Jos¨¦ a look while cocking his head before focusing on Phesx. The gate closed behind Phesx as he looked at the Head, who remained seated. ¡°Is there something, Head?¡± Phesx Caolia placed his hands behind his back. The Head nodded before gesturing Phesx to sit. Obeying, Phesx waited for the news, good or bad. He started wondering if he was tricked, but he made sure he opened his senses to not let anything escape him. ¡°The information was correct,¡± the Head showed him a small device the size of his pinky. ¡°You brought your objective to full completion. Congratulations.¡± The Head shook Phesx¡¯s right hand, although he didn¡¯t want to touch someone else¡¯s hand. Then, the Head presented a blank ID bank card, to which Phesx showed his own. Then, the Head slightly voiced, ¡°You also killed unknown assassins from 3 unknown lagj organizations. It was unnecessary, and it has caused¡­ a possible chain reaction. For that, Riverlye is proud.¡± Phesx blinked. He could swear he was going to be slapped on the wrists. He nodded a bit before seeing the sum he received. 35,000 credits made their way into his pockets, appearing in his national bank account like they were always there soon after. ¡°Think that¡¯s a lot? Usually, the Artistas receive however much the client is willing to pay, with Riverlye getting a good portion of your payment. The more people are needed for a mission, the higher the payment and risk.¡± The Head said after seeing the glint in Phesx despite his calm eyes. Phesx looked up, ¡°How much is this compared to that, Head Gerardo?¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Gerardo Tellez expressively harrumphed before saying, ¡°Riverlye needed this information, so we¡¯ve given you a bit more than the usual. That¡¯s not all. If we sell that information, you¡¯ll receive more.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx felt his eyebrows uncontrollably rise. The Head smirked. This boy was hooked. ¡°Go off now. Tell your stories to someone who cares.¡± The Head shooed Phesx away, looking down at some documents, maybe from the information Phesx brought. Just as the young boy was leaving, Gerardo lifted his head and voiced, ¡°There are no requisites to you taking on missions, but unless you want to be set aside, get to work.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia stopped, turned his head halfway before walking forth. The gate opened. This time, it only took a couple of milliseconds after a second, which put a smirk onto his lips. ¡®I am an Artista now, eh? No more training, schedules¡­ Just myself¡­ Good.¡¯ The previous Phesx Caolia would¡¯ve replied with a ¡®yes, sir¡¯ or ¡®understood¡¯, and probably irritated his superiors. Now, however, he behaved more as expected. More human, more¡­ like an Artista should. Jos¨¦ and Cala looked at him before Cala went into the Head¡¯s study. Jos¨¦ stood beside him, as Phesx looked at the Instructor. Jos¨¦ grinned before saying, ¡°It really does fit you. I believe you¡¯re not far from being mad.¡± Phesx smirked, but Jos¨¦ added, ¡°That¡¯s not a good thing. In the underground, or this secret world, there are still many limitations to dictate untold rules. That is, until the insurgence of another attempt of a hoog organization.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good advice to go out,¡± Jos¨¦ said with his eyes on Phesx and hands behind his back before walking away, indifferent. ¡°Instructors aren¡¯t taught how to become one, you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx looked at Jos¨¦¡¯s back and waited until the Instructors all left his sight. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Phesx Caolia walked to the usual spot, where Emer¡¯s alleyway and the workshop were. He walked to the alleyway, where he saw Emer beckon him, but Phesx seemed to think of something. He smirked and went to the workshop, ignoring Emer, who seemed stern. ¡®This little donkey.¡¯ Emer was left baffled after being awfully ignored by his ¡®apprentice¡¯. On the other hand, Phesx walked into the workshop, where Pheli had a snack and looked at her screen, now entertained. She lifted her eyes to look at him, becoming surprised at his attire. He hadn¡¯t changed yet, with brain matter on his left chest and blood on his shoulders¡¯ wounds. ¡°What you doing?¡± Pheli said as a tiny smirk formed from the left corners of her lips. Phesx Caolia walked to her and rested his forearms on her counter. ¡°I did it. Now, I wonder if you can tell me if there are more bions like that gauntlet, void only. Oh, and much bigger and durable.¡± ¡°Well, you had the worst model.¡± Pheli commented, cocking her head to the right before turning her screen towards Phesx. Phesx¡¯s eyes shone as he saw an exoskeleton of an arm, with custom sizes orders. Pheli went on, ¡°There¡¯s this one, the peak a lagj org can get. It¡¯s the same as the gauntlet you bought, but this one has a few modules for mintip shields. They can defend you even against sniper rifles. Their deviation fields are more potent, and remain small.¡± ¡°However, unless you have 1,065,000 credits, just keep buying more gauntlets.¡± Pheli smirked from the left corner of her mouth, teasingly. Phesx Caolia looked up at her, almost salivating with the arm¡¯s image. Pheli turned her screen away and swagged with her visage, ignoring him. ¡°We¡¯ll talk again,¡± Phesx narrowed his eyes a little, something he didn¡¯t notice, and when he did, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to open them. It felt strange. ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Pheli looked at him from the corner of her eyes, still facing down at her screen. Phesx didn¡¯t shy away, shrugging as he re-confirmed. ¡°Unless you don¡¯t like pizza anymore.¡± Phesx Caolia left, ignoring Waleks, who walked out of the bathroom doors with a towel around his waist, showing his abs and muscles with a pair of brown arms holding them from behind. Pheli lifted her left eyebrow. She kept it up until the daring, brand-new Artista exited her workshop. Then, she looked at Waleks, who darted his eyes between her and the door. Pheli¡¯s neutral face startled him a bit, and she expressed, ¡°This is the second time. Do you need me to go for Teon?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Waleks¡¯s eyes showed fear. He bowed his head. Pheli wasn¡¯t angry, but she wasn¡¯t exactly understanding of the weapons craftsman¡¯s moves. Waleks fled to the bathroom, Pheli rolled her eyes, and once she was alone, she reopened the news anchors showing certain little images. ¡®Not bad, mnn.¡¯ Pheli thought. It wasn¡¯t too much of a secret that the ¡®assassin¡¯ of Preut¡¯s military camps¡¯ generals was training with them, but most didn¡¯t know who. Phesx was thought to be the one, until nothing else was known, and the new Neophytes joined Riverlye. But looking at the uncensored versions, of which a mere blurring from news anchors was nothing for her computer¡¯s capacity to erase, Pheli studied his moves. ¡­ Phesx Caolia walked to Emer¡¯s small study. He felt in a good mood, and even though he smelled someone¡¯s organs¡¯ matter still on him, and some blood, he ignored the pain from his shoulders and greeted the old fella. ¡°Hey, fart. I¡¯ve done my part, I was paid, and I¡¯m now an Artista. Thanks. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll see each other that much anymore, but I¡¯m glad we met.¡± Phesx stated, about to turn around, when he felt his hoodie grabbed by very long fingers. ¡°Not so fast, imp,¡± the old fart, no, Emer said. He pulled Phesx¡¯s hoodie from his cloak and said as he tried to calm his rage. How dare someone talk to him like this smelly donkey just did?! Emer went on, ¡°I did a promise to you. Very few have been spoken or accorded by me to others. Those who promise to me are never exempt from retribution if they can¡¯t keep it. I think of myself under the same rul- ¡­?¡± Emer stopped once he turned the young boy around, only to see a blatant, insulting smirk spreading from corner to corner on the fella¡¯s mouth. Emer¡¯s face became stupefied. Phesx cocked his head down to the left, ¡°Alright, I understand. I will value the Art instructor Emer has to offer me. Sigh.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Emer considered many things in his mind before sighing as well. He let go of Phesx¡¯s hoodie and sat on the floor. Even then, he was almost as tall as Phesx, without straightening his back. After a few moments of silence, with the atmosphere subsiding, and once the calm movement of dust and air were in both their senses, Emer spoke as Phesx sat cross-legged, with his right knee up. ¡°What I¡¯ll pass on to you isn¡¯t something to learn only in one place. You can practice it anywhere. Regardless, you ought to find good places to do so. Remember that.¡± Emer spoke slowly, with his always roughened voice, but he seemed excited now. Something that was never there before. ¡°What I taught you is rapid, constant, beastly, and bloodthirsty retaliation when surrounded by enemies. It can also serve as the foundation to learn this art. It is not one of moves, where you have to name something, much less of a sole, formidable strike. It is merely the creation of a weapon, letting go of anything else. It is a state¡­ of the mind and body that remains until the heart is exhausted.¡± ¡°Exhausted?¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s interest piqued, he asked with a light frown. Emer responded without much movement, except from his mouth. ¡°Not from tiredness, or mental instability. Only when too much blood has been poured out, and it cannot force more pumps into your veins.¡± ¡°Until the point of dying from exhaustion?¡± Phesx seemed to comprehend. Emer nodded before continuing staring at him without reaction. Such a thing is silly. Only in movies do warriors or security guards in apocalyptic scenarios die in those ways. Yet, Emer uncaringly carried on, ¡°You already possess enough stamina to tire one of your Instructors if they were to chase you. Not bions or weapons included. With my art, you would tire them to death before they kill you, even when armed, at least with the current you. Now, doesn¡¯t that sound exciting? Heh heh.¡± Phesx didn¡¯t reply. This wasn¡¯t what the old man just talked about. Sure enough, Emer reverted to his previous mentions. ¡°This is an art only made for situations where you are completely alone. The body cannot keep going after too much pain is inflicted. Heart attacks, strokes, or just your organs going into shock, killing you.¡± ¡°Many different ways to die before exhaustion can even touch your death string.¡± Emer seemed to reminisce as he commented, looking at an upper corner of the study. He lowered his head to look at Phesx with a strict face, ¡°You trust your superiors? Your peers? ¡­ The world?¡± Phesx didn¡¯t reply. He only stared at the old man imparting him with something. Whatever it was. ¡°Thought so.¡± Emer relaxed his back, straightening it. He looked a bit like a giant to Phesx then. Emer stared down at Phesx with his eyes, ¡°Breathing only grows when put into the real difficulties of the world.¡± ¡°This¡­ ¡®method¡¯ was the reason secret organizations sprouted everywhere. All the same, many theories and philosophical ideals have been made out of this. Adrenaline and one¡¯s potential isn¡¯t the breath, but any ordinary person can have it. They might just not notice.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Emer shook his head. ¡°I once wanted to remain alone for the rest of my life. Thought I would. I couldn¡¯t. I can¡¯t do many things, and couldn¡¯t do many others. But I can¡­ at least pass this on.¡± ¡°From now on, your breath will be different. You may get addicted to pain, not the emotional, which you already are, but physical. You will understand once it happens just once. All this art needs to entice you is a bit of its mightiness, just a taste.¡± Emer became somber and even dangerous out of nowhere. Unfortunately, Phesx¡¯s eyes only grew excited. He didn¡¯t know those words would incite something within him so much. Likewise, Emer didn¡¯t know they would have this effect on the young boy. Slowly, words were the source of Phesx¡¯s new-found longing. As the small study closed its gates to the world outside, Phesx¡¯s heart beat stronger with each new word from Emer¡¯s instructions. With every stronger heartbeat, his breathing adapted, making his shoulders, chest, hips, and even arms and thighs and back move strangely. It seemed inhuman. A different kind of breathing. . . . The next day. In Sargonde¡¯s big southern city¡¯s outskirts, 6 AM. After a successful mission, Phesx was allowed to take a break. He was shot twice, too. He returned home after imprinting Emer¡¯s teachings into his mind. Before, he just thought of it as another method, but after listening to Emer almost an entire day, more than 12 hours from early morning to late afternoon, Phesx felt strangely serious. Emer was still an old fart. A strangely tall, wide eyebrowed, old fart. But Phesx had the even stranger sensation of his body learning how to¡­ become more mobile? Ever since then, his breathing had become different, with Phesx meditating and simply relaxing sometimes. Phesx could feel his blood, sometimes bubbling, others becoming heated or cold. It wasn¡¯t just a series of biological occurrences mingling when they should not. Furthermore, he felt a little itchy when doing all of this. It persisted after he finished the ¡®mantras¡¯ Emer had him practice. It wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. Phesx was meant to feel his body feeling a bit heavy for a few hours after each long meditation session. But instead, he felt a bit sensitive of his skin, eyes, nose, and ears¡­ and his nails and teeth. Either way, it wasn¡¯t something stupidly bizarre, like gaining strength, or shooting energy waves. The breath and the art Emer taught him were similar to choosing a lifestyle. Diet, fitness, sumo, lifting, racing. Any of these could change the body of the person who decided to live as either. In Phesx¡¯s case, the breath and art were dictating the capabilities his body could be pushed to. Everything was limited and unlimited. Unlimited in the spectrum of the line marking achievement and the bottom representing the distance to step onto it. Limited by the mind. Breathing allowed one to be protected from the latter, from the harm the nature of one¡¯s body could provoke in aftermath, This art, it made Phesx¡¯s breathing¡­ wild. Mad¡­ could it be any better for the young boy who had only just begun? Unfortunately, on this day, Phesx received news from the farm he worked at. Not from the old man, but from his daughter. The old man had perished. ¡­ Arriving at the farm, where a government vehicle waited on the road, and a few people carried a few bags and the like, Phesx saw a chubby blondie whom he obtained a discount for in the pizzeria. Vrruuumm¡­ Phesx Caolia stopped his bike before the car the old man always took care of. The chubby, blonde young woman stored a few things in the vehicle before looking at him, having already noticed him. ¡°Hi, Phesx. Thanks for coming,¡± she looked a bit sweaty. A skinny young man with some muscles and a sleeveless white shirt walked to the car to put some boxes there. With the way the young man held them, Phesx frowned, more or less imagining what was in them. ¡°What are you doing? Leaving?¡± Phesx asked her. She looked at her father¡¯s car, now hers, a black, decent but humble, ordinary vehicle, before telling Phesx. ¡°Before, father could barely take care of the farm. Without him, I don¡¯t have him telling me to do my part every week. How can I do it alone? Of course, my man will help me now.¡± ¡°What are these things?¡± Phesx Caolia blinked and smirked before asking her, gesturing to the boxes with a nudge of his chin in the air. The blondie put on a difficult expression. The young man walked to them and said after sighing, ¡°Siigh~! These are the documents father-in-law signed 2 years ago. They were from some new guys in the city. Only, he recently discovered they tricked him into ¡®signing¡¯ to other things without realizing.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Phesx frowned and asked the young man, but the blondie responded this time. ¡°They ¡®transplanted¡¯ his signs onto other papers. Now, I¡¯ve been sued for attempting to ¡®take¡¯ orphaned properties after I reported his death to the authorities. It was a heart attack¡­ no wonder he became more annoying lately¡­¡± ¡®So he wasn¡¯t sick¡­ at least not that sick, just troubled.¡¯ Phesx Caolia blinked. Understanding, Phesx brushed it aside and nodded upwards, ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± ¡°Can you help me message those father brought you to sell his product? I should sell all the adult livestock and crops. Oh, and there¡¯s someone in that car who wants to question you about his condition, too. It might help in the case to defend my father¡¯s lifework.¡± ¡°Okay. I had a family from the voluntary foster care that knew a few things and taught me some. Can I see some of those papers?¡± ¡°Ah? Yeah, sure.¡± ¡­ Chapter 53 — The Interest Of Many The Interest Of Many 3 days later. At the Riverlye headquarters, Phesx sat in one of the workshop''s back rooms. Behind him was Pheli, who checked his left shoulder. She wiped the yellow cream on his skin before checking the stitches. After removing them from his skin, Pheli patted his shoulder. ¡°It''s all fine. You can apply to take missions again with my check. Will you return to action soon?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m taking another 2 days to rest,¡± Phesx said, when Pheli passed him a document over his shoulder. He grabbed it before buttoning his shirt. He nodded before returning the document, ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll bring what I promised.¡± ¡°Sure. It¡¯s not like you won¡¯t do a thing with that information in those 2 days. Just remember Riverlye doesn¡¯t move into the government. Get caught and you¡¯re lost.¡± Pheli said, tapping his back before walking around. ¡°What are the limits of a lagj organization?¡± Phesx Caolia said, stopping Pheli from leaving. She turned to him and tilted her head leftwards. Crossing her arms, Pheli said, ¡°Anywhere in Lymoca, practically. Sargonde is its headquarters, so there are many smaller bases around here. The other states aren¡¯t as important, so they don¡¯t have even a third of basses in those than here.¡± ¡°Are there no international missions?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, showing some hope in his eyes. Pheli narrowed her eyes a bit, ¡°That¡¯s best left for hoog orgs. But, lagjs like Riverlye sometimes travel to other countries. One thing, though. You¡¯ll be completely alone there.¡± ¡°No bases, no allies. Lagjs orgs are far too unimportant in the secret world. Only hoogs can freely move between countries. It¡¯s different than here. Riverlye might do things against the nation¡¯s well-being, one way or another, but we won¡¯t attack the government. If lagjs orgs were to, the hoogs would respond.¡± ¡°In the past, maybe some tried to use this to bait the hoogs in their countries, but they were then picked by neighboring countries¡¯ secret organizations. It was a mess¡­ anyway, it¡¯s nothing that¡¯ll ever be recorded anywhere.¡± Pheli said, standing before Phesx as he continued sitting in the tall stool. ¡°Thanks, for the information.¡± Phesx blinked, understanding a bit more of this secret world. Pheli stood right before him, tilting her head and leaning her shoulders to the right, all lazily. She nodded before reminding him of his part with a glance, then left. Phesx accommodated his clothes and exercised his left shoulder before sighing in relief. It felt heavy after a few movements, but with the colored medicine, and his body¡¯s specialty like a cockroach, he felt good to move. Just as Phesx Caolia thought where to go next, with the night falling soon. He received a beep from his pants left pocket. Reading a set of words with his index fingertip, he smiled before heading to the Head¡¯s study. Emer¡¯s gate was closed when he passed by. ¡­ Arriving at the Head¡¯s study, Phesx waited before its closed gate a few seconds with his hands behind his back before it opened. Once he went in, he welcomed the sight of the Head, who sat on his desk, waiting for him. ¡°This is a small amount, but you still get a share of your actions. Eh,¡± the Head directly commented without greetings first before passing a blank bank card through the air. These were simply to evade the questions the well-advanced banks¡¯ infrastructures could make after detecting such money movement. They were plain white, a pinky¡¯s thickness, and 10 cm long, with less than half of that as wide. It was easy to grasp. Phesx took his out and passed it below the Head¡¯s card, pressing a button with ease, signifying the agreement in the transaction. Immediately after, 80,000 credits were deposited in his bank account. He raised his eyebrows. ¡°It was meant to be 40,000, but I¡¯ve considered your partake in obtaining the information, and the way you did it, too.¡± The Head expressed after seeing his reaction. Phesx looked up and asked, feeling quite curious nowadays, ¡°Was the information sold?¡± ¡°It was. If you have something else, leave.¡± The Head said before dispatching him off. Phesx pressed his lips a bit before turning around. He felt his left shoulder inspected, but he ignored it. Phesx Caolia returned to Emer, whose gate was now opened, and he was seated with resting eyes. When Phesx closed in, Emer suddenly moved his right arm without opening his eyes, or even moving the rest of his body. Phesx couldn¡¯t react before his sternum was poked. The sensation felt prickly, but it was just a finger, but he was forced yet to step back a few times. He looked at Emer, blinking as he exclaimed, ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Evade me,¡± Emer rolled his eyes, opening them at the same time. After giving the young boy a glance, he looked at the wall and closed them again, ignoring Phesx. Phesx blinked profusely before Emer ¡®struck¡¯ again. This time, he backtracked, but his sternum was hit again, and on the same spot. Knowing this was the old man¡¯s way to beat and teach him, Phesx dropped his carefulness. Whenever Phesx saw Emer¡¯s arm move, he moved. But no matter how fast he was or the angles he took, Phesx was still poked by Emer¡¯s finger. He realized it wasn¡¯t Emer predicting his movements, but simply following his body wherever it went. Emer was simply faster than him! Speed. Something Phesx once felt proud to have, but now doubted he had as an advantage. Although he did overpower those other assassins in his first mission because of his speed, and who knew if they were new, or other mid-personnel of a lagj secret organization. Still, Phesx felt he wasn¡¯t that fast anymore. Little by little, a few hours passed. Phesx did his best to avoid the old man¡¯s attacks, but he kept striking the same spot on his sternum time and again, already leaving an obvious bruise that¡¯d terrify any kid. At last, when the time came, Phesx left, with Emer not offering him a word. He simply bid the old man farewell with a nod before exiting the base. Then, hopping onto his Myertha, the young boy rode towards the southeast. This time, he would directly head home after entering the city from the north. Phesx rode for more than an hour and 20 minutes before gradually reducing his speed. He carried on into a dark alley from buildings with stairs leaving downstairs, to entrances below the ground level. Then, he walked towards a night entertainment zone, somewhat well known in the north of the city, before finding a fat, 1-floor only square-shaped building a few streets from a large plaza. Phesx wore a simple jacket with a hoodie hanging from the back as he headed to the entrance. There were no cameras checking the entrance, and the bouncers all wore capes and long-sleeved shirts. Who would have such measly security in a city? ¡°Stop.¡± One of the bouncers tapped his right chest, pushing the young boy a step back. Phesx looked at them, startled at being stopped. ¡°W- what is it?¡± ¡°Pfft. You¡¯re too young. And who the fuck are you? Piss off, kid.¡± The bouncer voiced. Phesx looked left and right before stating the obvious, ¡°There¡¯s no line anywhere. Why can¡¯t I enter? I just want to go in.¡± ¡°I said, go!¡± The bouncer repeated, with the other bouncer crossing his arms and lifting his chin towards Phesx. The young boy took a package from his jacket pockets and showed it to them, but the bouncers only exchanged a glance, still not letting him in. ¡°Agh, Hector told me you would accept me here. I¡¯m just new in this,¡± Phesx showed a teenager¡¯s face. The bouncers seemed a bit more relaxed. They exchanged a glance before the one who stopped Phesx nodded at him now. ¡°Thanks guys, I won¡¯t forget you!¡± Phesx said before entering, wearing a victorious smirk. He pushed them away before walking forth like a champ. The ¡®club¡¯ had a long hallway at the entrance, which one of the bouncers looked back at Phesx''s back as he walked into it while the other kept staring into the empty sides of the sidewalk. Just in case another random appeared. Once the young boy disappeared around the corner, that bouncer no longer stared. Tap- rustle, rustle- thud, thud. Just as the bouncer turned his head, merely a few seconds later, he heard a sound from behind. Phesx tapped the ground with his left foot, rotating his body to the left, backwards. His right sole exploded towards the other bouncer¡¯s nape, while his right arm coiled around the bouncer who heard him and turned around a bit. Phesx didn¡¯t hesitate, as he pushed the other bouncer into the corner of the entrance, hitting his head, but perfectly unconscious still. He pulled and locked the bouncer¡¯s neck in his right arm, using all his strength until he felt the bones inside breaking, crushing under the precise angle and position, just enough to quickly neutralize an enemy. Phesx fell to the ground on his left side. The other bouncer felt a bit of his forehead bleed, while he didn¡¯t know his partner had just died. He leaned on the wall, a bit dizzy. Phesx tumbled him, kicking his left heel. The bouncer hit the back of his head again, this time against the hard ground. Phesx spun rightwards, bringing his left knee to the bouncer¡¯s glabella. Crrpwwsshhh¡­ Phesx cringed at the feeling of someone¡¯s head being penetrated by his knee, clothed and wetted. The bouncer moved his hands a bit before they went stiff and to the ground. ¡°I know it¡¯s not nice. It was fast, at least.¡± Phesx spoke to the dead before grabbing their bodies and pulling them with him into the club. He placed a few bags around the bouncer¡¯s destroyed head. Some blood and brain matter was left behind, but wearing gloves, Phesx grabbed as many fragments of skull and hair before letting the blood behind. It wasn¡¯t executed as good as Phesx wanted it to be, but he had to stop any possible alarms. Phesx checked the hallway after the entrance before bringing the dead bouncers to a storage room after another few hallways. Phesx moved around as if he knew the place well. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Phesx Caolia only had to check for any movement nearby before proceeding. *** East of the Knight Assembly Association. A nation built after the fall of one of the oldest nations in the world. In the governmental pavilion of the East Sovereign Noble. A black man with short, obscure, gray hair, black eyes, and of a regular height sat on a yellow porcelain chair with a tall backrest. Before him was a young man walking towards him, entering the lengthy pavilion with his chin slightly lowered. He has porcelain white skin and is tall. His features are delicate, but his hair and eyes are a great replicate of the man sitting on the yellow porcelain chair. Standing before the man, the young man lowered his head and respectfully greeted him, ¡°Father, what can I do?¡± ¡°A small matter has presented itself from overseas. You¡¯ll come with me to the small assembly and meet with your peers. Do you understand your role?¡± The black man said, his narrower eyes than those in the west or to the north, looked at his son sternly. The young man nodded, lifting his chin to say, ¡°Of course, father. It¡¯s been a while since I saw my noble sisters, and my fianc¨¦e. I will look forward to this. I¡¯ve also seen some of that¡­ situation.¡± ¡°Mn, good. You can talk about it with your noble kin later. Prepare, we¡¯re leaving in a bit.¡± The father nodded, said in a good mood, and dispatched his son. As the son left, the father remained in his chair, wondering about that which only he knew. *** Zyckevele. In the capital, situated northwest of their massive territory. Where the Zyck Nation once originated from, now expanded throughout Twilight. In the presidential parliament, the president of Zyckevele had long finished a meeting with his cabinet, exiting the meeting room half an hour after they did. As he walked into the central command in the middle of the parliament, he was heading to his residence, when a figure caught his attention from the corners of his eyes. The president is a man with grayish white skin and brown eyes. His balding, very thin gray hair gave him a rougher aspect, although the charm of a handsome middle-aged man was still there. Just in his 80s. His stern resting face changed as he turned around, exclaiming at the young lady checking the conference table, with screens showing several images on its surface. The surface was black glass, with digital features to drag and expand or shrink images, videos, information, etc. ¡°Lemyonova?¡± The young lady rapidly turned her head before relaxing to see it was her father. She¡¯s just like him. Grayish white skin, pretty light and glazed brown eyes, Long, brown hair with a usual ponytail. Yet, the ordinariness of her clothing and hairstyle didn¡¯t take away her well-known, immeasurable beauty. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just you, papa.¡± Lemyonova smiled thinly before looking at the conference table again. The president felt helpless. Sighing from his nostrils, he walked to her, checking the contents of the videos and images. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re not trying to look into one of my employee¡¯s records.¡± The president kissed his daughter¡¯s right cheek, making her scrunch her face up a bit. She looked at him, wronged, ¡°That was only 1 time! And I was little.¡± ¡°You convinced Semyon to bring you to my office, where he left you to do heavens know what else I didn¡¯t notice back then.¡± The president complained to his daughter. Lemyonova smirked before facing him again, ¡°Is there any more news from Paved Road?¡± ¡°There are none. They should still be working. Why, little honey?¡± The president replied, pulling his daughter¡¯s ear a bit, without hurting. After cutely growling at him, she nudged her nose towards the screen below. ¡°The incident a few days ago gave rise to lagjs activity just an hour after it happened. The entire secret world knew about it before the news anchors in every country did. After the truth of the ¡®fruit of nature¡¯ whereabouts, it subsided, but only a little. In these days, it not only continued to increase. It already rose higher than it did back then.¡± ¡°Thanks to this, we can now see some hidden bits we were after for the past decade, somewhat.¡± Lemyonova spoke in a lazy, low tone. The president nodded, looking at the records his daughter showed him, which he already read. But then, he jolted his neck in realization. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Lemyonova looked at him, blinked, and pointed at some records. ¡°These detail the strange events happening in our western shores and borders, and these the southern borders. They both report signs of unusual amounts of supplies and movement of small vessels. While the others inform us of more movement from our immediate neighbors.¡± ¡°Meanwhile, our southwestern shores have been ¡®visited¡¯ more times by some paramilitary groups we¡¯ve been ignoring,¡± Lemyonova was clear and concise in giving that hint. As the president blinked profusely, she continued. Pointing to another group of records. ¡°But these, they are from PR¡¯s reports since the start of the 23rd. The new route of the EPA Commonwealth, fully patronized by our dear sister nation ANS, between Preutorias and the Estuardios¡¯s Luto Skerries became plenty active. These are also correlated to the brand-new heat trade between Marcoplix and Vevuesta¡¯s norther shores and Fresna and Orcesta¡¯s southern ones.¡± ¡°Additionally,¡± Lemyonova stopped to take a breath into her body, sharply gasping. ¡°Orxa and Pexa start showing mutual understanding, with the latter helped by the former to cross without having to show themselves 24/7 for weeks surrounding our borders, passing through our waters¡­ See what I see?¡± ¡°The EPA Commonwealth would never betray us. They might be a bit far from Zyckevele, or Twilight, but they don¡¯t clean ANS¡¯s boots.¡± The president commented. His daughter responded with, ¡°Of course they would never stupidly betray Twilight, much less Zyckevele. But they won¡¯t see what they don¡¯t dare to take a look around for.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The president pressed his lips together, feeling the pressure. Lemyonova sighed quietly. Then, her little head gained a new idea. Her eyes shone as she looked up before telling her father, ¡°You should bring me into those meetings.¡± ¡°That sounds like a good idea. But you won¡¯t get inside by being a civilian alone. I have enough with being charged with nepotism again, and with proof this time.¡± The president nodded once before lightly shaking his head a few times. Lemyonova pouted, as much as an adult could without looking like a kid. And then, the president smiled and said, ¡°As my External Affairs Secretary next year, you¡¯d have all the rights to attend a meeting like this, especially like this.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Lemyonova looked at his father, who already wore a fatherly grin. She frowned, though. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t let me do this if you didn¡¯t plan it beforehand. Are you¡­ going for another term? Will¡­ will they let you?¡± ¡°I was planning more to secure a vacation, a small one at the minimum.¡± The president appeared helpless. ¡°Right. I was also planning to pave your road. It would have helped you, I believe. Moreover, with this finding, will they want me gone? I¡¯m not letting you do it alone, neither.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you alone in times of need neither, father.¡± Lemyonova looked at her father, vowing as their little meeting came to an end. She nodded at him with the stern, cold expression her father always rests with. Looking at his grown young woman, genius daughter, the president proudly smirked. *** Knight Assembly Association. Central pavilion, where the 4 leaders of the Knight Assembly Association meet, and have met. In a wide table, enough for a couple of dozen to sit around, 4 figures sat with their entourage sitting beside them in smaller chairs. Furthermore, the younger generation of those 4 figures sat further to the sides. One of them was the white porcelain young man from the east. Naturally, one of the 4 leading figures accompanied by their entourages was the black man, the young man¡¯s father. The 4 leading figures were already in discussion, mentioning the words Lymoca, lagjs, movement, and join constantly. One of them was the East Sovereign Noble, Kurosaki Hamane. He brought his son, Young Noble Kurosaki Yasashi. The Central East Sovereign Noble, Kato Kyoki. A light, brown man with sharp, wise eyes of the same color. With thin, short brown hair, and of a regular height, as it¡¯s typical in Dawn. He brought his daughter, Young Miss Kato Kanulta. The Central West Sovereign Noble, ¡®Feathered¡¯ Lu Shenhua. A most beautiful woman with moon white skin, fox, large pitch-black eyes. Hair of the same color, long, and slightly held at the corners of her forehead. She was very tall. Her husband sat beside her, Mo Lijie. While they brought their daughter, Lu Ningjing, a beauty only second to her mother, and equal to Yu Fanlan. And then, there was the West Sovereign Noble, ¡®Dragon¡¯ Yu Yutian. A man with light cinnamon skin. Eagle-ish, brown-honeyed eyes. He had short, smooth, black coal hair. He was tall, and acclaimed as the ¡®most powerful'' individual in the nation. He brought his daughter, Yu Fanlan. In the area where the noble sons and daughters were seated, with a few cousins of each in between, making idle chatter and conversing, Kurosaki Yasashi sat with his head hanging low. ¡°Yasashi, what do you think?¡± A soft voice, very comfortable to hear, spoke a little louder than the rest, all polite and in good nature. Yasashi lifted his head before turning to his right, where his sweet-looking, blushing fianc¨¦e with moon white skin shied her eyes away with his gaze. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen¡­¡± Kurosaki Yasashi slightly lowered his eyebrows. The others near him quieted down, growing interested to hear him. His fianc¨¦e returned her eyes to him, shining as she felt worried and wanted to hear him out. Yasashi said with trouble in his eyes. ¡°Some things might have started.¡± ¡°Started to what?¡± The same voice from before spoke out. Yasashi shook his head a little. His behavior gave the notion of falling into sadness. He lightly echoed out, ¡°No, just ¡®started¡¯¡­¡± *** Lymoca, state of Sargonde. Southeast. In the north of one of the cities. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia walked out of a white gate which opened from the center to the sides, sliding into the walls to let him into an open area where loud music and people mingled. Some danced, some flirted, others threw their day and night away to life. The people dancing in some square-shaped dance floors were slow, but fast and deprived of sex in others. Those flirting did so mostly in the slow dance floors, while the rest were either too desperate elsewhere or relaxing in a corner. Those riddled in either sadness or not caring about the world, wanting to show how perfect their life was mingled just as perfectly as the others, if not more. In their own personal manner, but they did. Phesx Caolia walked to a bar, one of many, and the one that had the least lavishness and was the smallest. He sat on a stool, waiting for the bartender to come to him. Like this, several minutes went by, with Phesx¡¯s head lowered as he put on a mask that covered his eyes and nose. It was pale crimson, and it had white colored, elliptic eyes. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± The bartender finished cleaning and checking everything twice before bothering with him. Phesx seemed hesitant to look at him directly before saying, ¡°Do you have flora liquor?¡± The bartender cocked his head to the side. Such a niche thing wasn¡¯t referring to the typical wine, but a crude, ¡®super natural¡¯ herbal wine type that anyone could make, and it would taste bad, but it would do the body ¡®wonders¡¯. ¡°Acquired taste? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re from Preut?¡± The bartender asked. He didn¡¯t need to shout, but his words gave Phesx a reason to want to leave. The bartender smirked when he saw this and gestured to his mask before proposing, ¡°Don¡¯t want to be seen? That¡¯s your thing, I guess. But hey, if you can prove me you¡¯re from that hell¡ª drinks on the house!¡± Phesx Caolia pondered for a few seconds as some other girls, notably pretty and with accentuated curves, walked to the bar for a break, and a drink or a pair of them. Then, he decided. He stood up and lifted his shirt, showing his right side before further lowering his pants from the same angle, showing long, healing scars and dents, and his muscles. It wasn¡¯t a lot, but it seemed like a lot in his young body. A couple of gals walked over and groped, sending actual shivers up his body as their soft hands confirmed how real the scars were, and how natural his muscles were. ¡°Sit and wait,¡± the bartender nodded before turning around to get to work. Meanwhile, Phesx got himself some company. ¡­ Chapter 54 — Proactive? Proactive? Phesx Caolia sat for a few minutes. Some of the girls accompanying him, needing only a few words to know he liked silence, drank with him. A few of them returned to the dance floors, while others came to him, drawn to know more about him. It seemed like the idea of having an ex-soldier Preutian did more than interest them. They started rubbing their faces on his shoulders, shoulder blades, arms, and others whispered silent words into his neck, just wanting to blow their hot breaths onto his skin. Phesx Caolia drank in tranquility. That was until he decided to release himself a bit. ¡°Ladies, I will go to the bathroom now, alone. If you¡¯ll let me.¡± Phesx looked left and right before saying. Some giggled, while one of them spoke after tracing his nose over the mask, from above to below. ¡°Hahaha, very few would be willing enough to not call us some things else. Go ahead¡­ This seat is yours when you return.¡± Feeling the female breath and heat, and hearing her heartbeat ask for things he couldn¡¯t give, Phesx gulped, jumped his right eyebrow and walked off to a nearby bathroom. He felt their hot gazes on his back, making him sigh as he walked past some dance floors. ¡°Hey, you. What are you hiding from?!¡± A man suddenly shouted. Phesx turned, immediately finding who addressed him. The man was startled when Phesx directly stared at him, but smiled wide open before nodding and pointing at him. ¡°You must be a Preutian!¡± ¡°What are you doing with a mask, though? Afraid you¡¯ll find some fanatics or the ¡®bad side¡¯ here?¡± The man asked again, still moving and bouncing to the music, although it was a bit too slow for that. Phesx Caolia smirked. His mask contrasted his lips even more, turning that smirk into something straight males would bully him for daring to make them doubt their sexuality. In a slightly loud voice, Phesx echoed with, ¡°Yes. But no. Afraid I¡¯ll find some without a gun. It¡¯ll be too much of a pity!¡± With that, Phesx went on his way to find a bathroom. The man left behind smiled, still moving on and on as he walked elsewhere, dancing that belly and his hands at the sides of his hips. Phesx Caolia took his time. He cleaned his hands after dropping the gloves, ensuring none of ¡®that¡¯ remained, and watched his face a bit before taking his mask off after checking for cameras. Poking his nose¡¯s tip with his left ring finger, Phesx covered his face with a theatrical mask, similar to Riverlye, and red, but of a reindeer shape. Once he was finished, he exited the bathroom. Walking back into the open space, and to the smallest bar, he found the girls gone, replaced by a few suited men, looking like guards. Some had glasses, a stupid thing under a dark ceiling. Phesx walked to them, about to sit down, when his left shoulder was grabbed by one of them. ¡°You can¡¯t sit here,¡± he said. Phesx looked up, noticing a young man with a slender figure and short, wild-exotic hair. He looked dangerous, with small, slit eyes and small features, almost looking sickly. He played with a kunai, quite a foreign type of knife in Lymoca. Phesx couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head to the right when he saw this, but he still looked at the man whose hand grabbed him first, ¡°Why? What happened?¡± ¡°There¡¯s another seat for you. Elsewhere,¡± the man spoke sternly, taking no for replies. Phesx Caolia looked at the bartender, who looked troubled but lightly nodded at him. Phesx gulped before nodding at the man, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, here. Let me bring you in. My brother doesn¡¯t like young boys, well, he does. Just not like that. Have you felt bored so far? Lymoca isn¡¯t like Preut back then, but some groups can give you exactly what you want¡­¡± The young man hugged Phesx Caolia¡¯s shoulders with his left arm, bringing him to the inconspicuous door at the side with the other suited men. Phesx walked in without troubles, feeling relaxed with the young man¡¯s words. He even made chatter with the fella, ¡°Do you have any information when Preut¡¯s war will finish?¡± ¡°Nah. But it will be obvious when it happens. Why? Want to return there?¡± The young man gave Phesx a glare at the end of his words. Phesx jolted his neck mockingly, ¡°I only want to know when that damned place stops existing.¡± ¡°Hahaha,¡± the young man heartily laughed before patting his back. Phesx stopped before another gate in the dark, whose circular windows at the top of both sides showed a lot of brightness, making it impossible to see the other side. ¡°Let¡¯s go. My brother will like you.¡± The young man said before opening the left gate. Being gestured to go in, Phesx stepped forth after taking a couple of deep breaths. What welcomed him was a ¡®golden¡¯ room. That was the first combination of words that came to his mind. White sofas with pale gold flooring, beige walls, and a disco ceiling. A white blond man with short, steep hair combed upwards sat on a sofa, wearing a leather coat with fur around the neck. His feet had sandals, with 2 thin young women massaging his toes. They wore superficial, large white glasses. ¡®Oh dear.¡¯ Phesx mentally commented while his face showed he was awestruck. The man was contented with this, offering Phesx, ¡°Take a seat.¡± Phesx obeyed and sat in the 3-seater sofa in front of the man, with an isle table in between. The man¡¯s sofa was a 9-seater one with a lower height, so Phesx felt tiny in front of it. A few guards posed behind his sofa¡¯s corners, with the rest forming a line on each side in between their sofas. ¡°I heard you know very well how to use guns.¡± The man took a drink and said with upturned eyes after dropping his glass on the table, pressing on Phesx. Phesx was immobile, so the man believed he startled him. Nevertheless, Phesx grinned behind his mask. He never said that, but the man wanted to fish. Unfortunately, his lagoon only had nuclear bomb metal remains. Phesx raised his volume and voiced, ¡°To have a bar where you conduct your meetings. Guards who all wield a gun at their waist or hidden between their butt cracks. And more than anything, paying even the rats to whisper you any information or inconvenience inside your ¡®private¡¯ club.¡± ¡°You want control, and you have power, so you want to use control to enhance it.¡± Phesx Caolia stood up, making the guards behind him a bit tense, reaching for their handguns. Phesx looked down at the man, who stupidly stared back up at him. ¡°That¡¯s too lame. Besides, you have no protection around your club. What was I expecting?¡± Phesx tilted his head to the right, letting it hang loosely. He looked quite comical, and a bit cute. ¡°Of course, I couldn¡¯t have asked for more, coming from people who scam an old man.¡± The man knitted his eyebrows, feeling about to remember something, with his eyes also shining, noticing Phesx no longer wore a small mask covering only his eyes and nose. Puh- pam- dash~¡­ But just then, Phesx looked behind his left. The guard there had just let go of his handgun¡¯s hold when seeing that the young boy wasn¡¯t moving towards his boss. Phesx kicked the sofa¡¯s lower front side with his right sole, striking the guard¡¯s right shin. At the same time, with his eyebrows furrowing fiercely, Phesx dashed to that guard, slamming his right shoulder on the guard¡¯s solar plexus. Phesx grabbed the handgun with ease with his left hand. He brought his head upside down and lowered his body with his upper back first towards the floor. As his shoes flew over the sofa¡¯s backrest, he aimed the gun at the man, who looked at this with calm eyes, not even registering what was happening. Bang bang bang. Phesx opened holes in the beautiful white and pale golden clothing before falling to the ground. He dropped on his bum, immediately breaking the man¡¯s right arm with a quick movement from his, before pressing his left foot on the right jugular as well. He aimed the handgun at the guards to the left of the 3-seater sofa, shooting between their eyebrows and sides of their brains while the guard he held squirmed but tried to free himself, punching his left knee nonstop. Crrrjjt! Just then, Phesx saw a tiny glint flash past the falling guards, whose bodies went limp, dropping dead. A kunai flew to his left shoulder, opening his flesh with a new cut, worsening the injury that was still healing. Phesx looked at the young man, whose body heavily breathed and face became terrified. Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang¡­ Giving his left shoulder a glance, Phesx returned his eyes to the young man before aiming at him, dropping a barrage until the handgun was empty, and the young man¡¯s frail body crashed to the floor in pain. Hearing footsteps and safety switches being turned off, Phesx didn¡¯t bother looking down. He roughly threw the handgun backwards before rolling forth, bringing the guard¡¯s body to cover his butt with his left heel under the guard¡¯s neck, and his right heel under the right knee to keep the body steady. Before the guard could land one punch on Phesx¡¯s back, he was shot thrice in the column, and another 4 times elsewhere by his colleagues. Phesx didn¡¯t let his sacrificed ¡®comrade¡¯ down, though. Phesx¡¯s position lifted the guard¡¯s body a little, letting him peek with the handgun of another guard below the body. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang- bang, bang, bang, bang bang, bang bang. The guards shot his ¡®comrade¡¯ until they nearly headshot Phesx twice without even realizing, penetrating the disfigured skull and neck of their colleague. But while they opened fire like crazy over the sofa, Phesx only needed a few precise paused shots to kill them in one go. The guards took the sofa as a reliable cover for whatever reason, which Phesx used to blast their genitals before headshooting them after they knelt or stumbled backwards. Even those who fell behind the table back-first were accurately headshot though the furniture and glass. Other guards farther to the side, with no clear vision, and running towards them, tripped with their feet being cruelly shot. Phesx finished them as well, killing everyone in the room before his legs suffered any other grazing bullet. He kicked the guard¡¯s corpse off his feet, slamming it against the sofa before standing up. He walked to his left, with his handgun nearly out of bullets. Still in his left hand, he casually aimed at the closed gates before firing thrice. One on the left side lower half and another through the glass, while the other on the other side¡¯s lower half. 3 corpses opened the gates, leaving them wide for Phesx to hear better the screams of others in the open space. Phesx directly walked to a guard he killed, which he saw holding the only firearm here not a handgun. It was a submachine gun. Although it was second-hand, it was better than what the military camps in Preut had. It should have been military grade a few centuries ago. It was dark green, with a bricked pattern atop, and a reverse trapezoid shape for its main structure with a short barrel. Not only that, but it had a thin, low-quality strap, which Phesx put it around his right shoulder before heading back. Phesx lowered his presence but ran back into the open space. He feigned walking out the door before immediately retreating, whereas gunshots fired at where he would¡¯ve stepped. One came from the left, a bit farther from the wall, as the one in the right was stuck against it. A good idea. Phesx instantly peeked out after the guards at the sides stopped shooting, firing only 2 bullets before silence stupidly invaded their atmosphere. Phesx lowered his body, nearly sticking his chest to the floor, and aimed left and right with 2 handguns. Headshooting them at once, he retreated again as bullets rained towards him. Phesx covered his body with the smallest body of the 3 corpses who opened the gate for him before, dragged here to cover him from the reflecting, bouncing bullets now. After the enemy stopped firing, he checked the front and saw a couple of guards head towards the inconspicuous door in the center. Phesx aimed while crouching and barraged bullets into their necks and heads. Trrrrr. Phesx only needed a few, small bursts. Immediately after, he kicked the floor and rushed out, rushing to the right where a bar was now empty. Everyone else in the club was pushing against the white doors that wouldn¡¯t open no matter what. They were desperate and sobbing, with some pissing themselves on others or at a few corners. A few were around the club, bawling and paralyzed. But when bullets sounded even closer to them, they looked back only to see a masked figure rush into a bar that was immediately turned into a beehive. Bang bang bang, bang bang bang, bang trrr rrrrr rrrrrr- ¡°Stop, stop, stop!¡± - ¡°What?!¡± - ¡°My sister is behind that bar, you fucking idiots! You might have killed her just fucking now! AAAH!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx blinked as he looked at the one-eyed young woman with a tiny gun held between her limp hands, now loose on the floor, and lifeless. When he heard them shout some more, he threw the metal tray he was placing before him, as protection against more rounds in piles, above the counter. Bang bang trrr- trrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrr. They shot at the tray before aiming at the bar again, but this time, Phesx slid to their right, to a speed they couldn¡¯t comprehend. Just as Phesx was 20 meters away, still sliding fast through the dance floors and going up some step stairs, he fired at them. Cleanly mowing them like dead grass with their faces gaining at least 3 bullets each, he went up the staircase. Phesx reloaded the submachine gun before going to another bar, killing everyone hiding behind it except for those who he saw dancing away and not like the girls surrounding him before, spying on him. Then, he went to another bar. All the guards were finished. Most had handguns, with only 2 of them with submachine guns. It might seem little, but to own submachine guns in such a small club, and dozens of guards, as well as light armor for each guard, it wasn¡¯t easy talk. Even then, Phesx aimed at their heads, and everything went smoothly. To put it in other words, in a video game setting, Phesx had perfect autoaiming cheat to fire at the enemies, also automatic fire to overkill each enemy with 3 bullets to their faces. But this was real life, and reality, as always, naturally surpassed fiction. Just watching Phesx insta-annihilate each guard made the people crazier, scratching the white doors and pushing each other out of the way to try charging at it. Phesx cleaned each bar, killing even the bartender who attended him earlier, not giving him any chances, before semi-running to the crowd. Phesx¡¯s arrival didn¡¯t make them silent, only louder. It got worse as he purposely reloaded the submachine gun before them. ¡°Ah, dammit! I¡¯ll save you all, just run!¡± A hero wearing a green shirt and long, curly hair shrilly screamed before rushing at Phesx. Phesx hit him with the submachine lightly. The young man didn¡¯t understand and tried to take the submachine gun, thus gaining another hit below his left eye, this time knocking him cold. Another young fella, looking like a friend of the last hero, looked at Phesx before moving towards him. Phesx slightly rolled his eyes. As he did, he grabbed one of his hand guns with his left hand, still holding the submachine gun with the other, and fired the second hero¡¯s left knee. Bang. ¡°AAAAAAAAAH!¡± A young woman shrilly screamed to the top of her lungs. Phesx saw a few animals¡¯ testosterone tremble, making them turn around and charge towards him instead. Phesx Caolia stepped back 4 times in a row, breaking knees and ending athletic careers before walking to the right, where the craziest people were pushing and stomping on each other. Trrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr¡­ ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± Now, there was finally silence after Phesx emptied ? of the magazine. A few young people¡¯s legs were shot, but none were fatally injured. Those who were being stomped met their new floor partners as everyone grew quiet. Phesx brusquely flicked his submachine gun before everyone stared at him quietly. Phesx checked them before aiming his rifle. It was a drastic change, from ¡®threatening¡¯ them, to actually aiming, anyone could realize the change. They tensed up, and to their horror, one of them was shot dead. Trr. Phesx made a man with white shirt drop dead, holding a communications device, probably from other ¡®employees¡¯ resting or in other parts of the city. Then, he aimed at others. Trr. Trr. Trr. Trr¡­ Phesx proceeded to take down every person he marked before entering the inconspicuous door. His submachine gun did all the talking. He didn¡¯t want his voice to be recorded, as some would most likely video shoot for evidence later, or in case they died. And Phesx didn¡¯t want to massacre more than a hundred people for nothing. When his targets used others as shields, cowering away and whatnot, Phesx tilted his head brusquely to the sides until someone understood and pushed that person outside the crowd. Then, Phesx immediately shot their head, saving them the trouble from lifting it, not wanting their ugly eyes to just stare at him. From the on, anyone who cowered was pushed out. Not everyone was his target, so Phesx ignored some, making it clear some people weren¡¯t his targets. The bizarre situation brought everyone comfort. They only hoped the police would arrive already, and that they wouldn¡¯t offend this madman. Even more bizarre was when a short girl was pushed out of the crowd again and again by a tall, muscular man surrounded by hot chicks. Phesx got bored of him and shot his hands and both shoulders like smacking a dog¡¯s butt. Keeping it quiet. After Phesx finished, he took a device from his rear pants pockets, scaring the shit out of the crowd. But when he pressed the button, they didn¡¯t become 20% of their current bodies, nor did they decorate the club. The white doors just opened. ¡°RUN!¡± A person shouted, without need. Everyone picked their feet up, even helping each other to not fall down, and rushed outside, not noticing a few trails of blood coming out from some doors in other hallways to the sides. They ran and ran until they were a few streets away, near the plaza, where some officers in cars without lights on became startled. From then on, another scandalous event surged¡­ When they left, Phesx went to one of the bathrooms, into one of them in particular. Some saw him remain inside for who knew what reason, but they didn¡¯t care, if only a little curious. Once in the bathroom, he went to the booth dedicated to a janitor¡¯s tools and pipes¡¯ reading. Looking inside the booth, Phesx sighed with a sad face before taking his mask on, keeping any of his features from showing for the camera above, facing the floor. Then, he put the toxic mask protection at the side on before grabbing a hammer. Then, he struck the ground below the pipelines¡¯ readers. Phesx didn¡¯t have to wait for much, as it was purposely a weak foundation. Once Phesx broke a hole he could fit in, he closed his gloves tight around his wrists before going down. There, he just had to open the barred gate leading to the sewers, whose key only the janitor could use, but Phesx didn¡¯t have time to look for it, so he used his new hammer to escape the club. He had to drag his body for a few hundreds of meters before he could set foot in the man-walking sewers. . . . Riverlye HQ. 3 hours later. Principal workshop. A clean, good-smelling, and innocently smiling Phesx Caolia stood on a stool beside Pheli¡¯s counter. He just went into her workshop, gave her a glance, greeted her briefly, and brought the stool to sit near her. Pheli blinked. She didn¡¯t even bother to close the tabs showing all the different angles of his doings, from the moment he came into the dance floors to his fearsome appearance before the crowd¡¯s eyes. He shot, bashed, and even punished those accordingly, although that hardly mattered. After seeing the ease at which he showed the world the secrets of the underground, nothing mattered¡­ ¡°You know why the Head or the Instructors have still not cared about what you¡¯ve done?¡± Pheli said, not refusing to entertain him. Phesx shrugged, ¡°No. Tell me.¡± Pheli hung her head to the left, looking at him like an elder sister would to their bratty baby brother. Phesx bit his lower lip softly, covering it with his upper lip and teeth. Pheli finally rolled her eyes and relaxed her elbows behind her chair. ¡°Because your previous actions made their sale only bigger. Riverlye also gained prestige, and now, they will be more than glad to ¡®hint¡¯ at other lags whose rabid dog did it.¡± ¡°So, want to go on a date to that pizzeria?¡± Phesx Caolia nodded before blurting out. It was his heart and instincts; his soul¡ª speaking. ¡°¡­¡± Pheli lifted her left eyebrow and hooked the right corner of her mouth downwards. She smirked from the other corner as her face relaxed, feeling something in her chest with Phesx¡¯s eyes roaming all around her visage. ¡°Yeah. I think you¡¯ve earned it.¡± ¡­ Chapter 55 — What Words Under The Moonlight? What Words Under The Moonlight? Many hours later. In the evening. Below Phesx''s house, in the pizzeria. The place was actually closed for today, as there were some remodeling happening. The pizzeria couldn''t expand, already having bough a corner of the block, but they could make the place ampler and visually appealing to the customers. In this case, Phesx sat in a small table in the non-remodeled zones, with the lights dimly lit, and a few small boxes of pizza at the side, of which half were empty. Phesx and Pheli ate to their heart¡¯s content, sometimes just eating and looking into each other¡¯s eyes as the flavor, the melting, the sensation when biting, and the aftertaste of every bite enthralled them. After finishing yet another small box together, Pheli relaxed her neck, arching it forwards and looking up to the ceiling after eating a lot. She lowered her head, noticed Phesx¡¯s dumbfounded face looking at her, and smiled lightly. ¡°I¡¯m really full. Can¡¯t remember the last time I ever ate this much.¡± ¡°Even after remaining hungry, you mean?¡± Phesx blinked, waking up to put Pheli¡¯s eyes on him. She unceremoniously reached for another box while smiling thinly, ¡°Only for that, we¡¯re not going to my apartment afterwards.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx blinked twice, demanding an explanation while Pheli opened another box. They were just going to rest, when the smell of a few spices and a bit of green in between called their attention. Their bellies were full, but with the training and missions they have as people from the secret world, eating this bit was nothing. The issue would be finding something as delicious. After the early morning, Phesx fasted, waiting for the date while practicing with Emer with an empty stomach. He wore a jacket to cover his arms and shoulders¡¯ bruises, even after Pheli had to check his left shoulder again. Those 2 days of extra rest gained more sense. It was just a knife wound, but it could worsen his previous wound. As for Pheli, she also fasted. Knowing Phesx had some ¡®access¡¯ to the pizzeria, she betted on this place when their date began, and she ended up winning. As the new box was opened, Pheli grabbed a slice before feeling awkward. Phesx smiled, took his eyes off her wonderful neck and grabbed a slice as well. After ¡®clinking¡¯ their slices, Phesx slowly brought his to his mouth, with Pheli repeating the gesture quickly. ¡°Is there a way we can call ourselves? Not just Artistas, and other orgs¡¯ ¡®cannon fodder¡¯, but those in superior ranks like Instructors and the Head?¡± Phesx asked after a few relishing moments. Pheli shook her head with a slice between her teeth, cleaning the table¡¯s surface in front of her before grabbing half the slice off her mouth and chewing the other. ¡°Wewl, gulp¡­ There¡¯s none, but I have seen many ¡®talks¡¯ after your play. It wasn¡¯t as hectic before, but just 3 days after the museum¡¯s event, that you first made the internet a bit zealous. Wanna bet there are some screenwriters already begging to make movies or shows of idiots like you?¡± Pheli¡¯s playful eyes looked at him as she finished the remaining of her slice. Phesx blinked, he tilted his head backwards and to the left, and his eyes upturned before voicing, ¡°So no. But there might be one? What are the possible names? I would like to know.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Pheli didn¡¯t seem pleased. ¡°One is the ¡®shadow serpents¡¯. It is quite popular. You can¡¯t expect much from the internet, much less when it¡¯s only been a few days. Another is the ¡®secret service¡¯, another ¡®SS¡¯.¡± Phesx Caolia flicked his eyebrows and put an awry expression, ¡°It¡¯s better than serpents.¡± ¡°Yeah, but that one also has ¡®shadow¡¯ in it.¡± Pheli nodded before commenting. Both pizza eating monsters cocked their heads in agreement before eating half the box. ¡°When do you plan to try craftsmanship? It¡¯s nothing like you¡¯ve seen in Preut.¡± Pheli ate another slice before leaning over the table. Her features weren¡¯t big, but her gesture made her lovely breasts a bit pronounced. Her ¡®grandma made me this¡¯ colorful sweater only made her look cuter, not silly. Not only that, but her orange hair was a striking difference, but it combined well, somehow. ¡°Is it really that good? I mean. Do you- no, can you earn from it, or something?¡± Phesx tentatively asked. Pheli narrowed her eyes, slightly pushing her lips out. How could she not know Phesx was looking for excuses to get to it? ¡°You do a little bit of money, but maybe a little less than being paid to teach when you¡¯re not fully available.¡± Pheli nodded a bit. ¡°You first have to go through a period of 2 weeks, and pay 30,000 credits to use the org¡¯s resources. It¡¯s very little, but not lesser than in those big academies.¡± ¡°Mmn.¡± Phesx Caolia hummed. Pheli brought another slice to her mouth and ate, but not before saying with indifferent eyes glancing to the side, ¡°Learning bion craftsmanship isn¡¯t something every country¡¯s academies can boast of worldwide.¡± ¡°You also have to pay for a person to teach you, from those who aren¡¯t fully available, if you want a certain person guiding you. But it¡¯s better than 300,000 credits the academies charge.¡± ¡°Then, you¡¯ll be in a workshop after those 2 weeks. At first, you can only help with small things. You might make a few thousand credits a day after being socially accepted as a weapon crafter or so.¡± Pheli said, stealing the fourth of a slice of pizza from Phesx¡¯s hands. ¡°How much do you make per order?¡± Phesx asked, his little mind trained by the evil Ruvas at work. Pheli slowly devoured the stolen fourth of a slice with closed eyes before voicing, ¡°The same as anyone else with an extra thousand credits or so. It¡¯s just that I and Waleks can make tens of thousands if someone orders a bion of at least 6 digits price.¡± ¡°Those still need maintenance and recharge, or simply battery, so to speak. Those also give you money, the same amount as other bions¡¯ cost. Why now? Interested?¡± Pheli asked with a smirk from corner to corner of her mouth, slightly tapping her fingertips on Phesx¡¯s left backhand. ¡°Yes, I think I am.¡± Phesx said, with eyes fully open, looking calm¡­ and just attractive. His hair was still a thing to behold, naturally combed backwards, flat and smooth on the right, and a slight curve, and wild, on his left side. ¡°Can you take me as your apprentice? Oh, can I work in your workshop after being socially accepted, also?¡± Phesx¡¯s questions left the pretty young woman before him feeling a little helpless. However, she picked another slice and ate, giving Phesx her little eyes. ¡°I guess.¡± ¡­ After exiting the pizzeria, and bidding one of the owners goodbye with a hasty wave, Phesx brought the young lady to the stairs leading to the rooftop. When going up, Pheli was still a bit incredulous, which rapidly recessed until he saw Phesx take some keys out. ¡°Little heaven¡­ you do live on its roof.¡± Pheli¡¯s arms slightly locked with Phesx¡¯s left arm, going up the stairs as she felt the need to rest her right ear on his shoulder. She did it carefully so he would only feel a bit of pain at first. Phesx Caolia smirked. ¡°Are you disappointed? Jealous? Or disappointed and jealous?¡± ¡°The fourth option,¡± Pheli softly murmured. Phesx blinked. Immediately after, he felt his chest, deep inside, feeling a bit airy and heavy¡­ ¡°Where do you keep your baby? I¡¯m sure it would have been stolen already, whether you¡¯re the greatest ¡®serpent¡¯ in the world or the worst.¡± Pheli said with a smile, hugging his arm a bit more, and tighter. They walked on the roof towards the little ¡®apartment/house¡¯. ¡°The landlady has connections. It is her who helps me keep it at bay.¡± Phesx resumed, feeling strange all under his clothes. Pheli smirked from her mouth¡¯s left corner before voicing, ¡°She¡¯s some criminal lords¡¯ hot, old flame, or something?¡± ¡°Pffgh,¡± Phesx scoffed with a wide smirk. ¡°Maybe she was in her younger days? She has a son who stays out until late night, and never once I saw him come back injured or something. She only charges me 2,000 a month, though.¡± ¡°Do I have to worry about finding someone the other side of the door?¡± Pheli said, pointing at his house¡¯s door while facing him. Phesx looked at her and tilted his head rightwards, hanging it there. ¡°First, you call me a serpent, insulting and degrading me. Now you want me to bring a grandma to my bed?¡± ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Pheli giggled, narrowing her eyes as they stopped before his door. Turning to each other, their eyes locked for a few seconds. Phesx¡¯s eyes narrowed, while she looked at him, nearly at the same sight, whereas she had to lift her eyes a bit. Phesx nearly wetted his lips but stopped himself, gesturing to his door, ¡°May I invite you in?¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. With a tilt of his head, Phesx¡¯s antics had Pheli look at him with a light in her celeste eyes. She didn¡¯t respond, but he heard what she meant. Bringing his nose across the air, Phesx first smooched her at the right corners of her lips before tilting his head rightwards and pressing his mouth on hers, no longer a simple peck. Pheli closed her eyes the moment she felt the first kiss. Her shoulders rose for a moment before relaxing. Her hands went to his waist, pulling him slightly towards her, to her body. For several moments, there were only lips and saliva exchanging, dancing, and trekking into the other¡¯s space, with the occasional obscured red tongues flicking in and out. ¡°It feels like a second dinner¡­ it tastes like a second dinner¡­¡± Phesx momentarily stopped, with their chins pressed together and their mouths gasping, blowing air to each other¡¯s faces. His comment gained them some moments to take a breather, but Pheli¡¯s narrowed, watery eyes didn¡¯t want that. ¡°Don¡¯t stop now¡­¡± She brought her fingertips to both sides of his face, caressing his skin before returning them to his hips. ¡°You why I¡¯m not hugging your shoulders instead, waiting for you to push me into your wall?¡± Their breathing became heavier, but they were rested now. They only needed to light the fuse. Pheli breathed with her lips moving atop his, ¡°Because I wouldn¡¯t want to hear you loudly groaning into my ears before-¡± ¡°¡­mmnf¡­¡± Phesx Caolia shut her, taking her mouth wide open while opening his door. His hands moved expertly, but only towards his door before bringing her in, slowly eating each other¡¯s mouths. Arriving at his bedroom, Phesx stuck his body to hers, which Pheli tantalizingly swayed her hips to, just a little, out of desire and instinct. Phesx gradually paused their mouths. Looking at her face covered in dark, the full moon in the sky, whose moonlight seeped into the windows, made her facial features hidden even more. Phesx held her cheeks before pecking her lips, little by little, one at a time. When both their eyes slowly opened after the slow, passionate, intimate, and heated moment¡­ Phesx cupped her face and smooched her forehead, therefore bringing her head lower and lower as Pheli smoothly knelt before him, rubbing her nose left and right all over his clothes. ¡­ The night went on with passion, leaving not a part of their bodies unexplored. One thing was already in this night; they were definitely good for each other¡¯s pleasure. But the second was only for Pheli, as Phesx wouldn¡¯t stop, no matter how affected he was throughout the night. It wouldn¡¯t go on for hours and hours, but the force put behind every second was surmountable. The sensations flooding. And the hearts beat with no tomorrows placed in their brains. With the covers wrapping them, all lewd sounds echoed, with gasps and muffled shrills echoing whenever moans or groans went for too long, tiring the young couple melting their bodies. ¡­ As the night ended and a new day brewed, but the dark sky remained, the full, gigantic moon was disappearing and distancing from their sky. Resting in his bed, Phesx shared a pillow with Pheli, whose orange strands of hair littered around their heads. As she rested on his right shoulder, Phesx intertwined fingers with her with his left hand on his stomach. ¡°I have the feeling I¡¯m not your first redhead,¡± Pheli softly said, almost ethereally. Phesx blinked, feeling sleepy, and adoring the fact he could feel like this without exhausting himself first, at last. ¡°Those words give your ¡®kind¡¯ a bad reputation.¡± Pheli smiled, ignoring his comment before Phesx spoke again. Meanwhile, she crossed her right shin to his groins. It wasn¡¯t a threat or a response. It only made him feel warmer. ¡°I have¡­ met someone before¡­ It wasn¡¯t like that, though. She left early.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Pheli lowered her eyes, flickering her eyelashes. Turning towards him, she poked his right cheek with the tip of her nose. Phesx continued, ¡°It¡¯s not only her, and I had other thoughts with others, but it was all left in Preut.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you contact some? You can, with some preparation, time, and making a few contacts in Riverlye, you could find them if they are still in Lymoca.¡± Pheli proposed, but Phesx shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will.¡± Pheli hooked the corners of her lips downwards before facing the ceiling, staring at the moon slipping away through the window. Her left shin found its way to his groins instead, making Phesx wonder if she was claiming him. Mar¨ªa hadn¡¯t been like this, although it ended in an intimate relationship that never fully was. It felt¡­ good, though. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll still make new contacts in Riverlye. Take a few more missions; until you can join other groups. Then, I¡¯ll bring you to meet some. Focus on your craftsmanship for now,¡± Pheli offered him. Phesx grinned before his hands reached out to her sides, forcefully pulling her on top of him. ¡°You¡¯re not my mother to be telling me what to do.¡± ¡°What am I, then?¡± Pheli was surprised, but she still felt her eyelids a bit heavy, dropping them into a graceful, indifferent visage, and asked him. Phesx blinked. He had no idea what to answer that with. Then, he thought of something, making him thinly smile from ear to ear. ¡°Mine.¡± Then, Pheli rolled her eyes before delicious closing them, falling on his face with hers as a hefty early morning ensued. Once again snaking her arms around him in bed. . . . 10 days later. In the center of the city Phesx lived in, in a cemetery. After the procedures underwent, the few family members that could arrive, or wanted to, moved to meet each other. Phesx was greeted by a few young men who previously saw him working with the old man. The rest ignored him, only coming here because the old man¡¯s lands were once again the family¡¯s. The blondie, daughter of the old man, walked to Phesx after excusing herself from a stampede of rats- no, of family members she hasn¡¯t seen in more than a decade with her fianc¨¦. Evading a few more along the way, she stopped and smiled at Phesx, more politely than not. ¡°Thank you for coming, Phesx.¡± She said, wanting to hug him but stopped, knowing he didn¡¯t like it. The young man stood a step behind her, nodding and smiling at him. Phesx was going to leave, but the blondie passed him a document. ¡°My father would have liked to give this to you.¡± Phesx Caolia blinked before taking the document, reading a sum of 50,000 only his bank account could scan with his fingerprints read by his green bank card. He lifted his eyes to look at her again, but she just added, ¡°I¡¯ve already registered the movement of that much money. Trust me, he would¡¯ve liked you to have it. With the money from the adult livestock and the remaining crops, I had more than enough for the funeral. He would like you to have this.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t refute it. Thinking for a moment, he replied as he scanned it with his bank card. ¡°Bullshit. You just want me to keep me and work with you.¡± ¡°Aww, if you put it like that, no business in the world is honest work.¡± The blondie was startled, before smiling a little, at last, and became playful with him. Meanwhile, the young man behind her blushed a little, scratching his head. ¡°Besides,¡± the blondie breathed in. Her eyes became a little lost amidst her words, ¡°It has become very obvious I am not giving this to anyone else. So, I would be mostly alone. I need as much help as I can. Don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Have you thought of expanding?¡± Phesx Caolia asked after folding the document. The blondie smelled her philtrum, pouting before hooking the right corner of her mouth in a grimace. ¡°Should I do that? I¡¯m not so sure, though¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of land surrounding your grandpa¡¯s farm. Besides, even the dirt road is ¡®on sale¡¯, I remember, and he would always speak his mind about what he¡¯d do with all that land.¡± Phesx offered some advice. The blondie seemed to consider, saying, ¡°If I do, I need a lot of money. It may take a few months to start something like that. That might work with my father¡¯s savings now in my hands.¡± ¡°I can help with a bit,¡± Phesx politely grinned before showing her his phone after preparing something. She jumped her eyebrows, ¡°No, Phesx, that¡¯s too much money. Isn¡¯t it from what I just gave you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a problem to me, I can recuperate that in a month, really.¡± Phesx smiled, feeling a bit boastful. He offered her 30,000 credits as an investment, but the blondie couldn¡¯t believe he could do this much money. Either way, she didn¡¯t dawdle and took her green bank card out, ¡°I promise you it won¡¯t be a waste. If worse comes to worst, you might even own the lands if the government has to implicate themselves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the blondie jumped, remembering something. Her face finally displayed hints of confidence as she went, ¡°With one of the government¡¯s programs, I can advance this new step of my life faster and safely.¡± ¡°Hmf,¡± Phesx blew air through his nostrils with a wide smirk. ¡°You sounded like a commercial. Are they really that helpful?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded her head repeatedly. ¡°It¡¯s actually more like¡­ donating, from the government to us, and we don¡¯t even have to promise them some shares or make a contract. Only that we do not sell it outside the country nor large portions to private companies, just the markets and local establishments.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia jumped his eyebrows as well before tilting his head forth, feeling a little strange. The blondie smiled before looking at her fianc¨¦, who took another document out. She passed it to him, mentioning, ¡°I¡¯m not familiar which days you¡¯re free and for how long. Here¡¯s a contract if you do wish to keep working for the farm. I hope you do-¡± Before she could finish, Phesx rapidly read through it and took a pen from his jacket¡¯s pockets. He signed up before returning it to the blondie. Then, he flashed a polite smirk before turning around, ¡°I may show up a few days a week, but it might be inconsistent. I¡¯ll leave you to your father¡¯s funeral, then.¡± ¡°Goodbye~!¡± - ¡°Safe travels!¡± The blondie and her fianc¨¦ bid Phesx farewell as he headed out and towards his Myertha. Shortly after, they were surrounded by rats again. . . . Back at the center of Sargonde, Riverlye HQ. Phesx Caolia rapidly parked his bike, took his helmet off, and walked into an elevator, whose doors opened at the regular pace of a second. As he went down his elevator, in Pheli¡¯s workshop, she spoke to a beauty. They sat in an empty area between the counters, Waleks¡¯s, Pheli¡¯s, and the kid-sized one, Phesx¡¯s. It was a black shortie with long curly hair and intense, black eyes. She asked Pheli after growing a bit impatient, ¡°So, what would you say he was like?¡± ¡°Alright, well, he¡­¡± Pheli sighed a little, blinking before her cheeks blushed ever so slightly. ¡°Moves me around, handling me like a toy everywhere, wherever we are at.¡± ¡°Ooh¡­¡± The black beauty stared without blinking. She closed her mouth and licked her lips before cleaning their right corners with her right wrist as a playful gesture. However, she felt something and looked down, actually finding some saliva on her skin. Pheli rolled her eyes a bit before the young woman said with a teasing smile, ¡°Well then. You better don¡¯t let me go near him.¡± Pheli lifted her eyebrows and lowered her chin, looking at her. Pheli was going to say something but stopped, falling a little pensive instead. Step, step, step. Just then, footsteps sounded from the outside, heading towards the workshop. The black, young woman lifted her hands with a bit of preoccupation. ¡°Nevermind, nevermind. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that casual anymore.¡± ¡­ Chapter 56 — The Secret World The Secret World ¡°Hello, ladies,¡± Phesx Caolia said upon entering the workshop, followed with a light ''pu''. The black beauty stood up, smiling at Phesx and left with a nod. Pheli remained on her seat, lifting her eyebrows before staring at Phesx with her fist supporting under her chin. ¡°Have you completed your daily activities? I just checked, but 5 layers of metal laid empty in the back storage. When are you planning to continue? You only have 4 days to finish your course. Do you want to waste another 30,000 credits?¡± Pheli immediately bombarded him. Phesx bowed his head to take it before lifting it once she was done. He voiced, ¡°I know. I will get to it immediately. I¡¯ve learned a lot under you. Won¡¯t mess these last few days. Are there any missions for me next week?¡± ¡°Yes, you can choose from them after finishing your 5 prototypes¡¯ restoration. They¡¯re at my desk,¡± Pheli said before indifferently looking at him. Phesx nodded, staring at a panel with a yellow screen before returning his gaze to Pheli. She looked at him without showing a thought. ¡°If that is all I had to check in before¡­ so, then¡­¡± Saying that, Phesx advanced towards Pheli. Her celeste eyes enlarged a bit before recomposing. As Phesx neared closer, she leaned backwards, supporting her back as it backed into the air, still sitting on the tall stool. ¡°?¡± Pheli looked up, her eyes confused. She stretched her body further backwards before Phesx casually lowered his face. Their lips connected, taking her by surprise. But she seemed instinctively ready despite the absence of more encounters than she¡¯d have liked to have in these days. Their lips opened and welcomed the other, a calm, quiet, warm moment with closed eyes. A few seconds later, with thin saliva treads connected from their lower lips elongating thin, Pheli opened her eyes to a narrow, ¡°It¡¯s been a few days since you¡¯ve done that.¡± Phesx grabbed under her knees, which were placed together, as Pheli supported her balance by holding her seat with both hands. Then, as he opened her legs, she breathed heavily. The feeling of his hands on her again warmed her up instantly. ¡°And without the fear of being seen.¡± Phesx rubbed her nose together with his, saying with closed eyes, ¡°I know. I¡¯ve been busy, thinking of attending someone¡¯s funeral. Other things¡­¡± ¡°W- we- we¡¯ll be seen¡­¡± Pheli said, but she neither moved nor flinched as his hands freed her of her buttoned shirt and caressed her body, electrifying her with tender shocks. Phesx also lowered her pants, leaving them hanging below her groins. Caressing her, he could tell she was more than ready and willing. Phesx¡¯s breath grew hotter and heavier as Pheli accommodated her butt before he grabbed her hips and helped her body up. Pheli put force in her wrists as the workshop¡¯s door slowly closed, finally acting upon Phesx¡¯s timing before he entered the workshop, without Pheli noticing. His evil serpent exited its cave, nearing the wet nest under the long gone heavy rain. Pheli¡¯s mouth was occupied with Phesx, while her thoughts were all about him. On the other hand, feeling her willingness, Phesx grew beastly as her widely spread thighs became rosy, asking to be squeezed. Then, the workshop¡¯s entrance closed with a lock, leaving them to it. ¡­ It had been days since their hookup. After that, there was actually no other sexual encounter, although Phesx still had that primitive instinct in him, and he was no saint or celibate to ignore it. Other than kissing, a few gropes and the pleasure from the work of mouths were exchanged, but no further. Now that Phesx was nearing the end of his 2-weeks course to join a workshop as a weapon crafter, having paid Pheli 5,000 credits per week, as per the rules, and he attended the funeral; Phesx wasn¡¯t in any mood to care more about his objectives than¡­ something like this¡­ someone like¡­ Pheli. Even with that initial position, as Pheli kept her body up in the air, supporting herself on the stool, with Phesx grabbing her fit, defined waist and tummy, they could go on for several minutes without end¡­ It was a pleasant return of their relationship, no longer ¡®just¡¯ a hook up. After spending time talking about life with such intricate pleasure only Artistas-fit folk like them could enjoy, and for more than long enough, Phesx went to his usual work. He went for the metal trays in the back storage, brought them to his counter, and grabbed a few bion arm prototypes under Pheli¡¯s satisfied, calm, even mellow watch. Unlike last week, where she had to admonish his stupidity after every error, Phesx worked incredibly well. She didn¡¯t even have to remind him of the names of each bion and its components. To anyone, they might look the same, or similar, but to a seasoned crafter¡¯s mind, the same looking bion arm was easy to identify. It didn¡¯t matter how different their properties were in comparison but looked the same from the outside. With but a glance, the truth would be revealed. Phesx was incapable of this last week, even in the 7th day. But as soon as the next week¡¯s 1st day ended, when Pheli questioned him, he answered her perfectly. In the following days, including today, he demonstrated exceptional cognitive skills and handicraft. As Phesx worked on the fourth bion arm, placing the components even other 1 or 2-year long crafters in other workshops sweat to assemble, Pheli licked her lips before standing up. She went to his back, groped him, and landed kisses around his neck, behind his ears¡­ Her approach was ¡®cheap¡¯ and direct, appearing desperate and obscene, but well-controlled. Nevertheless, Phesx found it, coming from Pheli, adequate. More than well-welcomed. He grabbed her and placed her on his lap with smooth, sudden movements. As Pheli melted in his arms, not daring to let go of his mouth like it was a delicacy, Phesx confirmed she was prepared and breathing through heartbeats for another session of love making. Furthermore, his previous mess was still hidden within her folds. Thus, he planned to bring her to the shower room after another talk. ¡­ At last, when Phesx finished the 4th and last prototype, Pheli notified him of the actual bion works he¡¯ll do for the ensuing 4 days of the week before letting him go. Not without a bit more passionate silent words exchanged with their faces stuck to each other. Phesx exited the workshop in the best of moods before walking to Emer. He wanted to prepare for the missions next week. They shouldn¡¯t be difficult like his first mission, or as deadly as his attack on the club, but they should be something. Emer ignored the feminine natural aroma coming from his body before starting his practice. This time, unlike almost 2 weeks ago, Phesx dodged a third of Emer¡¯s attacks, but he now knew Emer was going easy on him. The moment he could dodge near half of Emer¡¯s attacks, the old fart would surely increase his speed and ruthlessness. As if he hadn¡¯t become used to the secret world¡¯s training methods to not intuit it. Once a few hours went by, with night approaching, Phesx sat in Emer¡¯s small study, breathing and sweating heavily on the floor. Emer walked in the back of his study for some minutes before returning to Phesx. Looking down at him, he fell silent before voicing. ¡°Why do you hold yourself?¡± ¡°When?¡± Phesx readily replied with a question. Emer sat cross-legged before him, placing a bottle of liquor on the floor and 2 large mugs beside it. After pouring them to the brim with an orange liquor, he drank 2 sips before facing Phesx. ¡°In the club, you could have killed everyone there and be done. You wouldn¡¯t have to first kill that criminal group leader to alert them beforehand. It was alright if you just did what you were after.¡± Emer drank again but then added, not letting Phesx respond yet, ¡°And when you were on your first mission. Nothing stopped you from killing those guards. You didn¡¯t have to. If they died on duty, their families would¡¯ve been paid handsomely with the upcoming reform. Even if the current president¡¯s reform is accepted after this term, and he isn¡¯t re-elected again. It would be a smart move for everyone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked at his teacher with blinking eyes before lowering his head with a tilt to think about it. He lifted his chin and responded, narrowing his eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t know about politics to act in accordance to them, but killing guards seemed unnecessary to me. But it wasn¡¯t just guards, or it would¡¯ve been boring. Mn, not for something like that ¡®fruit of nature¡¯.¡± ¡°It was even worse in the club, too many young kids. And, yes, I know. I¡¯m a kid myself, but they¡¯re not a ¡®kid like me¡¯.¡± Phesx cocked his head sideways, gesturing in his manner. Emer blinked, moving his head to the side. ¡°Just firing at a sorry bunch of little puppies being idiots isn¡¯t anything worthwhile. I¡¯d also stop anyone doing that, if I can stop it, and if it won¡¯t be only worse for me. I just¡­ don¡¯t have patience when I see something ugly.¡± Phesx Caolia finished, putting a bothered expression. Emer remained silent until coughing up a scoff with a smile. He downed his mug, followed by Phesx, who liked the taste, if only a bit. After another round, with Emer supporting his body with his elbows on the floor, facing the ceiling, Phesx frowned and asked. ¡°How old are you, anyways? Whenever I tell Pheli about you and call you old fart, she has a mini heart attack. Who are you? Oldie fartie?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°¡­¡± Emer turned his head to Phesx. The manner and pace which the oldie moved startled him, never having seen Emer tired before. Emer shook his head with a grimace before saying, ¡°I think you¡¯re the only one in the whole fucking world who would dare to call me like this.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Yeah?¡± Phesx had a big smile on his face. The cheeky fella felt proud. He served himself a little more after filling Emer¡¯s mug, but he only filled ? in his. Looking at the mugs, distracted, Phesx heard Emer¡¯s mocking words. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you, little kid.¡± ¡°Try me, you old cheeks.¡± Phesx said, passing half the liquor in Emer¡¯s mug to his. Drinking it down, he heard Emer¡¯s rough, tired words, ¡°Then this. Would you believe if I told you my grandfather was in the Green Transformation¡¯s presidential cabinet?¡± ¡°Gulp, gulp, gulp¡­?¡± Phesx downed the thing, feeling that small bit of dizziness and foreign warmth rapidly subside again. Phesx opened his eyes wide, looking at Emer from the corner of his eyes, thinking of many things. ¡°Oh shit. You¡¯re a big shot¡­?¡± ¡°Heng. What now? Want to call me grandpa?¡± Emer smiled, feeling proud, ah. Phesx frowned in disgust, ¡°I¡¯d call you grandpa when you¡¯re dead. Once. Only once. No more.¡± Emery slowly looked at Phesx, ¡°What do I even teach you? Ungrateful apprentice! Heartless idiot!¡± Thud. After cursing Phesx, Emer wanted to stand up, but he either felt weak or lazy. His body slumped to the floor, letting out a groan before closing his eyes, softly breathing. Phesx Caolia looked at this with wide eyes before filling his mug with Emer¡¯s remains. ¡°AAAH¡­¡± Phesx loudly exhaled, enjoying the taste before standing up at once. Even that ¡®slightly¡¯ tasty liquor only caused him some warmth, which didn¡¯t even last after drinking. Phesx walked around the alleyway, walking by some doors before returning, this time with tens of boxes in his arms. They were each encased in large plastic, ensuring their heat could be conserved even a week later. Everything was costly, wasting away 10,000 credits in total, after the discount from the pizzeria. They could at least be reused within the pizzeria¡¯s orders, though. Like this, after his payment and paying some things, Phesx¡¯s bank account had 167,000 credits. He decided to stop working in the tall building after this month, and buy some ammunition for his proximate missions. Thus, after delivering the boxes to Emer¡¯s small study, he went to study. . . . 5 days later. Phesx went to the Riverlye HQ after a day of working in the farm, tall building, and pizzeria. His bion handicraft had been proved in the late morning of the day before, where he showed how he built 3 most difficult external ¡®void¡¯ bions with a crowd, including Pheli. And a small internal ¡®gut¡¯ bion. At long last, he became a weapon crafter. Today, at just 4 AM. Phesx Caolia presented himself before a high-end, tech desk, waiting for the receptionist to proportionate him with the available missions on a screen. Checking the ones he already read, and realizing Pheli¡¯s recommendations seemed quirky yet efficient, he took one. After taking the mission, Phesx went to the parking area and picked his bike before leaving. His equipment already on, cloak and mask at his disposal, he hid his ammunition under his clothes. After buying ammunition for his small pistol, Phesx had 162,000 credits. It was a lot for a small pistol, but most of it was left behind in the HQ, only bringing an extra magazine in case an irregularity occurred. Phesx¡¯s mission was simple, to silently follow a target before kidnapping them. However, the objective wasn¡¯t to kidnap someone, but to protect them. Phesx Caolia arrived in the north of Sargonde more than 2 hours later. He parked his Myertha in a parking lot near a PPO, paying and talking with the parking lot¡¯s owner to ensure it wouldn¡¯t get robbed. Then, he took a helitaxi to the city, the only one near the outskirts, of course. In all of Sargonde, the climate was little colder and much fresher than in the north or south of Lymoca. But in this city the heat increased a bit, just a tiny bit. This was the first time Phesx flew in helitaxi without running for his life. He had long forgotten about them after joining the Ruvas, whom he hasn¡¯t contacted after all this long. He thought about them every once in a while after hooking up with Pheli, whose relationship changed since a few days ago. Phesx enjoyed the sight of the few hundred tallest buildings in the city, so wide they could make room for a large neighborhood all in all. Although everything was public knowledge, or at least it is supposed to, nobody knew how many businesses were in buildings like this in the world, let alone a single city in Lymoca. The helitaxi made a few detours, as Phesx had to wait until a certain time before it was safe to start following his target, so he paid extra to the pilot to bring him around. He saw the school the target was from, and several parks, with some public events ongoing here and there. As the sun came out, the helitaxi finally flew to the helitaxi zones through safe routes. Once Phesx was on the floor again, he considered buying a helicopter in the future, but that would be too much movement. It would be better if he could have a helitaxi with more functions and accessibility. Unfortunately, he was only one of billions who thought so. Phesx took a taxi to a certain area before walking for 20 minutes to arrive at a poor neighborhood with a plethora of apartments everywhere. Phesx waited at the side, where a water channel was built to help with the floods, of which many occurred in this city all year long. At last, Phesx was enjoying the fresh weather and coldness of the morning as the first lights of the morning descended everywhere, and his target excited her apartment. She went down many stairs before walking towards her school, looking younger than even 15 years old. Phesx checked on her from a couple of streets behind her, taking his phone out and just looking around as he and a few hundred others rushed here and there. When she arrived at her school, Phesx looked for a tall tree before climbing it. From there, he hid and watched as the hours went by, unnoticed by even some bugs and squirrels nearby. Phesx Caolia watched as her school went through class hours and break, returning to class hours, before she finally came out. It was noon by then. The girl was social and stayed half an hour outside the precinct before going on her way. He put his cloak and mask on. The parents of her classmates arrived, but she left alone. Phesx Caolia followed her, but this time, he went through the rooftops. Coming closer to her, observing just 10 meters behind her, Phesx remained alert until something happened. A white van parked 15 minutes in front of them on the route his target always goes, with another following 100 meters behind. Phesx had to further advance and move away from the streets¡¯ view to not be seen. When the girl neared the white van in front, Phesx finished putting a silencer to his small pistol, which was larger than the barrel, and shot the van from above before and whilst dropping, rolling on the ground when landing. Phesx Caolia¡¯s jumps across the neighborhood houses were easily achieved, just dodging some water tanks and antennas before walking forth a few meters, and repeat. When he shot, just as he fell from the house, before rolling on the ground, Phesx felt adrenaline, being the first time he did this, and in public daylight. However, he rushed to the girl just a meter before him. An arm pulled the girl into the van. Clearly, it was from someone who hadn¡¯t noticed his accomplices were shot dead. The girl was too distracted in her thoughts. By the time she yelped and saw the 2 lifeless abettors with bloody wounds in the top and side of their heads, Phesx arrived behind her. Phesx hugged her neck, shooting the head of the last hooligan like a watermelon bursting outwards before the girl. ¡°Ah!¡± The girl was terrified, but Phesx simply pulled her away, stored his small pistol, and brought her to the side yard of a house, placing a ribbon around her head to shut her mouth. He urged her to climb a fence before doing it so himself. Then, he stopped her and crouched with her. ¡°Minerva?¡± Phesx whispered to her face. She widened her eyes, and her tears at least halted streaming. He nudged upwards in the air before helping her up, taking the ribbon off her head. ¡°It turns out your parents didn¡¯t not love you. Well, one of them, at least. Don¡¯t ask questions now, just follow me and do everything I tell you to.¡± Minerva, a little brown girl with the most horrific experiences in her life, could barely hold it as she continued crying, this time with confusion added to the mixture. Being in a ¡®semi¡¯ state of shock, she asked nothing and obeyed Phesx, who brought her around while ¡®comforting¡¯ her. The pedestrians thought Phesx was just bringing his little sister home after something happened, which Minerva seemed to follow through subconsciously. Phesx mentally praised her intuition as he evaded the hawks eyeing every angle from the alleys, seemingly restless. There were a few times Phesx nearly pulled is small pistol out, but the young hooligans near him went elsewhere instead of walking towards him. His hearing was put high on demand as he escorted the girl to a safe route. However, when he arrived at the first destination, Phesx found tracks of a truck that should¡¯ve been there, but was no more. He frowned, ¡®So, they were discovered. What kind of criminal leader doesn¡¯t know how to protect their only loved ones?¡¯ Phesx Caolia knew nothing of that part of the underground, but he still complained before bringing the girl to another safe location. By then, she half processed the things happening to her. On one end, she felt glad someone cared for her like a family member of her dreams would, even more so when considering it was someone who could protect her no matter what. On the other, she hated all of this but didn¡¯t dare show it to Phesx. He even brought her to buy a few lunches to eat, of birote with different kinds of filler, and a few milkshakes. She felt helpless and wanted to cry, but had no more tears by the afternoon. Phesx wasn¡¯t so far off, having to spend a few hours looking for 1 safe location after another. At last, he decided to bring her to a safe house after considering the movement of the criminal group looking for them. When he neared it, some people exited it, ecstatic to see him, or her. He pulled his small pistol out until they identified themselves. Once Phesx spoke to the criminal group¡¯s leader who tasked Riverlye with his daughter¡¯s safety, he let the others bring the girl outside the city. Never once did his crimson mask or dull gray cloak fell off his body. It was them who had to confirm he could leave, not Phesx. From then on, Phesx could only let the girl depend on her luck so that her father didn¡¯t have traitors rooted in. Thus, Phesx kept his mask and cloak under his thick jacket before going to a helitaxi area. Phesx returned to the outskirts, where he hopped onto his Myertha to return to the Sargonde¡¯s center. It was time to get paid. He wondered if he¡¯d be paid extra for all the inconveniences, even if it was absurd. At last, a regular Riverlye mission was completed. His blank bank card was filled with 15,000 credits, which he passed to his green card. The way back was cold and fresh, under the night sky. It couldn¡¯t be any better. Perhaps¡­ ¡­ Chapter 57 — One More One More Phesx Caolia arrived at the HQ in due time. He calmly walked to the respective halls, feeling tired and in not so much of a good mood after so many little troubles half a state away. He went to the tech desk available before reporting in. ¡°I''m here to verify my mission.¡± ¡°Yes, one second.¡± A young man nodded before checking on the few screens before him, so thin they were nearly like paper. Phesx couldn¡¯t see anything behind them, although they were a bit transparent, but on the other side were clear images and writing with an obscure black ground. ¡°Very well.¡± The receptionist¡¯s words attracted Phesx, who was reflecting on his mission. Although it was troublesome, he only had to kill 3 people, escaping that white van behind them, and avoiding everything and everyone else that wasn¡¯t a potential ¡®ally¡¯. Furthermore, he only went to the mission with a small pistol. Although he clearly had no time to make preparations, that didn¡¯t stop him from making moves in case he had to act quick, or improvise. Clearly, if things were only worse today, it was because he didn¡¯t prepare enough. ¡°Your mission has ended, and you were paid. Good. You¡¯re eligible for another one, if you¡¯d like.¡± The young man spoke after grabbing Phesx¡¯s attention. Phesx shook his head a little, but before his opening mouth could say no to that for now, and for the next few days, a voice yelled at him. ¡°Fox!¡± Turning his head, Phesx looked at Pheli, who walked towards him from a hallway with a group of people semi-following her. There were 5 others with her. Pheli walked to him with a casual expression before giving the receptionist a glance, who went silent and lowered his head. ¡°There¡¯s a situation where you can join us,¡± Pheli said after returning her attention to him. Phesx blinked, awaiting. Pheli placed her left hand on her hip and gestured to the Artistas who came with her. ¡°There¡¯s a little face-off between bandits in some streets. Turns out, there are some other lagjs involved. We¡¯re going to even the odds, so join us.¡± She walked forth and whispered in his right ear, her chin over his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯ll be a good opportunity to show off. You won¡¯t have a problem ¡®mingling¡¯ in this, would you?¡± Phesx¡¯s eyes shone a bit. Since she pressed such an opportunity to meet others, Phesx wouldn¡¯t waste it away. It was a safe and profitable mission, the one he just completed, after all. He nodded, making Pheli secretly pleased, which he discerned through her eyes. Pheli looked at her group and raised her hand, ¡°Alright. We got the mad fox. If there¡¯s anyone unready, get off my team.¡± The group scrutinized Phesx before grinning at Pheli, they silently accepted Pheli¡¯s changes. She looked at Phesx again and nodded before walking to the tech desk. She picked a mission and returned to the group, telling her lover, ¡°Come. I¡¯ll introduce you.¡± Phesx lifted his eyebrows in a soft, slow motion. Pheli led the group away, into the parking area. Phesx was at the back of the group, but he walked through shoulders and in between others to arrive beside her. Something the others didn¡¯t impede him and even seemed to want to see if he¡¯ll have the balls to do. When Phesx arrived to walk beside his lover, things seemed a bit less tense. Pheli exchanged eyes with him, smiling and showering him with her beauty. Phesx gulped, looking ahead as he felt things were about to get exciting. At last, on their way to the parking lot, Pheli addressed him, closing in with her forehead towards his. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re coming. Even Waleks was free for tonight¡¯s action. You can tell how ¡®highly¡¯ these situations are regarded. That one is Teon, you¡¯ve met her before.¡± Phesx looked at Teon, who had bright pale white skin, big black eyes, and pitch-black long hair picked behind her ears; combed, too. She was very tall, as well, with long arms. This was the young beauty Phesx saw when he first met Cala, the first Instructor he was introduced to. ¡°She¡¯s the best fighter in the team. Be careful around her,¡± Pheli whispered to him, somewhat intimately. Phesx touched Pheli¡¯s forehead with his momentarily before voicing, ¡°Why should I be careful of her?¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t agree to everything she says,¡± Pheli grinned and gave him an ambiguous pair of celeste eyes. Phesx felt his skin tingle, almost visualizing himself being beaten to a pulp. He looked at Teon again, but she was indifferently walking. ¡°That one is Layo,¡± Pheli¡¯s words brought his attention to another person. Phesx looked at another young woman. This one had creamy white skin with a grayish touch; large, dull, lightened brown eyes, very long chestnut hair, and bountiful breasts. When Phesx looked at her, she immediately noticed, kindly smiling at him. ¡°Is she dangerous, too?¡± Phesx asked, not willing to drop his guard. Pheli smiled, showing her canines, clearly teasing him. ¡°Of course she is. But not to you. If she were to know of the ¡®real¡¯ you and me, I bet you she¡¯d make us marry and make her our future children¡¯s godmother.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot of long and detailed thinking,¡± Phesx commented, feeling weird upon hearing those words. He tilted his head to the right and looked ahead before his eyes inevitably fell on her right shoulder. Pheli looked to her right, teasingly, and asked, ¡°Is it?¡± Phesx Caolia tilted his head with a jolt. He started feeling a bit unusual. ¡®Are those butterflies- no, worms again?!¡¯ Continuing walking, nearing the underground parking area, Pheli pointed at the first male in the group, ¡°That one¡¯s Im¨¢n. He¡¯s very strong, but a worse fighter than Teon. You might find him ¡®familiar¡¯. He was raised in the military, just don¡¯t bother him asking how he came here. Usually, those things are saved for talks between lovers¡­¡± Hearing her words, soft and trailing off, Phesx looked at the side of her neck. He blinked, suddenly feeling a bit ashamed he didn¡¯t thought of that on his own. Similarly, he thought, ¡®I wish to know where Pheli comes from¡­ All about her.¡¯ Phesx looked at Im¨¢n, who kept staring and walking ahead. Im¨¢n is a black man with black hair and eyes. He was very buffed and tall, wearing a tight gray shirt with long sleeves. Phesx thought Im¨¢n didn¡¯t notice, but the young man suddenly nodded towards him, briefly glancing at him. Phesx returned the nod, somewhat somber. Pheli tapped his wrist, making Phesx feel she wanted to hold him a bit but restrained. Maybe they had a non-declared relationship yet, or anything else, but she wasn¡¯t inkling to show it to others. Even though it was obvious, it was the behavior with him around others that would mean a change to her lifestyle as a whole. ¡°That one is Ges¨¢n,¡± Pheli pointed to a young man in his prime with white bright skin. He was very tall, with short, smooth, relaxed gray hair. He saluted in greeting to Phesx when the latter looked at him. ¡°Well, the other is Waleks, whom you¡¯ve met more times coming out of the bathroom than at work,¡± Pheli finished by pointing at the guy with a salad-like brown afro. Phesx nodded at Waleks, who pressed his lips together and nodded a bit in a greeting. ¡°Prove what the ¡®famous¡¯ Fox can do after appearing in the big screens of all news for a few weeks in a row.¡± Pheli closed her face to his again while walking, ever so intimately. Whispering those words, she pushed him with her shoulder, smiling and taking Phesx¡¯s attention away for a second, nearly crashing into the elevator¡¯s doors. Going into the elevator, going up a few hundred meters, and entering the parking area, everyone went to a truck big enough for 10 people, with others already there waiting for them joining them. One of them was the gal Waleks always ostentatiously mingles in the workshop¡¯s back rooms or storage rooms. And bathrooms, of course. ¡°You guys get there. There¡¯s not enough space, so I¡¯ll go with¡­ foxy.¡± Pheli shouted to her group after remaining behind as they went to the truck, also pulling Phesx to stop with her. The others looked back, some frowning, others smiling, one of them even sent them suspicious, kind eyes. What ¡®no space¡¯? Even with 15 of them, as long as they didn¡¯t bring large bags of equipment, they¡¯ll be fine inside it. However, they ignored it after looking at the Myertha Fox and Pheli were moving to. Pheli and Phesx walked towards the latter¡¯s bike slowly. Pheli stopped before it, looking at it as Phesx gave her his helmet and his gauntlets. She looked at them, then at his face, before meekly putting them on. As Phesx hopped onto it, Pheli hugged his waist from behind and blew air to his nape through the helmet¡¯s visor. ¡°I didn¡¯t get the opportunity to be given a ride in this before, thinking I could only treat you like a baby.¡± Pheli commented, resting the side of her head, through the helmet, on his back. Phesx looked back and grinned, starting the roaring engines and feeling warmth. Phesx prepared his baby, but waited as the truck advanced out of the parking area first. He looked back at Pheli, who looked up while still resting her head on his back. ¡°I never knew your alias. Tell me, now.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Phesx¡¯s simple yet soft words seemed to enchant Pheli, who looked at his impenetrable black eyes. She hmphed humorously through her nostrils before replying with a smile. ¡°Snow.¡± ¡®Lien?¡¯ Phesx repeated the word in his head, feeling it become more cute and better fitting to Pheli. Then, he picked his feet up, well-followed by Pheli, before riding out of the parking area. They slightly jumped when coming out of the ramp, drifting a bit behind the truck. Once they were all ready, the truck advanced through the streets, followed by the Myertha as Phesx enjoyed the wild wind smacking his face. The truck wasn¡¯t driving slow, and the streets weren¡¯t too full, although they still took detours to avoid bits of traffic. The truck had a fake painting and a few pieces of fabric attached to it to avoid easy detection from the cameras. Just in case they were tracked after what was about to occur, but Phesx didn¡¯t have to worry too much. Upon becoming a Neophyte, much before turning into an Artista, Phesx not only gained a blank bank card, he was also granted a smallish device to avoid the immediate detection of a vehicle¡¯s records when recorded. Even then, it would be better to not use it from the get-go. Thus, as the truck detoured to free themselves from traffic, Phesx drove his Myertha between vehicles and cyclist roads when possible. It was a bit too much illegal, but he was careful to not attract attention from the police, although some people did report him. But chasing a Myertha that could go in and out of cities like it was nothing at night? As long as Phesx didn¡¯t almost hit a family or injured someone, he wouldn¡¯t be bothered. Thus, Pheli softly grabbed him as Phesx drove his baby fast and nimbly through the Sargonde¡¯s emblematic, largest city. It was a nice, cold day, after all. He had to take advantage. Now he understood. If there was something better than riding at times and with weather like these¡­ it was to do it with someone. Someone whose hands around him were soft, but wouldn¡¯t let go and remained there after leaning, slowing down, and speeding through. Less than half an hour later, Phesx rode to the outskirts in the northeast of the city. The truck also drove a few streets away, and behind them. When they were arriving somewhere, Phesx frowned before Pheli pointed to the side behind a bridge, where a small water channel was built below. ¡°Stop there. There¡¯s a small space built by the org a decade ago. It¡¯s one of the hideout places across Sargonde.¡± Phesx nodded before driving off-road towards it. A few of the smallish engines in the Myertha roared in delight as he went into the dirt without slowing down. The wheels also thinned a bit, while the bike seemed to ¡®grow¡¯ a tiny bit. Stopping before the bridge, Pheli pointed at a spot in the wall to their left. Phesx slowly rode there before feeling something pass by his eyes and behind him. Pheli explained, returning the stare. ¡°It¡¯s a scan. It can read even through walls, but only after capturing footage beforehand. It''s harmless. The world¡¯s governments use them since 200 years ago, don¡¯t worry.¡± Phesx lifted his left eyebrow. He knew he barely uncovered nowadays'' high-end technology, even after becoming a weapon crafter, but this was something he didn¡¯t expect. Furthermore, it was invisible. Then, he heard Pheli add, as if knowing he would remain curious. ¡°If it is empowered erroneously or by a foreign hand,¡± Pheli tapped his shoulders to indicate him to advance as a hidden compartment opened. ¡°It just heats up and implodes. Its sound is easy to hear for any ¡®serpent¡¯, but not even special forces hear it. Go in, you¡¯ll get the best spot.¡± The walls moved behind the opening gap, retreating inside the hidden compartment until they could let a vehicle the size of the tanks Phesx saw in Preut in. Phesx rode inside, following Pheli¡¯s indications to park in the largest room inside before stepping out. As the truck stopped in the entrance of their room for a few moments before going elsewhere, Pheli hopped down his bike and walked to a panel. Phesx looked around, there was more than enough space for the car and his bike to get in a few times over, but whatever. After parking his bike, Phesx heard movement from the walls in the room. He looked at the side while walking to Pheli as she explained again, ¡°There¡¯s some equipment in these hideouts. But not enough for a base, so don¡¯t rely on these in the future. Come, pick your choice. You¡¯ll pay for it, though, and it¡¯s rented.¡± Phesx watched as a wide variety of all kinds of weapons were exposed before them. His ears heard similar sounds elsewhere. Pheli grabbed a large rifle, somewhat bulky but not that heavy, before looking at him. ¡°Go on. We¡¯ll be refunded if we bring more weapons from the mission, and extra for delivering so many parts. They¡¯re useless unless they¡¯re melted again, but that¡¯s more than enough.¡± Phesx Caolia nodded before grabbing a submachine gun. Then, he thought about something before grabbing another firearm. Pheli looked at his second choice as he put the top quality straps around his shoulders after putting the strap vest on. ¡°That¡¯s a very sweet taste. Remember, you can do this,¡± Pheli swiped a finger to the strap beside her left chest. The strap ¡®broke¡¯ easily before she joined both ends tightly. They merged like it was never broken, and when she pulled, it was like brand new. Phesx nodded. The vest strap was a ¡®piece¡¯ of equipment that went from their shoulders to their waist, hugging around their hips and collarbones. If one tried to strangle the user from any angle, the rope would just break apart with the grasp, or when pressed against the neck. Otherwise, tough as hell. This technology was quite high-end, but not the latest generation of such supporting equipment. The actual peak is much more resistant and can easily hold off against explosions, let alone bullets. It was the same for the straps for the submachine gun and the rifle Phesx picked. He also grabbed a few extra magazines for both, and elliptical throwing daggers. They put their masks and cloaks on. Then, they stepped out of their room and then the hideout. They rapidly checked the place. The sights on the weapons were for night vision, movement thermal readings, and electrical-electronic scanning when up close to something for traps and detecting energy, such as cables and any hidden electricity feed systems, or the like. The sights weren¡¯t only at the top, but the sides, too, which were as thin as paper, and flexible when deactivated for better handling and to avoid unpredictable errors. Phesx and Pheli waited a few seconds before the others joined them outside. Then, they went on the move. ¡­ The team of approximately 12 Artistas moved and separated into 3 groups when approaching the target location. Phesx went on one with Im¨¢n, on the left flank. Teon in the middle, and Pheli in the right flank. The area was spread open with dirt roads everywhere. The sidewalks, of which some went a step up, and others were almost as thin that they shared space with the streets, were all dusty. The streets were pretty wide, with some yellow light streets illuminating several houses alone. There were some pickup trucks behind 2 lines of people who tried to hide the obvious rifles and handguns behind their backs. There weren¡¯t that many vehicles, and some were pared sideways in the middle of the street as 2 leaders met each other with a small table between their groups. Phesx was situated atop a house left of one of the lines. Im¨¢n was in charge, positioning them behind a water tank and the tiny barricade on the rooftop. Teon brought her 3 Artistas around the pickup trucks behind the line of people in front of them. Pheli was atop another house to the right, all waiting in the dark as the streetlights couldn¡¯t reach here, and not enough were built to cover the entire street. They could see the 2 leaders in between both groups debating and talking, while they also saw other secret world people hidden, they were also seen by them. Phesx felt like this place became a board, and suddenly, he realized. These people, those groups of criminals who liked to play with others¡¯ lives and use ¡®big weapons¡¯, were a game that lagjs could set to contest and fight each other, directly or indirectly. The 2 groups facing each other in the streets were composed by dozens of young people, barely entering or growing towards their 20s. But there were some who didn¡¯t even make it past 15. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t just handguns in the hands of the youngest in both groups. Phesx didn¡¯t know how this would proceed, or what each party, including the lagjs in the dark nearby, had to do. He could only observe for now. The 2 leaders in the middle of the intersection continued talking lowly, appearing calm but occasionally swinging their heads around. They each had a handgun in their hands, always aiming down. Phesx could feel the tension whenever one saw the other lift their wrist a little, but they never aimed it at each other. They were threatening each other to threaten one another. Both lines seemed to grow restless. They had been here for almost an hour, although not even 45 minutes. Meanwhile, the Riverlye group had been here for about 20 minutes, while the other lagj secret organizations might¡¯ve been here even hours prior. Phesx looked at Pheli¡¯s side for a moment, thinking about the too-young criminal spring chickens who looked just as audacious and with ¡®not give a fuck¡¯ attitudes like their older generations. Pheli turned to look at him from the distance. She only glanced at him, but Phesx received an answer. ¡®There¡¯s only so few endings people like this, who think they are meant to be by grabbing a weapon and becoming an ¡®outlaw¡¯, when they were not meant to, at all.¡¯ Phesx thought, reminiscing of himself back then in Preut. Just how different would his trajectory have been if not for that encounter when he just met Sofia? How horrid would things have ended? Or continued? If he hadn¡¯t met Maria, or his ¡®skills¡¯ back then have not caught her eye¡­ But it all didn¡¯t matter. Phesx¡¯s focus returned to the streets, with no one the wiser. At this moment, the 2 leaders were shaking their heads towards one another. Both lines became restless, loudly talking to each other as they began showing their firearms and handguns, provoking the other side with a few slurs and hurl of yelled mockery. Then, from both sides, handguns fired. The 2 leaders immediately crouched, throwing themselves to the ground from the scare. One of them rapidly stood up and tripped-ran towards one of the pickups parked sideways behind him. The other ran after kissing the dirt and dusting his front. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang¡­ trrr rr rrrr rrr rrrr¡­ The encounter had just begun. Phesx watched as quite a few fell from each side, slumping to the ground like fluffy toys. The rest hid behind the pickup trucks, bringing their leader to safety, turning into crowds behind those trucks. But the leader on the other side from the hiding Riverlye Artistas fell just a few steps before hiding at the rear of a pickup truck. Right after, the back of his head blurted a streak of blood. His body fell like the other leader was running, never to stand up again, limp. A few youngest criminals tried pulling him up, thinking he was just injured. When they realized their leader was dead, it was too late. Their bodies were barraged with sprays from the other side. Phesx looked at Im¨¢n as this happened. Both criminal groups didn¡¯t flee or take the initiative, regardless of their leaders¡¯ safety. They just stood behind their trucks and fired at each other. They would¡¯ve emptied their magazines if their fingers and arms didn¡¯t tremble and hurt after a few seconds. Some even fell to the ground without being shot, just holding their shoulders, chest, or ribs. Im¨¢n looked back at him, replying with a shake of his head and a light shrug. ¡°Not yet. We¡¯ll have to uncover the other lagjs first.¡± ¡°When will they come out? We¡¯re waiting for them, no?¡± Phesx voiced. Their words were spoken so thin and soft to not be heard by other lagjs¡¯ hearing or devices. Im¨¢n grinned, ¡°Well, let us check first.¡± ¡­ Chapter 58 — Life-Living Moments Life-Living Moments Bang- bang- bang- bang! Phesx Caolia watched as Pheli aimed her large gun over the edge of the roof. She only rested it for a second before opening fire 4 times in a row. 4 shots hit 4 criminals with their backs facing them, opening like curtains to reveal organs, which immediately exploded inside, and their spines turned into smithereens. ¡°Uuuh?!¡± - ¡°What was that?!¡± - ¡°Behiiind us! Behind uus!¡± - ¡°?Tu puta madre, nos est¨¢n rodeando! Nos van a mataaar!¡± - ¡°AAAAAH! What the fuck?! Aaaah!¡± Phesx lifted his left eyebrow. After being attacked from the back, the criminals crouched and twisted their limbs, hoping that¡¯ll somehow avoid any gunshots from coming to take their lives. But Pheli simply fired 4 times before keeping her large toy hidden. Just then, from the front, Phesx noticed movement, but he wasn¡¯t the only one. Im¨¢n made a clicking sound with his tongue, sounding loud, which attracted the criminals and the incoming organization¡¯s people rushing towards Pheli. These lagjs were at the rear of the ¡®enemy¡¯ criminal organization, otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have acted as soon as the other line was attacked by Riverlye. Furthermore, they rushed at Pheli to stop her, not to join her and kill off those criminals she attacked. Seeing half a dozen people come towards them, Phesx felt a bit of excitement fill his lungs in the next breathing motion before Im¨¢n ordered, ¡°Let¡¯s go get those!¡± Everyone moved down, with Phesx following like a robot, but out of pure instinct. When they landed on the ground and the enemy lagjs detoured to in between the houses, Im¨¢n looked behind him, only to see Phesx standing behind him. ¡°You¡¯re fast.¡± Im¨¢n looked down at Phesx, just a bit. Phesx nodded in return, ¡°You are, too.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Im¨¢n shook his head before grabbing his submachine gun in position. Then, he flickered his eyes to his team before nodding at them. The team moved forth, dividing into 2 as they went to the front and back of the houses. Meanwhile, both criminal groups were startled but slowly recovered. Phesx advanced on the left, with another medic behind him, but still an Artista. Phesx was supposed to walk behind the medic, but he went ahead and led, leaving the medic helpless. The first to meet the enemy were Im¨¢n and Waleks, who drove attention to themselves. On the other hand, Phesx¡¯s side became quieter as he walked between 2 rows of houses in the neighborhood with the medic behind him. Phesx moved without making any sound, but the medic behind him echoed with a tiny whiff from his nostrils sporadically, slightly irking him. He decided to take 2 steps further ahead and move a little to the left. Phesx slowly lowered his rifle and let it hang on his left shoulder while lifting his submachine gun on his right. Tap- trrrrrr r r r r r rr! Phesx¡¯s eyebrows jumped, and so did his eyes expand. He looked up. Half a second later, a foot stepped on the side of a house around its corner, with a person peeking, hanging from the roof with a gun moving to aim at them. Phesx abruptly stopped. The medic didn¡¯t notice until half a second later. Phesx twisted his body, kicked the ground, and once he was in the air, he kicked the medic harshly. He impulsed himself into the air first before dashing through it. At the same time, he already aimed at the enemy above, spraying around his feet and up to his knee. Phesx heard a yelp from the medic pushed behind as a few bullets were shot in between him and the medic. Might as well, he heard a groan from the enemy, who lost his hold and fell. While the enemy fell, Phesx fired like a single-action mode, but he was just controlling the trigger exquisitely. As the enemy fell, he was barraged with bullets until it limply collapsed on the floor. Its corpse broke its neck and shoulders, making quite a sound under its armor. Phesx fell with his upper back first on the grass, before widening his eyes when he saw another 2 enemies hanging from the roof behind the previous one. Phesx let go of his gun and grabbed a few knives from the middle of his back. He kicked the air up and backwards with his right leg after throwing the knives. His body rapidly stood up after a spin. Phesx crouched to hold his rifle, which had a better angle, and fired at them after they dropped from the roof. One of them was grazed by his knife on the knee, while the other dodged it. But Phesx¡¯s rifle aimed with prediction, targeting an enemy¡¯s head. Phesx shot, but the enemy tilted his body half a second before, then fell to the ground while their comrade shot at Phesx with a small pistol. Phesx slammed his left side on the grass before sliding his back backwards. Then, he heard the medic rush to his help as the enemy shooting him closed their fire line towards him. Phesx rapidly pulled his pistol out and fired, stopping that firing line, but the other enemy had already stabilized. Yet, before that enemy could aim at him, the medic kicked the wall and rushed to them, firing twice, but only hitting the shoulders before falling with his knees on the enemy. ¡°Aagh!¡± The enemy groaned, but the medic choked those sounds with his knives going through the enemy¡¯s neck. The medic balanced all his weight on his back, using the enemy as a shield as they fell to the grass. Phesx was just in time to fire at the other enemy, who rapidly reacted and aimed at him, both standing with their presence lowered. Bang bang bang bang bang bang! The enemy fired his rifle, and so did Phesx, but Phesx¡¯s rifle shot like a shotgun from up close, immediately diverting and thwarting some of the force a few bullets shot towards him had. Phesx felt a bullet graze his mask, cutting it like a hot knife through butter before bleeding his skin. On the other hand, the enemy received 2 shots in the neck even after crouching to avoid any possible gunshot. The enemy fell on their knees, trying to hold the bleeding, but Phesx walked forward and kicked their face. Phesx placed his rifle¡¯s muzzle on the enemy¡¯s neck with their head stomped against the ground before firing once. At once, he felt his left foot step on something soft and weak, accidentally crushing the enemy¡¯s face. When Phesx looked back at the medic while hearing his surroundings to probe, the latter was cleaning his blades from brain matter, and the enemy had holes in their head. Then, Phesx led to meet ahead with Im¨¢n and Waleks, who only had a few grazing bullet wounds. Im¨¢n had a stab wound in his left lower side, which seemed like the perpetrator wanted to cut upwards but couldn¡¯t in the end. The only way for Phesx to know it was them was when he heard Im¨¢n¡¯s clicking noise to communicate. It wasn¡¯t the way the Riverlye communicated amidst battle, but one of its ways. The codes, pauses, and volume all belonged to the secret organization, though. ¡°Another one is coming, bait.¡± Im¨¢n spoke as delicately as cotton again. The others nodded before rushing to one of the pickup trucks. However, they had to clear it before that. Phesx moved with the other 3, walking behind the medic, who moved forth beside Im¨¢n. He and Waleks shared positions in the rear as they locked the criminals and started killing them. Phesx aimed with all of the world¡¯s calm. He saw a few backs and pulled his trigger again and again. The others did just the same, rapidly mowing a small group of criminals behind a pickup truck. The other line of criminals looked at this, astounded, when one of them aimed their handgun towards them, just in case. Well, that ¡®just in case¡¯ move just gained them death, as Phesx didn¡¯t even consider before firing at a young boy, directly making him fall backwards with his collarbone holed. The criminals on the other line began firing at them because of that, making their advancement a 3-way struggle. Phesx kept firing away at those, immediately neutralizing anyone who peeked at them, while the others cleared the way to go through. Phesx heard Waleks and the medic groan when a few bullets didn¡¯t fully flash by around their bodies, but he didn¡¯t when it happened to Im¨¢n. Finally arriving at the rear of the pickup truck, the team crouched on the sidewalk. Some criminals remained alive but dropped their guns, which is why they lived, but they picked them again after the team left them alive. Instincts or stupidity, it gained them a barrage of bullets before dropping dead. Phesx aimed at a young girl after killing someone in their 16s or 17s just behind her, using her as half a shield. Phesx aimed at her but didn¡¯t pull the trigger. The young girl¡¯s hands trembled as she lowered them. She was just a 14-15 year old, with short black hair, brown skin, and even looked sweet. Phesx gestured her to drop to the ground. When she didn¡¯t and Phesx arrived before her, he kicked her shins, immediately sending her dropping hard against it. He looked down before kicking the handgun beside her away, avoiding any unpleasant situation, before tying her wrists with a rope hanging from his strap vest. The young girl began struggling out of survival. Phesx was glad he didn¡¯t ignore the handgun from before as he slapped the back of her head a little to make her stay still and locked both her forearms. Im¨¢n looked at the others to warn them. ¡°Those fuckers¡¯ party is coming! Another one¡¯s coming, too! They might be allied!¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Phesx looked past the rear of the truck, where 4 who dressed similar to those they killed before moved to intercept them. Another 10 were moving towards them a little closer to the middle, advancing with the other 4. Phesx returned his eyes to the young girl, who stopped struggling and looked at him with the left corner of her left eye. As he finished binding her wrists, he was about to pull her up¡­ Pft- ptium¡­ Pft- pvsium. The ground below the truck was filled with gunshots that buried in the dirt and even made sparks before bouncing on the truck¡¯s belly. But one of them didn¡¯t and ricocheted with all its force instead, just as Phesx grabbed the girl¡¯s collar from behind and pulled her up. The bullet went straight into her chest, penetrating through and crossing below his groins. Phesx looked at the young girl who opened her mouth in a wide 0, rapidly losing light in her brown eyes as she looked up for help. Phesx was semi-paralyzed as her eyes dulled. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx let her body drop before looking up. He saw the same firing line come from the criminals on the other side. Also from those other 10 moving towards them. At this moment, the team led by Teon exited their hiding places and intercept those 10 while the team Phesx was in engaged those other 4. Meanwhile, gunshots sounded from the other extreme of the criminal group on the other side. Another lagj organization made its appearance. Teon immediately drowned the enemy group of 10 in the middle, killing off more criminals in front to take the pickup trucks as cover. The enemy group lost 2 while injuring a Riverlye, but Teon¡¯s team had Artistas with ¡®gut¡¯, internal, bions. One threw seed-sized sound bombs from their palms, while another shot needless from their knuckles, injuring their target one way or another. After seeing the current situation, all participating lagjs organization groups showing, except for Pheli¡¯s team, Phesx rushed above the pickup truck in front. Sliding over its front, he ran into the street, where all crossfires met, with his rifle held by his left hand below his submachine gun held by his right hand. His wrists intertwined, one above the other in that order, aiming at the enemy lagjs with 8 members left. Because all had to die. ¡°Fox!¡± Im¨¢n delicately shouted. Only the lagjs people heard it, but only Pheli¡¯s team had enough freedom to turn to look at Phesx run to the middle of the intersection. She didn¡¯t raise her voice but smacked her lips ever so slightly. Immediately after, her team stood up and moved in the shadows¡­ Bang bang- trrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrrr bang bang bang! Phesx felt the adrenaline of placing himself into such danger, but he was also excited. He attracted attention from everyone except the rest of the Riverlye group, but all Fox worried about was to rush with all the speed and rage he could place on pedaling his legs! Phesx¡¯s guns barraged 3 enemies on their backs, even making one slam against the street, lifeless. Teon pushed forth, killing all remaining criminals around her team before going all-out to the lagjs before her. Im¨¢n¡¯s team already killed 2 of the enemy team before them. Whatever story these and those who already died had, the former decided to flee, but Im¨¢n¡¯s team gave immediate chase. Phesx felt his right ankle grazed or shot by a bullet, but that didn¡¯t stop him from moving, at least not yet. His right shoulder was definitely penetrated twice, though. After shooting at the enemy lagjs in the middle, he dropped his submachine gun in the air. Phesx threw his rifle backwards, still hanging by his left shoulder, before placing grenades around his submachine gun with the strap while rolling forward. Phesx slid through the street. His shoes felt pebbles and some trash before stopping. He grabbed the submachine gun and rapidly pulled the grenades¡¯ levers off before spinning once and throwing the gun through the air. Just as it headed towards one of the pickup trucks, where many criminals hid, unaware. The loudest of bangs was fired, followed by a large gunshot appearing on the side of the truck. It wasn¡¯t directly where gas is deposited, but liquid started streaming out, when the submachine gun flew towards it. Boom- BAAAANG¡­ Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Phesx wasted not a moment as he took his pistol out, letting his rifle hang on his left, and straightened his back. The pain from his right shoulders was ignored. He fired his small pistol again and again. It wasn¡¯t until the fired 12 times in a row that he emptied his magazine. Immediately after, Phesx turned to the right, crouched, and grabbed his rifle while impulsing himself backwards as his eyes widened and their contents shrank. Phesx just avoided 2 bullets show by criminals from where he was standing. He watched them fly before him while aiming ahead with his rifle, where the third lagjs peeked and aimed at him. Little to no criminal was left alive, leaving only a couple of small groups littering in the battlefield. Just as Phesx¡¯s back dropped on the ground, lightly sliding on the rough street, and the other lagj group exchanged gunfire, Pheli cornered them atop the house behind them, fusillading them from various angles. Even as the enemy used a few shielding bions, they were overpowered by the heavy, numerical advantageous rain of bullets shooting towards them. Phesx received a bullet on his right sole after he felt danger and ¡®kicked¡¯ the air above his waist. His sole ended up eating a bullet, which penetrated but deviated it to caress the air above his head. Additionally, Im¨¢n¡¯s team came over to help him, getting rid of the last criminals in this side and helping with the other lagjs. Teon also finished dealing with the enemy group in the center. In but 10 seconds, the battle turned disordered and finished just like that. The only ones standing were Riverlye, although Phesx softly groaned on the ground. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx calmed down as Pheli appeared in his field of vision, facing the sky. She looked down at him without a thought before looking at the others surrounding him. Then, Teon appeared, frowning as she asked, ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°Mff¡­ that girl over there¡­ And¡­ I felt like it?¡± Phesx closed his right eye before struggling to keep both eyes open. Although he could only squint them at best. Teon looked where he came out of and frowned, pouting to the side before exiting his sight. Phesx continued looking at the sky, with Pheli giving him a few more scrutinizing glances. ¡°See him,¡± Pheli looked at someone and ordered. Phesx heard familiar footsteps before Pheli nodded at him, unnoticeably lifting her right eyebrow. After she exited his field of view, Phesx heard the medic, ¡°Is the baby hurt? Come, baby. I¡¯ll patch you up.¡± Phesx felt someone help him semi-sit down, lying with his torso in the air before the medic walked around to check his right shoulder and foot whilst injecting red syringes. Waleks¡¯s voice sounded above his head, complaining, ¡°I¡¯m gonna charge you those grenades, ey?¡± ¡°Hmph~,¡± Phesx struggled to grin as he saw the mess he made. All the criminals behind the exploded truck were limp on the ground, although he couldn¡¯t tell if he killed them, or the other lagjs did. Some Artistas smelled of yellow and green syringes, a bit of red, too. After the medic injected him yellow syringes and only a green one in the shoulder, they set off. Pheli had to drive the Myertha on their way back, so she gave him the helmet. But when she offered the gloves, Phesx shook his head. They rode with her at the front because of his injuries. Pheli would enjoy driving the baby for sure, while Phesx would enjoy hugging her¡­ ¡­ When they neared Sargonde¡¯s state city, instead of driving directly inside, Pheli detoured towards the outskirts. The truck followed them, seemingly a choice from Pheli. Phesx no longer felt a bit heated, maybe from the fever, and felt better. It was mostly thanks to the green syringe on his shoulder. They rode for another 10 minutes before slowing down at a small town. Loud bass noises came from a place distanced from the neighborhoods. Phesx watched as they approached a rather humble-sized establishment. There were some neon lights, just a few, and various people chatting, relaxing, and flirting outside. There were quite a few, but the atmosphere felt just relaxing. As they parked in the parking lot, they gained a few glances, but that was merely curiosity before the onlookers went on their things. Pheli helped Phesx down the bike before heading to the entrance. Indeed, she grabbed his hand and pulled him exactly how a woman would to her man. Some people greeted them with ¡®hey¡¯, and ¡®is he good?¡¯, with smiles and just to welcome them a bit warmly. Phesx has never faced something like this, hospitality from what seemed locals in a random town outside the city. Pheli helped him inside. Immediately, there were 2 routes, one was downstairs, while the other was the only floor above the ground, the main floor. Pheli looked back at him and said to his face without saying anything, only moving her lips. Reading ¡®lights above, dark below¡¯, Phesx looked down by instinct. Pheli smiled, planted a smooch on the cut of his right cheek, which was half gone, and she couldn¡¯t know. Then, he was brought downstairs. Phesx heard footsteps behind him, and what felt like the presence of the other Riverlye Artistas. They went up instead, saying things like relaxing after such fun. Phesx proceeded to focus on what was ahead of him, as he and Pheli were swallowed by the darkness, with a multitude of people below. After crossing some soft, long black curtains, Phesx tensed up and guarded Pheli, watching perfectly how not a single limb moved towards her. In fact, they politely moved out of the way while dancing. Pheli looked back at him when he became guarded before staring ahead to search for a spot, letting him experience this life on his own. Phesx looked around with more ease, finding out they were partying, indeed, but not just like crazed folk. The music was a bit loud, and the people were getting touchy, but only with each other, spending a good time alone with their partners or some candidates. Meanwhile, others were simply¡­ enjoying the atmosphere, dancing in between or slowly moving with their intimate others at the side, provoking each other. Pheli brought Phesx to a corner before taking 2 thin glasses from a waiter who walked specifically towards them. It was that obvious to Phesx, and Pheli. Phesx smelled the liquor from afar to probe it, to which Pheli smiled and downed the thing. Phesx followed suit, not liking the odor and preparing for another bitter experience. But when it reached his tongue, its taste sparkled. Phesx was distracted, and so, Pheli attacked. She hugged his neck and puckered her lips, pecking his mouth. Phesx softly closed his eyes after seeing hers closed. After several seconds, both opened their eyes. That was a tender kiss. It was such that Phesx was dumbfounded. Pheli took advantage of this to close her mouth in towards his right ear and whisper, ¡°Half of the people here are ¡®snakes¡¯, while the other half are just townsfolk or from a city! Not including the workers. What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx looked at Pheli, astounded. Her voice was loud, mellow, low, and like a melodic. She smiled, slowly swaying her hips. Though dancing was a no no for the young boy, still not an official adult, he moved at her rhythm, complementing her movements¡­ her. Placing his hands around her waist, intuitively caressing her hips and back, Phesx felt the need to rub his face on hers, constantly, maybe endlessly. Pheli couldn¡¯t be more willing. As the lovebirds closed their eyes, their bodies met each other. Not with bare skin and connecting, but mere movements. What a boring way to know one¡¯s heart, and the other¡¯s. What a heavenly way to life. ¡­ Chapter 59 — Inventions Inventions Phesx Caolia sat in the main floor with Pheli. It was calm and quiet compared to the underground floor. They were at a small square-shaped table, drinking from a few glasses as the day soon welcomed its first lights. He now felt his right foot a bit heavy and fatigued from his right shoulder despite the red syringes. Fortunately, he only felt painful and sore. ¡°How¡¯s that foot?¡± Pheli asked, supporting her jaw with her hand. Phesx closed his eyes and softly groaned, ¡°It needs a week or two to feel normal again. I was lucky to be treated quickly.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Pheli lifted her left eyebrow and drank again, clearly not buying that. Phesx smirked ruefully from the left corner of his mouth. The others had long returned to the HQ, leaving the 2 of them behind to rest. Phesx felt a bit better, but he needed further treatment. If his body could heal penetrated gunshots, he wouldn¡¯t need medicine in his life ever again. Unfortunately, that was just not his body. ¡°We should get going. Now that you must rest again, you better get to bions and firearms.¡± Pheli said before standing up, helping him to his feet. Phesx groaned, passing his arm below her back and leaning on her. His weight was nothing for Pheli, who carried him outside. Once again, Pheli drove his Myertha into the city, bringing a tired Phesx to the HQ. After the mission, Phesx received 8,000 credits, with 6,000 extra because of the guns the group amassed after the gunfight. The money spent for the guns and magazines was refunded, which mattered the most. Phesx¡¯s pockets neared the 200,000 credits mark. It was still a long way from the highest void bion he could get in the HQ, and he still had to invest on other things, but it was a beginning. Once they returned to the HQ, Phesx and Pheli spent the rest of the day there, after being treated by another medic. He needed a skin partition to cover his bullet wound faster. It was costly, but nothing that would shy Phesx away. Afterwards, Pheli ensured he¡¯d learn his place in the workshop, making him work until late at night to complete some parts of bions she was making, some basic bions, and a few changes to small pistols. The work was tedious, but after a hefty day of 2 missions, and being injured in the last, Phesx felt reassured staying in one place and in the quietness. In the end, Waleks didn¡¯t dare charge Phesx for using his grenades with Pheli by his side, so Waleks just forgot about it. Of course, Phesx¡¯s wouldn¡¯t forget. Although he understood his dumb actions gained him a good pass from Pheli¡¯s circle, he still felt embarrassed about it. Without Pheli¡¯s shot into the truck, who knows how ¡®useful¡¯ the suicidal submachine gun attack would have been. He just forgot about it as well, But, just like that, Phesx did 2,000 credits from the parts, changes to the small pistols, and beginning to craft some more bions. Before, he had to make a few bions as fast as possible, with all the resources covered by the organization. That was Phesx Caolia under heavy stress, with free resources, and a goal behind it. He gained no money from the products he made, as they would all be used for testing only, unless they were really good. But now, it was other people¡¯s money that paid to get their things repaired or changed. Phesx wouldn¡¯t be left to repair things yet, as Pheli wanted to cooperate in those works with him until he got the hang of it. How could she not know Phesx¡¯s bizarre nature when learning? The only thing he could use his money for, which he treated more carefully than other people¡¯s orders, was to create more bions, or if he wanted to experiment. But even as Phesx wanted, Pheli threatened him with not seeing her if he disobeyed and experimented early on. Besides, she said she wanted to help him invent a bion or two, how could he refuse? ¡­ As time passed, Phesx continued meeting the old fart, Emer. It was a painful experience after starting to heal. However, knowing he was making double and sometimes triple what he¡¯d do with his previous jobs, which he didn¡¯t quit, except for moving things around a tall building, Phesx felt comforted. Furthermore, he made that amount in a day, whilst it would have taken him a few days a week to be paid such. Adding the work at the farm as a worker, and not just watching the livestock, which Phesx was paid 1,000 a week to do, with free food supplies and some quality crops, Phesx would gain 27,500 credits a week. Basically, almost the same he gained monthly before. The major income came from the workshop as a crafter, gaining approximately 17,000 credits per week. In total, Phesx could make 106,800 credits, ¡®at the very least¡¯. . . . It took Phesx until next month¡¯s 2nd week to fully heal. With Pheli supervising him, she started showing him how to repair stuff in the first week. Naturally, he was barely showing good results by now, a week later. But that was fine, at least Pheli knew he wasn¡¯t talentless and that she had to be patient. Besides, he bought her several big pizza boxes each week. She wasn¡¯t the only one, though. Emer received a few small pizza boxes from him every week, too, as payment for what he now understood the other Instructors didn¡¯t have. Furthermore, Phesx felt Emer was the only one who cared about him, before and after becoming an Artista. Cala, Mel, Jos¨¦, and Bael were all on their stuff, and the new batch of Artistas had been decided, with Riverlye recruiting to about 14,700 members now. Only Emer kept talking to him, training him, like letting him know his limits and push them before he could understand them. Naturally, Emer became more ruthless and quicker to hurt Phesx during their training. And lately, Emer spoke the least amount possible, simply attacking Phesx after accepting a pizza box or demanding more. From then on, Phesx would spend some of the late night and most of the early morning being poked and bruised by Emer, whose strength only increased, surpassing Phesx¡¯s thoughts¡­ and experience. Even if Emer was an unknown expert, possibly from a hood organization, be it from Lymoca or not, he shouldn¡¯t be this powerful as an old man, right? Emer was so old, after all¡­ No matter how Phesx thought, Emer would show his apprentice otherwise, and that his strength only continued to unfold before him. Phesx, on the other hand, had only just understood this. However, he also caught upon something else, something¡­ quirky. As Emer procured to speak less, Phesx had the strange notion it was because Emer was too tired to do so, maybe growing truly older, at last. Nevertheless, Phesx made a few tens of thousands of credits by now, but Pheli would still not allow him to experiment. Today, he had long finished practicing with Emer, who increased his speed and strength behind his every move once again. And now, Phesx was learning another process of repairing, for the umpteenth time, with Pheli. They were at his counter, a little bigger than his previous kid-sized workbench. With light glasses and a thin plastic-like mask protecting their faces, they welded a tiny thing with utmost precision. Well, Pheli did, as she knew she had to demonstrate a few times, with a few different approaches and methods to let him understand. She was really patient. ¡°!¡± Suddenly, Phesx jumped his eyebrows. Pheli wasn¡¯t paying attention, focused on the broken small pistol barrel to notice, but Phesx¡¯s eyes shone as he looked at all the parts she told him about for the past couple of hours. He felt he was ready to try. ¡°Phew.¡± A few minutes later, Pheli stopped working, took her mask and glasses off, which were a bit dirty with cleaning and infiltrated liquid, which could be from the rain, oil, chemicals, and even mud, among others. She cleaned her forehead and looked up, only to see Phesx looking down. ¡°Did you understand, at last?¡± Pheli lifted her eyebrows, further widening her eyes in joy as Phesx rested his hands on the table, waiting. She bent over the counter, pulled a drawer open, and took 2 other parts of small pistols, ¡°Show me.¡± Looking at her lover with determination, Pheli received a nod before Phesx grabbed the tools from her side and started working. Pheli tilted her head, as he initiated differently from what she taught him. It wasn¡¯t rare, but one would usually need a few days, weeks, and months to get a personal idea in their mind. Phesx just went ahead, doing the steps as demanded, but with an approach of his own. Pheli walked around the counter to watch from every possible angle, ensuring he wasn¡¯t fucking up again. But what began supervising his work became silently praising his work. Pheli watched as Phesx repaired the damaged parts, some metal lids smooth and recovered as much as possible, perfectly functional, and a feed system rearranged and as functional as new. When it was done, Pheli looked at Phesx and lunged herself at him after he took his mask off. With his glasses still on, Phesx felt his mouth lovely invaded with a pair of soft hands delicately landing on his chest. A pair of bystanders happened to walk outside after they finished their kiss. Pheli opened her eyes, becoming narrowed and dreamy as she watched him pull her saliva trails into his mouth¡­ before chuckling through her nostrils. Her cheeks blushed a striking crimson before she buried her face in his neck. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°I give you a week more. Show me you can repair anything on your level, and we can start experimenting,¡± Pheli whispered ever so softly. Her words entered only his ears, vibrating throughout his neck. ¡°What about my crafter role?¡± Phesx smoothly asked. Pheli ¡®punched¡¯ his collarbone and surprise attacked him, nibbling and pulling a bit of his neck¡¯s skin. Her following sultry words seemed more commanding than proposing, ¡°You have limits in your profession, but you can do whatever to my body.¡± ¡°Gulp¡­¡± Never has Phesx felt so stunned, conquered, and weakened. He watched as her warmth left his body, and she walked to her counter, locking the entrance close from her screen. Then, as she pulled a tower from one of her drawers, and dropped her pants, showing how much her hips made her body react with each step, each movement. Then, she released her hair outside her jacket before also dropping it, leaving only a long-sleeved shirt that didn¡¯t last. Her hands high up, she threw it to the side while heading into the bathroom. Before walking around the corner of the entrance, her brassier and panties went off, showing her lover her explicit left profile before disappearing into the steam. When did the bathroom start heating up? Nevertheless, Phesx took his shoes off like an idiot before following her into paradise. They had the workshop all for themselves. Falling into seduction, wallowing within their passion. Only Pheli knew what kind of hell she sent herself to after incensing her man. But maybe it was because of his injuries these last few weeks that she missed him taking all control, using her for both their ravenous pleasure. . . . A couple of months passed by. In addition to the crafter income Phesx enjoyed, when he returned to doing missions, his general income vastly increased. He took mostly individual missions that required him to move quick, with little preparation in some cases, and getting the job done as quick as possible in others. With a schedule of 2 missions per week, since Riverlye is large, but there aren¡¯t thousands of missions, and even if there were, other lagjs would receive them instead. Phesx gained from 5,000 to 11,000 credits per job. More or less, he¡¯d gain 56,000 credits a month. Adding that to his already established income, he gained well over 150,000 credits. With 162,800 credits a month, Phesx had more than enough road ahead to plan. He wasn¡¯t that far off from what Victor Ruva gained monthly, and the latter as incredibly successful. Of course, his company overall gained much more, so much that Phesx and Victor¡¯s personal income wasn¡¯t even trash. Phesx¡¯s gains as of today in Riverlye, the year 1,024, 6th month had accumulated to a total of 516,600. In half a year, with his ongoing projects, he could buy that arm bion at last. During these 2 months, Phesx finally knew the cost of experimenting. Buying components to craft bions was nothing compared to researching new bions. Some crafters or secret world¡¯s people working with crafters mained bions that weren¡¯t in the market, small or intermediate, that complemented them the most. Phesx was just another of them, along Pheli, who started experimenting because of him and with him. If void and regular bion components costed him 15,000 credits a month, then experimenting cost him 40,000 credits monthly. His monthly expenses turned up to 66,500, adding the extra 300 credits he now uses for groceries, and 8,000 from pizzas. That was 2,000 credits thrown away every week for his 2 people, Emer and Pheli. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t be more satisfied. Thus, Phesx now gains 99,500 credits per month, basically, and has his bank account with 384,200 credits for now. He occasionally goes to missions with Pheli¡¯s circle, which gained him quite a few tens of thousands of credits after these 2 months, going with them 4 times in the first month after recuperating, and 6 times during the past month. However, he used them for his Myertha. His baby wasn¡¯t just a means of transportation anymore. In 2 of the missions he went with Pheli¡¯s circle, he had to road-gunfight in the roads from one city to another, ending in quite the massacre and nearly damaging his Myertha to irreversible effects. The pay was good, but he had to prepare further. Phesx was already used to doing that in his solo missions. When he had to escort-watch over people, he¡¯d pay store owners, restaurants, and even intimidate some groups¡¯ hawks to either not respond to their ¡®leader¡¯ or notify him of any suspicious movements. It wouldn¡¯t be as dry as that, as Phesx learned through his few missions with Pheli¡¯s circle. If it wasn¡¯t learning throughout the mission, then it was when questioning them, intrigued and making them feel a bit proud of being seen so high by a rising little star like he is. Phesx would also create potential escape routes if he couldn¡¯t find any. Palms, parks, sewers, roofs, through some neighborhoods with complex roads and parking lots, etc. Lymoca might not be the futuristic sight of the world, but it wasn¡¯t all dirt streets and metallic thin rooftops as many discriminated the Lys to be. It was the same when it came to different missions, such as assassinating a random member of a criminal group, or a large, organized criminal group. Or when he had to gather information from people, and even businesses a few times. Some were easy, some were boring and quick. The assassination missions weren¡¯t solely towards criminals, or Riverlye would lose a large number of money over being moral and just. They also took missions to annihilate people in positions within rising companies, blooming businesses, or low-end leaders from conglomerates. Naturally, those missions were taken by people who could be trusted with a wide enough experience to accomplish the task. Such as Pheli, and her circle. Phesx was heading that way, though. Although he was pretty new, his ¡®tales¡¯ in one of the highest Artista circles was well-known in Riverlye after a few weeks. The other new Artistas couldn¡¯t even hold a handle to Phesx. It wasn¡¯t a surprise anymore when people thought of him like an exemplary Artista. Regardless, Phesx wasn¡¯t far from being looked at like one would to people like Teon, Im¨¢n, and Pheli, of course, who was the weapons master. Regarding his daily life in the world, Phesx continued to make his living a few days a week. Although he now has to be less everywhere around the city, but he still gained more than enough to just live and rent his cheap house every month. Being a person in his 17s with good health, he didn¡¯t need to always eat well, so his groceries purchases of just 1,500 credits a month were feasible. His record was clear, and he wasn¡¯t suspicious, other than the obtained gains that far surpassed most people¡¯s salary in the world. Well, that¡¯s so for those outside the secret world. If what Phesx did could be easily questioned and brought to the government¡¯s attention, no one in the world could be in the secret world. Furthermore, if the government did send someone to question whom Phesx worked with, the farm would just reply with the supplies they gift him. As for the money, it could be considered Victor Ruva¡¯s ¡®care¡¯ for the boy. Not knowing how the payment was made wasn¡¯t an issue, as the world was long past its time when they had to know everything their people did regardless of the situation. That was left behind in the 3rd order. Phesx helped a little with soil preparation, ploughing, weeding, and adding manure. The blondie and her fianc¨¦ focused on the rest, with workers from around the outskirts who needed the job, knew and/or could learn how to, and wouldn¡¯t mess things up. Unlike family, more often than not¡­ During this time, Phesx saw the farm expand, adding slightly more of the same crops for the next harvest, and adding just a few new ones that couldn¡¯t fit in the farm previously. Furthermore, the blondie chatted up a few of her father¡¯s pals to ask for a discount and started growing more livestock. Everything was going well for them. Today, for example, was the wedding between the blondie and her fianc¨¦. Out of pure respect for the old man, and to be polite in the world of the ¡®ordinary folk¡¯, Phesx accepted the invitation. Or¡­ it could be said that it became a threat, which then turned into a reward by none other than Pheli. At first, Pheli was somehow aware of the blondie¡¯s preparations for a wedding. When she brought it up, Phesx wasn¡¯t even told yet, but Pheli threatened him with prohibiting his experiments again. This was when he was still close to finishing his first, new void bion. As time passed, and Phesx received the invitation, he accepted it, of course. More or less at the same time, he created his first functional, stable, repairable even¡ª void bion. It was small, but it was ¡®potent¡¯ enough to make Pheli sweat when helping him. Thus, Pheli brought him to shop. Only then did it become a reward to Phesx, who salivated with the few outfits Pheli proposed to wear to the wedding. Now, several days later, there he was in the wedding. The family was invited, of course. Although the fianc¨¦¡¯s family was seated closer to the newlyweds. Phesx and Pheli watched from a corner slightly further away. Both felt better not being too close to others, for one reason or another, and thoughts with the same reasoning. ¡°Phesx!¡± The blondie walked to Phesx¡¯s small table after freeing herself from all the attention. Her face was all smiley and reddened. Her fianc¨¦ followed behind, smiling even harder. Phesx politely stood up, with Pheli doing the same. The blondie narrowed her eyes, analyzing the piece of masterpiece and beauty the young boy brought. The orange-haired beauty even looked a few years older than him. The blondie thought, ¡®What a player, no?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m glad you could come. Phesx never said anything about you! Oh my heavensss! Would you look at that? You¡¯re just perfect for him!¡± Pheli¡¯s decorum smile turned broad and genuine. She brought the blondie to the side to talk of stuff, stuff only men could wonder what it could all be about, leaving the men behind. The fianc¨¦ and Phesx nodded at each other before silently standing at the side. The blondie enjoyed her chatting time with Pheli, who didn¡¯t seem to bother being in a farm despite her magnificent aesthetics. When it was getting a little late, the blondie returned Phesx his lover. The blondie brought her hubby away, winking at Phesx. Phesx slightly jumped his eyebrows. When he looked at Pheli, she was slowly walking towards him, holding a little bottle as a gift. When Pheli saw his curious expression and tilt of his head, she smirked. Placing her left hand on his right shoulder, she whispered with her lips moving, close to his jaw, ¡°It¡¯s strange, but the bride just gave us a gift. Haha.¡± ¡°One of her family members gave it to her, from a male cousin, I think. Should she be worried?¡± Pheli asked, rotating the bottle to examine it. Phesx grabbed it and jumped his eyebrows again, this time in amazement. He easily opened it and smelled it, actually probing for poison. ¡°Oof. This is a big, rich, tasty thing. I only heard about it from¡­ my adoptive family from the voluntary foster care program.¡± Phesx said before bringing a couple of glasses from their small table. Pheli was surprised, she let him pour her a glass, becoming a little¡­ timid. ¡°Victor Ruva?¡± Pheli asked, clinking her glass with Phesx before taking a sip. Phesx watched her drink it with a slightly dumb expression. He was slowly growing used to his woman¡¯s beauty, ah. Seeing his curious eyes, Pheli smiled and said after her eyes jumped, taking another sip. ¡°Very well, I can¡¯t deny it anymore. I started prying into your information even more after you brought pizza to me, nothing else.¡± ¡°Hmph~,¡± Phesx humorously blew air from his nostrils before holding her slightly by the waist. She wore a black-cloud-like A-line dress with a long ribbon covering her cleavage, neck, and collarbone from her right shoulder to her front. Yet, she had a slight gap below her right ribs. Phesx placed his hand there, feeling her skin, making her momentarily shudder from their trained bodies¡¯ memories. Pheli¡¯s eyes sweetly narrowed as her indifferent expression turned towards him, facing him up close. Phesx devoured her celeste eyes with his impenetrable black eyes, captivating her. At first, Phesx didn¡¯t want to say something, but his words came out just as they did in his second-first exchanges with her. ¡°Repay me. You¡¯ve intruded into my past life. Now I will, to yours. Let me.¡± His voice echoed through her reddening ears. ¡­ Chapter 60 — Group Group An hour later, Phesx and Pheli sat near a barn filled with machinery and tech tools for farm life. The moon was a complete half, showing from the ground like a proud, growing eye trying to open. Lifeless and magnified. They picked a few blades of grasses and threw them at the side, sitting on a wide bench. ¡°Marrying, how funny it is.¡± Pheli said, staring up at the uncountable stars littering, surrounding the mountainous half a moon. Phesx blew air through his nostrils, letting a tiny breath of coldness seep into the air before turning his head to look at her. ¡°It isn¡¯t that bad. If you let aside selfishness and focus on doing the same, just bonded and with a future life together. Figuratively forever.¡± Phesx spoke from his heart, from what he¡¯s seen, and the positivity of those times. Pheli looked at him with her chin high up, eyes narrowed to an almost close, appearing delicate. Seeing that little dumbfounded light in his eyes, trying to hide it, she felt contented from her heart before opening her luscious lips under the moonlight. ¡°Marry me. Then, you can prove it.¡± ¡­rustle. Phesx stared at her for several seconds before resting his head on her lap. She looked up at him, blatantly enjoying her smell, before going, ¡°I have nothing to prove. To anyone, to anything, from the past, right now, or later. Nothing. None at all.¡± He lifted his hands, tapping her cheeks and nose with his fingertips, ¡®jumping¡¯ and skipping across her face. ¡°Except you, Pheli. Mn, and that old fart, I suppose.¡± The sudden change in his tone on the latter half of his words caused giggles to escape Pheli¡¯s throat. She looked down, bending her back a bit before caressing his hair. Phesx gulped, feeling 1 part embarrassed and 9 parts¡­ adored under her celeste eyes¡¯ scrutiny. ¡°It¡¯s too early to marry. What are you thinking? Are you in a hurry? Fret not. I¡¯ll keep us both alive. It¡¯s not much, but with my hands, I can make enough money to buy bread and milk so we can-¡± ¡°Oh, hush.¡± Before Phesx could continue bullshitting, Phesx slapped his chest and held the top of his head with her left wrist, treating him like a baby while caressing his cheeks and nose. ¡°I know. There are many possible irregularities not even Instructors can deal with, let alone us.¡± ¡°I never said no.¡± Phesx reminded. Pheli looked down at him before lightly whispering, sounding delicate. ¡°I never believed you would¡¯ve.¡± ¡°Now, you¡¯re just saying that because you are pretty and everyone loves you wherever you go.¡± Phesx said with a tone. Pheli smiled even with her eyes before mimicking his voice, ¡°Now, you¡¯re just saying that because you¡¯ve suffered wherever you go, by the people, the land, its nature.¡± ¡°Sigh.¡± - ¡°Sigh.¡± Both idiots sighed before falling silent, enjoying the quiet and beauty of the night. Pheli eskimo kissed him with eyes closed before looking up. They stared at the stars around the moon. Pheli then commented, feeling a bit silly, ¡°Wow. There are way too many stars tonight.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Lest you go back on your vows.¡± Phesx voiced after a second of pondering. Pheli smiled thinly, with a dimple appearing on her left cheek. She cutely said, ¡°I don¡¯t need vows.¡± Her soft words put Phesx to sleep, who didn¡¯t hesitate to let his heavy eyelids close. Likewise, Pheli dared not move, caressing his eyelids as slightly as possible, blowing into his face as if to take care of him, and whispering with a sweet, hushed voice to sing to him. . . . A week later. Riverlye HQ. Phesx was in the workshop¡¯s back room. There was no ¡®testing room¡¯ in the workshops. Those were individual modules only Instructors could use in Riverlye, be it here or any other base across Lymoca. Thus, the best they got was the training/sparring rooms or these back rooms. At this moment, Phesx was in front of Pheli, practicing with their invented bion. He wore a bulletproof light vest, while she wielded a small pistol, with a submachine gun at the side. Before, they would¡¯ve used weapons that fire bullets like those needles Instructor Mel uses. However, with time, the ¡®Pivot¡¯ became too efficient with ¡®toy guns¡¯. Thus, long after abolishing all its flaws and with Pheli¡¯s recognition as a bion, they started using firearms. Today was just another test, but not just of the pivot. Phesx¡¯s strange body was still a mystery to everyone, including himself. He has barely been shot, even directly, from the missions he¡¯s been doing these past 2 months and a few weeks. But when he did get shot before, his wounds healed noticeably faster than others. It wasn¡¯t a matter of a few days prior, which can happen, but 1 or 2 weeks. They weren¡¯t monstrous injuries, but it was still something the human body could only do after costly medical equipment, such as skin partitions, to heal skin and even others to nurture flesh regrowth. Yet, since neither Phesx nor anyone would¡¯ve like to test their injuries in a mission, where a simple error causes death, they opted to test his body through this bion practices. Like this, getting injured a few times, Phesx measured the extents of his ¡®healing¡¯ capabilities. Helpless to understand any of it, Pheli supported him. She couldn¡¯t feel anything other than gladness if Phesx had a naturally higher survival than others. Pheli and Phesx looked at each other¡¯s eyes. They didn¡¯t count down before acting, nor did they show signs of moving through their expressions. Then, Pheli¡¯s finger pulled the trigger just 5 meters away. Bang! Pf-clink¡­ pfsha~. Phesx reacted the moment his ears heard the small pistol¡¯s trigger being pulled and its mechanism in motion. His eyes contents shrank just a bit before his right wrist motioned. His veins gained strength as he rapidly moved his wrist. Throwing something from under his waist level, Phesx saw the pivot fly into the air. It looked like a thick pen wrapped by diminutive chain-like dark gray ropes. Phesx threw it into the air with its upper end facing ahead. Its ropes separated as its structure easily shot forwards. It seemed to have as much initial power as a bullet when shot, but it immediately stopped a millisecond later. While it was a short-lived impulse, by then, it had already spread its ropes and formed a twirling, spherical-ish fan. It stopped rotating, advancing forwards to the incoming bullet. An indiscernible warp spread between the ropes and what looked like tiny arrowheads pointing forwards at each rope¡¯s end. It was barely noticeable by Phesx and Pheli, who made the pivot and have practiced with it for a few weeks now. As the pivot¡¯s extended flight mode met the bullet, it slowed it down, even though it didn¡¯t directly hit the bullet with neither the arrowheads nor the ropes. The bullet continued shooting towards Phesx at an incredible speed, but Phesx¡¯s eyes tracked it with slight ease. He side stepped to his right, evading the bullet 3 inches from his left upper arm. Phesx grinned, just a bit. Pheli sidestepped to the left, evading the pivot, before spraying Phesx. The latter immediately heard it but had no time to put a long face. He motioned his left wrist, throwing the other pivot, and stabilizing his feet on the floor. The pivot revolved forth, meeting a few bullets out of 11, and deviated them while also slowing down the others. But with so many shots being fired and encompassed by the pivot at once, its efficiency was drastically reduced. Phesx read the deviated bullets'' trajectory, which were even slower than arrows let loose towards him, deducing them with a multitude of possibilities. He avoided them with ease, but just a few were nothing compared to the majority, which shot towards him with their speed and force barely reduced. Phesx tried moving to the right and avoid being shot in the vest, but he was too slow. The vest was struck near its border with his shirt. Phesx was caught in between. His body jolted backwards, but it was only the first time of many. Immediately after, Phesx¡¯s torso was hit with bullet after bullet as his body retreated until his force was no longer enough, and he shot backwards to the floor. Plop. Phesx silently groaned before letting out a bemoan. He was helped up by Pheli, who smirked at him and his sorry state. Phesx asked as he felt the new bruisers beneath his clothes. ¡°Is this revenge for last time? Not fair.¡± ¡°You made me remain naked for the rest of the day after that,¡± Pheli said, defending herself with a shrug. Phesx frowned, playfully. ¡°It was after our date, and it was at my home! You could¡¯ve said no and go home, but no, you stayed. Let me tell you, the pizzeria complained to me when I worked there a few days later. So much noise and many ¡®confessions¡¯.¡± Pheli rolled her eyes and pushed him, failing to conceal a blush. She further couldn¡¯t hide a smile forming on her lips. Pheli traced Phesx¡¯s jawline and pinched his left cheek before voicing, ¡°You¡¯ve seen it¡¯s obvious weak force. You need to work on the next model so it won¡¯t be as bad. Now, what did you want to show me?¡± ¡°This,¡± Phesx said after grabbing her left hand and lightly pulling her towards him. He showed her a smallish device with his left hand. Pheli took it between her fingers and looked at it up close. It was about 3 inches long, and a blade, about 2 millimeters thick, that hung a few steps on its rear, the opposite side where a diminutive double-edged wide tip was located. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It was a finger and a half wide, with a metallic brown color. The steps on its lower rear looked retractable, which arouse Pheli¡¯s interest. She frowned a little, darting her eyes towards Phesx. ¡°You built a retractable step system?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a blade, and it is for rapid purposes. This one is only the first layer. Each piece is meant to have a few more underneath to discard and reuse.¡± Phesx took the retractable blade back and took his vest off. After lifting his sleeve, he placed it atop his forearm and strapped it with thin threads. Pheli immediately noticed they were the same material and color as the pivot¡¯s ropes. Then, with the blade¡¯s lower rear as support, whose retractable step system was just 2 cm tall, Phesx covered it with his sleeve. He made some brusque and soft motions, appearing silly and painful at first to activate it, but the rest were efficient, rapid, and secure. Pheli nodded in praise. Phesx paused and said, ¡°It is meant to not hurt the user. It extends when the wrist and hand move in a certain way. I had to research for 3 weeks before finding a series of ¡®microscopic¡¯ motions.¡± Pfsst. Suddenly, Phesx moved the base of each of his fingers, bent his knuckles just a tiny bit, and the veins below his palm tensed an intricate amount. The blade suddenly shot from his sleeve, appearing just a few centimeters past his extended fingers. ¡°You can also choose how much to retract it, just like this.¡± Phesx showed the plastic plaque, a rectangular tablet as long as his forearm and thinner, where he put the blade¡¯s steps. Then, he grabbed it with his left hand, pressing it in a way only his left hand could before swinging his right arm again. It went below his knuckles, 5 inches past his fingertips, and barely at his wrist. ¡°It has a safety switch hidden in the plaque. It is the main source of how it works. I¡¯m working on thin gloves to hold it in case it breaks or is damaged, or jammed.¡± Phesx said, showing numerous way it could work. ¡°Well¡­¡± Pheli gulped the accumulated saliva in her mouth before voicing, ¡°With just these many safety measures, it already classifies as a possible void bion. What about the plaque? Is it the one reading your wrist and hand movements?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Phesx nodded, taking everything off and showing it to her. Pheli carefully grabbed the plaque, tracing her fingers after her eyes discerned it wouldn¡¯t be damaged. She soundlessly gasped, darting her eyes to him again, ¡°Phesx, this material, it seems¡­¡± ¡°I built it out of chips. I had to be careful using your melter. It¡¯s a bit dirty with some chips¡¯ remnants.¡± Phesx scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. Pheli looked at the plaque¡¯s lower side with more interest and focus. ¡°You built it to read the specified movements you researched as the most efficient, right? It¡­ did it become used to it because of repeating those motions?¡± Pheli asked the unthinkable. Phesx nodded, adding, ¡°The only efficient way to not trigger it by mistake, even by a baby or an idiot.¡± ¡°An incomplete circuit¡­ a microchip¡¯s value turned into¡­ a specific pattern by merely repeating the movements of¡­ the body. A homemade, ¡®true¡¯ biological semiconductor?¡± Pheli shook her head a little as she thought aloud. She smiled when she arrived at the silly deduction. Phesx shrugged, explaining the origins of how the fuck he made it work. ¡°In the farm, the old man¡¯s old tools were weird. Some would work well as long as I just ¡®guided¡¯ them to react in some ways whenever it turned off erroneously or glitched. I got electrocuted a few times, but the old man gave me some equipment to not die immediately.¡± ¡°Shut up, your past life-death events don¡¯t matter. Phesx, you¡¯ve done a crazy little thing¡­ It¡¯s not complete, I presume?¡± Pheli smiled, this time brilliantly, as she played with the blade, putting it on and trying to activate it by mistake, even forcefully trying to switch the safety off with her other hand. ¡°It needs many tweaks, yes¡­ I was hoping a lovely lady would aid me¡­ help me complete it.¡± Phesx worded. Pheli stopped testing the thing and looked up at her man, this stupid, delicious, smartass young boy who couldn¡¯t care any less about the magic trick he just pulled off. ¡°It seems half-complete. We¡¯ll have to share-¡± Pheli lifted her eyebrows but squinted her eyes, reminding him. But, amidst her words, Phesx hugged her waist and rubbed his forehead on her from side to side. ¡°You will bore me to death if you ask me if I¡¯m sure. Take it. That¡¯s it and it, alright?¡± Phesx whispered to her face, Pheli¡¯s eyes widened, becoming dreamy as she suddenly moved her hand in such a way. Phesx¡¯s ears tingled, and his spine shivered for an instant. Pfsst. The blade on Pheli¡¯s right forearm extended. Phesx Caolia saw her victorious smirk after getting the hang of the movements after seeing Phesx do it a few times. Phesx¡¯s left wrist was cut through and through, bleeding around his wrist. Phesx looked at his woman before flashing his left hand to the barely discernible bulge below her jacket. Under her disbelieving eyes, Pheli felt the blade disengage, dropping from her sleeve like a small animal suffering a heart attack and dying. She was awestruck. Wasn¡¯t is supposed to be assault-proof?! Plop-clank. The blade fell to the ground. At the same time its metallic noise rang, Phesx roughly pushed her back with his right hand towards him, closing his face into hers. Their hot breaths battled on each other¡¯s faces as he voiced, whispering and tempting. ¡°Naughty¡­ It¡¯s weird. The words you always melt in my arms with didn¡¯t work. I¡¯m losing confidence now,¡± Phesx didn¡¯t let Pheli speak. The instant she opened her mouth, he charged into it with the tip of his tongue first. The pair of fully opened celeste eyes drowsily closed. Sounds were emitted from their dancing lips, playing and struggling as Phesx carried her up and drove her bum onto an open metallic drawer. Taking her undergarments off with ease and expertise, hearing her gasp in thrill, Phesx was stopped as Pheli grabbed his head from both sides. ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ gulp¡­ earned it.¡± Her words made his eyes expand. His lips moved faster than lightning, or at least it felt that way, as he probed. ¡°Are you talking about-¡± ¡°Eat me already¡­ please don¡¯t make me wait.¡± Pheli bumped her forehead on his. Thereon, a most intimate, naughty moment developed. For Phesx, the man, duty called. . . . When they were done talking about life, Phesx and Pheli were just exiting the workshop, closing it for the night before going on a date. The days were getting chilly more often, and Phesx just knew he had to enjoy more nights like these with Pheli. Beep virrb. Pheli stopped and took her phone out, frowning as she read the message. She spoke as she turned to Phesx, ¡°Phexie, I¡¯m on a group mission. The HQ just convoked me to the briefing zone.¡± But when she turned her head, Phesx also had his phone out, and he was looking at it with a curious face. Not only that, its contents were just similar to hers, only he wasn¡¯t called weapons master, but Artista crafter. ¡°We¡¯re going, I think.¡± Phesx stored his phone and said to Pheli, who had a pensive expression, trailing off a bit, before blinking. When she reopened her eyes, they became gentle and punched his shoulder. ¡°Sigh. Yeah. It seems you¡¯ve brought plenty of attention to your ass. Come on.¡± Pheli cocked her head before leading the way. Phesx put his hands in his pants pockets and followed her through the corridors. ¡­ When they arrived at a wide room in the briefing zone, they entered to a small gathering of a few dozen people. Phesx immediately recognized Pheli¡¯s circle, which, by now, it had already become his circle, too. They walked towards the group, whereas Phesx found the medic and a few others missing. Teon, Layo, Im¨¢n, Ges¨¢n, and Waleks were still there, with Waleks¡¯s girlfriend and a couple of others around them. ¡°Pheli, you¡­ two are the last to arrive. The Instructor will come soon,¡± Teon walked to them and said, turning around to face the empty space between the dozens of Artistas. Hearing that, Phesx lifted his eyebrows and tensed a bit. He waited beside Waleks and Im¨¢n as Pheli and Teon stood in front of the group. A few minutes later, a stout, dark brown man with many wrinkles in his face, hanging skin, and visages of life¡¯s experiences walked to the middle. Everyone placed their attention on the person. Phesx didn¡¯t know who it was, and he couldn¡¯t, so he just crossed his arms like others and waited. ¡°I am Instructor Omar,¡± the Instructor introduced himself with his thumb poking his chest. ¡°You¡¯ve been selected to form part of a large group heading into Coalely. It¡¯s just 4 hours in our flight route. This mission consists of various steps, some of which will be achieved by lone wolves.¡± ¡°We¡¯re departing tonight, so check with your group before 10 PM. Report to the administration way before that. Ongoing!¡± The Instructor said before leaving. The groups in the room looked at each other before their leaders walked to the center to debate. They did it openly, not hiding their words or disposition. Phesx could see some ¡®heat¡¯ when the group leaders vied for more roles for their people. At last, Pheli and the other group leaders faced the crowd and announced. A blonde, elegant white young man raised his voice, ¡°We¡¯ve determined a few things. Everyone who wants to participate in covert objectives or direct battle will be decided after we board the chopper. Those whom I will name next have been selected for solo and rescuing targets.¡± The young man named 4 different names before looking at Phesx, knowing just where he stood. Pheli also looked at him at the same time, and so did the others around him. The young man voiced, as expected. ¡°And Fox.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet in 40 minutes. Let¡¯s go!¡± The young man said. The group leaders stepped out and returned to their groups. Pheli faced everyone and loudly said, ¡°Get your things. We may return in 3 days or more. It¡¯s going to be a little hectic, so don¡¯t save anything.¡± Focusing on Phesx, she continued, ¡°Go wash yourself. The others probably did out of habit already. Get used to it, although your performance here will decide whether you have the chance to again or not.¡± Knowing how much it had to mean to be selected for the solo and rescuing missions, Phesx solemnly nodded at Pheli, who placed such a role on his shoulders, before stepping backwards. Turning around, he headed to the bathrooms. He had not many ideas why he must wash now, but he credited it to the incoming long trip in helicopter. Phesx wondered how different it would be compared to helitaxis. ¡­ When he arrived at the bathrooms, it was mostly alone, with a few guys looking at him, surprised and expectant. But not because of a little bit of fun. After realizing who he was, and the possibility of him being involved in the newest group mission, they started to think¡­ Phesx found the bathrooms changed. He only used it during his training, where he couldn¡¯t afford to return home some days and had to stay with Emer. Only able to shower for a few minutes at best to save time. The products were replaced. The ¡®new¡¯ ones had a medicinal property and were very relaxing to put on his body and head. By the time Phesx finished bathing, he felt like a new man. It was still 10 minutes before 9 PM. But when he exited his booth and returned to the steamy open space, he found a cute black young woman waiting for him outside. It was that young beauty he found Pheli speaking to the other day. She stood confidently, showing her magnificent abs and petite, delicious body. Phesx went mute. The young woman walked to him and smiled. She voiced with a trembling in her throat, sounding seducing, ¡°Care to waste 10 little minutes with me? Ah, I can see you¡¯ve half agreed.¡± The young woman walked to him, but then, Phesx grabbed her left hip, feeling her toned abdomen, those muscles, and her tantalizing skin. Phesx looked down and said before walking past her. ¡°I saw you in the briefing room earlier. You¡¯re very beautiful, but I don¡¯t want to. Waleks is a good lover, I¡¯ve heard. If you¡¯re just looking, try him.¡± With that, Phesx left, leaving the young woman a bit confused. She wasn¡¯t insulted, but she pouted as she fell pensive. ¡­ Chapter 61 — Boring Again…? Boring Again¡­? Phesx reunited with the group after dressing up. He wasn''t the last one. Pheli nodded at him before Phesx stood at the side in silence. His equipment was already delivered to the reception, of which a few brand-new Artistas carried elsewhere, probably to the helicopter. When everyone arrived, Pheli registered their entry before heading to the underground parking area. When they arrived at the dark environment, Pheli led the group elsewhere, a closed compartment that only opened a few seconds after Pheli waited in front. Then, after extremely thick gates opened to the sides, the group went in, welcoming a long hallway. There were other Artistas guarding the tunnel-like passage. The group became a little closer, and they chatted a little in whispers, at last. Phesx found himself walking up to Pheli as the others chatted. Pheli looked at him before sending her left-handed fingers to his right hand. Taking grasp of it, Pheli leaned her head on his right shoulder, intertwining her hand with his in front of everyone. Phesx felt the silence and stares from behind, but the notion of Pheli¡¯s open affection before their circle drove his attention to her alone. Even then, the pause only lasted 2 seconds before the others returned to their chatter. Phesx lowered his head to the right, as if to hug Pheli¡¯s sweet head that was now slightly rubbing him. A few minutes later, they arrived at the second gates, whereas Pheli separated from Phesx and stood in front again. A few seconds later, the gate opened. These were a little less thick, but the material was different. It smelled like wet cement and metal at the same time, somewhat. Pheli stepped forth, leading the group into a well-lighted, huge landing zone. They were still underground, but a space of a few square hundred meters and a height of nearly 100 meters held one helicopter and various tech tools and even machinery. Many people walked about. Some seemed for repairs, others to check on any vehicle, be it military, civilian cars, motorcycles, or a helicopter in this case. The only way out besides where the group came from was a tunnel half the height of the landing zone and about a fifth as big. Phesx¡¯s attention was fully on the helicopter after checking around. Pheli explained to him, as the others wouldn¡¯t need this information, knowing he¡¯d be deadly curious. And excited, too. ¡°This is a military grade helicopter. It is only for quick movement of cargo. It became faster after taking off any weaponry system in it. Well, it¡¯s last gen, so look around but don¡¯t touch.¡± ¡°It does seem to have a similarity with the one I saw,¡± Phesx commented, ignoring the dozens of Artistas boarding the helicopter and Instructor Omar directing them. Pheli looked at him. ¡°Preut? That one incident at the bridge?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Phesx nodded. ¡°That one was a little smaller, but it had a lot more space for scary stuff.¡± ¡°Sit beside me,¡± Pheli said after nodding in silence. Phesx looked at her as she continued, ¡°As my selected Artista, you might act first thing in the mission. I¡¯ll let the Instructor brief everyone on the rest.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Phesx nodded and meekly voiced. Pheli led the group to stand in front of the Instructor. They could see the helicopter was half-full. The Instructor checked the interiors before turning to Pheli. ¡°Right middle row. Go ahead. Medics to the back.¡± Pheli went into the helicopter, which was tremendously large. It didn¡¯t have much height, but it had more than 2 auxiliary motors for its enormous cargo space. The front looked a little like a passenger airplane, but small and built to deflect incoming firepower, even missiles. There were 3 separate columns, of which each was divided into 3 from the back to the front, enough for a group of 12+ to sit, with seats on the left and right. Like this, the large group comprised by 9 other smaller groups could board it without a problem. There were narrow spaces between each row to let anyone walk freely in between, not having to walk from one end to the other to cross to another column. Although the seats weren¡¯t top quality, they were comfortable and each had belts and holds to grab when needed. Phesx sat beside Pheli as the groups settled down. The medics remained at their rear, checking their equipment with utmost detail. The other Artistas checked their weapons and even grenades, confirming they were optimal. Phesx did the same, not used to airborne movement. After checking everything, and noticing nothing was missing, Phesx sighed in relief in his mind before looking at Pheli. She grabbed his right arm, holding it to put him at ease, just in case. But to Phesx, it mostly calmed his thoughts. They locked eyes for a bit before relaxing. Phesx looked at the ceiling, while Pheli calmly looked around. The helicopter was silent, with the sound of workers moving around outside diminishing after every passing minute. The other groups joined the helicopter, filling it up. Before it was full, the helicopter¡¯s auxiliary rotors began their pivot. Phesx could simply just hear how they became heated, no more than necessary, getting ready to set off. He looked down at Pheli after that intricate noise like melodic bells to his ears become more consistent. ¡°This thing flies very fast, but it is also so it can stop or change angles smoothly. Are you scared?¡± Pheli asked him, pinching the skin of his right backhand. Phesx placed his left hand on hers, both already with gloves, ¡°Only of dying in accidents that didn¡¯t depend on me.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Pheli blew from her nostrils. Would he be fine by dying in an accident he created? She flashed him a cute smirk before returning to her indifferent resting face. Everyone waited in the helicopter before the last few Artistas joined them and sat in the last 3 rows near the ramp. A minute after that, the Instructor finally entered the cargo hold and the main rotor started gyrating, gaining velocity. Phesx had the sensation of wind passing through his feet when they were against the floor. When they weren¡¯t, it felt like he was slowly being lifted. The Instructor passed by each column, checking the Artistas as the main rotor became prepared to set off. ¡°Our mission will be your month¡¯s best week. Make sure you¡¯re alive to celebrate it after we return.¡± The Instructor spoke before stopping at the front, behind the entrance to the cabin, and faced them. ¡°Simple steps. First, we need to prepare a safe house and secure the target to protect. One of you will find this individual and bring them to us. Do not be reckless. The moment this mission is on play, the enemy of our contractor will know. We are not ghosts, and I won¡¯t welcome any of you wanting to become one.¡± ¡°One of you will be chosen here. In case you fail to send a notification, you¡¯ll be taken as dead and another will be sent. This target is around the age of the youngest among you,¡± the Instructor¡¯s words had everyone stare at Phesx, which the latter ignored. Omar continued, ¡°Regardless of the motive or situation you¡¯re in, at least make noise to know your position. We¡¯ll know if you were ever killed or had to hide after sending your replacement.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better if you are killed. Because failing in this extraction will cost you dearly with me and when we return to the HQ.¡± The Instructor went on, ¡°Good luck whoever is chosen. In the next step, we will attract whatever forces the enemy in question sends to catch the kid. The lot of you must prepare for the next step as this happens. Be swift and certain.¡± ¡°From the next step onwards, we¡¯ll separate and wait for the enemy to deploy their full forces. That¡¯s where we¡¯ll take them down and get ready to go back to our beds. Do not contact each other unless you don¡¯t have any more pants to shit on.¡± The Instructor paused. ¡°As you can tell, we must be careful in our movements. Nobody will miss another rising mob choked before it could spark in the criminal world. But we¡¯re moving close to the capital. As I said, don¡¯t be reckless and you¡¯ll be fine, at the very least.¡± ¡°The last step is preparing to leave. We can¡¯t take the helicopter, so this baby will return as soon as we land near the safe house to be.¡± As the Instructor went on, the helicopter finally lifted off the ground, immediately leaning forth and advancing fast. Phesx¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°We¡¯ll reunite in different places, but we will get to that when the time comes. We must leave with whatever stolen vehicles you can find to drive outside Coalely. A reminder, don¡¯t take helitaxis or hostages, you¡¯ll be dead Artistas before the police gets to you.¡± The atmosphere became a little somber and still. ¡°Find a base in the other states, avoid Proteros, and use the same tunnels to return. This won¡¯t be another daily news of criminals killing each other like cannibals.¡± The Instructor paused, looked around, and loudly asked, ¡°Who are those to be selected for the first step?!¡± A person immediately stood up, wearing a serious expression and ¡®duty calls¡¯ in his eyes. The Instructor looked at this in disgust before bashing at the Artista, ¡°Sit down! Not you! Group leaders, speak up!¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Before anyone else could react and speak for their selected Artistas, and while the Artista who stood up sat back down with a wronged face, Pheli spoke with a low voice from her seat. ¡°Fox is the fastest element in my group. He has agile reaction capabilities and isn¡¯t afraid of danger.¡± ¡°His escorting and protecting missions have always been carried with neither him nor his targets being injured. The best candidate is my person. No one else.¡± Pheli¡¯s words rang nonstop. She left a shaky pause after finishing, where no one else dared or had something to say. The Instructor frowned in thought. His eyes moved to Phesx, ¡°Fox, are you willing to start the mission first?¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to complete the first step,¡± Phesx looked up, straightened his back, and replied. Pheli remained unresponsive, like Phesx¡¯s words were to be expected. The Instructor lifted his eyebrows and smirked, lowering his head before saying without a care, ¡°Alright then.¡± From then on, the Instructor walked to the side and sat with his group. They were all Artistas, but that was just how things worked. At the very least, those Artistas should be on par with Phesx¡¯s circle. ¡­ On their way to Coalely, a state 3 states from Sargonde. Others would spend from 6 to 8 hours approximately to travel from one to another, but with a cargo chopper, it would only take 4 hours, more or less. During the trip, when they neared Coalely, the instructor commenced debriefing them. It was clear there was an issue of possible information being sold. Regardless, the safe house was selected after a brief debate the Instructor initiated with the other group leaders. Nobody here leading a group was a ¡®simple¡¯ figure in Riverlye. The Instructor then proceeded to show Phesx, and the other Artistas to replace him if he fucked up, about the target. It was a young man, barely 19, who returned from his university late at night every few days a week. The first and last 2 days of the week would be spent like this, and such was the time the contractor¡¯s enemy decided to act. Spies among criminal organizations, especially organized crime, was the usual stuff, so information-gathering was of no issue. Phesx would have to drop on a place where a hidden trapdoor led to the surface. It would be a long trip from a couple of hundred meters underneath, but it was the safest. The helicopter couldn¡¯t just pop up out of nowhere and then disappear like smoke. ¡°Time¡¯s come, Fox!¡± The Instructor broke the helicopter¡¯s silence. Most closed their eyes to rest, feeling the cool sensation of the helicopter moving with incredible speed. They opened them to glance at Phesx, who nodded at Omar and stood up. He grabbed only one of his submachine guns, a small one, and kept his small pistol while leaving the rest with his group. Phesx nodded at Pheli, who simply looked back at him. The ramp slowly opened, descending as the helicopter barely slowed down. Phesx felt the distinction between the helicopter¡¯s speed and the tunnel, stagnant and tranquil. He mentally sweated and walked towards it. Before reaching the ramp, he turned around and walked backwards. Phesx didn¡¯t do it with the intention to, but the Instructor looked at him and nodded. Then, Phesx held his small gun to his tummy and dropped backwards. He was still about 20 meters above the ground, although the helicopter finally slowed down. Whooosssh- whistle~¡­ Phesx felt his ears focusing on the air movements rushing towards his body, carrying him along as the helicopter rapidly disappeared in the distance. But he didn¡¯t look at it. Phesx filled his body with breath, gaining a sensation of purpose as his body moved midair. Phesx¡¯s back faced the ground, slightly leaning. 2 meters before he fell, he forcefully rotated with his bum upwards, but moved his legs to the left and halted his rotation, lying sideways in the air. With his left arm atop his forehead, Phesx felt his body crackle and screech before immediately positioning his body. His neck and upper back received most of the force in his body, which spread to the rest of his back when it touched the ground. Phesx¡¯s muscles and bones reacted inhumanely, resisting the trajectory, although he was hurt a bit. Nonetheless, his organs were intact, and his uniform protected him from grazing against the ground. Phesx¡¯s right leg tensed. His veins seemed about to sprout out of his skin, but they didn¡¯t. He used it to begin rising himself up, further supported by his left leg before quickly throwing himself into the air with the inertia from the landing. His body lunged forwards. Phesx kept his small gun to his belly with his right hand still, only momentarily lunging his arm forward to retain momentum. He rolled again, this time with even more force that was yet resisted by his body. In this occasion, Phesx used both his legs, whose veins bulged again, to jump upwards and dash into the air once more. He crossed his arms and slightly bent his knees, locking them as he spun and spun with his body sideways. At some point, the force behind him seemed to poof into invisible smoke around him, letting him fall to the ground without resistance, albeit out of danger. ¡°Huff, huff, huff¡­¡± Phesx sweated as his body heaved up and down. He faced the ceiling, feeling a little sick. ¡®I need more training. My breath isn¡¯t flexible and accustomed enough to this complexity. I should go to more difficult missions, and train with Pheli, and the others, too.¡¯ Phesx rested until he recuperated his breathing. He stood up, ignored the bruises around his shins, shoulders, collarbone, and knees before searching for the ladder. His small gun was safe and sound, and the few extra magazines hidden under his uniform intact. Phesx found it, a red ladder exposed on the wall that went up for dozens of meters. It soared into a square hole about 5 square meters big. Phesx Caolia felt lazy, exhaling in defeat. But then, he thought of something and walked to the ladder, wearing a thin smirk on his lips. After going up until he went a few meters past the hole¡¯s lower end, Phesx could see the closed platform at the very top. He stopped and calculated, turning around to look at the walls and calculate the ladder inside the hole¡­ Tap¡­ clank! Clank, clank- tap¡­ clank! Phesx lunged upwards, kicking the ladder¡¯s bars twice before kicking himself back into a wall. His feet harshly kicked himself up again, this time higher and stronger than before, and he lifted his hands to grab the highest bar he could. Then, pulling himself up with his arms¡¯ strength, he kicked the ladder¡¯s bars again, repeating the motion to a fault. He was definitely faster, but not something like a blurry figure flying upwards. That was simply impossible. It was tiring, indeed. But compared to the maneuvers from before, this was nothing. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t need breath. Phesx only had to employ what he¡¯s learned and honed. When Phesx approached the very top, he took his cloak and mask out from under his torso. He stopped at the last few bars, put them on, and introduced a code into the platform above him. It rotated a few times before sliding away, revealing a late-night sky without stars and many obscure gray clouds. Phesx breathed in before coming up, rolling once and lying on his back, checking his rear after rapidly assessing his front beforehand. He stood up, coiling his small gun¡¯s strap around his right arm before lowering his presence. After a look around, Phesx understood where he was. He calculated the time since he dropped off the helicopter and rushed in a direction. His steps were soundless, but his speed was truly something worth noticing, even for lagj secret organizations. The location of the secret passageway to Riverlye¡¯s HQ, which closed on its own, was behind a few suburbs that were still under construction. At this hour, there was no one around, but there were cameras. However, by the time they were checked, after the mission was completed, it would be long useless. Phesx rapidly shot his body through buildings before arriving at a few streets. Cars drove by, but very few. When a good timing arrived, Phesx rushed from one sidewalk to another, stopping several streets away, heading towards a wealthy district with a large precinct in the middle. Phesx rolled his eyes before heading over. If it was going to be another boring rescue mission, then so be it. He just hoped there would be a few hooligans he could indiscriminately play with. Phesx checked the routes the target would walk by. Confirming they weren¡¯t trekked beforehand, Phesx continued until he spotted the target walking a kilometer away in between some storage garages. Checking the target¡¯s surroundings, Phesx saw a few tails near the young man, and some hawks ahead positioned to keep looking. Phesx evaded the latter so far, but now that he discovered the criminals were either waiting for a good chance, or baiting, he calculated the target¡¯s pace and that he was a bit flustered. Maybe having noticed he wasn¡¯t alone. Phesx smirked and dashed below an apartment¡¯s stairs. On the sidewalks, as long as an entire block without roads in between, a few people were suspiciously looking around before always focusing on a particular direction. One of them had just checked behind him, where a drunk old man shouted at him for no reason. The suspicious young man debated on whether to scare the old fart off, when he heard someone running towards him just in front! He looked ahead, only to see a gloved palm strike towards his face. Phesx crushed the young man¡¯s nose with his hand, feeling the blood and a bit of a struggle that rapidly became a seizure. By the time the body went limp, Phesx was cleaning his hand, forcefully swaying in the air, and bringing the corpse to an alley¡¯s garbage container. After the first, another followed. Phesx hunted the several hawks who exited their little nests. With the darkness as his cover, whenever one of them stepped outside the lights, trying to hurry to the location or simply walking by, they were pulled away and immediately half-killed by Phesx. He tried to leave a few alive but felt bored, immediately killing them after nearing an alley. At last, Phesx returned to where he saw the young man, still amidst the storage garages. Phesx didn¡¯t know if he was really that fast, or the young man too slow. Regardless, Phesx didn¡¯t worry about those tails. The hawks he threw into the garbage containers didn¡¯t carry any phone or communication device, only handguns. Phesx tilted his head to the right, crouching atop a building¡¯s corner on the other side of the street from the storage garages. Checking a spot, he impulsed himself downwards, running a couple of times down the wall before holding hard with his left hand, halting his falling speed before sliding forwards. Jumping into the air, he rolled on the ground before running towards the storage garages. ¡­ The target looked behind him, swinging his arms a bit. He could swear he saw some people walk towards him, like 100 meters behind him. He didn¡¯t expect it, so he returned his eyes to the front. When he realized and looked back again, the person wasn¡¯t there anymore. But the target was somewhat alarmed. He kept looking back and could discern some limbs or clothes hiding just in time before he could catch them exposed. His head began to feel more and more dizzy. Just then, he heard a whistle, sounding 5 parts like a human and 5 parts like a bird. He frowned and paused for a moment but continued right after. His eyes become used to the dark as he just stepped out of a streetlight. They discerned a leg stretching out of a corner of one of the garages. The young man frowned, but then, his eyebrows eased. Nearing that leg, it retracted just a few seconds before he could run around the corner. The young man became flustered and hurried around that corner, meeting a pair of gloved hands moving to seize him. ¡°I think they¡¯re following me! They are here, I think I¡¯m in danger! Ah-¡± ¡­ Chapter 62 — Having So Much Fun! Having So Much Fun! Phesx Caolia grabbed the young man''s shoulders, turning and pulling him with force to the ground. Before the young man could say another thing or continue that interrupted scream, Phesx slapped the hell out of his cheeks, twice each. The young man shut up. Phesx grabbed him from the armpits and rushed away. He could hear the tails'' flustered footsteps after their target suddenly fled. They rushed ahead, but their target was long gone. There was nothing behind, not a trace, and they even felt like nothing in this area suffered changes from what it looked like before this happened. Helpless, they looked around before giving the worst news to their superiors. ¡­ Phesx rushed through alleys and atop some rooftops, carrying the young man whose face contorted and twisted, unable to calm down as his body flailed everywhere. When Phesx stopped near the corner of a faraway block, in an industry facility¡¯s driveway, the young man lashed out, ¡°Stop grabbing me like that! What are you doing?! I¡¯m not one of your whores!¡± Phesx let go of him and pushed him slightly. The young man hit his back against the wall with a reddened face. Phesx tilted his head, looking at the fella. About the same height; so, quite tall, and slender. Creamy bronze skin and innocent eyes, with a ridiculous, very short hair and a large white shirt. Obscure blue jeans and top quality shoes, those that costed tens of thousands of credits because why not. ¡°What? Afraid now?¡± The young man spoke with a boyish tone, like a spoiled yet matured brat. Phesx didn¡¯t move, accidentally encouraging the fella. ¡°Kneel right now! I won¡¯t tell my father you touch-¡± Slam- slap slap slap! Phesx kicked the fella on the sternum, back into the wall. The latter¡¯s arms went up, spreading as his breath left his body and his eyes overly widened. Phesx didn¡¯t stop. He buffeted the young man, slapping those already reddened cheeks, this time without gloves. Afterwards, he pulled the fella from his collar up to his face, saying beneath his mask, ¡°Listen to me. Do as I say. Waste any more of our time, and you¡¯ll see how this is the last time I warn you.¡± ¡°Understood?¡± Phesx tilted his head from side to side, making the young man squeak with tiny noises, feeling pain. He nodded repeatedly, but then, he put on furious eyes and looked at the red mask. ¡°You don¡¯t dare kill me. Or my father will kill you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx didn¡¯t know what was the childhood trauma, mental issue with this piece of brain fart, but he felt it could be fun. After a silence, once again accidentally encouraging the fella, Phesx kneeled the fella¡¯s sternum. Now, the young man had no even breathing for minutes. ¡°Don¡¯t shout or peek, no matter what. Do it, and I¡¯ll shoot your limbs, including the one on the opposite extreme of your neck.¡± Phesx pulled the target away after frowning his eyes when he saw a patrolling PPO vehicle near this street. They walked out of the driveway and went into a long, wide alleyway. The young man dared not or couldn¡¯t bullshit anymore. Phesx pulled his hair if he refused to keep moving. In just a minute, Phesx dominated the terrible beast, only needing to place his hand on the fella¡¯s back to move. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx narrowed his eyes before taking a turn in the alleyway. Afterwards, the fella exclaimed, wanting Phesx to realize, but the latter kept walking forward. ¡°Cops?¡± There were 2 police units from a PPO with their vehicle parked at the side, looking around without talking to each other. They noticed Phesx after a few seconds, with some light falling on him as he carried the young man. ¡°Hey, who are you?¡± - ¡°Let¡¯s see. What¡¯s going on here?¡± They reacted with calmness, but their hands went to their handguns. Phesx held the young man over his shoulders with his right arm. His left hand was somewhere behind his thigh. ¡°Stop right there! That¡¯s a criminal you¡¯re carrying, young ma-¡± One of the officers said, unbuttoning his holster. But then, with the other police unit looking at the former and mimicking his actions, Phesx flatly flashed his left hand. He aimed his small pistol at them and fired. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The young man was flabbergasted. He was about to exclaim like crazy after both police units were shot in the chest. They flew backwards a few steps, falling, but without blood spraying in some angle. Yet, in the next moment, both police units were shot again in the chest, further blasting backwards with some blood exiting the first police unit¡¯s mouth. ¡°What the hell¡­ man? What the hell! Those are the police! Do you know how close we are to Proteros? There are like 5 state police department¡¯s branches here in the city!¡± The young man held his head, incredulous, and already feeling doomed. Maybe not dead, but in deep ass trouble. ¡°Does police use high-quality armor vests, too?¡± Phesx had the humor to join the talkative club for a while. The fella was stupefied. He looked closely at the police units who writhed in the ground. Still capable of surviving the gunshots, but in a lot of pain and incapacitated. ¡°Well-¡± The fella sweated, about to advise Phesx to call an ambulance. When Phesx pulled him to walk to their vehicle and aimed his small pistol to the right, firing twice at the necks of both police units. Bang! Bang! The young man was startled. Fear creeped in, and when he noticed Phesx had let go of him, Phesx was already talking to the radio. Phesx used a device to talk through it, or he would give clues to the government after they got handsy once the plan went accordingly. When he exited the vehicle to bring the target in, turning around, Phesx saw a muzzle pointed at him. He wasn¡¯t surprised, of course. ¡°Okay, this is how it¡¯ll go. I will deliver you to the cops and-¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! Phesx didn¡¯t give the young man a chance to react. He smirked as the fella pulling the trigger when his warning shot sounded and a bullet shot past the fella¡¯s right shoulder. But the handgun¡¯s safety was on. Then, he aimed his small pistol to the handgun, which directly broke apart, followed by a few fingers with another bullet. ¡°Aaaggghh!¡± The young man screamed, holding his bleeding fingers together, but Phesx dashed to him. The fella didn¡¯t even see him coming when he felt his back against a wall again. The young man teared up, but Phesx¡¯s elbow poked his neck either way, looking at him closely. ¡°You know what kind of criminal group can obtain high-quality vests? Well, picture this. They can only buy it from those who used at least low-quality uniform armor. And those who do don¡¯t even sell it. So, going up a level, only those with the best uniform armors wouldn¡¯t care about vests. How many people do you think someone with such contacts have? And they want to put your papi in check with you.¡± Phesx¡¯s words were breathy and low, but they were like metal shards crushing into his eyes for the young man. ¡°H- hundreds?¡± The young man stuttered, unable to feel the slightest bit of calm. Phesx nodded slowly. Then, he tilted his head to the right, a lot. ¡°I think this will be enough.¡± ¡°?¡± The young man continued tearing up, when Phesx let go of him and stepped back twice. Suddenly, the fella¡¯s eyes constricted. He felt his neck swallow itself, gasping sharply like a scaredy little kid. Slam! Crrussh¡­ ¡°AAaa AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa aaaAAAH!¡± The young man bawled, and within such reason. Phesx¡¯s left foot crushed the young man¡¯s right shoulder, leaving a limp arm hanging at the side. The young man teared even more, his face becoming a little purple, or blue? Phesx didn¡¯t care as he grinned. Grabbing a few thin containers from his back uniform pockets with the thickness of his pinky, he roughly poured red and green ointment in the fella¡¯s fingers. Then, he injected a red syringe in the fella¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°Come on,¡± Phesx said, grabbing the target''s right trapezius muscle and shoving him into the cop car. Hurting the target more. Phesx drove the car into the alley and hid it behind a few garbage containers, leaving the corpses to rot on the sidewalk. Meanwhile, the young man became delusional in the car. Things just went¡­ horribly wrong for him out of nowhere. Why?! After hiding the car, Phesx pulled the target out and rushed away. Those screams after the gunshots were bound to give anyone who heard them difficult nights. Thus, with the young man¡¯s bleeding stopping after hiding the car, they disappeared in the deep of the night. When the next communication had to go through, Phesx alerted Riverlye of the police involvement. Maybe not the bigshot police, but some. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to know about this, since there was little preparation for the mission. Otherwise, Riverlye would¡¯ve just aimed at the corrupt police from the get-go. The target¡¯s injuries stabilized, but he was drained and almost collapsed every other street they crossed. As the daylight was only an hour away, Phesx and the target neared the rendezvous point. But he started hearing a multitude of vehicles driving by. Phesx stopped, knowing they¡¯d be found out soon enough. He went to a garbage container, opened a few bags, and hid the young man there after giving him a few pieces of cloth to not get his injuries dirty. Then, after injecting a red syringe in the target¡¯s neck, making him fall asleep, Phesx shot up into the air. Bang! Phesx walked to the middle of the short but broad alley. He heard the vehicles continue driving away for 2 seconds before screeching, retuning all at once where they heard the big bang go off. Vrr vrrr¡­ Phesx was just about to crouch, when 2 bikes turned around the corner behind him, entering the alley. In a second, he turned around, and their lights illuminated him. There were 2 people on each bike, but when they saw Phesx, they were flabbergasted. What clown would dress up and fire a big gun in the middle of the night? They were about to call it off as a false alarm, when Phesx lifted his small pistol and shot the one to his right. The helmet did nothing to save him, falling to the side a few meters near the hidden target. The passenger flailed with the bike before crushing his leg and face on the pavement. The other bike responded, with the passenger¡¯s chest blasted twice by Phesx as a submachine gun fell from his hands. The biker at the front lifted his hands, slowing the bike. Phesx lowered his pistol, but when the bike approached his left, he kicked it with his left sole. The biker directly fell towards Phesx as the bike was kicked to the right. Phesx landed his left elbow on the biker¡¯s neck as he fell, gaining quite a few style points with a cracking sound echoing throughout. Phesx was left alone in the alleyway¡­ Well, there was still the target. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The other passenger from the other bike had his brains spread, kissing the road, so Phesx didn¡¯t bother. Just then, a car¡¯s front lights illuminated from the streets. Phesx looked at the side, hearing people come out and close the door. Focusing on their footsteps, Phesx stood still before suddenly crouching. Trrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrr r r r r r r r r. The narrow walls between the buildings, enough for a person to go through sideways, were sprayed by Phesx. Some bullets ricocheted a few times, landing on the people¡¯s feet, making them fall and cry out in fear. When Phesx heard the first fall, he advanced while crouching. Once everyone had fallen and writhed on the ground, he recharged the small gun in less than 2 seconds, peeking from the narrow spaces and finishing each criminal on the ground. Phesx didn¡¯t glance at some, sparing not a second one to those he stared at, before hearing multiple footsteps approach from the other side of the alley whence the bikes came. Phesx returned to the alley, walking out of the side of a building and fired at the armed people more than 50 meters away. As he shot, he didn¡¯t stop walking, fulminating the enemy with the remaining contents of this magazine. Bang bang bang, bang bang! Trrrr rrrr rrrrr rrrr rrr rrr! Phesx was just recharging, when the footsteps from various individuals stepping into the alley from different directions gained his attention. Phesx threw his submachine gun¡¯s magazine into the air with a slight shake of his head and held his pistol with his left hand. He aimed at the heads of those walking into view immediately. One after another, heads exploded bits or even a third of their portions, their corpses falling to the ground with their filth covering the streets. It didn¡¯t happen to everyone, but still. Meanwhile, Phesx recharged his small gun, still tied to his right forearm, twisting his arm and crouching, and stepped back until he had to cross sideways. He peeked from another space in between, where the building¡¯s walls on his right were built fashionably behind the others in the block, or most of them. Just then, he saw a few vehicles slowly drive by, scared, but they had to know what was going on in that alley. They had difficulty seeing through the narrow spaces. Suddenly, they spotted a cloaked figure with a red mask crouching just to their right. Simultaneously, Phesx frowned, hearing even more and more footsteps walking towards the alley from every possible angle, including 4 heavy pickup trucks. He aimed his small gun to the 2 cars in front, clueless, barely aiming with their guns. Trrrr rrrrrr rrrrr rrrrrrr rr rrrr¡­ Phesx fired at their windows, whereas only a few who ducked in time, with at least some survival instinct, used the bodies of those to their right as shields. Some exited their cars, others didn¡¯t. Phesx aimed at each of those who didn¡¯t come out, headshooting them or exploding their necks second after second. He felt he was a little slow in accomplishing it. Those who wanted to run away were reached by Phesx, who took his pistol out and emptied his last bullets in the magazine on them, destroying their organs from behind. Even he recognized that was an ugly way to go. Phesx had to step into the street because of his submachine gun low magazine and the small pistol¡¯s short range. When Phesx walked back to where he came out from, many shoulders and faces flashed by, walking around and amassing in number. Phesx could go back and enter through another narrow space, or stay hidden and wait until they come out to kill them one by one before chasing them when they cowered behind the buildings. But where was the fun in that?! Phesx didn¡¯t step back, he rushed forth instead. A few criminals widened their eyes and signaled to the others, ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± - ¡°I found one!¡± - ¡°Come quickly!¡± - ¡°Ya te agarramos, pendejo!¡± Yet, all Phesx did was push forth as they wanted to chase him, thinking he¡¯d run away. Despite their moronic ¡®training¡¯, they did seem quite a bit experienced. But Phesx didn¡¯t care about that. He entered the narrow space with his shoulders pushed forwards, and his small pistol placed at the rear of his collar. Trrr rr rr rr. The first few to fall littered the other side of the building, alarming the others. There was a momentary pause before more and more criminals flowed to the narrow space like locusts. Phesx aimed, pulled the trigger, killed, aimed a little differently or waited for another body to step into his firing line before pulling it again. It seemed endless. Phesx heard footsteps from his left, where other people were detouring to get him from behind. He didn¡¯t care and continued killing those in front. When he recharged, he rapidly grabbed a handgun from the floor and kept the enemy at bay with suppressive fire. Once he recharged his submachine gun rather quickly, Phesx threw the handgun. The criminals acted brave, charging forth as soon as he ¡®went out of bullets¡¯, and stepped in contribute to form a little hill in front of the narrow space. Bang! Bang bang! At some point, Phesx widened his eyes. He didn¡¯t look behind but turned his body to the left. His organs felt glad about the ampler space, although it was too little. His left arm went above his head and to his left as his hand grabbed his small pistol. Firing without looking back, Phesx¡¯s ears rang with limp corpses tumbling down a few times. Trr rrr rrrr rrrrr rrr rrrr-. Phesx continued killing those on his right, with enough corpses to crouch and avoid some enemy gunfire, much to his disbelief. However, he was either too concentrated or didn¡¯t have the time to fake a reaction as he withheld a focused expression. Then, his small submachine gun¡¯s current magazine ran out of bullets at last. Phesx fired at another 2 on his left with the small pistol, when he heard more footsteps from idiots moving on his right. He pushed his left foot to the right, sticking it in the corner of the wall before lowering his head as if to fall with the top of his head first. Phesx ¡®s head was upside down, maintained by his legs in a diagonal position. When those to his right showed up with the hopes he was finally vulnerable, his small pistol fired 4 times at 2 criminals, exploding their heads and necks to show he wasn¡¯t over yet. Phesx grabbed another magazine, cocking his chin to the left, and recharged his submachine gun while resuming his most natural position. Both arms raised to his sides, and continued the gunfight, counting his small pistol¡¯s magazine before reloading again. ¡°¡­¡± This time, however, it seemed like those on his left gave up, while those in his right seemed to attempt something. Phesx also heard some people on the rooftops. Just then, another 6 appeared on his right. Phesx frowned. When would they actually stop pouring? Not even Preut military camps were like this. Phesx emptied his submachine gun, becoming alerted. ¡®Someone is commanding them. Not bad, but they are bad.¡¯ Phesx recharged his small gun for the umpteenth time, close to the alleyway. Just then, his eyes contents shrank as he threw himself to the ground and used someone¡¯s torso to cover his head, neck, and heart. Fortunately, it was a fat man, so a thigh also covered his groins. Bang! Bang! Bang!¡­ Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Various heads appeared above Phesx. He couldn¡¯t care how young some looked, as 1 of them even wielded a rifle! Phesx blew their eyes and foreheads off, feeling the fat corpse tremble under a rapid burst of fire. He even felt like his sternum was shot, but that was just his senses. And then, like a domino, Phesx¡¯s senses became triggered because of that sensation, just as he finished the last one from the rooftops. The criminals seemed to pause and retreat a little, now truly fearful of whatever was hiding in that little space. Phesx felt each of his hairs raising, tickling him the wrong ways, like bugs trying to find which place was the smoothest to take a bite from. Checking his submachine gun, Phesx only had another magazine left. Meanwhile, his small pistol had 3 besides half of the current one. Phesx stumbled forwards, feeling the exhaustion. He had a good angle to watch the place he hid the garbage fella. There was a crouched person whose knees looked like they¡¯d break if they continued in that position, trembling and tired. But the target remained hidden. However, that person¡¯s position confirmed Phesx¡¯s suspicions. The alley was filled with mobsters. Even then, Phesx stepped forth. Just as he flashed his feet out of the corners, a burst of 15 shots aiming around his head fired, landing on the wall to his left. Those were good shooters, alright. But to Phesx, that only meant more¡­ to play? To hunt? At this point, Phesx only wanted to go out there and kill them. And so, he did. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! Trrrrr rrrrr rrrrrr rrrr rrr rrrrr rrrrrrr rrrr rr r r rrrrrrrr rrr rr! Bang bang bang bang! The criminals suddenly saw thin grenades thrown from the narrow space. Those in the rooftops didn¡¯t dare to show anymore. Whoever was killing them had eyes even in the tips of their hair strands! But they weren¡¯t grenades, although most mobsters fired at them, wanting to detonate them in the air like they¡¯ve seen in some real footage on the internet. Immediately after, Phesx rushed out. More such ¡®thin grenades¡¯ flew from inside, but they ignored them this time and fired at the sole person against them. Phesx only ran, not even bothering to kill them as his pivots slowed and deviated as many bullets as possible. And as little as ever possible. Phesx counted at least 20 on both sides with his side eyes. With these many people, anyone could imagine just how much of a mess could his pivots do even if they all wielded handguns. Yet, half of them had submachine guns, and a few rifles. Phesx scrammed forwards, ignoring the tinkling noises as hundreds of bullets flew from one side to another, with barely a few following him. He jumped over an empty garbage container. Just as he looked like he was about to enter it, his back falling down. He supported his body with his right arm again and jumped for the second time, well past the container, making it look as easy as jumping twice in a row on a flat surface. That actually saved him from a barrage of bullets that turned the garbage container into a beehive. Meanwhile, Phesx rolled to the side, lunging away like an animal before rolling 3 times in a row as bullets deviated everywhere. Suddenly, the entire alleyway became an implosion of bullets! Phesx¡¯s eyes became sharp and fiery as he felt several cuts on his back and legs from every possible angle. His small gun and pistol covered his groins from the back and front inside his uniform, actually clanking some noises when he was running over. ¡°AAAAGH!¡± - ¡°Dammit!¡± - ¡°We are being ambushed!¡± - ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking say a thing!¡± Phesx didn¡¯t rest even then. He stood up, aimed with his submachine gun from the waist, and exposed himself again. The others who thought he died and just rolled like a rag doll were startled, but they acted quick. Less than 14 remained on the ground; a stupidly lucky gamble. Yet, Phesx was much more efficient and quick than them. He aimed and fired, killing everyone on the rooftops before his right side was shot. Then, he crouched before rolling backwards. Rapidly standing without jumping, Phesx heard the bullets from behind, having sent his last pivots backwards while he rolled. He let his hyper sensitive state guide him. The trajectory, the noise where those muzzles fired compared to the sound of their triggers activating the mechanism. And the flight of the shooting bullets towards him passing through his last pivots. They were all in his mind, processed through his body, and reacted by his all. Phesx felt his breath, and suddenly, he crouched like a crab before hitting his bum on the ground. A row of bullets flew just past above his head. Then, he rolled to the right and kept firing at those in front of him. Killing a few more, he recharged while standing up to run backwards to his right, getting closer and closer to a long wall. Bullets followed him, only striking the air in front of him, cutting some of his clothes and skin. Phesx didn¡¯t even notice he was no longer aided by his pivots, but his senses were on full demand to care. He fired his submachine gun while sliding backwards whilst turning his body the other way and facing those who freely shot at him these past few seconds. Mowing them down, Phesx was alarmed by another 4 heavy pickup trucks moving towards the alley from afar. He even heard a few gunshots from them. Furthermore, his hearing told him there were more coming from the other side of the alley. He was fucked now, officially fucked. However, that couldn¡¯t stop him. Phesx felt numb, yet, it wasn¡¯t adrenaline, but that wasn¡¯t something he was used to before, so Phesx couldn¡¯t know. Phesx returned to the alley, but his submachine gun had emptied its bullets. He used it as a shield while using his small pistol to kill the last few. He shot as much as possible, still having some magazines for it. His senses brought him to roll, dash, and ¡®dance¡¯ with multiple spins to cover, low and high, to be shot the less. It was a ridiculous sight, but he was still killing them! Getting closer and closer, Phesx still had another magazine from his small pistol. Yet, after he emptied the rest of the half of the current magazine, and he aimed at the last 2, Phesx fired it 4 times, accurately landing 2 in their stomachs before his right hand holding the pistol was hit. The impact had Phesx tripping to the left, to which he forcefully stopped himself and looked at the right, where the last 2 mobsters writhed before becoming limp. His back bent, at last. Phesx¡¯s breathing was thin, something he barely noticed now, and his backhand had an ugly hole near his thumb. As he held his wrist with his left hand, he saw those other pickup trucks turning towards the alley. Everything was fucked. And far away, sharing the hiding spot with 3 corpses, garbage fella slept soundly. Phesx felt his knees give in, his tendons, bones, veins, skin¡­ everything felt so painful¡­ What¡¯s more, he kneeled while a bit of blood exited each of his cuts and few gunshots. ¡­ Chapter 63 — A City Afraid A City Afraid A while earlier. On the rooftop of a seemingly abandoned building near the wealthy district, where multitudes of vehicles and people drove and walked by, starting their day, still at the beginning of their week. Riverlye''s large group was there, having spread through this corner of the neighborhood. From other abandoned buildings to rooftops from houses and buildings the people didn''t frequently visit. They were also installed between some streets, but that would only ¡®occur¡¯ during the 2nd and 3rd phase of the mission. The same Arista who previously stood up in the helicopter when the Instructor was calling the few select and was bashed down with words stood near the edge. He looked at the city, facing the wealthy district, and complained yet again after another 10 minutes passed. ¡°Man, he¡¯s somewhere being reckless. Where the hell is he? How are we supposed to keep the mission going just like this? He fucked up!¡± The other Artistas, some at work and others resting, looked at him again, and as before, they ignored the fella. This time, though, footsteps echoed behind the young man, who looked back to see who wanted to mess with him before becoming a mute. Pheli stood a few meters behind him, staring with a bulky and large rifle. While the young man felt cold sweat, Pheli looked away and headed to the Instructor, who remained near the communications¡¯ guys. Their tech was to read and even hear any possible, near transmission. Standing behind the Instructor, Pheli voiced before he turned around to face her, ¡°I¡¯d like to assemble my group to search my Artista. It might attract unneeded attention, but I must.¡± ¡°The answer is still no,¡± the Instructor calmly replied. Pheli didn¡¯t step away, but the Instructor moved around to check on another few guys working on that tech. Pheli insisted, unlike in her previous attempts, ¡°Fox is a great asset. Letting him out even if he achieves his mission now will be¡­ bizarre. The mission was meant to use a couple of Artista¡¯s lives to secure the target, but he can achieve it without dying, and I¡¯d rather help him. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Instructor bent over a desk and supported his body with his hands, he stared back at Pheli, thinking, before asking someone sitting at the side from the communications guys. The latter¡¯s focus was full bent on readings and frequencies through paper or screens, but the former only had to wait every now and then to contact Phesx. ¡°How long ¡®till his next transmission?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s 2 minutes, sir.¡± The Artista casually responded before fleetingly looking at Pheli. He wouldn¡¯t be against her because of this, right? The Instructor saw the eyes of the Artista and felt somewhat irritated. Omar looked at Pheli and gestured towards the Artista, ¡°See? I¡¯ll think about it if I hear something else. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± ¡°The mission takes priority over the steps. If I see that my Artista is in danger, I won¡¯t need to assess any situation because I know what to do. Whether the instructor in command allows it or not, my people will move!¡± Pheli slowly tilted her head to the right, expressing with a frown. She grabbed attention from everywhere around, alright. Even the ¡®wronged¡¯ Artista from before looked at them, feeling nervous of their confrontation. The Instructor turned around and fully faced Pheli, knitting his own eyebrows before rising his voice, ¡°It is me who decides who movies and when or what, and if not! Don¡¯t think your position matters that much in Riverlye! There are many who can become the next weapons master. You are no Mel!¡± ¡­ bang¡­ ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± Just as they began, and Pheli was about to rise her voice, their confrontation halted when a loud small pistol gunshot sounded from afar. It was just the morning, so such a thing thundered like a train collapsing in their ears. Furthermore, it was a military grade weapon, not a mere handgun that anyone in a position to ¡®protect¡¯ wields. Everyone looked to where the small pistol was fired. They could hear it easily, facing in that direction, but only a few people walking and driving below noticed. Pheli completely ignored her situation and walked to the edge, whereas the Artista stepped away in a second. As Pheli looked into the distance, trying to guess where exactly it came from, the Instructor went back to the communications¡¯ guys, called by each of them in a row. After seeing something, or at least believing to do so, Pheli turned and walked to the Instructor. Her walk was confident. Pheli wasn¡¯t going to ask or propose anymore, clearly. But before she could get to it, the Instructor looked up at her and lifted his palm to stop her, voicing, ¡°Wait.¡± After a few seconds, the Instructor walked away from the communications¡¯ guys¡¯ corner, but Pheli¡¯s eyes were excited, having heard a bit of their exchange. The instructor ignored it and reported to everyone, not just her. ¡°There has been reports of gunshots in the wealthy district, near this one, from the northwest. We¡¯ve also caught numerous messages between our contractor¡¯s enemy leader and their people. Their leader has been commanding them for the past few minutes, and they seem to have found someone.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been lured,¡± Pheli voiced out. The Instructor nodded before looking at everyone. ¡°The mission is stepping up! Ready those preparations, scare the people and do what you must to not get chased by those guys. Keep the streets clean and squeaky for when they come. We¡¯ll only have a couple of hours at best before the military is mobilized. Who wants to stay then?¡± The Artistas didn¡¯t respond loudly nor called out in agreement, but they nodded their heads and became excited. Some couldn¡¯t wait to start decimating a rising mob into the ¡®big leagues¡¯ of the criminal world. ¡°Snow, what are you waiting here for? Go and rescue your Artista. Tell him it¡¯s a thanks for helping with the mission. That target better be safe and sound.¡± The Instructor basically gave Pheli the words she needed since a while ago, at last. Pheli nodded, cocking her head to the right, downwards, and turned around. She glanced at her group before rolling her eyes a bit. She wasted no further time and brought another 2 groups with her, rushing on foot with their cloaks and masks still on. They went through the roofs, with their selected vehicles hidden and meant for escaping. They headed to the gunshot¡¯s location. Either way, the Instructor communicated them the address as they were on their way. The closer they moved in that direction, the more and louder they heard gunshots echo, becoming more and more intense but then turning muffled. For a couple of minutes, the gunshots were stagnant, remaining in one place but still ringing on. Pheli¡¯s breathing became slightly heavier. Her eyes narrowed behind her mask as they approached it closer and closer. When they could see the alley Phesx was in, and a plethora of gunshots ringing everywhere, with many lost bullets flying up from inside it, she received more information from the Instructor. ¡°8 heavy pickup trucks are moving into the alley. You should stop them, but don¡¯t waste time. Whoever is commanding has a pull on their peoples¡¯ needs and knows how to move his chips. It¡¯s a massacre inside. Get the target, and that Artista out. Be quick.¡± Pheli frowned before sending the other 2 groups away. They changed directions, but still moved towards the same alley. Pheli led her group directly towards it. The pickup trucks were just turning to enter the alley, and Pheli furiously scanned the alley with her eyes, when she found him to the side, nearly hidden from her eyes. Pheli¡¯s eyes widened as she gave the order, lunging her group towards Phesx. ¡°Attack!¡± ¡­ On the ground, Phesx felt his knees heading into the ground, about to break and bleed or just bruise him beside those cuts. The gunshots he received were alarming, but training so much, after this much knowledge and experience, albeit not a lot compared to others. Phesx moved his body and even his insides, such as muscles, limbs, bones, and forced his organs to endure as much as he was impacted. All to avoid severe organ damage. His breath also echoed, but it was thin and ¡®elongated¡¯ in his body, but still managed to help at least a little. Now, he heard buzzing, sharp whistles echo above him in the air. Phesx couldn¡¯t understand what those were, but when he heard them more, just a few milliseconds, he felt they were familiar to¡­ Bang- boom, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang! A truck on his right bounced about when his hearing returned. Phesx¡¯s eyes opened wide as it exploded with the second shot, hitting exactly where it needed to make it go big boom. It crashed to the side, with burning living bodies slowly dying inside as the others shot into the air. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The second truck was hit after, this time only with lethality, as Pheli¡¯s group arrived atop the building before him, killing them cleanly. Pheli¡¯s rifle muzzle let off some smoke as the others moved to surround him. They aimed at the incoming pickup trucks on his left, whose mobsters exited in fear and prepared to start a gunfight. Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang! But just then, the other group freely fired away at the trucks from behind, surprising and exploding the tucks along anyone near them. Pheli¡¯s group only killed a few who ran around, confused, while the other group executed most of them. Phesx felt a few medics¡¯ hands grab his arms, tying to lift him. Im¨¢n came and held his back up, with others holding his head and shins up as well. Phesx had 2 medics attending him on his sides. They were quiet for a while as they headed to the pickup truck on his right. ¡°How is he?¡± Pheli arrived before him, appearing in his field of view like in his first mission with them. A male medic said, injecting him yellow syringes everywhere. ¡°Uhh, I don''t know why¡­ but he¡¯s doing good. His superficial wounds are fine. Some green cream will do. It¡¯s only his sides that need attention. He avoided his organs being hit, and he should be safe. Fox is smart.¡± ¡°A few pieces of bones broken and an irritated back. He¡¯ll need green injections there, but he¡¯s fine, Snow.¡± A female medic said, already tearing his shirt apart between his uniform and bleeding back. The movements hurt, but nothing like that mattered now, after what he did. ¡°Mn,¡± Pheli nodded before looking at Phesx, ¡°Where is the target?¡± ¡°Garbage, sleeping.¡± Phesx muttered. Pheli¡¯s face turned weird before blinking. Then, she went away for a few seconds while Phesx was rapidly shoved into the truck. When she returned, a bawling little boy squealed like he¡¯s been roaming the countryside for a decade alone, sounded. ¡°You have to do something! That madman hurt me. I feeeel paain~! Aaaaaaawwww- wooooo!¡± The fella shut up as Pheli shoved him to the back with Im¨¢n and the rest. The young man felt in danger again, although considerably less than with the madman from before. Pheli went into the back seats with Phesx and the medics. She looked at him, now seated as the male medic touched everywhere around his torso and the female one helped him by holding Phesx¡¯s arms. Pheli spoke, curious and a little helpless. ¡°What did you do to him?¡± ¡°¡­Do you think I¡¯d do good as a father?¡± Phesx paused before asking. Pheli, the medics, and Teon, as the driver, became paralyzed. Pheli blinked a few times before tilting her head. Phesx coughed a little before everyone went back to normal. Looking at Teon, Phesx Caolia asked, sounding worried. ¡°You¡¯re driving, Teon?¡± ¡°Yeah, and get your body ready for bumps and crashes. Because I don¡¯t like it.¡± Teon responded, starting the heavy truck before directly driving into the streets. The police were slow, of course, or they would¡¯ve arrived long ago. But once the scene was discovered, the military would rush into the city. It was far too much, even for the SPD, to handle. Thankfully, the truck was smooth and flexible despite its heaviness. Phesx felt little trouble with his wounded body, when he heard Pheli whisper, ¡°I think you¡¯d do great.¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Phesx lightly grinned, and they looked at each other as more syringes went into his skin. They didn¡¯t have time to look lovely, though. Teon expressed in a loud volume before stepping hard on the accelerator. The other 3 trucks behind them also accelerated, forming a line behind each other. ¡°We¡¯re too slow! They¡¯re catching up. Get ready to engage!¡± ¡°Main street. A lot of their forces are out, maybe even half. Fox angered them hard!¡± Pheli yelled and looked behind her as the young man became scared shitless, with the others wearing serious expressions. Behind the 3-truck line, a dozen vehicles chased after them, half of them belonging to bikes. ¡°Alright!¡± Teon said in a heavy, lazy tone before adding in a cutesy tone, ¡°I hate this!¡± The truck moved into the main street, where dozens of civilians were running already, alerted by some police who suspiciously did nothing to stop them before. Phesx looked at those cops whose hands went to their holsters but stopped when they saw the back of the truck. ¡°So it¡¯s like that¡­¡± Phesx commented. Pheli replied in a light tone, giving the medics and Phesx a small pistol. His submachine gun was ruined, but his small pistol was picked up. It was damaged, though. Pheli gave him another one before opening the windows on her side. ¡°It¡¯s been like that for more than a century¡­¡± The male medic opened the window on Phesx¡¯s side, while the female medic went to the co-driver¡¯s seat. She asked Teon as they were closed in by the mob¡¯s vehicles. ¡°Do you want to let me drive?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Teon said with a thin smile, the cheeky gal. The medic blinked before focusing on her task. The back of the truck had the young man standing, keeping Im¨¢n and the others safe. Of course, he was aimed at with handguns below the back¡¯s sides, which would fire if he dared to sit down. ¡°Teon, can you take this thing down?!¡± The male medic said, knocking the rear window and kneeling in the middle of the back seats, aiming behind while the others lied down. He would take care of those behind them, while Phesx and Pheli to the rear sides. ¡°There!¡± Teon yelled before the rear window disengaged. The young man¡¯s eyes shrank, about to be halved from the waist by the flailed window rushing about into the air. A kick behind his knees saved him, but he twisted a foot. ¡°Get up!¡± Ges¨¢n said after tumbling the fella down. The young man stood up with tears, feeling like shit as he was forced to feel more pain. Layo injected him a red syringe near his heel, saving him some pain. The trucks behind them did the same, albeit without as much trouble as they did. Then, as the enemy closed in, starting by shooting at the 2 trucks behind them, the bikers rushed ahead. They took small submachine guns out of their passengers¡¯ bags before getting closer and closer to the side windows. Both the rider and the passenger struggled to aim up at the heavy pickup trucks. The wind at these speeds wasn¡¯t ¡®a bit¡¯. But just as they ignored the young man, and didn¡¯t see Im¨¢n and the rest, Phesx, Pheli, and the male medic peeked out and barraged them with bullets. Bang bang bang, vruuumm- bang bang, bang bang! The enemy were mowed down from their bikes one after the other, as if a dozen people ambushed them out of nowhere, but it was only 3 of them. However, 2 bikes managed to drive by as Pheli aimed at them, killing their passengers first before aiming at their bikers. Bang bang bang! The female medic fired her small pistol aiming for the bikes¡¯ wheels instead, in front of Teon¡¯s face, who kept driving. It was just before they began zigzagging, thinking they¡¯d fool whoever was in front. Yet, as the medic shot, their bikes lost control, zigzagging even more before flying away. The first biker flew to the wall, impacting a concrete wall in front of a family of 3 who crouched in fear, right in front of the mother, whose scream was lost in the wind. The other biker flew into the air with his bike as its front wheel caught fire. It went below the truck behind them, crushed by the right-sided wheels before suffering the same below the 3rd truck. ¡°There¡¯re more coming¡­ We¡¯re close, form a row!¡± Pheli tilted her head low to the left after the first round of enemy vehicles was taken down. She shouted backwards. Phesx helped by pointing his pistol out, shooting once near the 2nd truck¡¯s right wheel before doing the same to the truck¡¯s right side. Before the truck moved into position, it did the same to the 3rd truck. Teon slowed down, letting them catch up to the truck¡¯s sides. Once it happened, the drivers nodded at each other before accelerating. They were just making a turn, so as they sped up, their image became a bizarre, fearsome one of bulls raging in the main streets. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± - ¡°My heavens! Brutes!¡± - ¡°Weeeeee!¡± - ¡°Don¡¯t look, honey!¡± - ¡°Get back, get back!¡± - ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± This part of the city had more people active at this time, many who came from other zones were just 15-20 minutes from the city¡¯s center, where things got busier. They couldn¡¯t hear the commotion happening far away in a corner of another district, so they were calm and living their day like any other. After the 3 big, heavy pickup trucks sped forth, with many cars panicking, carefully driving into the sidewalks. A dozen pickup trucks followed after, turning and racing each other into the sidewalks. People were immediately hurt. Many lone walkers who ignored the ruckus from before were reached and smashed by the roaring trucks. Other families rushed away, some sacrificing themselves for their younger ones. It wasn¡¯t until a kilometer later that everyone stuck to the walls and the store owners and even residences opened their doors to them¡­ The people were panicked and grieving, fearful and sobbing, but they helped each other after desperate screams echoed in the streets like never before. It was just a simple, other, typical day. Why did it have to be like this? ¡°¡­¡± Phesx could see the other trucks¡¯ co-drivers. One was a woman, whose driver was the same, but the former was dead with her neck and chest pierced with blood flooding her. The other co-driver was still choking with bullets and blood in his neck as the driver focused on the road. They received direct impact from before. Their attention was brought to the trucks from the first round due to their many submachine guns, but still only allowed a few bikes to rush forth. Phesx didn¡¯t know how to feel, but he knew how he wanted to react. Phesx Caolia hid his hands beneath his thighs when he realized he lost himself a bit there. Then, he looked up, seemingly noticing something. He narrowed his eyes, staring very far away, and atop a few abandoned buildings, as the main street turned elsewhere, but their destination was in front. Trrrrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang¡­! Suddenly, firepower rained from the rooftops. The several pickup trucks behind them were bombarded with bullets from the front, protecting the column of heavy pickup trucks ahead. The latter kept rushing forth, entering the streets of another district as cars, waiting in stops, didn¡¯t know what to do. Thus, they were helplessly pushed away. The only problem was heavy trucks¡¯ speed. Phesx sharply breathed in and prepared for the bumps and crashes Teon talked about. Civilians were slammed away, pushed after the initial collision, with the trucks bouncing and some passing over other vehicles. Only bikes escaped the momentary ¡®light¡¯ stampede, snaking through the gaps of light traffic before the trucks slammed against everyone. But it wasn¡¯t the same for those behind the heavy trucks. The mobsters crashed everywhere, with hurls of gunfire falling on them, some tried to rush to the sides and hide in a building to not fucking die. However, they crashed into concrete walls and injured some civilians before being fusilladed, still in their trucks, by the same gunfire, only with more focus on them. Others stopped moving in the middle of the intersection between one district to another, with many pedestrians and perplexed drivers looking in a state of shock. It wasn¡¯t until more pickup trucks drove by fast that they woke up and tried to calm down, nobody acted crazy, thankfully. The 3 heavy trucks continued rushing towards the safe house. They didn¡¯t have to slow down, as the civilians around the zone were scared beforehand. Thus, the trucks drove until they arrived at the safe house, with gunfire still supporting them from the roofs as the mobsters were forced to stop and form a defensive line with their trucks. However, by then, Phesx was helped up some stairs to meet the Instructor, with a young man in shock, who couldn¡¯t believe one of his arms and feet were useless now. He had to be carried by Im¨¢n like a princess and was injected more red syringes around his shoulder and foot to deal with the pain. ¡­ Chapter 64 — Skylarking Under Half A Moon Skylarking Under Half A Moon After dragging the corpses and injured out of the heavy trucks, the 3 groups went to meet with the Instructor atop the safe house. Gunfire sounded nonstop, coloring the lights of the morning with a much different worldview that the city had never experienced before. Especially if considered how close it is to Proteros'' borders. Phesx could now walk by himself as he dragged his prize, or target, and pushed him to the front. The Instructor took a good look at the fella, who seemed to understand what was going on, and went, ¡°Oh, sir! Please! This man is crazy¡­ He¡¯s a madman! Save me from him, please. I beg you, sniff¡­ I¡¯m begging you, all of my body has been destroyed because of him!¡± If the young man could, he would¡¯ve placed his palms together, but he could only wish he looked more pitiful. But at least he trusted his slumped shoulder and unnaturally twisted foot. Omar frowned and looked at Phesx, ¡°Fox, is that true?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Phesx calmly answered with a shake of his head. ¡°These injuries were caused by the mobsters. I only gave him a few slaps to shut him down, but only red syringes helped with that. Else, he would¡¯ve been taken away before that fight in the alleyway.¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s not true!¡± The fella despaired, when Phesx suddenly injected him a red syringe in the left jugular. The young man dropped to the ground, hitting his forehead a bit. Phesx looked up and said, showing his master weapon. ¡°See?¡± The Instructor looked at Phesx for a while before nodding. Phesx left, feeling weakened and still needing treatment for his gunshot wounds. He went to the medics while Pheli, her group, and the other 2 groups reported the situation. As for Phesx¡¯s report, it didn¡¯t really matter. Phesx went inside the safe house, where the medics from before and a few others waited for him. He looked at the side just as he lied down on a comfy stretcher. He saw 4 others with fatal injuries around their necks or gunshots in their torsos. ¡°I can wait. I feel comfortable, so go ahead.¡± Phesx said. His voice semi-broken and soft, as always. But a medic said, ¡°The order-¡± ¡°Touch me now, and I¡¯ll give you a reason to not see me.¡± Phesx grabbed his wrist and tightened his grasp. The medic exchanged eyes with the other medics before nodding to each other. The medics from his group nodded at Phesx before leading the rest away. They treated the other people first. Phesx relaxed in his stretcher. With the sudden alarms going off in the city as this attack simple happened from one moment to many more. They only had a few hours. But that would be enough. From what Phesx heard from the communications¡¯ guys, a lot of criminals from the contractor¡¯s enemy mob were mobilized. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the groups went out to hunt those who wanted to desert the leader who only sends them to their deaths. By then, those who hid, even from the beginning, will also be hunted by the group that wasn¡¯t here, which was the Instructor¡¯s group. Everything seemed ready. The only inconvenience now, besides the injured target, was the heavily inured. They had to be treated before moving out. Not everyone had 4-wheeled vehicles to escape, or with more wheels. Phesx rested his eyes, but he still maintained his guard up. As his eyes closed, he went back to the gunfight in the alleyway. It was the craziest, immediate, close-by situation he¡¯s been in. He believed it would remain that way for months and years to come. That was something else. Slowly, the injured were treated by all medics, performing some surgeries and applying many high-tech medical supplies. Skin partitions were the least important and were only used after a successful surgery. Although Riverlye medics could fail a surgery, they could rapidly recuperate from that. Otherwise, Riverlye and any lagj secret organization would just kidnap hospital surgeons whenever they went on a big mission like this one. After Phesx was treated, with his body starting the process a bit on its own, Pheli returned with the Instructor. Phesx was still being treated, with his right side cleaned and being poured yellow ointment inside. ¡°I¡¯ve been briefed of your doings. I saw images, too. You¡¯ve done quite something, lad¡­ You are mad, you know that?¡± Omar said, standing half a meter away from his stretcher. Phesx gulped a mouthful of water before nodding, ¡°I did my best.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s time to move. The city governor has been given an order from the president himself, hahaha. Ahh, it¡¯d be a triumphant return. The second-last step is on the move. Those fuckers who went after you are leaving this world. Soon, their commander will, as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Phesx said, ignoring the pull of skin the female medic accidentally did. She looked up to see if her oops hurt him Omar nodded and continued, ¡°The group is just getting ready. Help move everyone to the cars if you can. It will be time to lie low. Safe travels back to Sargonde.¡± With that, the Instructor turned around and left. Pheli walked around and took the tools from the medic, who nodded and just walked away to help prepare the wheels for the other injured. Pheli took care of Phesx for 4 minutes before patching him up with a skin partition. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of money everywhere,¡± Phesx said. The medical room, the weaponry, ammunition, and the technology used since the early morning to find and chase the mission¡¯s objectives weren¡¯t small things. Pheli looked up at him with her resting face, ¡°I know. Want to know how much is the pay to Riverlye?¡± Phesx nodded. Pheli gave him a ¡®I¡¯m young and reckless¡¯ rock band shirt to wear before softly saying, ¡°From 15 to 20 million credits, I¡¯d say. Riverlye will definitely keep at least 10 or 15 million, just depending. But we don¡¯t get paid the less we are, but the more we do. You¡¯ll get your money.¡± ¡°And those who didn¡¯t die in extracting me from the alley?¡± Phesx asked, thinking of something after knowing that fact. Pheli replied, helping him up after he put the shirt on. ¡°Big payday, too. But not as much. You were supposed to die or be horrendously injured with Omar¡¯s plans.¡± ¡°Yeah, figured much when I was on my way here.¡± Phesx held groans and grunts as he tried standing on his own. Pheli helped him until he could stand without her help. Opening the door to the exit, Pheli nodded to her medics, who went to them to rejoin the group. ¡°What did you get for us?¡± Phesx asked after walking down to the main floor. Pheli looked ahead, helping him a little to quicken his pace, ¡°You¡¯ll like it. I got us matching helmets. We¡¯ll go northeast from here, alright?¡± ¡°Is it that bad?¡± Phesx ruefully smirked, feeling weak. Pheli nodded, ¡°3,000 elements were deployed from the capital alone, with another 2,000 send to each airport. All on the president¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°Fucking fuck,¡± Phesx jumped his eyebrows. Were they that famous? Pheli seemed to know his train of thought, adding as she opened the door to the outside. ¡°We only killed those bastards, but they vented on some civilians and blew up some streets to scare us.¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting the blame and all eyes on us. The world is hating us all, but the secret world¡­¡± Pheli let her words trail off. Phesx looked at her and complemented her words, ¡°Is shining towards us?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Pheli blew air from her nostrils before saying with a smirk, ¡°That is one way to put it.¡± ¡°Here it is,¡± Pheli said after they walked through the empty streets. Little to no Artista remained to protect the target, which the Instructor would move in a few minutes to meet his daddy. Phesx smirked, thinking of the man whose son was beaten the hell out of just because he wanted, and was provoked, of course. Then, he heard Pheli speak before pointing at a narrow alley between apartments. ¡°A dirt bike?¡± Phesx widened his eyes. Pheli pouted her lower lip, ¡°You don¡¯t want it? I could¡¯ve taken a family van, but chose this one instead.¡± The dirt bike was a very good one, definitely not for kids. It had a white main color and red everywhere else, including the wheels and the gauges to measure and display its stuff. Phesx shook his head. ¡°Just¡­ fantastic, I think.¡± Phesx stood up and looked at his woman. She looked at him, slightly smiling to her choice working as intended. He suddenly held her face and kissed her with newfound passion. Pheli received him whole, and when he separated to go for the baby, she asked, smiling with a blush. ¡°What was that about?¡± ¡°I met a gentle gal once, but we were only so much for so little. She understood, at least. I would¡¯ve damaged her if I even tried. I hate forcing myself, or others.¡± Phesx took some tiny, thin tools from his pockets before starting the bike on his own, moving here and there. He prepared the bike before looking at Pheli, whose eyes were wide and attentive, ¡°I always wondered what it would feel if the one I rode with was¡­ someone I wanted¡­ and could handle me¡­ som-¡± ¡°The love of your life. You don¡¯t have to make it so dramatic. Let¡¯s go.¡± Pheli humorously walked over and casually hopped onto the back of the seat before putting her palms together. ¡°I¡¯m still looking for something to hug.¡± Phesx blinked and blinked again before smirking from the left corners of his lips. He slipped into the seat, immediately feeling her hands slide through his sides to his chest. Hugging him and resting her chin on his left shoulder, Pheli felt him rode onwards, moving through the empty streets before looking at the side. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°These are the helmets?¡± Phesx said, helpless. Pheli smirked and grabbed the black one hidden in the glass compartment at the side of the bike. She said after putting hers on, ¡°Isn¡¯t it fitting?¡± Phesx¡¯s helmet was black, but it had a cat with brown paws and beige fur overall sticking its tongue out on the back. Pheli¡¯s was a dull pink helmet, with a black kitty with azure eyes bearing her fangs to cut his helmet¡¯s cat¡¯s tongue off. Phesx nodded, rolling his eyes. Pheli pinched him, seeing his eyes through the bike¡¯s wing mirrors. ¡­ The city wasn¡¯t in a lockdown, but everyone was notified to stay at home and remain calm. All the police, even the corrupt, were ordered to send 2-days supplies to every home and apartment in the city to avoid anyone from going outside. Others were first tasked with bringing everyone in the streets back to their homes or to shelters. It was a neat response from something so sudden and¡­ tragic. Phesx met a few SPD blockades. Their equipment went with some of the group who took cars to escape the state¡¯s pursuit. Nothing like a scared girlfriend and a dude with barely a clue of what he was doing to get rid of the cops so they could get far away from the city. After they fled the city, things got easier. They passed though stops like nothing, only needing to give from 10 to 20 credits per stop, saying they were from another state and were just planning to get to Proteros next week. Not much else was needed besides their chatting skills. When the night fell, past 10 PM, they were near D¨¦sinc¨¢¡¯s far northwestern borders. Phesx and Pheli decided to rest, with Phesx needing that rest more than anything. Pheli helped him up the rooftop of a large parking garage. She grabbed all the cloth from the bike¡¯s storage compartment to make a little bed with their helmets and gloves as pillows. But sooner rather than later, Pheli used his chest as her pillow. They stared at the sky while they rested, trying to fall asleep. ¡°Forzt.¡± Phesx looked down, glancing at his woman, whose orange hair faced him back. He expressed, nudging her head with his chin, ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°My family name, Caolia, you mister.¡± Pheli replied. She lifted her face to look at him. Since his chin was close, she smooched it before pushing it away with her right index finger. Phesx blinked as she lifted her head to rest her head on his right shoulder, very close to his face, staring at him with fully opened eyes. ¡°Pheli Forzt¡­ it sounds good. That¡¯s¡­¡± Phesx voiced, trailing off. Pheli slightly nodded, ¡°It¡¯s from T¨²acan. Just from the other side of the country¡¯s heart. I was born in a little family. Just kidding. An enormous family. Wealthy, too. Influential, as well. It is the largest family in the ¡®world¡¯s state of redheads¡¯ for every merit.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I heard those words before, in Ojazul.¡± Phesx looked up, but his eyes seemed vacant as Pheli¡¯s celeste eyes focused on them. On him; whole. His right hand caressed her head, hair, and cheek, comforting her, but relaxing with the sensations. ¡°So, did my Phephe have an evil mother-in-law, did your family want to give you to a big bad prince that would only abuse you, or were your triplet sisters trying to kill you? Why did you leave that place?¡± His voice soothed her, regardless of their comical tone, if a little. Smiles formed at his lips as he spoke, looking like quite the charmer and besotting her. ¡°I didn¡¯t like being¡­ under the world¡¯s eyes and actions. My father leads the family.¡± Pheli paused before continuing, chuckling a bit of air out of her nostrils. ¡°Not for succession, but because he is that good. His management, social skills and understanding of the heart brought the Forzt ¡®clan¡¯ to the highest we¡¯ve ever been.¡± ¡°Some even said, 4 decades ago, that my father, a young man, could bring the ¡®second Preut¡¯ into Lymoca¡¯s future. But not Preut, as T¨²acan is one of the sacred, oldest, core territories of Lys since the beginning of the 4th order.¡± ¡°My father was young then. My mother was getting sicker, but she still tried to have children with my pa. They had me, but mother grew worse and worse and worse and¡­ worse.¡± Pheli released a big bout of air after saying these words. She blinked, before Phesx pinched her nose and scratched her gently, as if knowing she would feel better getting rid of that itch. An itch she didn¡¯t even realize she had. ¡°Thanks,¡± Pheli delicately expressed. Phesx responded with a nod. Her eyes suddenly focused on him. His eyes were practically lost, looking at the sky with a few stars. Few but shiny. They glowed brighter than most any other day. Pheli knitted her eyebrows, unsure. ¡°¡­¡± Puckering her lips a bit in concern, Pheli landed her right hand on his sternum, rubbing it ever so slightly in circular motions. Phesx blinked a few times. His eyes returned to the real world, feeling the lapse of time clouding his senses, making him feel heavier just about everywhere. But just as he raised his head and looked to his right, a wonderful, breathtaking face, the source of clarity, his source of anchoring to this vain world, looked at him; in love. He grabbed her left wrist with his left hand before speaking to her with the tips of their noses grazing one another. ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me thanks for scratching you. You can keep that when there is only so little to talk, and we can¡¯t but look into each other¡¯s eyes. You won¡¯t need words, and I will understand. I hate words, too. But yours are perfect. I¡¯ll kill anything that stops me from hearing them, even your little noises. I¡¯ll destroy it all if I can¡¯t listen to you when I need you; have you.¡± ¡°¡­My blood¡­¡± Pheli¡¯s widened eyes softened. She laid on her back as Phesx turned and rose before her, still in their cloth blankets. Phesx responded with a broken, soft voice. ¡°Our blood.¡± Their left hands held each other before they knew it. Then, Phesx fell on his left, enjoying Pheli¡¯s presence on his right and giving her his left arm to rest her head on. His organs appreciated it, too. ¡°That can only be a nightly confession,¡± Pheli said, closing in closer towards him with her head rubbing against his arm. Swaying her nose left and right with her eyes closed, opening them when she momentarily stopped to look at his face and repeat until their noses were against each other. ¡°But there¡¯s something you lied about.¡± Said Pheli. Phesx couldn¡¯t see the playful hint in her eyes before she went, ¡°You¡¯ve forced my body quite a lot. I am but a weak, clumsy lady in your beastly, evil arms. Am I not?¡± ¡°Pheli¡­¡± Phesx salivated. He didn¡¯t make any effort to silence his gulping sounds, before abruptly, softly pecking her lips quite a lot of times. Pheli kept her face and head immobile, letting him do as he wished with her mouth, her lips being drawn out and smacking. Her eyes opened to watch him go, but closed knowing he was returning, followed by the sensation of his lips pressing and then pulling hers. The darkness before her eyes only enhanced every moment, every feeling. Her body couldn¡¯t help but feel like melting as their left hands and their fingers continued intertwining. She softly responded, at last. Pouting her lips after he pressed them, returning the favor, to pouting them all along, letting her man lick, bite, kiss and suckle her luscious mouth. But when she licked her lips out of thrill after endless exchanges, he stopped. When she opened her eyes, she immediately closed the left one. Phesx kissed it, tapping it ever so lightly with his lips before bombarding her exquisite face with them, over and over again. Pheli¡¯s body melted, feeling like a heavenly rain caressed her skin. ¡°See what you did? Our moment was stepped on by your sexual deviant nature. It was going so well,¡± Phesx softly whispered. Pheli¡¯s face blushed. She slapped his chest away, but he didn¡¯t move a millimeter. Seeing Phesx just smiling from ear to ear, Pheli¡¯s blush deepened and further spread to her neck and collarbone. Her mouth remained slightly open, gasping for hot breaths. Phesx hugged her closer, accommodating the blanket under her body, disgracefully groping her butt and thighs to her reddening blushes everywhere. Her watery, dreamy, foggy, steamy eyes looked up at him after hiding her silly little smile from his impenetrable black eyes. ¡°So, did you have any siblings?¡± Phesx smirked when asking the question. Pheli pouted a bit, looking so delicate and sweet. She nodded, softly saying after burying her forehead on his neck. ¡°I had~. There were 2 younger boys and twin sisters, actually. The latter are the youngest, and which my mother perished to give birth to. She died 2 years later, so they could at least remember her face and voice¡­ I sound a little like her, so I sang to them every day and night.¡± ¡°Until you left.¡± Phesx commented. Pheli lifted her body to see his eyes, slightly nodded in satisfaction, and returned to feel her forehead warm against his neck. ¡°Until I left.¡± ¡°My mother didn¡¯t really help much with the Forzt family matters. She did make my father incredibly happy every damn hour of the day. Even after she died, he remained the caring father and magnanimous family head he was before. I¡¯d say he¡¯s improved with more time for more experience-earnings.¡± ¡°Are you telling me to go call my father-in-law when I want to make awful, honest yet dishonest money?¡± Phesx slowly said, rubbing her back. Pheli nodded her head. ¡°He will help you.¡± ¡°He knows I¡¯m ¡®here¡¯, but just doesn¡¯t dare to do anything about it. Mn. Have you ever been told what hoogs are in Lymoca?¡± Pheli¡¯s cheekiness and brazenness left Phesx speechless, but she knew how to hook him. Being something he immeasurably cares about since he became part of the secret world, Phesx sighed helplessly. ¡°Siiigh, tell me.¡± ¡°The oldest one is named Piya Sanctum District. Not much is known, other than they are neutral and never act. The second oldest would be¡­ the Scarlet Houndhood. They are the greatest assassin hoog in the world. Even ANS¡¯ Facilitate Epidemic would cry in fear if they met one in an international mission. Hmph.¡± ¡°And the other¡­ the extremists?¡± Phesx could see the light glint of patriotism in her celeste eyes. Even though he could only hear her humorous harrumph. Pheli looked up at him, poking her nose into his neck. ¡°You heard abwt thwm?¡± ¡°Hmf. No, just that there might be a bunch of extremists living among us.¡± Phesx replied after holding a chuckle upon hearing her muffled words. She could be cute and playful when she wanted, and she always got him. Phesx also felt good just now, with her mouth on his neck and her words traveling through, vibrating his skin. ¡°Well, they are the Tri Fortress Shield. Legend has it, these come from PSD. Their founders were foolish extremists who wanted to ¡®dethrone¡¯ PSD, but their predecessors brought TFS to stability, standing strong with Scarlet Houndhood always lurking.¡± ¡°Guess whose territory we made a mess in?¡± Pheli leaned on his arm and said with a wide, evil smirk. Phesx Caolia tilted his head to the left, looking at her, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me i-¡± ¡°The PSD!¡± She smirked, feeling victorious. Phesx mentally sweated, but nothing could be done now. If he had known, would he have made any of those things? Maybe. They were inactive and neutral, no? After all is said and done¡­ ¡°Well, Proteros is their ¡®base¡¯. They were the first, so they had the first available choice.¡± Pheli briefly bit his arm, glaring at him like a lioness inviting her lion. ¡°It is known SH wanted to ally with TFS in their 2nd generation to deal with PSD and become stronger hoogs to defend Lymoca from the foreign hands infesting it. However, TFS refused them wholeheartedly. Although TFS is extremist, they are known for aiming to stabilize the secret world and the ordinary in Lymoca.¡± ¡°And to destroy the criminal world?¡± Phesx smiled. Pheli nodded, ¡°How did you guess?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx looked at her woman, blinklessly. He shook his head and said, already with his palm going down her lower belly, through her pants¡­ ¡°What¡¯s my territory like? Ooh? What¡¯s this? A flood happened?¡± Phesx smirked, but then, looking at Pheli¡¯s instantly frowning face with eyes desirably closed, he became shocked. Was he this good? Or did he make her wait too much? ¡°AAhh¡­¡± Pheli shortened her scream, or yelp, as she held Phesx¡¯s arm. Not to stop him, but to pull him even more wantonly between her legs, beneath the cloth blankets. Then, she opened her watery celeste eyes to meet her man¡¯s face. Their mouths connected, and would soon be followed by their bodies. ¡­ Chapter 65 — Safe Way Home Safe Way Home In the morning, Phesx and Pheli opened their eyes. Even though they felt sleepy, they looked at the entrance, where a guard with a flashlight walked into the rooftop. They supported their bodies, when the guard shouted, ¡°What are you doing here? Huh?!¡± ¡°We are fully clothed!¡± Phesx shouted back. The guard was left a bit speechless. Pheli shook her head, blushing a little. She whispered into his left ear, ¡°How is your body?¡± ¡°Only my gunshots hurt a lot. Yours?¡± Phesx replied as the guard began walking towards them. Pheli jolted her neck backwards before smirking and shaking her head again. ¡°We should get going. Let¡¯s take a taxi.¡± . . . Later on, Pheli was fined 500 credits after finding out Phesx was underage, and for sleeping in the parking garage like it was her residence. Afterwards, they simply went to a helitaxi and went from city to city, heading to Pretetl¡¯s northeastern borders with D¨¦sinc¨¢. Phesx could see Proteros capital from there. It had some very enormous buildings, and he could even see the presidential precinct when they grabbed one of the high-end tech helitaxis. Being one of the states so close to Proteros, there would be many helitaxi zones with these models just to show their national pride and charge double. Or more, to tourists. Proteros was one of the 4 smallest states in Lymoca along the 3 bordering Endesa¡¯s northern border. But it was the capital state, and one of the states where Lys lived in the most. Despite how beautiful every state can be, Proteros always attracted foreigners to visit first, or think about. When arriving in the city nearest to T¨²acan in D¨¦sinc¨¢, Pheli brought Phesx to one of the entries to Riverlye tunnels. Clearly, she didn¡¯t plan to consider taking more touristic journeys to Sargonde. Phesx didn¡¯t bother her a bit, accompanying her into an abandoned forest between hills, where a manhole-like trapdoor required a code to enter it. Pheli had to check her phone to connect with the HQ to know about it, something Phesx couldn¡¯t do as of yet. Then, as they trekked the tunnels, walking on the ¡®sidewalk¡¯ to avoid being run over or afflicted by a flying chopper, they had enough time and silence to chat a bit. ¡°Who built these?¡± Phesx asked in a curious tone, sounding in a good mood. Pheli blew through her nostrils before satisfying his brain itch, ¡°It wasn¡¯t Riverlye. All I know is the first Head somehow gained ¡®ownership¡¯ over these things.¡± ¡°Not many lagjs have them. Those who do have a bit of advantage, but they¡¯re also a target for anyone who wants them, which are many. Hoogs don¡¯t necessarily use them. They are mostly fearless, or simply use other stuff to not be so easily detected.¡± ¡°As for these tunnels, they do go around Lymoca, but it¡¯s a bit limited. I¡¯ll show you the map later. After this mission, trust me, we won¡¯t be too far from each other in terms of status.¡± Pheli said, encouraging her baby man to continue. Phesx nodded. ¡°So, hoogs don¡¯t use these because they aren¡¯t afraid of being seen. Is this only in Lymoca? Or in their nation?¡± ¡°Mhm. It¡¯s more so in the small countries. You won¡¯t have to worry about it, and if things do go well. In a decade, we won¡¯t have to worry about any of these.¡± Pheli commented, making Phesx look at her while palming some of his gunshot wounds, which felt tingly. ¡°Would you return to the ordinary life?¡± Phesx asked, simply asking about her future and nothing else. Pheli looked at him with her chin up and side eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. But I might.¡± ¡°Hmf,¡± Phesx humorously blew through his nostrils. A little later, Pheli walked closer to him, grabbed his fingers with hers, and slowly lied her head on his shoulder and neck with the top of her head. ¡°Let me rest a little as we walk. I need some rest.¡± Phesx smirked and shook his head a bit. He was the one who needed that rest, but it didn¡¯t matter. Anything for his Lien. . . . It was a lengthy journey, at first, after being thrown into a PPO so Pheli could pay for her crimes, they couldn¡¯t go back for the dirt bike, nor use it again. But that was fine, as even after the helitaxis, on their way through T¨²acan, Phesx went out of the tunnel and stole a few bikes with ringing bells and all. No matching helmets, though. They were much faster with them, saving more than half the time they would¡¯ve by walking. After all, just running would deplete their stamina for long after they grew tired. But now, they could rest when going as fast as possible and with their breath, sitting on their seats. They didn¡¯t see others, though. Maybe because they ran the farthest away. Even then, their way back to Sargonde was mostly uneventful, except for the few hours they rested, and did more than rest under some blankets. Once they were back in Sargonde, they took a helitaxi that led directly to the state capital city. There was nothing reaching their hands towards them now. Returning to Sargonde was like going into bed after running from the big bad monsters in the dark, safe and familiar, making everything better. ¡­ After reporting to the administration, Phesx received 100,000 credits as payment, while Pheli had 90,000. No doubt, the weapons and ammunition to melt he gained from that alley brought many benefits to himself, beside his aid in the mission effort. It had been 4 days since they left, making it the 7th day of the week upon their return. A bit later than expected, but still within an understandable reach. They immediately went to the workshop to bathe, together. Then, once they were warm, fresh, and dressed up, they prepared to continue on their daily lives. ¡°Pheli-¡± Phesx turned around after drying his hair with a towel like an animal. Electricity that could power up a model city surged. As he turned around, arms coiled around his neck, and his forehead was bumped against. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Pheli hummed, slowly connecting the center of her nose¡¯s bridge between her eyes with his before falling utterly silent. Despite the suddenness of the situation, Phesx grew fond of it fast and closed his eyes with her. His hands went to her hips, she started swaying them from side to side, they started a little dancing. It wasn¡¯t fashionable, and there was no music. Somehow, Phesx found this acceptable. He followed her movements with his hips buckled a bit forth, feeling so peaceful. ¡­ When Phesx saw his Myertha again, he smiled big time. After not riding it for a few days, and riding other bikes instead, he felt rewarded. It reminded him from when he first received it as a gift, actually making him want to hug someone on his accord. Realizing that today was vacations, and tomorrow classes would start again, Phesx prepared to take a look at Ojazul when they came out, after training with Emer, who starved for pizzas. Phesx saw Lorena, no doubt. Additionally, she wasn¡¯t just with her girlfriends, who were as giggling and girly as always. There was a boy who walked with her, too. And it was one who used to work in the Ruvas¡¯ mansion with his parent. Lore looked contented, almost treating the youngster like a brother, but Phesx could see other glints in those pretty, small brown eyes. Phesx looked from very far away, not giving anyone a chance to recognize him. His previous class and mates were still in the school, only entering college by 18 or so. Either way, seeing that the little lass was doing more than okay, Phesx felt it was enough. He wondered what of Victor, Marisela, and even Mermelada nowadays. But Phesx didn¡¯t go visit or look at them. He also avoided anywhere near B&C Enterprise or any of its branches. After checking the life of the ordinary, Phesx went back to the usual. In the farm, the blondie became more mature, this time in matters that required ample attention and seriousness. With Phesx helping her sell some livestock before, the buyers who always contacted the old man first for his products decided to trust the daughter. It was an important decision, after all, any store can fall in a decade or 2, be it financially, problems in the localities, or simply because of management. It became more and more complicated when it came to a business like high-quality products being reared and then sold. The blondie was learning, but the one to work the hardest was her now husband, who plowed the land, checked the livestock, and met new people every day to help with their farm expansions first. He wasn¡¯t good in management, but his social skills were top-notch, when business-related. Furthermore, they were planning for babies. A big family. Thus, the blondie didn¡¯t bother learning the physical stuff for the moment. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. All was well on their side. Phesx just gave his ideas not that long ago, when he thought things could work if they just did this or that. He wouldn¡¯t take credit for their success, but after seeing so much of the life he used to not know before, and more that even old men like the deceased farmer could never know. He wondered if they¡¯d have taken that step without his counsel. When Phesx returned to work there before going to Emer in the first day of the 4th week, things seemed just flourishing. A few issues here, some drama with unhealthy people to mingle in the business, but none of that slowed the farm¡¯s fluent progress. At last, Phesx felt he could leave the farm¡¯s work not too long from now. He also had priorities now. If Phesx wanted to not just be someone¡¯s ¡®soldier¡¯ in this secret world, he ought to focus on what he can work best, and do his best, too. ¡­ Later, that late afternoon. Phesx came to the pizzeria, where his cheap, ¡®humble¡¯ house remained the same without irregularities. He had just arrived from Riverlye¡¯s HQ, so he parked the Myertha around the pizzeria before going in. The day seemed to be bursting with activity. Almost the entire pizzeria was full. With the previous remodeling, it could welcome more people at once. It now served its purpose as a few new faces delivered delicious-smelling pizzas everywhere every few minutes. Drinks and snacks took prominence as the customers ate to their fill. Phesx¡¯s face was a little well-known by most clients, but with so many new clienteles, few recognized him. It wasn¡¯t until one of the owners saw him and saluted him that he was noticed, different from a client. He was the ¡®guard¡¯ here. ¡°Oh, Phesx!¡± A tall man with a short, middle-aged wild hairstyle and a long face that looked harmless carried some boxes into the kitchen when he noticed Phesx. He stopped and turned, saying with a gladdened face with wrinkles on his forehead, ¡°Thankfully, the heavens sent you.¡± ¡°Did something break?¡± Phesx asked, helping with half the boxes before walking to the kitchen. Phesx ignored the noise around him, and the stares, especially the latter. He had become proficient in this after Riverlye¡¯s training. It became easier to go out like this, despite how much his attitude has changed, where even his employers easily noticed it. The owner nodded, but then shook his head. ¡°One of the register screens malfunctioned. We replaced it, but we¡¯d like that fixed quickly. We might need all of them in a few months, you know? Heh heh.¡± ¡°Planning on expanding?¡± Phesx lifted his right eyebrow, looking at the owner, who opened the storage room with a key. The owner smiled victoriously, like he¡¯d just made the scene he recreated in his mind in the last days real, at last. ¡°Oh yeah, but not something like those bigshots. We¡¯re only buying that little tea house on the corner in front.¡± The man said. Since the pizzeria owned the entire block, and was famous in all of Sargonde, one would think they¡¯d have expanded everywhere in Lymoca, but they are faithful to their natal city. ¡°You¡¯re firing that aunty from business?¡± Phesx was glad. He wondered if everyone was thinking of expanding nowadays, seeing something before it became popular and beneficial. The man shook his head, gently saying as he put the boxes in a shelf. ¡°Oh no, no. She¡¯ll ¡®join¡¯ the troop. Even if we wanted to kick her out of ¡®our streets¡¯, heh heh, a few rich people would hate us.¡± ¡°We gotta know who our ¡®neighbors¡¯ are. Oh, that also goes for you,¡± the man said before turning to Phesx, stopping. Phesx fell into thought. Although that tea house was good and had excellent aromas whenever one walked by, giving anyone the notion of walking through these streets even if they detoured from a more direct route. This helped any other potential client from looking around, increasing the flow of people a bit, some days a lot. That tea house didn¡¯t enjoy the same treatment. In these days, little to no one cared about such things like ¡®natural snacks¡¯. However, with that old aunty added into the pizzeria, they could add another type of drink into their menu, something that¡¯s been requested and criticized by the gentlest of clients the pizzeria has had for years and even decades. ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡± Then, out of nowhere, Phesx processed the owner¡¯s words. The latter extended his hand, holding a paper. Phesx kept staring at the man, who raised his eyebrows and nodded towards the paper when Phesx kept staring at him. Phesx took the paper, looking down. It was a document of an ownership to the rights of the pizzeria. Phesx was left astounded. He hung his head to the right, falling completely speechless before the man crackled up. ¡°Bwuahahaha! How is it? Shocked, ah?¡± ¡°W¡­why me?¡± Phesx shook his head after breaking his silence and even after questioning. The man blinked understandingly before elaborating, ¡°If anything were to happen to any of us, we¡¯d like you to take care of the pizzeria. It can¡¯t fall into some conglomerate or become a new shopping center. Much less one of those fast food chains. If my pizzeria can last, then it will only be in its highest. We don¡¯t want any of our work to fall for the gain of just money.¡± ¡°Wait, what? Did someone come to threaten you?¡± Phesx frowned, looking at the man¡¯s face. The latter put on an ugly expression before shaking his hands. ¡°Some things went a bit awkward the other day, but nothing happened. We did receive threats, but that¡¯s just life. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia was about to say something but stopped. He seemed to think for a little before touching the man¡¯s arm. ¡°I accept this, then. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect your family¡¯s work from anything trying to harm it. But, are you sure? What if I¡¯m a super special, secret, foreign agent that seeks to destroy Lymoca¡¯s order?¡± The man frowned at the weirdly detailed ¡®what if¡¯, but then shook his head, patted Phesx¡¯s back, and loudly said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. But I know you, kid. That¡¯s who we¡¯re placing importance on. Now go ahead and earn your pay. I hope you had nice little vacations with your girl, go on!¡± Phesx jolted his head a little before leaving the storage with a smirk. He didn¡¯t say anything about Pheli, but he does her a few times, although not every week. The pizzeria owners seemed keen on his love life. Phesx shook his head as he walked to his spot. He looked around, noticing the great atmosphere of the pizzeria. He wondered what could have happened for things to turn like what the owner said, ¡®awkward¡¯. ¡­ Time passed. A few days rapidly came and went as Phesx¡¯s usual life returned to ¡®normalcy¡¯. He spent a few more days acting as the sole security guard in the pizzeria, which allowed him to see through some things. Although it was scarce, Phesx easily found out a few people spying on the owners and waiters and waitresses. More than anything, there were a few batches of people who¡¯d come in the morning, afternoon, and evening, all with the same goal. Working like a chain of information. When it was night, and the pizzeria still worked, he noticed people observing from the other side of the street, and even trying to change their clothes when making rounds around the block and a few others. It all looked comical to Phesx. They were too simple for him. Then, one day, a few days after he went on another boring mission on the other extreme of Sargonde, a situation unfolded when he was in the storage helping move things. Just as he was lowering his back to let go of some heavy cheese containers, he heard a ruckus from outside. ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t I tell you to go prepare some for my boys something?!¡± Phesx was about to step out after assessing the noise and sound of strange, unfamiliar, and brazen footsteps. But he stopped, simply opening the door to peek a little. He saw a few men in dark clothes wearing jeans. Most were young, but a couple were near their middle ages. ¡°You! Over there! Get out!¡± One of the old ones pointed at Phesx, making a few owners step up to explain he was just a boy, but Phesx stepped out and raised his hands. Although the man said ¡®boys¡¯, there were a few ¡®girls¡¯ around. Some were straight out unattractive, ugly. But some others were attractive, all wielding a handgun and simple clothing as well. ¡°What the fuck were you doing? Did you call the cops?!¡± The man pointed his handgun at Phesx. The man¡¯s eyes trembled, clearly afraid, but not of shooting someone who didn¡¯t even had the age to go to college. It was¡­ worse than in Preut. It seemed strange and not to Phesx at the same time. ¡°N- n- no, I was just putting down the cheese¡­¡± Phesx spoke peculiarly timid. Even the owners squinted their eyes a bit, feeling strange. The man decided to trust Phesx for whatever reason as the others looked at this scene, looking up to their ¡®superiors¡¯. ¡°Listen here, fatards.¡± The man¡¯s attention returned to the store owners. Only 2 were fat, the man who gave Phesx the document, and the pizzeria¡¯s ¡®mother¡¯. But they weren¡¯t obese. Either way, the owners listened. ¡°You have 2 fucking hours to give me and everyone here a pizza.¡± The man threatened. Phesx could see the fella moving around and sitting on a table with his eyebrows sharply sent down. He surely thought he looked demanding, even more with that vicious threat. ¡°Can I leave?¡± Phesx weakly asked. One of the older ones frowned, twisted his lips, and stared at him with disgust. ¡°Are you fucking stupid? Pendejo? Let you go so you can run and call cops? I should just shoot you, no? No?!¡± ¡°I- I live upstairs. The little apartment on the pizzeria¡¯s roof¡­¡± Phesx said with squinted, fearful eyes. The man grinned, ¡°Hahaha! You call that thing an apartment? It¡¯s smaller than my bathroom!¡± - ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± As the others laughed, Phesx trembled, fearfully blurting out, ¡°It¡¯s the old lady¡¯s ¡®mansion¡¯ across the street, in the other block. It¡¯s not bad, really¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Suddenly, the criminals went silent. The young ones didn¡¯t understand, especially the female. But the older ones went into a stunlock. The other older criminal asked, beginning to visibly sweat. ¡°That¡­ that old lady?¡± ¡°Well¡­ she offered me different places to live around here, but I could only afford my¡­ my little ¡®apartment¡¯, as you say.¡± Phesx bit his lower lip in the end, looking so innocent and gullible. The older criminals looked at each other before lowering their handguns. The youngsters looked at each other, confused. Was that a code? A scary criminal¡­ ¡®lady¡¯ only the ¡®pros¡¯ knew about? What was going on?! ¡°Look¡­¡± They stored their handguns in the front of their pants. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do ugly things. So this is my last warning. Give me pizzas¡­ at half the price. I will protect you from other folk. We¡¯ll also do¡­ small jobs for you, if you need us to. Aight?¡± ¡°Aight?!¡± The older criminal yelled, appearing demanding and playing good/bad¡­ blackmailers. To Phesx, he looked desperate instead. Wanting to hear a positive answer before they were seen. They weren¡¯t scared of cops. They¡¯d probably look at this and say ¡®fuck that¡¯. Because they¡¯d be outnumbered and with the same weapons. ¡°We- we¡¯ll do that. As you say!¡± The oldest man, pizzeria owner, nodded, still with his hands high. The older criminals nodded, put on badass faces to stare at the owners, and then turned around. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯re eating good from now on. Amonos~!¡± The criminals left one by one, throwing nasty glances at the owners and Phesx, especially him. He was the youngest, and he was better looking than all of them, for the males. The females, on the other hand, only saw a young boy who would fall down with just the movement of one of their fingers; weak. ¡°Huff, huff¡­ Thanks heavens, Phesx. It all¡­ phew. It all ended well.¡± The owner who gave Phesx the document held his chest in terror. The other store owners hugged each other before asking him if he was alright. Phesx shook his head, politely declining to stay before going out and up the stairs. However, he fell down after barely going up, choosing a spot where the streetlights didn¡¯t illuminate and was dark. Rolling on the ground, the images of a few criminals he saw lately in the pizzeria flashed in his mind. ¡­ Chapter 66 — There Are More Struggles Everywhere There Are More Struggles Everywhere Phesx Caolia guarded the pizzeria, sitting in one of the empty tables as night fell and still half the establishment bustled with a crowd. The tea house in front had already closed with signs telling the reason, advertising the pizzeria and its future tea drinks. Just as Phesx yawned, a roaring engine sounded from outside as a Myertha parked. A beauty in black clothing and a long jacket took her helmet off, showing that striking natural orange hair and those rosy, orangish lips. Phesx looked at this beauty, and so did others in the pizzeria. She walked inside, grabbing many people¡¯s attention. Some looked at Phesx, wanting to see how he reacts this time, but others felt the call of a future life and love itself from their hearts. Trembling faster than they breathed, some prepared to stand up and confess their unshakable, true love to the beauty, when she walked to the guard dog still sitting and just looking at her walk to him. ¡°Are you tired? You look tired. Buy me a pizza, I¡¯m awfully hungry.¡± Pheli said, caressing his head. She walked around and sat before him. Phesx barely bothered to sit straight, looking at the reception, where a young woman winked at him before going into the kitchen. ¡°You¡¯ve come, mn. How was the ride?¡± Phesx¡¯s voice was semi-broken and soft, so his words couldn¡¯t be heard correctly. But Pheli¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t. She smirked and glanced at him with celeste playful eyes only he could see, ¡°Not good enough. I missed you~.¡± Phesx lifted his eyebrows and threw the tip of his tongue in front of his left-upper teeth. Pheli smiled, looking charming and genuine now. He shook his head before grabbing her hand, ¡°Was my healing confirmed?¡± ¡°Oh yes. Although they still have some questions, you can join the next group.¡± Pheli nodded, showing him pictures of a document simply confirming his ¡®healthy-enough¡¯ certificate to be sent to ¡®the field¡¯ again. She also spoke while grabbing his hand, intertwining their fingers. Those pictures were probably taken before burning the documents. Pheli deleted the image afterwards, with Phesx feeling in a better mood. He wouldn¡¯t mind earning double, almost 200,000 credits each month, if he could. It had been 2 weeks since the returned from Coalely, and the week was just starting, so might as well. ¡°Where is it?¡± Phesx asked, caressing her right foot under the table, somewhat childish and playful. But Pheli let him, even ¡®hitting back¡¯ his shoes in response. She said, ¡°In a convention. It¡¯s of old people, but everyone there might¡­ be onto something.¡± ¡°Like a cult?¡± Phesx frowned, feeling ominous. Pheli briefly jumped her eyebrows, ¡°Aha.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about assassinating their leaders. We need someone to blend in and go through the initiation. Guess who they like the most? Young, naive victims like you.¡± Pheli briefly briefed him as they waited for the yummy pizza. ¡°Preutians, huh? I guess my ¡®form¡¯ is already in their hands.¡± Phesx said, drawing circles on the back of her hand with his other hand. She thinly smiled, ¡°Of course. HQ¡¯s admins didn¡¯t waste a second when I just pronounced an ¡®F¡¯ after proposing someone else in my group.¡± ¡°I also had your information with me if the agreed, ready to give it away. I work fast, don¡¯t I?¡± Pheli finished with a strong smirk from the left corner of her mouth. Phesx lifted his eyebrows at her with his head tilted leftwards, ¡°No, no. You¡¯re perfect, Riverlye explodes in 1 second without you.¡± ¡°No. I think it¡¯s you who would blow up without me.¡± Pheli countered the sarcastic son of a Preutian. Phesx wasn¡¯t weak either, bombarding her with a disgusting grin, ¡°Nah, I think this one is on the contrary.¡± ¡°Y¡­¡± Pheli stared at him, wide-eyed. Then, her cheeks slightly pinked. ¡°¡­you.¡± ¡°Oh, here comes your pizza, babe.¡± Phesx victoriously smiled before looking at the side. The young woman served the pizza herself, smiling at the two lovebirds. ¡°One for our door-holder, another for our door-holder¡¯s reason to earn a bunch. Have a good meal.¡± While the young woman spoke for them only, Phesx purposely raised his voice, sounding even boyish-manly. Pheli looked around with her fidgety eyes after he called her in such a corny way. However, after a bite, she calmed down and relaxed, closing her eyes to enjoy the delicacy. As always, it barely had a taste of grease, and oozed an incredible aroma of species and a few green pieces here and there. Of course, no pineapple. She wasn¡¯t wicked nor heartless. ¡°¡­¡± But then, she opened her eyes and looked up. Phesx was there, only grabbing two slices, eating them slowly as he watched her eat. Pheli was used to this. Phesx simply stared at her and did nothing whenever he wanted. When she worked, bathed, wasted time in shooting practice, combat dummies, chatting with her female colleagues, selling her bions and weapons, and even things she¡¯d rather not say, or she¡¯ll grow warm up just thinking about them. Such a thing is something that could be considered in the ¡®lower levels¡¯ when debating a relationship¡¯s intimacy, but when it was actually put into practice, Pheli blushed like a teenage girl kissing for her first time. Playing DJ or trying to find the outlet, or both at the same time for him was so embarrassing, but it also made her feel so much closer to him. Of course, payback came when she did the same to him and watched Phesx and his pottery arts. Nevertheless, instead of feeling ashamed or disgusted by such thoughts as she ate, Pheli seductively stared at him with upturned eyes. After a while, with Phesx grabbing another 2 slices, Pheli finished another slice before enticingly asking him, ¡°Is this to fill my belly before filling me, or to keep me quiet from your late night ¡®duties¡¯ lately? Nobody rushes missions a week before taking 2 weeks of rest.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Phesx¡¯s eyes stiffened. Before he could speak, Pheli slowly blinked and said, ¡°Riverlye already knows. Do you think they wouldn¡¯t tell what someone as crazy as you would want to do before having a short break? Even if your body wasn¡¯t¡­ weird, they would still be curious.¡± ¡°So, are they¡­ not amused with what I¡¯ve been doing?¡± Phesx quickly accepted it. But he had to be sure. He didn¡¯t want to stop. Pheli smiled at him, looking just cute. ¡°They don¡¯t care, of course. It¡¯s just that they don¡¯t wish to treat their mad dog like it¡¯s a puppy instead. Do you see?¡± Seeing her wide smile, showing some teeth, and her celeste eyes sincerely staring at him. Phesx felt perplexed for a moment. Then, he spoke in a breathy tone, ¡°I see.¡± Phesx took her hands firmly, bending over bit by bit before kissing them. They smelled of pizza, too, but that only made the notion a bit better. Pheli looked with fully opened eyes at him, at his head as he bent, and his eyes as he sat back straight on his chair. ¡°Finish your meal before I take you for a ride, eh?¡± Phesx smoothly whispered to her face without parting his eyes away. She looked at him, dumbfounded and silly, before rubbing his backhands with her thumbs. Lightly responding, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡­ The night continued to progress, nobody could stop it, time was always neutral¡­ And as time passed, the clients began leaving, and soon, the Pizzeria welcomed less and less nightly customers. Leaving a few minutes after the last client, Phesx brought his gal outside the Pizzeria, whose owners bid him farewell with knowing expressions. After going for a ride for an hour, they returned to his house. Phesx watched as half the moon colored the top of Pheli¡¯s head as her butt swayed, inviting him as they went up the stairs. A night of passion ensued into the softest of truths breathed into the air from their mouths. Once and again. . . . 2 days later. Riverlye HQ. Phesx walked out of Emer¡¯s study. The old man had 2 piles of brand-new pizzas. They would keep their warmth and aroma for long, even if Emer ate them all. The old man was less and less talkative, but he treated Phesx well. Lately, as Phesx became capable enough to avoid Emer¡¯s strikes even as Emer went almost all-out, and returned the favor by plucking some hairs from the oldie¡¯s shins, Emer guided him. Phesx didn¡¯t feel he was being given an easy hand after tasting the hard one with broken, bruised lips. Instead, Emer seemed to finally want to see something from him, so whenever Phesx lacked in something he didn¡¯t even know could exist as something lacking, he taught the young boy. It couldn¡¯t be said Phesx could learn more from only movements, and that he needed to meet other ¡®snakes¡¯ who could make his limits seem too little a bar to become satisfied to advance. But Phesx learned strange little things like the hidden meanings behind words he wouldn¡¯t have understood as a kid, or a tone that¡¯d tell him if to run from or remain polite to someone. They didn¡¯t correlate. One was the secret world¡¯s teachings, the other his ¡®intuition¡¯ since he was a kid, or at least since he could remember. But they all felt perfectly the same thing. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Phesx walked into the workshop, sweating and still bruised, but only by half of compared to what he¡¯d gone through before, as the door opened in less than a second. He smirked when he saw this, as it meant his status was definitely growing; somewhere, somehow, but growing. ¡°Ah, ahh ahh ahh¡­¡± Phesx stood stiff on the doorstep as a black woman moaned over Waleks¡¯s counter with her lower back against it. They looked at him, wanting to know who dared interrupt them, when they saw Phesx, and he looked at them. Both parties fell silent, speechless¡­ helpless. Waleks thrust in one last time before looking back, both his and the beauty¡¯s bodies were fully bare, but at least they used Waleks¡¯s furniture. Pheli has long told him of how Waleks used her furniture, trying to give her hints in the past. ¡°Where is your girl? I thought she would at le- oh,¡± Phesx frowned, wanting to go grab his things. He felt curious that Waleks wasn¡¯t drowning in pleasure with his medic, when a brown, fully bare beauty came out of the showers. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Hehe,¡± the medic giggled, not bothering to cover, even spreading her legs to stand a few meters before him. Phesx closed his eyes and opened them with a dramatic pause before commenting after Waleks resumed his physical activities¡­ ¡°At least have some respect.¡± ¡°Uh? Ah, sorry. Here, I¡¯ll let you pick them and where. Don¡¯t feel burdened, they¡¯re all on me.¡± Waleks turned his head to Phesx again, wearing an idiotic expression as he and the black beauty were drowning into each other. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx tilted his head to the right, giving Waleks a stare only Pheli usually gave him before. Now, she just ignores him and threatens, but even that stopped happening a few weeks ago. However, Waleks met this beauty now, and his girlfriend suddenly wanted to share him with her heart open to another, but one that would value him as she does. Long story short, Phesx wasn¡¯t good at just killing, he was the perfect wingman. Regardless, Waleks understood he over spoke. As Phesx looked to his right, still outside the workshop, and returned his stare into the workshop, Waleks called out to his first girlfriend. ¡°Darling, could you bring his stuff? Aaggh, yeah¡­ Um, sniff. Yeah, just give it to him.¡± Phesx¡¯s left eyebrow jumped again with Waleks¡¯s wording. The medic smiled at Phesx before turning around to seductively walk into the storage room. Then, she returned, with Phesx¡¯s heavy bag around her shoulder and torso like it weighed a couple of feathers at most. It was a bag with the size of an obese short adult, and it was full, but there she was, walking to its owner while her breasts swayed and bounced. When she took it off her shoulder and passed it to Phesx, something dropped behind her, a pen that Phesx didn¡¯t recognize as his or Pheli¡¯s. He lifted his left eyebrow again, ¡®At least she didn¡¯t open my bag to use something of mine.¡¯ Then, as expected, she groped herself a bit before turning around and bent over. At first, her legs were crossed, but then, she crouched, opening them wide. The medic smiled at Waleks, also winking at him, when they suddenly heard what their hearing couldn¡¯t listen to prior, Pheli¡¯s voice. ¡°Mn. Not a bad product. How much to just own you? Too problematic to rent. Let¡¯s just grab you and go. What say you, my man?¡± Pheli looked at Phesx after voicing. Phesx just looked at her, his eyes all on her, and hers on him. As Waleks and the beauty he was connected to sweated, Pheli hit a button on the wall. The door closed immediately, giving Phesx a glare that seemed dangerous, but one he couldn¡¯t help but to smirk to. Thus, as gasps of relief sounded from inside the workshop, Phesx hugged his woman¡¯s shoulders with his left arm and easily carried his bag with his right hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go. There¡¯s still time, and Waleks should arrive on time, but I somehow¡­ became enlightened in something.¡± Phesx said. Pheli lifted her eyebrows, letting them jump up and down once smoothly. ¡°Oh yeah? What¡¯s that? I hope you don¡¯t shut your eyes close when you do ¡®that¡¯.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. I¡¯ll also speak a lot, so you know how many things I have to tell you and¡­¡± Phesx smoothed the beast with sweet things, leading her into a cornered space to sneak attack her. ¡­ After talking about life, an indifferent, cold, resting-faced Pheli walked through the corridors¡­ with Phesx hugging her neck with his right arm. Whenever he nudged her neck with his arm, just a bit, she¡¯d gladly rest her head on him. Before arriving at the administration, she stepped up and met the rest of the group before appointing them for the mission. Now, official or not, Phesx would be recognized in Pheli¡¯s group. Before, he was called out as an Artista. From now on, he could only be called for a group mission along his group. After being checked, the group headed to the tunnels. This time, they wouldn¡¯t go far, and there wasn¡¯t a shortage of time, but they wouldn¡¯t go slow neither. The group arrived at a long hallway, where the same number of guards from before supervised. Crossing the hallway, they arrived at the underground landing zone. It remained the same as before, with only a smaller transporting chopper. There were only 2 other groups waiting for them, and no Instructor. At once, it became obvious Pheli was leading this, perhaps vying for the Instructor position after a while, and at last. ¡°How much aircraft does Riverlye have?¡± Phesx asked as they went in, followed by the other 2 groups. Pheli stood beside the pilot cabin¡¯s entrance, holding a handle sticking from the ceiling beside them. The chopper only had enough space for about 40 people at most, and only 1 column. ¡°No warplanes, but I think 15 helicopters, all for transport or cargo. If we had a combat helicopter, we¡¯d be pursued by the military everywhere.¡± Pheli softly uttered as everyone sat down, orderly and giving her respect. Pheli looked at them before banging the cabin¡¯s entrance with her right sole. The ramp closed as the 2 main rotors at the sides began working, and so were the auxiliary, smallish ones further behind them. Then, she looked at them as the interiors went dark before a dim red light illuminated everything. ¡°We¡¯re moving onto Chtst¨¦. We¡¯ll take 2 to 4 days for this mission, or a week if there are any changes to the convention¡¯s schedules. Choose your young partakers. This one will be their leader. Follow his command, and worse comes to worst, he might just help you survive.¡± ¡°The ¡®cult¡¯ we¡¯re after have been known to sell bodies of females and males alike, all of which nobody will miss, except a few family members. Don¡¯t misunderstand or charity for a good will, we¡¯re being paid well by a criminal lord who wants to mess someone else¡¯s business but is too afraid of the dirt, and the difficulty.¡± Pheli adamantly reminded everyone. ¡°Your fellow Artistas have already worked inside and placed cameras, but only around their narthex. We¡¯ll be able to see what¡¯s inside, and use that footage for our employer¡¯s benefit. Don¡¯t forget to wear your white smiley faces masks. You won¡¯t be able to use red there. It is either white or you¡¯re an infidel.¡± ¡°Is this Fox?¡± A group leader asked after Pheli paused, who waited for them to choose their partakers instead. She looked at the person but said nothing. The group leader lightly nodded before looking at a tomboy with short hair and more than humble body. She stood up and nodded at Pheli, ¡°I¡¯ll be in your hands, Snow, Fox.¡± ¡°Me too, I guess.¡± - ¡°Yep, what else? We could see something we¡¯d been talked about so much.¡± - ¡°We¡¯re counting on you.¡± Another person stood up from the other group, talking to each other before looking at Phesx. He looked at them, analyzing them before nodding. ¡°Do try to do as I said in case we need to do something quickly. How fast are you?¡± The other 2 youngsters looked at each other before staring at Phesx with newfound interest. Pheli looked down at him, proudly smiling from the right corner of her mouth. ¡­ They flew for just 2 hours. The helicopter could be faster, much faster than the other helicopter the group boarded before, but that wouldn¡¯t help in a tunnel where they had to remain hidden. Thus, they could only go at the maximum speed as in that other mission. Even then, they only spent 2 hours from Sargonde¡¯s center to Chtst¨¦. Their target was in the southeast of Chtst¨¦, west from where their contractor wanted them to destroy someone¡¯s business and show it to the country. They stopped at the former¡¯s territory, where their employer willingly aided them with as many vehicles to infiltrate in covert as possible. By then, everyone had their masks and cloaks on. Phesx felt strange. Before, even if they met whoever contracted them, it would only be a weird, brief stare before ignoring it, taking them to be one of those who just liked superhero names and suits and nothing else. Phesx experienced in when personally delivering his rescues. Now, however, not only were they stared at like they were godly mercenaries in the aforesanctum order, the criminal lord who hired them came to see them. Although there was some disappointment in his eyes when he saw them with their ¡®equipment¡¯ on, he seemed to understand, somehow. What was more flabbergasting was the ¡®welcome ceremony¡¯ the boss prepared, lining up the toughest and most loyal people in his gang to guide them into mediocre vehicles with thin armor. Everyone glanced at them with 3 parts fear, 2 parts challengingly, and 5 parts respect. It was comical when Phesx thought about it in the moment, but afterwards¡­ he realized something. And as they were on their way to the western side of the small region, Phesx asked Pheli. ¡°Has there been any change to the internet? About us?¡± Phesx frowned behind his mask. Pheli tilted her head before seriously replying with a question, ¡°Do you want us to become celebrity couples?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx was speechless: (¡ä?_?`). Phesx could hear Pheli smile madly beneath her mask. He shook his head, helpless. Teon and Layo held their chuckles, while Im¨¢n and another man he sat together outside their group shook their heads with smiles failed to be restrained. ¡°Well, there are only 2 names remaining. The contest became more and more heated as time passed. And they¡¯re even crediting other lagjs¡¯ works of art to us, making them all resent us.¡± Pheli patted his thigh and said, casually looking ahead afterwards. ¡°There is ¡®Hidden Eyes¡¯ and ¡®Special Agents¡¯ now,¡± said Pheli. Then, thinking of something, she looked at him, resting her head on the backrest. ¡°Lately, the internet has been seeing more and more of these ¡®exposed jobs from the shadows¡¯. Many crazy people who spoke of these things before and were buried in the sand of endless nets are now resurfacing because of it all.¡± ¡°Some of them work in Lymoca for certain business. There¡¯s actually 4 widely known influencers who have advertised for the cult we¡¯re targeting. It¡¯s something, isn¡¯t it?¡± Pheli said, looking at the front with somewhat of a ¡®lost¡¯ voice towards the end. Phesx turned his eyes down, thinking as he also faced the front, deeply falling into some thinking. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Layo, the caring young woman, leaned forward from the back seats to the middle seats before smiling and speaking to him. ¡°We are actually so popular that the government has officially started investigating us. This made our ¡®handsome¡¯ president gain rebukes and mockery from other nations.¡± ¡°Is it not so bad elsewhere?¡± Phesx asked, frowning and feeling strange. Layo kept her smile as she returned to her seat. Her long chestnut hair flew between him and Pheli before it was pulled away. Layo continued, ¡°Well, countries like ANS? Nah. Zyckevele and KAA are also still a gentle image in our world. But K Tribes¡¯ nations, Wondurs, and the EPA Commonwealth are seeing something¡­ similar.¡± ¡°Why is this so?¡± Phesx pouted. Pheli grabbed his left hand and started playing with it, intertwining fingers on and off, kissing them, and giving them massages. Layo sighed, ¡°Aah~. All supercontinents have some organized crime, whether the environmental friendly polies want to admit it or not. Lymoca just happens to be one of those with the largest number of them. Oof, but compared to Moonblue¡¯s south, we¡¯re not as bad.¡± ¡°Hey, be careful there, alright? Infiltration missions are usually the most dangerous, even when our information is unquestionable.¡± Layo gently expressed, pushing the back of his seat. Phesx nodded, looking into Pheli¡¯s celeste eyes, who looked at him serenely. ¡°I won¡¯t die so young. Maybe if I rock the world once or two. Not before.¡± Pheli rolled her eyes, but they smiled at him afterwards. They saw each other. ¡­ Chapter 67 — The First Conference The First Conference Proteros, the same day. Early afternoon. This was a building that was only used for storage before, beside the large tower, and around the presidential precinct''s perimeter. It was just one of many such storage facilities surrounding it, some used by the guards to dinner, others to relax or even sleep when one couldn''t just return home. Work could be difficult in the presidential precinct. It had been a few weeks since the incident in Coalely. The people in Coalely were wary even after the event, fearful to go out even in the morning, let alone the night. Still, the city and surrounding ones didn¡¯t diminish their activity, but the people were stressed out. Usually, when these things happened, and to a much lesser degree of violence and¡­ bodies, such that anyone remotely nearby could get an easy, great look and pictures of the massacre. The state government would hide the happenings as much as possible, cleaning the area before the masses could realize when and how badly something happened. Whatever the reasons behind such actions, it would be a simple work after everything did happen. While Luis wasn¡¯t a governor before, and his best aspirations achieved him a brief position in the Chamber of Deputies, he did know of the states¡¯ work to keep these things¡­ hidden. Yet, this time, it wasn¡¯t just an accidental slipup from the Coalely state government, the casualties of this criminal encounter were above the clouds. The entire country fell into shock, even for a day or two, when hearing it from a fifth source. The rising mob of a renown criminal organization for the past decade was eradicated, with the news of another criminal group being involved in its extermination. Reports from civilians of cloaked figures going after people on the streets, executing them in awful, cruel ways independently of who was nearby weren¡¯t few. Some footage was seen across the internet before it was all taken down, mostly. Now, weeks later, there have been many people who were hurt during both ¡®parties¡¯ run and chase. They wanted answers, in short. They wanted to be pampered, in other words. Today, Luis¡¯s announced conference was taking place. He had to respond to these people and give them what they wanted. Or else, with the endless podcasts, TV programs, and ¡®informative¡¯ videos on the internet destroying his image, he¡¯d just be ¡®dethroned¡¯ way before the elections took place again. As such, one of the garage facilities, the one with the least use as a storage, as supposed, and farthest from the presidential precinct, was selected to become the conference room. Luis hadn¡¯t even come to any of these buildings before, but he knew he had to work it out somehow. Standing in a small back room, with Roam beside him as a pair of attendants just left after checking his clothing and image, Luis sweated. Not a little. Roam stepped up to wipe the sweat from his face. ¡°Ah, thanks.¡± Said Luis. Roam nodded and gave him the napkin. Luis tapped his temples before cleaning his neck, repeating a few times until feeling his body adapting to not sweat anymore. He looked at Roam before saying, ¡°How many people are there¡­ out there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ best if you don¡¯t think about it, sir.¡± Roam said, keeping his napkin and trying to keep the president calm. Luis sighed, ¡°Aaagh. Will other nations watch this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, at least not unless something else, and major, happens in the near future.¡± Roam said, trying his best to be honest and helpful yet cautious with his words. Luis frowned a bit, ¡°Like what, Roam?¡± ¡°Well, perhaps you will inspire the reporters outside now, or not. But, in the future, if there¡¯s an international situation where Lymoca, let¡¯s say, prevails high, other nations might be interested in knowing more of what¡¯s been happening there, sir.¡± Roam accommodated Luis¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Sigh. It¡¯s nothing I can do about. As for inspiring them, can I do that?¡± Luis shook his head, feeling a bit dejected. Roam licked his lips before quietly expressing, ¡°You were not so ¡®friendly¡¯ with them since that time, sir. I have to confess I see that difficult, but it can happen, yes.¡± ¡°Right, there might not be that many there¡­¡± Luis nodded to himself, easing his frown a bit, but he still looked troubled. Roam mentally sighed. There was nothing he could do, it was all on the president¡¯s shoulders now. ¡°Are the blue bug¡¯s things prepared?¡± Luis looked at Roam. The latter reassured the former with a nod, ¡°Everything¡¯s ready. The audience was kept to a strict minimum as well. The GHH wasn¡¯t found breached in the shown evidence.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Luis said before lowering his eyes. He didn¡¯t know if what was about to happen was the correct thing. If he could, he wouldn¡¯t want to show these things, but he had to. Luis could only keep his absurd dreams ongoing with hope if he remains in this seat. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Luis after convincing himself enough. He looked back at Roam, who held his jacket and put it on his shoulders. Then, Luis walked forth, opening a long, red curtain. Flash, flash, flash¡­ Immediately, Luis was bombarded with many yet small, rapid flashes from oh so many cameras. The few video cameras transmitting this to the entire country through TV and the internet moved as he walked to the notable, slightly large podium. Hushes and questioning remarks sounded as he walked the ¡®long¡¯ way to the damned podium. Luis thought, ¡®Why is it positioned so far away? Is it even supposed to be at the edge? Seriously.¡¯ ¡°¡­We- welcome!¡± Luis greeted the large number of seated reporters, each separated in smallish groups of 2 to 3, and others individually sitting. Luis¡¯s breath choked when he noticed there were more than 100 different seats waiting for him, everywhere before him. One of them were a pair of news reporter and a cameraman. The news reporter was a young woman with milk, pale white skin, with long black hair and big, intense eyes. Her hot damn body was impossible to miss when glancing remotely around her. Her cameraman was a young man with darkish brown skin, short black hair and eyes. He was taller than her, but only at a regular height, and in comparison, ugly. However, it was these two who didn¡¯t seem to have the same face as at least 7 out of 10 news anchors here had. ¡°Thank you for coming here, I was expecting only grumpy faces, but I see a few only indifferently looking at me, haha¡­¡± Luis¡¯s silly introduction finished as quickly as it was invented in his head. ¡°Ahem, cough. We¡¯re here to talk about Coalely, right? Please, let us begin.¡± ¡°President Luis, I¡¯d like to ask just what were you doing when the city was attacked by terrorists? This is just about a month ago.¡± A slim, young white woman with black hair covering her forehead stood up and asked without further ado. Luis gulped, which became apparent, before the silly man, president of the nation, rested his wrists on the podium sides to answer. ¡°I was working in the presidential precinct, just dealing with some issues regarding the country¡¯s intelligence safety.¡± ¡°Could it be known what it was about? Was it more important than the people¡¯s lives who were lost?¡± The same news reporter asked before sitting down. Luis looked at her with a complicated expression, thankful that Lesly put the rule of only 2 questions per reporter. ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t tell the specifics even if I wanted to. This concerns something more than my doing as a president, but the country¡¯s safety. However, as soon as we knew of the situation in Coalely, I reunited with my cabinet for a security meeting.¡± Luis felt the bit of sweat forming around his forehead diminish before it could continue. ¡°After the massacre in the center¡¯s alleyway, many people were injured and even killed during a chase where these criminals drove towards the poorer districts. Has the government thought about giving them any compensation for the uselessness of the police, and their nonexistent response?¡± A tall white man with a delicate, elegant outfit stood up and asked, grabbing a microphone. ¡°Yes! Yes, we did that.¡± Luis jumped to answer, as if content someone asked this. He calmed down quickly after, looking at Roam behind the curtains, who gave him a signal with his eyes and his head lowering a bit. Luis¡¯s eyes widened, remembering what to do. ¡°The families who lost their members that day have been contacted and informed of the procedures. Some of the government¡¯s civil workers have also visited the respective families to offer immediate support. All of them were given at least 10,000 credits to spend¡­ and all their expenses to bid their members farewell will be on the government. There are also some programs they were introduced to respectively, according to their needs.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°What about the criminals and their accomplices? Have the city¡¯s districts been investigated properly after giving home to these terrorists?¡± The man asked after receiving his first answer. Luis¡¯s face went inexpressive for a second. He realized of something. Suddenly, he spoke up with a sudden burst, ¡°First of all, I let it pass before, but those people weren¡¯t terrorists. The situations presented in that day are not what claims those to be recognized as such. They are organized crime groups who seek to grow and fight between each other for the control of one thing or another. No terrorists, so do not use that word.¡± ¡°Now, answering your question. There¡¯s¡­ no need to investigate. I don¡¯t know what kind of information you have, but there are no such things as those districts helping these criminals. They were the most affected! The city¡¯s center wasn¡¯t damaged as much, except the situation in the alley. Why would the government investigate them?¡± Luis concluded. ¡°Well, I do have intel that-¡± The man spoke with knitted eyebrows, but Luis swung his hand in the air as a female attendant walked over to the reporter to take the microphone away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯ve already used your 2 questions¡­¡± There was a bit of clamor as soon as he said that. Luis looked around as the ruckus became a little louder. He saw the man struggle with the attendant, holding her wrists tightly, making him twitch his eyebrows into a frown. Luis added, ¡°Let others have the opportunity to participate.¡± ¡®Phew¡­¡¯ Roam cleaned his forehead¡¯s sweat with another napkin as the president¡¯s words made the room gradually fall quiet. Luis also felt his ass relax after squeezing them cheeks. Meanwhile, the female attendant frowned and walked away, holding her reddened wrists after escaping the crowd¡¯s eyes. She began crying up a little at the corner, but their eyes were no longer on her, although Luis did look at her a little longer before facing the crowd. Just then, a brown man with an easygoing expression stood up, with a short afro, and commenced. ¡°President Luis Heartez, going back to that subject, I think it¡¯s important to know what happened. I know we should all have the right to know it. Were any commoners with the criminals who injured more than 100 people that day?¡± He sat down after asking. ¡°¡­¡± Luis felt a seed of rage threatening to burst in his chest, but he quelled it. ¡°What commoners? Watch what you say. No matter how strange your information might be, and I can¡¯t possibly ever know where you got it from, those are our fellow countryfolk who¡­ Suffered a tragedy!¡± Luis berated the man a little. This time, while most reporters looked ahead as if ignoring it, some looked at the reporter questioningly. They said nothing, but their gazes did. ¡°No person aided those criminals. The cloaked figures with red masks are not known to be from an organized crime group. They seem to be¡­¡± Luis thought for a moment before responding in the Lys¡¯ native small language, ¡°Sicarios experts in the arts of weaponry, transport, and infiltration. We now know they were contracted by the criminal lord to get rid of another such group trying to rise in his territory.¡± ¡°Then, why did the police not respond? Many citizens from those poor districts walked to the location in an hour or 2, but the police were nowhere to be seen even 5 hours later. There was also a police car hidden nearby, with 2 corpses in it, cops shot from a military grade ¡®small pistol¡¯. What do you have to say about it, president?¡± The brown man said before sitting on his bum with a frown. Acting a little spoiled, even. ¡°¡­¡± That was a cheating question, asking about the general things of the event. But Luis had to answer it. Besides, this was meant to last at least an hour, so if he refused to answer questions before even 10 minutes passed, then what was the point of him being here? Yet, that did not take away the point that Luis couldn¡¯t just say ¡®because the cops were corrupt, or too scared to do what they¡¯re trained to do and funded¡¯. When they do ¡®just that¡¯ with innocent civilians, abusing their power, known across the country, albeit varied. ¡°What I have to say? I have nothing to say. I¡¯d like to be able of commanding the police to help with situations like these, or know that they would do their job well. I always believed they would. But that day, they showed me it wasn¡¯t the truth, and that, as much as it hurts me, I was fooled.¡± Luis suddenly went a bit¡­ smooth. He seemed confident, even if just a bit of a ¡®slightly¡¯ amount. He went on, ¡°There will be responsible people who will attest to that day¡¯s awful execution of their job, but that¡¯s something concerning the police in Coalely¡­ and the Supreme Court Justice.¡± ¡°This is why, from today, I¡¯m presenting a new initiative. I¡¯ll bring the national guard to the front, more than before¡­ It has¡­¡± Luis looked at the side, where Roam nodded at him like a chicken pecking on rice. Luis continued, ¡°For 200 years. It has been weakened and kept like a pet, insulting the security of our country. Now, with this initiative, the national guard will expand to the Lys needs, working only for the sake of the people¡¯s safety, nothing else! As intended from the creation of Humane Key.¡± Clamor, clamor, whispers¡­ Luis felt something else, something different, when he saw the reporters before him no longer as much as snakes and henchmen like before, like just now. For a moment, he felt¡­ he was understanding his role? So far, he hid himself in the presidential precinct or behind cameras after his first re-election term. But now, there he was, saying something that made sense to them¡­ to others. The brown man sat with his arms crossed, looking at the president a little hatefully. At that moment, before anyone could calm down from the shocking news, if a bit, another young white woman stood up. ¡°President Luis Heartez, I am Angelina, and I¡¯m here with my partner Eduardo. We are from the BLF news anchor. Good afternoon, President. I¡¯d like to first ask of the situation with the investigation on these¡­ ''cloaked figures''.¡± Angelina stood up and politely introduced herself before speaking to the president with a blatant smile. Luis tilted his head, feeling respected for the first time by a news anchor. He knew it was politeness, but it felt good, still¡­ Eduardo, her ¡®partner¡¯, on the other hand, looked at her with glints in his eyes. He thought, ¡®Is she feeling in a good mood to introduce me like this? Heh heh, thank you.¡¯ ¡°What is your question regarding this?¡± Luis nodded, with only his left forearm supported on the podium. Angelina¡¯s hot figure gained eyes from everywhere, especially through the cameras, making quite some homes suffer a couples¡¯ fight or wolves¡¯ calling. ¡°It¡¯s truth they made a horrible, tragic event out of a normal day spread in one of Coalely¡¯s cities, but I have information from the people itself about their situation for the last 10 years. I have been answered with rueful, uncomfortable, and even fearful answers. Even from kids, President.¡± Angelina halted before breathing in and continuing. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to¡­ put you, sir, in a tough situation, but you¡¯ve governed our country for 10 years after breaking our Humane Key¡¯s personal emblem¡ª no re-election. I¡¯d like to ask ¡®how come there has been little work in the country despite you having been elected twice in a row¡¯, but I¡¯d rather get a solid answer from something recurrent.¡± ¡°The citizens I interviewed were terrified, but they also went out to work and school in the mornings. Those who return late at night nowadays are also planning more hangouts to celebrate during the night. Could it be that the cloaked figures, which are also more commonly known as ¡®SA¡¯ and ¡®SAs¡¯ in plural, as ¡®Special Agent¡¯ on the internet, be part of an unknown organization? Do they serve whoever has money, and do they take more tasks than dealing with organized crime, or the ¡®crime world¡¯?¡± ¡°Because, President. There¡¯s been sightings of more people like this who hide their identity and have these¡­ strangely ¡®mighty¡¯ capabilities that we don¡¯t even see in our real world¡¯s movies,¡± Angelina smiled, a bit mocking. ¡°They¡¯ve been seen rescuing people, but also doing the kidnapping themselves. Even past events like the fruit of nature now show signs of the involved people infiltrating the museum¡¯s guards and knowing the museum¡¯s infrastructure and schedules. My second question is, are we seeing something else in this world? A new involvement that we are only recently discovering but has existed since time ago?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis looked at Angelina with fully open eyes, quite speechless but calm from her bombardment of words and words, and 2 questions, supposedly. He felt dizzy for a bit before processing everything. ¡°Yes, okay. Let me respond to that¡­¡± A few crackle and mocking giggles sounded in the crowd, but Angeline remained standing, giving the microphone away, staring directly at the president. ¡°We know some things. As a matter of fact, let me show you someone who has been working with us for the last few weeks, trying to build for Lymoca what hasn¡¯t been done in decades and decades.¡± Luis started without answering the question, first indicating behind him. Step, step¡­ clamor~! A second later, the curtain was lifted by a person, followed by 2 people walking into the crowd¡¯s eyes. There was a commotion. Of course there would be one. After all, of the 2 people, an adult man and a young man, the former was a renown criminal lord since 30 years ago, at the very least. The other was most likely his son. The reporters went mad with the camera shots before they received instructors to pipe down. Luis nodded at them before continuing, ¡°This man is Emanuel, the man who has dominated the crime from one of Coalely¡¯s cities, and one of the largest organized crime groups in the nearby states.¡± ¡°This is his son. During that day, this man contracted this¡­ ¡®group¡¯ of people. Please, come and speak what you¡¯ve been helping us with. Just a bit will be enough,¡± Luis motioned for the man, who nodded and stepped forth to take the podium. His son remained behind, docile and calm. ¡°When I received a lot of information from some of¡­ the moles I planted in a new mob, planning to take my son to demand for half my people and guns, I desperately needed help. Through some means, which I won¡¯t explain, as it¡¯s classified information, I contacted this ¡®group¡¯. I knew nothing about them, only that as long as I paid money, they might be able to help me save my son and finish off this new¡­ competitor.¡± The man¡¯s words gained silence everywhere, including those watching behind their screens. ¡°When the day came, I was told to wait a few days to see how things went, and to aid them. I did. The mob I was targeting had¡­ they managed to trick some cops from believing nothing was happening. I¡¯m sure not everyone here knows, but we already have and know how to use tech to listen and even block transmissions between PPOs, among other facilities.¡± ¡°Yet, when the day started, I heard news of a situation arising somewhere near the center of the city. All I know is that they found an opportunity to act quick, and I could only wait to see what happened. By the end of the day, as my enemy was being hunted after moving through the city, openly and devastating anything they ran across, my son was brought to me.¡± ¡°They said he was tortured by my enemy before getting a hold of him¡­¡± The man looked down, seemingly thinking of many things that nobody could guess. ¡°The truth is, I started trying to take over the city for¡­ a multitude of reasons. None of them were my family, but now I know I was quick to act. The criminal world is experiencing a strange enriching, and I couldn¡¯t keep up.¡± ¡­ Chapter 68 — It Is No Longer So Easy It Is No Longer So Easy ¡°This started about 24 years ago, exactly at the time everyone here is now thinking. Several organized crime groups, even the well-known cartels and syndicates, were funded time and again. This wasn''t done by those ''groups''. I don''t think they''d be interested in funding hundreds of millions just to receive a few in return, and it wasn''t even sure if they would be called by those they funded.¡± ¡°Over the years, I''ve heard of other organized crime contracting these ''groups'' like I did. Even if we wanted to hire the same and befriend each other, they wouldn''t let us. Yet, they weren''t the problem. At first, it was unknown who was behind these funding, but for the past 15 years, many businesses have taken that place. They might have been advised¡­ or saw what was happening, and its profit.¡± Clamor clamor clamor¡­ These words were undoubtedly shocking. The reporters recorded the audio and took notes like crazy. The man continued after giving the president a look, to which Luis nodded. ¡°For the past 3 years, I tried giving my gang a way out. Half the criminal groups in Lymoca are slowly being targeted and sought after like never before. I was part of the hunting half, but I also received information from¡­ unknown sources of other cartels, syndicates, and even a group of mobsters targeting me, and others like me.¡± ¡°I decided to directly¡­ support President Luis Heartez¡¯s government for their past and current actions. Even I am afraid of what is coming to be from this. I can assure you that those people, the cloaked figures, aren¡¯t heroes. Do not estimate them with the regard you would to a practical police force. But if Lymoca were to antagonize them, that would be detrimental for its people.¡± ¡°There are many of these groups, lagjs I think they call them. Each of them have several hundreds to more than 10,000 members. I don¡¯t know much more than that. I don¡¯t know for sure how many are there, maybe a dozen¡­ But I know at least one lagj organization is predominant in each of Lymoca¡¯s states. This is no joke or false alarm-¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s enough, Emanuel,¡± Luis stepped up as the man was getting anxious. Emanuel looked annoyed at being stopped, but understanding as well. He looked back and nodded before standing beside his son. Luis Heartez stepped up and looked at the dumbfounded reporters. ¡°That answers your first question, I believe?¡± Luis Heartez looked at Angelina, who rotated her hips on the spot, looking up at him before smiling, ¡°Yes, President.¡± ¡°Then, well. For your second question,¡± Luis nodded and gestured, pausing for a moment with only his eyes moving around, before continuing on. ¡°I believe we will see for sure in due time. For now, Lymoca is focused on internal matters only.¡± ¡°While I assure you there will be a thorough investigation, I¡¯d like to warn everyone that if they see suspicious activity, do not call the police or ¡®try¡¯ to do something about it. I don¡¯t think I need to specify on this latter one.¡± Luis licked his lips, feeling the difficulty of hosting such a conference only now. ¡°You should call to the new government phone number for both national guard and the government¡¯s intelligence attending services, new from today onwards.¡± ¡°Life won¡¯t change anytime soon. I can assure everyone of that. On the other hand. I promise to eradicate any group, individual, and secret association posing a danger to Lymoca. Not once in our entire lifetime have we suffered a civil war. Not once have we fallen to ourselves, even when some traitors sold the nation in the far past. We have Ly blood in all of our veins. No matter who that might be. Nobody can insult it!¡± Clap, clap, clap¡­ Luis: ? ?o?£»? Suddenly, the president of Lymoca felt flabbergasted. Just now, as the young woman who asked such a lengthy pair of questions looked at him with shining eyes¡­ Was he being applauded? Luis almost scoffed in laughs but held himself in. He nodded at the crowd who clapped, something he knew wasn¡¯t supposed to happen, for the first time. He didn¡¯t see, but Roam behind him lifted his eyebrows. Clearly, he also didn¡¯t expect this to go this way. It wasn¡¯t the emotive speech of the world for a century, but it was¡­ the first time Luis spoke without scripts, and¡­ he was just ¡®welcomed¡¯ for speaking. Him! Luis Heartez! ¡°Before we continue,¡± Luis¡¯s words stopped their clamoring. Even those who did not felt like it and were just here to catch something for the opposition ended up clapping, even if not standing up. The president continued, ¡°Allow me to show you the dangers these lagjs represent in the world. This isn¡¯t only a call to Lys, but to anyone who wishes to inform themselves. Images have been censured enough without losing the¡­ meaning behind it.¡± The curtain behind him became a high-definition screen. The fabric flattened as images ran with moderate sound. There were only 5 angles, at the right corner below, while the large screen atop showed it. The quality was like an ancient video, but not blurry. It was an alleyway, looking a lot like the one where many news anchors took photos and even managed to record a bit before being kicked away. There was a person crouching in the middle of the alley after 2 bikes arrived. He shot at them, killing them as they became blurry. One of them was cruelly killed at melee, but the cloaked figure didn¡¯t care. He then proceeded to kill more than came towards him. The crowd was alarmed, but they were also engrossed. Angelina had already nodded to the president before taking her seat. Eduardo looked at her with a thin smile from ear to ear. She winked at him and smiled. Since they¡¯ve been working for a couple of years together, it would¡¯ve been sad if she just called him her cameraman, and he understood. The footage kept running. The news anchors became mortified when they saw the cloaked figure casually move while crouching, firing a gun that seemed too powerful. But not only was he faster than their normal walking, it was even and¡­ stable. Calculated, even. And then, when he fired at the walls, bouncing those bullets to hit criminals, which another angle quickly showed from afar before peeking out to heartlessly kill them, truly mortified them. Yet, not too long after, they saw how he stepped out of the alley from the narrow spaces and killed off anyone fleeing in fear from him, not failing a single shot. At last, when he was returning and those between the narrow spaces from the alley rushed at him only to die¡­ The way the bodies piled up a little caused them immediate disgust. The cloaked figure was trapped in between, surrounded from the front after stupidly stepping into a narrow space. A trail of people walked to the other narrow space nearby, while the rest kept him busy getting themselves killed so he couldn¡¯t escape backwards. But even as the criminals got to him from both sides, he used the military small pistol everyone knew about after the forensic results. Now, they saw the ¡®true¡¯ piles of bodies accumulating. A few were too sickened and rushed to the body despite every death and corpse being blurred. Even when the cloaked figure was forced to jump on his back and kill suspiciously young people on rooftops where everyone thought he¡¯d die, he remained alive, using corpses as shields. This amazed and saddened everyone. How could such young¡­ people be involved in this? Suddenly, they remembered the initiatives since the beginning of the president¡¯s 2nd term. Those incalculable billions ¡®requested¡¯ to be used for social programs, and all the few programs like those to aid farmers barely being approved, clicked. They looked at their president. Not only is this to show the actual danger of such ¡®lagj organizations¡¯, the leader of their nation wanted to show them what¡­ he wanted to avoid. Luis looked back at Roam. They could see it in each other¡¯s eyes. The way these paid people looked at all of this, and this being transmitted across Lymoca and the internet¡­ The second re-election didn¡¯t look as impossible anymore! The recording continued¡­ *** South of Chtst¨¦. 2 weeks later. At night. The Riverlye 3 groups sent to this mission were unfortunate to know that the convention was postponed for a month. Something related to the announcement, no, the conference the Lymocan President announced about when they arrived. Phesx didn¡¯t present himself, but one of the other group¡¯s young Artista did. After being given directions to stay at a motel the convection¡¯s organizers would pay for him due to this inconvenience, he had to stay there for 2 weeks. On the other hand, the other 3 groups monitored the cult. They were never seen, as there wasn¡¯t a need to change the installed cameras ¡® batteries nor know more information. Of course, they also protected the young Artista, but nobody spied on him whatsoever. But thankfully, when it looked like the convention would really wait another month, the convention¡¯s organizers confirmed their mass meeting taking place in a few days. Tomorrow was that date. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The joint group had worked as intended, and while they were paid their usual weekly gain by the HQ due to the inconvenience, although vacations were nice, they weren¡¯t pets to be kept at home. As the atmosphere in their group became harmonious when they knew they could get to do something at last, those who could and wanted to mingle talked about life, those who were lonely continued their daily/night watch job. On the other hand, Phesx Caolia and Pheli lied on the roof of their chosen safe house. It was more of a ¡®rented room¡¯ situation, but the old lady, already 140 years old, was pretty chill about it. Unlike many others her age, she could walk, although worse than a baby, but she damn could. Even Phesx Caolia and Pheli were forced to have tea with her, but it was good, so they repeated another 3 times through these 2 weeks and 2 days. Now, they grabbed authentic sleeping bags, unlike their first time, and stared at the dark clouds of the night sky. There were a few strong stars brightening the universe for them, but they still stared everywhere. Phesx particularly liked the moving clouds, white or obscured, and Pheli liked it when his stare didn¡¯t become lost. Since he seemed to have fun looking at clouds, what was the point in not letting him see them? ¡°I was about 16 when I first tried to kill myself,¡± Pheli muttered, holding hands with him under the blanket. Phesx looked at her with widened eyes. Pheli noticed and also widened hers, ¡°Oh. I thought you would¡¯ve checked about me on the internet. You didn¡¯t, I see. Thank you.¡± ¡°Bwahaha,¡± Phesx smirked and laughed in her face. Pheli¡¯s cheeks turned rosy near her eyelids. Phesx commented with a smirk to make her crazy, ¡°That¡¯s one way to get warmed up to talk.¡± ¡°What was it all about?¡± Phesx asked, looking at her and burying his chin on her left shoulder. Pheli blinked before staring at the sky with her celeste eyes looking upwards with no emotions, but they shined bright in someone¡¯s impenetrable black eyes. ¡°My mother died, my father was being pressured, and¡­ my favorite ¡®aunty¡¯ died in an¡­ ¡®accident¡¯. In the end, my father let go of politics and went neutral. Everything became worse for the Forzt. Many outside the family talked about how it would be good if I was married to someone else. My siblings were too young to even consider that for the time being.¡± ¡°I started having thoughts, you know, like any teenager. But mine were strong¡­ Even when Mel took me in and showed me, I still tried to get killed in my first few missions. Sigh,¡± Pheli turned her back on him. Phesx immediately spooned her softly. ¡°Mel?¡± His words flowed into her ears, making her body flutter so much she could almost flutter her ears alone. Pheli nodded, ¡°Yes. Usually, a weapons master is a scary Instructor-to-be. So was Mel¡¯s mentor, and so did I become capable under her guidance. I¡¯m only 3 years older than you in Riverlye, you know?¡± ¡°Mn, I do know about that. Emer told me,¡± Phesx buried his nose in her vertebral column, hugging her from behind. Pheli nodded again, ¡°He was there before I arrived, though not by that much. I heard he came from a hood org, but not which one, or if even from here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make my mind drift to a dying old man, alright?¡± Phesx said, smooching her back before biting her skin along her clothes. Pheli smirked, resting her palms on his backhands locked around her tummy. ¡°I ran away in late 20th. And I honestly don¡¯t want to return¡­¡± Pheli turned around and faced him with her torso twisted. ¡°Unless I either am untouchable, or can direct my family to a ¡®side¡¯ I can partake and change things. Where I can do as I wish and achieve it.¡± ¡°So, you care about your family still.¡± Phesx said after glancing into those eyes. He caressed her ears and behind them, showing rare tenderness. Pheli nodded, crying up a couple of tears from her obscured, shining celeste eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you there someday.¡± ¡°And what about you?¡± Pheli asked amidst tiny sobs choked in her throat. Phesx¡¯s face was startled. ¡°I¡¯ve got no-¡± ¡°Your squad from Preut. You must want to meet them at some point, I know¡­ Even if 100 years pass by, and you are filled up with regrets, there¡¯ll soon come the day when you know you ought to find them.¡± Pheli smooched his lips quickly, both with their mouths protruding their lips outwards. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s one way to manipulate to go find them earlier.¡± Phesx said with relaxed, grinning lips. He talked slow, enthralling his woman. Pheli blinked, looking directly into his eyes after opening them, ¡°I¡¯d also like to meet that Mar¨ªa.¡± ¡°Uh oh, uncharted territory ahead.¡± Phesx¡¯s face dropped. He made Pheli giggle as she hit his chest. ¡°No, no. You never know what happened to her. What if you left her pregnant?¡± ¡°Mhm, so this is how you want me to know you want to advance in our relationship? So, ¡®hey, I think you got someone else pregnant already, get me now, too!¡¯?¡± Phesx pinched Pheli¡¯s sides before she turned around to face him, coiling her arms around her neck, bringing her face closer. Her legs doing the same, Pheli breathed softly into his mouth, his closed, grinning lips. ¡°Of course not. Not anymore, mm. How about this¡­ If something were to happen to you tomorrow, and you lost your groins at worse, then put one in me tonight. That way, we¡¯ll live forever without that missing part in our lives.¡± Her softly spoken last few words tingled his heart; so much. Pheli smiled thinly after licking her lips, positioning her face a little ¡®higher¡¯ than Phesx¡¯s. He looked at her like a doofus without reacting. Phesx gulped, softly holding her waist now instead. ¡°How would you know I want kids? I don¡¯t even like them,¡± Phesx said. Pheli looked at him, showering him with her celeste eyes. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m wrong. But I know you desire you could have a family, at last. One that is family, one that loves you.¡± Pheli brought his wrists to their shoulders before kissing his backhands a few times, smacking sounds and leaving them a tiny trace of saliva each time. Her lips were warmth, and so was her temperature as it raised along her blushing skin. ¡°Riverlye is no place for children, but if it¡¯s our last time. Wouldn¡¯t you want to at least not lose such a part of our nature? With me, I¡¯m more than willing. I-¡± Pheli lowered her chin further and more as she spoke. When suddenly, Phesx pushed her atop him and said. His hands were brought up to her face, cupping her cheeks. With a breathy tone, he said to her nose, ¡°You¡¯re prefect.¡± . . . At 8 in the morning. The group remained behind as Phesx walked down the safe house with the tomboy from the other group. ¡°Here¡¯s your mask,¡± she said to Phesx, presenting him a spotless white mask with 3 theatrical joyous/anguished faces. The largest was in the middle, for his eyes and mouth, while the other 2 were at his sides, slightly around his temples. It was a long mask, so to speak. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Phesx said, changing his red mask to the other one. The tomboy put hers and nodded solemnly. As they walked into the street, with the old lady grumpy that they¡¯d attend such a ¡®party¡¯ of crazy ones, their other young Artista walked to the convention from the nearby motel. As they left the safe house, from the rooftop, the 3 groups watched them go. Pheli walked to Teon and the rest of the group with her arms crossed, wearing Phesx¡¯s cloak around her waist. ¡°Something tells me, and I don''t know how, that if I take a look at your butt without that cloak covering it, I¡¯ll see a pair of saggy baby cheeks.¡± Teon said without turning around. Layo smirked, swaying her head with feminine, girly swag. Im¨¢n and the others decided to flee before it was too late. Im¨¢n walked away with a brown bald man who was considerably not attractive, both smiling to each other. They matched body building and height, and something more. ¡°Teon, when was the last time I chased you and beat you?¡± Pheli asked with an annoyed expression, but only slightly. Teon blinked, saying with 5 parts confidence and 5 parts bragging, ¡°A long time. Who knows, maybe I won¡¯t be defeated this time.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Pheli turned her head to look at Teon. Teon didn¡¯t turn her head, but she felt the terror. With a cute voice, Teon expressed her subservience, ¡°I just remembered last night was a weird night, how about I massage your feet, shoulder, and belly? You must feel sooo sore~.¡± Layo¡¯s playfulness got the better of herself as she smirked, commenting from the side, ¡°I heard belly rubs help with pregnancy attempts¡¯ sperm flow.¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Pheli turned to Layo this time, but the latter kept smiling gently with her eyes closed in curves. Just as Teon thought Layo was getting the brunt for her, Pheli said, pinching her fabulous abdomen over her clothes. ¡°Do you know how to make good belly rubs, then?¡± Teon & Layo: ( ¡®¡ó¡¯) ( ? o ? ). ¡­ Going into the ¡®church¡¯, Phesx separated from the tomboy and didn¡¯t mingle with the other young Artista as he and a few dozen went through the entryway in one go. The place was small, but it was remodeled for fitting purposes. More than 100 people could sit here, and the pulpit where the ¡®preacher¡¯ would stand was small, looking quite considerate. ¡°Oh, young lad.¡± A middle-aged woman talked to Phesx. He felt her right hand moving to his right wrist. He smoothly retrieved it and turned to her in the crowd, already inside the narthex. ¡°Oh? Sorry, ma¡¯am, didn¡¯t see you.¡± The woman retrieved her hand apologetically. But hearing the concern in Phesx¡¯s tone, she softened, ¡°Aww, don¡¯t worry. You just look quite young, and your voice is, too. I¡¯m so sorry for your losses. You are from Preut, right?¡± ¡°Mn, I am¡­¡± Phesx said in a lost, saddened voice behind his mask. The woman nodded before standing beside him on his right. ¡°Ah, let¡¯s not bother the others. Come on, we¡¯ll walk in together.¡± Phesx¡¯s eyes went to the sides of a few people around him. He smelled a bit of metal. He wondered if it was about a ¡®sacred¡¯ item, but they smelled a bit too much to be such. They¡¯re usually not fully metal, and only to be worth a price. Else, there wouldn¡¯t be these ¡®new religion¡¯ scams popping out every 1 o 2 years anywhere. ¡°Let¡¯s,¡± Phesx nodded a bit. The woman¡¯s lips smiled behind her mask before guiding him inside. Phesx and the woman entered the narthex, finding a seat 3 rows behind the very front at the left. Noticing where the other young Artistas were, Phesx sat with the middle-aged lady on his right, and the wall on his left. The pews were stuck to the walls from one of their sides, respectively. After 3 minutes, more than 100 people sat in the narthex, all waiting for about 10 minutes before the preacher appeared. He was a white man with rosy skin who looked nervous. Phesx¡¯s hearing senses told him he was genuinely nervous, and even hopeful. As the man stood in the pulpit, he looked at everyone¡¯s masks and smiled before nodding. ¡°Welcome everyone. I am pleased to tell you this is my first time preaching. Everyone who stands in this church will, in due time.¡± The middle-aged man with thin hair and bendable wrinkles on his forehead licked his lips with keen anticipation. The crowd shouted in unison, including the middle-aged lady sitting with Phesx. ¡°The transition of the eyes is with you.¡± Phesx suddenly noticed something, besides hooking the corners of his mouth downwards. Everyone was of age, more than that, at least in their 50s or 60s, quite well at their middle ages. ¡°Haha, right,¡± the preacher looked down and flipped a book¡¯s pages before beginning, only looking at the crowd. ¡°Some of you are initiating your journey here. But because of the nuances, which are understood, with the president¡¯s claims and all of this. We called some people to fill the church. Only some, don¡¯t worry. Most of you are new, haha heh. Let me begin¡­¡± ¡°As you can see, I wear no mask, and my colors are black and gray,¡± the man said, gesturing downwards to his simple tuxedo. ¡°The masks aren¡¯t a source of shame, but of beginning. One leaves them when they are emboldened by the touch of the new eyes¡­¡± Phesx¡¯s back started getting numb. He lowered his neck, arching his body forward in a slightly bending position. His frowning eyes slowly relaxed, or rather, widened. ¡­ Chapter 69 — It Cant Get Any Crazier Than This It Can''t Get Any Crazier Than This ¡°¡­ and like it has happened for several years already, we''ve ought to see the world isn''t as pretty anymore¡­¡± As the preacher continued his speech for a minute after beginning, Phesx lifted his eyes before staring at the old lady. He felt something, and as he looked at her, she revealed a shiny irregularly shaped metal under her upper garments while looking at him. Phesx Caolia evaluated his situation. Staring at the middle-aged lady take the thing out, holding it with her hands covered by thin, cleaning white gloves. Her fingers became bloodied immediately as she brandished it towards his neck. ¡°Oh, you boy. You¡¯re too young. You shouldn¡¯t have thrown your life for some lagjs.¡± Phesx rapidly elbowed her neck, still bending his back a bit. The lady couldn¡¯t continue her words, holding her neck before Phesx grabbed her wrist and directed the strangely shaped blade to her collarbone. ¡°AA- gagagagaghhk!¡± The lady¡¯s eyes went up behind her mask. Phesx stood with his feet on the pew as he looked behind. The other young Artistas were also attacked, but these were much worse off as they sat in the middle of a pew or surrounded by many other older people. Everyone who wasn¡¯t the young Artistas moved, taking blades out with irregular shapes, some cut their fingers to hold them, while others grabbed actual knives and even showed a few tiny handguns. They came here knowing what was happening, and prepared. ¡°What- wha- what is happening?!¡± The preacher called out, flabbergasted and stunned on the spot as he saw the hell before him. Phesx looked back just in time to watch an old man approach him, semi-running with a wide knife held in reverse and raised high. The preacher didn¡¯t see it coming, or thought someone was fleeing towards him. When the knife came down on his chest, it was too late to stop it. The preacher¡¯s humble, simple suit began darkening, becoming wet from the blood flowing from his wounds as the old man kept stabbing. ¡®They¡¯re even killing each other.¡¯ Phesx thought as he saw a few more fighting each other, trying to kill one another in what looked like different parties within this cult of the crazy. Then, Phesx looked back just in time to see an oldie who was looking at his young Artistas getting ganged upon. His eyes went wide when he turned and saw Phesx was fine. Looking at the dying middle-aged lady with blood all down her chest and stomach, the old man said before bending over to grab a thin knife resting on the pew. ¡°How are you still alive?¡± Phesx looked as the old man¡¯s wrinkled hands reached out and grabbed its handle. After he did, Phesx finally moved, breaking off that wrist, grabbing the knife in reverse, and shooting it into the old man¡¯s glabella. Phesx immediately retrieved the knife and stood up, stepping on the pew¡¯s backrest. Just then, a person from his same pew stood up and launched himself at him, devoted to stop him with a porcelain white hammer in his right hand. Phesx¡¯s readily lifted his left foot backwards, hitting the old man¡¯s chin with his hindfoot, breaking the old man¡¯s neck and part of the skull along the jaw. Yet, before Phesx could continue after jumping to the other pew behind him, trying to reach the tomboy, someone caught him in the air just after, tackling him against the wall. Phesx took the brunt softly before stabbing the vertebral column. It broke easily with the knife and his punches. But by then, as the old man¡¯s limp body fell to the floor, Phesx was approached by a dozen others, all with weapons of their own and clearly unafraid of death. Phesx widened his eyes, taking a good look at each of the young Artistas as he was cornered. The tomboy was constantly thrown on her back, struggling against an old man or woman at a time before getting up, cutting some throats, piercing some eyes, and thrown on her back again. The other young Artista was a little further away, on the other column of pews. He was punching, scratching, and stabbing and cutting as many as possible from the beginning. Only a few seconds passed since these old folk became mad. Gray, grayish-blue, white, or silvery hair moved towards the young Artistas. Phesx was no exception. Even though his quick knife stabbing motions alarmed those rapidly surrounding him, they only hesitated for a second before resuming. Phesx saw a white poker come at his eyes. He stopped it with his left hand¡¯s grab and pulled the arm holding it towards him, using the thin knife to cut the jugulars before kicking the dying body away. But then, an old lady threw her nails at him, wanting to scratch his right cheek off. Phesx grabbed the poker, twirled it in his hand, and stabbed the hand before moving for a better position, but 3 other old men jumped at him from the pew on his right. Phesx was thrown back into place by old men who didn¡¯t care if they hurt themselves doing so. At the same time, the same person swinging a knee-attack which Phesx wanted to avoid landed on his left side, almost breaking a rib or more as he fell to the floor. Phesx¡¯s eyebrows twitched before he made a hook stance with his right hand. Grasping and breaking off one of the old men¡¯s necks while the others began punching his torso with their reverse fists. Phesx elbowed another¡¯s head to death before pushing his thumbs into the last old man¡¯s eyes as his head was kicked and thrown things. Phesx tried to avoid as many hits as possible, but his movement was limited, and he was locked in place. A landed on his head accurately, and they weren¡¯t light just because they came from old people. Phesx grabbed those feet, pulling them and making the folk fall to their backs. Some hit their head, becoming dumb as they stared at the ceiling. Phesx didn¡¯t have to take care of them as they were trampled by their own people. On the other hand, he stood up, but as soon as he did, someone came to him with their handgun aiming at his face. Phesx drew his head backwards, grabbing the hand holding the gun with his index and middle fingers directing the muzzle elsewhere. Bang bang bang bang¡­ Phesx continued deviating the handgun as it was fired and fired. He pushed the elderly holding it against the back instead, pulling and slamming the back of their head against it until the handgun was dropped. Phesx rapidly caught it in the air after punching the old man¡¯s head to hit its back and crush it on the wall, crouching before clearing an area around him. Old men and women fell with broken masks or holding their necks in pain, beginning to choke in their own blood. ¡­ Meanwhile, outside the narthex, the people walking around the streets were left startled and fearful after a few gunshots went off. Atop the house on the other side of the street, the Riverlye groups watched the footage from a monitor of the cameras. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Teon frowned as Layo did the same with her arms crossed. Before they immediately acted, Pheli gave the order. ¡°We¡¯ve been ratted out. Get ready to clear. Finish the mission and escape!¡± She jumped over the ledge, sliding her feet on the wall a bit before impulsing her body forward, rolling on the ground before tumbling one of the garbage cans with her feet; which the old lady gave them during their stay. Pheli picked her large, bulky rifle before making some ruckus. Her group moved behind her while the rest moved a second later, joining the ruckus as they made the civilians clear out the area. A police car happened to drive by the sidewalk of the church. They stopped after receiving reports but became alerted when strong gunfire sounded. They barely had any time to get out of their cars before they were pushed against the ground with their necks feeling a muzzle for the first time. ¡°Don¡¯t move and behave!¡± Im¨¢n and the bald man who is always with him brought the police units to the side before tying their wrists and legs. As they did, gunshots continued ringing from inside, occasionally, and with Pheli trying to open the entryway, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. They didn¡¯t bring explosives, so they could only open it with firepower¡­ ¡­ Inside the narthex, Phesx barely arrived at the tomboy¡¯s spot, whereas her mask was partially broken and her right eye area showed through the broken gap. Phesx came tackling a few old people, rapidly taking care of them with knife stabs, before moving the tomboy onto a pew. He went on a frenzy to punch heads, jaws, and necks until their owners¡¯ breathing stopped ringing in his ears. When Phesx was just feeling heated from the inside like a small furnace burning with lava, he noticed the corpses around him and the broken pews were all that remained. Phesx breathed in quick, brusque motions before looking at the tomboy. Her torso was stabbed 7 times, with the weapons still in her. 2 at her shoulders, 1 at her solar plexus, 1 at her left ribs, and 3 in her lower belly. The latter were all irregularly shaped blades without handles and with double edges. She looked up at Phesx as most of her blood covered her clothes, bathing some of her mask with it, too. Her hands trembled sideways, rising them and trying to stand up, but couldn¡¯t. Phesx helped her sit up against the wall. Her lips trembled, but he felt he knew what she wanted. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Taking her mask off, Phesx could already tell another Artista corpse was being brutalized and humiliated, as he at least gave the tomboy a moment. She seemed to breathe better after taking her mask off, looking around with relaxed eyes before resting them on Phesx. As he saw her light dissipating from her eyes, Phesx grabbed her bloody, broken, mangled-skinned hands softly. Her head then relaxed, almost falling. Phesx stopped her body from collapsing, putting her in a comfortable sitting position before turning around. ¡°Welcome!¡± Just then, as Phesx turned around and faced the remaining crowd of old people taking turns slamming, cutting, and stabbing the other young Artista¡¯s body, a young man walked from the pulpit¡¯s side. ¡°Eh? What¡¯s going on? Why¡¯s there still one alive?¡± The young man, a white innocent-looking fella with slender build, square face, and short jet black hair, looked bothered before running back. Phesx narrowed his eyes, grabbing a porcelain white hatchet from one of the corpses the tomboy made. He looked at the fleeing back of the young man with a brown tuxedo before throwing it towards him. The young man was just turning around a corner where he met a small group of people, with an old man with grayish-blue hair combed backwards with 2 beauties holding his arms walking towards the narthex. ¡°Sir, wait! It¡¯s not clean yet. There¡¯s still one more nefarious sinner who hasn¡¯t been sacrificed to the thin air of our eye¡¯s salv-¡± Pwlaack! The hatchet suddenly landed on his nape. The young man was still running. When he was hit, he could only turn his head before directly dropping to the floor. His head ended up unnaturally bending before his neck broke when meeting the floor head-on. ¡°What is going on?!¡± The old man said as the young women were scared out of their lives. They walked into view, only to watch as Phesx barged into the mob of cultists¡¯ back, pushing everyone outwards before punching the shit out of their brains. When Phesx had just killed 3 more old people with his bloodied clothes and bare hands, the old man stopped and hurriedly took his handgun out. He aimed it at Phesx, to which Phesx rolled with an elderly¡¯s corpse swung in rotation by his feet. Bang bang bang¡­ The old man shot Phesx but failed to land any on him. After Phesx avoided the shots, he looked at the old man slowly following his movements with the gun. Phesx rolled his eyes before rushing towards the old man, ignoring everyone else as he got to punch some old lunatics with all of his strength to stop them from tackling him. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± The old man screamed before and as he was tackled by Phesx, not even able to shoot again. The beauties beside him screamed as Phesx began tearing the old man¡¯s face with just his hands, grabbing and squeezing his skin and hair. Phesx¡¯s eyes were madly focused on his work that he couldn¡¯t hear the beauties¡¯ screaming, nor the sobbing, sorrowful cries of the old people rushing to his back. Phesx stopped out of the blue when he felt a beauty slap his back to stop him, finding bravery in numbers. His halt paralyzed the beauties, before Phesx spun 180 degrees atop the old man¡¯s twitching, dying body. Phesx¡¯s right foot tumbled the beauty who attacked him on his right. She felt to the floor, and as soon as she did, he grabbed the old man¡¯s pistol handgun and aimed at her breasts and groins. Bang bang bang bang¡­ thud- bang bang- stomp! Crushhh¡­ Phesx cruelly fired the beauty¡¯s body as she twisted once and then slowly relaxed on the floor, her heart suffering a tremendous blow, not figuratively speaking. Phesx could hear the first beauty¡¯s heart crushing from within as he looked at the other with a squint, who flinched with her eyes wide open. Before she could flee, her right heel was struck by the tip of Phesx¡¯s left shoe. Before she fell, Phesx rapidly stood up and brought her head to the old man¡¯s groins, still suffering to die. Phesx stunned the beauty, who barely recognized where she fell, when a pair of bullets crushed the back of her head and her life gone with them. Phesx immediately stomped his feet after shooting twice with his chin up. He crushed the woman¡¯s head apart, joining it with the man¡¯s groins, before looking at the crowd rushing at him. Bang bang bang bang bang- fwp- Plop! Several old folk¡¯s heads were shot, but the handgun had few bullets, not even a full magazine. Phesx threw it at some point, cracking open a slender, weak-looking old man with long, obscure gray hair running towards him with barely a breath. They at least had conviction to go after him no matter what. Phesx ignored it, grabbing a white stake from the floor before throwing it to the fastest in their group. Phesx pierced their left eye before charging into the group, using the old man with the pierced eye as a shield before stealing and stabbing more weapons to old folk as he ¡®danced¡¯ on the floor and lunged at them. Just several seconds later, guards appeared from the pulpit¡¯s sides, looking at the sexually cruel display of murder at the edge of the pulpit before looking at Phesx killing the last few zealots. ¡°He killed our God!¡± - ¡°Oh my gooooood!¡± - ¡°How could this be? Stop him! AAAAH!¡± Phesx looked at the incoming guards, who carried submachine guns, small ones, and not everyone, but still dangerous. Phesx rapidly dispatched the last few old folk, having saved the fatty ones for last, and cut their knees, behind them, and their heels. He rapidly positioned to take cover. Trrrr rrrr rrrr rrrrr rrrr rrrrrr rrrrr rrrrr¡­ Phesx¡¯s body was covered by living and dead bodies, protecting him from the front and below from the bouncing bullets alike. Those who were still alive had a little seizure before the guards began reloading, shouting, ¡°Your sacrifice will be well-thanked in the eye¡¯s vision!¡± The dying old folk nodded, contented to hear them. Phesx looked at this with a frown before tossing the dying folk to the side. The guards were too slow reloading. Although Phesx didn¡¯t expect this, he still had time to act, steal a gun, and kill them. However, just then¡­ Bang-ta bang-ta bang-ta bang-ta! Ta ta ta! Trrrr rrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrr rrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrr! THUD! Powerful weapons shot at the entryway. So much that the guards began pissing themselves. Phesx rolled to the side as a gunfight directly ensued, whereas only the guards didn¡¯t know it. From the outside, every single guard lost at least a third of their bodies before dying or dropping to the ground, wishing they could scream but couldn¡¯t, slowly dying. ¡°Fox!¡± Teon shouted before finding him. She hurried to him and checked his neck for his vitals. Phesx grabbed her wrist with force, nearly starting a brawl with his feet already moving towards her neck, when he stopped. His eyes looked at her face for a few seconds before blinking. Teon was paralyzed, 3 parts because of fear, and 7 parts amazed. She felt like she met one of those powerful individuals she managed to see a couple of years ago. So focused they could kill anyone, or start a fight with, but able to restrain themselves anyway. ¡°Come on,¡± Teon helped him up while the rest advanced further into the church, with raging gunfire sounding nonstop. Teon covered his head with his cloak and gave him a red mask. Phesx put it on the tip of his nose before it extended to cover his face, feeling a bit better. ¡°Wait,¡± Phesx said, stopping Teon before going for the tomboy¡¯s body. He didn¡¯t bother with the other as it turned into a mess along with the others. Otherwise, Phesx wouldn¡¯t have made such a horrible scene to cover it up, and he couldn¡¯t just specifically find that other young Artista¡¯s remains. ¡°You still got strength left?¡± Teon ceremoniously asked as Phesx carried the tomboy out. There, he saw the group of the young Artista guarding the streets. The group leader nodded at him. Phesx looked around at the people taking videos from afar, some were top-notch cameras, probably enthusiasts or concealed news reporters. Others just used their phones or their thin, digital ''windows''. The air felt a bit heated still, but not as much. It would soon become cold, but it was still a hot climate across Lymoca. In no time, Phesx heard the groups returning, with only 2 fairly injured. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Phesx nodded at Pheli before looking at the tomboy¡¯s group leader. He presented her body to him. The group leader looked at the tomboy¡¯s resting eyes before giving his small pistols to another Artista, grabbing the tomboy¡¯s corpse. ¡°Thanks. As a matter of fact, it¡¯s a surprise you also managed to live through it. You are a madman. It kept you alive long enough to be rescued¡­ Good Artistas not only survive, but make their enemy fear not just Riverlye¡¯s name, but oneself.¡± The group leader said before rushing into the truck the other group had prepared for everyone. ¡°Come on, time to leave,¡± Pheli said with her rifle on her back, not stopping walking towards the truck. Phesx nodded, joining the others to enter the truck. It was half as long as a bus, enough for 30+ people to step in and escape. Once inside the truck, Phesx had barely stepped inside, when Pheli¡¯s arms coiled around him and her body pushed against his. She brought him to sit somewhere, with her thighs on his lap as she held his hands with her face up close to his. ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Their eyes locked on each other as the truck¡¯s doors were closed. They were an intimate spectacle to observe before everything went dark. *** Proteros. Presidential precinct. Still morning; late morning. In the meeting hall where the president, his presidential secretary, some attendants, and his cabinet were holding. They were just discussing matters of the country¡¯s security when alarming news were delivered from the internal intelligence department, from the new number of the government. People reported the appearance of lagjs, and of those with the highest recognition so far, at least in Lymoca. They paused their security session to take a look at what was happening. Usually, these meetings would take place daily in the afternoon, whenever the president wasn¡¯t too busy with his letters, or took a break from them. However, ever since more than 2 weeks ago, the president became injected with chicken blood. He now held these meetings in the morning, around 9 to 10 AM, and engaged more in social media to speak of some things, like the incoming naval cooperation with the south. As such, these alarming news put the cabinet in worry. Their internal affairs secretary had just reported all the incidents relating or possibly relating to lagjs, with none of them being severe or with ¡®massacres¡¯ involved. Now, they were told that one of the observed ¡®churches¡¯ in Chtst¨¦ had a major incident in one of their auxiliary branches? The meeting had to be postponed. Yet, as the news showed the pursuit of a large truck, neither armored nor tuned, where the lagjs were seen entering, albeit barely, brutal footage flooded the internet. This caused upheaval even worldwide. A church started killing presumed lagj, and not just any type of ¡®special agents¡¯. It caused concern; how should the world feel when such dangerous organizations face each other like it¡¯s nothing in just any day? Luis Heartez frowned, looking at the images of the truck fleeing before staring at Roam, ¡°Is the blue bug ready?¡± Roam nodded, wearing a stern face. ¡°Yes, sir. Go ahead.¡± ¡­ Chapter 70 — Chasing Your Own Chasing Your Own Luis took a communication, square-shaped device from his suit chest pocket before placing it on a small stand. He pressed the only button it had, where his index fingerprint was read before the screen lighted up. Then, Luis voiced, ¡°Can we get any view from the people inside?¡± The device beeped before another angle showed in the large TV screen, minimizing the news anchors¡¯ angles to a minimum while creating another. This one came not from a helicopter, but a drone made purposely for observation. The meeting hall watched as the camera zoomed and thermal readings were shown, but only in images. It couldn¡¯t give an accurate nor broken thermal reading when in movement, let alone at such speeds, but images were good. The images weren¡¯t perfect replicas of human models¡¯ bare bodies, much less their facial expressions. Either way, one¡¯s genitals wouldn¡¯t show like a camera that can transparent clothes and walls; a fantasy tool. There were only outlines of people and some red dots sparsely filling the humanoid-shaped thermal figures. Some hair, dents, and protrusions in their faces were drawn, but nothing else. ¡°One of them looks really young and¡­ it looks like someone¡¯s sitting on their lap?¡± - ¡°Oh, they¡¯re kissing in the next one.¡± Luis and Roam wore helpless grins as the images showed for another few seconds. At last, the president shook his head and talked to the device. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Thank you.¡± A beep went off from the communication device before it turned itself off. The TV screen returned to normal, with the persecution continuing. Luis watched with relaxed eyebrows now, as various units from the SPD and national guard moved to intercept them. There were also elite police forces moving ahead to force the lagjs to stop. They had already seen the massacre from the footage spread on the internet. Just one of them was capable of so much, and so horrendously, against even the weakest in society. Their skills were¡­ maybe used a bit too wrongly. Of course, whether this was double-faced or right, only time should tell. ¡­ Inside the truck, Phesx held Pheli¡¯s face as the last smacking sound of their lips sounded. They looked at each other again, preparing to move, when Phesx Caolia tilted his head. ¡°I think I¡¯m hearing a drone. If it¡¯s looking at us¡­¡± ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Im¨¢n said before opening one of the doors. He directly lied his weight on his back as he aimed upwards with a rifle. The bald man sitting beside him acted fast and held his legs, balancing Im¨¢n¡¯s back at the same level as the truck back¡¯s floor. Baang¡­ pak- crash! Im¨¢n rushed back inside after taking care of that. A group leader driving the truck yelled as soon as the door closed, with the drone Phesx mentioned long turned into a smallish explosion high in the air. ¡°We¡¯re getting there! Our route to the contractor in the east is blocked. And some are preparing a blockade ahead. Get ready!¡± Pheli silently nodded, slowly blinking her eyes. Phesx nodded to the rest of the circle before standing up to crouch in front of their seats, waiting for the moment. Then, it happened. The truck suddenly crashed, spinning as it went down a hill, once, twice, 10 times¡­ When it finally stopped, and everyone held tight with their lives on the line to the handles at the sides, Im¨¢n and the bald man kicked the doors open. Each carried their bags outside before the group leader driving the truck and a communications¡¯ guy closed the backdoors, making them look broken and stuck. Meanwhile, Phesx and the rest of the circle had already opened the hidden manhole to the Riverlye tunnels. They weren¡¯t worried about giving hints. If these manholes were easy to find, they wouldn¡¯t have been built in the first place. This one was located at the end of the hillside, beneath the dirt. Everyone rushed inside after Pheli and her group went in. When that group leader and Artista arrived, only they were left. Soon, all Artistas disappeared into the manhole, with the door closing on itself after no more Artistas were found around. ¡­ Back in Proteros, the president looked at the pursuit, when the SAs¡¯ truck collided with a parked, ordinary car and its bouncing shock absorbers made it jump all the way down the bridge it was just crossing. Its position in the air remained diagonal until it collided with a few trees. Then, it rolled all the way to the bottom, where a lake and numerous palm trees besides tall trees covered the passing of a spring¡¯s spilled waters from upstream. Every force became helpless as they stopped and had to continue the pursuit on foot. The national guard seemed used to such movement, but the police forces weren¡¯t, not even the elite. The news anchors transmitted everything as a brave camera dropped from a helicopter with a rope and all, perhaps a hidden military veteran, or else. It followed the police forces after the national guard brusquely pushed them aside. Finding comfort in the police¡¯s side, the camera showed the truck where the lagjs suffered the end of their tragic accident. However, when they opened the door, with more than a few dozen weapons aiming inside, they found no one. It was one thing to not find someone in the driver or co-driver seats, but to find no one behind the doors that seemed destroyed and locking the other lagjs inside¡­ What? ¡°There is no one here!¡± - ¡°It¡¯s all clear!¡± - ¡°There¡¯s a trail! Follow me!¡± - ¡°No, there¡¯s a trail here, too. Heavensdammit!¡± - ¡°Don¡¯t move around. Wait for reinforcements. Hey, you, sergeant, captain. I don¡¯t care what your rank is, tell your people to stop moving around!¡± - ¡±Ugh¡­¡± As the national guard and police had a strange standoff, the camera showed everywhere around before a small drone flew from the news anchor helicopter, slow and with only about 100 meter radius of reach. It tried to find something the others couldn¡¯t, and it was only the first of many drones of the same quality, but none would find a thing. ¡°Siiigh¡­ They escaped our grasp. Well, I think that¡¯s that.¡± Luis heavily sighed before turning the TV off. They could see the disappointment in his eyes. The cabinet pressed their lips together or nodded before rearranging the table to continue their meeting. Roam walked out of the room to bring more tea and coffee. As the meeting progressed, and Luis showed he didn¡¯t lose focus on the meeting, his cabinet became more attentive and cooperative. Most of the senate, states, and deputies were either neutral or from the opposition. It was time they planned for the election, as they had to work with everything they had¡­ because this time, they started believing in the ridiculous ¡®aspiration¡¯ of the President. They had to go against so many odds¡­ *** At night, Riverlye HQ. Pheli¡¯s workshop. ¡°Wooohoo!¡± The 3 groups mingled at a party as the clean, empty wall had the drawings of the 2 Artistas who perished in the mission. They would later be burned. The tomboy¡¯s body was delivered back to the closest family she had, while the young Artista was an orphan since turning 17, and only came out of the orphanage¡¯s program at 16 because of his academic skills. Now, however, the joint group celebrated the mission¡¯s success and in honor of those 2. It wasn¡¯t typical to do, but after waiting for 2 weeks, the 3 groups exchanged a few talks and spars once in a while. Still, they would go on their separate ways after this was over, but why not grief in group. Phesx Caolia sat at a corner on a tall, metallic, yellow stool. Pheli sat on his right thigh, drinking some liquor from a bottle while looking at everyone have fun. Everyone was relaxing. Even Teon and Layo danced with each other, Ges¨¢n, and their medics and communication comrades. Waleks had 2 girlfriends, so he didn¡¯t receive more attention, nor did he need any. As for Im¨¢n, he flirted with his man at a corner. It was obvious he would be the active one tonight, with his elbow on the wall above the bald man¡¯s left shoulder. Quite the lovebirds, but manly. ¡°Hmmf,¡± Pheli finished her bottle before throwing it into the garbage can put inside just for tonight. Phesx Caolia jumped his eyebrows before she turned around, leaning her body on his torso. ¡°Hey, I wanna feel your body on me.¡± Phesx blinked a few times. Then, he took her hand and helped her up before bringing her to the dancing floor. He didn¡¯t like the stares on him, thinking he¡¯d be moving like them. But since it was his woman¡¯s request, Phesx didn¡¯t have second thoughts. Phesx stopped near the center before holding Pheli¡¯s waist. Despite the party yet relaxing music on the background, the lights dimmed and they moved slowly. Their hips connected, they moved onto each other¡¯s bodies, with their faces held close, rubbing their skin slowly and so softly. The others kept moving faster, with the music¡¯s rhythm, but they remained in their own little reality, unafraid of the disparity with that of other worlds. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯ve thought of a name, at least.¡± Phesx said, beginning whispering in her left ear before finishing it at her right ear as they rubbed their faces. Pheli smiled thinly, ¡°Oh? What is it, then?¡± ¡°Comet,¡± Phesx simply worded. Pheli jumped her eyebrows. ¡°I see. It makes a bit of sense. Mn, we should get to perfect it. You¡¯ll need iconic weapons as you become more famous, mm?¡± Phesx just smiled, contented to know another 80,000 credits with the contractor¡¯s ¡®apology¡¯ as an extra was making it easier to continue experimenting. It would also give them much more time together¡­ Simply perfect. . . . A week later. Year 1,024, 8th month, 1st week¡¯s 5th day. A rainy night. Phesx Caolia was in the farm as he watched the¡­ success of a male pig successfully granting a female pig a ticket out of her estrus. Pheli stood beside him, watching under a bench with a little roof above them for the rain. Phesx looked ahead with empty eyes, finally muttering after a few minutes, ¡°I think we¡¯re observing a very long orgasm.¡± Pheli blinked her eyes, nodding as she saw the female pig in bliss in the distance. Phesx pulled Pheli to lie on the bench with him. His hands hugged her tummy and his mouth kissed her shoulders before staring at her. Their eyes locking, as usual. ¡°I¡¯ve had thoughts. Mn, living peacefully now seems doable. I know see it is ironic.¡± Said Phesx. Pheli smirked from ear to ear, but she let him continue. ¡°I suppose that can be left for the far future. Riverlye should still have some time left before it either breaks or evolves, so.¡± Pheli moved on top of him, getting comfy as she looked at him with indifferent, resting eyes and face. Phesx felt secure, so relaxed, and the odor of the farm didn¡¯t come closer to their spot. Besides, a rain in the climate where cold is finally returning? Once again, perfect. ¡°How ab-¡± Phesx opened his mouth, voicing, but was interrupted by the sound of his and Pheli¡¯s phones ringing. It was the Riverlye ¡®simple¡¯ ringtone that called for emergencies, or important procedures such as immediate missions. The same as default, but different for their ears. Both sat up on the bench, looking at their phones as they practically read the same message. There was a traitor in the organization, and they were to return to deal with this person. They, among a few others, were selected to complete with this dangerous mission. ¡°I¡¯ll notify Paloma,¡± Phesx said, standing up. He momentarily frowned towards Pheli, and she to him. This was the first time they ever experienced a mission like this. Even Pheli didn¡¯t get to know about traitor-chasing missions personally. Only that they existed. ¡°I¡¯ll start the Myertha.¡± Pheli rushed to the road while Phesx annoyingly pressed a button and relaxed as he spoke instead of writing a message. ¡°Hey, we must leave early for now. We might come back later. You can tell us then.¡± Sending the message, Phesx was about to keep it in his pants, when a beep sounded. It was a reply from the blondie. He directly called out with his middle fingertip scanned by one of the phone¡¯s sides. ¡°Read message.¡± ¡°Voice message: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Phesx. If something came up, go ahead. If you just want a place, you should just accept my proposal to have a little house here, you know? My husband and I will build some for our futur¡­ Oh my heavens! ?o?o, ?o?o, come here! I am¡­ I am¡­ Kyaaaaaa!¡±. Voice message has ended.¡± Phesx kept his phone and jumped his eyebrows, pouting a little, silently congratulating the pair. Then, he walked to the road, where Pheli waited for him. Phesx smoothly sat behind her and hugged her from behind as she voiced, ¡°Send my congratulation to them, too.¡± ¡°Mn, I will. Let¡¯s go.¡± Said Phesx, excited of using Myertha¡¯s features for when it was raining, as much as right now, or even more. Pheli nodded before a small rampart slid down from the bike¡¯s front. Its belly also changed a few mechanisms here and there. It was barely noticeable, but the ¡®effect¡¯ was much more than aesthetic. Vvvrrrruuuuummm~! The Myertha rode forth, unaffected by the wet road and further on into the streets. When some cops saw the speed at which it was going on such a rainy day, they pursued, but after seeing it was a Myertha, they reluctantly let a good 15 minutes go. They quickly arrived at the Riverlye HQ. After going through the elevator, they passed by the main workshop. Meaning, Phesx saw Emer as he passed by. However, Emer had a serious expression. Phesx ignored it, although he still saluted the old fart. Then, arriving at the administration, they were brought into the long corridor filled with even more guards by a female, older Artista in Riverlye. Walking into the hangar, there was a small group congregating to the side, near some panels, and with a few tuned bikes. Instructor Cala stood before the group, showing the panel, but it was static, without moving images or information. When they saw Phesx and Pheli arrive, they nodded at them, while Cala urged, ¡°Finally. Now, we can start. As we speak, this traitor is slowly moving to the sewers leading to Himperyia.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll use these bikes to hurry to the location. Only 12 of you can go, any more will become too obvious for the detection bugs he left behind.¡± As the Instructor spoke, not giving Phesx special attention, Phesx saw that his circle was invited here. Im¨¢n seemed clouded. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we have destroyed those by now?¡± An Artista asked, looking experienced, tall, and ruthless. Cala just looked at him, ¡°That either lets him know we¡¯re coming, giving him time to become more alert and prepare to strike back, or first. Or slows us down and he flees faster.¡± ¡°We can do with both, but this is a seek n¡¯ kill, nothing else.¡± Instructor Cala resumed, no longer gesturing to pay attention to the 6 bikes parked in the middle of the hangar. ¡°His name is Mat¨ªas.¡± As soon as the Instructor said his name, Phesx, Pheli, and their circle changed their faces. Phesx looked at Im¨¢n with side eyes, slightly cocking his head to look at the left. Im¨¢n lowered his gaze, obscuring it as Cala continued. ¡°Don¡¯t need to ask me what he did. He wanted to ¡®flee¡¯ Riverlye and do as he wishes with the information he ¡®received¡¯ from one of his helpers we caught before they could escape. We¡¯ve let the rats become cold. It won¡¯t be as dangerous to chase them now as before, so prepare and hop on those bikes. I won¡¯t make any unnecessary remarks, those who go better intend to fulfill their mission.¡± ¡°Now, who wants to participate? A mission like this gives more recognition upon completion. And if someone does well, then all is good. You¡¯ll receive wealth, fame, and an opportunity, perhaps. Don¡¯t get greedy, something like this should amount to 1 such opportunity at most.¡± Cala added. ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Phesx and Pheli looked at each other, touching each other¡¯s pinkies. Nobody really wanted to go, not from this circle. Mat¨ªas was but the man of Im¨¢n, that easygoing, bald fella whose strength was only rivaled by Im¨¢n. His charisma fitted in so well in the circle that the group leader Mat¨ªas belonged to felt a bit resentful towards them. Now¡­ they had to hunt him? ¡°Oh, count me in!¡± - ¡°Group leader, let me go on this one. I need it!¡± - ¡°Wish me luck, babe.¡± - ¡°Mn, shall we?¡± - ¡°This is just perfect. I was getting bored killing random criminals everywhere.¡± - ¡°I wonder if we can become an Instructor if we get that chance¡­¡± The other groups had no trouble choosing a person, or letting them vie for a position in the mission, at the very least. On top of that, each group took a spot each, letting everyone have at least one chance to participate. When they were mostly done, they looked at Pheli¡¯s group. Only they remained from ¡®picking¡¯ at least one person. Instructor Cala looked from the side with crossed arms. He had given him tiny traces of glances when he emphasized a few words earlier, but now, he looked at Teon expectantly. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Phesx squeezed Pheli¡¯s hand before nodding towards her, she barely nodded in response, letting him step up to the occasion. ¡°I will participate.¡± Phesx said, stopping in front of Im¨¢n, who rested his back on a wall but whose body seemed ten times heavier as a whole. Phesx looked at him, his head a bit low, expressing, ¡°Leave it to me. You know I will do this well. I won¡¯t let anyone touch him!¡± ¡°Hoooh¡­¡± - ¡°Hmph.¡± - ¡°The fox is cunning and cocky? For heaven¡¯s sake!¡± - ¡°Tsk, what does he think he is? He¡¯s just a masked celebrity at best.¡± - ¡°Heng!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Im¨¢n looked at Phesx. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t like that, but compared to others doing it¡­ or even Pheli¡­ He¡¯d rather not trouble his leader with his personal matters, and Phesx would know what to do and how. That boy is a menace, a mad¡­ fox. ¡°Mn.¡± Seeing Im¨¢n nod, Phesx exclaimed before walking forth. A young woman wearing a tight uniform, highlighting her bell-shaped small breasts and toned abdomen, held her arms crossed. She looked at Teon, annoyed, before unwillingly looking at him. She had red hair tied into 2 steep ponytails to the sides of her head, and a tiny one sticking out of the top of her head. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll be checking that so-called Fox everyone is talk-¡± ¡°No, Teon is coming with me.¡± Phesx added, his voice, as always. It would never change. The redhead frowned, ¡°What? No! Not that! This is my spot! What makes you think you can take it?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a question of whether I can take it or not,¡± Phesx looked at the young woman with his head still a little low, rotating it towards his right, where she stood. Teon¡¯s footsteps sounded behind him before speaking, ¡°I should do this. It¡¯s an important matter.¡± ¡°Before you dare question my people¡¯s conviction to complete the mission, why don¡¯t you ask my mentor first?¡± Teon said before walking to a bike with Phesx. Some heads turned to Instructor Cala, whose arms remained crossed. The redhead looked at him, too, becoming infuriated when she saw the grin in the former¡¯s face. ¡°Ugh!¡± In the end, just with Phesx¡¯s words directed at her, and his glare, she wanted to step back but had too much pride. Now, Teon hurt her pride, even though she didn¡¯t do it maliciously. The young woman pouted and walked to the side, opening and closing her hands with top-quality melee gloves. Phesx grabbed his submachine gun and small pistol from his equipment from an Artista in the group, holding their bags at the side. Teon only grabbed a small pistol and her melee gloves. They looked back at the group, and then at Pheli, exchanging a nod at the end. Phesx Caolia hopped onto the bike, signalling he was already ready while the others still discussed what bions, weapons to take, and what things to do. Teon hopped onto the back after him, placing her hands on his shoulders, letting her head fall on his upper back. ¡°You won¡¯t take too much, but you should still know that since we¡¯re becoming famous now, you¡¯ll have about 3 to 4 hours before 3 states¡¯ police forces and national guard move to intercept you. Hurry, and don¡¯t ¡®cause trouble¡¯. Good luck out there,¡± Instructor Cala walked to the side of the 6 bikes after everyone became prepared. Phesx ignored him, and so did Teon. Cala soundlessly sighed with his head low before walking away with his head hanging down still. Phesx immediately started the bike, riding it with as much speed as it could possibly endure. He didn¡¯t need a manual after seeing the bikes¡¯ obvious modifications. Neither to choose the one to suit his immediate needs. Vrrrrrrr brr vrrrrrooooooooooooommm~! The bike disappeared under everyone else¡¯s startled, unprepared eyes. They immediately zoomed into the tunnel, the obscure ahead. ¡°Sigh.¡± Pheli let out a small, soft sigh from her lips, crossing her forearms below her belly. Layo came to her left side and held her shoulders as Pheli rested her eyes. When she reopened them again, they were¡­ different¡­ determined. ¡­ Chapter 71 — Social Spiders Social Spiders 2 hours later. Vrrrooomm¡­ Phesx Caolia rode with Teon on his back. Her hands were no longer on his shoulders but hugging his sides, having long been told to simply relax and get a better hold. Teon didn''t need to be told twice, and she was glad she did, as Phesx took risky curves and leaned a lot, more than she was ever used to. They drove in the rain. It was heavy now. Yet, it meant nothing for him and the other Artistas, who were about 5 minutes later than them. Teon leaned her front on his chest, comfortable to know he wouldn¡¯t throw her away if needed, something many Artistas learn to guard against. ¡°You¡¯re one of the youngest, right, Teon?¡± Phesx asked, seeing the beeping device, which was barely audible in the rain even for him, with his engine going all out through the misty streets. His voice was loud, but even if it wasn¡¯t, Teon could hear it. ¡°Aj¨¢! I¡¯m only 19, and a few months from now before my birthday. Also a few months younger than Pheli. Why?¡± Teon asked with her mouth facing his right cheek from behind. ¡°Nothing. I just thought how a little thing like yourself became very skilled in such short time. We never speak that much, but besides Layo, I speak with you the best.¡± Phesx Caolia voiced loudly again. Teon fell silent. She shrugged a little. That was his way of speech, but she understood. ¡°We should arrive in 2 minutes¡­ they¡¯ve gotten into another sewer.¡± Teon said, looking at a few devices in her hands. Phesx nodded before saying, ¡°Tell me where, we¡¯ll catch him there.¡± ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s smelly, and we might get lost without signal. This one¡¯s especially smelly.¡± Teon said, slightly unwilling and reminding him. Phesx nodded, ¡°The others will, too. He doesn¡¯t have these comfortable, warm ¡®seats¡¯ to put their fat asses. And are growing tired.¡± Teon said nothing and checked the devices¡¯ history of shortening the gap between them and the traitor, it looked a little faster than expected. She nodded before directing him. ¡°That way, just go ahead until you see an elevated bridge. Jump the little sidewalk and turn to the right to go under. That¡¯s where we have to go through to follow them¡­ before others do.¡± Vrrrrrrrooooom! Phesx went all out in the bike. Its engine could be heard in the distance, enough for the other Artistas to know something was up. They checked their stuff before nodding at each other or giving themselves a nod, rushing forward, too. ¡°Hold,¡± Phesx said to Teon as he prepared the bike. He began to sway in slow motions way before the crossing. As the bike swayed to the right and began moving leftwards, Phesx motioned for the bike and impulsed it into a jump. With its speed, it easily covered a dozen meters despite how low the jump was. Right after, they went under the tunnel. With the inertia from before, he lengthily drifted, turning to his right before looking at the only circular entryway on the wall. Ignoring the loud, enraged, constant horns from the cars he nearly made crash. They zoomed into the tunnel. Rushing inside, Phesx checked the speed with his eyes, looking forward. He lightly said after lowering his back to the handle¡¯s level. ¡°Down.¡± Teon followed his instructions, bending her back and resting her helmet at the center of his back. A second later, the bike flew a little from the declining ground, with the corridor heading slightly downwards. It was just the bike¡¯s speed that made it seem like it was a ramp instead. Boungk! The bike cushioned the light fall. Landing wasn¡¯t the problem, but returning to that speed on the ground did pose some trouble. Phesx forced the handle to stabilize with sheer force, which he didn¡¯t have in abundance. Only after a while, and as they continued riding along the tunnel, did Teon sit up. The sewers canals were lighted with bright, orange lights and were all brick walls and smooth bottom and ceiling. As they went further ahead, they noticed a narrower entrance further ahead. Teon¡¯s eyes widened, but Phesx said, keeping her calm, ¡°Don¡¯t get agitated. It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t move sideways and bent your back if you¡¯re a little afraid.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Teon said nothing until they were near the narrow entrance. Immediately after, her ears quivered when the bike went from the sewer canals to this manhole corridor, from the bike¡¯s engine reverberating slightly to immediate rush and wind past her ears. Little by little, she calmed down until she could fully sit up. Everything was brick around them, with the roof maybe 2 meters above her, and her sides slightly further than at arm¡¯s length. Before she could feel more calm, though, Phesx warned her. ¡°Someone ahead.¡± Phesx slowed the bike but didn¡¯t stop. This corridor was with barely a few bright white lights every 30 or 40 meters, barely illuminating some of the way. She squinted her eyes but couldn¡¯t see something immediately until the bike truly went slow. Teon frowned, but Phesx was already loosening his. He said as he stopped the bike and parked it leaning at the side, ¡°He¡¯s not alone. The rear¡¯s yours.¡± With that; Phesx walked to a sitting hooded figure blocking the way, with Teon protecting their behind. The hooded figure slowly raised to their feet, turning around to reveal a brown woman with a gut bion on her face. It was like 4 metallic legs with rectangular shape. From the upper corners of her forehead and of her chins to the lower and upper corners of her eyes. Her long brown hair was combed backwards, revealing herself to Phesx before letting 2 blades slid down from her sleeves as the long hood dropped from her body to reveal armor. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx frowned. The armor wasn¡¯t like a vest, but similar, like metallic fabric from Courusel machinery. Some tough structures of plastic contoured the font, sides, and back of each of her limbs and torso from their end to the torso. ¡°It¡¯s semi-empowered uniform armor. Never seen it before?¡± She spoke, making time and staying in her spot. ¡°It costs more than ten times that little arm you want so much. And it also puts a watchful eye on you. Since the moment I caught it, I became a fish whose memory was just- you know what? Fuck that. Get me now or Mat¨ªas will get away with the goods.¡± ¡°¡­Good,¡± Phesx looked around before assessing there were no traps. He stepped forth, rubbing his wrists before pulling his light gloves further downwards. Then, he started running towards her. The woman grabbed her cone-shaped blades from their small stick handles. Step, step! Baaam! Craaaaack- craack- craack- craack- crack, crack, crack! Phesx ran forwards 2 meters before the walls on his sides burst, throwing explosive might towards him and ¡®closing¡¯ the path onwards. He felt some of the force hit his body before the stone and broken bricks did, but he didn¡¯t stop. ¡°!¡± The woman¡¯s eyes widened, and their contents shrank. Phesx continued running through the exploding walls with Teon standing up and looking his way, worried. Yet, his footsteps went silent, but the woman didn¡¯t hear a body falling or slammed against the ground. Instead, she saw a left shoulder with a bent arm trusting towards her from the smoke. Thud! Punch, punch, punch! Phesx tackled the woman¡¯s chest with his left shoulder before grabbing a knife from his torso uniform¡¯s pockets, stabbing it towards her abdomen. However, the blade broke and Phesx ended up punching her barehanded. The woman recuperated her breath and looked down at Phesx with a frown before kicking his left waist, using the kick to impulse herself backwards. Phesx had to kneel his left leg to not be kicked to the ground before dashing ahead. The woman had barely stabilized when she saw Phesx rush at her again. Her face¡¯s gut glowed before Phesx heard activations everywhere around him again, only this time it wasn¡¯t one by one via movement detection, but in one go. Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack¡­ The walls exploded again, this time completely, with part of the roof falling. Phesx covered his nape and head, rushing forth with his upper body bent, with fire and smoke covering everything. When the sounds of Phesx stopped, she frowned hard, preparing to defend herself, this time with her blades up. But she heard and saw nothing, slowly easing her eyebrows, when the smoke barely moved. Yet, that single motion made her tense up. Pam! Bang bang bang bang bang bang! Phesx slammed her again. His figure showed for half a second before he came out of the smoke, but he still charged towards her. The woman aimed her blades towards his head and neck, but Phesx used his charging left shoulder, again, to rush at her. Phesx met the blades¡¯ pointy end head-on, pushing one above his wrist while the other below with the end of his forearm, on the other extreme. Then, Phesx pushed them in a reverse clockwise motion until he nearly broke his elbow and shoulder backwards. Stolen novel; please report. One blade was deviated far off and out of the woman¡¯s left hand, while the other cut Phesx¡¯s chin, nearly deviating it below it but failing due to the woman¡¯s strength. Yet, before he collided with the woman¡¯s breasts again, Phesx shot her abdomen in the exact same spot 6 times in a row. ¡°Aaah!¡± The woman screamed, feeling 4 bullets burst her organs and land in her vertebral column. She had far trusted her semi-empowered uniform armor, not expecting to be penetrated. Thus, she did not prepare her insides to resist as much of the force behind the bullets as possible. Clank- thud! Phesx rapidly turned her around and slammed her front to the ground. He kicked her hard on the nape and pushed down, letting her choke in whatever air she had left as it struggled out of her body bit by bit. ¡°Did they also not let you modify it? Is that why your neck and all other joints aren¡¯t plated? You should¡¯ve wasted your credits on either bions or this suit. Not both.¡± Phesx¡¯s chest heaved up and down, but not too much, as the woman lost her breathing. ¡°It won¡¯t be¡­ gifted to you afterwards¡­ Nothing of mine will belong to you, not even your own creations¡­ I¡¯ll die now, but you will¡ª later¡­ Now- who¡­ who¡¯s the sorry one?¡± The woman barely managed to say something before her shoulders and waist raged on, unable to fully move with her vertebral column impacted. ¡°Mn, I¡¯ll worry about the future. You won¡¯t have to¡­¡± Phesx said. His voice made this scenery look particularly sincere. ¡°This is as good as it gets for people like¡­ special agents¡­ and traitors like you.¡± The woman roughly chuckled one last time before slowly limping out below Phesx¡¯s left sole. He never stopped stomping her neck down, with enough strength to avoid breaking her neck, keeping her death to one of asphyxiation. ¡°Haahh,¡± Phesx exclaimed with a sigh before grabbing the corpse. He placed it over his left shoulder before walking back to Teon, who looked at his returning figure with slightly knitted eyebrows. She watched him walk to the bike, maybe to throw the corpse behind. Step. But Phesx stopped, kept his head low, and turned after thinking of something. He laid the woman¡¯s body in front of the bike before directing his attention to the bike and Teon, ¡°Help me carry it over there.¡± Teon helped him carry the bike until past the explosion zones with some struggle. Both weren¡¯t raw strength-focused. Phesx tapped her seat behind him before walking back, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in halfa minu.¡± Teon nodded, but she also noticed the blood on the back of his head, nape, upper back, and his left shoulder. She prepared yellow ointment to when he returned, when she saw him carry the corpse again. Phesx placed it in the second explosion zone, where too much debris made it impossible to even jump on the bikes without becoming headless after landing on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Phesx said after covering her body with some large, heavy chunks of the wall he scrapped off as debris to avoid her being moved away. Then, he hopped onto the back. Before he could put his helmet on, Teon smeared ointment on it, ¡°It¡¯s for your injuries.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Phesx said before starting the bike. He went a little slower until Teon finished treating him. Then, she sat properly and put her helmet. ¡°According to the map, there are various ways ahead. All lead to the same, but we don¡¯t know how many they are. Which should we choose?¡± Teon asked after half a minute. Phesx could see a divided path ahead. Each new route taller than the corridor but still as narrow. ¡°The center.¡± Phesx voiced. Teon asked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m too annoyed to care about deciding,¡± Phesx replied. Teon nodded and fell silent, preparing her muscles for the upcoming whatever would come. They had already been slowed down, so the other Artistas were a minute or 2, at most, from them. They went through the path at the center. Phesx rode for a few seconds before his eyes contents expanded, ¡°Ahead!¡± Teon knitted her eyebrows before clenching her fists. The bike was fine, but there were contraptions to brutally kill anyone going in a bicycle, let alone a motorcycle. Phesx drifted the bike, stepping onto the seat with his feet¡¯s balls together, and Teon hugging his back like a frog. Clanch! Clenk, clink, clank- CLUUNK- craaaashh! The bike met twirled, metallic strings attached from the walls to the floor and vice versa, all installed one before the other. Some went high into the walls, others not so much, but the bike met some head on. It broke part and further more as it went on, roughly cut by inertia as Phesx and Teon crushed their bodies onto the side, stopping their speed by rolling from the right wall to the floor for a few seconds. They slammed against a few stings, but they reacted fast and prepared their skin, only getting cut, not dismembered or disfigured. Teon bled a little from her armpits, a cut which she endured to not be left armless. While Phesx was better off, with his previous wounds, he looked worse. They stood up and looked at each other before rushing past the strings. They were black, so barely visible, but that was before. They smoothly rushed across, not being hurt again even once until they arrived at a semi-open area. There, they saw a small circular opening far away, with some brightness from the other side contrasting it. However, Phesx and Teon frowned. Everything was dark, so as figures moved within it before them, they prepared to fight. ¡°They actually sent Fox and¡­ Tailburn!¡± A person shouted, showing a pair of gauntlets. They weren¡¯t semi-empowered like the brown woman from before, but a glow emitted from under his skin, highlighting his hands and wrists¡¯ bone structure. The gloves couldn¡¯t stop the glow from showing it. Others just wielded some bions, and weapons. They had submachine guns, rifles, and pistols. Phesx and Teon looked at this, standing closer to each other as the enemy wouldn¡¯t underestimate them. Fwip- clink! Bang bang- trrr rrrr rrrrrr step, step, step- thud! Bang! Bang, bang! Both parties commenced without wasting time in words. Phesx hid behind Teon as she joined her hands. Her top-quality combat gloves held a small cloth partition that elongated as soon as she rubbed it in between her palms before showing them forward. The enemy fired at them, but the bullets were deviated or blocked by it. But it was breaking fast. They kept firing before one of them felt weird, and had a sensation of being called. He looked more closely at Teon before noticing there was no one behind her anymore. Everything remained dark, with only the far away entrance being slightly illuminated from the outside. Everyone shoot Teon as her void began to break, so they didn¡¯t pay attention to their surroundings, focused on killing them both. All except for that one person. But it was too late. Punch, bang! Slash, kick- slam! Bang bang bang bang! Phesx punched the perceptive one in the neck before firing his small pistol a few inches from the traitor¡¯s forehead, nearly blasting half of it backwards. Then, Phesx turned him around and kicked his butt while throwing a dagger to the only one wielding a pistol. The traitor with gloves saw a knife sweep past him, almost wanting to grab it before realizing it wasn¡¯t meant for him, but it cut a female Artista¡¯s neck afterwards. She bent forth and held her neck¡¯s front, slightly bleeding. Meanwhile, Phesx¡¯s kick made the limp body heavily hit another traitor who noticed what he did. Before the traitor could aim at Phesx with the submachine gun, he was tumbled about by his dead comrade. Then, Phesx moved from their right flank¡¯s rear to the center, aiming his small pistol at their backs after headshooting the man tumbling around. 2 traitors were killed in less than 2 seconds, Artistas much older in the secret world than him. They responded, half turning to face him with firepower, while the other half continued to shoot Teon. Phesx knitted his eyebrows low, hurrying his footsteps irregularly, avoiding bullets and being grazed by many more. He walked sideways to his left while the enemy stayed in place. His accuracy was affected, but as they also jerked their bodies into harsh angles on the spot, they couldn¡¯t land one in Phesx neither. But then, Phesx held his pistol with his right hand before grabbing 4 pivots between his left hand¡¯s fingers. He threw 2 towards Teon¡¯s enemy firing line, and another 2 towards his. Phesx alternated his shots to keep everyone aiming at him busy. When the pivots went into effect, he rushed towards them. Some pre-fired in the opposite direction and others on the path he was following before. But no one got him. Phesx grabbed as many daggers from his shirt pockets before throwing them all towards a person, the female traitor whose neck he cut before. Her eyes widened, but the gauntlets traitor protected her with his arms and thighs getting stabbed. Phesx rushed towards another, rapidly reloading his pistol with only his right hand while throwing daggers with his left. He feinted throwing them to the others, making them move beforehand, for no reason. Since they were so close, portions of their shoulders, necks, and heads blew off as Phesx shot them dead, humiliating them, with derision. By the time they knew they weren¡¯t being targeted, and the gauntlets man protecting the female traitor had multiple superficial stab wounds, Phesx had run out of daggers and arrived before another 2 traitors. Pam, kick, pah, pam- bang! Punch- crack, thud- bang bang bang bang! Phesx punched with his right, aiming for a forehead, but was blocked. Yet, his right elbow moved down and sunk the traitor¡¯s collarbone, making him widen his eyes in terrifying pain. Afterwards, Phesx kicked his stomach, about to aim with his right pistol, kept behind his collar. Phesx Caolia shot a bullet, directly killing the traitor trying to defend the already injured other traitor. His head¡¯s upper section blew off, leaving only his nose¡¯s tip and eyes intact before they drooped, hanging from his skull before the corpse smacked into the ground, dead. Phesx threw his pistol away, making the traitor whose collarbone broke frown, confused. His momentum was gone, and Phesx took advantage of that. Phesx¡¯s right hand punched towards his face, but the traitor evaded, bending his body backwards. His whole body hurt, so he semi-paralyzed himself right away. Phesx¡¯s punch didn¡¯t stop, though. It went further ahead and landed on his neck, breaking it and making sure it was broken to the point of being dead. He heard from many of the circle¡¯s encounters with other lagjs about how those fuckers lived despite breaking their necks. It had to be irreversible. Right after feeling he could grab the traitor¡¯s neck and that it would fall apart out of his body if he yanked it outwards, Phesx jerked his right wrist. His small pistol bounced back towards him in the air. He dashed a little forth to the right before grabbing it with his left hand. He impulsed his boy into the air, aiming his pistol and downing another 2 traitors who tried to shoot at him while he fought the previous 2. 8 shots was all Phesx needed, from the air to the ground, to hit their neck and right eye at least once to kill them. Meanwhile, Teon had already used his pivots to rush ahead, protecting her left side with what remained of her void protection, and rushed towards the other half of enemies. Her knees rushed unto someone¡¯s abdomen but were blocked. Yet, a moment later, she slapped the traitor¡¯s left ear with her open palm, stunning the traitor with blood coming off the other in a squirt before rotating her body leftwards to kick open the same head. From then on, Teon jumped from enemy to enemy, using their weapons against the others, their bodies as shields, and using her nimble, fast body to surpass them in 2 or 3 moves, killing them after only one unprotected strike. ¡­ Chapter 72 — What We Become What We Become The female traitor behind the gauntlets man supported her hold of her pistol over his left shoulders as he crouched, taking all those daggers off his body while she protected him. She aimed and fired at Phesx Caolia, who had just lunged towards the last of another 3 who remained besides them. Phesx hit the neck of the last traitor of those 3, using the corpse to fall on his back with his knees against the corpse''s torso. Phesx couldn¡¯t resist a whole magazine without more than his uniform and a corpse to protect him. Only the gauntlets man and a few traitors whom Teon was fighting had bulletproof vests that would actually work. Phesx slid to another freshly-made corpse while dragging the other whose neck he just broke on the ground, using it to cover his front as he stood up with a forceful motion to stand up. Then, Phesx rushed towards them, but the gauntlets traitor had just taken all the daggers off his body. Phesx met the guy head-on. He rose his left fist to hit the traitor¡¯s sternum, but the traitor lifted his right knee and slightly jolted his body up. Phesx jerked his shoulders to tilt to the right, with his back going below the traitor¡¯s lifted leg, which unbent and kicked the air, clearly not intending to just block him before. Phesx closed his eyes tight and sent his breath to ¡®solidify¡¯ in his body, preparing to receive an attack as he aimed his pistol with his left hand at the guy¡¯s abdomen. The traitor had a face of victory after feeling his left knee crash onto Phesx¡¯s face. He was about to impulse his body with his right foot coming back down from the air to knee his face again, when he saw the pistol aiming at his guts. But just then, the darkness was flashed on their side again by the female traitor, who stood up and found an angle to shoot. Bang! ¡°!¡± Phesx felt his hand become numb as his scalp numbed, the pistol flew off in bits. He had instinctively changed the position of his pistol in the last moment, avoiding becoming crippled from the wrist to ¡®block¡¯ the shot. Phesx opened his eyes, feeling a little lost. The gauntlets traitor wrapped his hands around Phesx¡¯s head before aggressively lifting his right bent knee after the scare. Phesx¡¯s moved his face, getting hit in the nose instead of his glabella, but the traitor wasn¡¯t done there. The traitor kneed and kneed his face until his broken nose and blood were splashed about, smearing around his face, and his nose simply looked awful. Bang! Just as Phesx was about to make his body tremble, needing only a second a half to activate his sharpening. A shot was fired from afar. The gauntlets guy looked back, only to see his female comrade falling forth with her head limp and the rest of her body stiff. A stream of blood flew forth from a gunshot behind her head. When her body relaxed, the guy looked further behind, where Teon half-knelt with her small pistol¡¯s hold supported above her left knee. A corpse from a well-armored traitor fell after struggling to keep his conscience intact, but his head was smashed into 2 sides, each one showing broken eyeballs and exposed brain matter. Punch! Phesx looked at this as well. He formed a fist with his left fist before punching the remaining traitor¡¯s right lower ribs. Teon hurried towards them, rapidly arriving with a swiping right kick after dashing into the air. The gauntlets traitor decided rapidly, grabbing Phesx¡¯s ear to keep him steady before slapping towards his left ear. Phesx¡¯s eyes contents jumped in dilation before rapidly returning to normal. He turned his head and got slapped squarely on the face, further feeling pain from his nose. But he bit through the gauntlet and the side of the hand slapping him, taking a chunk off while still holding onto bones. The gauntlets guy directly stepped back, knowing Teon would hit him now. Teon continued dashing through the air. Phesx lifted his left wrist, stopping her kick at her lower shin with Teon using the moment of her stop to aim her small pistol at the man¡¯s face. Bang bang! She fired twice, but the man rapidly jolted his neck, getting his ear partially torn off and his head¡¯s left side grazed bloodily. He then slapped Teon¡¯s hands down with his joined wrists, breaking off her hold onto it. Just as Phesx saw the man preparing to strike Teon¡¯s back, Phesx hit her first, using his right hand to chop down at her lower back. Teon used the impact to spin her body, directing her right heel towards the traitor¡¯s face, hitting his right cheek. The traitor tumbled backwards several steps before stabilizing, looking at Phesx. He ducked and lowered his left hand to his holster, having seen a gun in Phesx¡¯s hand, but all he heard next were footsteps and no gunshots. Step, step- clinkkk~. Teon was down on the ground, hitting her face on it after the fall. Phesx could have saved her, but he rather dashed forth to strike the traitor. When the gauntlets man realized Phesx was holding a piece of a broken blade before, he rapidly pulled out his handgun, but Phesx¡¯s impenetrable eyes shone strongly; prepared for this. Phesx rapidly swept his right arm like he wielded a whip from his left to his right in front of his face. The remains of his small pistol came dashing through in an arch from behind, where it had broken and flown off to, to Phesx¡¯s left before slashing the man¡¯s chest and left wrist. ¡°Agh!¡± The man exclaimed, but Phesx had made a jolt into the air with his left knee aiming at his head. The traitor dodged his head, but Phesx unbent his left leg beforehand, aiming at his solar plexus. As the man felt his lungs kicked, Teon stood up in a quick motion before hitting his right knee, breaking it into two, forcing the man to kneel with his left leg. Phesx continued, throwing a punch to his face, but the left gauntlet caught it before the right one hit his elbow, almost snapping it. Teon supported her body on the ground with her palms, kicking towards the man¡¯s neck with the tip of her right shoe. But the traitor opened his mouth wide and, sacrificing some teeth, bit her lower shin. Phesx headbutted the man¡¯s right side after he leaned it over. The traitor became a bit dizzy, but he didn¡¯t back away. Teon broke the traitor¡¯s right knee connecting it to his leg to get free as the man gasped. The traitor pushed Phesx off with sheer power, further backed by the gauntlets. Phesx threw a kick at his right arm as he was pushed backwards. Teon headbutted him from forehead to forehead before the traitor elbowed her abdomen with his right. Phesx tackled the man down, covering his head but not his back, which the man battered nonstop until feeling Teon¡¯s left sole land on his face before feeling his groins stomped on by the other. The traitor kicked Teon¡¯s right hip past Phesx¡¯s thighs, making her sway to the side while attempting to break Phesx¡¯s neck next. Phesx immediately threw his feet into the air, upwards. But he didn¡¯t flee away. Instead, he brought both his knees down. The man widened his eyes, using his right gauntlet to stop the left one as Phesx faced him upside down, and the left gauntlet for the right knee. But just then, Teon dashed back into the fight to completely break all the right ribs Phesx began breaking earlier. Almost instantly after, Phesx nearly fully supported his body with the top of his head and sent his right hand to the traitor¡¯s shoulder. It became dislocated with a simple snap of his index and middle fingers, with his thumb acting as a weight support. ¡°AAGH!¡± The man¡¯s pain tolerance was wearing thin, but he still kicked Teon¡¯s abdomen harshly first, throwing her backwards without air, before kicking Phesx¡¯s left arm. Phesx¡¯s neck almost looked broken as he was bashed away, his body arched a little before falling flat on the ground. Everyone stood up immediately, but paused right after¡­ Step step step step step step¡­! ¡°!?¡± Phesx looked at his right as the other Artistas ran from the narrow, divided paths. They rapidly noticed them, somewhat stopping before smirking and yelling. ¡°Yo, Fox, thank you for opening the way for us!¡± - ¡°Haha, see you at the HQ when the mission¡¯s over!¡± - ¡°You seem to have had fun, haha. I¡¯ll bring Mat¨ªas¡¯s head for you, hahahaha!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx¡¯s gaze lingered on their backs as they rushed to the circular exit, where a tall, waiting figure was overshadowed by the lights outside and the darkness inside. Just plainly waiting¡­ Phesx¡¯s impenetrable black eyes moved a bit. Meanwhile, the man¡¯s incredibly sweaty body breathed with much difficulty, while Teon had already stood up and prepared to move¡­ either way. Phesx muttered towards them, ensuring they could still hear, ¡°Mat¨ªas is mine.¡± ¡°You see, we can stop this now¡­ If we- if you let me work with you-¡­ you can at least let me help you stop the others. We can think about what to do af-¡± The man spoke, seeing an aperture. Not only towards freedom, but a worthy death. Yet¡­ Bang bang bang bang. Phesx grabbed the traitor¡¯s handgun, which had an old-fashioned feature where he had to hold it with one hand to the trigger and the other atop its butt. The handgun recoiled each shot, nearly separating its butt from its center and ammunition feed. The traitor¡¯s head was riddled with gunshots, along his neck, before falling sideways on the ground; limp. Teon looked at Phesx with upturned eyes, protruding her lips and smelling her philtrum. Phesx kept the handgun before nodding upwards ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s go. They want to take what is mine.¡± Phesx walked forward before starting a quick rush forwards. Teon nodded, ¡°Nobody wants to see what¡¯ll happen if they do.¡± Step, step, step! Step, step, step! Phesx and Teon advanced forth. They weren¡¯t recognized as the fastest among other Artistas for nothing. Even though the others had a head start, and the path to the waiting Mat¨ªas was long, they caught up with the others in less than 40 seconds. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Hey- wha?¡± Phesx and Teon ran beside the other Artistas. Some smiled, others scoffed, but they all let them pass as they all headed towards the same target. With these many, they would easily kill off the target. The traps and hidden trump cards would also be repelled, whereas they wouldn¡¯t have to die or suffer alone against such. PUNCH! SLIIIDE~- PAM! THUD! But it all changed just when they were 20 meters before Mat¨ªas. Phesx acted, under Teon¡¯s shocked eyes, let alone the others, suddenly punching the fuck out of a slender Artista¡¯s face. The latter tumbled towards a wall, caught by his bike partner. But Phesx rushed at the latter, lifting his right foot, rapidly dashing at her with stomping feet before kicking her in the chest. Both slammed against the wall, making everyone else stop. Teon didn¡¯t hesitate to move on Phesx¡¯s back as he grabbed the slender Artista¡¯s hair, pulling him up, and started beating him. The other Artista was recuperating her breath. She couldn¡¯t help her bike partner, whose legs Phesx broke apart, placing the Artista¡¯s feet on the ground while leaning on the wall with blood plastered from the female Artista¡¯s head when she was hit. Phesx simply stomped down like furiously massacring ants, cockroaches, or worms. The other Artistas watched with frowns, some even showed terror in their knitted eyebrows. Then, when Phesx turned around, and the slender Artista went into a silent shock with his head on his bike partner¡¯s lap, the others became apprehensive. Phesx stepped before Teon, placing his right hand on her left shoulder. ¡°I said Mat¨ªas is mine. Do you want me to convince you?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­¡± A tall, strong Artista with defined abs and muscles stepped forth, half-grinning, half-serious. A bronze-skinned handsome fella with his hair painted a strong orange. Phesx said nothing, he just looked at the Artista through the dark before stepping forward. The Artista went on guard at once. Phesx strode towards him, motioning for a right punch with a slow pace. Teon¡¯s eyes shone. She has just seen something similar. The Artista silently scoffed, forming a grin. Phesx could just smell his thoughts. As long as this fella defeated him, he¡¯d go after Pheli. It was pathetic, but just that thought gained him a little something as extra. Phesx saw the young man act quick, throwing a right uppercut. Put Phesx stopped his right arm out of nowhere, letting a handgun exit his sleeves before grabbing the young man¡¯s right wrist with ease, stopping it, and aiming with his right hand at some ribs. Bang bang. ¡°AH!¡± The Artista widened his eyes, but before others could step in, Phesx ignored the 2 holes in each side of the fella¡¯s rib cage before grabbing the neck with his right hand. Phesx squeezed with all his strength to make the Artista yield. When it finally happened, Phesx slammed his front onto the ground. The fella¡¯s reddened face became a bit bloodied. Crack¡­ ¡°AAAH!¡± Immediately after, Phesx pushed his left foot on the Artista¡¯s neck, placing the back of his right knee above the Artista¡¯s knees, breaking them both in under 3 seconds. The cracking sounds felt so ordinary to him, but to the other Artistas, it was groundbreaking. What?! ¡°How dare you! We are brethren, you animal!¡± Another Artista yelled before lunging towards Phesx, with weapons out and all. Phesx looked back and yelled before letting himself be tackled. ¡°Teon!¡± ¡°Fyah!¡± Teon rolled her eyes before kicking the ground. She sped towards the only guy who had the idea to bring a rifle into this pursuit. She rapidly restrained him with a keylock before breaking his legs, making those knees give out a few noises. She was smoother than Phesx. An ¡®advanced¡¯ brawl ensued. Phesx and Teon broke knee after knee, tangling with everyone, punching and kicking the shit out of some, while breaking the bones of others. Half-and-half. Phesx fought it off with anyone who came at him, grabbing them as hard as he could before throwing hits at them however he wanted. Even a few times, when many grouped to gang on him, with Teon coming to his rescue a little later, he was barely hit, but he kept landing blows on everyone. Phesx always used someone¡¯s body as a support pillar, and used it as a shield sometimes, even for the few gunshots exchanged in between. Whoever was his victim next was completely helpless, receiving some of the blows Phesx should¡¯ve taken, out of many he evaded. Like this, everyone received a good piece of Phesx¡¯s strange, wicked ways to attack, not get hit too much, and weaken his opponents. In this fight of attrition, even if nobody was the winner, the side with the least damage would only be 2 people¡­ or just Phesx alone against them. Still, Phesx didn¡¯t just take them on alone. Teon saved him from time to time, firing a warning shot with her small pistol until she helped break the legs of 3 other people, while Phesx broke another 2 legs before everyone decided to stop at last. Some excited their crouching positions around Phesx and Teon, of which Teon crouched after bashing someone into the air with her legs locking around their shoulder and neck. Both sides were sweating. Phesx stood there, looking at them with his lower lip broken in the middle. This wasn¡¯t from this fight, but when he was slapped squarely on the face by the last traitor before Mat¨ªas. 5 Artistas looked at him before grabbing their respective bike partners. If it wasn¡¯t enough to break their legs, then the fact everyone who couldn¡¯t walk was the designated rider made everything morally worse. They were without spirit to continue. Only a young man with short red hair remained. Phesx ignored him as Teon breathed deeply. She was almost exhausted. These many fights were very rare, especially against so many other lagjs tending to kill or severely hurt her, and she almost always had these with her circle of just-as-good fighters like her. Even if not as deadly and fearsome, or skilled. Phesx walked to the orange-haired young man he left at the side of the wall. Phesx ignored the other red-haired young man and crouched before the former. He scrutinized the Artista¡¯s face with his impenetrable black eyes. Pam! Punch, pang! Phesx suddenly stood up. His right knee traveled to the Artista¡¯s left cheek. The left eye became bloody, somewhat purple around the eye area, too. Immediately after, Phesx crouched back down as the other Artista wanted to step in, but a casual glance from Teon stopped him. Phesx punched the orange-haired fella¡¯s right cheek, leaving the poor Artista even more dumbfounded. But Phesx wasn¡¯t done. He squeezed the throat again, bringing his face close to the Artista and darted his eyes on the fella¡¯s face again. Then, he slapped the same cheek. The Artista felt the pain and impact of such a move, nearly driving him unconscious. Phesx saw the end result, with the neck somewhat hurt, unnaturally resting, but still alive. Satisfied, he stood up and walked back to Teon, but not without telling the other Artista, ¡°Won¡¯t you get him out?¡± ¡°How could you do this? Do you know who we are? Our group-¡± The young man stopped yelling midway through without anyone¡¯s interruptions. He knew. Why bother talking about his circle, when Teon was right there? ¡°You can still walk.¡± Phesx said, as if he suddenly found out that was a problem. The red-haired Artista grabbed the other of similar aesthetics before dragging him out, just walking-fleeing out of this damned sewer. ¡°Let me,¡± Phesx said to Teon, who continued to sweat and breathing heavily, still crouching on the ground. She nodded and watched him go. For some reason, she felt she didn¡¯t need to offer her small pistol. Phesx walked to Mat¨ªas, who looked below at the sewer¡¯s further underground area. The canal they were from was like a spring, whereas the other side from the circular hole, where the spring fell, joined a large, wide river. Mat¨ªas looked between right below the hole he was peeking from, to the beginning of the ¡®river¡¯, a few meters above where they stood, and dozens away. ¡°Looking for the ¡®envoy¡¯ to bring you into the Lyclan Sea? One of the bikes dealt with it before coming here. They should be as good riders as I am, or they wouldn¡¯t have arrived so fast.¡± Phesx said, putting on new gloves after his were smeared with filth of different kinds. Mostly after the fights. ¡°¡­¡± Mat¨ªas looked up at Phesx, wearing a stern, emotionless expression that grew lost in perdition. ¡°That¡¯s usually how it goes, eh?¡± ¡°Mm?¡± Phesx hummed, slightly protruding his lips, and finishing pulling down on the new gloves. Mat¨ªas looked relaxed as he faced him, ¡°Whenever a few traitors seek to flee, they are outsmarted by their ¡®natal¡¯ lagj organization. But, do you know how many secret orgs have no deserters?¡± ¡°??¡± Phesx frowned at Mat¨ªas, the latter replied to himself. ¡°Only the hoog secret organizations.¡± Fwip- step-. Phesx expanded his eyes. His pupils constricted. Mat¨ªas moved forth, leaning with his upper body as his right foot slid backwards, like pedaling. A momentous prowess followed Mat¨ªas¡¯s body as he lunged forward. Phesx instinctively lifted his right hand, unprepared. Mat¨ªas ignored it, but he also sent a punch from his right fist. ¡°¡­¡± Teon slightly frowned when seeing this. She prepared to stand up and go after Phesx, who might just be punched into the dangerous, semi-endless sewers further underneath Lymoca. She began the run¡­ Phesx directed his considerably smaller fist towards Matias¡¯s. The latter didn¡¯t bother moving it away and simply prepared to continue hammering it down on Phesx¡¯s sternum after breaking his thin forearm. He wouldn¡¯t kill the boy, in Im¨¢n¡¯s stead, but he would teach him a lesson. Pfsst. A sound echoed in the 3 pairs of ears. Mat¨ªas frowned, but Phesx looked up at him with casual, impassive eyes. Teon slowly stopped running, coming to a halt 3 meters before them. From Phesx¡¯s right forearm, under his sleeve. A blade shot forth. It was fast, and it gleamed for a moment under the outside¡¯s ceiling bright lights. It looked like a snake flashing in zigzags like lightning. Streaking from Phesx¡¯s sleeve into Mat¨ªas¡¯s knuckles. It went through seamlessly under his skin, showing for a moment. The sound of the flesh being penetrated was barely even heard. But Mat¨ªas could feel a hot sensation from how fast it went below his knuckles to ruin the rest of his arm, it was very long. Phesx felt the blade reach near the elbow. Without breaking off eye contact, Phesx, who stopped the strong fist from someone like Mat¨ªas with his comet, grabbed Mat¨ªas¡¯s limp wrist, took his comet out, and directed it below Mat¨ªas¡¯s neck. However, Mat¨ªas moved his left hand to grab Phesx¡¯s right wrist. Pfsst- spluuuurt. Phesx¡¯s left wrist flashed forth, clearly faster than Mat¨ªas. Bending his hand, Phesx pushed his wrist onto Mat¨ªas¡¯s left palm. Right away, Phesx penetrated it with another comet, stabbing Mat¨ªas¡¯s left upper shoulder a moment after. Phesx looked at Mat¨ªas¡¯s eyes for a couple of seconds before casually stabbing the latter¡¯s neck from below, with it coming out of his nape. ¡°Uwwaaagghhh¡­¡± Mat¨ªas¡¯s eyes went upturned. He then exhaled while falling on his knees. Phesx couldn¡¯t with the weight, so he let Mat¨ªas fall but controlled the angle he was falling on. Then, as soon as those knees touched the ground, Phesx pushed him against the entrance wall. Half their bodies illuminated, the other half remaining dark. ¡°Mfgh,¡± Phesx exclaimed. His left forearm retracted the comet after the plate read a movement from his veins. But Phesx didn¡¯t have to kneel to meet Mat¨ªas almost face to face as he fell powerlessly, with his life force slowly drained. ¡°Ahh¡­ boy¡­ This secret world¡­ this start¡­ Let me tell you something for you, only, junior¡­¡± Mat¨ªas spoke with a breathy voice, so weak and feeble, with barely any air. ¡°Even though I know you tried to help¡­ it¡¯s no good¡­ You should save yourself¡­ Tell Im¨¢n¡­ I¡¯ll be waiting here¡­ for him.¡± Mat¨ªas slowly closed his eyes, but they jolted open a little each time, never fully closing. ¡°¡­¡± Sheefth¡­ swwlip. Phesx looked at Mat¨ªas eyes and neck, up and down with his mouth closed, before taking his right comet out, penetrating his lungs right after. Then, he returned it to Mat¨ªas¡¯s neck, burying it even deeper through another angle. The blade struck further above his head through his nape this time. Phesx felt the large body finally cede to death, welcoming it. Teon looked down, her eyelids drooped, and her heart feeling a bit vacant. The job was done. Thud. Phesx let Mat¨ªas fall to the ground before taking his phone out. He couldn¡¯t carry the body before the fights alone, let alone now. ¡­ Chapter 73 — Something Brewing Something Brewing Back at Riverlye HQ. ¡°Welcome back!¡± Instructor Cala applauded as Phesx and Teon finally returned with a van from the HQ. Mat¨ªas''s corpse was brought out in the open with a transparent bag keeping the smell from spreading. The same was for the other traitors, but these were all put together in a large black plastic bag, carried on a large cart behind Mat¨ªas. Clap, clap. However, although Cala praised them, and other Artistas clapped for them, they weren¡¯t well-welcomed. The other Artistas had long returned with a lot of things to talk about. Teon wore a tired, down expression, while Phesx silently walked along. Im¨¢n was at the side. His suppressed, heavy breathing was audible everywhere, but nearly everyone¡¯s focus was on Phesx and Teon to notice it. Only Phesx, who looked at Im¨¢n for a while as he delivered the corpse, looked at Im¨¢n. Phesx ignored anything else and walked to Pheli with Teon behind him, grabbing his right sleeve, which was bloody and slightly torn, like the rest of his sleeves. Phesx placed his hand behind Teon¡¯s lower back before passing her to Layo, who grabbed the chick and brought her away. Pheli looked at him up front, holding his hands before also bringing him away to get him clean and washed. She wouldn¡¯t sleep with the odor of somber death in the same bed. ¡­ Half an hour later. Phesx returned to the workshop, with Pheli cleaning him in a bathtub. It had integrated pipes with shampoo, just like dispensers, somewhat looking like it was Phesx¡¯s filth that made the shampoo, but there was just a simple infrastructure for easier access. Pheli washed Phesx in this bathtub, keeping the water warm, letting it cool off a few seconds before heating it up again. Meanwhile, Phesx just laid back and enjoyed her touch. She scrubbed his body, massaged his limbs, fingers, toes, ears, nose, face¡­ At some point, Phesx closed his eyes in delight. The bathtub had a pleasant, chemical aroma, but the one from Pheli made him engrossed. He opened his eyes and muttered, ¡°I will request a fast entry to become an Instructor. It should be enough with this mission reward.¡± ¡°Good. You will need it with Im¨¢n growing angry with you, maybe for the rest of his life,¡± Pheli said. She finished cleaning his lower body, treating him gently before looking up at him as her hands went to his hair again. ¡°Maybe until both of you kill each other.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Phesx lightly hummed. Feeling his neck relaxing. Pheli closed her mouth to his right ear before lightly pressing her lips near his tragus. The sensation was tender and full of warmth. The noise she cutely and playfully sounded made him unnoticeably tremble from within, like his neck would break off into bubbles to join the rest below. ¡°Why do you want to be an Instructor this fast? I know it isn¡¯t just for me,¡± Pheli said, taking her shirt off. Her collar became wet and warm after just a few minutes in the private booth in the bathrooms. She knelt with a straight back before the bathtub, baring her torso. Phesx looked at her. He tried to hide his heartbeat under the water, but even new Artistas could hear its hard thumping from the farthest extreme of the bathrooms. He blinked as Pheli got in, standing beside his back before sliding below him. ¡°I guess it could be a ¡®promise¡¯ being kept for¡­ some,¡± Phesx said. Pheli delicately held his shoulders with her hands, lightly grasping him. Her body supported his in the bathtub. ¡°Oh, I see. Is it from Preut, I presume?¡± ¡°Yeah, him,¡± Phesx spoke dreamily. Pheli smooched the back of his head, not minding the unaesthetic appearance from his wounds. She caressed his wet hair endearingly. Her fingers went to his temples before rubbing the sides of his head. ¡°One step at a time,¡± Pheli whispered. ¡°For now, we are only enjoying ourselves. Shhh, listen to my voice, my words are all for you.¡± Pheli¡¯s lips protruded forth. Then, she began talking to him, caressing his body and smooching him, making licking sounds, and saying more tender things into his ears. ¡­ The next day, after exiting the main workshop, Phesx left a sleeping Pheli inside, dressing her up a little and locking the workshop on his way out. Then, he went to see Emer. The entrance was closed, but it opened just after Phesx came to a halt in front of it. Emer was there, eating a slice of hot pizza, with some cheese hanging from his mouth and the slice. Emer was looking at him without surprise from beginning to now. Phesx walked inside and fell to the ground, spinning halfway through to land on his back. Emer continued eating with his right arm folded on his small but tall desk. After silence prevailed for a few seconds, and Phesx came up with the best intention and was about to say something, the entrance slowly closed. This stopped Phesx from continuing, but he didn¡¯t give the thought away. He just waited. Once the door was closed, Phesx heard Emer say, ¡°That lass, Teon. Hm. Why don¡¯t you fraternize more with her, huh? You shouldn¡¯t cast her away like you do with the others.¡± ¡°Teon? Hm. You spoke better of my Pheli. What¡¯s up with Teon?¡± Phesx Caolia asked, looking at the ceiling still. Emer finished his slice before speaking with a semi full mouth, ¡°Nothing with her. Nothing with everyone. Nobody¡¯s special. Well, you do have something special as your entire body is, but that makes you special not.¡± ¡°Just treat her. You might see,¡± Emer fluently said. Only then did Phesx feel the old man¡¯s awfully roughened voice, hoarse and somewhat dragged-along because of exhaustion, talked so much. He didn¡¯t say anything and just continued to let the moment carry on, enjoying it, too. Although he¡¯d prefer all silence until he feels drowsy, where closing his eyes only helped rest, not sleep. Phesx thought for a moment before continuing the conversation, ¡°I have a lot of work to do now, so might as well bring Teon with me, alright.¡± ¡°She¡¯s also quite liked in the circle, and by every Instructor. Including that Mel, hm?¡± Emer bluntly expressed. Phesx blinked before awkwardly saying, ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°No, that bad?¡± Emer asked, but it was more like he was debating with himself. Then, he said, ¡°Kid, you, not caring of others¡¯ business, is fine, perfect even. But not knowing it despite how close they are¡­ are you asking to lose the game? You¡¯d be killed before you know it. Besides, it¡¯ll be the greatest help you will have in the future, if you have one. Whether you believe it now or not.¡± ¡°Mn, intel gathering?¡± Phesx asked, crossing his arms and still looking at the ceiling. Emer shook his head. His voice became a little heavy, ¡°Mm, no. You know how to read hearts, you just selfishly keep it to yourself. Even more, you never share it or experience its fruit. How do you expect to continue like that?¡± ¡°Mn, sir,¡± Phesx respectfully asked. ¡°Did you come back in time to tell me a mysterious beast of unimaginable power resides hidden within my bo-¡± Plop. Phesx¡¯s face was attacked by an empty pizza box that was licked clean. Phesx was hit. Emer exclaimed in disgust, ¡°No one will ever see you as a person if you keep talking like that!¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Phesx didn¡¯t care and just harrumphed. Emer sighed, shaking his head before finishing the rest of the first pizza box of the day. A few minutes later, Phesx finally turned his head to look at the oldie and asked, ¡°Hey, fart of all olds. Would you help me with something?¡± Emer suddenly choked in crackles of laughter, spitting some pizza from his lips. Then, he continued biting the slice in his mouth while turning to look at Phesx. His eyes glanced at the piles of boxes at the back before returning them to the boy, soon a young man. ¡°¡­¡± ¡­ The same day, a few hours later. Phesx presented himself to the administration zone to claim his reward. He walked in, with Artistas whose colleagues he directly went against in the mission waiting there for him to show up. But despite their glances, he did not look at them and only walked forward, arrived at a desk, and claimed his reward. He wanted to become an instructor. As someone not even a year, let alone 3, as an Artista, that proved difficult to allow. Regardless, Phesx was told to wait for a response from the HQ, but he wouldn¡¯t have to wait that long. After he left the zone, everyone looked at him with the same dissatisfaction. But now, they were only observers. Who dared to go against an Instructor? Not because of status, but capabilities¡­ and power. . . . Days went by, by, and by. 3 months passed since Phesx went to kill Mat¨ªas in a traitor-chasing mission. Since then, he has been very busy, even asking for a leave from his other jobs, but still got paid each week. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. With the 110,000 credits from the mission, receiving only that extra ¡®opportunity¡¯ with no other benefit, Phesx made another 300,000 credits. During these months, besides experimenting with Pheli, trying to find the next step towards a better, improved Comet, Phesx created his own weapons and ammunition with Pheli¡¯s melters, buying components from her dark market sellers. She was practically his wealthy mommy, although only correlating to having connections. Emer might be a great mentor, but he did nothing to aid Phesx in his crafting or weapons¡¯ making. On the other hand, while Mel mentored Pheli, and Phesx was personally guided by 4 such Instructors, he was never close to either of them. Relying on his woman¡¯s connections, Phesx built a rifle to his liking, with the model he used in Preut, but with a butt and handle around the trigger and to the sides to suit his needs. Furthermore, it had an extended magazine and a heat-retardant barrel-muzzle. For his submachine gun, it had less power and accuracy but faster bullet speed. It was a small improvement that could only be so worth it, but Phesx wanted it. Then, he finally built his medium pistol. It took the most time to build, as the dark market had little to no components of these, and Phesx had to keep his expenses super tight, safe from greedy merchants. With all of this, Phesx¡¯s accumulated 1,072,200 credits over these 3 months went down to 7,200 credits. Indeed, he had bought that void exoskeletal arm, and he did it just at the end of the 10th month. He ordered it based on his needs for one of his arms, which he matched with a few top-notch outfits Pheli specifically picked for him. Phesx didn¡¯t hesitate to use all that money to buy what she got for him. Additionally, Phesx went on many, many missions that didn¡¯t pay well but helped cover for his weapon making¡¯s expenses. Especially for the medium pistol. Pheli and Phesx ideated a plan. He¡¯d get to know more of Lymoca besides their circle¡¯s stories and Pheli¡¯s intimate storytelling. Talks after talking about life in bed were magnificent, especially with Pheli¡¯s soft, seemingly uncaring voice. Always a muse for Phesx to sleep, whether he felt tired, was injured, or not. To Phesx, the circle became a little detached and cold towards him, all except for Layo, Teon, and Pheli. It was no secret that only the most beautiful women in the circle still treated him as one of their own, when they went to lagj parties in the outskirts or atop some random skyscraper. This gained him a bit of extra discontent from the others. Phesx appreciated it, though, realizing the importance of¡­ having allies. But it was still not something significant, not for him. Not for now. Phesx brought Teon along each time, even when they went to T¨²acan and Pheli couldn¡¯t follow them. Pheli¡¯s job and idea was to bring Phesx as much as possible to everywhere in Lymoca to help him in understanding the country¡¯s territory. At least 1 mission per state, but it went better than expected. With Phesx visiting most of the states for 3 missions, with T¨²acan only 2. Only a few states weren¡¯t in the list, including Proteros. Regardless, Phesx always brought Teon, showing each other a few moves and comprehensions. They didn¡¯t talk much, as Teon wasn¡¯t so talkative with only males around, and Phesx simply liked the silence of it all. In a way, surprisingly so, they connected well with each other. Pheli also organized many more missions for their circle. It was obvious why she was doing so, but despite knowing the reason, the others wouldn¡¯t say no to their leader just because of her little lover. Meanwhile, Phesx took some quick 1-group or team missions outside the circle, moving everywhere around Sargonde. It was a state right in the middle from a ¡®crossing¡¯ between the west to the rest of the country. Unfortunately, the government wasn¡¯t advertising efforts with smoke. As time passed, even after the first week, Riverlye saw a wide activity in their state, and so was in others. However, whoever they were, national guard or state police officers, they asked for Riverlye in Sargonde. Then, in other states, they asked for the respective predominant lagj secret organization. It was, indeed, not a joke. And as weeks passed, there was a time Artistas couldn¡¯t attend parties in the outskirts of the cities, be it Sargonde or near any branches in other states. Lymoca¡¯s police was never too large, but placing a few watchful eyes around each ¡®known¡¯ club to attend SAs, the so-called named special agents by the netizens of the world, was enough to put their identities at risk. It was a bit of a blow to some lagj secret organizations, but nothing that they couldn¡¯t grow out of. The people were somewhat excited, expectant, though. What if something sparked out of nowhere, and they saw a gunfight nearby? Thus, even though the lagjs stopped attending, at least for most, more civilians went to those places. The more days passed with such patrols checking certain places in the outskirts of every city, it would be divulged on the internet and flooded by new clientele. At one point, the netizens saw the pattern, and on purpose or not, they helped the police forces know of more places like these. At first, they used the internet¡¯s social media to find them before using their methods to learn of other places, including those that weren¡¯t made for partying. After 2 months, Riverlye not only heard about lagjs branches being discovered and uprooted from the map, they also suffered some losses on the other side of Lymoca. But they were completely safe in Sargonde, at least for now. Either way, that was a problem for the higher ups, and Phesx wasn¡¯t even an Instructor yet, much less a year-old Artista. He continued doing his stuff. The best missions, no matter how boring, were when Pheli went out with him. Teon and Phesx became closer, but nothing compared to one¡¯s love. Besides, Teon was more calm and relaxed around Phesx, but she was also now¡­ a little cute and a trapped small animal in impenetrable black eyes. Phesx prepared, waiting to be answered about his reward. Nothing had come out after 3 months, and from the 10th to the 11th month, anyone could tell Sargonde grew tense. Bit by bit, more Instructors went out in missions, and not all returned. A few no longer appeared. Lymoca was seeing more police activity during the nights, and national guard units showed from the morning to the night. For the first time in 200 years, the country saw the force barely anyone in the populace knew about. It was slowly being unearthed that they only had 1 small headquarters in each state, smaller than the smallest kindergartens. Now, more were being built, with approximately 10 in each small state, which weren¡¯t many. As for the rest, it was only known that at least double were being built. Furthermore, the special police forces had to aid in protecting the construction of all these. It was boring, tedious, and frankly insulting, but they still got paid. As this happened, the president of Lymoca announced the integration of a series of reforms planned out for the stabilization and support to national security and their enforcers. From here and there, there and here, Lymoca was clearly welcoming something never seen before. Of course, such reforms would have to first be approved, and that might very well not even happen. Either way, none of that mattered for lagjs, who were also hiding, in the move¡­ ¡­ boink- bonk- boink- creak creak creak creak¡­ ¡°Ah¡­ gff- aah!¡± Pheli¡¯s melted body lied on a small study room they rented after ample consideration, in the sheets of a floorbed. After all, they shouldn¡¯t have too much activity in the ordinary world, showing up in hotels and stuff. And if they had to drive 2 hours to get to his home, although a pleasant ride in the Myertha, it would be nuts to continue like that for a lengthier period of time. Pheli sweated from every inch of her body, hugging Phesx¡¯s neck and butt with her arms and legs respectively. Her eyelids semi narrowed, and her teeth trembled as Phesx strongly held her. Her limbs went limp after a while, but he still bit her neck as she palpitated everywhere with tenderness. ¡°Ha- gulp- caggh¡­¡± Pheli recuperated her breath after a while, feeling his hands go under her back to caress her, comforting her overly stimulated body. Pheli smiled and cupped his cheeks, smiling so immensely beautifully with grace at his face. ¡°You¡¯re so sticky inside, filling me~,¡± Pheli¡¯s eyes narrowed a little, turning playful. Phesx embarrassingly grinned, no longer taken so much aback by such straightforward speech. He eskimo kissed her for a while before accommodating himself a little better. He also cleared his throat, preparing to spend some time like this. Pheli comfortably hugged his neck and threw her head backwards into the bed to let his impenetrable black eyes devour her neck. Phesx couldn¡¯t help smooching it, simply connecting his lips to her soft, vulnerable body. She had no scars, just like Phesx. After many months using yellow and green medicine, anything Phesx had before dissipated, let alone Pheli, who is a few years older in Riverlye and age, more experienced in the secret world. ¡°Mmf,¡± Pheli contentedly exclaimed as Phesx softly returned their mouths to engaging. The slow motions, ardent passion, and emboldened emotions behind their lascivious kissing painted it peaceful and simply loving. Closed eyes, stretching, arching necks, slightly dancing shoulders, and the artificial morning light hanging from their ceiling could enamor the eyes. Beep- bep. Phesx and Pheli softly separated their lips, letting their saliva, meat, and skin draw each other out before staring at their phones, with hers placed atop his on a desk¡¯s corner. ¡°Mwah,¡± Phesx smooched her lips with a peck, just as Pheli protruded her lips fully forward. He stood up naked and checked his phone while Pheli blushed, looking downwards with her left index and middle fingers on her chin. She felt mirthful, just mirthful. Phesx read his phone screen and frowned. Pheli remained lying on their floorbed, turning her head with slightly knitted eyebrows, ¡°What is it?¡± Phesx Caolia looked back at her and threw her her phone before saying, looking down again, ¡°Something unexpected.¡± Pheli read the notice from her phone screen as well, frowning deeper this time. Phesx muttered something while staring vacantly ahead, ¡°Irregular.¡± ¡­ Dressing up and leaving their ¡®little house¡¯, the Phe''s went directly to where they were called upon, the Head¡¯s study. There, they saw a line of Artistas on each side of the hallways before turning to the Head¡¯s study. And there he was, with a crazed, combed white hair, tall, and muscular but somewhat slender old man. ¡°Fox, Snow. Good,¡± the Head nodded at them before turning around to walk back into his study. Phesx and Pheli exchanged a brief glance before following suit. The entrance didn¡¯t close behind them, but inside were the 4 renown Instructors. Cala, Mel, Jos¨¦, and Bael. They stood at the side, with 2 chairs in front of the Head¡¯s desk. The Head sit down and offered, gesturing at the chairs, ¡°Sit. We have a lot to discuss.¡± Phesx remained silent and unresponsive for 2 seconds, looking around with his eyes before nodding. He walked ahead without looking back at Pheli and sat on the left. Pheli followed him afterwards, sitting on his right¡­ ¡°Phesx, do you know from where does the ¡®lye¡¯ come in ¡®Riverlye¡¯?¡± The Head questioned, intertwining his hands with both elbows atop the desk. Phesx shook his head, while Pheli remained silent, unresponsive. She would watch Phesx decide. ¡­ Chapter 74 — Damselflies and Dragonfly (1) Damselflies and Dragonfly (1) Phesx Caolia listened attentively. The Head lifted his head and breathed deeply, ¡°The ''Ly'' comes from our people. We are all Lys, from the Ly tribes. Lylaco Empire, and now Lymoca. Our Ly is Leae, but we are Lys, and the mentioned lye is in the history of the Lys. We use that to honor our people, land, and history. It is full of sacrifices, from the AO to the SO. It''s our blood that has bled and birthed most of Moonblue.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know why it has a lye either. I only know it was how my predecessor left the secret organization. He was already old, too old, I¡¯d say.¡± The Head commented. Phesx narrowed his eyes. Gerardo Tellez continued, ¡°I do know he was patriotic, very. He used to employ many missions for many people.¡± ¡°Respectively, he aided those history enthusiasts. Doing everything he could to assist them. I heard he was good friends with the Metelti, once, as well. Well, no matter. That is all to be rained upon by the past.¡± Gerardo sighed at the end. ¡°Riverlye gained ownership over the tunnels you¡¯ve traveled, which are connected to nothing else, so they are virtually impossible to detect. However, if any hoog organization were to care, they¡¯d find us as soon as they¡¯d want to.¡± Gerardo leaned forwards in his chair. ¡°How do you think we¡¯ve managed to keep it to ourselves with the knights¡¯ thirsting for hunts? Hm?¡± ¡°¡­Scarlet Houndhood?¡± Phesx pondered and then said after thinking of something. Gerardo paused, looking at Phesx with open eyes and pressing lips for a moment. A second later, he burst out in laughter, ¡°Hahahaha! That¡¯s right, I knew you are a good thinker! Haha!¡± ¡°Riverlye has been enjoying the benefits of being close to SH. The extremists won¡¯t move against us as they would¡¯ve decades ago. The hounds have been taking place in the secret world¡¯s movements for the last decades, interrupting the knights¡¯ hunts and protecting a few select whom they can trust. Riverlye is one such lagj secret org.¡± ¡°Having a hoog as a patron, we, the lagj, must work with them when required. This time, they have sent a specially difficult mission for us.¡± Gerardo took a small, pale yellow envelope from his desk drawers before placing it on top. ¡°We¡¯ve heard your petition to become an Instructor, Fox. Pondered upon it. But the allure of power must be matched with capability. This mission will be your test. Should you accept this¡­ task. Fulfill its needs, and you¡¯ll become the earliest and youngest Instructor in Riverlye history.¡± The envelope was left behind on top of the table. Nobody here needed to treat the other like a kid. Phesx looked at the Head¡¯s eyes as if looking for something to rely on. Then, he lifted his left hand from his lap to over the table and slowly directed it towards the envelope. ¡°I will accept this task,¡± Phesx said before lowering his hand on the envelope. Gerardo retracted his fingers from holding one of the envelope¡¯s corners accordingly. Gerardo nodded, ¡°You¡¯ve decided. Understand one thing. This mission will be completed all on your own. Your job is to not be spoken about, and you can¡¯t fail. With the previous results your performance has showed, and these Instructors¡¯ endless praising for you, I know you can at least complete it.¡± ¡°However,¡± Gerardo lifted his face and sat with his back straight. Phesx, who slightly nodded repeatedly, halted and looked at the Head. Gerardo continued, finishing his words. ¡°You can bring one person with you. Knowing Snow¡¯s capabilities, she is a potential ally for you.¡± ¡°Would you like to have some assisting? You¡¯ll still receive the reward I¡¯ve promised you. That we promised you.¡± Gerardo Tellez pronounced with clear, ample emphasis. Phesx looked into the Head¡¯s eyes, strictly reaffirming his choice. ¡°I won¡¯t need help, Head.¡± ¡°Hmhmhm,¡± the Head chuckled, ¡°That¡¯s the spirit of an Artista turning into a worthy Instructor!¡± The Head still beamed his smile when he turned to Pheli, ¡°You must leave now, this information is confidential. Prepare his equipment so he can leave in 6 days. Go.¡± Today was the 11th month¡¯s very first day. It was a strange occurrence that the mission would take 6 days to begin. Pheli looked at Phesx. Her eyes were indifferent. She stood up and left as the door closed behind her. The study¡¯s entrance closed, with Phesx stopping before it. She turned her head, but the entrance had closed by then. Inside the study room, the 4 Instructors walked forth, surrounding the table as Phesx opened the envelope. Phesx looked at it, expanding his eyes contents when reading 2 names. Then, he looked at the Head before they took maps and blueprints out of their pockets. Spreading them on the table, they began showing Phesx every detail. There was a large, tall tower on a corner, the entire city of Sargonde¡¯s center in another, and hundreds of faces with varying information on another. This was just the beginning. Phesx felt glad the mission would take place in almost a week, as he¡¯d need a lot of work for this. However¡­ it also felt exciting. So much information. Phesx wondered first how long did Riverlye spent investigating for this mission. But then, he realized that Riverlye couldn¡¯t have possibly gathered this information themselves. ¡­ A couple of hours later, Phesx exited the study room. Phesx and the older Artistas remained there. Pheli stood just before the entrance with her arms crossed and her eyes locked to the floor. When he stepped towards her, Pheli turned around, with Phesx passing his left arm around her lower back before walking away. Once in their small study, they sat on the floor. Pheli pulled Phesx onto her chest although he did not look tired. He let it be and rested his irked forehead and eyes on her sternum, with her nice scent infiltrating his nostrils. ¡°How difficult is it?¡± Pheli asked, rubbing his shoulders and back. Phesx responded, ¡°Harshly as hell.¡± ¡°Come and lie with me,¡± Pheli whispered, closing her eyes with Phesx, caressing his head and massaging it. Lying on the floor, they rolled onto their floorbed before cuddling under the sheets. Sleepless nights might ensue. . . . 6 days later. Over the past few days, Phesx went through the mission¡¯s details, which were far too much, again. Now that he had ¡®free time¡¯, he went to the pizzeria and the farm, where he checked a few things before announcing another leave. It was too dangerous to think he¡¯d do everything perfectly. Paloma and ?o?o, the farm owners, had things in order. Their new crops were going perfectly, with some already harvested, and others soon-to-be harvested. They had a couple of dozen of workers to tend to everything every few hours throughout the day. The recently born livestock were all healthy and showed no issues on the healthcare tech. The pizzeria was actually thinking of negotiating with the other buildings on the same block as the tea shop, now turned into a small pizzeria extension with one of the owners attending it with new employees. Phesx couldn¡¯t bring people out of nowhere to protect it, but lately, many people in the neighborhood felt like a lot of young men and women went missing. What¡¯s more, the business owners who were stressed as of late became unusually nervous. All thought the same, ¡®Why were the neighborhood criminal scum not coming to take their money?¡¯ Nevertheless, Phesx spent a few days on the streets, more than ever before, and without a mission in between. But at last, the day of the mission arrived. It was just the morning of the 1st week¡¯s 7th day, whereas Phesx had to prepare to leave for another zone in the center of the city. Before leaving, he still had to meet Pheli and Emer. First, he went to Emer, carrying 2 pizza boxes with him. Emer took a few seconds to open the entrance for him. When he finally did, Phesx welcomed the sight of a tired, recently woken old fart ass man. ¡°Hey, old man. Thought of giving a few more in case I have to hide. If those extremists come after me, I won¡¯t be able to live through any shit.¡± Phesx said, shrugging before entering. Emer closed the entrance after he stepped in. ¡°Did you bring- bring what I asked you?¡± Emer asked, almost rising his voice. Phesx looked up at the old man before nodding, ¡°Mhm. You can now write a novel if you want.¡± Placing the boxes on one of Emer¡¯s desks, Phesx took a notebook and a top-quality pen, so smooth to hold, from his back onto another desk. Emer nodded when he saw the notebook and pen, before ignoring them to eat the brand-new pizza boxes. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Well, no more training? You stopped in the middle of the week, oldie.¡± Phesx sat at the side, on the floor, feeling his belly a bit empty. He didn¡¯t feel like eating, though. Emer nodded. When Phesx looked around, relaxing, Emer threw 2 slices on his lap. ¡°Eat, and I¡¯ll clear your ¡®doubt¡¯.¡± Said the roguish old man. Phesx blinked at the slices before grabbing them, eating from both at the same time. ¡°Nom nom nom nom nom¡­¡± ¡°You need no more training, Phesx.¡± Said Emer. It was the first time he called Phesx by his name in such a casual manner, not to distract or provoke him. Phesx ate without a care. Emer shook his head at the lack of grace Phesx exhibited eating such a worldwide delicacy. Then, as Emer slobbered his chin with melted cheese, he continued speaking. ¡°All you need now¡­ is a beating.¡± ¡°?¡± Phesx looked back at the oldie with his left eyebrow high up. Was the old fart going to beat the crap out of him before the mission? He wouldn¡¯t dare, would he? Seeming to know what the young boy thought, Emer frowned and pointed at Phesx¡¯s sides before pointing at his head and feet. Phesx followed Emer¡¯s gestures around him before hearing the old fart speak, ¡°Or maybe a good beating. But not a great beating, nobody survives those.¡± ¡°Mn. More training is useless. Honing what you have is necessary. It¡¯s time you leave any nest behind and know the winds of the skies. Hm, I won¡¯t get my head messy with so many sayings, just grab your stuff and do your worst.¡± Phesx nodded, standing up with delicious mouthfuls of pizza in his mouth. Just as he opened his mouth to ask for something, Emer grabbed from under his top, throwing an item at him. It was a square-shaped tough dark blue fabric, weighing quite a lot, but nothing Phesx would worry about. ¡°One more thing before I forget!¡± Emer said in his senile, natural voice. ¡°Would you kill the innocent if necessary?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx stared at Emer¡¯s face, at a loss for words. Emer hunched his back and asked with a tilt of his head up and down to the side. ¡°Would you kill them if your safety or someone who you care for is endangered otherwise?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx nodded. Emer blinked, nodding ever so little. Then, Emer asked again, ¡°Would you kill if you get angry?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx darted his eyes to the ceiling, looking for possible situations and his previous, intuitive reactions before lowering his impenetrable black eyes. He nodded, ¡°Only those who made me angry. Not everyone, per se.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Emer nodded to himself before sitting on his tall chair, procuring the other pizza box to eat from both at the same time. It was too good, too delicious. Phesx nodded in a greeting/farewell before stepping out of the study, with the entrance opening in less than a second. Moving out of the study, Phesx didn¡¯t look back, and neither did Emer look at his figure walking away. Pheli wasn¡¯t in the workshop, so Phesx went to their small study room. There, the door opened to reveal Pheli with all his equipment ready. Standing beside his long, thick bag and suitcases. Phesx tilted his head to the left after getting idiotized by looking at his woman for the umpteenth time. ¡°Where are the other cases?¡± ¡°They were too many, and the HQ seemed to know, so they delivered it to the party directly. They¡¯re x-ray proof and have a lock only you know how to unlock. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Pheli said, waiting on the spot, waiting for him to come to her. Phesx slowly stepped towards Pheli, embracing her with his hands poking her stomach with his fingertips before sliding to her back. He rubbed his face on hers, as she did on his, slowly, communicating their little thoughts and wants. ¡°Mwah~,¡± Pheli smacked their kiss at the end after suddenly smooching his mouth. Phesx nodded in silence, grasping her nape with delicateness. Both sighed softly into each other¡¯s face, keeping their faces close. Only they knew how dangerous all of this was. ¡°I¡¯ll try to return tonight,¡± Phesx nudged his nose up on her left cheek. Pheli exclaimed, opening her eyes while squeezing his hands, ¡°Mn.¡± They looked into each other¡¯s eyes before Phesx had to leave. . . . At the very center of Sargonde, in the state capital city. Just 80 kilometers worth of street distance from the state government precinct. A few hours later. Phesx Caolia arrived by walking. He wore a black hoodie with a dark blue cap, jeans, and thick sports shoes. As he neared a tall, tower-like building, with 90% of its outer wall made of gray blue tough materials from the base to the top, and the very top of glass, Phesx entered a public bathroom in a park nearby. The tallest tree in the park was 3 meters high, with the park being as small as 2 ordinary houses placed together. Phesx went to a booth, where he found a thin attach¨¦ case made of soft fabric. Opening it, he found a uniform and several credentials. He also found a few wrapped gifts, a few glasses, sunglasses, and cigarettes boxes. From what little Phesx knew of politics and news in Lymoca, the cigarettes were illegal. Phesx tilted his head in wonderment before taking his clothes off. He was a little stiff at noon, but now, he felt used to it. It was already evening, and the sun was setting. ¡­ With the orange sky looming from the west behind him, Phesx walked to the building¡¯s entrance wearing another cap and with his hair noticeably shorter than before the bathrooms. He walked with ease, leisure even. Lowering his head and carrying the attach¨¦ case on his right and 2 coats hung on his left forearm. ¡°Hang on, what you doing? It¡¯s a bit late, bud. Who are you?¡± A bouncer stopped him, wearing similar uniform but a different jacket on top. Phesx stopped 4 steps before the bored bouncers and lifted his head, taking his cap off before clipping his identity card on his right jacket chest side. ¡°Sorry, the cap and everything, right? Forgot, forgot.¡± Phesx revealed his well-cut black hair, light brown skin, and impenetrable black eyes. A strange occurrence was, however, that a few complete sets of strands of white hair showed at the front of the top of his head. He didn¡¯t even know he had them. It wasn¡¯t just a strand or a few forming set, but around 10 per set, give or take. It was just a few, and they were 3 times smaller than the rest of his hair. Nevertheless, with it and the corners of his lip lines curving just a little, making it seem longer, he looked like a model hiding in an ordinary job for a day. Phesx was still not that handsome, but he just had that charm. The white hair strands added a little touch, but his face and new hairstyle did most of the work to get a positive impression on these guys. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ the headache. I didn¡¯t remember that it was for today. I didn¡¯t even join the morning check.¡± Phesx said, looking bothered but not wanting to drop his weigh on them. The guy who stopped him before repeatedly nodded a bit, ¡°Mm, mm. I get that. Name and phone number, and you can ¡®go back in¡¯, bro.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks,¡± Phesx looked at the fella before taking a phone out to show another identity card, one from a school in the city, not college. Meanwhile, he gave his phone number by memory. The bouncer lifted his eyebrows, ¡°Damn bro, you¡¯re young. You had to win something good to be invited there, haha.¡± After checking the identity card on the phone screen with a quick check on a government website, the bouncer asked Phesx for his phone number again. Phesx repeated it and then received a call after the bouncer nodded at him, putting his left hand in his pants pocket. Ring ring~. It was the default sound at first, before it changed to that of a party where girls were screaming things like pranking a cute one with nudes when he received his phone back. The bouncers cracked up laughing, some held their bellies. The bouncer who checked Phesx smiled and just gave him an armband, wider and of a stronger blue than the rest. He patted Phesx¡¯s arm before explaining, ¡°You¡¯re like second-in-command. You know what to do, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I just have to check things are going per schedule. I get to walk up and down as much as I want, and some bunch of rich asses are coming tomorrow and all, mm?¡± Phesx nodded before politely speaking. The bouncer grinned from the left corner of his mouth before stepping aside, ¡°Okay, get in. There¡¯s like 25 more of you that didn¡¯t make it, so you might want to check each floor. Aight?¡± ¡°Yeah- oh, by the way,¡± Phesx walked in, almost in a hurry. But then, he stopped, backtracked, and gestured towards the bouncer in a cool way. ¡°You¡­ Don¡¯t think I¡¯m trying to shit on you, but. You went to the party last night, ey? How many are we? I¡¯m sure I didn¡¯t see you there.¡± ¡°Well, it was a fucking huge arena. How else will the ¡®Defending Our Home¡¯ polie party gain any support from people, right? Yeah, look. We are like¡­ 1,000 people in¡­ and that¡¯s only us students. With the guards, we¡¯re like double or a little more.¡± The bouncer nodded, chatting Phesx up to spend a bit of time. ¡°Holy¡­ fuck!¡± Phesx exclaimed. In truth, he felt his chest tighten for a moment, almost showing despair in his eyes. ¡°They won¡¯t turn on us and kidnap everyone or something, right?¡± ¡°Nah, they are all like supporters of the halted reforms. They were supposed to be straight out cancelled, but the Supreme Justice Court suddenly ¡®paused¡¯ it. Dunno, a bunch of lies and playing around with our country. They just want their fams to be paid in case something happens to them. They think they can show that here, at a party for olies.¡± The bouncer complained with ease. ¡°Agh, we could grab a drink after¡­ ah, after tomorrow. Tomorrow¡¯s the big day, right?¡± Phesx asked, grabbed the sliding door¡¯s side of the entrance, which was stuck open for safety measures. The bouncer nodded after blowing from his nostrils, ¡°Hah, yeah. Later then. I know a place to find cuties.¡± Phesx grinned hard before finally walking into the building. His grin prevailed, but he wasn¡¯t trying to. It was just¡­ it felt kinda nice to act without emotion yet showing emotion and¡­ playing people¡¯s minds. The entryway was a huge place with marble flooring with black stains. It contrasted well and somehow felt like one wouldn¡¯t feel dizzy if they wore a strange combination of colors. To the sides of the huge, wide and long reception were glass of walls leading to open living rooms and dinners. To the front was a staircase about 20 meters wide, with stops to turn or just walk forward before going up some steps again. It didn¡¯t have glass walls, but Phesx knew these were built to move things up before using a cargo lift in the first upper floor. There was a set of 10 elevators to the side, where a few other students walked in and out of with documents in their hands. Some gals and dubiously straight dudes glanced at Phesx strangely, as if they felt somehow attracted to just stare at him. Phesx thought as he walked towards an elevator, ¡®Ayayay, I don¡¯t know how many theory ¡®events¡¯ I¡¯m going through to be looked at for no reason. As long as no one suspects me.¡¯ Phesx pouted his lips, calmly entering a lone elevator. Once inside, he felt his stomach relax, not even realizing he was feeling stressed. He closed his eyes to think, holding his body with his hand on the wall before a few seconds went by. When the elevator went up and stopped, he recuperated his cool. The doors opened. Stepping forth, Phesx headed to a reception desk, where a few students moved about, incessant and strongly focused. If it wasn¡¯t because he secretly ensured the details did not include the Ojazul school nor invitees from other schools or colleges, Phesx wouldn¡¯t have been so at ease. ¡­
Let it Rain''s note: So the ''lye'' is read as [lee- eh], and Ly the same as before, Leae, while Lys goes for Leaes, like Lee - a - ees. Just for clarification. Lye might be ''revealed'' what it is for in the future, Q.Q . Chapter 75 — Damselflies And Dragonfly (2) Damselflies And Dragonfly (2) ¡°Hey, what do you need?¡± A female student said behind the desk. Everyone wore suit-like outfits with a tie and an identity card. Most of their suits were navy blue jackets and black pants, although some gals used skirts. Phesx Caolia lazily leaned over the desk, ¡°Tell me if there''s a place to check out. I can help.¡± ¡°Yeah? Let me see,¡± a male student said before looking at a screen. He tapped the desk¡¯s surface, but there were drawings in this one at least. After a while, with the female student politely nodding at Phesx, the male student turned his attention to him again. ¡°Alright, there¡¯s a place 2 hallways from here. A few people need you. Right, the secretary in charge is around there, too. Try asking him if there¡¯s anything else we haven¡¯t done yet and is needed.¡± The male student said. Phesx nodded before turning around, walking to the right, where a wide space led to a turn to the left. It was bustling with students who organized or moved things around before going upstairs or downstairs. ¡°Isn¡¯t he cute?¡± The female student asked, shrugging. The male student looked at her with side eyes before burning her. ¡°Your taste in boys really kills me.¡± After walking for 4 minutes, taking the turn, Phesx searched for the door with one of the city¡¯s colleges¡¯ logo hanging from it and a number before entering. He saw a set of computers with commands and systems to control the lights and sounds of a few things and floors. ¡°Hey, who are you?¡± A female student asked him as soon as he closed the door. She was standing in the middle of the room. Phesx looked at the student and said, wasting no time. ¡°I heard you needed help. I¡¯m a ¡®supervisor¡¯. What¡¯s the issue here?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Seeing Phesx was in a hurry, the female student gestured towards a few computers with black screen. ¡°These are failing. They worked during the day, but they¡¯re starting to just not work anymore. Can you bring someone from the tech administration department?¡± ¡°I can help, actually. These are interconnected to the building, right?¡± Phesx asked right after, with the students looking at him in disbelief. A male student chipped in, ¡°Well, yes it is. But do you know how difficult it is to ¡®drive¡¯ one of these? If they were government PCs, we would¡¯ve fixed it already. We need someone who works and won- hey!¡± ¡°Yeah, just let me try,¡± Phesx wasted no more good guy words and took a seat before one of the computers. Another student expressed, ¡°What if you break it? Even if it was broken already, they¡¯ll make the college pay, they¡¯re all like that. And then, the college will force you to pay alone.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t know how to, I wouldn¡¯t be here. I won¡¯t get into debt just because I¡¯m bored.¡± Phesx said as he faced the black screen, but his face was a little bothered. He started the pc before it suddenly turned off like its power supply wasn¡¯t working. The others felt exasperated. But then, Phesx said as he crouched under the table. ¡°Who moved these?¡± ¡°I did, when I was sweeping and mopping for the entire morning alone. But I remembered how they were positioned, and plugged the cables where they were supposed to go. If anything, however, the computers continued working for a few hours later.¡± The student finished elaborating. Phesx narrowed his eyes as he saw something. Looking up at the first female student who spoke to him, Phesx asked, ¡°Do you have the room¡¯s schematics?¡± ¡°Yeah, here,¡± the female student walked back and grabbed a piece of a couple of documents before giving them to Phesx like he was the new and only heavens¡¯ sent. Phesx nodded and read what he already knew before returning it. Then, he went below the computer desks. Phesx grabbed a few cables, safe to grasp even with wet hands. He pulled a couple of them after calculating with his eyes before doing waves with them underneath the floor. The other students looked, left aghast as some sounds were heard below their feet. Then, after Phesx felt he moved a few things to where he wanted, he let go and stood back up. He turned the PC on and gave it a light hit on its front side. The computer turned on completely, now only requiring an identity card to be used properly. Phesx couldn¡¯t use his to gain full access to it. He looked at the female student as he headed to the next, ¡°Can I use it for a bit after I¡¯m done? There was actually nothing wrong. That guy didn¡¯t damage the computers or something. While it was affected because of that, I managed to hear rats and a smell like cockroaches.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure!¡± The student said, contented. She hopped up and down the floor before Phesx got to work. Once he was finished, he looked tired as he sat on a char far from the others¡¯ view. The female student walked to him and flirted with body language as she leaned forward to the monitor so it could scan her identity card, when she could have just taken it off. ¡°Thanks, I won¡¯t use it much. Just want to know what has been happening.¡± Phesx nodded at the female student. She smiled, politely this time, and said before walking away. ¡°Yeah, sure. No problem. We¡¯ll beseech you if something happens. Give your number to El¨ªas, okay?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Phesx said before immersing himself in the countless records of things being moved, like their app to solicit support or to give warnings of the heavy lift cargo being used, things like requesting for backup. In this case, Phesx was the backup, and his actions weren¡¯t even in the top 20 of the last readings the app evaluated. There was a camera to his upper right, which Phesx never looked at except when drinking from a water bottle. Phesx also looked lazy and just wasting time. But on the screen, he was working with a swift speed and a program recently installed like a ghost. There was internet, but he couldn¡¯t download it and just use it. After tonight, everything will be searched and investigated. If he was to complete his mission, he¡¯d need a much better cover so he could still remain hidden. Either way, what Phesx was using was an editing software to put a loop in a certain ¡®way¡¯. Phesx checked the office, very large and tall. It almost looked like a single desk was in the middle of a huge empty room, but there was more furniture. Phesx wasn¡¯t a computer genius, but what he knew of how to repair and build one helped with what little he knew about how to use one like any professional could. He didn¡¯t stay long, but once he did, all the security cameras in the building showed the secretary in charge in moments where he wrote, tapped his keyboard, and sighed to relax. It all looked smooth, but it had 17 different variations. Phesx started getting things ready. He might be too fast, but he was also well-experienced with balancing speed and efficiency. Phesx left the room and went back to the reception area to take another ¡®mission¡¯, spending about an hour helping around¡­ *** Proteros, presidential precinct. At the entrance of the main building, Luis Heartez walked to the outside, where an old, white man with an amicable resting face walked towards him, with Roam showing the old man the way. They met each other just as Luis exited the entrance. ¡°Oh, sir? What are you doing outside?¡± Roam asked, leaving the old man to inquire. Luis shook his head and smiled, no-ing with his right hand up before addressing the old man, ¡°L¨¢zaro, it¡¯s been some time since I last saw you. I was much younger then.¡± ¡°With all due respect, president, I mostly remember you thanks to your wife. An amazing being in all of the universe, I assure you.¡± The old man shook hands and his head as he spoke with honesty. Luis was taken aback, but he took it with a thankful nod. ¡°Well, you said you were in a hurry. Let¡¯s just walk a bit and talk it out. There¡¯s a lot to work with lately, haha.¡± Luis Heartez patted the old man¡¯s back before gesturing to the side. The old man followed instructions and started a walk with the president around the main building. ¡°I am, and I¡¯m sure you are, too. At least lately. I really wanted to see the ¡®secrets¡¯ your people have been doing in the precinct these last few weeks. I also always wanted to see it. It used to be the imperial palace, right? Hm,¡± the old man said, looking at the main building with intrigue. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a pity you don¡¯t have much time, L¨¢zaro. I¡¯m sure we can meet again to fix that. Some remodeling might have finished by then, what do you think?¡± Luis smiled and said. L¨¢zaro nodded, pressing his lips together. Roam followed them from behind. They continued walking for a few seconds in silence before L¨¢zaro spoke up, ¡°President, you can tell my company has been producing and receiving gains for many years in the past hundred years. I don¡¯t want to demand something, or things. I just want to let you see my vision clearer. I¡¯m patriotic, sure. But gain is what made me capable of walking beside you without being a politician.¡± ¡°It is only a few moments in my life that I feel I can make a change, and I¡¯m but an old man. You could have started with others, especially those running on basic resources. But you decided to try and convince me. President, I am as honored as¡­ ¡®feeling funny¡¯. Why would you spend your efforts after so much was exerted to get here?¡± Then, L¨¢zaro paused. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°You are a respectable man, L¨¢zaro. You might not have the same recognition as a celebrity to be able to walk with those governing a state, in the senate, or the chamber¡­ Not the SCJ, though. Those are too serious and emotionless. Well, at least everyone thinks that.¡± Luis paused, with L¨¢zaro looking at him with thinking, gleaming eyes. Then, the former continued, ¡°And few times are you remembered for having built such a large provider of the simplest of foods to the country. When they see a product from Bread Poeta, they see the brand that nearly every Ly prefers from the others, be it foreign or trying to compete with you.¡± ¡°And I know going overseas or to the north or the south make sense. But wouldn¡¯t you gain more if¡­ your work considers home first?¡± Luis became a little emotive, engrossing even. L¨¢zaro looked with lost eyes on the president and a resting, slight frown on his face. ¡°If we could just start with something simple.¡± Luis intently looked into L¨¢zaro¡¯s eyes, thinking of something before elaborating, ¡°Some researches, yes, here in Lymoca, have found a method to create a small yet nutritious, long-lasting supply. One that can even work with other ¡®thin¡¯ additions, but we can only start if we have the right ¡®proportions¡¯ and¡­ investment. This could improve the live service of the military and national gua-¡± ¡°No, no!¡± L¨¢zaro snapped off at once. He lied it out clearly, ¡°Nothing with the army! My company would never get into those matters. I will never support any military tendencies, or facilitate it in any way to make ¡®something¡¯ like war happen! Although it has been long forgotten, Lymoca is Humane, and nothing else.¡± ¡°L¨¢zaro, you surprised me there!¡± Luis stopped, lifting his palms after being yelled at. Inwardly, he sweated and shook, but he hid it to be the best of his humane capabilities. A few beads of sweat fell from his temples. He tried to convince L¨¢zaro, not giving up. ¡°No, you see. This is just the beginning. With this first project proving fruitful, we could start with preparing the mass-production of a food chain to give everyone in Lymoca something to eat for free at least once a day. And as I said, this is just the beginning. As we progress, we could further advance it, make it tastier, more filling, pleasing to the eye, increase its production¡­ You might not think of them, but even patrolling soldiers or NG units suffer from hu-¡± ¡°Stop,¡± L¨¢zaro rearranged his coat, walking around for a second to calm down before returning to Luis Heartez. ¡°I¡¯m not a politician, a celebrity, nor a well-recognized man. I¡¯m not one with the people, that¡¯s true, and for many reasons. And, you know, maybe I¡¯m not good for politics. I heard there are many betrayals, and that you might lose something your family tried to build for decades for the caprices of another.¡± L¨¢zaro looked downwards at Luis¡¯s chest with different eyes. ¡°That turning on each other, even one¡¯s benefactor, is as easy as it is tempting; powerful. Yes, I might not be a pleasant man to fawn or follow, but I know what I am not. Do you know that for yourself, president?¡± Luis Heartez looked up, directly into L¨¢zaro¡¯s eyes, whose eyes trembled for a moment when confronted like this, out of nowhere. Then, he heard the old man¡¯s words. ¡°Do you know you are no savior?¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Both parties looked at each other, saying nothing at all. The old man stepped closer and said, still in a neutral tone, and not appearing hostile or angered. ¡°You know, president. Until you are capable to make me ask for a call from you, you shouldn¡¯t try getting a fish when you might not even catch any small ones before.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis Heartez didn¡¯t respond. He just stared at the old man who prepared to leave. His face was calm, but not smiling, much less angry. Just as L¨¢zaro pressed his lips together and nodded ever so little to walk away, Luis voiced out, ¡°You know, L¨¢zaro. You wonder why I came to you instead of other companies whose bank accounts ready to invest, status, ambitions, and public image allowed them to seek what I¡¯m offering. It¡¯s simple. I don¡¯t like doing interviews.¡± ¡°¡­scoff.¡± L¨¢zaro seemed to take it badly as he left with a scoff, semi running to the exit without giving the main building another glance. As he walked away, Roam went to Luis¡¯s back, silently comforting the man with his presence. ¡°Let¡¯s go, is there anything else to do? This could be a nice day- night to take vacations early.¡± Luis turned around and said. Roam nodded, lightly mentioning, ¡°There¡¯s actually a person who just decided to see you, President. He arrived through another entrance. It is quite large, you know? The presidential precinct is better off with that high-profile service only.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­. Uhm, who is it?¡± Luis lifted his eyebrows and fully opened his eyes. He asked Roam with curiosity. Who else would agree to meet him? And at an hour like this. Roam smiled, ¡°It¡¯s better if you see it for yourself, sir.¡± Seeing that smile only a few times, and each time being about his chance to reconnect with his daughter, even if online, Luis felt much better. That¡¯s a person and face he could see and be with just about now. Each day, the road became littered with more pebbles. No matter how many good shoes and boots he had to protect himself, Luis was this close to derailed off the road every new week. So many complications. Wherever he looked, the hands of those political parties stained a place or a person. If they ever dared to his daughter¡­ again¡­ ¡°President!¡± Luis was lost in his thoughts. When he walked up the stairs to the main building, he heard a sonorous, valid, authoritative voice yell out loud. Luis looked up and saw a slightly older than a middle-aged man with military uniform waiting at the entrance. The uniform was the ¡®resting¡¯ outfit for the military officers and soldiers in service. If it was the ¡®on-duty¡¯ one, even if Luis was further lost in his thoughts, he¡¯d still see the man before he could yell. Luis looked at the middle-aged man, lightly exclaiming, ¡°Marshal.¡± A white man with always a smile, somewhat tall, and full of energy that rumors said he only slept 3 hours a day stood before him. Before becoming the president, this man was already a general. Now, as a field marshal, he was one of the country¡¯s greatest defenders. Although, like L¨¢zaro, he was barely recognized, and most Lys wouldn¡¯t know his name if asked about it on the streets. ¡°President,¡± the marshal returned the strange greeting. Then, he stepped forth once and declared, ¡°I apologize to not have seen through things earlier, president. As the highest command in the army, I wasn¡¯t even daring enough to present my thoughts before. I¡¯m here because I¡¯ve decided.¡± ¡°Cardenas, this is¡­ You are saying you are¡­¡± Luis acted properly in front of this man, who treated him accordingly, if only to be polite, despite everyone else after his ¡®retirement¡¯ from the LV and NSH political parties. ¡°Interested,¡± the marshal said with a nod. Luis smiled and blinked, darting his eyes around before articulating, ¡°Sorry, too. Haha! I believed no one would come. Let the attendants prepare the meeting hall for us, if you¡¯d like. I¡¯m glad someone is interested, Field Marshal.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so rushed, president.¡± The marshal said after blinking and staring past Luis, seeing something that wasn¡¯t there before. Luis turned his head out of instinct, surprised to see a few more military men and women walking towards the main building. A decent, armored vehicle parked far away. How long have they been walking? Luis sweated out of embarrassment. Looking at their emblems, they seemed only so far below the marshal¡¯s rank. It wasn¡¯t a dozen officers, but that there was one, not counting the marshal, already meant a lot. Yet, there were more than a few, and adding the field marshal to this¡­ ¡°I¡¯m afraid I might have started a chain reaction in your favor.¡± The marshal said, bowing his shoulders a bit. They looked at each other with knowing glances before Cardenas said, ¡°It¡¯s small, but let¡¯s not give it away. President, you must have a lot of work. We can just start with some simple procedures tonight. We should¡­ keep talking throughout a week or two.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± Luis said with a peaceful face. He met with the other officers under Roam¡¯s watchful gaze. They spoke at the main building entrance. If the reporters, especially those from the BLF news anchor, couldn¡¯t get anything in concrete with L¨¢zaro, they would, now. After a brief meeting with the officers, preparing to hold an immediate meeting in the appropriate hall, Luis walked to his office. He had to pick a few things and needed some time to think of rescheduling for the next month at least. He even said so to the military officers. Roam gave Luis free time to readjust, as he could¡¯ve picked those things in the president¡¯s office himself, and brought the rest to a living room to take some hot drinks in this cold weather. Meanwhile, as soon as he entered his office, Luis took his phone out. Directly sending a voice message, he contacted a little someone, ¡°Hey Lesly. I had met with Renter¨ªa. I wasn¡¯t successful¡­ But now, I¡¯m meeting with someone else. Some others. Talk to me when you have time, don¡¯t stress out too much. Alright?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Afterwards, Luis made a call. The phone responded almost immediately, putting a smile on his face that could dash any single moms if they ever saw it. ¡°Hey, grown up princess. How is the most beautiful girl in the world? Ah¡­ yes, I¡¯m being lucky again. Want to know? Hmm.¡± Luis¡¯s smile turned playful; proud, too. Checking he had a safe connection with the call, using an app from his phone, which only he can use, Luis continued the call. He was in a really good mood. *** Sargonde. State capital city. In the renown building where a political meeting would be held, just less than 2 years before the elections began again. In the first upper floor, a man tapped the ground with his hindfoot, clearly having accumulated stress over the past few days, but especially today. He looked at the time after looking behind him. The overly free space made him anxious the more he stayed in this room. This fucking room. He slammed the reverse of his right fist on the table, shouting, ¡°Where¡¯s my medicine!¡± Thud. Almost like an answer to his mental health, the door opened with a male student entering with a small food cart. It had a metallic gray color that shone with the few lights the room had available. But what took the man¡¯s angst away was the smell. ¡°Oooh my, what is that?¡± The man said, almost standing up. A semi-broken, soft voice sounded from the student who kept his cap and chin down, ¡°Hamburger, Dawn sweet meat dishes, and a desert from Twilight¡¯s culture. Would you like the buns with something more? They¡¯re dry. The ingredients are here.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t put it beforehand?¡± The man asked. The student removed the top bun from the hamburger, showing it had no sauce or even extra prickles. ¡°Uuaagh, please. Some cream and make it red, yellow, and use a bit of that garlic garnish. Oh heaven, how good it smells!¡± The man had a better and better mood as the student showed a few small, blank white plastic vases beside the intercultural buffet, taking off the lids and showing its contents to the man. The student nodded, keeping his cap. The man noticed it was for sanitary reasons and nodded at the student. He thought about giving the fella some pushing ¡®words¡¯ in his favor when he finished college or something, when he noticed a few strands of white hair. ¡°Oh, you have rare genetics, ah? Careful, some ¡®lagj¡¯ might want to abduct you to see if the 3rd order¡¯s rumors are true, hahaha. Thanks for the food,¡± the man became content as the student gave him a well seasoned hamburger. Even the bottom bun was filled with deliciousness after delicately removing it from the rest and reincorporating it, apparent in the first bite he took. ¡°Of course,¡± the student turned the cart and walked away. Any angst the man had was left behind, just as the student left behind the man relishing in the exotic food. ¡­ Chapter 76 — Damselflies And Dragonfly (3) Damselflies And Dragonfly (3) ¡­Thud. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia leaned his back on the wall beside a door. His arms were crossed, and his eyes closed. When he heard a white noise in the office, he opened his eyes, releasing his arms and snapping his neck''s bones. With half the objectives confirmed, Phesx walked away from his first murder of the night, leaving a letter of the red color on the door so the secretary wouldn''t be untimely bothered. Returning to the reception area, Phesx saw less students present, but the guards remained at their posts, although they had relieved in turns 3 times already. It was night, and soon to be 10 PM. The students would leave somewhere around 1 to 2 AM, while the guards would stay. The latter have remained in this place the longest, even bidding farewell to their families a week earlier just to become used to the building. They were doing their jobs, and they were being paid well. Furthermore, who didn¡¯t want benefits in case something horrible happened? Even if they couldn¡¯t enjoy those things, their families would, at least. It was something incomprehensible for most, especially the students who had long lives to live through, but Phesx particularly understood it. He walked to the desk and leaned over it. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m hungry. Can I go up? They¡¯re doing the tasting and all that stuff now, ya?¡± Phesx asked the tired, bored students behind the desk. One of them was the female that attended him when he first arrived. She lifted her eyebrows, ¡°Oh you. Yeah, wait. Let me check if you can enter the kitchen.¡± ¡°The ¡®poison testers¡¯ are all refined, classy, and ¡®the only ones¡¯ with an elegant taste, so they just can¡¯t be changed. But you can get something from the kitchen. The others already ordered from some diner before. You were nowhere so everyone ate without you. Don¡¯t worry, others like you already went up. Let me just check if there¡¯s any more things.¡± The female student checked a screen after speaking. Phesx cocked his head to the side, feeling she was a good receptionist. ¡°Nah, you¡¯re fine. Go up. You did very well today, maybe you¡¯ll get more food. Oh, try making everyone relax. The cookers are all stressed. It¡¯s not just what if something goes wrong, but they have to do it perfectly and all of that¡­ While those food testers just say whatever they want.¡± The female student added, clearly annoyed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what makes it obvious that they aren¡¯t that different from each other, after all. All their bullshit on making a difference goes off when you just see it.¡± A male student said, checking down on his phone. He briefly commented before returning to his phone. ¡°So they¡¯re all the same,¡± Phesx genuinely uttered. The female student scrunched her face up before giving him a white ribbon. ¡°Tie it around your armband, and you¡¯ll get to eat some plates. Remember, just don¡¯t stress them out more, ¡®kay?¡± ¡°Sure, no problems. I¡¯ll even help them out if I can,¡± Phesx half-promised before getting off the desk. The female student grabbed his wrist. Phesx was going to retract it in time, but he didn¡¯t. He looked at the small brown hands holding his wrist that were cold but felt warm. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to, but thanks if you do. Sigh, you work so hard. I would really like to pin you down right now if it wasn¡¯t because everyone here likes to eat the same thing between their legs and would boo me.¡± The female student said, putting on a hopeful expression. ¡°Hahaha!¡± - ¡°Oh dear, hahaha¡­¡± - ¡°Bwahahaha, heh heh¡­!¡± The others burst in laughter. Even those resting their eyes cracked up, holding their bellies and others blushing. But it wasn¡¯t mockery, just a moment of laughter between colleagues. Phesx politely nodded at the students before going on his way. He tied the ribbon around his arm before going into an elevator. Most of them were locked for safety purposes so late at night, with only 3 available. 1 down, 1 up, and 1 for emergencies or high profile personnel. Pretty simple. Standing alone in the elevator, Phesx nodded at the students, of which some waved at him a little, still at work. The doors closed, giving Phesx time to think, as he had to wait more than 5 floors to get to the dining/kitchen floor. ¡®It must be nice living such a life, being like that¡­¡¯ The building was gigantic, not only up into the sky, but overall. Each floor was incredibly tall, with the main floor being of the smallest ones. The stairs were wide at first, but from the 1st upper floor to the top, the stairs were for personnel only, whereas the railing was metal and the steps incredibly durable. The staircase between each floor wasn¡¯t always connected, sometimes, one had to walk around for a few seconds before continuing going up. Other times, they were connected, immediately stepping into those leading to the next floor. This depended on the floor used, to regulate the flow of people and in case groups moved together, or those carrying important, delicate objects. Phesx rested his upper back against the opposite side of the elevator until its doors opened. He came out and walked to a kitchen. Before the entrance were a couple of bouncers. Phesx turned his left shoulder to show his white ribbon, easing the bouncers whose chins went up. Receiving a nod from them, Phesx entered a kitchen, one of many, and was welcomed by the sight of porcelain walls and ceiling, with reflecting, beige marble flooring. There were many kitchen stands inside, furnaces, small freezers, large carts with removable wheels, and tech kitchen tools, with students sweating, moving around and working their assess off. ¡°Oh, you came to eat?¡± A young, short woman asked, just placing her hairnet around her little, orange haired head. Phesx nodded. The young woman nodded in return before walking away, saying, ¡°Wait for me here, I need to do something. I¡¯ll bring you a dish from the remains.¡± Phesx stood on the side and crossed his arms, waiting for his food. Others saw him but understood, not wanting to yell at someone. A couple of minutes later, the young woman exited a coolroom with a dedicated, structured cake with tons of measured semi-solid cream decorating it. It looked like a dreamy apartment divided into 2 wings with bridges in between, not too tall, and smelled deliciously. It had a layer of cherry-like jam as its roof overall. Pas- pst! Stomp, stomp¡­ Just then, a white, slender brunette walked in with almost a full plate on her right hand. She slammed the kitchen doors leading to the diner open. She stomped on the floor, whereas a young man stopped her and worriedly asked, ¡°Hey, hey, hey, what is it?¡± ¡°That fucking bigot,¡± the brunette started tearing up, fanning her face with her left hand as she sobbed. The short, young woman arrived with her cute plate near them. ¡°He just said mine had too much sugar and non-solid for a high-end palate. My- he threw all the jam I put on it! It was barely anything, and it cost me 3 hours to prepare!¡± ¡°What?¡± - ¡°My heavens, are you hearing this?¡± - ¡°Woah¡­¡± As the other cooks heard this and whispered, the short young woman looked at her plate and started trembling. She couldn¡¯t decide if to bring her ¡®baby¡¯ into the diner, as she was serving the same table as the brunette, or to give it up. Passs~. The kitchen doors leading to the diner opened again. Thin streams of steam went off inwards at the corners towards the center. A man wearing a chef¡¯s hat entered. He was a tall middle-aged man with short hair and cinnamon skin, looking strict, disciplined, and ¡®artistic¡¯. He had a chubby stomach and thick, fat-looking limbs, especially his arms. But his face wasn¡¯t so obese. The chef tapped his clock before yelling increasingly loudly further into the kitchen, still standing at the entrance. ¡°How many more minutes can you waste for me? Huh? You think the people you are supposed to serve tomorrow won¡¯t know the time required to eat the food they ask for? Where is the next cake serving? What are you waiting for? Huh? Isn¡¯t it you?¡± The chef looked at his phone before scrutinizing the kitchen, tapping its screen with annoyance, when he found the short young woman trembling with upturned eyes. He walked to her and demanded, loudly., very loud. ¡°What happened here? Why haven¡¯t you presented this? It looks fine! Do you need an invitation? Bring it out already!¡± ¡°Ah, si- chef. She already delivered it,¡± a young man walked forth and said, softly grasping the front of the plate. The young woman looked at him with tears threatening to spill out. He continued, ¡°There was a guy who just looked at it and said that hers was no good, ¡®any good'', if I recall correctly. All because it had red.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The chef looked at the cake and was flabbergasted. Not just its appearance, but the natural scent it gave off already turned it into a delicacy. ¡°Well¡­ well¡­ I didn¡¯t know that¡­¡± ¡°Either way!¡± The chef shook his head after scratching it, feeling awkward. He hardened his face and ordered the young woman, lowering his head and right index-finger pointing at her face up close. ¡°Throw it away then! Stop wasting time and create something that will at least look good enough to be eaten!¡± ¡°???¡± The entire kitchen looked with widened eyes. Nobody here was dumb. Even if they hated someone, if that someone created that cake, they could not say it was unappetizing nor not tasty enough. ¡°But, chef¡­¡± The young woman fearfully spoke out. ¡°I have nothing else to work with. I made this all day, and I had to prepare most of its process the whole week. I can only do another once. If-¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± the chef obnoxiously interrupted. ¡°Do something else. Don¡¯t waste time for others and the food tasters. Got it? Now, throw that into trash already! Who wants to see that?¡± The chef said that before turning around to leave. But at this moment, someone stepped up and stopped the young woman, who turned towards a trash can with the young man that helped her just staring, not knowing if to interfere. ¡°No, don¡¯t throw it. Why would you throw not only something like this, but when it hasn¡¯t been eaten even once? Keep it. It might be useful later.¡± Phesx said to the young woman, touching her right forearm with his left fingertips. She stopped and looked at him. ¡°Hmm?! Someone dares to speak for me, ay, boy!?¡± The chef yelled. Phesx dropped his nice face and shoulders. The young woman pouted a little, widening her eyes, noticing the difference. Then, Phesx turned around and walked to the chef. ¡°Chef, yo no s¨¦ usted[don¡¯t know about you], but I¡¯m only a student. As a matter of fact, I¡¯m not even of age. I also don¡¯t work here, so what¡¯s stopping me from shutting you up? Mn, even if you weren¡¯t a fatass like now, I¡¯d still put your pretty face on the floor, paint it with it. Now, that would be something no one would like to see. Too ugly a source.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The chef, who wore his typical frown and felt his chest rising, suddenly relaxed his eyebrows. He looked at Phesx like he was his long-lost child that couldn¡¯t remember his roots. At last, the chef scoffed before exiting the kitchen, ¡°Hah, kids say anything nowadays. What do I even care anymore¡­¡± Phesx didn¡¯t glance at the chef¡¯s back, returning to the young woman who, like the others, looked at him perplexed. Phesx tapped her shoulder, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t throw it. Just keep it for now. Aren¡¯t you supposed to help your fellow students and get us some ¡®bad food¡¯ to eat?¡± ¡°Ah! Right!¡± The young woman¡¯s eyes glowed. Finding someone who could not only enjoy but just eat her food after the event made her so contented. She nodded, thanking Phesx before looking at the other young man, blushing. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll do something for you in a little while, okay?¡± Phesx nodded and walked further into the kitchen. He found a person that others asked a lot for help and to ask some quick questions. The young man nodded at Phesx, willing to speak to a random after he spoke for the others, when not even he dared to. ¡°Do you mind keeping the plate that shortie was gonna make for me? I heard there was a situation in a janitor room 2 floors above and wanted to go have a look. Something about an amorous drama¡­ I don¡¯t know, similar stuff?¡± Phesx shook his head and shrugged. The young man nodded after blinking. ¡°Yeah, no worries. You go ahead. Don¡¯t take too long, kitchens close at 12.¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks,¡± Phesx nodded before slapping the young man¡¯s left arm. Then, he took the back door towards some auxiliary stairs for kitchens to use. They could move to higher floors using this one. It would keep certain odors from traveling into the diner or the hallways outside the kitchens. They also had adaptable temperature, so even if someone had to take the stairs from here to the top in one go, it wouldn¡¯t get cold or melt. Phesx walked up the stairs, but he couldn¡¯t take them all the way up. At some point, guards were stationed every floor to stop anyone who shouldn¡¯t be moving between these without immediate permission. With the one-time feature where Phesx¡¯s information was in their system only the first time it was searched every 3 minutes, he couldn¡¯t let them catch him. Otherwise, his evil non-look-alike twin would surprise the curious. Similarly, there were other guards blocking some hallways and at the main stairs, while nobody could use the elevator higher from the kitchens if they weren¡¯t high-profile folk. All in all, Phesx had to find another way to climb the building. Thus, after going up 2 floors, Phesx exited the auxiliary stairs and walked to the janitor area. Some guards were surprised when he arrived, but it wasn¡¯t their fault. This building was at saving energy mode, and it was gigantic, like in any other floor. Phesx threw his arms back and forth, stretched his neck, and semi ran towards the janitors. The guards probably figured he was just getting to work late. Cursing the benefits of youth, the guards, most of which are near or in their middle ages, chatted among each other. Everything was peaceful, soundless, and comfortable. Suddenly, Phesx had a strange ambition. What if he built one like this in the future? Just to walk around and stay. To have some moments of peace? He¡¯d love to show it to Pheli and¡­ Phesx shook his head and focused. Opening the door to the only janitor room available in the system, Phesx could hear people talking close to each other, their mouths near one another. But what welcomed him was a pair of stressed, retarded couple in love. ¡°But, love. I can see the way you look at him only when you¡¯re with me. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t seen you when I¡¯m not around. Even when he approaches you, you ignore him, you always do. Tell me, why do that? Can¡¯t we just talk it out?¡± The boy, a rather 20-something year old, said, grabbing his girl¡¯s hands, who had a similar age. ¡°Ugh, you don¡¯t understand. And, are you spying on me? Ugh!¡± The girlfriend shook her head, putting an impatient, dissatisfied expression on as she went on; ¡°It¡¯s not like you aren¡¯t checked by other girls. The other day, I saw you being stared by 3 hotties. And you think I don¡¯t worry?¡± ¡°But baby, I love you.¡± The boy said, his words turning soft on the letter half. The girl slightly narrowed her eyes, nearly crying. ¡°Really?¡± The boy nodded, forming a dashing smile. The girl suddenly slapped him, standing up with a furious expression, shouting, ¡°Then why did I see you hugging my hot cousin?!¡± ¡°I- I¡­ I was preparing a surprise for you, heavensdammit, Selena! What the fuck?!¡± The boy stood up at once. His red, curly hair combined with his reddened white skin. The blondie, a cute, clever-looking, but only looking girl, shook her head ever so little. ¡°What¡¯s that surprise? Oh, let me guess! Maybe ¡®hi, Selena, do you want to let me fuck your hot cousin¡¯? Seriously, Daniel! What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even saying anything! She¡¯s nothing to do with the surprise, you fucktard!¡± Daniel responded, feeling nuts. On the other hand, Selena, who had gone nuts previously, became brainless. ¡°Oh, so now you call me like that? How do you call her? Mistress?!¡± ¡°She¡¯s a lesbian, you know it! You told me yourself! She tried to make a move on you! And when your male cousin tried, she was off! What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± Daniel walked up to her and lowered his head towards her, becoming flustered. Selena gritted her teeth, still looking cute, crazy cutie, before getting back at him. ¡°I should¡¯ve let him touch me!¡± ¡°Heavens, Selena!¡± Daniel¡¯s eyes widened. But he then softened. No way he would let her feel like this. Daniel stepped up to speak in a stern tone. ¡°Stop those thoughts already. I would never hurt you, abandon you, or cheat on you. Even if you were to ask me. If you keep behaving like this, I¡¯m gonna get angry! And if you don¡¯t give me an explanation¡­ the best is to give up this¡­ this undying love we had!¡± ¡®Why do I keep continuously getting into trouble? So much¡­ drama everywhere I go¡­ Nevermind that, being like them would just be torture. I hope Lore is different.¡¯ Phesx thought, gulping and frowning, albeit a little. Selena looked up at her boyfriend with glassy, watery eyes. Daniel looked down at her, not knowing how to salvage their relationship from this harsh, complex issue to solve and become happy forever. ¡°Ugh!¡± - ¡°Sigh!¡± They walked off to different seats, just a meter and a bit further way from each other, facing the other direction and refusing to say a word. At this moment, Phesx blinked and decided to close the door. The noise attracted them, but only for a second. They huffed and scoffed before staring far into the distance¡­ to a wall another more than a meter distance in front. ¡°Where¡¯s the janitor stuff?¡± Phesx asked, sweating and trying to not trigger any emotional responses. The crazy- no, cute blondie girl pointed at a corner. Phesx nodded, ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± Phesx walked to a thick, rectangular locker, but it had a digital lock where letters and numbers could be tapped to write a password to open it. The device also had multiple tabs to utilize different symbols, even images and straight out colors. ¡°What-¡± Phesx barely spoke a word, when Daniel stopped him and explained in a dull voice, ¡°The password is kept together by me and¡­ the other person in the room besides you and me.¡± ¡°Scoff,¡± Selena indignantly exclaimed. Phesx could even feel her roll of eyes as she swayed her head. Phesx licked his lips before walking to the middle between these 2 idiots. ¡°Okay, look. You don¡¯t have to do the work. I¡¯ll do everything, and you can check on your relationship while I do, alright?¡± ¡°Why would you want to do that?¡± Daniel turned around and asked. Selena remained the same. Phesx looked at Daniel, ¡°Because I need some time alone. My mother died just last year, and I¡¯ve been trying to deal with this stuff. I¡¯m from Preut, alright?¡± Phesx doubted not in using his refugee victim card. He couldn¡¯t afford to fight 2 emotional dummies at once. It seemed to work, as Daniel looked down before staring at his ¡®ex¡¯-girlfriend Selena. Daniel immediately looked up, ¡°That¡¯s okay, but you must convince her to giver out her part, too. You think you can? Just look at her.¡± Selena¡¯s body started trembling, but she held in and didn¡¯t meddle. Phesx looked at Daniel, thinking, ¡®Buddy¡­ You aren¡¯t helping.¡¯ ¡°Walking away from¡­ the person you love to think instead of saying even worse things is wise. Many successful couples do that-¡± Phesx tried something, sitting cross-legged in the one-seater sofa behind him. But Selena turned at last and shouted, pointing at Daniel, ¡°Then tell him to leave! I won¡¯t go out like this. Maybe a man will look at me and steal me away, but that¡¯s too easy game. I like it when they make me beg before I notice, crawling towards them¡­.¡± ¡°You!¡± Daniel blushed with rage. Phesx slowly lifted his eyebrows. He thought about running, but things were just getting good. Daniel stood up and motioned to walk behind Phesx and exit the room. ¡°Fine! Then go ruin your life, ruin my heart, too, if you dare!¡± ¡°Oh no. Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Selena stood up as well, bringing her mighty feminine index fingertip to point at his face from below his chin. ¡°You want to go out to meet those good sluts in bed, huh?¡± ¡°No!¡± Daniel yelled with a high pitch. ¡°I told you! I don¡¯t care about sex. I mean, it¡¯s really good¡­ But if it¡¯s not with you, then it¡¯s just a boring session of weird noises and barely any pleasure!¡± ¡°Oh, so you know it? How many times have you been bored, huh?!¡± Selena snapped out. Daniel did, too. ¡°I had girls before I met you! We met at college and have been together for a few years! Heavens and nature! What is it with you? Are you a cuck, now? Just say so, then!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Selena indignantly shouted, showing a firm stance. ¡°You¡¯re so handsome and perfect, how can I not be worried?¡± ¡°Despite your stupid self, I can¡¯t stop longing to hold you and whisper sweet things into your head. I can¡¯t live without you.¡± Both suddenly softened behind Phesx, who slightly jolted his shoulders whenever the other took their turn to speak. So loud and¡­ ugh! He looked back and upwards. They were hugging, but a second later, Daniel said, ¡°I¡¯ll get us some drinks, okay? We can let this fellow-¡± ¡°So you do want to go out, huh? I knew it!¡± Selena snapped out again. Daniel held his head and roared, ¡°AAAGH!¡± Then, both retards in love sat on opposite extremes of the room and faced elsewhere. Phesx was wordless. A few seconds later, he hurried out. His footsteps sounded for a brief moment before slamming the door shut on his way out. Stomp, stomp, stomp- SLAM. ¡­ Chapter 77 — Damselflies And Dragonfly (4) Damselflies And Dragonfly (4) Phesx Caolia walked for a couple of minutes. He arrived at the stairs, where guards were watching, forming a line, with some small chairs by the walls in case they got too tired. It was one thing to do the job standing, and another to do the job tired and annoyed. Either way, Phesx walked up to them. They didn¡¯t shout at Phesx, waiting for him to come close to them. Phesx stopped before them and appreciated the silence, or lack of shouting. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to come here for the janitor¡¯s job, but there¡¯s a couple of¡­ Daniel and Selena are having a moment.¡± ¡°The¡­ kids in charge of cleaning?¡± The guards looked a bit confused until one of them spoke out. Phesx nodded. The guard waved it off, ¡°They shouldn¡¯t¡­ take too long? Just wait until they are done and you can come again.¡± ¡°Uhh, no. Not that kind of moment¡­¡± Phesx tilted his head to the right, understanding the misunderstanding. He looked at them for a moment before trying to explain, ¡°They are in a fight¡­ between having a fight and not being in a fight¡­ and they have the code. I can¡¯t get the code from them unless they sort their things out, so I was wondering if one of you could come open the closet for me.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ no, look. We can¡¯t do that for you, kiddo. It¡¯s either do the job as intended or we can¡¯t let you continue up. No one here can leave, okay?¡± A guard explained. Phesx pouted before nodding. He bowed in understanding, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see to that.¡± ¡°There you go,¡± the guard nodded before seeing Phesx away from the distance. Phesx¡¯s face hardened as he walked back to the auxiliary staircase. He went down the stairs until the kitchens, finding the one he entered earlier before unceremoniously stepping in. Phesx looked around quickly but didn¡¯t find the shortie from before. ¡°Hey, I got this for you. It was just half-eaten half before being ¡®accepted¡¯.¡± The young man Phesx spoke to before leaving brought him a plate with chicken and some vegetables. Phesx looked down at it before placing it on another stand. ¡°Thanks, but where is the short cook? The young woman who nearly cried?¡± Phesx asked, looking in a hurry. The young man didn¡¯t waste him any time and opened his lips but refused to speak with them. Phesx frowned lightly, hearing the young man¡¯s heartbeat quicken and grow heavy. Phesx also heard another heartbeat slightly separated from the others, along with a missing heartbeat within the kitchen. It wasn¡¯t that easy to hear, with all the cooking, some chatting, and yelling about, but it was noticeable to him. ¡°I¡¯ll return soon. I have to pick some things from downstairs. I¡¯ll be right back. If there¡¯s more, that¡¯ll be better. I could give some food to those upstairs.¡± Phesx said, tapping the young man¡¯s right arm before heading out of the kitchen and towards the main stars. The young man was left a little helpless to do nothing, but he shrugged and went back to cook with the rest. They would soon finish their turn and return home. Phesx went down to the main floor. He took an elevator instead of going down the main stairs. He went to the resting area where most students had long left, but some things and luggage remained. After all, the students would have to change in the building and might need more sets of uniform or clothes. Searching for a suitcase, Phesx grabbed 3 of them and went into a bathroom. He stepped into a booth and grabbed the thinnest suitcase first, leaving it opened as it was empty. The other 2 were opened next, mainly revealing firearm parts, and a medium pistol. Phesx grabbed the firearm parts and put them at the side before hiding his medium pistol in his back where he hid a strap and small holster, just enough to hold a pistol. Then, he took some plastic bags below the parts before putting the firearm parts on the floor into the bags. He was meticulous when carefully placing them all inside the thin suitcase. Then, Phesx grabbed all the comets, directly wearing 2 while keeping the rest in the bags along with all the pivots. He placed everything in the suitcase before putting a laptop on top after hiding the other things with an ornamental tablet from one of the other 2 suitcases. At last, with the suitcase readied, Phesx returned to the resting area and put the suitcases back where they belonged, coming out of the bathroom with a large black plastic bag full of clothes. With only the thin suitcase in the other hand, Phesx walked out and up into another elevator. He didn¡¯t seem hurried or annoyed anymore. When he returned to the same kitchen as before, Phesx took a look at the kitchen again. He heard the same separate heartbeat elsewhere. When he looked for the half a plate the young man left for him still on the stand, he went to pick it. Just then, he thought of something and looked at the coolroom; the one the shortie went to pick her incredible cake from before. At the same time, the young man who everyone keeps asking him for advice happened to look at Phesx, noticing something was going, or could go, wrong. Seeing that face on the young boy, the young man wanted to sidestep and stop him, but he was too late. Phesx walked into the coolroom after leaving his stuff behind. Everyone watched with fully open eyes, exchanging glances before staring at the closed door. On the other hand, Phesx entered the coolroom and welcomed the sight of at least a 10 meters long, 4 meters wide storage with few supplies. It has been a full day of servings, so it was only normal there were these few. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx looked at the bottom of the room, where an orange-haired short beauty crouched and held her left cheek, facing the wall on his right. He walked to her, whereas the young woman barely seemed to notice him. ¡°Get up,¡± Phesx called out. The shortie¡¯s eyes widened as she struggled to stand up. Phesx arrived to her before she could. Helping her up, he asked her, ¡°Did that chef force you here?¡± She shook her head, ¡°He said that since I didn¡¯t throw the cake away, sniff- achoo! Then, I should stay with it to check it didn¡¯t¡­ melt.¡± Phesx rolled his eyes. He picked her chin up and said, looking at her left cheek. ¡°Did he also suffer an attack from your cheek? His right palm should be all swollen and purple.¡± ¡°Puchi¡­¡± The shortie emitted a little giggle, just once. Phesx shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s not for you to laugh. Come out and get warm, slowly. I have to do another thing first. Stay near the kitchens and have something to eat. From now on, you will obey me and not stop me, alright?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The shortie looked at him, tilting her head to the left. She couldn¡¯t possibly know what he meant, but she knew it wouldn¡¯t be about taking advantage of her, somehow. Phesx grabbed her right wrist and helped her out of the coolroom. He felt good inside, but it was not the time. Phesx was bathed by numerous glances. He looked at them before directly calling out. ¡°Keep an eye on her and stop cooking. I¡¯m really¡­ actually getting annoyed.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t even say a stupid thing when I came here, even though you saw her get mistreated more than once. Had she fainted and you forgotten where she was, I would¡¯ve gotten angry. Do this one thing, stop working like the monkeys you are for a few minutes at least.¡± ¡°You,¡± Phesx looked at the shortie, whose shoulders were wrapped by a mantle brought by that brunette who did cry earlier. ¡°Stay, behave, and use your nails if you don¡¯t have the strength for once. That¡¯s at least evidence.¡± The shortie: (¡£¥Ø¡ã). ¡°Mn, prepare that cake. Do you think it will be good for a couple¡¯s quarrel?¡± Phesx said to the shortie and took his plastic bag and thin suitcase with him out. Not caring about others anymore, just blurting, ¡°I¡¯m leaving!¡± Walking up the auxiliary staircases, Phesx returned to that floor. He looked at the guards, who nodded at him after he ¡®scaringly¡¯ looked at them, igniting their instinctive need to support the young seeds of the next generation. Then, Phesx went to the janitor room, where he saw the 2 lovebirds still in a fight with each other, facing opposite directions. He rolled his eyes and placed his suitcase beside the locker. When he dropped his bag, he slammed it against the floor. ¡°What the- huh?¡± Slap! Phesx¡¯s bag startled them, making both idiots look towards him. Selena¡¯s eyes widened, while Daniel¡¯s eyes contents constricted. Phesx¡¯s hand slapped the crap out of his left cheek. Then, during his light daze, Daniel felt a hand grab his left wrist before spinning him to stand up. There they were, man and man, looking at each other. Selena immediately stood up. Even though the danger was less, as Daniel was a straight man outright, which she confirmed many times, she still felt the danger. Selena began regretting her actions as she stood just a few steps behind her boyfriend, still her boy, not her ex. When suddenly, that young boy closed in and, and¡­ kissed her boyfriend! Phesx gave deadly eyes at Daniel as his right index finger and thumb tips separated their faces more than a couple of inches. Phesx just had to tilt his head and bit the reverse of his own right hand with the right angle to fool a young woman like Selena. ¡°Noooooooo! Stop it!¡± Selena punched and punched Daniel¡¯s upper back. Her eyes jumped some tears off as Daniel turned around. He had already understood the assignment as he licked his lips tons before turning. There she was, the most beautiful blondie in the world, in Daniel¡¯s world, crying for him. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Mmf, mwwaann nwamnlawml¡­¡± The next moment, Selena scooped all that ¡®boy¡¯s¡¯ saliva out of her boy¡¯s mouth, not caring about whom it came from. Without consent, Phesx was taken as homosexual, not even a possible bi, by the bitchy girl. Phesx shook his head and was about to leave, when they went wild. Their kiss first started as cute and intimate as one could think. But then, it became sloppy and¡­ handsy. In under 5 seconds, they were eating each other¡¯s chins and going on expeditions around their mouths and inside their mouths. Phesx exited the janitor room to let them sort their brains out, but then thought of something. He peeked through the door, about to close it, and asked them, ¡°Are you guys hungry?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­¡± The couple looked at each other. While Selena blushed a furious pink, Daniel had a huge grin on his face, the fuckboy. Phesx nodded and left them to it. He only heard kissing and corny confessions as he walked away, making him thank he was rather ¡®mature¡¯ with Pheli. Phesx returned to the kitchen, this time, he wouldn¡¯t let things go. Being nice was so bad everywhere anyone went, no matter where. He could hear yelling before entering the kitchen from the auxiliary stairs. As soon as he entered, the chef¡¯s obnoxious voice yelled at him. Thing had just started, but they were bad already. ¡°Aha! So you were hiding all this time? Get your ass here! Weren¡¯t you something earlier? Huh!?¡± Phesx walked inside. The cooks had actually stopped cooking and congregated around a side. They looked at him, with the shortie remaining just in the middle, with a few standing before her, blocking the chef¡¯s way to her. Phesx¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t change as he thought, walking forth. ¡®That¡¯s nice. They actually care. Is this the difference between those rich kids and them?¡¯ Phesx walked up to the chef with his chin down, ignoring whatever the latter was saying. Then, he stopped and looked up at the chef. He spoke unbridled, not giving any importance to anything else for the moment, ¡°Hey, there¡¯s something you didn¡¯t get. I¡¯m a student, but so are they.¡± ¡°Say, would the news anchors care about a middle-aged fatass who isn¡¯t even as attractive as an extra in one of their precious movies, or the students who suffered repression from an abusive ¡®boss¡¯? One that made them act with hatred and fear?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll write¡­¡± Maybe Phesx felt artistic, as he put on a playful yet passionate expression and went, ¡°Then, ¡®they realized he was one, and they were many¡¯.¡± ¡°Y- you¡¯re crazy¡­!¡± It wasn¡¯t just the chef who felt weird and frowned, looking at Phesx, even the shortie did not want to get things that far. Yet, Phesx looked at the chef. From his head resting towards his right, slightly hanging, he tilted it forth and to the left. Phesx also grinned, just a bit. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Thud- slap! Step- whoosh. Phesx lifted his left foot and pressed it on the chef¡¯s right knee, pushing it aside, making the chef half-kneel in pain. His left knee was as weak as the other. Then, Phesx slapped his left cheek. It felt good slapping those¡­ When the chef became enraged and tried to stand up, which Phesx didn¡¯t stop, he pushed the chef¡¯s sternum. The chef staggered backwards, making wheels with his arms before someone else pushed him from the back. The chef fell on his stomach, and suddenly, the crowd went wild. ¡°Fucker!¡± - ¡°?Hora qu¨¦, puto!¡± - ¡°Haha, he feels nice to kick around! It feels nice to kick him!¡± Phesx dusted his hands as he stepped backwards. Some cooks looked at this, shocked. But since some were already at it, then might as well. Even the young man everyone looked upon in this kitchen joined the group beating. When Phesx saw the shortie join in, using her nails in a claw stance, he nodded to himself and went out. He looked at a stand where the shortie¡¯s cake was before cutting half, bringing it outside on a different plate. On his way to the janitor room, Phesx met the same guards as before. Knowing they¡¯d still be around for a few minutes, he walked to them and offered them a few spoons of cake each. They had a blast with a bit of sweet after days of dieting and drinking only during breaks or long before another shift. When Phesx returned to the janitor room, there they were, the lovebirds. Daniel had Selena slightly dancing on his lap, facing each other as she straddled his thighs and caressed each other. When Phesx showed up with a cake, they stopped playing teenagers and started eating. Phesx also hadn¡¯t had food yet. After doing all that ruckus downstairs, someone was bound to find out and call the guards. But that wasn¡¯t the reason Phesx did it, nor would it have ever been enough to distract a few guards when many hundreds were stationed inside. Once his serving was eaten, Phesx left with the janitor¡¯s tools. While Selena and Daniel, now with full stomachs, canoodled with their hands all over each other¡¯s backs, he placed his thin suitcase in a modified compartment below the water in the wheeled bucket. Phesx seemed to check everything as he added some more liquid soap before letting the mop¡¯s head rest in. Then, he left the janitor¡¯s room, at last. Phesx could hear slapping sounds even after a couple of hallways, making him cock his head in praise. Phesx returned to the guards, who recognized him even with the new cap and full suit with just his chest slightly open, and the janitor cart. One of the guards stepped forth, placing his hand on Phesx¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°Young lad, you made it. Was it difficult?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t walk near their room, now they¡¯re having a moment. Can I pass now?¡± Phesx looked at the guard and voiced. The guard grinned before nodding, but another stepped in, saying as he bent down to look at the mop. ¡°Hold on, what¡¯s in here? Huh?¡± Phesx¡¯s eyes darted to the guard with helpless eyes. It was a mop, what else but water? He was about to show it to the guard¡¯s face, when the guard beside him kicked the bucket just as the other guard opened the lid a bit, peeking inside. Splash, splutter. The guard¡¯s was shoved with water, followed by the other guards¡¯ laughter. Phesx looked at the guard beside him with slight gratitude. The guard tapped his shoulder again. Meanwhile, the busybody guard had his eyes shut tight and his lips pursed. He had to spit out many times before getting rough-handed with the other guard. Phesx saw that and felt they were quite rude to each other, but still so amicable in nature. Still in his thoughts, he was yelled at by another guard, ¡°Come on, then! What are you waiting for? The cleaning is still in dire need. You¡¯re late, too.¡± Phesx nodded before pushing the cart forward. The guards were talking with each other, feeling in a better mood. Passing by them made him feel a little secure, and almost at ease. Phesx relaxed as he went up the stairs. He pushed a button before the cart locked itself. A guard asked if he needed help, but Phesx showed off as he said nothing and slowly brought the cart up step by step. Phesx checked in with the other guards on the upper floor to get to work. He first cleaned a hallway that almost everyone in the area could see him sweeping and mopping before entering a bathroom. He left the cart outside, against a wall. As soon as Phesx entered, he walked under some cameras and used his comets to directly cut off the infrastructure behind the walls. He dropped his janitor full suit and grabbed the bucket. He opened its safety lids before taking off the lid hiding his firearm parts and bions. In less than a minute, Phesx assembled his rifle, submachine gun, and started filling his magazines. He was slow, concise, and smooth. When he was done, Phesx hung their straps around his shoulders before standing in front of the mirror. He hopped onto the wide bathroom sink and carefully took the mirror off. After placing it down, leaning against another wall, he returned to the bathroom sink and took the wall¡¯s tiles off one by one. Like this, a few minutes passed. When the wall had a tileless fraction, he used his right comet to carve an opening of the same perimeter. Phesx had to be slow, even though the blades were sharp enough to penetrate any vest that wasn¡¯t top quality when being shot forward. Phesx carefully took the frame down as well, leaving it below the bathroom sink before going through the square-shaped hole. Inside was the infrastructure of the building. It was only a small rectangular space that only went higher and higher. One had to be careful when climbing through these places, as they weren¡¯t all connected. Phesx had to go into other rooms after reaching the top of this ¡®cave¡¯ section, and so on. It was a hurdle to get to the top, but he had to. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Phesx shook his head a little before beginning his first step to climb up. . . . More than an hour later, further below, at the building¡¯s entrance, the same students from a few hours ago were guarding the entrance. Most heard music with earphones and bobbed their heads, others gestured while walking slightly around like, rappers. Others just took videos or photos, chatting with some people. ¡°Goodnight~,¡± the bouncer-like students bid farewell to some of their knowns. At this very moment, a female student walked to the guy Phesx spoke to, and who ¡®confirmed¡¯ his identity in the building¡¯s helpers system and app for the corresponding job. ¡°Hey, excuse me. Do you know that guy who was moving around? I heard he had started a fight in a kitchen. I only met him in the reception area of the 1st floor.¡± Said the female student. The bouncer looked at her and said, ¡°Uhh, no? But do you want me to look for someone¡¯s info for? It¡¯s cool, you¡¯ll have to find an excuse to knowing his stuff without asking, though. I won¡¯t help.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. The one with white little strands of hair in the middle, know him?¡± The female student nodded before confirming they were talking of the same person. The bouncer nodded upwards after his eyes became a little dull, gone upturned. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just let me check.¡± ¡°Hey, are you already flirting with others? I thought you were taken, bro.¡± Another bouncer-student walked towards them and shook hands with the other fella. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s for that guy from earlier. She¡¯s just aski- ah, shit. Sorry, I blacked my phone out. A sec¡­ what?¡± The bouncer realized his phone was locked after a series of movements. He unlocked it and checked the information again, with the system keeping that data copied for cases like these. However, when he searched again and was about to show it to the female student, he frowned hard. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, feeling strange at the sudden attitude change. ¡°That¡­ is not him, right?¡± ¡°Yo, did he look like this?¡± The bouncer asked his colleague after showing a random image of a chubby young man with strong brown curly hair. The female student jolted her neck backwards, while the bouncer showed his friend the image, to which the latter shook his head. ¡°Nah, no way.¡± ¡­ A few minutes earlier, a female student walked towards the secretary¡¯s ¡®office¡¯ in the first upper floor. It was soon 1 AM, so the students had to leave, but most remained around the building to spend time while their transport arrived. She wanted to remind the secretary. Thus, the female student opened the door and walked inside, ¡°Sir? Are you too busy working? We students should leave now, sir. Hmm? Are you awake? Are you sleepin- GWAHAAAAAAAAHHH!¡± A minute later, a hysterical, crying her body out, shrilling female student ran away while holding her head. She looked like she wanted to nail her fingertips into her brain from the sides as she ran faster than she never thought she was capable of. When coming down the stairs, she attracted many people¡¯s attentions. The bouncer and the female student looked at her from the moment she screamed and showed up atop the stairs until she ran past them. Everyone looked at her. Then, she was almost run over, if it wasn¡¯t for a tall student who stopped and also turned around, catching her waist with a few spins following right after to deal with the inertia. ¡°What the hell is happening?¡± The bouncer asked out loud, feeling a sense of danger creep onto him. Just then, a guard rushed down before running to them. The bouncer loudly asked, ¡°What¡¯s happening? Is she okay? Was it drugs?¡± ¡°Okay, listen guys,¡± the guard ignored the bouncer and others¡¯ questions. With a stern, sweating expression, he elaborated before ordering them, ¡°There¡¯s been an assassination. The secretary Iv¨¢n was found without his head on his desktop. We¡¯re evacuating everyone. Now, go ahead and contact everyone you can, tell them to get out!¡± ¡°Oh shit! Wait¡­ the vice president is still up there, right?¡± A bouncer-student suddenly said, feeling his whole body tremble and cold, with his pores shivering. The guard widened his eyes also, but he said, trying to keep a straight face. ¡°She¡¯s fine. We¡¯ve contacted her not too long ago. You take care of each other, alright? Go on! Leave!¡± ¡­ Chapter 78 — Damselflies And Dragonfly (5) Damselflies And Dragonfly (5) At the top of the building. The second-last floor was a fancy, small dinner where galas, banquets, weddings, and any celebration of the most wealthy in Lymoca could come to enjoy their evening. But on the very last floor, the ''tip'' of the enormous, notorious building, a large dispatch was embraced by darkness. A woman with creamy white skin, long black hair, breathtaking black eyes, short, and of a delicate beauty walked around a single spot in the enormous dispatch. She seemed pensive, looking down and lost. The moon was far from being half a moon, so a light in the high ceiling took its place, ushering a light haze like the moonlight would, forming a small ring which far surpassed the spot she circled. Lesly Rivera, vice president of the nation of Lymoca, breathed a little harsh. She has been here for a few days already. This meeting was important. Maybe it was counterproductive when contemplating their political party nation, that which the president formed at the beginning of this term. Everyone in his cabinet, or more importantly, everyone in their core circle, agreed. She took her phone out and dialed a number with just a few whispers from her lips. The call was finally taken after a few seconds, letting Lesly exhale a slight sigh of relief. ¡°Senator Ol¡¯ Pak? Thank you for taking my call. I¡¯m gladdened that I can assure you miss Valyer will attend. Yes. She has shown an important interest in the new party, indeed.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ well, I believe the situation will return to the ordinary. It has always been like that, hasn¡¯t it? It¡¯s the way of politics, hm.¡± Lesly looked through the windows. Her eyes gleamed but remained solid, calm, and still. With no emotion. ¡°I will be contented, yes. I know, and I understand. You won¡¯t have any fair treatment, unless you don¡¯t come~. Haha, well, it will be good to see you again.¡± Lesly smiled as she finished the call, giving out some giggled words with narrowed eyes. Once the call went finished, she relaxed her face and manually began another call. A couple of seconds later, the phone call was taken, Lesly adopted a polite demeanor. ¡°Mister Feks. I was just about to begin some little work here when I realized¡­ I believe I haven¡¯t received your answer, sir. May I know why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening¡­ Yes, it does make sense- but! Senator, if you¡¯ll allow me, This isn¡¯t a recruiting sect, alright~? Everything is about forming a little image towards the future race for the elections, not to take sides. Such thing isn¡¯t necessary, as we are all Lys, we believe in our future, not our power alone¡­ Mhm¡­¡± ¡°It is always a pleasure to exchange these ¡®pleasantries¡¯. Every now and then, nothing like a little chat, indeed¡­ Of course, testing knowledge with a brighter, wiser mind is a praise for me, ahahaha¡­¡± ¡°I most agree, Senator Gracial. But a talk like this, with our colleagues, can only continue tomorrow. Wouldn¡¯t you say so, sir?¡± Lesly slowly finished her second call. A few good-humored, laughing, muffled sentences could be heard from the phone before it ended. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Lesly stopped for a moment, half-dialing a number before leaning back on a sofa¡¯s back. She looked at the ceiling, recuperating her breath before finishing dialing the number. ¡°Benito Metelti! You¡¯re hiding from me, I can tell. How many years has it been? This feels much better than hearing your voice in the chamber, sir. I have missed your guidance.¡± ¡°No, this is no, haha, trick.¡± Lesly wore a thin, mirthful smile as she spoke. If any person foreign to Lymoca¡¯s politics were to hear her call and look at her behavior, they would¡¯ve thought she called a senior family member. ¡°No, sir. Of course not,¡± Lesly spoke with her eyebrows becoming a little heavy, lost, and sad. So far, her voice was always tranquil, soft, confident or appeased at times, and eloquent. But now, she became a little more blunt and brief, more honest. ¡°It¡¯s not Lymoca who is in danger, not even Luis- ah, yes¡­ President Luis¡­ Heartez¡­ Remember our bait back then, Mr. Metelti? They are not trickery nor lies, at least not anymore, scoff¡­ Yes. Lymoca might still hold itself afloat, but, will our President? I also think not, in fact¡­ nobody can¡­ I know¡­ but it was necessary¡­ You¡¯ve seen it, too. Even if just a little, right?¡± ¡°I see. I understand¡­ I won¡¯t beg, there¡¯s no use when it comes to you, Mr. Metelti¡­ The President needs you. People in power, others? Perhaps, but no one like you, sir. I hope we are successful enough to show it to you.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ No, don¡¯t you worry about us, mister. Our struggle is Lymoca, but not its people. It is its moving, talking, and spreading stain¡­ R- really? Then, will you¡­ you¡¯ll come?!¡± Lesly jumped her eyebrows, widening her breathtaking eyes. ¡°Thanks! I mean¡­ oh, sorry, hahaha¡­ Yes, mister. I¡¯ll remind you why you promised my family to keep me safe. Mhm, Le- oh heavens, Lesly the Cute will be p- sigh, you know the rest. Big hug, oldie. Goodbye¡­¡± Lesly finished the call with a cute grin on her lips. She felt contented. ¡°Sigh!¡± Lesly looked up, slumped her shoulder, if only a little, and rested her head, hanging it backwards on her neck. With her eyes closed, she couldn¡¯t help opening them with a bright flashing across them. ¡°Llama a ¨¦l[call him],¡± Lesly said while leaving her phone atop the sofa¡¯s backrest, walking a little away. She remembered the voice message he left her earlier during the day. She wanted to hear if the meeting went well. Right, she also wanted to let him know she successfully invited Metelti. Beep. ¡°Hello, Lesly?¡± Luis¡¯s voice sounded from her phone. Lesly smiled, quickly stepping towards her phone. She leaned over, smiling and trying to hide its sound of forming from the other party, ¡°Hey, there. Slow cerebellum.¡± ¡°Oooh, I assume things went well for you,¡± Luis was in his office as he smiled, speaking to Lesly from several hundreds of kilometers away. Lesly responded, ¡°You first, I called only after I finished doing my part. Tell me about yours.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Luis relaxed in his chair, squinting his eyes before starting, ¡°I need more chances with L¨¢zaro, but¡­ the field marshal actually visited me. Other officers also came to me. Can you believe it?¡± ¡°Oh, hahaha.¡± Lesly didn¡¯t expect that. They spent the following few minutes talking of how Luis achieved a rather significant major improvement in their plans in just one day, after a failed meeting, and a brief one. The latter ended up being fruitful, while the former ended in despise. ¡°Well, your best comrades, Pak and Valyer are coming. Feks might come, as well. Many confirmed upper echelons of the country will assist. Who knows, we might even see Renter¨ªa there, if the situation arises. We might even meet others there with as much influence and with validity. We have many opportunities still.¡± Lesly softly uttered. ¡°Well, that¡¯s on you. I have to throw the pleasantries to you alone. Are you fine?¡± Luis shook his head, saying before asking. Lesly smiled, though just a bit. ¡°Sigh. Thanks. Mhm, I will be- oh¡­ well¡­ I¡¯m fine for now?¡± ¡°Hahahaha¡­¡± - ¡°¡­ Pfft- hahaha!¡± Both laughed. Before Lesly forgot to tell Luis, she rushed to speak, ¡°I successfully invited Metelti! He is really lacking some laughter. I have to bring him to you as soon as I can.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope he doesn¡¯t become¡­ saturated. We should be¡­ respectful.¡± Luis said, his words turning more and more solemn and dejected with each pronunciation. Lesly dropped her eyelids to an almost close. ¡°Yes, Luis. It¡¯s over now. Don¡¯t be a coward and fail, now.¡± ¡°As long as I have people to remind me.¡± Luis replied with a helpless smile. Everything went silent after that. While it was comforting somehow, there was an inexplicable sense of anxiety and desperation among them. ¡°Good night¡­ Lesly,¡± Luis muttered first. Lesly gasped a breath of air into her lungs before returning the gesture. ¡°Good night, slow bellum.¡± Beep- beep. Both parties hung at the same time, looking ahead in the distance. They felt pensive for a while before returning to their roles in this nation. Luis sighed before pressing his forehead down on the backs of his hands, elbows atop the desk. Suddenly, his phone rang again. He sat straight and annoyed before looking at its screen. Immediately, his thoughts of any other number bothering him at this hour were erased. ¡°What are you doing awake at this hour?¡± Luis said with a brilliant smile. The other side contested, ¡°Should I hang up instead?¡± ¡°No, no! Don¡¯t give me that, now. Young, indecisive, lady.¡± Luis shook his head, but still with a smile. He sighed into the phone before the other side¡¯s melodic voice sounded, trying to appease the ¡®old man¡¯ in the president¡¯s office. ¡°I never wanted to talk about it before, but it¡¯s time to say it. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll waste more chances.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis grew stern. The other side took a deep breath in before going, her voice was provoking, and decisive. ¡°You may very well lose the chance to your third term in the next elections. You know better to tell me otherwise. So why not¡­ go ahead and be radical. Even if you¡¯re not going to save Lymoca from its many stains, I want to have a dad where history tells of a thorough and revolutionary man, a nation¡¯s leader.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°You either fall and Lymoca returns to all of the past it has silently persevered, or you don¡¯t, and you stay. That means you would¡¯ve convinced more people, opened their hearts, or tricked them. Means; more followers and image. It is the power necessary for all those changes you¡¯ve sought, father.¡± ¡°So, no matter what you think or want to protect, dad. Don¡¯t you dare let me down again. Serve those politicians and anyone who harmed me, and might harm us and Lymoca, pay for it!¡± ¡°¡­ E- Es-¡± Luis was stunned. His eyes went round, and he had difficulty just to speak. The other side harrumphed delicately, just like a lady would, and ¡®bid farewell¡¯ before hanging, ¡°Hmph! Thanks aren¡¯t necessary, make your sweet princess proud, dad.¡± Beep. ¡°!¡± Luis stood up, slapping his chair¡¯s armrests. He gulped as he felt the hot sweat tell his body and mind how much he needed that. Taking a deep breath, Luis gulped and looked at his screen. ¡°Open files.¡± With that, Luis checked his drawers. He looked at a pair of contacts and glasses before choosing the latter. It wasn¡¯t that he felt uncomfortable with those. He just didn¡¯t want to use them before his pupils were properly allocated so he could see these things without ¡®outside¡¯ help. But they wouldn¡¯t let him have that yet. Putting those glasses on, Luis looked at his screen and studied records and analyzed images and videos that the screen only showed to his glasses. His hands moved like working a keyboard or a mouse, where there was nothing, not even drawings on the table. The glasses were protected from the back, sides, and in the reflection, so only Luis could see all of these. ¡­ Back in Sargonde, Lesly had just finished her call with Luis when she felt the need to wet her dry lips. She walked to a stand table at the side with phone in hand. Work had to always be first. Lesly grabbed a bottle of liquor and served her a full glass, almost. She emptied it, wasting no time to savor it. She¡¯s had ample training in the last 2 terms to even like most liquor nowadays. Lesly looked at her glass. It looked sad empty, so she poured another, and then another. ¡°Aaagh¡­¡± Lesly didn¡¯t even stumble as she finished the last glass before deciding it was enough. It wasn¡¯t a big glass, but those were many full drinks still. Just as she wanted to find the nearest sofa to count the stars, which were just light bulbs barely lighted up, her phone rang. She took it out, feeling annoyed and like burning the whole world a few times. However, the yelling voice on the other end woke her up like she was sleeping on an earthquake and fell sideways along with her building. ¡°Lady Lesly, are you alright? There¡¯s been an assassination. There might be an attempt on you, too. The secretary¡¯s head was cut off his body. We¡¯re sending the nearest 5 guards to you. But we can¡¯t find the culprit. A couple cameras were disabled, but no one else is hurt, and- aa- and-¡± ¡°Ease it down,¡± Lesly sat up at once. Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought of so many things and possibilities. The other side continued after a couple of breathing sounds, ¡°Yes, Lady. About 2 minutes ago, there was a girl who ran out of the building and almost got run over. She¡¯s safe. However, secretary Iv¨¢n was found deprived of life, his head was cut off, and some medics said he was poisoned beforehand.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t close the building, secure everyone¡¯s evacuation. Light up the green torch, don¡¯t let any guard spread this information. We¡¯ll lock down the students¡¯ phones for now. It doesn¡¯t matter if they already divulged some. Everyone should keep it safety and confidential. If I receive news after tonight that the opposition somehow knew it at these hours, I¡¯m watching over each of you.¡± ¡°Of course, Lady. We are beginning evacuation, is there-¡± The other side spoke for a bit before Lesly, who stood up, began giving directions regardless if they were already on motion. ¡°Use the auxiliary stairs to evacuate everyone as fast as possible before sealing them. Those halls and stairs are wide for a reason. You should have all elevators blocked, so divide the guards to a few dozens per floor and more in the most recurrent ones.¡± ¡°Cross any intersection, compartment, storage, bathroom, and janitor room after checking any possible infiltration, nothing else. Don¡¯t fight the enemy alone. Gather the food in one place and disconnect all electricity that can be used by the public. From now on, the only ones to speak to me are the LTS of each floor, understood?¡± ¡°Yes, Lady!¡± The other side responded. Lesly nodded and said a few more things before hanging up. She softly sighed, dropping her shoulders and looking at her front. She turned her head to the same table stand from before and stepped forth. However, just as she was going to, the instinct, gut feeling, sixth sense, third eye; made her stop before turning around. She was just facing the only open, wide windows in the dispatch, facing southeast and all of Sargonde¡¯s capital state city. Lesly Rivera gulped as she looked at the entrance, where a shadowed figure stood without moving. Plop- splash. The figure threw a ball towards her left front, but it wasn¡¯t a bag, it was a¡­ ¡®Iv¨¢n¡­¡¯ Lesly thought as the head of one of her greatest helpers in the daily work of politics and forming these new relationships as a new political party fell near her left foot. Her eyes trembled. This wasn¡¯t the first corpse she¡¯s seen, or a severed limb, but this time it came from a known source, and a freshly cut head at that. Tumble- thud. Lesly stepped back, only to trip with a sofa¡¯s back with her mind, already revolving, twirled like a tornado as she fell on her bum. Her long black dress hugging her knees and thighs kept her legs in a reverse V form. ¡®Those were many calls.¡¯ Thought Phesx as he finally arrived at his destination. . . . At the stairs leading to the dispatch. 5 minutes after Lesly picked the call. There was a group of 12 guards standing before the entrance, 2 metallic doors as thick as an arm, and another 2 dozens running upstairs. When they met, their sweaty faces and anxious selves were at the top. ¡°She hasn¡¯t responded to any more calls!¡± One of the new guards yelled. Another guard said while pointing at the entrance, ¡°It won¡¯t open with our LT¡¯s keycard. Did you bring it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± The new guard took a small, thin, transparent card from his left chest pocket. He passed it to the other guard as they all took positions. The new ones already had their vests and submachine guns readied, to which they gave 3 full bags of the same to the others. As soon as everyone had their vest and a firearm, they got ready to enter. With tactical spectacles-googles and masks covering only their nostrils prepared, some sleeping grenades¡¯ levers were pulled. Immediately after, the doors were opened by a guard. The grenades were thrown inside as they rushed in. They exploded in not so loud noises, and expelled smoke and steam from their structures¡¯ corners. Yet, as they entered and checked everywhere for enemies hiding around the perimeter, they were flabbergasted with the dispatch¡¯s littering. Everything was a little messy, with sofas turned and bottles spilled everywhere. Even a lavish fridge was disconnected and thrown to the side. Meanwhile, a figure wearing a cloak and red mask faced them with their back. The guards slowly walked to the cloaked figure, but they were noisy. They weren¡¯t bad, but to Phesx, this was lazy work. He turned around, with his firearms hanging from his back and aiming upwards becoming visible by the lights of the city when he turned around. ¡°Stay!¡± - ¡°Don¡¯t move! Drop your weapons and to your knees!¡± - ¡°Drop down! Where is the vice president?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx said nothing and actually lifted his arms, all high up. He slowly turned his head towards the window, which was windy and clearly broken. The guards¡¯ minds clicked at once. One of them walked towards the windows after an LT gestured to them. Only then did the guards realize the dispatch was all dark, and that the sleeping grenades weren¡¯t working on this person, although it was probably because of the mask. If they had a SA¡¯s hearing, they would¡¯ve heard his breathing noises. ¡°Shit!¡± The guard peeked through the broken window, feeling chillier than before. ¡°Fuck, cap. I think this bastard kill-¡± Bang bang bang bang bang! Before the guards heard the end of the guard¡¯s words, and realize what was happening, the guard crouched and aimed at them, taking a small pistol out and killing 5 of them in one go. However, they didn¡¯t aim at the guard, who murdered his comrades, but Phesx, who did nothing. Before they shot at him after taking aim, Phesx just ¡®bounced¡¯ his body up with his arms still high up. He tilted to the right after going airborne, evading a row of bullets that were too slow to follow. Meanwhile, 2 bullets from the guards¡¯ submachine guns reached the crouched guard whose right arm was grazed. ¡°Agh!¡± The hidden Artista, whose status was easily recognized by Phesx, as he was one of the few to step silently, looked at Phesx in a rage. But the guards understood what was happening and aimed at the guard now, too. However, another guard beside them suddenly extended his arms sideways, stretching 2 long blades that were yet flexible like solidifying gum. They had a few neon blue lights at their contours, before becoming reddish after cutting through half the necks of 2 other guards. The Artista jumped to flee the self-encirclement, but the guards were ready this time. Furthermore, the guards notified the others of everything they saw through radio communication. Phesx watched as a few more Artistas revealed themselves and killed the guards. The vests were useless as only the tactical eye-nose gadgets offered also 0 protection, but it at least covered part of their heads. ¡®Eh, whatever.¡¯ Phesx shrugged as a few Artistas got to kill the guards. He joined the fun, taking a submachine gun from a guard before dashing over the sofa. He rolled on the floor once and stumbled a guard from the back. Phesx wrapped his legs around the guard¡¯s right leg and broke it with ease before aiming at the head from below the right ear and shooting as the guard fell. The guard had absolutely no chance, dying in 1.2 seconds after Phesx touched the ground. Just then, an Artista threw blue spheres around, whereas 1 bounced towards him. Phesx rolled his eyes and gave the guard¡¯s corpse a good use by sending it to eat the multiple, quick electric explosions with his spine. Then, feeling his neck in danger, Phesx leaned to the left, hanging his head towards the same side. A bullet shot past him, straight through where his neck would¡¯ve been holed on his right if he had remained in place. Phesx fell on his back and aimed backwards, staring upside down. A female guard looked at him for a second before both eyes instinctively followed the bullet heading towards her glabella. It was so much out of her capabilities that her eyes ¡®dislocated¡¯ and bled from their outer corners before her head was struck, falling limp backwards. An Artista rushed towards him from the back just as he was standing up. Phesx stepped back with his right foot, avoiding a blade with blue lights and ¡®hugging¡¯ it with his right side and below his armpit. Looking back, he saw the Artista¡¯s grin not leave as he said, ¡°Sorry.¡± The Artista then left for another guard as Phesx had to void another 3 bullets that an Artista sprayed for fun to 2 guards who were crouching by jumping over a stand table thrown at the side. Riverlye really seemed to have fun tonight, and for a mission of such high-profile as this. ¡­ Chapter 79 — Damselflies And Dragonfly (6) Damselflies And Dragonfly (6) All the guards were dead. The last one to fall was a chubby man who injured an Artista on the cheek, grazing a bullet through their skin. Everyone was there, about 7 Artistas out of the 30 plus of guards who rushed to the top, with more coming. Phesx stood somewhat near the center, with the others cleaning the blood of their enemies from their bions. ¡°Good job. The mission¡¯s over. We didn¡¯t even have to do anything. You¡¯re a good talent for this, Fox. As a matter of fact, you¡¯re incredible! No wonder they put you into this.¡± An Artista said, gesturing to Phesx while stepping forth. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx said nothing, continuing staring around him with a quiet attitude. The guard who walked towards him became bored. He gestured to another Artista spreading his arms to the sides. ¡°It¡¯s time. A pity, Fox. You¡¯ve really thought wrong if you believed your little ¡®crumbs¡¯ wouldn¡¯t be known.¡± Wrap, wrap. An Artista aimed their palm at Phesx before their wrist opened from below, showing a diminutive barrel-like tube, which shot twice at him. Phesx felt his forearms tightly gripped by something. He looked down to see a plastic robe-like contraption hugging his limbs tight. He looked up at the Artista whose arms were fully spread sideways. The contraptions practically targeted his comets, and they were simply accurate. The Artista grinned, no longer bothering to appear like a comrade to Phesx. ¡°Who knows what¡¯s in those things. But it all fails for naught after you leave this world here. Heh, don¡¯t blame me beneath the heavens. You should¡¯ve seen this coming. Mat¨ªas should have been your example to learn from. Now, it will be your turn to die a traitor.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Beneath the mask, Phesx didn¡¯t move his lips before tilting his head. Then, he dashed forth, impulsing his body onwards at a speed and with such a momentum that the Artista couldn¡¯t respond in time. Swish- thud! Phesx¡¯s right fist closed and struck the Artista¡¯s solar plexus. Bones were fractured, albeit only a fraction. The other Artistas were shocked to see this. Phesx¡¯s comets were locked, so they felt smug. But now, one of them was almost immobilized in a moment. Before they could react, Phesx tilted his body to the left, grabbed the holster¡¯s pistol, and slammed his back to the ground. The Artista¡¯s spread arms rapidly extended blades with blue lights. He swept them downwards, wanting to cleave Phesx¡¯s neck and torso. But Phesx moved fast, lowering his body to the floor before aiming with the small pistol up. Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang! The Artista¡¯s body shook with each gunshot, while his front was disfigured by the same. Phesx aimed from the groins to the mouth, turning the Artista¡¯s body into a mess. The other Artistas finally reacted. Phesx stood up as a few blue spheres rolled towards him. He aimed the small pistol down as he jumped into the air, remaining in the air for slightly over a second. Phesx fired them down, exploding them before their activation could be complete. A small explosion occurred, but no more than 1 at a time. As Phesx fell from the air, with the Artista who threw those spheres astounded on the spot, he was tackled from the side by a tall, muscular man. Phesx dropped the pistol in his hand, rapidly disarming it with his right hand alone while moving it towards the Artista¡¯s back. Phesx grabbed a knife, stabbed it into the Artista¡¯s back, and pushed him away after the latter screamed. A few bullets rained towards him while another 3 Artistas rushed at him. Phesx threw his body to the left, almost unnaturally, and slid through the floor to find another submachine gun. He aimed it at the feet of the rushing Artistas, blocking the other 2 aiming at him from a distance. The Artistas rolled and dashed to the side, not wanting to test the acclaimed Fox¡¯s accuracy. This gave the other Artistas an opening, and time for the tall and muscular one to get rest. However, worse for them, this also gave Phesx the opportunity to rush forth. ¡°Dammit!¡± One of the 2 Artistas with their rifles up cursed, moving to the side and fleeing the danger that is Phesx. The other continued crouching, firing at Phesx, who only covered his face with his forearms as he ran in a quirky manner. Few bullets reached Phesx, and those that did were deviated from his forearms. The other Artistas went back to action, taking aim or rushing forth. No one said another word in vain. Phesx tackled the Artista, holding him tight after evading a knife to his neck where the Artista wanted to plunge it. He headbutted the Artista from the side before biting the mask off as they rolled on the ground. The Artista tried grabbing one of Phesx¡¯s firearms, but before he could, he felt teeth scrape around his ear before it was bitten off! Phesx didn¡¯t even use his sharpening, only a bit of adjusting and pushing his teeth in. ¡°Kugaaaaaah!¡± The man screamed to the top of his lungs. Phesx spun on the ground from sitting with his bum, bringing the Artista with him before using him as a shield. All along, Phesx brought his rifle and submachine gun with each of his movements. They could¡¯ve flown off, gotten loose and slide after a roll or a couple, and even grabbed by another, but Phesx would simply not let it happen. And now, as he had a good shield to cover his pitiful ass with, he decided to use it well. It was the first time he used a special agent¡¯s body as such, it had to be special and meaningful. Bang bang bang bang! Trr rrrr rrrrr rr rrrr! Phesx grabbed the submachine gun from a guard and aimed it at the Artistas as he advanced. Phesx was careful to not be shot instead, as each was a military grade weapon, even if not the supercontinent¡¯s chosen. Still, the others no longer hesitated and barraged them with bullets. He shot many times, hitting more than half, but the Artistas¡¯ armor protected them. Some moved towards him, trying to get close and get him unprepared. Yet, just before they acted, Phesx stood up with the corpse gone limp and worsening, becoming a little useless. Phesx threw the corpse to his right, lunging to the other as the remaining Artista with a rifle stopped firing, helpless again. He decided to put his rifle down and get to melee as well. Meanwhile, Phesx wrestled with the man he lunged at, forming keys with his knees, hands, and feet around his limbs one by one, breaking them and torturing the Artista. ¡°Stop it!¡± The other Artista who was thrown off with the corpse grabbed Phesx¡¯s back just as Phesx was amidst breaking the last limb, the left leg. His body was lifted by the Artista, but he rolled forward and looked at the Artista upside down. In less than a second, something seemed to fall from Phesx¡¯s back behind his head. Before it fell to the floor, and as he received a punch from the Artista in the solar plexus, Phesx grabbed it. It was his medium pistol. The Artista¡¯s eyes went wide. He wanted to let go of Phesx, but the still a young boy had already pulled the trigger. Bang! The Artista flew a meter away, staggering backwards like his torso was only partially connected to his body. Phesx fell on the floor, rolling over before aiming at the back of the head of the Artista who could barely move. Then, almost an entire head went off. Bang! Phesx looked up and saw the remaining 4 Artistas, with one of them being the tall one he hurt earlier. He raised his medium gun, making the others run amok to hide, but Phesx just stored his medium pistol back in his hidden, small holster at his back. Then, he grabbed his rifle and rushed about, firing at the fleeing Artistas. The Artista who had just let go of his rifle saw the injured man trying to stand up before hurrying to the side to hide, ignoring the latter. Half a second later, a powerful rifle gunshot went off, along with the injured Artista¡¯s back from the middle to the buttocks. Destroying his spine, along with his organs, and life soon after. ¡°GAAAH! Attaaaaack!¡± The Artista felt shameful and helpless after the situation changed in just a few seconds. He wasn¡¯t the only one. As the Artista expected half his head to be blown off after peeking out of a turned over sofa, the other Artistas also peeked. They aimed at Phesx, who didn¡¯t wait for them to pull triggers before throwing pivots around him. But just then, every Artista held their firearm with one hand and the other with a strange pencil-like shaped shaft; white, and with a cone-shaped tip. They threw them into the air, higher than he did to his pivots, making Phesx nervous at once. Their throw was excellent in targeting the trajectory of his pivots, each of their pencils aiming diagonally towards his pivots, and throwing a pushing force that wouldn¡¯t even influence a child. However, it destroyed the deviating weak force of the pivots as it continued flying above them. ¡®Always improve¡­¡¯ Phesx remembered what Pheli told him months ago. However, his mind still remained in the fight. He watched as all his thrown pivots were neutralized, before the Artistas aimed at him, and then fired. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Bang bang bang, bang, bang, bang, trrr rrrrrr rrrrr rrr rrr! Phesx¡¯s body shook left and right, back and forth, as he tried stepping way, but he was surrounded and finally caught unprepared. They wouldn¡¯t give such a chance away. Phesx couldn¡¯t escape the fire, and he couldn¡¯t get out of it with so much firepower striking his body. ¡°Stop, halt!¡± An Artista shouted after they had made a slightly messy scenery of the dispatch. The broken window¡¯s windiness helped clear out the smoke, which wasn¡¯t much to begin with. They looked at the body lying on the floor facing down. The smoke somehow made it harder to identify the person. ¡°AH! He is right be-¡± CRACK-. Someone shouted before they went silent, silenced by the noise of bones cracking to perfection, leaving no chance to recuperate ever again. Another person shouted while standing up, ¡°Together! Deal with him near each other!¡± The Artistas ran towards the same spot. Phesx, whose cloak became riddled with holes, of which some bled, rushed after them. An Artista noticed and yelled, ¡°Behind you!¡± Another Artista looked behind but didn¡¯t have time to react. However, that was what the others were for. They came to their aid and charged towards Phesx. Phesx jumped over them with utmost agility, slightly pushing their shoulders down and himself upwards. He rolled in the air before kicking the fleeing fella¡¯s back at the center. A female yelp went out as she fell to the floor. Turning around, Phesx saw a red-haired young woman with 2 ponytails at the sides and a mini-sized one sticking from the top of her head. ¡®Huh.¡¯ Phesx thought for a moment as he closed in. However, a kick stopped him from continuing, stumbling a bit before quickly turning around to block another heel kick with his left forearm. The Artista had a shocked expression as he felt the armor under his clothes. Pum, pam, pom, pom, punch! Pam- slap! Bam! From then on, a few Artistas engaged with Phesx in immediate close quarters. Phesx used his arms and shoulder blades to block their fists and high kicks, while his shins and soles stopped and deviated numerous kicks. Phesx¡¯s lower back and sternum were hit the most, whereas his body was hurt, and he was pushed about a little. Phesx became used to them after they continuously hit him where it hurts. He began returning the blows as his head dodged every move, his torso sidestepped, tilted, or ducked. But his waist danced, his feet tapped, and his hands did most of the brutal work. Many bions were swept, thrust, or slammed against him. Phesx would stop a blade with his bare hands, grasping the wrist holding the incoming weapon. Even when the Artistas let go of their weapon or voids, Phesx¡¯s other hand or knee attack would neutralize the other hand trying to grab it. He moved seamlessly, as if he could read the wind, as if it was trying to imprint the others¡¯ movements during the fight, between each party, and only he could read through it. Phesx turned, crouched, dashed away, sidestepped, and jumped to lunge at others, avoiding well-prepared and cooperating attacks on him. He was simply never caught in a binding. Only the moment earlier where they barraged him with bullets was a victory for the Artistas, but not anymore. And whenever they tried to retreat to repeat the same event, Phesx lunged at anyone he had in his impenetrable black eyes and forced the others to defend themselves. If they were just one less, who knew what end would await them? However, as the fight prolonged, they realized how dead they already were, especially with the other guards only rushing here after hearing so many gunshots. It sounded like a street gunfight, after all. Lesly was presumed dead, but it would still not spread anywhere, and the guards were in charge until things had to adopt a different approach. Regardless, Phesx suddenly tapped his feet on the floor and elevated his body a little upwards. His left shoulder drove his body backwards as he escaped an incoming blade also with blue lights. A moment later and he would¡¯ve been electrocuted. Immediately after, Phesx sent his left hand in a grasping, open stance towards the blade¡¯s owner¡¯s neck. Someone came behind him to pull his legs and save their comrade, but Phesx suddenly showed a thin needle in his right hand. It was about half a meter long. ¡°!¡± Swwliip. The Artista tried to dodge, but it was too late. Phesx had already turned around and punched the Artista¡¯s throat. The mask couldn¡¯t hide the pain as the piercing effectivity of the needle was barely felt, but afterwards, it became a rising hell. Looking at the dying Artista, the others stopped with wide eyes. Should they flee? Go all-out? Will most of them dying even be worthy in the end? That was when Phesx stopped as well, letting the corpse fall before looking at the remaining 2 Artistas. Phesx wouldn¡¯t underestimate them just because it was 2 of them now. The Artistas prepared to receive Phesx¡¯s mad lunges, when he just stood there, slowly rising his left arm. ¡°What¡­?¡± - ¡°No¡­ fuck!¡± The Artistas¡¯ eyes widened as their contents shrank. A wave-length noise spread from Phesx¡¯s left shoulder to the tips of his fingertips. The Artistas watched as Phesx¡¯s left arm slightly glowed with an exoskeletal structure contouring some aspects of his arm, like a model encompassing his left arm¡¯s bones. This was a 1 million credits worth void bion. It wasn¡¯t ¡®the best in the entire world¡¯, as it was somewhat of in a basic degree and without further complementations or up to date. But it was something even hoogs would have a hard time getting every few or several months, and they get paid much more¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡± The female redhead said, feeling hopeless but accepting her near end. She wasn¡¯t surrendering, though. ¡°How did you know? Riverlye even asked SH for one of their agents to keep track of your treachery. How?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx said absolutely nothing. His red mask looked at them with not a ripple of emotion¡­ or perhaps humanity. As the other Artista evened his breathing, prepared to die, Phesx stomped his left foot on the floor. Clank- bang- pwurf. Clink, clonk- pah! Phesx blocked an attack from the blade to his right before pushing his waist rightwards and activating the arm¡¯s deviating force field. The redhead¡¯s small pistol shot was stopped before going past his left arm, saving his little head. Phesx turned around to his right, crouching as he swept his right leg towards the redhead and defended his neck, head, and shoulder with the arm protecting him from the blue light blade. Just as he took a second heavy hit from above, his right foot found no one, while a left sole kicked at his face. Phesx bent his neck, letting her hit the center of his back, whereas her eyes widened when she felt the armor he was wearing. She was also alert, as Fox was quick and ruthless. And just as she thought that, Phesx¡¯s right hand grabbed behind her knee before pulling her towards him. His right foot raised as his left leg took all the brunt from the slashes on his left and enduring a direct hit from his right. Phesx¡¯s right leg hit the redhead¡¯s lower back with his shin, making her arch in pain and hurting from within. Immediately after, Phesx drove his left hand towards her belly, but not only that, he also impulsed his body towards her with the same motion. He dragged her with him unto the floor. Another cleaving slash coming towards him was dodged, almost scraping his back as Phesx ended up sliding on the floor for but a moment. He grabbed the redhead with his open palm on her sternum and his right hand folding her left leg up to her waist. ¡°How can you have wasted empow-¡± The redhead frowned hard as she untimely questioned Phesx. At the same time, the other Artista recuperated from hitting the solid floor hard, with his hands still trembling, but immediately rushing to her help. ¡°You really talk too much,¡± Phesx finally voiced. They had already heard his voice, especially from recordings to recognize him in case it was needed and had no visual contact. But hearing the semi-broken, soft voice now made their tailbones wiggle and shiver. Phesx¡¯s left hand pushed forth, caving in a little, while his right hand directly went to her knees. His fingertips snaked through the middle of her knee before it snapped, almost elongating her leg overall. The redhead widened her eyes, entering into shock from the pain as Phesx¡¯s left hand changed targets to grasp her neck. ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°Aagh¡­ ka¡­ uggffhh¡­¡± Phesx looked at her as her neck crushed a bit more and more. The ¡®sweet¡¯ sounds echoed ever so timidly, wanting to break at once but holding it in. When the redhead felt her life giving in as Phesx spun on the ground, avoiding both of them getting slashed by a panicking, desperate Artista wielding a blue light blade, she looked down at her killer. Phesx¡¯s eyes could be said to be calm, but they radiated an imposing killing intent coupled with hatred from unrealistic reasons. There were no whys behind it, only pure, natural hatred, like he was the natural bane of a living being such as humans. Her eyes rolled on their own as her face became blue and then slightly purple around her eyes and his grip on her neck. The Artista stopped moving, looking at this with his head low, and darting his eyes in between. Thud, roll roll, thud. Phesx tossed the redhead¡¯s corpse as it bounced a little on her fall, eliciting a few meters of rolling before hitting a turned over sofa. Then, with the remaining Artista on his right, by his feet, Phesx jumped to his feet from the floor. Swiiiip- plck! The Artista suddenly moved, flashing his blades like lightning, using all the potential he could to sneak attack him. To his eyes¡¯ surprise and last, terrified shock, one of his blades was grabbed by the bare right hand of Phesx, who looked straight into his eyes. ¡°¡­¡± The Artista¡¯s neck slowly relaxed. He could hear the diminutive sounds of numerous blood droplets falling on the floor from Phesx¡¯s hand, but he also felt his fighting spirit being discarded. His eyes went to Phesx¡¯s, all black, and impenetrable. The other blade was slapped downwards and out of his now exhausted, previously stable grip, but it remained in his left hand, although it was more like dangling from it. But then, with a last call for survival, the Artista had a final run for it as he tightened his left hand¡¯s grip. He gritted his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows to disfiguring levels. His right hand pushed the blade forth to thrust it below Phesx¡¯s right armpit to stop him in place, while his left hand slashed diagonally upwards to cut through his neck. But things just didn¡¯t go out as planned for the remaining Artista. Phesx grabbed the blade even harder. He stopped it from sliding out of his grasp, letting it cut deeper into his wounded palm, and slammed it downwards. With a ¡®click¡¯ noise in between, it collided with the other blade snapping it out of the Artista¡¯s grasp and its handle into the air. The Artista looked down at his blades, which Phesx¡¯s hands went for, grabbing them with a firmer hold than its owner had of them. Phesx spun to his right for the third time, this time while cutting the man¡¯s chest and front of his arms. Then, he jumped, rising his legs into the air, rotating as he stretched his neck and avoided a fist punching into his left eye. Swwliip swwliip, sheefth sheefth¡­ pggffsshh¡­ Phesx drove the blades back to its owner, penetrating deep into the Artista¡¯s collarbone as the latter fell backwards with his breath living him. Then, Phesx let them slide out while the Artista hit the back of his head with the floor before slashing the Artista¡¯s head into mush with an ¡®X¡¯ form. ¡­ Chapter 80 — Damselflies And Dragonfly (7) Damselflies And Dragonfly (7) ¡°Haff, huff¡­¡± Phesx Caolia straightened his back after killing the remaining Artista, feeling a little exhausted and having had enough. He took his cloak out but left the mask on, which had many grazes from the bullets, although these were camouflaged by the blood seeping out of them. Phesx Caolia looked at the window, letting the previous round of constant loud noises fall into dear silence. Closing his eyes, Phesx had the notion of the outside of the window. Deep in the night, with some people wondering what was happening on the streets and in other nearby buildings. But no one really dared to call on the lavish building, nor cared. But there were also people on the roof, just waiting for him to break out. They weren¡¯t there before. Phesx could tell they were Artistas, but they didn¡¯t care about their comrades dying just below them. Even now, they weren¡¯t moving to intercept them, just waiting for him to come out. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Phesx lifted his chin and sighed, dropping his shoulders as he checked his right hand. It had a grotesque but salvageable wound. He took some yellow medicine out before pouring it on his hand, thereafter bandaging his palm before grabbing 2 guards¡¯ submachine guns. Then, without a thought in that head of his, Phesx went down. He had only fought a few Artistas at the same time, completely alone, where he couldn¡¯t take advantages from them being distracted by others, or others helping him here and there. This was the first time Phesx faced such an issue, and it cost him a bit of his armor. The armor on Phesx was like a tough surface that looked even metallic because of its aesthetics and dull gray, black colors only. However, it was pretty flexible, albeit not as much as leather or hide. Even then, his mobility wasn¡¯t affected, and it already saved him from tremendous grievous wounds, if not death. It had some holes now, though most were superficial. Yet, the night had only just begun, but it was riddled with gunshots. Even then, Phesx would rather face a multitude of guards than to head out into the sky without proper equipment, and to face none other than who knows how many dozens of Artistas. Step, step, step, step¡­ clamor, clamor¡­ ¡°You hearing this? The noise stopped¡­¡± Phesx didn¡¯t stop walking around the circular staircase after hearing a few guards speak. He calmed his breathing and checked their footsteps, calculating with vivid imagination what their positions were. When Phesx Caolia finally arrived low enough to see some guards debating whether to go further up or not, and found their positions to be similar, he aimed at their knees and arms before firing away. Only one comment was heard from a guard below, ¡°What the-¡± Trrrr rrrrrr r rrrr r r rr rrr r r rrr r rrr r r rr¡­! Bullets flew from one point to the other, making rows and streams of blood to spurt from the guards¡¯ bodies. None were hit in their vitals, though some were placed into immediate care by others wounded as their arteries were either grazed or shot through. The guards could survive with something like that, but not as long as a special forces unit. Phesx walked through them after getting them all to fall on the ground. A guard called his colleagues in fear, telling them what just happened, sobbing and begging to be rescued. He wasn¡¯t the only one, but then, Phesx heard a handgun slid on the floor before its infrastructure ¡®clicked¡¯ just as it does when it balances once someone holds it. Tr rrrr! ¡°AAAAGH!¡± The guard who barely had time to aim the handgun at Phesx was first neutralized by having his hand shot, followed by his whole arm becoming useless. That wasn¡¯t it. Phesx walked towards the guard and turned him to face the floor. Then, grabbing the hair by his scalp, Phesx stomped his face on the floor like bidding good night. Phesx shook his head only after the first face stomp, because only then did the guard drop his handgun. After the second, Phesx grabbed a rifle that a Lt had but threw away to treat the injured. It was pretty average, but still a firearm. With his military firearms hanging around his shoulders, Phesx lightly called out, ¡°Tell the others to not pull theirs out. I might accidentally kill someone like this.¡± Phesx left the first victims of guards who were just at the stairs, nobody dared to be any heroes again. The last floor should have at least 100 guards or so, and they should be coming up to meet him soon. Step, step¡­ ¡°Get prepared, fuck. We¡¯ll find the enemy soon!¡± Just as Phesx was waiting for them, the guards made themselves known. Hearing their dumb self-exposing, Phesx looked at the right before jumping onto the railing. Even though the stairs steeped downwards, Phesx remained in perfect balance like he wasn¡¯t even going down the stairs. There was some electric power, but only from the reserve generators. The lights were very dim, and any flashlight was like a strong flashlight as a result. ¡°Where is he?¡± - ¡°Aim upwards, he might be peeking from the- oh shit! Shoot- fire, fire, fire!¡± Trrr r r r r r r rr rr r rr r rr rrrrr r rr! Phesx beat them to it, pulling the trigger of a submachine gun to send some guards backwards with their vests protecting their torso from possible death. As soon as they all fell, Phesx checked no one was trying hero business near their handguns or the like before going to each of them. He bashed their faces against the wall, stair steps, or railing. Ever since that first guard who dared to aim at him just because he gave them his back, Phesx couldn¡¯t believe he was na?ve just like this. Now, he¡¯ll properly shut every guard tight, not allowing them to think and perhaps firing at a few knees and arms. After Phesx decided his new modus operandi to continue going down the building, feeling more secure due to this, he went faster. His feet looked like running-walking sideways, though he was fast, he was more careful to look ahead. Having dropped the guard¡¯s submachine gun, Phesx counted the stairs and meters going down before realizing he would soon reach the floor. He frowned, as more teams should¡¯ve showed already, but he heard no movement. As a matter of fact, Phesx didn¡¯t even hear as many footsteps echoing across the staircases below further floors anymore. ¡°There he is¡­¡± - ¡°Stop right there, kid!¡± Just as Phesx came across several possibilities, still a couple of meters from the floor, a few voices hushed around before a familiar voice shouted towards him. Phesx stopped as soon as he heard all of this. He felt some very indistinctive light on his shoes. Looking ahead, leaning to the left, Phesx realized they were peeking at a corner from a high attitude, which he could not see yet. Phesx didn¡¯t show his face, as he knew that would be the easiest way to die if the enemy had a sniper rifle installed up here, which they probably moved, which Phesx knew they had. ¡°I know who you are. We know now! Don¡¯t do anything else. It¡¯s enough. The things you¡¯ve done are above crazy, lad. We shared some words, and I know you¡¯d rather not be here doing this.¡± The guard who shouted just now continued to do so. It was one of the guards who talked him up when he returned with the janitor cart. ¡°If you could just speak to me!¡± The guard shouted, insisting. Phesx thought for a moment before placing a small flute-like device from corner to corner of his mouth from his chest pockets. His voice was a little distorted. ¡°How do you know who I am?¡± Phesx began advancing, thinking hard and fast as he stuck to the right wall and moved ahead without making a sound. The guard responded after 3 seconds while Phesx stopped and prepared to rush to the left wall to see how many were around. ¡°Phesx Caolia, Preutian refugee. Or rather, Lymocan that once came from the independent Nation State of Preut. That is how all Preutians nowadays will be recognized when the war ends and Lymoca recuperates Preut. What do you think? Isn¡¯t it something worth living for?¡± Phesx smirked. The guard knew what to do in these situations. They might not be monstrous killing robots, like specialized training is for military, such as special forces, but they were capable, armed folk, alright. Although his last few words were a bit too¡­eh. Throwing the flute-like device aside, Phesx said in a low, fleeting voice before rushing ahead. ¡°I have no problem with anyone, nor political gains. But you can have a problem with me.¡± ¡°¡­!?¡± The voice and attitude surprised everyone on the floor, and whoever else. Even the shouting guard was speechless. But when Phesx crossed to the other wall, still hiding in the stairs, he heard many people rise their guns to aim at him despite no lights showing him. He also moved with no sound, even though he strode forth and high once. They clearly had night vision tech. They¡¯ve come prepared. ¡°If you surrender¡­ this will be over in this instant, and everyone can go back home. As for you, you will have to answer for your crimes. The murder of 2 people is unthinkable. But you assassinated a cabinet member¡¯s secretary and the vice president of the nation! You are so young! How could you go through something as heinous as this?!¡± Phesx rolled his eyes, but he frowned lightly afterwards. Just then, he peeked at the floor and saw so many people in position to barrage the staircase with firepower as soon as any order was given. Phesx crouched a little, waiting as he lowered the guard¡¯s rifle and took a few grenades out¡­ ¡°Negotiation sounds good about now, right? You might have nothing, but we can talk of what¡¯ll happen to you after this is ov-¡± Tlick, click, swish. ¡°Huh? Did anyone else hear that?¡± A guard whispered before some others did as well. But then, the shouting guard¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Get away! Prepare to stop him! He¡¯s a criminal and a trai-¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Bang bang bang! Pfsuooshhhh! Bang bang! Several flashlights exploded, followed by some smoke grenades that initiated a disorder below. The guards prepared to respond and abide to orders fired away without needing to be told. Phesx jumped backwards, hiding from the possible bouncing bullets as the staircase became deafening. ¡°Stop! Stoooop!¡± The guard from before was followed by a few others to halt their gunfire after a while. Phesx slowly walked back to where he was standing. He suddenly smelled explosives, but he didn¡¯t panic. Instead, his eyes widened when he heard countless footsteps from many different people all at once, moving up the stairs from the ones leading below, and in the floor. Ba thump, ba thump, ba thump, ba thump¡­! Phesx¡¯s heartbeat was afflicted. Hearing those many people meant only one thing. Either everyone was at the staircases, waiting for their chance to go up, or divided between floors. Whatever the case was, it could only be extremely dangerous. Phesx would have to choose the window from the dispatch if he wanted to avoid this. ¡®Sigh.¡¯ Phesx grabbed his rifle and pressed its butt against the top of his right chest. He crouched down before advancing. His eyes¡­ showed excitement. He threw the rifle away and grabbed his from over his shoulder, feeling just like home. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang¡­! ¡°Contact!¡± - ¡°He¡¯s still alive?!¡± - ¡°Retreat!¡± - ¡°Go! Support your comrades!¡± - ¡°Ah, dammit¡­¡± - ¡°End the traitorous scum! To the death!¡± - ¡°Lyeee!¡± Phesx entered the smoke. He saw barrels and muzzle head his way, hidden from the guards¡¯ eyes, standing outside the smoke. He walked forth, firing his rifle to destabilize them first by shooting their knees or shoulders before hitting their lungs on their vests. Phesx just moved forth, not too fast nor slow, advancing through the smoke as he walked to everyone¡¯s side after bashing them against the floor. His rifle was very dangerous and could accidentally kill them, but that only meant he didn¡¯t have to use more than 2 bullets to send each guard to the floor. ¡°Move, move! He¡¯s surrounded!¡± Another guard shouted as Phesx heard a squad of well coordinated guards move towards him in 2 lines but that only made things easier for him. They were also a bit too close to each other. Bang, bang, bang- thud- bang! ¡°Dammit, he was clo- aaauugh!¡± Phesx rapidly advanced this time, closing into the line on his left in the smoke, near the beginning of the stairs. He surprised the first 3 guards, who didn¡¯t even remember how to move their arms to aim at him. Phesx point blank shot them in the chest, sending them flying against the wall one by one before the 4th aimed at his head as he crouched. Phesx dashed to the wall, impulsing himself off it and towards the guard before locking his feet around the guard¡¯s jaw and nape. Phesx threw his body backwards in a slight arch. He was tall, so he had to calculate it well. Nonetheless, he seamlessly executed his movement so fast not even the 5th guard noticed. By the time Phesx threw the 4th guard to his front, his stomach had landed safely on the floor, and he aimed at the other 2 behind the 4th guard. After they fell with their breaths momentarily exiting their bodies through noses and mouths, Phesx rolled forth and stood up with his presence lowered before shooting the 4th guard¡¯s lungs from behind as the latter struck his face to the stairsteps. The other line¡¯s 6 guards rushed to his position. Phesx stepped back a few times before rushing up into the left wall with strong, large strides before silently jumping towards the right wall over the smoke. Outside, a Lt guard saw this and couldn¡¯t help but utter, ¡°What the hell?¡± Phesx looked like a pro gymnastic, and more so when he made no sound, only allowing a few guards to notice who were keen to enter the smoke. Bang, bang, bang- bang, punch- crashh! Stomp, stomp! Swoosh- thud, punch punch- crash- punch. In the smoke, Phesx slowly slid down the right all as the other 6 went to the one in the left. Phesx crouched ever so low towards their back once on the floor and immediately excommunicated 4 of them from the back. Phesx half-broke their necks with 1 shot for each, but he was being merciful while they were here to kill him, so they couldn¡¯t complain. The 5th guard rushed at him from a lucky angle where Phesx didn¡¯t have enough time to aim. But all Phesx did was form a fist with his right hand and crash it into the very center of the guard¡¯s visor. Right after, as the guard fell on his back and screamed with glasses penetrating his face, Phesx turned him around and kicked heavily down on his lungs. But 2 stomps later, the 6th guard showed up and immediately lifted his submachine gun after processing what his eyes saw. Phesx dashed forth, tackling the guard before straddling him from the air to the floor. Without an ounce of hesitation, Phesx punched and punched the helmet, breaking its visor overall at some point before punching some more. The guard¡¯s face was bloody, but he was just fine. ¡°Fire!¡± A Lt guard shouted. The smoke had cleared up a bit, but Phesx expected it. He grabbed the guard¡¯s body before helping themselves up. Phesx turned around with the semi-conscious guard being shot awake in the lower belly by one of many flying bullets in their direction, which he replied in kind. ¡°AAAAAAHH!¡± ¡°HALT!¡± The Lt guards shouted, but Phesx used the moment to throw the body away and rush into their packed formation. Suddenly, their target went from easy to kill to ¡®don¡¯t shoot¡¯ screams everywhere as Phesx had a stupid strength that was yet below his speed and nimbleness moving around the guards. He lunged at guards¡¯ shoulders, heads, necks, and waists. Tackling them before immediately rolling away, but not without gifting them a few bullets from their own handguns or firearms to reflect. Phesx would also dance around their bodies, but it wasn¡¯t that he grabbed their arms and circled around them. He climbed their bodies, throwing or pushing them into others with force that they couldn¡¯t expect, no matter how many times they¡¯ve seen it again and again. Or he would grab a part of their bodies, not even just a limb, but a tie, thin, feeble collar, and their clothes were enough for him. He¡¯d put his weight down on his sides, front, or back and entangle them into spins or rolling them over with excruciating stretches and locks. The Lt guards were the first to fall, with their helmets broken and their vests either holed by Phesx¡¯s rifle or hit on the nape by him, fallen unconscious. Whenever the guards tried fleeing from him, Phesx would just mingle in a group, whereas they only noticed which after a few seconds, looking dumbfounded at the place Phesx was supposed to be, alone and helpless. But Phesx wouldn¡¯t stay in that floor only all the time. He didn¡¯t have infinite ammunition under his armor. He threw a few grenades, of which some were from the guards, sleeping grenades, and continued bashing consciousness away with every few meters he went down the stairs. On the last floor, the first time Phesx was seen and practically left over 100 guards incapacitated, with the use of sleeping grenades at the last moments doing that to a portion of that number. The guards¡¯ communication channels were as follows: ¡®The suspect is Phesx Caolia! A young boy in a lagj organization! Send reinforcements to search for other members of his lagj secret organization!¡¯. On the floor below the last floor, their communications were as simple as: ¡®Do not engage him with only 3 or 4 teams! He¡¯s extremely dangerous! He cannot be reached!¡¯, ¡®Don¡¯t let him get close to small groups! Join each other and don¡¯t face him alone!¡¯. Of course, that ¡®alone¡¯ meant that the guards dared to face Phesx with less than 20 something numbers. But on the floor lower than that, it only continued: ¡®Use your anti-gas gadgets! Try to throw your sleeping grenades away if you must! He¡¯s¡­ no- he must have injected himself with an antidote or anti-drugging formula!¡¯, ¡®We need reinforcements! Why isn¡¯t there any communication yet?!¡¯. Yet, on a lower floor, the communications changed again, adding even more stuff: ¡®The traitor has a strange armor! It¡¯s useless to face him without snipers! Where the fuck are they?!¡¯, ¡®The subject has a strange protection in his left arm!¡¯, ¡®Don¡¯t engage the traitorous scum with 4 squads or less!¡¯. Phesx had become a menace impossible to ignore. In the main floor, where some of the oldest members commanded the guards¡¯ force, they were watching from some cameras Phesx didn¡¯t have the time to destroy amidst the crazed¡­ gunfights? Phesx moved through the many pools of guards, flowing in between the gunshots, avoiding them in the last moments, and even a second earlier, easily reading their movements. Or forcing his way around, bashing the guards around with such brutality that made them feel the creeps in their spines. Helmets, vests, and even limbs were torn apart or snapped by a few motions. Even just Phesx tapping his fingers was enough to break some parts, disjoint some others, and directly destroy a few bones with the right angle and force, also depending on the guard¡¯s body. They weren¡¯t all clones with the exact same body conditions, after all. It became¡­ addictive to Phesx. Just like learning how to train his body and mind, but employing his mastery this time. Furthermore, this was irremediably something Phesx always liked doing, what has brought him so far. It was just the notion of learning more ways¡­ of killing. ¡°It¡¯s still in the green alert!¡± An old guard shouted, widening his eyes to nearly maddened degrees. The other guards looked at each other with blame and understanding in their expressions. ¡°Changing to yellow right now! If the traitor somehow escapes, turn it up to red¡­ Lymoca has to know it. Commence now, call the authorities!¡± An old guard said. It wasn¡¯t much their fault, though. It was Lesly Rivera who had everything under control, before being assassinated. ¡°We still have to wait for confirmation,¡± another guard expressed, wearing a worried expression. ¡°I don¡¯t like this. We won¡¯t be able¡­ able to fend off such a monster.¡± ¡°Are you serious right now, Vicente? You can¡¯t possibly¡­ he¡¯s just a boy! His drugs might prove ineffective and wear off in a few minutes. You¡¯ll see. We¡¯ll get to know the drug he used to track all lagjs in the country. This is important now, for the country! No more of these crazed fuckers¡­¡± Another old guard frowned and went on. ¡°I¡­ I do think so¡­ so dangerous¡­¡± The old guard from before voiced, sounding fearful. The others looked at him and the other guard with knitted eyebrows. If that was true, if these lagj secret organizations had this power¡­ Then what was the point of having police or even the military anymore? Of course, they would later sober up and realize they weren¡¯t thinking straight. But at this moment, they were focused only in the present. It just happened that after they grew suspicious of the world¡¯s reality, something happened in their screens. ¡­ Phesx was just in another packed river of guards. He kicked a few muzzles from rifles he got too close to, and guards who became too bold to try it out. They opened fire, but thanks to Phesx, only the roof was shot. As for the perpetrators, he crippled most of them. But at this moment, just after Phesx kicked a rifle¡¯s muzzle to the side again and ducked, he opened his eyes as round as he ever possibly could. A guard managed to predict his movements and aimed at his nape after ducking his head away. Phesx cracked his neck, throwing his head backwards to stare at the ceiling, but without moving it back. The handgun¡¯s bullet shot past his apple, forming a new grazing opening in his throat. Phesx threw his left hand to the culprit¡¯s neck with a spread thumb and index finger, but the guard shot again and again as he retracted his neck and head to the side. In the 3rd consecutive short, Phesx grabbed the handgun away, but it had already fired at someone¡¯s head. Furthermore, the guard whose neck he hit began convulsing on the floor. ¡®Oops¡­ too much strength.¡¯ Phesx thought as he felt everyone around him slowly come to a stop. The guard shot in the face was a clean shot, so much it penetrated, flying out of the back of the helmet and hit another guard in the head. The first was a male, but the second was a cute young woman with brown skin and chestnut, smooth long hair. Moreover, the convulsing guard stopped moving and went limp as an odor came from him. ¡®Uh oh¡­¡¯ Phesx¡¯s eyes narrowed in a bother as this happened. He had just lifted his face a bit and looked around him when a hurl of gunfire flew from everywhere towards him, but especially from his back. Phesx¡¯s body shook nonstop as he was forced against the ground with a thunderous crash from the sheer firepower. But he found a fraction of a moment to roll to the sides as his back was perforated, and some collateral casualties ensued. The worst of it all? Everyone looked at him after a sudden pause, realizing what just happened. Now¡­ now, it was his fault. ¡­ Chapter 81 — Damselflies And Dragonfly (8—Last Part) Damselflies And Dragonfly (8¡ªLast Part) ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia stood with his back hunched. The guards looked at him and fell silent. A strange occurrence developed, where Phesx became their center of attention. Not only around, but through the available cameras, too. Phesx looked back at the first guard that shot him, or one of the few, as his mask fell from his face. It was so broken, with far too many accumulated hits from before and during this last barrage of bullets. The red became dull and cracked little by little, falling to the ground like sand between one¡¯s fingers. Phesx had no thoughts in his head, he only felt. And right now, all he could sense was the deterioration of his patience and the restraining in his mind. He looked at the soldier whom he heard fire first. On the other hand, the guards stopped. Some still held their firearms up to their waist level, but they all looked at Phesx¡¯s face. This ¡®monster¡¯. The one the entire building had come to fear without knowing, and was capable of doing so much with just the strangest of movements from his body¡­ was just a teenager? Maybe almost an adult? They all hesitated. How could someone so young¡­? SLAM. Splash! Vwium~, trrrr rrrrr rrrr rrrrr rrr- bang, bang, bang, bang bang bang bang! Pwurf, pwurf, pwurf, pwurf¡­! Phesx¡¯s eyes widened, and his fists clenched while his toes desperately pushed each other up and down in his shoes, of which a gunshot penetrated from their soles out their bridge. Only once, but Phesx could already feel the pain and hindrance it would be at continuing on. Phesx¡¯s left arm pushed that guard to the wall on his left, followed by the guard¡¯s chest caving in before Phesx¡¯s arm pushed harder against the guard¡¯s chest, still up against the wall. The guard¡¯s body instantly stiffened, with his limbs unnaturally stretching out like fences. Blood exploded from his chest as it finally gave in with Phesx¡¯s left arm, which his cloak, in a poor state, was only hanging on to some hold before finally sliding to the floor. The exoskeletal bion took many by surprise, but they did not think of it that much, other than good protection. After exploding the guard¡¯s body, at least his torso, Phesx looked behind him before sticking his back against the wall. He lifted his left arm and looked before him, crouching and trying to protect his body for what was to come. ¡°Kiiiiiil him!¡± A guard finally shouted at the top of their lungs. The guards opened fire, riddling Phesx with bullets and the desire to kill him, but all they did was being blocked off or deviated effortlessly. Phesx remained crouched as more collateral injuries and casualties occurred in the middle of the stairs. After they finished shooting, with some reloading, and very few who had already finished reloading, Phesx exited his little corner. He held his submachine gun and aimed it at the guards. This time, it wasn¡¯t meant for their torsos or limbs, but with an exception, perhaps. Their necks. Phesx aimed at their heads. Then, he started firing at them. Trrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrr¡­ Every time he pulled the trigger, everyone around him died. It had suddenly become a horrendous day to live in. Guards fell without any resistance, so helpless to face a single ¡®man¡¯. They were ultimately helpless, and even when trying to take Phesx down and execute him, Phesx would just break their necks, either by hitting it directly or snapping them to the side. Else, Phesx would opt to break through their visor or grab their helmet and shake it until they had real problems in there. Phesx didn¡¯t stop moving even as he dispatched the ¡®heroes¡¯ wanting to tackle him and kill him with just their ¡®little¡¯ lives in the line. Whoever Phesx didn¡¯t have time to immediately kill with his bare hands, he would just aim at their heads after hitting them down. Despite the guards¡¯ target walking from side to side and killing them, not slowly, they just couldn¡¯t accurately hit the traitorous scum. When Phesx littered a bout of corpses on the stairs, with a few more wrists grazed by bullets, and his face becoming slightly bloody with a few streaks streaming down his skin, he turned around and aimed his gun up. He actually stopped descending and returned to the previous floor above to kill the remaining enemy he hadn¡¯t incapacitated enough before. One by one, Phesx killed them with his submachine gun, and he did the same with the others who were unconscious, successfully defeated and bashed down before. No one was allowed to just be hurt, or fall into a coma, no one deserved to live after he began killing. Of course, Phesx couldn¡¯t just return upstairs and kill others. He had no idea when the authorities would arrive, not just the police. He was getting out of time, and his patience was all gone. Phesx knew he could no longer ¡®endure¡¯. After finishing off the people in that floor, Phesx returned to the stairs, which some guards took advantage of in his absence to advance and take him by surprise. Unfortunately, Phesx was already aiming in their direction before they met with him again. The night continued, and it had only just begun with the cage¡¯s gate broken open. Trrrr rrrrr rrrrrr rrrrrr rrrrrr rrrr rrrrr! ¡°AAAAGH!¡± - ¡°No- hwawaaaaa!¡± - ¡°Ocfgh¡­ why¡­¡± - ¡°Heavens¡­dammit¡­ it all¡­ all.¡± The guards cursed and talked their last words before Phesx finished a couple dozen more and finished them off one by one, walking down the stairs to meet more enemies. Of course, he didn¡¯t just aim at the front far like an idiot waiting to be turned into a beehive the moment a bullet hits just the right spot in the best time, for them. Phesx rushed at them, using pivots they didn¡¯t know about. He also grabbed a few slender corpses and took their helmets off, using their bodies and vests to cover his torso and legs. Meanwhile, he looked ahead for the bullets¡¯ trajectory. His instincts weren¡¯t heightened, but his head was focused like a mad rat. Rushing into the guards who were half morally hesitating and half going all out to kill this disaster of Lymoca, Phesx bashed into them. He threw the corpses, now turned into disgusting messes, to the sides, hitting some other parts of the crowd before hanging his firearms around his neck while stealing some from the guards and using them to kill their owners¡¯ colleagues. Phesx¡­ wasn¡¯t stopping. His body asked him to sharpen his nails and teeth, trembling as he could feel each pore of his body opening, his skin becoming ultra sensitive. Phesx lunged between the guards, grabbing their helmets to either shoot their heads from whatever angle or to twist, break, punch their necks until they were on their way to dying immobile or breathless. All while their comrades kept fighting the monster, ignoring them to focus on serving the nation. Phesx mowed lives down the stairs, dodging so many bullets from simple motions of his head until he no longer felt they were dangerous. They didn¡¯t feel like gunshots anymore, but more like pesky flies trying to hop into his mouth or nostrils. In the subsequent floors, it was a never ending hearing of the Lt guards reporting the greatest terror in their lives, just before collapsing and adding to the number of losses. The oldest guards on the main floor were semi paralyzed. They just didn¡¯t know how to respond to any of this. ¡°Send reinforcements! Send reinforcements now!¡± - ¡°He can¡¯t be stopped! Why are we still heeere?!¡± - ¡°The traitor- cough! AAAAH!¡± - ¡°He¡¯s fucking dodging everything!! Even our bloodied spit! What the fuck is this? We¡¯re all gonna DIE!!¡± - ¡°This is impossible¡­!¡± - ¡°Heavens¡­¡± Phesx continued going lower and lower, descending the floors as he wielded his everything. From his firearms to those of the guards, using everything at his disposal to keep his ammunition reserves intact, but there were just too many. The further Phesx descended, the more he felt the heaviness of his actions. He didn¡¯t feel guilty about killing these ¡®innocent¡¯ people who only wanted to kill him, but the time¡­ Phesx continued killing everything he found, having taking so many lives in just a few fair minutes that not only did he forget how many times he¡¯s squeezed, twisted, broken, punched, and unnaturally stretched necks. He just didn¡¯t see the difference anymore. Everything he did was much like any other thing he did before, just the same. Phesx began running down the stairs at some point, when he realized something different in the last 3 floors before arriving at the main floor. They were¡­ retreating, at last. Phesx frowned, already imagining the building had been classified to a higher alert hazard of sorts. He fought off a few more guards who decided to stay. Some even rushed at him, but he dispatched them with a wave of his hand and a quick, single movement to kick or punch them several times to the death. When Phesx arrived at the main floor, there were only a few fleeing guards who didn¡¯t dare to look back after noticing he was coming down. Phesx wanted to leave and be on his way, but he noticed the breathing sounds in the ceiling and hiding around the pillars. Slowing down, Phesx still said not a thing as he walked into the middle. He was wounded, yes. But while his armor was perforated numerous times, drawing blood from his open skin quite a bit, his body wasn¡¯t as bad as it had been in the past. Even then, many parts of his armor had been worn off. Although they hadn¡¯t achieved their purpose yet. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap¡­ Phesx stopped in the middle. After a few seconds, cloaked figures emerged from the darkness. Or at least they thought they did. Phesx looked ahead as if not noticing them, letting them group around him, taking the entire entryway hall. Most came down from the ceiling, hanging from ropes to soft land on their feet. Their cloaks made a bit of noise, which Phesx wasn¡¯t shy to show his scorn towards such. Many reacted to this, but they didn¡¯t move. Phesx also noticed some Instructors around him, about 4, beside the 100+ Artistas prepared to kill him, feeling at ease. Phesx spun on the spot, looking at everyone in formation, slightly separated every few meters before an Instructor yelled, sounding annoyed to be here, perhaps. ¡°It¡¯s been a while! Strap his arms again!¡± A few Artistas lifted their palms, faced Phesx Caolia with them, and shot white straps to his forearms, keeping his comets at bay. Phesx looked down at his new, ¡®renewed¡¯ handcuffs. Yet, his expression remained impassive. ¡°Take him down-¡± The Instructor who raised his voice earlier shouted with his arms crossed. All the red masks nodded before a group on Phesx¡¯s left acted, rushing towards him. Yet, when the Instructor was still finishing his sentence, Phesx leaned lazily to the left. He seemed to fall, but his body only lowered until his chest was half a meter above the floor. Then, he dashed towards the Instructor. His speed¡­ was too much! ¡°!¡± The Instructor¡¯s eyes widened, but there was nothing that could be done now. Phesx wore a raging, impassive expression as he looked up at the Instructor and as the others looked at them from the side. His right hand pushed forth, showing a simple palm and ordinary nails aiming at the belly of the Instructor. PLAGHK- fwuosh! Phesx¡¯s hand tapped the belly, bizarrely stabbing inside before dragging out the first things he found. Intestines brawled out of the Instructor¡¯s belly the moment Phesx drew his hand backwards with a forceful motion. Then, as the Instructor felt his breath weaken, Phesx moved to the side, avoiding a few small pistol bullets that continued shooting ahead to be avoided by Artistas, he punched the right side. The Instructor felt his ribs breaking. His eyes uncontrollably shook, thinking, ¡®Isn¡¯t he supposed to be tired?! If the guards didn¡¯t kill him, they should¡¯ve at least exhausted him half to death!¡¯ But that was the last of him. The instructor¡¯s senses dulled. He didn¡¯t know when Phesx appeared on his left side, avoiding more bullets that flew past his back, and struck his left chest with another punch from the side, this time direct. The instructor felt his heart collapsing from within, with his insides tightening as his body fell to the right, but he couldn¡¯t discern the latter until his heart was smashed in his chest from the fall. Bang bang bang! Phesx took his medium pistol out and fired, shocking the incoming Instructors who dodged to the side, but one of them had his left knee half-hit. His knee went flying, disappearing from his leg, with his body impulsed up towards the left from the force behind the shot. Immediately after, his abdomen was shot, leaving a hole the size of a baby¡¯s fist with ruptured skin and gooey mix of organs, flesh, and blood in its contours. It was so bad that the Instructor was rotated forwards, throwing his head helplessly backwards with the speed as its body rolled in the air. And just as the back of the Instructor¡¯s head faced Phesx, the latter shot it. The former¡¯s body flew backwards, but it rotated until it found itself forcibly stopping when smashing to the ground with a rapid speed, leaving a star blast-like mess of its contents around it. PAM. Phesx sidestepped to his right, lifted his right arm, and stopped a bion gauntlet from hitting his face by a few inches as his arm held an Artista¡¯s elbow. Then, Phesx stored his pistol before using his left index and middle finger to stab the Artista¡¯s throat. With the Artista¡¯s neck snapping as an extra, Phesx knitted his eyebrows in fury, throwing the corpse to the side before lunging to his left. His exoskeletal arm helped him break through some bions and Artistas firing at point blank at him. Phesx struck jaws before striking the mouths, noses, eyes, and finally their brains. His right hand found a submachine gun before throwing himself to a tall Artista. The Artista held his shoulders together and lifted him in the air so they could strike him, but Phesx unnaturally moved his body in the air to face the floor, twisting the Artista¡¯s wrists and facing the crowd of enemies. Bullets were shot towards him from the sides, in the distance, and directly from above. While Phesx didn¡¯t have many hopes to avoid being hit like this, he still activated his bion arm¡¯s deviating force, trusted his armor, and pulled the trigger before beginning to fall down. Plop- trrr rrrr rrrr bang, bang, bang! Trrr rrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr! Phesx fell flat on the floor, followed by many muzzles pointing at him, but he rolled into someone¡¯s legs in between and stood up as gunshots went off. He climbed the Artista¡¯s back before he and everyone else knew it. Phesx landed his knees on the shoulders before firing away, starting by making holes in the back of the Artista¡¯s head, whose standing back was his seat. As the Artista fell, Phesx sprayed bullets around him, checking for everyone as his senses started becoming hyper sensitive. ¡°Kiiiill him!¡± - ¡°Down with the filthy traitor!¡± - ¡°Get him! Come ooon!¡± Phesx rolled on the floor after killing several Artistas. The remaining 2 Instructors waited at the sides. They saw all these dozens of Artistas working together to fight Phesx and realized¡­ they might also all die. Thus, not wanting to participate in being killed as ruthlessly and disgustingly as Phesx made it to be, they waited for an opportunity to claim his life without being touched. But that didn¡¯t mean Phesx would do the same. After discovering their positions from their footsteps, exhaled breaths, and the sensations of their eyes on him, Phesx dashed towards them! The Instructors noticed, turning around to start running, but¡­ Pfsst. Phesx¡¯s right forearm stretched a comet under his armor, directly reaching the tailbone of an Instructor. The latter¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t widen, but they shook. They turned to face the ceiling as they fell on the floor, with Phesx rushing his way about, spinning in the air with both arms extending a comet outwards. Phesx arrived before the immobile Instructor who could only move and twitch after cutting through oh so many Artistas¡¯ necks, faces, chests, and bellies. All Artistas trying to block Phesx¡¯s way to murder the Instructor were finished quickly but painfully. Phesx stood before the Instructor as the others were afraid. They also looked at the metallic brown blades, shocked and startled shitless. How could he use them after they just strapped him?! But as they shared the same notion, Phesx pointed his comets¡¯ tips to the Instructor¡¯s face before rapidly slashing it multiple times, leaving only unrecognizable skin, blood, organs, and parts of the skull. Then, Phesx looked up to his left while taking his medium pistol out and fired it to his right, killing 3 Artistas in 1 go with the first one blown backwards with the bullet, smashing onto the others as they died. The Instructor showered with impenetrable black eyes cared no more. What status was important if there was no life to have it? The Instructor took to flee with his numb feet, pushing Artistas away as Phesx commenced his hunt towards the outside! Phesx Caolia chased the Instructor outside, along with the Artistas inside breaking their formation. They went after him. And as Phesx exited the building, he saw even more shadows waiting outside as a light rain fell on Sargonde. More came sliding down the building, forming half a circle to trap him with the building on his back. ¡°AAAAGH! No, wait!¡± Phesx was much faster than the Instructor. Ignoring the watching figures already outside, cloaked and with red masks, Phesx hit the Instructor¡¯s spine, paralyzing him as he could only mouth before Phesx disfigured his face while turning and straddling him. ¡°¡­¡± After making another mess, Phesx looked at the rain droplets falling on the Instructor¡¯s disgusting face, no longer looking like something that ever lived. The rain dilated the blood on his face and spreading to the ground. Phesx slowly stood up, with more of his armor broken, looking at the Artistas before him and to his sides. These were probably the ones waiting atop the building rooftop. After realizing Phesx just wouldn¡¯t come out from the windows, they must have followed him all the way down to the streets. The small free space before the building entrance was now partially filled by them, the other part by the Artistas who had been waiting at the main floor, now also outside. Phesx looked back with a terrifying glare. Eyebrows knitted, eyes becoming murderous, and mouth twisting akin to a wolf threatening its enemy or prey, but relaxed. He returned to face his front, as 2 halves encircled him, forming a complete encirclement, unless Phesx could fly. ¡°How did you get rid of the straps? They were working just fine before.¡± An Instructor from the rooftop party asked, shouting without moving an inch forward. Phesx didn¡¯t even bother looking at the person, turning his head left and right. Meanwhile, his body trembled a little¡­ Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter¡­ The rain became a little stronger, forming poodles everywhere in this open space. Phesx felt his nails sharpening, occasioning him to lift his chin and relax his neck, letting it ¡®fall¡¯ back into his shoulders a couple of seconds later. His teeth felt wondrous, freed. Phesx lowered his head, feeling the most peaceful he¡¯s been so far. He breathed in and out so swiftly and without feeling restrained. Then, Phesx slowly lifted his head, gazing at the Artistas before him without an ounce of care, respect, or regard. ¡°Hmph.¡± An Instructor noticed this and harrumphed. The fact that Phesx just chased an Instructor like it was a little kid and killed them so easily did affect their mindset, but it was not something to make them dread him. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx said nothing, he just stated walking forward. His current comets were still as new. His shoulders moved up and down, slightly back and forth. A small gap that a bion blade made before exposed a bit of his left shoulder skin, but his exoskeletal arm protected it from any harm. Phesx¡¯s walk became a trot, a light one, as he headed towards the rooftop party. Then, it became a run, but of an ordinary velocity, before it finally turned into Phesx¡¯s all-out speed! ¡°!¡± The rooftop party¡¯s eyes widened, trembling a bit. Phesx suddenly streaked into them like a motherfucking madman. His comets already made skin, limbs, eyes, and blood fly into the air before anyone had the chance to scream out of panic. But in no time, it became that nobody could scream out of fear instead. Artistas had such extreme senses, so there were still gunshots here and there that claimed no comrades¡¯ lives or injuries, but Phesx directly ignored it all. He opted to take anything coming towards him¡­ while killing more than 1 enemy per attack they made towards him in exchange. Phesx didn¡¯t even bother checking their numbers, calculate them. They were well in the hundreds, maybe just a few, but they were all special agents, as they are ¡®colloquially¡¯ called on the internet. With his arms swinging at his sides, slightly to the front or back, and his nails surprise-mutilating anyone who went past his comets¡¯ long reach, Phesx¡¯s upper body became partially bloody as a heavy rain fell upon Sargonde! ¡­ Chapter 82 — Snowfall… Snowfall¡­ Swwlip~. Phesx Caolia ruthlessly plunged the umpteenth comet into an Artista''s neck, right after penetrating an Instructor''s sternum. Phesx''s rough frown strengthened when pulling the blade out, cutting the throat of an Artista rushing towards his back with a blade and thick gauntlet in each hand. Only to end up with half his neck cut off and throwing his head backwards. It happened so fast that blood streaked into the air from 2 different sides with Phesx in the middle. All of this could have been felt by each of those 4 in the scene, where only Phesx survived, in slow motion. But such an outcome became not only the only result, but also the norm. He was still surrounded from every side. As soon as Phesx killed the 3rd person, a hurl of Artistas led by an Instructor rushed at him with their backs low and wielding one blade each at least. Phesx stepped towards them at his own pace, while they ran to him with the intention to surround him while cutting his body off. It wasn¡¯t the first time that happened. As Phesx was pushed to the sides back and forth, with his skin or armor slashed on and threatened by numerous strikes towards his vital points. He faced the front with his right shoulder and his left foot behind. Clank, clink- fswiiip, slash slash! Whoosh, swish¡­! Phesx met the numerous blades while sidestepping to the left or right, never retreating or advancing even when someone shot him. Phesx even used his nails and found them to only crack when hit directly from their flatness by a bion blade. Even then, many, oh but so many blades hit his body. All Phesx could focus on was his neck and heart so they wouldn¡¯t make their way towards his organs or killing him directly. However, while they attacked his body from every direction, although they failed to move him how they wanted, they concentrated their attacks on his left arm. Whoop, whooooop, whoop, whooooop. Meanwhile, sirens sounded from far, far away. Phesx Caolia noticed them nearly after the fight commenced, putting tension in his being and urgency in ¡®them¡¯. ¡®Umf¡­¡¯ For the umpteenth time, Phesx was struck above his armpit, below, from behind, and to the front a few times each before he killed everyone again. His face had a few cuts, but they were already dried and healing under the crust. As Phesx freed himself from yet another group, the swarm of Artistas and few Instructors moved to get hm yet again. ¡°Hmf, hmf, hmf, hmf¡­¡± Phesx breathed roughly as he heard and felt everyone rushing towards him. As always he issued not a sound, not even an accidental, muffled blow from his nostrils, or a guttural grunt in his throat. ¡®I¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter¡­ die before me!¡¯ Phesx¡¯s head trembled, which he didn¡¯t notice. His eyes shook so bizarrely strongly, but he also didn¡¯t notice. Phesx suddenly felt freed, free from the bottom of his heart. His chest inflated, and the hair on each bit of his skin stood on their end, hard even below the heavy rain washing the tides of blood and flesh and organs in the open area. Still without making a sound, Phesx stepped forth. Every Artista before him hurried to stop, including the Instructors. Those behind him slowed down, wanting to see, when Phesx jumped into the air, forwards. His body lunged onwards, not caring about the many blades pointing at him, whose widened eyes behind their raised handles hoped he¡¯d just charge into their tips. Phesx articulated his comets to hid before using his hands to grab a few blades. Then, with brutal force, he unnaturally folded his legs and stomped his soles on the tips of some blades to stop his jump. His movement halted at once, with many Artistas grunting, tying to aim with their pistols. Phesx grabbed as many blades as he could and pulled, but it wasn¡¯t easy. When Phesx managed to pull the few blades he could, bringing their owners up into the sky as his left arm, empowered by his bion exoskeletal arm, which didn¡¯t increase strength, his veins bulged and his wrist furiously trembled. Phesx threw the blades into the air, besides his head, and grabbed the few Artistas he brought into the air. His arms hugged them to his chest before pushing the blades¡¯ tips below his soles to jump into the air again. His feet were already poked by some, but with this, they were penetrated, yet his breath stopped them from further sliding in. Numerous gunshots killed those Artistas as the blades all fell to the ground, with some Artistas trying to grab them. Phesx¡¯s body rapidly began falling. He continued hugging their corpses for shields as he dived, articulating his comets out of his forearms, nearly fully exposed and out of armor after so many slashes. Then, with more gunshots, and some landing on his armored back, Phesx neared the ground. He was blocked in the air by the Artistas who looked up, crouching to get the blades. But Phesx wasn¡¯t just trying to keep them away, nor was he defending himself so promptly anymore. He aimed at their necks regardless of their blades¡¯ tips aim. As such, several necks were penetrated during his fall. In exchange, Phesx Caolia was stabbed by multiple blades through the open gaps, already bleeding profusely before being stabbed. They remained on his back after he turned and sat on his bum before crouching. Yet, as Phesx crouched, he spun and moved his arms to cut behind knees, elbows, and heels. Dashing into the crowd, he repeated his actions, ignoring the kicks and stabs from other bion blades. Once those he struck were down, their heads or necks were cut, stabbed, or halved. Not sparing a tiny bit of effort, Phesx simply killed and killed, so efficiently to the point that, wherever he went, an ¡®invisible twirl¡¯ would appear in a spot of heads before they fell, never to stand up again. Therefore, Phesx fought everywhere, as much as he could, with blood drawn everywhere. His figure simply wouldn¡¯t stop moving, and when he first spotted a fleeing Artista once many died and they started losing their belief in Riverlye, he took his medium pistol out. Phesx had just barged into another Artista¡¯s chest, when he noticed a man fleeing with his body bent forth. His left hand flashed and aimed forth, evading a bullet that scrapped just behind his nape. Everyone parted from Phesx¡¯s left like a sea cutting itself into two after seeing his medium pistol out at last. And then, he fired. Bang! From then on, Phesx checked whoever fled, whenever he could, and killed them. Phesx¡¯s armor was slowly taken away by the many slashes, the many bullets, and bions. ¡­ When only slightly above a dozen Artistas and an Instructor remained, only his abdomen from the front and his left upper thigh had armor left on them. Phesx faced the many Artistas moving around him as he engaged the Instructor with his comets while he focused on dodging bullets, blocking the rest with the Instructor¡¯s body. His left arm helped him block so many bullets still. However, the bio exoskeletal arm was severely damaged as well. Furthermore, with the constant targeting to his left arm, it became clear they knew they couldn¡¯t destroy the bion, so they wanted to cut his arm off instead. Now, Phesx¡¯s left arm had a circular wound from atop his shoulder to his armpit, with multiple cuts around that failed to uniformly hit that once spot. ¡°Aggh!¡± At this point, Phesx¡¯s right comet, the last of that side, was broken by a quick-shot from the Instructor¡¯s right-handed small pistol, aiming it to the left just as Phesx swept his comet to the left. Phesx¡¯s trembling pupils and irises fiercely shrunk at the moment he was waiting for! The instructor only felt his neck bitten on the right, while his left upper ribs were stabbed by 5 unstoppable tiny blades. When he tried to look to his left, Phesx pulled his head away from looking with his teeth biting harder, flooding his mouth with blood and vibrations from the Instructor¡¯s screams. Like before, the Artistas slashed Phesx¡¯s sides and back whenever he closely engaged the Instructor. This time, however, they were startled but still went forth and slashed his body. Nobody dared to stay near, as he had done similar things before and rapidly killed whichever Artista thought they were the ones to land the killing blow. However, they did try to attack his head and neck from any angle, but Phesx lowered his stance and used the Instructor¡¯s face to protect himself. Phesx didn¡¯t even leave them opportunities to kill him more easily, but blood still streamed down his body. His skin wasn¡¯t easily recognizable, with his sides showing bones, and his back pried open with so much blood drying but still flowing out. It didn¡¯t help that they kept slashing the most vulnerable spots again and again. As soon as the Instructor died, with Phesx¡¯s right hand crushing the heart after playing it flurry slashes from his nails, Phesx threw the lifeless body to an Artista who was about to take his turn slashing his body. Phesx crouched and grabbed the broken comet as the Artista stumbled down, failing to avoid the flying corpse. Phesx threw the comet in the Artista¡¯s direction, maneuvered to his head. An Artista rushed to his back, yelling to stop him, but naturally failed. ¡°Hey!¡± Phesx turned round and faced that Artista as the other became a corpse after a few twitches with the Instructor on the ground. The Artista stopped, but he knew it was useless to escape. He took his pistol out and aimed, but before he could pull the trigger, Phesx sidestepped twice, making the Artista miss his shot with the second time, narrowly. The next moment, Phesx projected his left comet forth, stabbing the Artista¡¯s glabella from below to up, cutting ? of his head. Just then, the other Artistas moved towards him, enraged, and as the police sirens sounded, with their yellow lights glowing in flickers between the buildings from afar. Phesx dispatched them off quickly. He was weakened, not just because of fighting so much, so many, and for this long. His blood and pain have driven him to a slight tiredness, more than affecting his physical body. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. When he was cutting the neck off and palming the chest of another Artista, the last remaining Artista, whose right arm was cut off by Phesx¡¯s last left comet, ran to him from his left. Phesx aimed his medium pistol to the Artista, but this one jumped as soon as he thought, even if he got it wrong, that Phesx moved his free right hand a little. Bang! It ended up working, as the Artista jumped into the air and sacrificed his right leg and groins. With a bawling expression and saddened eyes, he struck from above on Phesx¡¯s bion exoskeletal arm. It was all far too quick, and though Phesx could¡¯ve moved with his full-on speed, he has to keep his strength for escaping soon. Clank! The exoskeletal was barely harmed, as expected. Just as Phesx aimed at the Artista¡¯s chest again, this time to definitely kill the truly 1-legged Artista, the latter¡¯s cleaving attack moved slightly to the left, leaning his blade. The exoskeletal arm moved a little, just enough¡­ ¡°!¡± Slash- swish! Bang! Phesx¡¯s eyes had just widened, when the Artista let go of his bion blade and grabbed a small pistol with his left and a bion dagger with his right. He fired twice at Phesx¡¯s armpit before slashing upwards. The gunshots semi-paralyzed Phesx¡¯s left arm, which he commanded to move but wouldn¡¯t budge. Thus, Phesx¡¯s left arm fell off as his blood spurted up into the sky and his arm crashed on the ground. Meanwhile, Phesx¡¯s right hand pulled the trigger, at last. The Artista¡¯s head and neck became nonexistent, with its torso falling backwards flat on the ground. Phesx knelt. The sirens sounded closer and closer, with a few police cars already visible, and some national guard vans following even farther behind. Phesx¡¯s torso began shaking from within before he started coughing, twisting his shoulder, ribs, neck, and abdomen. ¡°Cough¡ª cough- COUGH, COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!!¡± Phesx shut his eyes tight, continuing coughing as he felt his right hand on the ground, supporting him, getting wet and a little warm before returning to the cold of the heavy rain drowning on his shoulders. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx stood up, using his left leg to get up and the right leg to impulse his body towards his left arm. He grabbed it with his right hand, simply dropping his medium pistol on the ground before crazily pushing it back into his shoulder. But that just wasn¡¯t working, Phesx¡¯s ¡®healing¡¯ was to a minimum, and this meant nothing. Phesx stopped trying. He walked to his submachine gun, not far from where he knelt, and took its strap off, leaving the gun on the ground. He used it to tie his left arm back to his shoulder. Even if he didn¡¯t have unknown healing capabilities, he would still try it. He couldn¡¯t lose an arm! Even less now! Phesx hung his head backwards, resting on his neck. He closed his eyes, still feeling the coughing fit from before but restrained it. He could feel the slightly denser liquid, his blood, wash away from his face, particularly around his mouth and nose. ¡°Agh¡­¡± Phesx stood up and walked away, rushing to his maximum speed after walking off the street. He disappeared between buildings, with none the wiser. ¡­ Phesx ran, ran, hid, jumped through roofs, slid down buildings to hide, ran, and ran. His heart pounded as he didn¡¯t even bother checking his Myertha, probably caught under that so-called hoog secret organization¡¯s special agent. A few minutes later, being not too far from the headquarters, with his speed and knowledge of the city, Phesx arrived before the building with a descending staircase leading to the entrance. His bloody body stopped for a moment, with his rifle bloodied on his back by his wounds, before walking inside. Phesx felt the change from cold and wet to warm and fresh. He was mostly bare, with his torso nearly exposed to a fault, and his legs only had clothing around his knees, thighs, and groins. Going down the elevator, Phesx wondered why nobody stopped him, and those guards who used to be there were now gone. But when the doors opened at the HQ, he realized. ¡°Ah?! What th- Fox?!¡± A female Artista was just walking around the corner in front of these elevators, when she stopped, smelling the scent of blood and weapons out. When she recognized Phesx, he had already aimed his rifle down at her collarbone. Bang. The hunt continued¡­ Phesx rushed forwards. His weakness, fatigue, pain, and sadness for his left arm, which he was more than capable of reason to know it was impossible to reattach, were left behind in the streets. His right arm held the rifle as he ran, blurring through the hallways and killing anyone who appeared before him while on the run. Those who peeked out after he ran past rooms and study rooms were ignored. He couldn¡¯t get distracted anymore, things had to change, and he had to hurry. ¡®Pheli!¡¯ Phesx¡¯s eyes distorted into a lunatic gleam as he hurried, feeling so short on time that he wanted to pull the skin off his body. But he couldn¡¯t, though he could afterwards, if she wasn¡¯t there anymore. Would she wait for him? For this long? He didn¡¯t even think of masking his steps or trails and just rushed forth. When he neared the main workshop, Phesx killed another 3 Artistas who were prepared, but were just Artistas. But then, he stopped. His head twitched. Phesx turned it to the left, where Emer lied on his study room with a dimmed light. He walked to Emer, more than easily finding him to be¡­ lifeless. Phesx¡¯s eyes darted as quickly as his mind moved. He saw a note on the small, tall stand. He grabbed and read it, and to his half surprise and half expectant self, it was directed at him. ¡ªWe move our bodies, and our blood flows like the others, but we have the ways that few can learn, and through time, master. Our bodies are so different, but we are one race. Our reach is vast, but if we don¡¯t have a purpose, it is feeble and short-lasting. We pass our entire lifetimes running after death. Some force death to embrace them, or think about it. But these are all nothing, even if on full completion, when compared to love. When have we not changed everything because of love? A distressed loved one, an endangered loved one, a need for love, and the love shared towards the world. If the hearts of a few didn¡¯t move the lands and seas of a heartbeatless world, would we still be humans? Love begets love, no matter how sickly or indignantly precious. You, who harbors no heart nor mind for even the weakest of emotions and thoughts¡­ not to speak of love¡­ I wonder how powerful you would be if you could? I wanted to train you and use your future self so you could destroy this organization and its patrons in that incoming future. I have used you. But, kid, you¡¯ve used me too. It is easy to destroy even the strongest bonds, but how hard are such opportunities for even the weakest to come by? Not to mention forming them. In this, you give and take. In this, I gave and took as well. I would hope you will know how to choose your end, as I choose mine. Emer Metelti, delightfully known as old fart.¡ª ¡°¡­¡± Phesx said nothing. He stood with the letter in both his hands¡¯ fingertips before dropping a tear from his left lacrimal, swinging his head to arch it towards the old fart. Phesx nudged his head in the air towards Emer, as a gesture, before turning around, remaining silent. But he still had a thought, and maybe for the last time. ¡®Damn you¡­ grandpa.¡¯ Phesx couldn¡¯t contain himself any longer. He didn¡¯t know how it happened, to what extent, and how much it¡¯ll help, but Emer¡¯s involvement in his return here to ¡®sneak¡¯ went far too smoothly. He couldn¡¯t waste it anyhow. Hurrying to the main workshop, Phesx opened the door almost immediately. There, he saw Pheli rapidly grabbing bion components behind her counter, with Waleks¡¯s and his empty. She moved her eyes upturned and looked at him in alarm but indifferently. ¡°Phesx¡­¡± Her eyes widened and relaxed, but the sight of his body shocked her. Meanwhile, Phesx¡­ felt so contented¡­ so relieved¡­ so loved? He stepped into the workshop but stopped as the entrance closed on its own. Pheli slightly parted her lips, feeling something in her throat as she could just feel the heartbreak deep within his chest. Then, Phesx asked her, time and again¡­ ¡°The luggage at the building, Pheli. Most went missing. Why did they have bions that countered my inventions? And how did they come to know how to actively counter them, Pheli? Every single one of them, of those hundreds! They knew everything and had everything in their disposal to destroy me!!¡± ¡°Phesx,¡± Pheli dropped the case she was putting everything in, walked through prepared suitcases on the floor with weapons, bions, medicine, and explosives separately, and arrived before him. Phesx also walked forward, with his shoulders moving back and forth, and slightly up and down. She cupped his face, not afraid for even an instantaneous trice. Her celeste eyes were accompanied by her orange, delicately, hurt, furrowed eyebrows. Her voice became sweet and pained, ¡°I had no choice. They knew. The moment they left, they came here and asked. I told them about the suitcases with more supplies so they would take them. They also made me create contraptions against your voids, especially comets.¡± ¡°But those extra suitcases were full of defective bions, they wouldn¡¯t work when used and might just crumble. The contraptions didn¡¯t work completely, did they? I had no choice with the pivots¡¯ neutralizer, it wasn¡¯t improved enough, Phexie.¡± ¡°I knew it would be for something like this, but I just¡­ I had no other way,¡± Pheli exclaimed with her voice becoming more high-pitched and less solid. Phesx¡¯s impenetrable black eyes, which seemed to tremble even as he was serene, softened. ¡°!!!¡± But his eyebrows instinctively raised when he heard murmurs of ¡®do you think he¡¯s there?¡¯, ¡®isn¡¯t the weapons master there, too?¡¯, and ¡®doesn¡¯t matter, fire!¡¯ from the other side of the hallway. Furthermore, their arms lifted what sounded like better weapons than most Artistas, even Instructors, can get. ¡°!¡­¡± Phesx wanted to pull Pheli towards him and use his back to protect her. He didn¡¯t know what kind of weapons they had, but being so far away on the other end of the hallway, they had to barrage the entire workshop in one go, they would. However, Phesx used his left hand, which was useless. His body leaned to the right by inertia. His impenetrable black eyes shrunk as he used the stance he was inadvertently left in to push her with his right hand flashing towards her. Pheli¡¯s eyes also widened, but she was slower than him even now and could only let him act alone. Trrr rrrrrrr rrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrr rrrr rrrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrr rrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrrr rrrr¡­! The supercontinental model weapons fired before he could react. His right arm was even shot by the piercing bullets through the thick, armored walls. Pheli¡¯s left side received a column of bullets from her hip to her head, opening small red holes in her body, whereas one grazed the back of her head¡¯s upper section. Her breath stopped them from penetrating more, and the walls cushioned the bullets¡¯ force as they were the first to penetrate. But Phesx could hear the havoc inside her body as he pushed her and impulsed his body forward, hugging her waist and being shot several times on his back as they fell on her back. The firepower didn¡¯t stop when they fell, continuing for several seconds more before they ran out of bullets. Phesx looked down at Pheli¡¯s rapidly paling body. Her heart¡­ he couldn¡¯t hear hers beating. As the fire ceased, He held below her head with his only usable hand, lowering his forehead unto hers. Pheli opened her paler, orange lips and shakily twitched them to whisper under her breath. ¡°My lye¡­¡± Phesx¡¯s eyes unnaturally quaked their contents, so madly. His dry, similarly pale lips twitched, too. ¡°¡­Our blood¡­¡± Pheli narrowed her eyes. Phesx ever so gently pressed his forehead to hers. A terrible feeling of her leaving him without any sensation slightly woke him up. It was dreadful, nothing more. It wasn¡¯t just them in the dark anymore, with no noise and no world around them, only clear emptiness. The world, its colors, noise, and death returned to his senses, or him to them. Then, his irises and pupils¡­ shook one last time before separating¡­ and fell. ¡­ Chapter 83 — Phasing Phasing His sight was blurry. Phesx couldn''t tell for how long has he been on his fours, with his back aching, but no more than his heart, his soul even. When his vision started clearing, Phesx continued looking down. Pheli''s eyelids seemed peaceful, resting after he gingerly closed them. Phesx''s eyebrows gently arched, soft. His left eye caught sight of an open storage back room. Kissing her forehead with his, Phesx closed his eyes before standing up to walk into the back room. When he went inside, many things were still littering and being stored, but most of them were organized in some boxes, cases, and cloth bags. Teetering weakly across these things, Phesx walked further to the bottom, where a small freezer 1 meter long lied. He opened the lid and took one bag before looking at the rest in silence. In the end, Phesx grabbed all of them and stored everything except one bag. He returned to Pheli before carefully placing her body in that bag. It was a cryobag, transparent and quite a bit heavy from its cutting edge-model. After she was inside, Phesx rotated its panel before pressing the button somewhere in the upper front enter. The bag started frosting, but the bag remained flexible, and Pheli wasn¡¯t turning into an ice of block, just her body being frozen. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx caressed her face and hair one last time before he closed the bag. Now, as she looked at her lifeless body, he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off, but he must. Placing her on the ground with care, Phesx was just about to take his medium pistol out and look for more ammo, when he looked at one of the big suitcases surrounding Pheli. He opened one of them, revealing a bion exoskeletal arm stored at the side. Phesx stared at it without blinking, bent on being silent until the end. He grabbed it with his right hand, and with much struggle albeit slowly, he latched it onto his right arm. Phesx stared down before looking around for some of his bions and more ammunition. Only then, he returned to Pheli and said in his voice, ¡°One more little thing. Then I¡¯ll bring you home.¡± With that, Phesx left Pheli behind and walked outside the main workshop, now destroyed by iconic weapons worthy of a supercontinent¡¯s choice. As soon as he came out, Phesx saw 2 Artistas slowly and carefully approach the workshop. When they noticed him, they lifted their weapons, but Phesx, along with his new bion exoskeletal arm, was much faster, as it is natural. Things had only just begun for Riverlye¡­ for the end of Riverlye. ¡­ In a resting room in a training area. Im¨¢n, Ges¨¢n, Waleks, and the rest of the circle were relaxing and chatting after resting for a bit. They would resume training to get their heads off things and not dillydally too much. However, as some things seemed to happen, they looked at each other with frowning expressions. That was until the door opened to Phesx, whose body was bloodied and half-naked. They were wide-eyed, no doubt. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Asked Waleks¡¯s first girlfriend. The other medics and communication Artistas around the room looked at Phesx with dreadful comprehension. Phesx didn¡¯t talk, though. With his pistol on his right thigh, Phesx stepped further in. Waleks cried out, widening his eyes, ¡°Careful, noo!¡± Phesx¡¯s right arm swoop into the air. Each in between of his fingers, further supported with the bion arm, threw 3 small, thin flying daggers each. The Artistas tried to run, but after so many missions with Phesx, whereas those who had to be replaced weren¡¯t too acclimatized with the circle, not one of them could escape Phesx, who knew them better than they thought. All those who weren¡¯t part of the circle¡¯s most powerful Artistas died, including Waleks¡¯s first girlfriend. Phesx barely glanced at a few of them once before striding inside with strength. His right hand flashed, grabbing his pistol and aiming at Waleks and the others as the latter shouted with tears streaming down his eyes. ¡°PHESX! How dare you! AAAAARRGGH!¡± ¡°Phesx, stop this right at this moment! Now!¡± Im¨¢n shouted after Waleks, who ran towards Phesx with hatred and loathing him to the bones. Neither Phesx nor Waleks listened to Im¨¢n. Waleks ran, while Phesx aimed. Waleks wasn¡¯t as proficient in speed and nimbleness as others and was one of the ¡®worst¡¯ in their circle. While Phesx was on par with Pheli and Teon, supposedly. There was no comparison. Bang bang! Phesx only needed 2 unseemly shots to blow Waleks¡¯s sternum before firing his collarbone off. Each had a sizeable, bloody hole. Waleks only fell backwards when his collarbone was shot. His eyes dulled as he landed on his back, flat on the floor. Ges¨¢n stood away from the bench he was sitting on. When his feet landed on the side, and he started rising his hands, with Im¨¢n looking from the side, slowly standing up, Phesx fired twice again. This time, Ges¨¢n¡¯s stomach was shot first, followed by another to the bridge of his nose. Immediately after, with his body barely moving from the recoil, Phesx aimed his pistol to Im¨¢n, who shook his head with both hands up. From everyone, he was the only one who didn¡¯t seem scared to face Phesx, and even seemed prepared, or at least expected it. ¡°Phesx-¡± Im¨¢n would of course know what he thought, but unfortunately for Im¨¢n, he wasn¡¯t in need of answers. Only raging, pure revenge would quench the insatiable thirst. Thus, Phesx fired thrice, 3 shots were all he needed to end Im¨¢n. However, Im¨¢n still dashed to the left. Only the last shot following Im¨¢n¡¯s body hit him squarely in the neck, bleeding him out as his head swayed on the ground, gradually turning limp. Phesx watched when Im¨¢n stumbled against the wall with his brains on it, which then rapidly slid down. He didn¡¯t look at everyone¡¯s bodies again before leaving. His rifle hung from his right shoulder, not wanting it taken away from him during battle without being able to do anything with his useless left arm. For a time, the raging of a fox reverberated across Riverlye HQ. Wherever Phesx appeared, Artistas would drop to the ground in their deaths. Even those who realized something was happening were shot fast and nicely killed before they could utter a word or empty a magazine on him. Phesx was most understandably unstoppable and complicated. Everything he saw, any living being he saw moving became his prey, and he was far from finishing. Phesx only saw a couple dozen of Instructors, not many more. When he arrived at an important area, the security post in the HQ, Phesx opened it with his rifle aiming ahead before moving inside. He had taken a bit of armor to cover his bleeding torso and some new shoes. However, as Phesx went in, he saw only 1 person standing, and dozens of others dead. Layo stood with her back facing him until he looked back above the entrance. The sensor was broken, and the people here were all struck from behind by a cutting edge firearm that was now beside Layo, leaning against the panel desktops. Phesx aimed at her. Layo, now looking at him, bled from her tummy and shoulders. He couldn¡¯t tell from the bullets around her chest how many gunshots she was shot, but her neck also had a few small gunshot wounds bleeding out, albeit stopped and with dried blood streams. ¡°Phesx-¡± Layo spoke as the screens behind her showed the camera angles of many things, including his murderous road. However, Phesx aimed at her left knee and pulled the trigger. Bang. ¡°Ah!¡± Layo cringed from the pain as her thigh bled. Phesx changed his aim at the very last moment. Nobody knew why, not even the current Phesx himself. Layo held her thigh but didn¡¯t grab her close-by weapon. It was a DLM model, the one the military forces in the Moonblue supercontinent use. Phesx walked to her with weight on his shoulders, somewhat hurried. Layo stood near the panels, leaning on the desktops for support. Phesx looked at her from up close and casually asked, looking straight into her eyes. ¡°What the hell have you all done?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no time to explain,¡± Layo lowered her head in shame. She forced herself to look up, staring at him with pained eyes. ¡°I have done¡­ what I should for you and Pheli with my past actions. This is what I can do, so please just let me do this before killing me¡­ before I die.¡± Layo turned around and showed him the images of various Artistas and Instructors in the HQ currently. Some of them were Instructors Cala, Mel, Jos¨¦, and Bael. Whereas the Head, who was also shown by a camera in his study that definitely shouldn¡¯t be there, showed he was none the wiser. ¡°Is this Emer¡¯s doing?¡± Phesx asked, walking to her side. Layo didn¡¯t say anything, but she tacitly responded with her silence. Then, Phesx looked at her and asked, keeping his eyes looked on her. ¡°Why did you do that? Not this, I mean throw me and Pheli to death¡¯s arms?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not like this, you couldn¡¯t have been compelled to do this neither. What was it?!¡± Phesx got a little loud. Layo turned to look at him, appearing afraid. She couldn¡¯t look him in the eyes, and not just because of guilt, Phesx noted. Layo spoke, shaking her head and holding her abdomen with a bloodied hand. ¡°It doesn¡¯t¡­ matter. Not now. What matters now is I can do something to help you¡­ b- both. That¡¯s what Emer promised me. Now take it and go¡­ They won¡¯t take long to decipher everything you left them¡­ Enact your stuff.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx looked at Layo. She started crying when mentioning them both, and continued to sob a little. He blurted, ¡°And you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll aid from here. They¡¯re trying to escape, or come after you. They aren¡¯t deaf, and some already noticed things before you arrived. His help can only do so much, I believe. I won¡¯t survive anyway.¡± Layo looked at the room¡¯s walls after speaking, with thin, transparent tape and some ¡®wrapped gifts¡¯ with dark green leaves attached onto them. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared medicine for you in case you need it,¡± Layo told him, nodding towards a few open, large crates with plastic on top of them acting as lids below some desks. There were green, yellow, and red syringes, all bulkier and slightly longer syringes than regular ones. But there was another with small, white boxes with medicine descriptions on them. Layo added, ¡°Those are to stop the bleeding. But it might hurt a lot, and you¡¯re ¡®allergic¡¯ to them, so grab as many re-¡± ¡°First the yellow ones and then the other syringes, right?¡± Phesx said, moving to the crates before plunging his only, right hand through the plastic. Layo nodded, slightly sweating. ¡°Yes, or they¡¯ll either stop the yellow from spreading or counter it¡­ Are you going, now?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Phesx said. Suddenly, he grabbed dozens of yellow syringes and injected them on his sides, one after the other. Layo looked with terrified eyes. Not only was he doing such stupidity, he was also ignoring the green or red ones. She couldn¡¯t help blurting out, ¡°Stop that¡­¡± ¡°Grrr¡­¡± Phesx grunted with a terrible mood before grabbing the other small medicine boxes. He took bottles out of them, with tiny syringes packed at the side, and injected himself time and again with them all over his wounds, directly. Phesx simply did not care. All Layo could do was watch, and when he was done, he walked to her, standing right in front. Layo looked at his eyes without as much uncertainty as before. Her eyes were lost on his. Phesx said nothing and grabbed the rifle on her left, still leaning on the panel desktops. He strapped it around his right shoulder before freeing his hand. When he straightened his back, he asked Layo, holding her head left side over her hair, ¡°Where¡¯s Teon?¡± ¡°No, you-¡± Layo¡¯s eyes widened. She shook her head, wanting to break off from his hand, but he was barely holding her with any grip. Layo softly sighed, kept looking into his eyes, and decided at last. ¡°Pheli threw her to a mission in Proteros. She should complete it in 1 month or so, but she¡¯ll know¡­ She¡¯s smart. Teon won¡¯t return here¡­ but she will want to kill you.¡± ¡°Hmff,¡± Phesx blew through his nostrils, and what seemed tiny hints of grins hooked at the corners of his mouth. Layo¡¯s eyes regained life and vigor as she touched his chest to grab his attention. Phesx looked down. Layo blinked before nodding, softly smiling with gently narrowed eyes. He expressed, ¡°That¡¯s something to be expected of her¡­ It¡¯s good Pheli sent her out.¡± Phesx turned around and walked away, with Layo¡¯s hand weakly suspending in the air before falling. She felt pained everywhere, and Phesx¡¯s shot in her thigh didn¡¯t help. But¡­ she still had to ask. ¡°Phesx, are you okay? Your eyes ha-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ like that¡­¡± Phesx stopped. His body trembled so easily noticeable and even more as he turned his head back. His voice was broken and guttural, mirroring his state of mind as he heard that word, ¡®Phesx¡¯, his name, yet again. But his voice became soft, truly soft, and remained broken, not just semi-broken, as it sounded again. ¡°Name.¡± ¡°Fox it is, then,¡± Layo breathed in and out hard. His eyes were on her. When Phesx turned his head to the front, he nodded before walking away. Layo looked at his departing figure, walking to grab a seat before focusing on the screens. As for the explosives on the walls, there was still time in this life. ¡­ Phesx walked to Cala¡¯s study room. He was there, waiting. When Phesx showed himself, Cala looked at him. They were man to man with no weapons or bions, except for the bion arm. Phesx stepped once into the study room. Cala whispered, but suddenly attacked afterwards. ¡°Phesx, there¡¯s still time to amend this-¡± Cala lifted his right arm, punching towards Phesx, already preparing the next punch behind his left side. Phesx also punched out with his right hand, but before both fists met each other, Phesx stopped and jolted his body to the left. His medium pistol jumped into the air, which his right hand caught before throwing his body to the ground. Cala didn¡¯t move too slow. It was Phesx that was fast, and drugged. So much he felt pain, so much that it made him a little mad. Maybe madder than he¡¯s already been. Bang! Phesx fired at Cala¡¯s right hand. But it wasn¡¯t just directed to break off that hand, Phesx aimed it so it would hit Cala¡¯s left punch after piercing through the former. Cala was just squeezing his face in pain, when Phesx pushed Cala against the wall and aimed at his stomach. Phesx pulled the trigger again, blowing Cala¡¯s intestines. Immediately after, with Cala falling on the floor, looking at Phesx like he killed his family, Phesx punched his abdomen. Then, he put all force into his elbow before uppercut punching Cala under his chin. Phesx¡¯s bion arm crushed Cala¡¯s top of his head against the walls. His fingers even grabbed onto something to break whatever was left when pulling his hand out. ¡°You¡¯re only doing your job, no?¡± Phesx used Cala¡¯s clothes to rip a piece off to clean his hands with. Looking at the dead Cala, Phesx said nothing more and departed. ¡­ Phesx walked into Mel¡¯s study. This one was a little larger, and it had several walls, scarcely similar to a labyrinth. He entered casually, with the heavy rifle held high and his pistol hanging from his neck. Phesx lowered his presence as he searched for Mel. Phesx passed by 2 thin walls as he lowered his stance even more while continuing searching until he was almost crouching. After another few walls, Phesx heard a breathing sound and movement from his left, in a hallway he hadn¡¯t crossed yet. Bang bang bang bang! Phesx immediately aimed and fired the rifle, but Mel showed up to his front from other thin walls with her back showing a clear gunshot that grazed her skin. She was just turning around when Phesx faced her, exposing a trail of striking red dropping from her back. ¡°Oh no, you won¡¯t!¡± Mel furrowed her eyebrows as she took a whip out and coiled it around Phesx¡¯s right arm, holding most of the rifle. Phesx let go of it and went for his medium pistol. Mel¡¯s eyes contents constricted. She let go of the DLM and her whip before taking a plethora of needles from her shirt rear pockets. She threw them to Phesx while dashing forth, lowering her body until she was at her thigh-height, hoping to get close enough to be safe from those powerful firearms. However¡­ Bang! Phesx ignored the needles, using his left arm like a shield, Phesx ignored Mel¡¯s small pistol as he was shot in the left chest, above and to the side where his heart was. On the other hand, Phesx aimed his medium pistol to her upper back. Firing as he was stabbed and shot. Thud. Mel¡¯s body dropped dead on the floor. Her vertebral column was visible and looked broken, with half a portion of its volume pulverized, with bone bits like shrapnel flying sideways, killing her almost instantly. ¡°Mmmggh¡­¡± Phesx groaned before grabbing the needles from his left shoulder with his bion exoskeletal arm. He walked to the corpse and lifted her face by the scalp, dropping the needles around her head. Mel¡¯s eyes were bloated, reddened, and even somewhat purplish, while her tongue puffed up and stuck out of her mouth, bitten with blood coating her whole mouth. Her needles'' venom in full capacity. Phesx let her face hit the ground before stabbing the back of her head with the needles. Once he was done with his work, he walked out and let the entrance open, shooting its panel above with the DLM. His next target was Jos¨¦ and Bael¡­ Jos¨¦ didn¡¯t even try anything. He simply sat on his study room with his back against Phesx. Phesx came close until standing right behind Jos¨¦ before shooting him in the back of the head. Then, he fired again and again until Jos¨¦¡¯s body became a group of bloody circles with gore on the floor. Bael, on the other hand, fought Phesx while sweating and fearful of all the crushing blows he could receive. Phesx didn¡¯t want to fight melee, but Bael wouldn¡¯t let him draw the distance. Bael hit Phesx a few times in other places apart from his arm, which was well protected. In the end, he could only hurt Phesx so little before falling to exhaustion, having gone all-out. Phesx was the same, or his poor, weakened body would¡¯ve stopped moving even if the sensation of pain left him, which didn¡¯t. But he had Emer¡¯s training. The white boxes¡¯ syringes countered the venom, but his body was still in pain. Bael¡¯s fight caused him more pain, but it was just what he needed. The more pain Phesx Caolia felt, the more he felt he was becoming a lunatic. The better it felt to kill and fight on and on. As Phesx made his way to the Head¡¯s study, he continued killing many Artistas. Most of the Instructors were either dead or locked still, which Phesx would visit as much as he could before meeting with the Head. When the time came, Phesx stopped before the entrance outside and yelled, ¡°Gerardo, Fox is here to claim his reward!¡± ¡°¡­ Phesx?¡± The entrance opened. A confused Head opened the entrance at once before walking around his desk. Phesx stepped in, showing the rifle he got from Layo, and his medium pistol. The latter held by his hand. ¡°You- pfbawhaha, what? How- how did you survive? Hahaha!¡± The Head laughed it off, seemingly containing his chuckles at times. Phesx tilted his head and entered. The Head continued laughing as he prepared to fight, looking at Phesx with a hot gaze. ¡°Might as well. Guess you will be worthwhile after all. Listen to me, Phesx. Surrender to me and no harm will come to you. Or else, I¡¯ll make you kneel with broken legs and arms. It¡¯s not an enjoyable experience, ah, but they never do.¡± The Head said. Phesx blinked, drooping his right shoulder but keeping his head in a ¡®regular¡¯ position otherwise. ¡°Not necessary,¡± Phesx stepped forth with his left foot before saying. The Head narrowed his eyes before striding towards him. Phesx lifted his pistol and fired, but Gerardo dashed forth and to the right. The Head impulsed himself towards Phesx, throwing his palms out towards his face. But Phesx half-knelt, dropped his pistol far away, and swung his rifle from up to below, hitting the Head in the right shoulder before ruthlessly shooting several times as he fell on his feet. The rifle went into its submachine gun mode, breaking the Head¡¯s shoulder after a brief spray. Phesx thrashed the damaged rifle away and grabbed the Head. He began hitting him after slamming him into the wall, slightly cracking the resilient, fortified walls even from the inside. But the Head wasn¡¯t a useless Artista, or even Instructor. He punched back, making blood burst from the same wounds he targeted as Phesx beat him with the bion arm. Punch- PUNCH, punch punch, PUNCH- PUNCH PUNCH¡­! Neither side bothered to block or strangle the other, it was all-out against each other. Suddenly, the Head¡¯s eyes constricted as his ears detected something else, something that came at the worst moment just as he was preparing to get another punch on the face by Phesx. He hurriedly jolted his head, but that was just what Phesx wanted. From inside Phesx¡¯s wrist, a blade shot out, a hidden comet positioned below his elbow, piercing through until its blade came out of his wrist and into the Head¡¯s neck. Phesx just slightly changed his aim. When the Head felt the irreversible damage as Phesx grounded his comet¡¯s blade in and out, his eyes began losing life as they lost spirit and became dull little by little. ¡­ Chapter 84 — Pains And Duties Of A Father Pains And Duties Of A Father Phesx Caolia looked at the flood of blood streaming down the Head''s shoulder, with his resting on the wall and his mouth trying to move. Phesx felt ''the breath'' in his body, but it was useless now. Perhaps he just wanted to live for a few more seconds. Then, with his comet pulled out of the bloodied, mangled shoulder, he said with a matching smile, ¡°Sorry, I just couldn''t resist the need to kill you faster.¡± ¡°It was¡­¡± Suddenly, the Head spoke with the frailest of voices. Phesx tilted his head. The Head continued, using the breath he could to keep on speaking. ¡°You may¡­ think you are all powerful¡­ but learn this, kid¡­ It wasn¡¯t¡­ a coincidence¡­ Listen¡­ We didn¡¯t just find you-¡± Swwllip. Phesx slowly slid the blade in the Head¡¯s right eye, making him go stiff before dropping on the floor without any respect left in his body. Phesx broke his comet by hacking it into the wall directly and took it out of his body before standing, never flinching once. He looked down at the head before speaking again. This time, Phesx was impassive. ¡°There you have it. Is it all that it costs? I would¡¯ve asked Emer to aid, had I know. Are lagjs this weak and fragile? Was it just that old fart, or is it because he actually comes from a hoog secret organization? Mn, had I know¡­.¡± Phesx sighed at the end of his words. He shook his head before taking his leave. He felt more tired, less active, and his energy leaving him. Thinking of injecting himself red syringes all over, Phesx decided to trust his instincts and primitive nature again. He walked directly back to his Pheli. It was a few minutes in his current pace, but he had to slowly recuperate all he possibly could to run away with her¡­ with her body. He went through roads of corpses, all caused by him. Some of which ran away at first and then found him and attempted to kill him, knowing more or less what has transpired. Others were those who only wanted to run away, but Phesx hunted them. Nearly every road was filled with Artistas¡¯ corpses, and the occasional Instructor, though most he simply killed in their study rooms or training areas. Phesx stomped on faces and bodies of all ages, with blood coming out of their bodies from one place or another. A few had unrecognizable features. Step after step, Phesx returned to Pheli, his Pheli. She was practically the same as he left her. Phesx dropped everything he had. His weapons, the bion exoskeletal arm Pheli bought him, surely to gift it to him later, and his bions. All gone. He carried Pheli¡¯s body into his arms, like his princess, but more like a baby-sized one with only his right arm. Then, as he looked down, his chin against his collarbone, he walked¡­ walked until the only elevator with its door instantly opening for them brought them outside. Before stepping into the elevator, Phesx threw his letter into a small incinerating device, where it burned, along with Emer¡¯s words before his death. When he stepped into it, and after the doors closed, Phesx¡¯s eyes, reddened and partially bloody, cried. His pupils and irises couldn¡¯t be found anymore. Maybe they merged, maybe they broke apart and turned into something else. That something was what his eyes currently looked like. There was still that grown, impenetrable black of his eyes, but they formed¡­ ¡®shapes¡¯ in his white sclera now. The impenetrable black went from iris and pupil to form irregular pools in each eye, from 3 to 4. When Layo first saw Phesx, he had 3 in his left eye and 4 in his right eye, but after she showed him some images, they changed to 3 on both sides. Furthermore, he has mercury-like dull gray spots here and there, circling around his impenetrable black pools. There were 1 or 2 per eye, much smaller than the pools. They flickered in and out of existence. Phesx cried on Pheli¡¯s cryobag, becoming little pearls of frost. The elevator stopped, with Phesx welcoming some of the morning light. He stepped forth¡­ ¡­ Downstairs, at the security post. Layo looked at the elevator camera, with Phesx bringing the lifeless Pheli away, hurling into the big shadows in the morning¡¯s early sunrise. She rested on a chair with tall armrests. When she saw them depart, her left hand holding a cylindrical object with a push button at its upper front was pushed by her index finger and thumb, using all the strength remaining in her body. Her once creamy white skin became pure paleness. As she pressed the button, her lips opened and closed ever so little, dry and ruptured, as her very long chestnut hair swayed by a stray breeze. Her head rested atop the armrest, thought it looked more like it was hanging. Layo¡¯s fingertips slowly stopped pressing, losing strength and weight on the cylindrical device as the room began to tremble. Then, a beep sounded from all 4 sides of the room, but there was no response. Layo lied there, seconds after the beep¡­ then, it activated. KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM¡­! ¡°¡­¡± Phesx heard a rumbling below and behind him, to the west. He looked back, showing a face that hadn¡¯t stopped crying, albeit silently and without expression. Some extra teardrops spilled before he thought of something and turned around on a roof to flee, ¡®You used Pugor cubes to enhance it¡­ Just where could you get that?¡¯ Phesx continued fleeing. Despite the rage, the rage, the rage, and the rage inside his heart, he couldn¡¯t feel anything from killing and dooming all of Riverlye, avenging Pheli. There was nothing for him. . . . Sargonde¡¯s notorious building. Top floor, in the dispatch. 1 hour after Phesx escaped the building. The room remained bloody and filled with corpses, but it wasn¡¯t alone anymore. Police forces from PPO, PAB, and SPD, everything and everywhere, walked around it. In this hour, they¡¯ve registered the whole building, finding the secretary¡¯s corpse, the many unknown lagjs killed, already going through screening, but no vice president. It¡¯s been over an hour, but they couldn¡¯t find anything, not even the slightest trace of her DNA. As for the broken window, it was too big to be from a human. It was also slightly durable, not bulletproof per se, but it could work something similar. As long as they weren¡¯t ultramodern weaponry. Yet, there were no records of anyone ever falling, not clues and no footage. The military checked the perimeter, while the national guard stationed at the building¡¯s block and formed a blockade around it. The specialists were everywhere, working their job to search for the beloved beauty, the vice president that Lymoca was supposed to talk about nonstop in today¡¯s evening. In the topmost floor, a few PPO police units were chatting in the room full of corpses. Someone had to do the watch, and that is the Police Post Office guys, who were at the bottom of the police taco chain. However, unbeknownst to them, a person was waking up with a horrible headache. Lesly Rivera woke up remembering why she was in a disconnected fridge, where everything was dark, but her hands remembered where those stands and glass tiles were from, only after she realized she was in this fridge. Her eyes widened. Lesly felt panicked, wanting to slap the shit out of the fridge to see if the entrance was above or below her, and roll over with all her brutal strength if she had to. But she hit her right elbow first before the door opened to her right. ¡°¡­¡± Lesly looked at the forensics and uniformed units before coming out stumbling about. A chilly breeze made her shiver, but they were too stunned to act and give her their coat. However, she didn¡¯t forget her ¡®objective¡¯ and extended her right hand to a police unit. The officer took a semi-transparent gray sheet with words in it. As the man read it, Lesly asked, hugging her arms, ¡°Who is Gerardo Tellez?¡± The man frowned, not having any idea of what the vice president was saying and kept reading. However, his eyes widened when he remembered he existed and called out to report Lesly¡¯s whereabouts¡­ and wellbeing! Meanwhile, Lesly looked through the window. Her mentality was shaky. She didn¡¯t dare look at the corpses and weapons everywhere, especially after seeing the majority were from the guards. Beginning to remember last night, she thought of the unknown man who kept her safe after scaring the hell out of her with Iv¨¢n¡¯s head. She was compliant, alright. Although she was ready to bite her tongue off. She was trained for that, too. Images of the lagj man destroying her dispatch and arranging for her safety, and his words of ¡®keeping quiet and never coming out until 2 days passed¡¯ rang in her head. She looked around, noticing why he worded it so exaggeratedly. Then, Lesly reminded herself of the note he gave her, and how that would help with the lagjs matter. She couldn¡¯t believe it even now. She had to see if it was true, but the situation had become a red alarm, so everything was blocked from anywhere to anyone but a few select and the elements working in the task. Last night, she could hear the distinctive fighting sounds, guns and explosions or noises she never heard before, it all went into her mind and shocked her, causing her body to fall asleep, fainting. While she also drank a lot, it was nothing after a little bit of training. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Lesly exclaimed, feeling somewhat safe now. But now, she couldn¡¯t do or know anything. Her fridge just got bigger. She looked at the city, it was a nice weather. ¡­ But it wasn¡¯t that easy and calm for the rest of the country. The world, even. It was a pleasant morning sunrise that came after a torrential rain in many parts of Lymoca. It was a sunny, warm morning the Lys welcomed before receiving news of their vice president being assassinated, presumably. Many of the college students were fast to spread these news, no doubt. The entire country was in disorder. The social media interactions, flow, and foreign activity into Lymocan communities was nefariously ginormous. When it was time, and after receiving Lesly¡¯s whereabouts and of her safety, Lymoca¡¯s president, Luis Heartez, talked to the public. However, something strange was that he didn¡¯t ¡®speak¡¯ to the rest of the world about the situation. Instead, he¡­ set a state and put a name and image to ¡®their horror¡¯. First was a comment post in the social media, where he notified every Ly from a ¡®mini¡¯ and ¡®personal¡¯ press conference regarding this matter. When the time came, everyone took their phones out, turned their window crystal recorders on, or screens at home or work. They tuned in to truly know what was happening. The social media of Lymoca were all about one thing only after the president¡¯s posted comment. Anyone who wasn¡¯t even interested in those things were bombarded with videos explaining the president¡¯s fault, or the president¡¯s jealousy, wanting to take down his major contender for 1,026. Others posted images ridiculing the president, showing his greed very animalistically and without a care given for the Lys¡¯ minds and hearts, of how he stole from them. All of these became sensational. The people who usually only saw a few of these every few days, suddenly seeing thousands, and as many as hundreds of thousands, became intrigued, one way or another. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. But seeing too many also bored them. They could only wait before the president began. Thus, the press conference took place at 7 AM, the earliest the president has ever been for any matter of the country. The live video came from the BLF, who were at the ready and specially invited by the ¡®Defending Our Home¡¯ political party at Proteros on the president¡¯s behest. Thus, the pair of cameraman and reporter the president specifically wanted didn¡¯t plan to go to Sargonde anymore and stayed in Proteros. The streaming commenced with a straight out, flat angle. The president addressed the Lys, ¡°Good morning, thank you everyone for coming. It¡¯s been a few hours since the situation developed in Sargonde¡¯s state capital city. First, I want to clarify some things. The incident has brought the dead of¡­ of¡­ of th- hundreds of people there, guards. They¡¯ve fallen protecting the thousand of students there, practicing for the meeting that would have taken place today.¡± ¡°That is definitely being cancelled for safety reasons, and to respect the fallen.¡± Luis briefly added before continuing, ¡°Secondly, the vice president, Lesly Rivera, is well and safe. Third, currently, we have identified the culprit¡­ culprits for this situation. We have received information that is in accordance with other information we¡¯ve received from the national guard, who has been investigating the apparitions of lagj secret organizations during the past months.¡± ¡°This is from an unknown source, but we''ve begun investigating the veracity of this information¡­ This attempt, this insult to the country, will not be left unpunished, or unattended!¡± Luis raised his voice. It was only him in a room, but the notion still transmitted through screens. ¡°Any lagj activity within Lymoca shall be suspended.¡± ¡°Because, according to our data, the lagjs are comprised about 50% by Lys. It is unforgivable that these secret organizations do as they wish in our land, traitorous and giving their back to their history and blood! They will not be allowed to continue! We¡¯ve already seen how much we have suffered from the organized crime for decades, even a hundred years! We won¡¯t let that happen with lagjs!¡± CHEEEERS! CLAAMOOOOR! It wasn¡¯t a large crowd in a plaza, or in a stadium, it was just the people reacting to the president¡¯s words. Was he always like this? Did he suddenly grow balls? A brain? Whatever the case, without the president¡¯s knowledge, just the social media alone was erupting with was easy to regard as the first speech against secret organizations threatening their government. In the world, if not in human history. Some activity was caught by the BLF, which they showed to Luis. He smiled, so surprised that he almost thought he bought bots and just didn¡¯t remember. But his late wife would¡¯ve strangled him to love-death if he had, so he would never. ¡°Now, the person who has been identified¡­ responsible for this ¡®operation¡¯,¡± Luis continued. He wouldn¡¯t stop just now. ¡°Is someone still a student. He was previously in the Ojazul school and is named Ph¡­ Phesx¡­ Ph- Phesx Caolia!¡± The president paused there, for a moment. He continued informing the country, though, and that pause became a little inconvenience. They were indeed shocking answers¡­ a young student no less¡­ *** 4 hours after Phesx Caolia left the Riverlye ghostly HQ. T¨²acan, state capital city, central. Phesx wore a tattered, old teacher¡¯s jacket, walking towards a ginormous residence. It was perhaps a citadel in the past, because it wasn¡¯t just beautiful. It was well guarded and vast. Phesx, however, lowered his head as he walked to its main gates with a slow pace. Step¡­ step¡­ step¡­ Phesx heard footsteps in front of him. It was already noon, but¡­ but the cold was here. Warmth was away, and the day was sunny, but it was getting colder and colder. It was nice. Being a month and a half from the next year, few elderlies would like to go out even during the afternoon, let alone evening. Maybe that was the reason why a man with a stick walked behind the main gates. Phesx looked up, at the same time, the man looked at him. He was well bidding farewell to his middle ages and becoming an elder, but he already seemed afflicted and without much spirit. However, when the man looked at Phesx, his eyes became stuck on the ¡®young man¡¯s¡¯ face, as if he couldn¡¯t move them away no matter what. It looked forced. The strangeness of Phesx¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t matter to him, it was as if it doesn¡¯t even exist. Phesx returned the stare¡­ he didn¡¯t know how to feel, so he remained quiet. The man had orange hair and was a bit stout, with a gray, trimmed beard. Eventually, the man looked at the cryobag in his hands. Phesx felt a tremor in his heart before looking down at it as well. The cold was here, he felt an even colder sensation invade his only functional arm. But Pheli was gone. Beep. The gates sounded before they cleanly opened. Phesx looked up at the man whose eyes were guarded against him. Phesx paid that no mind and stepped into the residence before stopping. He looked ahead, not letting the man know he knew tears were reddening his eyes. ¡°Her door?¡± Phesx¡¯s voice was broken, straight out flat. Soft, still¡­ but fully broken. ¡°Main door, 3 hallways onwards¡­ 2 right, 1 left¡­ it has her name in it.¡± The man responded, choking. Phesx silently walked forward. The man didn¡¯t notice. When he turned around to guide Phesx, the latter was gone and already walking into the main building. The man took his phone out and manually commanded it to send a voice message to everyone within the residence and nearby. ¡°There¡¯s a guest here¡­ don¡¯t move, act, or say anything. Just let him pass¡­ He might not harm us. Letting him inside¡­ I know you will not feel safe after you know who it is, but let me¡­ let me see first. We can report him later¡­ yes, later¡­ That¡­ that will give him¡­ time.¡± Phesx entered the building. There were majestic stairs leading to the only doors opposite to the entrance. Phesx walked them forth. A butler, looking like a guard, saw him and almost stopped him. The family head¡¯s voice message and Phesx¡¯s¡­ strange sensation from his aura prevented him from acting. Phesx continued onwards, with the butlers and maids watching, reporting his whereabouts, before staring at his back. That was all they could do. His jacket couldn¡¯t hide limp his arm¡¯s limpness. His hand hung from the sleeve without moving an inch, barely swaying with his steps. His eyes were narrowed to a near close. Few could distinguish he had strange eyes. Either way, Phesx met many girls and young women after walking 3 hallways onwards. They stopped at their doors, looking at him silently, with interest¡­ before showing a horror-stricken face. Phesx went right and left, finally finding Pheli¡¯s bedroom. His mind formed an image, wondering if it was just as she told him. But now, it would only be used by herself; one last time. When Phesx opened the door, without moving an inch, finally lifting his chin, he found the answer. ¡®It¡¯s just as you described. Girly and organized¡­ peaceful and silent.¡¯ Phesx looked around with longing before closing his eyes. A few more tears spilling out wouldn¡¯t hurt. Phesx looked down at her face, lowering its sealed gap to free her face for a moment. Sitting on the edge of her bed, the first girl¡¯s room he ever entered, Phesx bent over to press his forehead onto hers. He suddenly felt like lying beside her¡­ and just die. He was tired, tired enough to kill a thousand strong soldiers, or more. But not less. That was tired enough, right? He could leave now, right? But¡­ he just couldn¡¯t. His very own insides deprived him of such a beautiful door. Such embrace. Phesx sealed the gap before rising to his feet with low shoulders, and with the last tears his poor, weakened, near bloodless body could exert as he backed away. He whispered, with no voice or sound, but he moved his lips as he thought. ¡®I¡­ can¡¯t stop¡­ I may already be dead, with you forever¡­ But I can¡¯t stop. Lye, I will bleed until I join you.¡¯ Phesx turned around afterwards. He found her father there, just looking at them like a father watching her daughter frolic with her first love across the distance. Unsure if to ruin that boy¡¯s life or give the world up to protect her. ¡°She, uh¡­ Pheli, she¡­ She could never be ¡®caged¡¯, keh heh. The world was meant for her, all of it. I could have done everything for her, but I had to prohibit it. Prohibit it to her eyes, eehh. That was¡­ too much.¡± The man said, looking at Phesx¡¯s eyes as he mentioned this. He was hurt and confused, but understood. Yet, he couldn¡¯t do anything now. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx looked at the man and said nothing. He lowered his eyes to ponder before leaving with soft steps. Everyone looked at his back, at his 1-armed figure. It looked lonely, but how lonely? One cannot comprehend what they haven¡¯t experienced. One cannot comprehend what surpasses their experience. ¡°Sigh. I¡¯ll call him¡­ directly.¡± The man took his phone out as he closed his daughter¡¯s door. For him, it felt like he at least¡­ managed to send her off to the heavens. Meanwhile, in his phone, he delivered a phone video to that whom the Forzt are only in good ties with for now. . . . A week later. The whole world reacted to Lymoca. It had been such an abrupt, sudden, and groundbreaking news. How could one even imagine an actual assassination on one of the highest profiles in a country was carried about? It was¡­ truly too much. That was the world, of which were all foreign to Lymoca. Needless to say, the president¡¯s opposition struck like they were meant for this moment. After a few days, anyone could tell they were rejoicing in the president¡¯s misfortune¡­ but also of Lymoca. Another ¡®accident¡¯ almost happened just 4 short years after the last one? The entire country went out to the streets to patrol. Hell, even the criminals were scared. Every little part of the nation was on the lookout. Who dares touch their beloved vice president? Who dares?! Regardless, Phesx was seen a few times in the first 3 days. It couldn¡¯t be avoided. Unfortunately, what little his body healed allowed him to think clearly and not be so dull all the time anymore. After that, though, Phesx was never seen again. Even when the police, national guard, and military and civilians appeared in hundreds when he was spotted, he still escaped under their patriotic noses. Meanwhile, the Riverlye bases were discovered and cleaned up one by one. The HQ was the first to fall. At this moment, though. Somewhere in Proteros, Phesx walked the streets of a distant town near Proteros¡¯ center. Although the capital was ¡®just there¡¯, this town was mostly shitty and basically of the lowest incomes one might think for a town. Phesx wore another jacket, pants, and long-sleeved shirt he stole from a poor apartment just a couple blocks away. He was calmly walking with his head hanging low. This was a rare sight in Lymoca, such a drug addict usually gets targeted by the organized crime or is brutalized by some degenerates. Few get help. But at least when they did, it wasn¡¯t just a government program for the ¡®founders¡¯ to make money. A young woman, beautiful enough to draw stares without having a body to match the pleasant aesthetics, looked at him with disgust and detachment from the other street as Phesx walked to the crossroad. Phesx stopped when he heard a red light switch from yellow or green. After waiting for a bit, just then, a person with a hoodie almost struck Phesx¡¯s right shoulder, if he hadn¡¯t moved at the last moment. The person looked back briefly before focusing on the young woman. Phesx was about to step forth when this happened. He stopped; waiting, watching. The person was, as expected, a thief. He easily overpowered the young women with a punch to the stomach before grabbing her purse and running away. The young woman knelt and screamed, but nobody seemed to be near, or care. ¡°Somebody heeeelp me! I¡¯m hurt! Aaah! My bag, someone, please, my bag!¡± The young woman stood up to yell, as nobody heard her. She looked at Phesx but didn¡¯t put any hopes on him. Yet, Phesx ignored the young woman but stared at the thief who ran past the street and headed off in the short distance¡­ Phesx waited to see where he went. When he saw the thief run into a wide alley, he lowered his body and pushed forth, exploding with speed. ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± The young woman only felt a brief breeze before being pushed the hell to the side off the street. Meanwhile, Phesx¡¯s eyes glimmered. They saw to insanity as he could hunt today. He flashed past the street and into the alley. The thief didn¡¯t even hear him despite how loud he was. But Phesx was too fast, even more than he remembered himself, although he could definitely not control it. It still felt amazing. ¡°Ah-?¡± Phesx kicked the thief¡¯s head from the side, turning him into a flying human to smack against the rear wall of a house. The thief¡¯s scream didn¡¯t last when he went unconscious, struck on his nape and upper back after the kick, but the purse flew up into the air. Phesx grabbed the purse¡¯s straps before flinging it away so it wouldn¡¯t get dirty with what he was about to do. Phesx calmly walked to the thief and rested his right sole on the back of his head. With a simple movement, he stomped. Stomp, stomp, stomp. Kick! After destroying the head, Phesx went for the spine, crushing it into two and pulverizing a third of it. Then, he went for the pelvis, breaking it apart as the corpse¡¯s legs dangled into the air a couple of twitches before immediately going limp. At last, Phesx kicked it away, letting its flesh, destroyed bones, and exposed organs randomly drop on the ground with haste and into the air as the thief rolled multiple times, really fast, until everything fell on the ground. ¡°Haff, haff¡­¡± Phesx felt his whole being in excitement, when suddenly¡­ Whooosh¡­ He barely heard a wind pass by, when a figure in white garments appeared before him, falling from above. Other figures did the same, but they were soundless and wore similar garments, or at least that could tell Phesx, who only looked at their legs and heard the same weight on their steps. Because his sight was also blurry, and getting even blurrier. They surrounded him, and the one in front seemed like their leader. ¡­
This is the end of Volume 2 ¡ª Game''s On. Chapter 85 — Rinse And Repeat Rinse And Repeat Phesx Caolia thought not. Despite his blurry vision, he struck forth, aiming for their leader. But the others moved as he did, almost as if he controlled time, and they could only move when he did. They circled him while their leader backed away. Phesx chased, unafraid of incoming hits. When their leader stopped, he evaded Phesx''s right palm with a slight sidestep. Feeling a hand near his right armpit, Phesx brought his right knee up to it, but the hand left him. On the other hand, another person dashed into the air from the left like gliding upwards, kicking towards his face. Phesx didn¡¯t even bother, receiving it with the bridge of his nose. His body backed away 3 steps before halting. At that moment, another person came from his right, crouching, about to tackle him. Phesx shot his folded right leg like a snake snapping at the enemy. But the enemy dodged, supporting their hands on the ground before kicking his bum. It only impulsed Phesx upwards a little, but another person came from the air again, also dashing from the left. Phesx timely reacted this time. He grabbed the person¡¯s shin, making that person defend towards his left arm¡¯s strike, but that never came. Instead, Phesx lunged his neck forward, pulling the leg with his right hand, and headbutted their abdomen instead. Although the person managed to block with his arms in time, Phesx¡¯s headbutt was good, and with the person¡¯s sharp speed, its force increased. Of course, it also hurt Phesx. Yet, when he was hit, the world became clearer for a moment, enough to let Phesx see half a face, uncovered, whose white robes were accompanied by green. This green was a bit of paint on the face, it wasn¡¯t much, just barely anything, and it was like slight decorations around the corners of the eyes, mouths, on the nose, around it, forehead, temples, and so on. It wasn¡¯t everywhere, but it was impossible to miss, and quite characteristic. There were also equipment pieces, even armor, or light clothing that somehow felt like uniform armor with green painting, just like on the face. Regardless, the person frowned when Phesx forehead hit them with his forehead. Immediately after, Phesx felt someone pull on his collar from the back. His jacket was forcibly taken off as Phesx kicked and palmed towards other strikes coming at him. He was pulled slightly upwards and to the sides, but he still blocked their attacks like parring against them. Phesx even had 1 less arm, but he could still defend against many unknown people. Phesx continued fending off their attacks. Time after time, what began as a sudden incursion turning into a brawl became a desperate struggle for Phesx. His body felt aching everywhere, with his joints heavier and heavier until even moving his hands sideways became erratic and incongruent. Yet, Phesx still blocked everyone¡¯s moves against him. It came to the point where he even knew where they were coming from next, and the trajectories they made, allowing him to chase them before some of them attacked. Their attacks became less frequent as a result. Phesx was still hit by some punches and kicks, but he remained standing strong, with his body neither movement nor attitude in each move changing a bit. It continued still until he saw their leader appearing before him again after standing somewhere his senses couldn¡¯t reach, and his blurry eyes didn¡¯t have the time to see. Whoosh. Phesx became bloody furious after noticing their leader. Everyone tried to stop him with the same attacks, only barraging him from the sides at his front instead of trying to overwhelm him. No longer straight out overwhelming Phesx after he got used to their attacks. Nothing stopped Phesx, who rushed to their leader. His teeth clenched furiously, breaking whatever notion of pain or tiredness his body was horribly enduring. A simple thought encouraged him onwards, ¡®Bring one with me¡­ that¡¯s at least something¡­¡¯ Phesx rushed before the leader, who took him on a one on one. Their leader sidestepped before placing their hands on Phesx¡¯s shoulders, arms, or shoulder blades before throwing him onwards with Phesx¡¯s own speed and body weight. Sometimes, the leader hit Phesx¡¯s side with their folded knuckles. Phesx tried everything. Tackling motions, dashing into the air, lunging, long and quick strides. Yet, nothing worked. When he finally saw their leader stop and taunt him, showing how still and prepared the leader himself was against him, Phesx¡¯s eyes turned fierce instead of looking like in a daze. His sight remained blurry, though. ¡°!¡± But, out of nowhere, just as their leader was about to receive Phesx¡¯s palm strike, the young boy¡¯s nails changed in an instant. Phesx didn¡¯t look at his hands, merely striking towards the leader¡¯s stomach with his face staring into the leader¡¯s sternum, slowly opening his jaws. The leader felt Phesx¡¯s opening mouth was a threat but was too committed to the test. The leader blocked Phesx¡¯s sharpened nails at the last moment with ease, with their sleeves getting torn apart a bit but couldn¡¯t do the same with their chest. Phesx¡¯s struggled like a cat with his hands, trying to scratch and mangle the leader¡¯s forearms blocking and fingers holding his hands and wrists together. The leader couldn¡¯t free their hands, or their guts might be out in the open for some wounds. Thus, Phesx¡¯s bite landed cleanly on the leader¡¯s sternum, sinking his lower teeth in while his upper teeth slightly penetrated the skin. Blood poured, warming Phesx¡¯s cold, weak teeth. Pumf, pah! Phesx¡¯s only felt a short stream of blood fall in his mouth and down his chin before strong, quicker, and furious whooshes sounded behind him and to his sides. They were from the people who let their leader test him. Who else could it be? But this time, they went all-out. Immediately, Phesx¡¯s body was brought into the air, rolling a bit as he was kicked and kneed left and right, poking bruises and ripping some of his skin here and there. He even felt a moment when he struck a long wall with his back before involuntarily rolling on with a few harsh strikes. Then, at last, he was pushed with his face against the ground. He felt a foot press on the back of his head before everything went silent, and dark. *** Proteros, presidential precinct. Near the president¡¯s office. ¡°Yes, I know. We will see that tomorrow, it¡¯s getting late. Alright? What about the neutrals? Gather everything and organize it so we can work something out when ma¡¯am recuperates.¡± Walking through the hallways, Luis Heartez discussed with some members of his cabinet, turning to them as he kept walking to speak with them. At last, he nodded at them and went into his office, with only Roam following him. Once inside, Luis noticed the cool freshness of the room. How different has it been compared to last year? He rarely escaped this place, hiding¡­ Now, he spends only about a third of his daily work time here. He never imagined how lonely, fresh, and lacking of certain things his office looked like. It was lavish, yes, but he felt more fond of the ¡®less lavish¡¯ furniture and surrounding decoration he found in other meeting rooms. ¡°Anything from Lesly?¡± Luis sighed a little before asking Roam, turning around before sitting on the edge of his desk. Roam shook his head, feeling at ease. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, sir. She¡¯s recuperating, and her testimony has been studied again. It seems you might want to work that out from now. Once he-¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Luis exclaimed, bothered and sighing a bit more while shaking his head. ¡°Don¡¯t even speak of that matter. It will be difficult to explain¡­ well, to make others accept it. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just give him up and let the masses grieve their fury out?¡± ¡°Sir, if you wanted easy ways, would you be planning to stay here for nearly 2 decades? Possibly more?¡± Roam didn¡¯t know how to respond before cautiously speaking those words. Luis tilted his head and looked at Roam with strong eyes, ¡°You¡¯re right. And you know what? I feel like I can even go higher than that. Heh, I¡¯m starting to like it. Really. This job.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Roam said nothing, letting the president have his moment. He added, ¡°Well, sir. Maybe you should consider of ¡®the people¡¯ instead of ¡®the masses¡¯. You¡¯re speaking of the country, after all, not of the world¡¯s eyes, right? Ha- heh heh.¡± ¡°Mmn, right. That sounds good. Thanks for the advice,¡± Luis snapped his fingers and pointed at Roam, whose chuckles quieted, before taking his jacket off and sitting at his desk. Roam continued to let the president have his moment. Things were working well, lately. ¡°Oh, sir?¡± Roam checked his phone after Luis stared at his own for a few seconds. Luis sobered up, staring at the rooftop to relax before saying, ¡°Sigh, they¡¯ve found him already¡­ It¡¯s been quite so soon. I was hoping I¡¯d get more time. Maybe 2 weeks at least. Sigh, the people won¡¯t forgive this easily.¡± ¡°Sir¡­¡± Roam wanted to help, but Luis raised his palm, facing it towards Roam, before expressing. ¡°No, I know. Don¡¯t even repeat yourself, I know how to listen. Since I want to have my¡­ ridiculous dreams achieved, which came from basically nowhere and drunkenness in power, then I must work my ass off.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Oh, well, sir¡­ That¡¯s one way to put it.¡± Roam helplessly laid it out. Luis ruefully smiled with closed lips and lowering his head. ¡°I feel I¡¯ve wasted 2 terms. But in truth, I¡¯ve only wasted a term completely. I can still salvage this one¡­¡± ¡°So what if they look at me wrongly after this?¡± Luis stood up and walked to a window to the left of his desk. He turned to Roam and spoke before resuming his walk, ¡°It won¡¯t be the first time, nor the last, for a time to come. It¡¯s all for the better purpose of the country, is it not?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Those are your dreams,¡± Roam subtly nodded. Luis stopped before the window, with the afternoon sunlight slightly basking his light brown skin. ¡°But I want them all, I want all of Lymoca, to have the fruits of those dreams. They don¡¯t have to dream it also. As long as they want it¡­ to break free from these invisible chains and trickery¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Roam looked at his president¡¯s back. Curious glints passed through, but he fell silent, allowing the president some moments to think. Ring~. A rather soft, humble and yet somehow cute ringtone beeped from his phone in his pants pocket. Luis looked down at it before smiling. Lifting the phone to his right ear, he looked back at Roam and almost commanded, ¡°Leave me be. I¡¯ll visit the ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯ tonight. I¡¯m told she doesn¡¯t want to have more uniformed people around her all the time only.¡± ¡°Hmf, very well, sir.¡± Roam blew from his nostrils a bit before bowing his head in a nod. He departed from the office, leaving a contented Luis who started talking with the other side of the call. He slowly went to his desk chair and relaxed, conversing in the phone as an hour passed. When the call ended, he looked to the window on his left before falling silent. He sighed again before reclining on his chair, putting his shoes on his desk and closing his eyes. Opening them again, Luis looked at his shoes before putting them down. Then, he closed them again to rest. *** Proteros, Lymoca¡¯s capital city, near the center. Soon to be evening. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx had long woken up in a PPO car. It wasn¡¯t even someone from the PAB, let alone the SPD. This was but a PPO¡¯s vehicle, a simple one, with only 2 people at the front as he sat at the back, with their seats close to each other. Phesx couldn¡¯t see their faces or much of their aesthetics, only that they avoided looking at him. Phesx, on the other hand, didn¡¯t care about escaping and sat in the car in tranquility. Maybe the police units felt grateful due to his behavior and didn¡¯t bother or even talk to him because of that, which Phesx was glad to experience. He had been in the car for a few hours, perhaps. Being the young boy everyone thought was an experienced special agent man everyone in Lymoca looked for, Phesx figured he was being brought to the capital¡¯s SPD. The car moved slowly, and the windows were all opaque from the outside. He was clearly not supposed to be seen. Having seen the capital city for the first time, previously simply escaping to where he deducted where the least number of people looking for him would be, be it uniformed or civilians, he was intrigued. Phesx ended up in Proteros but far from the capital city, though not by much. There were massive buildings, structures, extremely long roads, sometimes with its width matching them, accordingly without turning infrastructure into fantasy. Furthermore, there were many people here. The Lymocan capital city was the city with the largest population, making Proteros¡¯s standing in the states¡¯ population rank one of the highest despite its small square kilometers of largeness. Its urban sprawl was also considerably the most infamous in the country. ¡°¡­¡± At this moment, with the car driving past the center, Phesx saw a huge banner with the Lys¡¯ symbol etched into a pitch-black flag. It was the Silverplated Eagle. An enormous flag, with the car moving on a highway, it only went from its right border to the center after several minutes of driving. There was a bit of a commotion nearby, which Phesx noted and looked up into the sky, identifying what it was all about with ease. There it was, a Silverplated Eagle. It had silverish feathers, of course. Its wingspan was enormous, almost 3 meters. It had that ¡®defensive¡¯ or ¡®hunting¡¯ natural mechanism where their face¡¯s feathers would change their characteristics, changing their appearance to look angrier, pitiful, and even proud and glorious. Their ¡®resting face¡¯ aesthetic was sharp eyes, an indifferent aura, and a piercing intent with each of its movements. Phesx couldn¡¯t see everything, but as the eagle flew in the direction he moved, he saw its eyes a little. The trip to the SPD continued¡­ When the car drove into a PPO driveway and parked in its lot, Phesx tilted his head, eating his neck a bit. The police units exited the car before a group of police assistant and units wearing riot police uniforms surrounded it. They opened the back doors before handcuffing Phesx and ¡®helped¡¯ him out of the car. Phesx didn¡¯t see anyone similar to those who beat and owned him in that fight. Still, he didn¡¯t try to escape, accepting his fate. Brought into the PPO from another entrance through a hidden parking garage entryway, Phesx entered the PPO facility. People walked around, although they also moved the people held there prisoner or questioned away. It almost looked like a mansion owner was moving to another. Phesx was moved to a chair, with nobody covering his face. Some people saw him and became shocked, but people from one of the semi-open offices walked out and immediately chatted them up. All in all, no matter how many people saw Phesx, nothing upscaled out of proportions. Phesx was accompanied around his seat for a few minutes before the uniformed riot police started departing his side, few by few each time. He saw movement everywhere, and somehow, Phesx felt it was all happening because of him. He wasn¡¯t brought to a hospital or a mighty, reputed SPD in the capital. This was but a Police Post Office, what the hell was anyone going to do with him in a place like this? Phesx waited and waited. At some point, no ¡®guards¡¯ remained around him, and the public reception¡¯s lobby was emptied out, leaving no one around Phesx but himself. It felt good like this. But Phesx could only enjoy it for a short 10 minutes before someone appeared before him in an elegant, costly yet ¡®polite¡¯ suit. It was an old man. Phesx looked up at this old man who stood before him and didn¡¯t move even after he ignored the old man for several minutes. He was a slender, old, brown man. His height was regular, and he had a strict resting expression. When the old man saw Phesx look up at him, he kept that face, but his voice was easy going as he said, ¡°Hello, young one. Do you know why you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Hmf,¡± Phesx Caolia blew from his nostrils, exclaiming, before shaking his head. ¡°No. You tell me.¡± ¡°Hm, come with me. We¡¯ll go outside,¡± the old man said before walking further into the building. Phesx stood up and looked at the doors that led to an exit, before following the old man through a path that did not. Phesx followed the old man. His eyes went to the old man¡¯s legs from behind only once before studying the place around him. He felt that whatever the reason he was here for, he might as well see everything in his surroundings, just in case. Going through a few stairs up the facility, Phesx was brought to the rooftop. Since this was but a meager PPO, it didn¡¯t have a helicopter landing zone, but it had a few drone garages atop. The old man walked to the edge of the roof, looking at the evening landscape with the sun setting. Phesx joined him after looking at the old man¡¯s back for a few seconds, with the latter not hurrying him. Standing side by side, the old man gestured to the orange city, with the so-called famous presidential precinct, the national flag a few turns of heads away, and national structures, symbols of the people and their history in the distance. ¡°Keep your eyes open. Now, tell me. What do you see?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t feel inclined to respond, but he looked at the city either way. It was just metal, a lot of cement, maybe some materials made from Courusel machinery, and people, be it in vehicles or walking. The helitaxis flew through strict routes, with stationed police vans prepared to arrest those who didn¡¯t respect such regulations on the ground. With the sun setting, the clouds looked somewhat golden, forming a group of clouds enough to form a sea, somehow protruding downwards at some places, forming ¡®rings¡¯ with the point of view from below. ¡°You see a nation.¡± The old man uttered. His voice became solemn. ¡°Even though you were born in it, you¡¯ve never realized how much it means. What intricacies belong to a nation, forming every part of it.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. But you ¡®were from Preut¡¯. A strange thing, I reckon. Despite how much we mock our imaginary lines, it seems to make the most unlikely to show the deepest pride. Regardless of how much is from their heart, or just the need to be obstinate.¡± The old man looked at Phesx to comment. Then, he looked at the city to continue, ¡°It¡¯s not lines or small tongues what distinguishes every political entity, Phesx. Is its people.¡± ¡°The people live through and populate, they expand and learn. Then, in the future, it is the people that remembers. It¡¯s not the size or shape what defines a territory and their belonging, but its people. This is not to meant as a hazard for anyone who isn¡¯t of the same home, or blood.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx looked at the old man with narrowed eyes, thinking. The old man continued, sounding amicable, ¡°We only seek what gives us peace. What lets us relax. But that isn¡¯t for everyone. Even if the people don¡¯t want to, they might be susceptible, which those ¡®few¡¯ leading will drive them into atrocities, regardless of the situation, morality, and truth. Yet, it is all for the sake of that peace and calmness.¡± ¡°Now, I don¡¯t seek peace, nor do I want to go somewhere and cause atrocities, but I do¡­¡± The old man narrowed his eyes, sounding the same, despite his profoundly spoken words, and side eyed Phesx. ¡°Want to protect the future quietness of my country with all I¡¯ve got, regardless of the difficulties, and the worst fate any person can imagine. I¡¯m willing. But I know you¡¯re not willing. What you know of Lymoca is what you do of the world. How can you understand?¡± ¡°You want me to join you?¡± Phesx blurted out of nowhere. The old man chuckled. He tapped his suit¡¯s open chest before saying, ¡°My name is Egoais Prein. Phesx, from circumstances that let me in need of an asset I could have never imagined and feel glad can now exist, I extend to you my hand. Do you want to join? Another secret organization.¡± ¡°However, I can¡¯t promise you you¡¯ll ever do something like the jobs you used to do. No. If you¡¯re willing, you¡¯ll understand, and you may be allowed to improve. But you¡¯ll work for the rest of your life for a purpose. This is the pillar of my secret organization. It¡¯s not about forcing you to work for us forever. You either become one of us or you¡¯re not worthy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx frowned, looking at the setting sun whose light was mostly gone. Phesx thought of¡­ nothing. There was nothing he felt he needed to consider, much less mentally debate. He did feel annoyed, though. He went from Preut to a nice, rich family. Then, from that to Riverlye¡­ Phesx has lost everything already. Would he even consider living anymore? Phesx shook his head before extending his left hand to the old man, ¡°I meant no offense biting you earlier, I just wanted to kill someone, drag them down with me. Sure. I can forgive one more time and give a chance again.¡± ¡®To my life.¡¯ Phesx¡¯s eyes turned indifferent as he thought of this, but only he did, the old man was none the wised as he smiled and extended his hand. The old man smiled thinly, stretching his hand to shake it with Phesx. Now came the fun part, a ¡®reward¡¯ for being simple, acquiescing, and ¡®patriotic¡¯. But then, the old man noticed something from Phesx¡¯s words. His face fell. ¡°You knew it was me?!¡± ¡­
This is the beginning of Volume 3 ¡ª Door Ajar. Chapter 86 — Occupational Hazards Occupational Hazards In the presidential precinct. Luis sat in his office, contemplating in complete seriousness. He frowned and looked fiercely into the vacant distance. Without exaggeration, he could have never been so serious before, not even when matters as a president complicated. As evening came, the city of Proteros seemed lukewarm; somnolent. The world wouldn''t stop time for anything, so at last, Luis took his phone and dialed a number. ¡­ Back to Phesx and Egoais Prein, atop the PPO¡¯s rooftop. ¡°What sort of secret organization are you?¡± Phesx Caolia asked with his left eyebrow up, still shaking the old man¡¯s hand but starting releasing their gesture. Egoais was about to elaborate when his phone beeped. He took it out, gave it a look, and amicably smiled at Phesx, ¡°Just in time. One moment.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx waited as the old man had a chat with whomever. It seemed like a subservient relationship, but at the same time, it was not. A bit strange. ¡°Alright, things have been confirmed.¡± Egoais kept his phone and faced Phesx. The latter lifted his eyebrow again, but before he could say anything, the old man continued, ¡°Don¡¯t bother asking. It isn¡¯t that someone had to accept you, or some. There are some matters you have to be wary of. You are but a criminal in the world¡¯s eyes for now, not just in Lymoca.¡± ¡°Then tell me,¡± Phesx exclaimed, calling for some explanation, shrugging his shoulders. The old man smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll do when we¡¯re there. For now, learn this. My name is that which you already know, but your form of address towards me is ¡®Butler¡¯. Understood?¡± ¡°What if we become close?¡± Phesx asked, blinking once. Butler blinked twice, ¡°You understood. Very well.¡± ¡°Then, are you from the Tri Fortress Shield?¡± Phesx asked again. Butler didn¡¯t become impatient, replying with ease, ¡°Would you want me to?¡± ¡°Of course not, I would be dead if that was the case.¡± Phesx responded. Butler nodded, saying with a pair of casual eyes, ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we wouldn¡¯t kill you after you harmed the country this badly if you hadn¡¯t accepted us.¡± ¡°Yah. Look. I just wanted to fish out which hoog are you. It¡¯s clear you¡¯re one. I wanted to see if I could annoy you to tell me which one wasn¡¯t it amidst pride and disdain for the other 2. The TFS are at odds with the Scarlet Houndhood, while the PSD is just low profile and disdained by the other 2.¡± Phesx shrugged and shook his head a little, revealing a few details. ¡°Yes, indeed. I couldn¡¯t tell. Thank you for being honest,¡± the old man looked at the young boy and said those words, carrying the innocence of the night. Phesx blinked, jumped his eyebrows, and gave up. ¡°Come on,¡± said Butler before gesturing for Phesx to follow. Reluctantly and not at the same time, Phesx followed the old man all the way down the PPO, which remained empty, before entering a large, white car. ¡­ They drove for a few minutes before arriving at a cleaner services. It was evening, but the building was bustling. It wasn¡¯t too tall, about 4 upper floors, only taking half the street as wide. The drove into its parking lot outside the building before walking through its entryway. ¡°I parked outside, but you will have to enter all the way to its underground parking on your own. Outside is only for clients.¡± Butler said as they walked to the building entrance. Phesx nodded a bit before entering the building. It was a normal building. Or rather, an ordinary business. Just as Phesx went in, Butler stopped him and gave him a hat, glasses, and a new jacket. ¡°Take this. Your face is dirty, but not enough to avoid the detection of anyone¡¯s eyes. You¡¯re still hated and infamous, boy.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Phesx exclaimed, grabbing the things and wearing them, taking his old jacket off. The stolen one. Walking through the corridors, Butler was greeted every now and then by the employees, even those in costly uniforms that had high-profile expressions. Phesx wondered if they were part of the hoog but ended discovering they were completely ordinary. There were even kids around here, with every employee treating the clients or visitors with smiles and natural, well dispositions. Everyone was nice, in short. Some pregnant young women even looked at him, interested and throwing a couple of flirty glances. After walking around for 2 minutes, Butler brought him to a ¡®boss only¡¯ area, which also had a sign representing that it was an exit. Phesx met an ordinary indoors parking lot with a descent to the side. They went through the latter, arriving at a wide space with a few vehicles inside. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± Phesx stopped and looked at a vehicle in particular, a Myertha with some damage. Butler went back for him to continue walking together, nodding. ¡°Yes, we retrieved it from a special agent. Mn, that¡¯s how everyone is calling us nowadays.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Phesx opened his mouth, but Butler gestured to a small white car. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work. Get in and let¡¯s get to the base. Remember one thing, you can¡¯t take this route unless you become a 1st Grade. You¡¯ll know more when we get there, go on.¡± Butler didn¡¯t bother anymore and entered the car from the passenger seat. Phesx opened the door on the other side before driving out of the parking lot after a few minutes of traveling within a compact but not so small tunnel. It wasn¡¯t like before, with Riverlye¡¯s tunnel. It was simply a route to avoid any traffic and buildings, perhaps. Just a few meters below the surface. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t know how this was possible, when a city wasn¡¯t just walls above the ground, but there was nothing stopping or inconveniencing the tunnel, so he didn¡¯t bother. When they came out from the underground, with a brief ascent, they joined a tunnel where not many vehicles were driving through, and on a curve. There were various screens before the exit that showed the incoming traffic. Once the coast was clear, the driver, who was a simple man wearing only a white outfit with whitish emblems on his uniform, drove into the tunnel. Exiting the tunnel to meet the evening traffic, Phesx watched the night¡¯s world brimming with lights, beautiful and bustling, but somewhat controlled and watched. His doings last week surely alerted every living breath in Lymoca. Phesx finally felt it. It was also the first time he didn¡¯t know how to feel with his actions scaring so many people. It made him smile, but it wasn¡¯t a wonderful sensation. Maybe just an instinctive reaction, or perhaps from it being the first time and understand and seeing human nature develop. At last, they arrived at a location where an immense building towered slightly tall and took an entire block from a district. It had an obscure blue stone color, and some tower-like buildings here and there, decorating the otherwise dull, ginormous building. ¡°This is headquarters. Phesx, you will go through some procedures before you start training. Everything will progress based on how cooperative you are. Come on, I¡¯ll only show you the entrance. I am busy and have things to do.¡± Butler walked into the precinct without saying anything more. Phesx read a sign above the entrance, spelling ¡®Plastics Recycler Factory¡¯. He humorously jumped his eyebrows, following the old man inside. It was a reception lobby with a long corridor, wide, and with a flooring of small white squares contoured by black stone. ¡°Ah, Mena. Here, take this fella into the medical center. You may follow the procedures to recruit him afterward. He should be in the readied section, no need to waste time.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Should everything be explained to him?¡± Mena, a young woman with short brown hair, blue eyes, brown sand skin and short, nodded. She gestured to Phesx, only looking at his eyes for a second in a daze before asking Butler. Butler shook his head, ¡°No need. Prepare those things while I elaborate on these others.¡± ¡°Yes, Butler.¡± The receptionist nodded before picking a few things, ending up with a huge stalk of papers and folders, before adding some devices to the pile on her arms before walking to the back, disappearing through a double door. ¡°Ask away,¡± Butler leaned over the counter and said, staring at the entrance they entered from. Phesx placed his palms on the counter and commenced, ¡°Which hoog is this? It can¡¯t be SH. What are the specifics of this hoog, and¡­ do you have¡­ does this hoog have connections with the government?¡± ¡°Mn, sharp.¡± The Butler nodded before standing straight. He looked at Phesx straight to the face before replying each of his doubts, ¡°This is Piya Sanctum District. From now on, you¡¯re part of it. Obey your responsibilities. The main reason you were allowed to come here this fast is due to the art you showed a few hours ago. It became your ticket.¡± ¡°Ticket?¡± Phesx asked, thinking of something as his eyes relaxed. Butler nodded, ¡°This secret organization has few ranks. Every new recruit receives 3rd Grade. You can only improve to 2nd and then to 1st Grade. Captains are above the 1st Grade, but it isn¡¯t as simple as it was in your lagj organization. Yes, we do have them.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°As a matter of fact, Phesx, you will become an aid to Lymoca in the future.¡± Butler said without much emotion or enthusiasm. Yet, they left Phesx speechless¡­ They work with the government?! ¡°Why¡­ how was the vice president in danger, and how come I am not- just- what¡­?¡± Phesx¡¯s head fried a little. Butler chuckled, having the fun of his life, it seemed, before slapping Phesx¡¯s shoulders. ¡°The president didn¡¯t think of having too much involvement with us, although that changed not too long ago, because of you.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can imagine¡­¡± Phesx spoke with tired, narrowed eyes. Butler sighed before turning around, leaving Phesx behind, somewhat confused. But he understood after he heard the receptionist return. That was when Butler spoke as he left, walking to the doors further into the factory. ¡°Next year should be alright, peaceful; but don¡¯t take too long. None of our special agents walk Lymoca without being busy. Welcome to the new life, Fox.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx intently looked at the old man who now disappeared, casually walking through the double doors. After some moments, he stared at the receptionist, who checked her screens, tapping her fingers on the spotless desktop below the counter. ¡°Does the¡­ Piya Sanctum District use aliases here, too?¡± Phesx asked. The receptionist looked up at him with attention, ¡°PSD? Everywhere. Here are your files, fill them up before continuing.¡± Mena brought a few documents atop the counter, each with a massive content to fill in, with so much data that it made Phesx want to feel dizzy. But Victor¡¯s ¡®teachings¡¯ have prepared his brains somewhat. ¡°The District has¡­ well, it is a bit better than the other 2.¡± Said Mena. Phesx looked at her before asking, ¡°Can they recuperate me my left arm?¡± ¡°Oh yes. It won¡¯t be for free, so you¡¯ll be in debt before being recognized as a special agent in the District. It¡¯ll be a huge debt.¡± Mena explained. Phesx thought so, but he was surprised and glad to know the PSD could heal his arm. But then, he looked at her and asked, ¡°How do you know my left arm was¡­ injured?¡± ¡°Oh, ¡®amputated¡¯? Info flows in the District, hehe. Fill them up,¡± Mena gestured to the documents. ¡°If you don¡¯t know something, just write ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Phesx nodded, not failing to see the young woman¡¯s grin. Phesx read through the documents and filled in the first one. It just asked typical things, even his name, and required a signature. But when he arrived at the others, he felt helpless. ¡°Alright. Now, come with me¡­¡± Mena spoke after Phesx gave her the documents, but when she read them and opened a little door for Phesx to follow her, she stopped. Phesx politely walked backwards to not touch her. Meanwhile, Mena was¡­ helpless. Revising the documents, she saw nearly all of them had ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ filled in. She looked back at him, who looked at the double doors behind the reception. Mena shook her head before guiding Phesx inside, thinking, ¡®Who doesn¡¯t take care of themselves like this? Sigh, he is so incredible and ridiculous at the same time.¡¯ Walking into the double doors, Phesx found himself walking through some corridors, wide open spaces, and more corridors. It was completely different to Riverlye, who hid a few hundred meters underground. It seemed alive, somehow, and nothing trapped of the sort. As Phesx Caolia walked into the corridors or open spaces, which had either beige, whitish silver, or a warm silver colors on the walls, ceiling, and floor, all eyes were on him. However, when he imagined he would be a source of hatred, disgust, or wanting to take the traitor out, Phesx was instead showered by curious, challenging, and scrutinizing glances. Furthermore, it was very spacious, with many floors. Some open, which could be seen from downstairs or vice versa. There were numerous decorations, all appearing professional yet lively, as if nature wasn¡¯t taken lightly in this place full of incredibly capable special agents. It gave Phesx a surprise, and gladness. With this, he could ignore people and stare at plants or curious structures all he wanted. ¡°Okay, so we¡¯re here. You¡¯ll be undergoing tests for a few days. We usually use the automated tech to deal with this, but you are clearly something else. Your body will be investigated, are you fine with that?¡± Mena stopped after they walked for 15 long minutes. Phesx nodded, not caring one bit, and received a nod in return. Mena opened the doors and pulled him, pinching his right palm inside. Phesx entered a wide area with multiple medium rooms adjacent to one another. Mena brought him to the reception and gave the information to the receptionist there. The receptionist pointed at a door, which Mena nodded to, and passed the documents past a screen, copying them into the place¡¯s system and checking the physical documents at once. Phesx was pulled into the respective room as he kept staring at the high-end tech he only knew about before Preut¡¯s civil war. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s here.¡± A voice sounded. Phesx focused on the room he was pulled into, when Mena spoke to a doctor, readied up and beside a big stretcher with endless contraptions around. ¡°Doc, you can investigate him thoroughly. His health is the most important, so make that left arm¡­ stay there?¡± ¡°I understand,¡± the doctor nodded. He seemed to be an old man, maybe around his 80s or 90s. However, he looked at Phesx with some surprise, but nothing else. Phesx felt a bit ¡®safer¡¯ upon this reaction. The doctor looked at Mena before gesturing, ¡°Unless you want to aid in a test in particular with your body so you can¡¯t get married, I invite you to exit, miss.¡± Mena stuck her tongue out at him. She nodded at Phesx before speaking to the doctor, ¡°I¡¯m in charge of him, Butler said so.¡± The doctor nodded, ¡°Understood.¡± With that, Mena left. When the doctor wanted to guide Phesx to the stretcher, bendable and with black cushions everywhere on top, he found the young boy to be missing. But instinctively returning his attention to the stretcher, he saw the young fella there. ¡°Are you¡­ ready¡­? I suppose?¡± The doctor asked. Phesx twisted his neck, snapping it a few times, before nodding. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°One thing before that. Have you¡­ seen yourself?¡± The doctor said, moving Phesx¡¯s forearms to the armrests, but didn¡¯t tie his wrists, or any part of his body. Phesx fell silent. No, he hasn¡¯t. All he¡¯s seen is his image on the TV, internet, and even on the streets, trying to remind everyone how he looked like so he wouldn¡¯t run around them unnoticed. On light posts, walls, and even large letters here and there. His face was everywhere, but only from when he entered the Ojazul school. The doctor didn¡¯t offer more words and turned around to a metallic stand, looking for something before finding it. He returned to face Phesx before presenting him a small hand mirror. Phesx looked at the doctor before grabbing the mirror. Phesx closed his eyes and placed it before his visage. When he felt secure enough, he relaxed his shut eyes and let them open on their own. He almost fell asleep, not realizing how tired and exhausted he was. Or rather, lose consciousness. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx was speechless. This was him now? His eyes were alien, there was no better way to describe it. He looked at the doctor after trying his eyes, shrinking and enlarging them when faking emotions and reactions, all perceptibly in perfection. ¡°Thanks,¡± Phesx half-honestly said, giving the mirror back. The doctor nodded before carefully placing it back on the stand. When he returned to face Phesx again, he had a box in his hand and towels in the other. ¡°Do you mind telling me about your left arm? How can you still move it? And what are the signs of allergy from¡­ any other medicament?¡± The doctor said, gesturing to Phesx¡¯s left arm. He nodded, allowing the doctor to proceed, cutting his clothes with scissors from the box. ¡°I just let it close to my body. I tied it with some Courusel quality straps to my shoulder. I have healing properties¡­ but I¡¯m not sure about them. They help me with infections, but don¡¯t make me immortal, or anything. I have it easier growing resistant to poison, but venom still harms me greatly. They¡¯re like infections, at least to my body. The medicines make my¡­ entrails quirky, and my intake slows down.¡± ¡°How about your sexual organs?¡± The doctor asked, starting to reveal what truly connected the arm to the shoulder. His eyes slowly widened in utter shock. Phesx shook his head, ¡°No, I think they¡¯re immortal instead.¡± The doctor didn¡¯t even seem to hear the comment. He looked at Phesx¡¯s left arm, where bloody ¡®gum¡¯ stuck between the arm and shoulder. They were crimson blood but semi-solid. The doctor poked it gently and slightly, barely letting Phesx feel anything. When he rubbed it with his thumb, already lubricated and with gloves on, it felt like glue. The doctor tested if it would resist fast approaches and allow slow motions to go through, but it didn¡¯t. Phesx didn¡¯t show any emotion, which the doctor found strange after many tries. He asked the boy, somewhat incredulous. ¡°Do you not feel pain?¡± ¡°I do, just not as much.¡± Phesx replied. The doctor was speechless for a while, momentarily glancing at Phesx before focusing on the reattaching arm, ¡°On ordinary people¡¯s pain tolerance, from 1 to 10, how bad is it?¡± ¡°11 or 12,¡± Phesx thought before sincerely answering. The doctor looked at Phesx, this time dazed. Shaking his head, the doctor grabbed a cutter, ¡°Do you mind?¡± ¡°Cut at the middle, and no more than 2 millimeters. It will grow back in a few hours if you only do that.¡± Phesx nodded but added. The doctor lifted his eyebrows, preparing to do just that. Cutting in the middle, he saw Phesx¡¯s arm tremble a little, as if about to detach, making him widen his eyes in fear. He was about to hold it with his hands, when Phesx grabbed his wrist fast like lightning. The doctor watched as the arm only seemed to tremble before nothing else happened. He sighed half his heart out of his mouth and nostrils. ¡°Sigh!¡± ¡°I can move my arm, but it hurts more¡­ I guess it is somewhat like pulling on tendons. When it recoils into my body, it¡¯s a lot more of pain everywhere. Don¡¯t do it, unless you¡¯re going to test and analyze me fast, but I will only allow it once.¡± Phesx said. He sounded casual until he got to his last few words. The doctor sweated a little, but he understood. Nobody liked crazy scientists. ¡°For the urinal and semen tests, would you like to get to a room, ask for a willing ¡®partner¡¯ of your choosing, or will you be fine with a syringe? Anesthesia will¡­ well, it¡¯s up to you.¡± The doctor asked, looking at the arm. It wasn¡¯t visibly healing where he cut it, but he did sense movement on the sides of the bloody ¡®gum¡¯ he cut. It was something shocking. Who could ever be like this? No human had this capability, there was no such thing. Furthermore, not just that, all of nature inside this young boy¡¯s body made no sense. This was something no living being should have! It¡¯s flat out impossible! Phesx thought for a moment with his head low before replying, looking up at the doctor with nonchalant eyes, and his soft, broken voice. ¡°Mm. Just do it directly. If you don¡¯t mind, do it now. I¡¯d rather have that sorted out first.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± the doctor nodded. Returning to a few stands to grab a few syringes. Anesthesia was useless with Phesx, and using red syringes in there would be painful still, more so when adding medicinal liquid inside with no injury. Furthermore, more than one was necessary. ¡­ Chapter 87 — New Beginning New Beginning A few days later. Early morning, where the sky wasn¡¯t even bright gray below the clouds. Phesx Caolia woke up in a small room from an apartment just a few streets from the factory. Getting off bed, he wore the new ordinary clothing he was given before wearing a cap, glasses, and a fashionable mask of a skeletal mouth to cover his mouth. Then, he went out and met the world that was slowly returning to normalcy after his mess. Walking across some streets, he went into the Plastics Recycler Factory. He met Mena at the reception, who made him wait a minute before opening the double back doors for him. Phesx walked the usual, but this time with his face uncovered, except the mask. He liked hiding his lips. Meeting with the medical center, Phesx directly walked to the same room he¡¯s been visiting before knocking on the door. The doctor opened it to let him in, and so, another day began. Sitting, in the chair, Phesx looked at the doctor, awaiting something. The doctor brought a few stacks of documents before sitting in front of Phesx. He seemed to check a few things before beginning, ¡°I¡¯ll make this quick for you, alright.¡± ¡°Your body has been studied enough. We can proceed to put you your new arm, it will be a massive improvement. We could even call it an evolution,¡± the doctor commenced. Phesx interluded, ¡°How much would that cost?¡± ¡°Well, your biology allows it to happen. Otherwise, it would be a gut bion, but it won¡¯t be necessary. It won¡¯t even be a void, no bion. Just your arm, with a very thin, most processed Mintip you could ever find.¡± The doctor explained. Phesx lifted his left eyebrow. That had to mean something. It could be that his position in PSD was well appreciated. Phesx¡¯s question was still not answered, though, so he asked again. ¡°How much would that be?¡± ¡°It¡­ I think it¡¯s better if you know after the operation. It will take about a week before you grow used to your arm, since it¡¯s you. If it was another person, even a Captain, they would be unconscious that long before even learning they somehow kept an arm.¡± ¡°Here are some details,¡± the doctor said, passing some documents to him. Phesx grabbed them and became wordless, the handicraft was¡­ simply beautiful. It was a type of exoskeleton, but more related to bones than anything else. His bones had to be removed, but not entirely, as they were too damaged and even smashed away. Like a main source cut away, they ¡®rotted¡¯. Meanwhile, the Mintip added into his arm would take the place of those bones that must be removed, but it wasn¡¯t a bone structure added in. More like the infrastructure of an enormous building, be it with cement, wood, or Courusel machinery production. Phesx¡¯s Mintip arm parts were to keep his arm with what made it an arm. Some pipeline or tubing around his arm were the main focus of this addition, turning his entire arm not just into a completely healed one, but one that had defense of its own, without any bion or armor. Phesx¡¯s arm would become a piece of armor in and of itself. He would also naturally carry a tremendous force with that arm, besides doing something only the highest biotech could do. This ultra processed Mintip could adhere to his body, adapt to the evolution that Phesx¡¯s body had gone through, and may still go on with. Phesx could potentially improve his strange uniqueness with the new left arm, also retaining them in his arm. With this, there was, of course, the prospect of filling his body with these properties and further enhance his evolution. As long as they weren¡¯t bions, and it was the simple, purely instrumentation of ultra-processed Mintip into his body, Phesx would remain a human, and not a cyborg or humanoid mecha. ¡°When can the surgery start?¡± Phesx asked the doctor, feeling good about it. He didn¡¯t show any emotion, as always, though. The doctor nodded, already used to Phesx, but still disappointed to see this reaction. ¡°We¡¯ll do it today. It might take 3 days, but the best time would be 1 day.¡± ¡°3 days is fine. I could use the rest,¡± Phesx nodded before expressing. The doctor followed in the gesture. Then, Phesx added, ¡°No more experimentation with my body. I won¡¯t allow it.¡± ¡°Yes. Of course,¡± the doctor nodded. Phesx repeated the notion. They had already talked about it, so the doctor was clear on Phesx¡¯s detest for being treated as anything but a brief client. The doctor showed the rest of the documents to him. ¡°Now, here are some complicated matters to explain. Phesx, you¡¯ve been diagnosed after all these days, getting a lot of us to work day and night to finish as quickly as we could.¡± The doc said as Phesx looked at the documents. Then, the doc spoke atop Phesx¡¯s reading. ¡°You¡¯ve been detected with 18 different types of cancer. The most ¡®advanced¡¯ is lung cancer. However, there¡¯s this something with you, Phesx. Your¡­ body is not allowing itself to die just from these¡­ conditions. They are not what is keeping you alive, but rather, they are just stagnant there, like filth between furniture. Except, nothing can¡¯t be done with these. And¡­ they¡¯ve already started taking a toll on you, perhaps since a couple of years.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx lifted his chin and gazed at the doctor. That was a lot of information to take in. Phesx thought back to a few moments that weren¡¯t that few after going through them anymore. When he processed a little, he frowned and looked around before asking, ¡°Am I dying?¡± ¡°Yes. You have been for the past few years, is what we believe. An approximate of how long until¡­ maybe 30 years, Phesx.¡± The doctor responded, falling silent afterwards. Phesx looked up, slightly furrowing his eyebrows before asking with a little shake of his head. He gave no importance to the former. ¡°Does this also affect my fertility?¡± ¡°I was just getting to that,¡± said the doctor, ¡°Your overall sexual capabilities do seem ¡®immortal¡¯. They¡¯re all perfect, and the sperm count is healthy. Yet, while you do have fertility, it is negligible. You should be able to impregnate a woman, but your sperm¡­ We¡¯ve got to name it ¡®self-destruction¡¯. It simply loses all its ¡®life¡¯ away and becomes ¡®nutrients¡¯ instead.¡± ¡°The same happens to your blood, sweat, saliva, and even your urine. It¡¯s not balanced. Your sweat and saliva had the most ¡®regular¡¯ properties, while your blood has the largest.¡± The doctor went on as Phesx refocused on the documents. ¡°You could actually help someone heal an injury. We haven¡¯t researched enough to know the extent, but we¡¯ve discovered something peculiar.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t wish for it to be extracted, or to ¡®heal¡¯ someone¡¯s wounds, your fluids only help like a disinfectant. But if you do, as you did to those guineas in comparison to the criminal subjects we tested, it does seem to work.¡± The doctor became a little excited as he went, and growing more. Phesx also became a little intrigued. He was clearly not thinking about his dying state. Thus, the doctor continued without obstruction, ¡°Your urine doesn¡¯t seem to do much, but it can, haha, affect the air, you know? It loses smell after 10 minutes in the open air, in a sterile environment or not. It lasts longer, but it also takes longer to ¡®heal¡¯ anything. It¡¯s only with living beings, no objects or dead lifeforms are affected.¡± ¡°So, I could¡­ make someone drink m-¡± Phesx slowly asked. The doctor cut him off, thankfully, ¡°Essentially yes, or pour it. You get the deal.¡± Phesx smirked strongly from the left corner of his mouth. The doctor smiled, too. Then, his expression calmed down again as he continued, with Phesx awaiting still. ¡°You have anxiety, Phesx¡­ depression, and autism. This is important, you must meet a therapist to continue activities in the District.¡± ¡°Go on,¡± Phesx directly said, somewhat serious, and heavily breathing in and out. The doctor nodded, ¡°You have also been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Paranoid, catatonic, hebephrenic, undifferentiated, and there¡¯s the possibility you¡¯re also residual. It¡¯s¡­ a full set, of sorts.¡± Phesx remained silent and breathed in. At this point, he didn¡¯t even know if having more made a point, but he let this continue. The doctor still had more important mentions to elaborate on, ¡°You have psychopathy, too. Phesx. Quite a strong ¡®one¡¯, too. But your EQ has shown enough potential to¡­ balance it out, so to speak.¡± ¡°Mmn,¡± Phesx lightly hummed. Before the doctor continued, Phesx smiled, self-mockingly, and wondered out loud. ¡°Just how is a hoog secret organization to require something from me, then? Isn¡¯t it ridiculous that they¡¯ll spend so much for me, who has these absurdly many issues to work with? What worth would I even make in their eyes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just your body that has evolved. If you didn¡¯t have a mentality and mindset like the one you have, even one of these conditions is enough to jeopardize any person, even you. It isn¡¯t, and the reason is obvious. You¡¯ve proven your worth, and you even learned that art. There¡¯s almost no one in the world who could, but you¡¯ve begun learning from it.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx fell silent, or continued to be so. He thought of the many things that have happened since Preut. If he hadn¡¯t lied in that government therapy one-time session, would things have drastically changed? Ultimately, it was always him refusing whatever help was thrown at him, on his face, just before him. ¡°As for your eyes, well.¡± The doctor took a deep breath before beginning again, ¡°You have severe polycoria, persistent pupillary membrane, also known as PPM, and tunica vasculosa lentils. However, there are some new properties that might be worthwhile announcing. Phesx, we¡¯ve discovered a few new conditions, and we¡¯ll like you to name them, if you would like to.¡± Phesx softly lifted his eyebrows before blowing light air from his nostrils. He sat up on his stretcher before hearing the doctor out. The beginning of¡­ finally learning about himself, and accepting it, had begun. ¡­ Shortly after being revealed all the things he hid in that little head of his, and his body, Phesx was brought to the operations room. He met each of the other doctors and surgeons to work his body and recuperate his arm. They would have to amputate it so they could begin taking the bad parts of bones out and introduce the ultra Mintip in. At the same time, they ought to keep a connection with Phesx¡¯s body, to let both detached arm and body and mind know it wasn¡¯t over yet, as they proceeded. Phesx had to be constantly sedated, with not just red syringes but raw, mashed herbal consumption to keep him steady. It was found out that Phesx wasn¡¯t allergic per se, but his body refused the ¡®treatment¡¯ that any medicine gave him. Fundamentally, processed ingredients were like a disdainful beverage for his body and mind. However, when consuming the whole thing raw, even when mixing it with other unprocessed products, it could work. Many formulas were being experimented, but those to put Phesx to sleep and not feel horrendous pain had been intricately researched for this operation. The rest would come at a later time, when Phesx was long into the world of PSD and the others, who were being paid well to aid Phesx¡¯s future life as a special agent, continued researching. Like this, days passed as Phesx¡¯s arm had long started to reconnect with his body, no longer a flesh lump that dangled from his side, and soon to become such a powerful weapon. . . . 11th month, 3rd week¡¯s 7th day. Phesx opened his eyes in a bright room. It was morning, and the light came from the sun, which was high up and the people way below were moving nonstop. He sat in his stretcher in an open space, with only curtains blocking his immediate left and right. Standing up with ease, Phesx took his shirt off and looked at his arm. It was just as always, but new and unchanged. However, he felt the ultra Mintip inside his body, and more so as he moved around. Testing his nimbleness, Phesx felt like an invisible itch all over his body disappeared. He sighed, facing the ceiling after throwing his head backwards. Phesx relaxed his body, his arms, everything. Then, he walked to the windows. He realized he was still in the factory, only at a high floor and alone in an infirmary. There were a few people walking and sitting here and there. After staring at the city, Phesx walked away to a reception to ask for clothes. He still had 5,000 credits now after renting a cheap apartment and buying some food. ¡­ First, Phesx moved down to the training areas. There, he met Mena, who was seemingly waiting for him, at the entrance. She brought him to the new recruits¡¯ section, where she simply left him there and returned to whatever other duties she had. Phesx was met with frowning, curious faces. It was no secret who he was, but nobody was foolish enough to denounce the District, or ask why he was here. After some disdain and challenging glances, the training regimen began. Phesx had no problem getting used to the activities. The trainer, a 1st Grade special agent, taught them a bit of the breath and the need for their bodies to grow resilient and gain stamina, not just strength and reflexes. The first day went through, with Phesx learning that the Piya Sanctum District¡¯s learning experience was pretty different. If he had to put it in some words, at least in the entry level, it was like watching videos on the internet. It was all brief, simple. But one had to work harder. Repeating the same thing over and over again while tiring oneself until the calves hurt and wrists could barely turn, evening came, and the training ended, at least for the actual new recruits. Phesx was more than fine, and with his left arm, he felt even more healthy than ever. When heading out of the factory, Phesx stopped to talk to Mena, as hundreds of others exited the factory from the main entrance, too. She received him with a polite smile, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°How can I make money?¡± Phesx bluntly asked. Mena looked at him with scrutinizing, quiet eyes, ¡°Well. Let me get ahead of the District. We encourage our special agents to find a business, own it, and live with the expenses from it. Tasks pay well, but the expenses to improve are enormous. For example, I get a little paid working here, especially if I¡¯m injured and can¡¯t go out.¡± ¡°But I also own a Dawn stylized restaurant where most of my money comes from. I usually don¡¯t craft my own things, so I don¡¯t waste my credits too much in getting bions or ammo. We are meant not to rely on each other in these matters, and are advised to find a source of income for ourselves. This way, we won¡¯t be tracked or connected, letting us, the District¡¯s SAs, live, get rich, and contribute.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Phesx nodded, a bit lost. Mena noticed and pressed her lips together before offering him advice, ¡°We have a list of possible good business everywhere. From Proteros to Lymaospas¨®, Lydfe, and Lydhua. I can let you take a look, if you promise to give me a discount in the future, hmm?¡± ¡°¡­ There are workshops here?¡± Phesx nodded, but he fell silent, processing her words. Mena smiled, putting her hands on her hips and strongly nodded, ¡°Oh boy. You have seen nothing yet.¡± With that, Phesx thanked the helpful young woman before exiting the factory. He had something to do, and it was very simple. He had to find a therapist so the PSD would see him cooperate, and get to business soon. It was soon night, but there were therapists who worked morning and night, during the day and late night, and so on. Phesx had a list, as he couldn¡¯t just go to anyone with his identity. It wasn¡¯t cleared yet, and Phesx didn¡¯t even know how it would be cleared up. More so, Phesx had no idea what to expect from the PSD. He was just continuing living, nothing else. If there was something to look forwards to, Phesx didn¡¯t have it. Although he was indeed curious of Lymoca after Butler spoke of their direct involvement with the government, it was nothing. Walking for a few tens of minutes, Phesx arrived at a building with wide glass gates and tall windows. He went in, checked with the receptionist, and waited until it was his turn. The receptionist looked shaken when she saw him, but didn¡¯t do anything odd. When it was Phesx¡¯s turn, he was called into the therapist¡¯s office, where he closed the door and met the first therapist he would try to work with. 2 minutes later, Phesx walked out without giving anyone in the building another glance. Once outside, he took another look at the list before heading in another direction. He didn¡¯t have a phone or anything to aid him, but he wanted to remain alone. Thus, he used the technological panels around the streets to locate himself. Little by little, the night became late, and Phesx returned to his apartment. Sleeping for a few hours before returning to the factory, and when that was finished in the evening, he went out to hunt¡­ for a therapist, again. A new routine commenced. . . . 1 month later. Phesx had gone through countless therapists, from getting in touch with them on the internet to meeting them in Proteros, Phesx has met many people daily who were supposed to aid him. The result? Not that great, and always a correct expected feeling of disappointment. ¡­ In one time, Phesx met an old lady who was elegant and sophisticated, with a slow, patient voice, but that also required patience. It was fine in the first few minutes of their ¡®tryout¡¯ session, as Phesx had to make a ¡®test¡¯ to see if anyone would take him, of which a third declines him. ¡°How are your feelings lately?¡± The old lady had asked, but Phesx was an empty shell that began dreaming of murdering targets and killing SAs, who felt much nicer to kill than criminals. Should he tell her that? Of course not. He couldn¡¯t. So he simply replied with, ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything.¡± And from then on, the old lady looked at him. It wasn¡¯t an awkward moment, or one where she sweated because she didn¡¯t know how to continue, she just didn¡¯t speak at all. If it wasn¡¯t because Phesx could hear her heartbeat, he would¡¯ve believed she was dead or dying. ¡­ On another occasion, Phesx met with a middle-aged man wearing a simple, gray suit. Trim-short hair and benevolent facial resting expression. Phesx had to begin first, as the man smiled thinly and nudged his head towards him, as if asking what was the problem. Thus, Phesx bluntly spouted, ¡°I don¡¯t think of anything else besides trying my new¡­ equipment. I always remember that day in Sargonde, wondering how much easier everything would¡¯ve been¡­ Especially when I could protect someone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can help you,¡± the therapist said with sweat falling even from his butt, tweaking in his seat. ¡­ There was also this time when Phesx was the one to walk out. He met a young therapist, a young man, who had a rockstar image and long, wild hairstyle. Everything went well for 30 minutes, until Phesx said something he now knew not to say when he felt his instincts warning him. ¡°I always target either the neck, brains, or heart when killing my enemies. It depends on what I feel my enemy deserves.¡± Phesx had spoken. The therapist¡¯s eyes contents dilated a bit. ¡°How is that so? Please, elaborate.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Phesx elaborated, gesturing to the parts of the body each time before resting his hands when explaining why. ¡°Brains. It is the execution less meaningful and with possible hatred meaning behind it. Neck. Neutral; I killed most of the targets I had doing something to their neck. I also like seeing them choke in their blood to those who try to kill me¡­¡± ¡°Heart is for respect. If I kill someone by striking there, selectively and with a choice to do otherwise, it means a lot to me. I suppose?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Phesx looked at the therapist after finishing. The young man rubbed his palms on his thighs out of excitement and licked his lips. Phesx decided to stand up and leave after the therapist said the following ¡®comforting¡¯ words. ¡°I think what you¡¯ve done is very meritorious to the country. Many people, especially for under paid, discriminated guards and patrolling keepers from any job. They¡¯ve complained to the Supreme Court Justice because of not allowing them to be reimbursed in case something does happen to them. Have you thought of killing more? This could help¡­¡± Slam. Phesx left the place at once, slamming the door and all. He wasn¡¯t afraid, he just felt like that therapist was like someone trying to recruit him to the other side. Phesx was not like that. However, not everything was lost. Today, Phesx would meet with a therapist who was just at the center of Proteros, and where Phesx now knew a few terrains could be bought to build a house. If one was to buy even more terrain, then they could just build a mansion, owning an entire block for themselves. ¡­ Chapter 88 — Recognition Recognition The place was a quiet, warm, cozy place. Even its lobby was tranquil, and there was a bonfire sound repeating ever so smoothly as Phesx waited, sitting with his legs spread and his body bent forth. The middle-aged receptionist didn''t even look at him, although this was his first time coming, and it was just a tryout. She was polite not to stare. ¡°Phesx Caolia?¡± The receptionist announced. Phesx stood up and walked to her. The lady was attentive and noticed him. There were a few others around. She addressed him, ¡°In a minute or two, you can have your session with miss Mona. She will attend you soon. Would you like a snack? We have frozen pizza, pastries, and a few types of candy.¡± ¡°Umm, pizza is fine,¡± Phesx decided after thinking for a moment with his eyes upturned. The lady moved and tapped her hands across the drawn keyboard on the desk before a young boy with uniform carried a hot pizza from a door behind the lady. ¡°Here it is, sir,¡± the young boy delivered the pizza before leaving. Phesx tilted his head to the right, analyzing the pizza. It smelled just like that one place which he partially owns¡­ though who knew if that was still the case. ¡°Thanks,¡± Phesx expressed before eating his snack at the counter. The lady didn¡¯t seem bothered, gently continuing her work at her pace. A few minutes later, the door to the therapist¡¯s office opened, and a young schoolgirl walked out with colorful yet mismatching socks and a big smile plastered on her face. ¡°Go on,¡± the lady hurried him. Phesx ate the last bits from his slice and left the disposable plate, hurrying into the office. Once inside, he took his jacket off and placed it on his lap as he sat before a desk. The chair on the other side of the desk was turned the other way. A few seconds later, the person sitting there grabbed a few documents and swung them in the air before turning around. There she was, miss Mona. She had dull orange, long and thick curly hair, creamy bronze skin, and deep dark brown eyes. She had glasses as she looked at Phesx, who looked back at her. Phesx, as always, didn¡¯t expect any connection, or understanding between both. ¡°You always place something on your lap? You must have lost the need to have someone beside you. How sorry I am. Would you like to have a taller chair next time?¡± She suddenly voiced. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx didn¡¯t expect that, much less his startlement. The miss looked at him, with her face position changing angles before pushing him. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to talk right away. I see you have many things to consider, which correlates to many things I will be attending as you come here, if you decide to return. We have time.¡± ¡°A¡­ chair with taller armrest would be okay¡­ closer backrest to the edge, too, but with a cushion, mn.¡± Phesx thought for a moment before speaking, tilting his head to the right at the end of his words. Mona smiled and blew from her nostrils before presenting herself, not extending her hand and just staring at Phesx with her hands resting on the edge of her desk¡¯s side. ¡°I¡¯m Morena, your therapist. Call me by my name or my abbreviation, okay?¡± ¡°Mn-¡± Phesx nodded, about to politely say his, when she cut him off. With narrowed eyes, she said along a thin smile, ¡°You don¡¯t have to say what you don¡¯t want to. Is there a way you¡¯d like me to call you?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Phesx hung his head backwards, staring at the ceiling. He rotated left and right on the chair before saying, then, he lowered his gaze to Mona, ¡°Fox.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Morena nodded before writing something in one of the documents on her desk. Phesx saw this and thought for a moment before asking, ¡°Who was that young girl? Was she a special agent, too?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I should tell you that. You don¡¯t like others asking about you, and others telling them, do you?¡± Mona smiled and said, facing downwards. Phesx scratched a nonexistent itch to the left of his nose, ¡°She just didn¡¯t seem like one.¡± ¡°Then she¡¯s doing her job well, haha.¡± Mona looked at him and chuckled. She seemed elegant and graceful. After writing something else, she looked at Phesx and added, ¡°She is a White Blood, WB?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Phesx nodded in understanding. He struck while the iron was hot and asked, ¡°What blood would I belong to?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mona seemed to think of a few things before blinking, adopting a casual expression. ¡°Well, are you good for combat? Direct, first response, and prolonged?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Phesx nodded. Mona puckered her lower lip, continuing, ¡°How about espionage and counter-espionage?¡± ¡°Also yes,¡± Phesx lowered his chin in agreement without blinking. Mona tilted her head to the left, ¡°And what about assassinations and counter assassinations?¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Phesx shortly nodded a few times. Mona blinked, seemingly at a loss for words. She suddenly smiled with a chuckle, ¡°Well then, Fox. You¡¯re perfect for anything. Which do you like more?¡± ¡°Killing, so, Red?¡± Phesx tiled his head and expressed. Mona shrugged her shoulders, cocking her head to the right before smiling, showing teeth. ¡°All those are good, but nothing¡¯s stopping you from achieving more, no?¡± ¡°Is the Butler not the leading role?¡± Phesx asked, curious. Since Mona seemed to know a lot, then he would dry her out. Mona shook her head a little, ¡°All I know is that it is a rank, not Grade nor Captain, above it and not at the same time. Especial. Although ¡®Butlers¡¯ have been the leading spirit of PSD for generations. Meant to be.¡± ¡°Would you like to talk about that? That night in Sargonde?¡± Mona suddenly interrupted their conversation with something else. Phesx looked straight at her and fell silent. Mona caught onto something, as she asked, ¡°Is there a reason you wouldn¡¯t want to? Something that happened¡­ or someone? Which means everything of why you would rather not?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia looked at the therapist with some apprehension. He didn¡¯t dislike being here, nor her. He could work with this. Phesx blinked one last time before deciding, filling his lungs before saying, ¡°Yes, one. But she will be the only person I will speak about.¡± ¡°In all of our talks, or just for this Sargonde night¡¯s session?¡± Mona asked, lowering her face sternly. Phesx nonchalantly nodded. Mona grimaced, pouting the let corner of her mouth, ¡°Are you sure? Wouldn¡¯t you want to talk of others, too? You can honor them, or give yourself time to recognize them. Not because you¡¯re talking about them to me, or someone, but because they formed a step you already stepped on and can¡¯t experience it again.¡± ¡°No.¡± Phesx became pensive, but he still responded with a refusal. Mona closed her eyes and nodded a few times, a little. She sat up and leaned, passing him a paper and pen before saying, ¡°Before we get to our first talk, how about you tell me or write all the rules and things you¡¯d like implemented? I¡¯ll keep them in check for our every session.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx was going to reject, when he randomly took the pen and wrote a sentence before he could notice. Stopping right after, Phesx blinked in thought before giving up, he continued writing. In front, Mona sighed in relief. Not out of fear and feeling safe and sound after half-taming the beast, but because she could do the job probably no other would dare to take. Since Mona managed to convince him, then she had the responsibility of¡­ maybe an entire ¡®special agent¡¯ generation. . . . 2 months went by. Phesx Caolia¡¯s daily routine was the same every week, daily, and sections from the 24 hours in every day. He went to train from the morning to the late afternoon. At first, during the first month, the training only advanced to basic killing moves, firearm practice and watching senior agents demonstrating fighting skills and responses. But afterwards, during the 2nd and 3rd month since he began training, Phesx and the other recruits began sparring with each other. Phesx was said to be a great combatant, able to surpass the encircling of hundreds of lagj agents. However, just one day since the sparring began, only taking a small fraction of the training, Phesx was regarded as a weak agent. Instead, they believed Phesx could indeed best hundreds of people, but only if they were ¡®untrained¡¯ guards, like those in the Sargonde lavish building. Whenever Phesx was sparring, be it during mass-activities, he was easily brought down. Phesx would just receive a blow and fall on his bum or back. Be it a shy future agent, or someone trying to beat the shit out of him for fame, they all succeeded. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Of course, Phesx was always down quickly, and if anyone showed they had no restraint, they might be declined entry into the Grades for another 3 months. Thus, Phesx Caolia always fell too fast and helplessly, not allowing for a follow-up to hit him harder. At first, despite the knowledge of his ¡®traitorous¡¯ acts of killing so many innocent people, at least when it came to the guards, the others didn¡¯t bat an eye towards it. It was cynical, perhaps, but there was also a level of understanding between agents and future agents. When Phesx began to be beaten, it changed. It then became a source of humiliation and disdain, where anyone who beat him, even those who were neutral towards him, poured salt on daily like the worst insult. Phesx saving the vice president was as if it never happened. It was but human behavior. Phesx couldn¡¯t be genuinely bothered. The sparring only became longer and hectic as the weeks passed by. At first, it was only a small section of the training, but then, it became nearly all day long. At first, the recruits fought cautiously, trying to show off here and there and listening to everything their instructors told them. As time passed, the instructions became harsh reverberating, which the recruits addressed and struggled to improve. Similarly, the recruits sparred with more confidence, didn¡¯t bother about flashy moves, and were respectful to one another. Even Phesx was no longer mocked during training. At least not as openly as before. Nevertheless, Phesx was beaten down with more ease and less reservation. He started to get annoyed by their strikes. But that wouldn¡¯t be all. If the PSD really only let Phesx play around little chicks, they wouldn¡¯t have become a hoog secret organization, when they have supposedly placed much importance on him. And indeed, a week after the 2nd month, Phesx began to be called by the 1st or 2nd Grade instructors teaching everyone, after every class. He came out of the factory at night because of this, but Mona didn¡¯t have a problem to receive him so late, so there was no problem for Phesx. If only, he was called to a small compartment in the training area, bringing attention to himself. In those smaller training sessions, Phesx would spar against his status seniors. The first time, he planned to be just as useless as with the recruits, but the senior, a 1st Grade agent, recommended him to go all out. Phesx had no reason to refuse, and the agent hinted at not telling anyone about his progress ¡®in here¡¯. It was clear that PSD didn¡¯t want to just know Phesx was being cooperative. They also needed to know how he was doing, and what he was capable of. More than anything, if the bloodbath-maker everyone heard about was still there. As a result, Phesx hesitated no more and went all-out in his first sparring. It was nothing difficult, just sparring. But it brought Phesx¡¯s secret world understanding to a new level, one which he needed but didn¡¯t realize before. The natural difference between lagj and hoog. A 2nd grade agent was easily on par with any Instructor in Riverlye, while a 1st Grade was well above even those the likes of Mel and Bael. Naturally, Phesx has surpassed the latter some time ago, and after resuming training and learning a few new things even in this novice training, he was even a bit more skilled than before. That was without using his arm or savage breath that Emer taught him. Phesx wouldn¡¯t utilize his strongest trump cards, especially his ¡®ultra¡¯ nails or fangs. These were known by the doctor, and thus, the Piya Sanctum District, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Regardless, Phesx only used his melee expertise and ruthlessness to himself and his sparring partners, drawing the line of where his style and determination remained. No one from the recruits knew about Phesx¡¯s combat prowess after going into those personal sparring sessions. However, the more time was spent like this, the more the instructors felt awkward seeing the recruits so full of themselves when striking Phesx down. Most of the instructing agents couldn¡¯t even definitely beat Phesx, after all¡­ Phesx incorporated strangely well into the recruits¡¯ batch without the recruits knowing, only the instructing seniors were in the known, and the superiors, perhaps. ¡­ On this day. Year 1,025, 2nd month, 4th week¡¯s 2nd day. Phesx was now 18 years old. He could do many things he wasn¡¯t supposed to before, or others with him. He was a good person now, and only now. Currently, it was still early afternoon, and the instructing seniors let everyone relax for the rest of the day. To them, it was a slap on the wrist, as the confirmation or ¡®delaying¡¯ of their entry to the District would be revealed in less than a week. Their 3 months of training was pretty much complete. However, to Phesx, it was boring. He had no knowns in the District, not even Mena or the doctor, to spend time with. Even if there were chances to make some, which Phesx hadn¡¯t, he would have most likely not given it any effort. After Riverlye, he just couldn¡¯t get to care about anyone nor anything. While he was still going to therapy and was acquiescent, a good comrade recruit, the other recruits had followed the seniors¡¯ instructions to own a business. It wasn¡¯t easy, and they couldn¡¯t help each other, but there was nothing stopping them from accomplishing it. In one way, it seemed unnecessary, but after a small group achieved it, and showed their ¡®rise¡¯ in training efficiency, the rest followed. Animals were but of all shapes and colors, and humans were no different. Nevertheless, in this ¡®free¡¯ day, Phesx was bored. Deadly bored. He only had about 1,000 credits left, with the cheap apartment much lower than his ¡®deluxe¡¯ apartment atop a pizzeria¡¯s rooftop, of a few hundred credits per week. Now, he only had a little over those 1,000 credits. The recruits were required to have an ¡®alibi¡¯ of ¡®finding themselves¡¯ to enter the Piya Sanctum District recruitment program. Something like traveling to Dawn¡¯s temples or losing themselves in a jungle or ruins of the ancient Lylaco Empire¡¯s periods. They had to give up on their lives for some time, disappear from the radar. But once the recruitment training regimen started, they could basically ¡®go back¡¯ to existing in the real world. Phesx was different, if only ¡®a little¡¯. No one would bother with him, and his kin were no longer of importance, not even to make a call or be investigated. Furthermore, not even Phesx had any idea why he was so important like this, but he couldn¡¯t care, at least for now. Regardless, PSD¡¯s special agents couldn¡¯t be nonexistent people. In the end, they should own a business and represent themselves in the real world, having a life of their own, while serving the district, and as a result, their country. It might not be much worth mentioning, but as all hoogs accustomed so that everyone in their ranks were Lys, by blood, documented nationalization, or proven loyalty. Unlike the lagjs, which were the ¡®mercenary¡¯ lower version of a hoog. Or at least that¡¯s what Phesx has understood after a few months in its HQ. Furthermore, the Piya Sanctum District should have enormous bases everywhere in Lymoca. Maybe not as large as the Plastics Recycler Factory, but definitely as large as Riverlye¡¯s HQ, or more. As for the factory¡­ Indeed, it was a factory. Many plastics were recycled, even stored and prepared for selling. This wasn¡¯t the Butler¡¯s property, but the District¡¯s. The goods would be stored downstairs, in the several underground garages that were perhaps even larger than Riverlye¡¯s HQ just by the encompassing range underneath, let alone that these weren¡¯t separated in long corridors only. Phesx only visited it a few times with Mena, coming to help her move and organize supplies to receive some bion components for himself for free. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t work them without adequate equipment, which was too costly for the penniless Phesx Caolia. During his nights, he went to his therapist, whom he spoke and let Mona speak to him of the things he didn¡¯t want to be told but needed. She also made him face some realities, like his psychopathy no longer being instinctively masked, and letting it flourish. Unlike that one therapist, Mona wasn¡¯t excited to talk about his murderous achievements, only to make him see through it all in ways he refuses to out of disdain and annoyance. In a pace he considered understandable, and with someone to frown upon when he felt it was too much. In this case, Morena was quite brave. She wasn¡¯t a member of PSD, but a worker that is assimilated with them. She¡¯s but a government friendly worker who got in between PSD and Lymoca, a rather convenient yet comical record that allowed her to have these many opportunities. And now, Phesx sat in a quiet coffee shop in front of Mona¡¯s building. It was closed for now, but it was all Phesx watched to spend the rest of the sunlight time. He might look desperate, but he was just bored to untold degrees. Just as the late afternoon was finishing, and Phesx could have his session in an hour or two, he felt a strange occurrence. Turning his head to the entrance, drinking from a straw, Phesx watched a young woman walk into the shop. Goldish-pale, white skin. Gray, light blue eyes. She was tall, and her golden blonde hair was a short mushroom style down to just above her shoulders. Exotic, feminine, and slightly seductive. When she stepped in, her eyes turned to Phesx, barely moving her head. Yet, she suddenly stopped, closing the door slowly while facing him. Phesx looked at her, he stared at her, and he glanced at her. His lips inadvertently left the straw, letting some saliva trace his lips to it. At some point, with both looking at each other for quite a few seconds, wearing nothing but serious, thoughtful, and besotted emotions in the face from Phesx¡¯s part. Indifference, chilling coldness, and understanding from the gracious blonde beauty¡¯s part. She nodded up at him. Phesx blinked, suddenly breathing in as his surrounding world resumed to ordinary before nodding at her. Then, the young woman walked into the coffee shop, making her order at the counter before sitting on the other side of the coffee shop, where a few walls obstructed Phesx¡¯s sight. Phesx Caolia was smitten, indeed. But so what? When Phesx was leaving, as he noticed the barista at the counter where the beautiful young woman ordered give him a nasty glance, a waiter brought him the bill. Easily noticing 15 extra credits in the cost, Phesx peacefully left the coffee shop, throwing the garbage in the trash can outside. He didn¡¯t notice, but the young woman from before had just peeked out of a wall she walked past earlier, flinging her beautiful golden blonde hair in the air as she cutely hung her head sideways. She watched Phesx remain impassive and tilted her already hanging head to the left, pensive and indifferent. Phesx walked to Mona¡¯s building, whom he missed entering when the blonde came into the shop, distracting him. As he did, the building¡¯s lights turned on one by one. He behaved politely and retraced her steps to make time and not show up as soon as she arrived to work, and for a few other reasons. After lapping twice around the street, Phesx returned to the building entrance, looking sideways before going in. He also checked the coffee shop. The specimen he was smitten by was no longer present, which seemed just fitting for someone like him. Going up, he saw the middle-aged receptionist flirted up by a grandpa, getting all blushed and laughing. Phesx looked at them with cute, fully open eyes before she ushered him to go in, already expected by miss Mona. Phesx walked into the office and saw Mona preparing herself some tea. He habitually brought a couple of cups from the stand at the extreme of the room before sitting in his comfy chair with tall armrests. ¡°Phew,¡± Mona sat across the desk with a teapot, exhaling as she filled the cups before directly blasting Phesx with grand news. ¡°Drink up, Fox. You¡¯re becoming an official agent tomorrow. You¡¯ll have a hard task ahead of you. Are you ready to have every little one of your buttons pushed?¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± ¡­ Chapter 89 — Roroa Roroa Walking out of the office, Mona saw Phesx Caolia out. As he stepped out of the door, she called him in a soft, low voice. ¡°Fox, are you still bothered by your reproductive conditions?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Phesx, ¡°It wouldn''t have changed anything, so no.¡± ¡°Well then, prepare for tomorrow, and don¡¯t ask too many questions. You don¡¯t have these chances so often.¡± Mona said, nodding at him. Phesx faced her and blinked before asking, ¡°How much do you know?¡± ¡°Not that much,¡± Mona lightly smiled after puckering her lower lip, ¡°As your successful therapist, able to hold you back from ¡®scaring¡¯ too many therapists in PSD¡¯s sphere of influence, I was told a few more things¡­ They are very confidential, and even if they weren¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t talk about them. You¡­ have a long path ahead.¡± ¡°Um¡­ well then,¡± Phesx frowned a bit before nodding. He thought for a moment, his eyes darting around, before voicing, ¡°After this¡­ mission, or task, whatever it is. Will I have to continue seeing you still?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Mona nodded, she then fell silent, just staring at him with a sincere gaze. Not having to hear more words, or a joking phrase to ¡®lighten the mood¡¯, Phesx breathed a little more at ease. He nodded and turned, walking out of the lobby before going down the stairs. ¡­ Phesx walked out and headed to the Plastics Recycler Factory. He couldn¡¯t just wait, though. Before entering the factory, he deviated and took a walk around the entire district. But with his impatience, and even a tiny bit excited state, he only wasted a little over an hour to return to the factory. So he took more walks until the early morning was giving rise to its first lights. At last, Phesx Caolia went into the factory and walked to the receptionist, but she just looked at him. When he walked to the counter, the double backdoors opened, with Butler coming out of them, staring at Phesx. ¡°You¡¯ve come. You could¡¯ve just enter and we would have begun at night, you know?¡± Said butler. Phesx blinked, lightly parting his lips as Mena narrowed her eyes and restrained as ever giggles she almost burst with. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Phesx didn¡¯t know what to follow with. Butler gestured inside, ¡°Shall we begin?¡± Phesx shrugged, pressing his lips together as Mena opened the little door around the counter for him. Butler didn¡¯t wait for him and started walking. Phesx could only follow a few meters behind. They walked for quite a few minutes before Butler went up some stairs. A minute later, they arrived at the highest floor in the building. Phesx Caolia looked around, being here for the first time, with many special agents wearing armor and even bulletproof vests of the top-notch quality. They had green painting on their bodies and face; Green Blood, guarding everywhere. There was an occasional guard with white painting between them, White Blood. Butler guided Phesx to a wide, spacious room with a large meeting table in the middle and seats with slightly tall backrests, all made of the same wood and with the same color. There weren¡¯t many people involved, but there were still quite a few here. Butler gestured to Phesx so he could sit while the others chatted to each other a little longer before taking seats in front of him, on the other side of the table, and quite a bit away. ¡°Phesx, these are some of the Piya Sanctum District¡¯s captains of the Green, White, and Red Blood factions. They are each following their leader captain,¡± the Butler introduced the people to Phesx, all monumental to the District. Now, Phesx knew he wasn¡¯t being played around. Butler gestured to a man. ¡°This one here is the Green Blood¡¯s leader captain, Nauer.¡± Nauer was a white man with black eyes; blond, and tall. He was rather young compared to the other 2 leader captains. He was military, it was that obvious, but his hair had an elegant style. The other Captains around him were a little older, but also of similar age to his, or even a bit younger. However, that seemed fitting for what Phesx saw in the other small groups. Butler gestured to another man and introduced Phesx, ¡°This is Lian, the White Blood¡¯s leader captain.¡± Lian is a black, old man, with also a military touch to himself, and brown hair and eyes. At least from whatever wasn¡¯t white or gray. Lian looked well above 100, maybe even 110 years old. Besides Emer, this was the first time Phesx saw someone this old in the secret world. He almost felt a little respect straight away. ¡°My- our Red Blood¡¯s leader captain chose not to come here, rather to grieve a master¡¯s death. Instead, there¡¯s what is considered the leader captain¡¯s right and left hand.¡± Butler nodded to a brown, old man with balding hair before turning his head to Phesx Caolia. ¡°One of these will be your leader in the near future, not too long from now. But that¡¯s not entirely what you¡¯re here for,¡± Butler seemed to get straight to the point. Phesx listened attentively. Egoaiz Prein continued, ¡°Phesx, you have been spoken of very well. Any firsts or seconds you¡¯ve sparred against praise and envy you, we must say.¡± The other leader captains slightly nodded their heads, with Nauer blinking in understanding. Phesx randomly blinked, though. These buildups for ¡®buts¡¯ were always big. ¡°You have been granted 1st Grade rank,¡± Butler dropped it. The others were silent and stared at Phesx Caolia, while he nodded and didn¡¯t know why everyone was silent. Knowing this was the moment, Butler added, ¡°You should know, everyone starts at threes, few at seconds.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx¡¯s body paused on the spot. He had nothing to say to himself other than knowing what was coming next, and that there was no way out. ¡®Oh.¡¯ ¡°There isn¡¯t really a reason to promote someone from a recruit to an agent of the highest rank available. The training isn¡¯t meant to make ¡®godly monsters¡¯ of the secret world, no. That comes with time, independently of our training, but the agents themselves.¡± ¡°The 3rd Grade isn¡¯t weak, as you might know. It might be below the superiors you had in Riverlye. It¡¯s the same when in comparison of other lagjs, but only the most optimal agents are granted 2nd Grade this early because of their other qualities. Yet, Phesx, you¡¯ve shown you have more than a few extra qualities, even before joining the training regimen.¡± ¡°Your fellow new special agents will also wonder why you were given such treatment, and you wouldn¡¯t want that, would you?¡± Butler looked at Phesx with upturned eyes. Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t know what to do know, there was nothing he could use to navigate through this but to acquiesce. ¡°Hence, the Piya Sanctum District has decided to give you a worthy task to demonstrate it. This won¡¯t only put your killing skills to the test, nor will it only last a few days or weeks. A lot of commitment is needed, a lot. Understood? Analyze it now, you¡¯re departing in 4 days.¡± Butler passed him a small folder with just a couple of documents inside. Phesx listened to Butler until he finished, taking those documents out to read at last. There were many names on a section, pertaining to what he believed to be a worker registration. He was to aid a VIP client, something that already put pressure on Phesx Caolia and made him wonder. Just how ¡®amazing¡¯ does an entity become to have ties to task the PSD with such aid? Reading through the necessary ¡®skills¡¯ for the task, Phesx understood many things. He had to work as a bodyguard, manager, trainer, morning, noon, and night relaxing sessions'' instructor, even acting as human emotional support. Furthermore, he was to protect his client with utmost regard, with possible threats against criminal activity, living in the outskirts of civilization, in a rich area far from immediate rescue. Phesx Caolia was to cooperate with the client¡¯s security team and coordinate everything for the client¡¯s wellbeing. ¡°May I know why is this necessary t-¡± Phesx shook his head in dismissal before looking up at Butler, but the latter shot words like spraying bullets. ¡°Your ultra Mintip left arm¡¯s integration cost is this. Completing this mission will grant you 3 years off the debt, where your monthly fee will freeze and you can focus on other parts of your special agent¡¯s life. Don¡¯t you want to craft again? Our facilities are much better than in Riverlye, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°They are¡­¡± Phesx nodded with vacant eyes and longing before looking at the piece of paper Butler slid through the table. Picking it up, he read it and fell silent. Phesx¡¯s eyes lost all apprehension and sense of reality. He slammed the paper down, saying, ¡°When do we depart?¡± ¡°You will meet and escort the client to the safe house late at night. Adequate clothing and devices will be delivered to your apartment here around the corner. The rest will be delivered to you in the limousines.¡± Butler elaborated in a good mood. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡®Is my acceptance this good of a deal for the District?¡¯ Phesx Caolia thought before sighing. He stood up and looked down, slightly supporting his body on the table. Looking up, he addressed the leader captains and Butler, ¡°Thank you for the opportunity. I will do my best to accomplish it successfully.¡± With that, Phesx turned around and walked out of the room. Once he was gone, the leader captains exchanged a few glances with Butler before speaking among themselves. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem bad.¡± - ¡°It¡¯s still too early. What a strange mission that is, anyway.¡± Butler didn¡¯t chat much, merely asking a Captain for something before the latter took a cup and tea out. He drank as the leader captains continued chatting. He seemed relaxed, contented, and crafty. However, the easygoing in him was still there, if only accompanied by the machinations for the future. . . . 4 days flashed by. Phesx spent a lot of time with Mena during the last few days, ignoring all training nonsense and his ¡®fellow recruits¡¯ who seemed insulted when he no longer went there. Regardless, Phesx learned from her about everything he would need from cybernetics. She also wrote a few manuals for him to study. Unlike before, maybe due to the increasing knowledge of new things, Phesx wasn¡¯t too slow to get onto the subject¡¯s truths. He wasn¡¯t fully prepared for it, but he was learning. While he needed more weeks of preparation and other experts in the field to work it out, he was no longer an incompetent mess on the topic. Late at night, since the time has come. Phesx exited the factory, where a fancy, silver car waited for him. After bidding farewell to Mena, he was brought to the destination where he¡¯d meet this client. The driver was a WB, whose eyes on him were curious and intrigued. Phesx ignored it, though. Everything he was taught in the PSD training regimen, including some things he was already used to, such as management and overall logistics, were meant for tasks like these. Phesx Caolia wasn¡¯t nervous, but he was a little uncertain. When he arrived at a bakery shop in the center of Proteros, the capital city, Phesx Caolia saw some people walk out of the building with many little boxes. Everyone coming out with a pattern, following a certain route, wore suits. One of the suited up workers was giving a note to a person who followed them out with smiles that indicated his greed, wearing a rather tall chef hat. Looking at them for a moment, Phesx watched the sides of the street before taking his glasses, hat, and skull mask off. He threw them into the silver car before crossing the street. The other side had several parked limousines taking up more than the entire street for themselves. ¡°¡­¡± There was no way Phesx would present himself to his client with his ¡®disguise¡¯. It would also attract attention too much, and while the limousines didn¡¯t help, he wasn¡¯t supposed to cause attraction to his client, whom he was to grant protection instead. However, Phesx was still noticed by a person who wore a strange black and dark purple mask on, who everyone else was following and encircling when moving towards one of the limousines. The mask had mostly black, with the purple filling just the right places, and more towards the center, contouring the eyes, nose, and above the philtrum. The guards stopped, looking at Phesx with trepidation, which only increased when they saw his pupils, lighted by the bright streetlights. The person with the mask, who wore an old-fashioned uniform and semi baggy pants, who was clearly a woman, spoke out. ¡°This is your second chief from now on,¡± she said, ¡°Stop blocking the way. How am I supposed to meet him?¡± The guards stepped away. Unsurprised, Phesx walked to her. The young woman¡¯s mask was like 3 drifting waves collapsing yet still high atop her forehead, with a similar design below her nose. Her temples were fully covered by more of that dark purple, looking as delicate as the waves atop and above her mask. The section below was more delicate and small, letting her lips free from grazing the design, but the top had more grandeur, with a niche yet fitting image. There were bright tiny pearls spread in lines, curving in a few places around her mask, adding to its already beautiful design with a bit of brightness. ¡°Are you my client, Roroa?¡± Phesx Caolia asked the young woman, considerably shorter than him, but she was still tall for a standard measure of young women. Her hair was a visibly beautiful, long, golden blonde hair, like a cascade down her hips. She looked up at him, asking, ¡°Is it necessary to ask that? Who else would treat the country¡¯s most wanted ¡®criminal¡¯ in centuries to come?¡± ¡°Talking gives way to many things people like me can explore in seconds and recognize my client, an impostor, or a bored idiot.¡± Phesx walked to the limousine they were walking towards to before, opened a random door, and waited for her to come in. The young woman crossed her arms before her belly, looking at Phesx with a slight tilt of her head to the left. She relaxed her arms, swayed her noticeably childbearing hips and stopped before him. She looked up at him, her creamy white golden skin became more prominent with the angle and better lighting. Easier to notice by the ordinary eye. Phesx couldn¡¯t see her eyes beneath the mask, but he could feel them on him, darting around to examine his face. With a single blink, he said, not changing his face, ¡°I¡¯m not that alluring, I know. I didn¡¯t mean to upset you with my words, but I must be direct and blunt if I must. You¡¯re my client, not a lost child somewhere.¡± ¡°I appreciate the professionalism?¡± Roroa said in a deep, slow paced tone. Somehow, just somehow, Phesx Caolia could feel she lifted her right eyebrow. Roroa further stated, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re not really handsome. I¡¯m sure we will work closely together.¡± With that, Roroa entered the car, but not without turning her head, flinging some of her golden blonde hair, and shouting to the only female guard who didn¡¯t look like a minion of hers. ¡°Yoali! Bring the information. Brief¡­ what name do we use, alias? Or just a real name?¡± ¡°Fox.¡± Phesx hesitated not, telling his previous alias, which he didn¡¯t know if another person had it already. It wasn¡¯t really a unique one, after all. Roroa sat and nodded, keeping one leg outside before resuming, ¡°Brief Fox of our conditions. I¡¯m tired and want to look through the window. Mn, pass me the cookies first.¡± Yoali, a blonde with blue eyes, very tall, and a little muscular even above her uniform, walked to them with a box from the bakery shop. She gave them to Roroa, who licked her lips without fear of being seen. As Roroa moved to the left of the limousine and opened the box, exposing the delicious aroma, Yoali turned around and grabbed a few boxes and laptops from the attentive guards. Phesx Caolia lifted his left eyebrow, surprised at the preparation. He asked Yoali as she picked those things, ¡°Are mine packed somewhere already?¡± ¡°Yes, they are, sir Fox.¡± Yoali said, still busy getting a few more things in her arms. She added, ¡°Sir Fox, would you mind getting in first? Sit beside miss Roroa, she usually sways in her sleep and might mess with my briefing.¡± Phesx blinked before silently nodding. He checked the interior and saw Roroa look in his direction, turning to stare ahead after seeing it was him getting in first after her. She grabbed a cookie with strawberry scent coming from it before taking one bite after another. He sat on Roroa¡¯s right. Just as he lifted his butt to move a little farther away, Yoali went in and rushed to his side, sitting with a wide smile on her face as she said, ¡°Good. Now, let¡¯s begin. ¡°I¡¯m Yoali, sir Fox. Miss Roroa¡¯s security chief. I will be working with sir from now on, until miss Roroa¡¯s staying in the outskirts finish.¡± Yoali presented her hand. Phesx looked at it before slowly shaking hands, telling her, ¡°No ¡®sir¡¯ needed. Fox is enough. I like it just like that.¡± ¡°Mn, well then. Mister Fox, you will be miss Roroa¡¯s chief security officer. You should have any access to the precinct, the villa, and the workers. If you need any new orders, like acquiring weaponry, equipment, or more workers, please talk to me. It can take from a day to a week to have something arrive to the villa.¡± Yoali explained. Phesx Caolia nodded, inquiring, ¡°What are the most likely dangers?¡± ¡°There are alarms for organized crime¡¯s involvement. It seems to be a small group, but they are still a danger to miss Roroa. We have everything we need, but compared to the unknown, we are outmatched. The best we can do is form a net and protect miss Roroa until the danger has been dealt with. It would probably take 6 or 9 months. It¡¯s the time we¡¯ve experienced before.¡± ¡°Mn, what are the combating capabilities of your team?¡± Phesx asked, registering these few bits of information. Yoali reminded him, lowering her chin a bit, ¡°Your team, s- Fox.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Phesx semi nodded. Yoali elaborated, ¡°We don¡¯t have much, but we can receive some guidance from you, if that¡¯s okay. All the guards have been further screened by PSD, but the other workers are unrelated. They do know the importance of miss Roroa¡¯s safety, and what happens if there is anything suspicious.¡± ¡°They are not affiliated to PSD? Nor the government? How come you don¡¯t have that time to properly screen people?¡± Phesx Caolia asked with a frown. Yoali pressed her lips, ¡°We ¡®waste¡¯ more of that time with the guards. We can¡¯t have the same every year, they must take turns.¡± ¡°Talk to me about the villa,¡± Phesx let go of the subject and faced ahead. Yoali began explaining as much information as she could, and answer whatever question Phesx had. ¡­ Hours were spent like this, with the two exchanging information and ideas, and Yoali advising Phesx, as he barely knew this security team and the task¡¯s location. Furthermore, this was the first time Phesx was leading something since Preut. It was an enormous task, for that matter. More than several hundred guards, and a couple hundred of servants to take care of the mansion and see the surrounding precincts around the mansion. They exited the capital city somewhat quickly, only taking about 2 hours, but the road beyond was much slower. They went through many curves, surrounding the precious environment which persisted since the AO, and spent another 6 hours to arrive near the ¡®neighborhood¡¯. It was an incredibly rich zone. The location was an open land with many forests surrounding several dozens of villas. Each one was lavish and greater than any other in the entire country, perhaps. Preut¡¯s wealthiest residences were nothing compared to these. Roroa¡¯s village was the largest, and also the furthest apart from any other. It also had the largest plains with a lake in the not-so-far distance. Phesx could already tell his body feeling things when knowing he¡¯d be living here for some months. There were more than a dozen limousines, clearly showcasing the wealth only someone such as a PSD¡¯s VIP client should have. They moved these many people in one go, with wider spaces rather than extreme lengths. Some were still in trucks, following behind other limousines while those armored ones protected the rear. The ¡®convoy¡¯ moved into the villa, opening the gates with the security chief motioning with a device. Meanwhile, Phesx had a sleepy head lean against him for more than half the journey. This was a reminder that he was the only special agent aboard on the task. Not only was Roroa, who slept on his left shoulder, and sometimes rested on his chest, an ordinary civilian, with a status he wasn¡¯t aware of. Yoali and everyone else in the security team were but civilians, only having so much training and willpower. Regardless, Phesx had no intention to ¡®train¡¯ these people. As for the servants, he might seem interested to watch them. Phesx lightly moved the sleepy head on his shoulder, ignoring the strawberry scent coming from her mouth and the box. She also had a few crumbs around her lower lip and chin. ¡­ Chapter 90 — Its Hard To Focus On An Easy Job It''s Hard To Focus On An Easy Job ¡°Hm- mm, what?¡± The sleeping beauty woke up after her head was bobbed a few times. Phesx flicked her forehead one last time before helping her sit up, but she just fell immediately onto his shoulder again. He had no choice but to implore, ¡°We''ve arrived. If you want to keep sleeping, Yoali can keep you company. I will check the area before allowing everyone in.¡± ¡°Mnf, okay. Yoali, baby¡ª thighs.¡± Roroa pushed Phesx away, but she only ended pushing her back up against the window. Phesx looked at Yoali, who hurriedly stepped out and let Phesx leave. After stepping out himself, Phesx saw Yoali obediently let Roroa use her lap as a pillow. ¡°Keep the limousine closed and people surround it. Watch the skies,¡± Phesx said, reminding Yoali to move the guards. When she looked at him questioningly, he pointed a finger to the sky and went, ¡°If they are just criminal scum, they should have drones, let alone organized crime.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Yoali whispered. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for your return, then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be thorough.¡± Phesx walked to the mansion after the short exchange. He had a hand radio and a hidden microphone behind his left lobe to communicate with either the guards or the security chief. The guards looked at him, curious, while the servants seemed nervous. The problem wasn¡¯t the possible danger they may suffer, ¡®going against¡¯ the terrible organized crime, but Phesx. He was¡­ that person. How could they feel at ease, even if their employers seemed fine with him aboard? But nobody cared, except the servants themselves, of course. Phesx took the key card and keys out to unlock the mansion, letting some guards check the perimeter of the other precincts. There were some empty barns and a stable, without horses, of course. Some storage for food, and other facilities to process food. Some even had underground compartments to keep natural fertilizer well-preserved and without odors. Walking inside, Phesx immediately marveled at the lavishness of the place in silence. It was all sparkly, mostly beige, and a few bright, strong pink, purple, and soft reddish colors here and there, becoming the only colorfulness of the mansion. Just the main entrance was enormous enough to take up half the Ruvas¡¯ house in space. And just it was taller than the entire Ruva mansion. The rest of this mansion spread to the sides and upstairs, after a set of stairs with the shape of a twisted ¡®Y¡¯ whose sticks were shorter. Phesx walked around, even using his enhanced senses to ensure even the insects flapping wings or twinkling their tiny feet on the floor or walls were heard. Grand space by grand space, bathroom by bathroom, Phesx checked it all. When he returned, finally finished, the others were still waiting. Roroa¡¯s limousine was encircled by guards, but they were a bit loose and careless. Phesx ignored it before walking towards the door. Yoali came out, holding Roroa¡¯s hand before helping her outside. ¡°The mansion is alright. I¡¯ll check the other buildings with some other guards. Go ahead,¡± Phesx nodded at them. Roroa looked at him slightly, but Yoali gave her a reassuring nod before bringing her into the mansion. With half the guards coming with him, Phesx Caolia scouted the rest of the villa before checking its perimeters, engraving the entire terrain¡¯s specifics in his little working brain. By the time he returned to the mansion, every servant was at full motors and cleaning the place, moving new furniture in, old furniture to the side, and earning their enormous pay. They probably did more than Phesx did with his ordinary jobs, not adding his refugee pension. ¡°How many of these can build without machinery?¡± Phesx walked to Yoali and Roroa at the mansion¡¯s upmost floor. Yoali faced him, replying, ¡°About 20 people. But if you want machinery, I can get 120 workers to do whatever you want. As long as it isn¡¯t a fort.¡± ¡°No need for that, but if needed, we¡¯ll turn the mansion into one. What time will they finish with the mansion?¡± Phesx questioned. Yoali nodded, ¡°Probably just before night. There¡¯s not much to move or place here. Roroa said she wanted horses, can we buy some?¡± ¡°Mhm, whenever you can.¡± Phesx said before moving to the boxes that belonged to him. Roroa seemed to want his attention, grabbing his sleeve, but Yoali stopped her and let him continue. Phesx Caolia grabbed the boxes, which held some metallic cases as thick as his torso and pretty wide, to his room. Such room allocations were already decided before arriving. Phesx was shown a blueprint of the mansion, and he just selected his after discussing with Yoali. His room was 3 rooms away from Roroa¡¯s. Yoali¡¯s was right beside her, and on the other side was a maid, then Phesx. Phesx Caolia went into his bedroom. It was larger than his ¡®humble¡¯ apartment atop a pizzeria rooftop. Having visited it before, he put some security measures first before opening the cases. Most had some antennae and screens, with controls and measuring instruments for a variety of information. There were also some laptops, of which each had their function and only worked after reading both his handprints and heartbeat. Only Phesx Caolia had the clearance to use it. A few minutes later, a maid brought him his luggage. Phesx picked it up and unpacked his clothes before preparing the equipment. Then, he came out in the same outfit as before. He went to the rooftop and corners of the mansion to install tiny probe devices that turned the color of the wall or object they were stuck to after rubbing them for a minute. Phesx returned to his room to grab more and do the same to the other precincts. Then, he once again returned to his bedroom before doing the same to the villa¡¯s perimeter. The probes of the former were different to those in the mansion, while those around the perimeter were even more different from both. With this, Phesx felt a little more tranquil. Returning to the mansion, it was noon. At last, Phesx could start relaxing. Roroa had remained in the same living room at the top of the mansion, watching as the servants moved everything, and the guards were allocated one by one, group by group, by Yoali, the security chief. At this moment, Phesx once again appeared. Roroa pouted in a chair in the middle of the living room, which she demanded to sit on and waste her time in. Now, she also wore a skirt beneath her jacket. But instead of ignoring them and moving along, she saw him walk towards them again. She lifted her head, resting on her right palm, and turned to Phesx, showing serious attention. Phesx Caolia felt like a puppy just found her new source of fun as he walked to Yoali, stopping to inform her, ¡°Other than horses, acquire these materials. Also, begin the process to order these machines. We¡¯ll keep them in some new storage facilities. Ask for these other materials, too.¡± ¡°Aha, uhuh, mhm, hm¡­¡± Yoali nodded, noting everything down on her tablet. When she was finished, she looked up at Phesx, who should be a terrifying evil criminal, and thanked him. ¡°Thank you, s- Fox. Now, I recall my miss having something to say to you. Would you be kind to listen to everything she has to tell?¡± Yoali gestured towards Roroa, who stood up delicately like a small animal hunting. Phesx Caolia felt strange, but he still nodded and faced Roroa. Yet, just as he did, she grabbed his hand, hugging thumbs, on top and bottom hold, and led him elsewhere. Phesx was no small chick. He frowned slightly when he felt the eyes of the workers. They told how much they were incredulous when they saw their boss grab someone¡¯s hand and bring them elsewhere the way only a woman would to a man when wanting to severely discuss something where nobody could see. Not only that, Roroa was basically showing off. Instead of bringing her to that somewhere quickly, she toured the mansion like she owned the place, and Phesx. It felt weird, alright, but It didn¡¯t seem ill intended, so he let her continue. At last, without much suspense, Roroa brought him to her bedroom. Furthermore, Phesx Caolia didn¡¯t know why she changed clothes, only leaving her antique jacket still on. Now, as he entered her room, still led on by her hand, and they face the lower end of her bed, Phesx comprehended. She turned to face him, with their legs against the edge of her bed, and looked up at his impassive resting expression. With a voice best classified as solid and still like metal but proactive, she spoke, holding his neck with tender fingertips. Phesx also felt that if he wanted to be act a gentleman, she would be impossible to convince otherwise. ¡°This isn¡¯t love,¡± the ¡®love¡¯ word was emphasized, but even with her mask, Phesx could feel her eyes staring at him with blatant intensity. ¡°I only require some entertainment from time to time. If you do well, and I like you, we might continue doing this more often.¡± ¡°For now, it¡¯s only pure pleasure,¡± said Roroa, slightly swaying her hips on his body. Phesx¡¯s diverse iris-pupils twinkled in thought, noticed by her, but she couldn¡¯t tell from what. She whispered still, ¡°Focus on me. It¡¯ll be my way to thank you. Just make me feel good, too.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Rustle, rustle¡­ With that, Roroa accommodated Phesx in front of her with her back against the bed. She turned around and lifted her rear hem, showing a readied, unprotected bum while bending over the bed. Phesx¡¯s chest moved, sinking as it felt heavier and filled with something. Roroa crawled into the bed, slowly exposing her natural femininity to him, showing a bit of preparation amidst the lack of undergarments. Only now did Phesx like the fact she changed clothes, and it even felt a little nice. Was it for him? Phesx could just walk away, he could just refuse, and he even felt the wastefulness of this debauchery. But somehow, he didn¡¯t feel like walking away. Just as Roroa heard no noise from behind, nor felt the bed sink behind her, causing her to doubt. She felt a pair of hands explore her body. She exquisitely jolted before deliciously shivering, clenching the sheets below her. It was just his touch, but Roroa felt her everything tremble. Phesx didn¡¯t speak. However, he didn¡¯t coarsely take her from behind and see what else from there. No, instead, he lowered himself¡­ Incredulous, yet excited, Roroa arched her back, slowly lowering her head on the mattress to rest as she got used to the sensation, gradually swaying her hips left and right, back and forth¡­ tantalizingly. Phesx had no thoughts, only his instincts sprouting in his chest and his hands holding and playing while his body reacted naturally. Before long, as Roroa lied relaxed on her bed, tummy down and thighs sprawled, Phesx claimed something he would have never imagined. He stopped, caressing each limb of hers and squeezing all of her body, leaving her mask on. Phesx didn¡¯t even bother asking. At this point, PSD¡¯s VIPs wouldn¡¯t just be playful clients. When enough time passed, he turned her around and saw her bouncing, large, snowy golden bunnies further incite him to beastly measures. Phesx lowered his head, wanting to devour her, but a scent drifting into his nostrils, nearly causing him to go ultra, changed his face¡¯s direction, moving onto her face instead. Her little mouth moaned bit by bit, licking and biting her lips as a notion of relief filled her. Roroa¡¯s mouth was his to claim, biting and suckling at it as she whimpered and first tried to push him. Not even she realized when those attempts to push him away became holds around his neck and tenderly caressing his upper back, shoulders, and arms. Once Phesx had enough of her mouth, with so many thick traces of saliva falling down on her philtrum, nostrils, and around her mouth, he whispered to her face, stopping for a while. ¡°This promise seem brand-new, ¡®princess¡¯. Nobody told me this was but a little kitten I would encounter. So, why is there blood?¡± Phesx¡¯s smile was devilish. Roroa seemed baffled by it as she was unable to respond. Phesx felt movement in the lands of paradise, needing its plowing. ¡°Then exchange it with¡­ uhmf¡­ your sperm¡­¡± Roroa voiced, and no more was needed. She felt Phesx push her pelvis down with his own. Her mind turned between blank, flowers, and a beast owning her. Roroa couldn¡¯t tell when, but her legs hugged that waist, her arms hugged that neck, and her heart beat strongly when eating his mouth without a stop. Phesx felt what he¡¯s been devoid of for some time. He pondered on his situation, and the matter between a VIP client ¡®requesting¡¯ this from him. In the end, he buckled his buttocks, clenching them as much as he wanted, and thought, ¡®Even if she wants to get impregnated by me, tying me to her. Why would I bother? The probability is null, and I would only benefit.¡¯ The afternoon had just started, and the mission was ongoing, but something, something entirely else, began brewing. . . . The next morning. Roroa¡¯s bedroom. Phesx lied with the sheets covering only his lower body partially, from the knees to his feet. On the other hand, some sun rays entered through the gaps of the closed curtains, lighting Roroa¡¯s completely bare body as she hugged his shoulders and rested her head on them. Phesx Caolia calmly opened his eyes, looking at the face whose mouth was slightly open. She was like a kitten, with her arms trying to trap him, sleeping with all the peace in the world. A minute later, his eyes instinctively moved to her eyes, covered by her rather top-notch quality mask. A few minutes later, Phesx hasn¡¯t moved his eyes from her, still staring directly into her mask, or face overall. All he did was change his head¡¯s position, as if he could study her better if he just tilted it in a new angle. Poking her nose, he hushed without an emotion in particular, ¡°You¡¯ve opened your eyes for a while. Your breathing might be decent, but you¡¯re heating up.¡± ¡°Was I?¡± Roroa directly spoke. Phesx nodded, feeling her hands slide out from under his upper back. Sitting up, she looked at him and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you train me? In your ways. I may learn.¡± ¡°I will train you, but not in those things. You¡¯re a civilian.¡± Phesx said, not stopping her. Roroa looked at him some more, with her side boob delighting his eyes, if he wanted to look, but he did not stare at them. Sighing, she stood up and grabbed her clothes from a coat hanger. Without standing up, Phesx¡¯s body faced the ceiling as the morning life showed stronger than ever, looking at a bum so perfect he couldn¡¯t stop looking, he made her stop and turn back to him. ¡°Is this all you had to say? Your security chief was clear: I have to listen to everything.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nothing more was necessary. Roroa¡¯s mouth closed tight as if she was sleeping like a log. Her fingers flicked her panties, and when she least expected it, her legs slowly moved back to the bed. Knowing what she had just done, she gave up further reasoning and knelt on the bed again. This time, though, she stopped and didn¡¯t hug his head or neck, but looked at his groins¡­ ¡­ Later that day, in the late morning. Phesx walked into the top living room, where Yoali waited, eating bread and drinking coffee. Phesx prepared some from the kitchen, putting milk in it before bothering to drink it. He wore a suit today, but something was missing. Some maids and butlers were around. Standing at the side, waiting to be called, or working in the kitchen or moving supplies. When Phesx relaxed, drinking something that didn¡¯t come directly from a human being at last, Roroa walked towards them. No genius was needed to see them both come out from the same doors, let alone direction. But Roroa held something in her hands as she walked to Phesx. He felt something and glanced at her. Furthermore, noticing the atmosphere¡¯s sudden strangeness, Yoali looked at them. Roroa walked with a pale red tie towards Phesx. She stopped on his right before standing behind him, pushing her body onto his back and right arm as she declared with a normal volume, not shy at all. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to wear it. But try it first. Let me put it on you, I should¡¯ve asked back in the room~.¡± As an extra, she blew air into his neck, chilling his skin and making his eyes twitch, involuntarily narrowing them, too. Roroa didn¡¯t even smile as she tied the tie around his neck. She was an expert on the field. When she was done, she stood on his right again, slowly leaning onto him. Her breasts cushioned on his body, sending him back to the memories of all last night. ¡°Are you not tired yet?¡± Phesx asked, playing bad since she did it first. Roroa looked up at him, feeling surprised. Phesx was startled by her surprise. Maybe it was her mask, but he couldn¡¯t read her so easily, unless he focused. ¡°Not yet,¡± she replied, at last. ¡°We should at least repeat a lot to see if you do tire me out.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx looked at Yoali, silently asking for help. Yoali shrugged her shoulders and finished her coffee. This was his problem. Why should he bother her? At last, Roroa smiled before walking to a sofa, whereas a maid brought another box filled with more bakery. This time, it smelled of chocolate, grabbing Phesx¡¯s attention. Roroa noticed. She turned her head and grinned, ¡°Want some?¡± It was bound to be a bloody encounter between those two, from now on until who knew when. . . . Time passed. 2 weeks went by with the villa welcoming new changes and supplies to build. The stables received new horses, directly handled by some butlers after Phesx showed them the way. It was all for the client¡¯s sake. It was her who wanted this, so he had to comply. Additionally, Roroa began riding early in the mornings once Phesx taught her the basics. She learned fast, and she wasn¡¯t a timid girl, much less a young woman lacking in confidence. Only a few days have been spent as such, but it already seemed like a routine that has gone on and on forever. Additionally, the villa had a few more facilities, storage for the machinery that gradually arrived. So far, only a couple of pieces were successfully sent. Regardless, other supplies had long arrived and been worked on. The workers made cement for days and created the many foundations with wooden infrastructure planned for the nearby future. Phesx didn¡¯t have to work everything out, as the workers were selected and brought with such specifics that he could even begin building a village before turning it into a town. All illegal, of course. The guards and workers slept in the lower wings of the mansion. But soon, they will have a much cozier place with their own heating features, such as a safe hearth where they could do whatever they wanted with their daily, nightly lives. Nevertheless, something that was too common and also uncared-for, to Phesx¡¯s gladness and mayhem at the same time, his relationship with Roroa was made well-known. They could spend hours in the morning or a random afternoon, sometimes making it obvious what would happen after they disappeared from the workers¡¯ eyes. However, during the night, the poor maids sleeping nearby had to implore the security chief to obtain some light noise cancellation headphones so they could still be attentive in case something happened. The ¡®sounds¡¯ from the princess¡¯s room would still be loud, but not as much as before. In fact, they could even be considered soothing amidst the white noise. Phesx had nothing to feel guilty about. He was all alone. Nothing remained except what he failed to do before, and longed for. If the first time was a call for nature, of something he just learned how to do and liked showing it since a fairly young age, then later on it became his routine. It might sound strange for the foreign ear, but to Phesx, after just 1 week of bedding his boss, something also worth noticing in his track record, he felt like someone was waiting for him every night. He could just ignore her and not visit her one night, and she might still wait in the next. However, without missing once, Phesx went to Roroa¡¯s bedroom at night, regardless of what they did during the day, and how much. Not only that, he felt she was¡­ like his wife. Simply waiting every night for her husband to come from work and lighten his stressful days. It became so surreal yet fitting that he didn¡¯t bother taking away such notions from his illusioned mind. After all, if it was just him, it would¡¯ve been easy to let go of. But instead, it became increasingly natural and harmonious. Likewise, to a fault, Roroa never had a ¡®headache¡¯ or felt tired. And when the blood days came, Phesx just had to teach her something else. Something that made her skip an early morning riding in the woods with her top-notch guard, Fox, also known as the culprit. ¡­ Chapter 91 — Attempt Attempt In the early morning, accompanying the princess, although this time all by himself, Phesx Caolia had just begun riding into the woods when she slowed down and rode beside him. Turning to her, she just spoke to him, ¡°Ey, since we''re going alone this time, are you planning to throw me down sometime?¡± ¡°Quit playing, that won¡¯t be happening.¡± Said Phesx, returning to face ahead. Roroa pouted, just a little. She advanced a little faster, ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t tell me you actually think there are some bandits around? Don¡¯t I have you deal with that?¡± ¡°I said no.¡± Phesx worded before things grew quiet. They rode around the woods north of the villa, towards the lake, but still quite a distance away. At some point, they began riding close by. Roroa grabbed his right sleeve, although she had to lift her arm to hold his wrist after a while. With the morning lights showering them amidst the trees, they continued riding forth slowly, when suddenly, she stopped. Phesx also halted out of reflex, and before he could stop her, she hopped onto his horse, in front of him. Facing him, she didn¡¯t give him any time to react, supposedly, and hugged his neck with her legs widely spread. Without surprise, their lips joined each other after Phesx stiffened his neck, forcing her to lift her bum a little. While he couldn¡¯t see it, Phesx felt her eyes closing in delight, as her lips puckered so he could taste and suckle on them all he wanted. Little by little, Phesx purposely relaxed his body, letting his back bend towards her. He still held his horse and the princess¡¯s reins with his hands, though. But at last, she no longer had to force her body up, with her neck twisting as she hung her head backwards. Her little nostrils began bemoaning little noises, caressing his face and leaning backwards. Phesx had to hold her lower back with his left hand as she became imaginative with her methods of tasting his mouth. Slow, passionate¡­ delicate in detailed manners¡­ ¡­ Phesx Caolia and ¡®princess¡¯ Roroa¡¯s so-called romance wasn¡¯t the only one in the villa. Although theirs was without drama, there were many other servants who had times of fun turn into the gossiped drama. On one occasion, a maid was caught with 2 builders and a guard, gaining the broken heart of her supposed beloved. All one could hear that day was him saying how sweet and innocent she is¡­ There was another time Yoali was found flirting with 2 girls and a young man somewhere around the new storage facilities, giving Roroa plenty of gossip into Phesx¡¯s ear after their nightly talks. After the lengthy talk about life came the whispers from pillow to pillow. Or rather, all whispering into Phesx¡¯s pillow. Either way, only a few dramas sowed actual discord between the workers and some guards in the villa. On the other hand, only having to rest most of his time, Phesx lived the life of the richest, experiencing the relaxing and easygoing peace of not having to do anything. Other than a few examinations with the coming and stored supplies, and the personnel every week. Time went on, and the ¡®rich life¡¯ Phesx came to appreciate¡­ after Riverlye made him feel like wounds he could neither see nor feel were slowly filled with healing. Not getting healed, just feeling the healing of them. It might also have something to do with his fake wife at night, passionate lover during the day. Phesx was not a sexual deviant, but he felt increasingly drawn to this unknown little princess. It was always them, although there was a situation which she provoked where things got a little crazy, but only with her security chief. They were on a morning, with Phesx teaching the princess some relaxing training sets. Yoali had joined them, already participating for a few days by then. She had grown tired of working her ass off, when it was Phesx who did most of the work, and she had to do barely something. With Roroa¡¯s simple request, Phesx extended the training sessions to the security chief, but unlike with Roroa, he only instructed the security chief and demonstrated for her. On the other hand, his hands were at work when it came to the princess. The female attire was a blend of cotton, thin and enjoyable to wear, just as much it was to watch. Phesx realized since the first time, but Roroa¡¯s body was overly exquisite. When wearing nothing, it was dreamy and a delicacy. When wearing something, a beauty. But when wearing something like this¡­ a warm dish rapidly getting cold. When the gals were just supporting their bums up with their hands on their mats, lifting one of their legs, Roroa disobeyed him. Phesx remained with his arms crossed and frowned. She always listens to him, even when she seems not to hear or care, quite diligent even. Roroa slowly turned her head to him. Phesx felt a tingle in his manly self. He stepped closer to her. Her bum was up with both feet on her mat, simply prostrating herself high to him with her derri¨¨re. After confirming with her slightly opened lips and gasping breaths with a volume only he could hear, Phesx hesitated no more and did something crazy. Nuts. He pried open the curtains to the fleshy curtains. Phesx shook his head after doing so, because it was just like waking up late in the day, a grayish day, coming out of the house without socks or shoes on. So distracted one didn¡¯t realize it had been raining for hours, stepping onto the wet, luscious grass. To top it off, Roroa swayed her hips a bit, letting him glimpse in a few different angles before he had to shake his head again. First, he took a bite before it got cold, then, he enjoyed his dish, playing the ¡®pelvis hits buttocks¡¯ game without a care. Yoali noticed after a few repeated motions. She did her sets, finished, and went away, all while they continued for a few minutes; a crazed day. Of course, Roroa never did that purposely again, and never did something more than hug or kiss him in front of others, but that brought even crazier bursts of pleasure to their daily nights. ¡­ But amidst the many shows of passion and intimate talks at night. There was something else. From teasing each other, simply getting into the other¡¯s head, and exchanging semi intelligent words in not-so-short discussions, the pair simply spend more and more time closer. Other people would spend months before realizing they felt something, but it would take them time because of their lives, their daily activities, and the struggles that come with every new day. Day by day, their bodily conversations became a part of their livelihood in this overly luxurious villa. Phesx couldn¡¯t help but drop a laugh or two every day, just because of her. As for Roroa, well, she was glued to him, nothing more, nothing less. On this day, Phesx alerted the crew before taking his princess to the forests, this time a little farther from the villa, but on a well studied and prepared road to return asap. The trip wouldn¡¯t be just the morning, which Roroa didn¡¯t know. That was until Phesx began kissing her so slowly yet with ardent passion near the lake, unclothing her and already beginning the act before the water could wash the preparatives away. At first, she was just¡­ content, and Phesx Caolia could feel it. He wasn¡¯t known to be proactive. Thus, actions like these where he just grabbed her and told her with such that she was his for the moment made her all blank and obedient for as long as he held her. Before she knew it, as Phesx washed a bit in the lake, she remembered the time and rushed out of the lake, screaming to him about returning late, and not wanting to cause her SC a heart attack. However, Phesx saw her, he just didn¡¯t stop her. Once she was half-naked, covering her body with a towel he left behind, he exited the lake and told her the good news. The marvelous notice. They were staying late, as late as tomorrow. During the day, hour by hour, full-on relaxation ensued. There was never a moment this peaceful in Phesx¡¯s life after Preut¡¯s civil war began. All but themselves and the lake was everything that existed. Besides, Phesx brought food, he only had to go to the horses to get it. More or less a picnic of sorts, or a date? None of it mattered, of course. And their talks about life continued whenever they wanted under a roof of cloth pitched during the early noon. In the night, the whooshing sounds amidst the trees¡¯ branches, leaves, and atop them were gently brushed aside by the wind. The pair of eloping partners stared at the sky, lying a little farther from the standalone roof tent, and under a wide sleeping bag with nothing underneath. After a bout of talks about life, they lied together, side by side, and their bodies and hearts relaxed. Phesx decided to place his hands beneath his head, to which Roroa placed her left hand on his sternum, relaxing her head. Her nose rubbed on his skin before growing quiet, staring at the sky or his jaw and neck, Phesx felt. After spending time when he did, Phesx didn¡¯t feel so alone anymore. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Have you ever used your body for one of your missions?¡± Roroa directly asked under night sky, not bothering to beat around the bush. Phesx chuckled silently, ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. Nor will I will.¡± ¡°Then, have you seen someone else do it?¡± She asked again. Phesx grasped her fair hand on his sternum. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as having sex to steal from a possible target, or to assassinate them. Hmhm. Who would put themselves in such possible vulnerability when one can just kill the other first, and without further complications?¡± ¡°Ah, so is like that?¡± She voiced, sounding more confident and unworried. ¡°Mhm.¡± Phesx had nothing to respond with other than ignore another one of her childish behaviors. ¡°What do you do after every task?¡± She continued asking. Phesx moved his left hand to cup her butt a bit firmer. She jolted a bit before softly moaning, relaxed. Then, he elaborated, ¡°I used to just focus on my craftsmanship. If I had no injuries, I would schedule my next mission. Some that paid better than others took time to initiate.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Roroa lifted her face a little, resting it on the tough pillow, directly looking at him while caressing his chest and neck. Phesx went on, ¡°I used to have someone, too. It changed when the Sargonde event happened¡­ I caused.¡± Roroa kept looking at him, making him feel like needles were carefully poking into his skin, embedding inside. It felt quirkily ticklish, and good. Phesx liked it. ¡°You never thought about settling down?¡± Roroa kissed his left cheek before whispering. Phesx softly closed his left eye in response before sighing, ¡°Maybe. It wouldn¡¯t matter now, regardless.¡± ¡°It¡¯s never too late, unless you lose either of these, mm?¡± Roroa made Phesx feel a sudden grip on his groins. He grinned, thinning for a bit before impassively saying, ¡°It also doesn¡¯t matter now.¡± Roroa cuddled her head to his neck, nestling and rubbing on him a bit while her right hand remained shady under the sleeping bag¡¯s blanket. After a while, she asked him in a low, sultry voice, ¡°What can your senses do? Other than level out what degree of an idiot I can be?¡± ¡°Hmf,¡± Phesx Caolia chuckled for a bit. He smiled thinly from ear to ear before gulping down, saying, ¡°It¡¯s nothing magical. I can hear your heartbeat whenever I accidentally force you to look at me, and the gasps you make when I touch you, even when you try not to.¡± Roroa: ¡°¡­¡± Trying not to blush, she continued to hear him. Phesx pointed at a tree quite a few dozens of meters away, ¡°There¡¯s a squirrel trying to eat a rather large worm moving around its tree. I can also see them in detail, but only if I focus on them.¡± ¡°Focus how?¡± Roroa asked, futilely staring at the tree and the grass around it. Phesx casually replied, ¡°The same when you look around after hearing an unknown sound around your room, or as I have said, when you stare at me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Helpless, the princess blushed. She softly pinched his chin, hushing, ¡°Can you see my eyes?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Phesx laid it out in a blunt manner. Roroa kept a neutral face, expressing with breathy words as she closed her face to his mouth, ¡°They do. They are for you. My eyes move, focus, and like it when I see you.¡± ¡°Also this,¡± Roroa sweetly added with a ragged breath. Rising her torso to sit while leaning, her left hand brought his right hand to her left breast, just under it, helping Phesx feel it from below to the top until her heartbeat notoriously thumped against his palm. ¡°¡­¡± With his hand against her large bosom, deforming it so intimately, Roroa¡¯s open mouth remained like that, saying nothing. She seemed to think what to say very cautiously. Lowering her head to her left shoulder to further think about that, she formed a warm and comfortable silence, yet everlasting. ¡°You make me feel good, as well. It¡¯s excited for you,¡± Roroa said, dropping back to lie on him. But she wasn¡¯t done, and as Phesx breathed calmly, something she didn¡¯t know he appreciated, she asked him in between low, cracking laughter. ¡°So, can you throw a stone and kill them both? Like hitting one of them first before the other half of the stone breaks off and kills the other? Or hitting the trunk first before the stones snaps in half, killing them both at the same time?¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s not magical. I might have these sensory skills, but I don¡¯t have inhuman strength.¡± Phesx Caolia knocked his head onto hers a little. But Roroa tilted her head to the left after being hit, she turned her head to him out of nowhere and asked, almost rising up again, ¡°A- really? You don¡¯t have any bion or one of those things they use?¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I do have something similar to a bion, but not a bion.¡± Phesx Caolia looked at her for some seconds before replying. He then added, ¡°Who is ¡®they¡¯?¡± ¡°Special agents, you slow bellum,¡± Roroa poked the back of his head a little. Phesx blinked, a little startled. But Roroa¡¯s heart remained the same until she realized he was looking at her without a breath. Its beating quickened, and her already rosy cheeks deepened. ¡°Oh, what are you talking about? What is that you say they use?¡± Phesx Caolia blinked a few times in a row before asking. Roroa caressed the contours of his nose, not too ugly but definitely neither sharp nor handsome, ¡°I believe they are called Nuclear Uniform Armor?¡± ¡°Pff! Nothing in my hands that have such a powerful name.¡± Phesx shook his head right away. What kind of thing was that? He took notes to study in the District¡¯s libraries after this task. There were many things he had to get to know if he really wanted to live on and progress in life. ¡°Sigh,¡± Roroa lied on him again, elbowing his abdomen a little, but all she did was give him another show of affection and feel his toughened body, seducing herself in the process. After gulping twice, she said, returning her right hand to somewhere, ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to get you one. Those things are hoogs¡¯ precious core treasures. I¡¯m not an actual sugar mommy. Not yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx didn¡¯t bother with her antics. But some calm moments later, feeling her hand, he helped her up a little and grabbed a bite from her chest, mouthing her peaks. When he was done, he looked up at her and asked, slightly licking his lips. ¡°Why is your taste so pleasant?¡± Roroa said nothing, smirked, and caressed the back of his head. Their eyes focused on each other and did nothing else. Little by little, she mounted him and laid her stomach on him, starting the ups and downs as the night was soon to turn into morning. ¡­ A few days later. Roroa wanted to go out and spend some days outside the villa, wanting to visit the ¡®park-like¡¯ and only actual prairie in the capital city¡¯s wilderness around its outskirts. For this, 3 limousines were employed. Phesx used a simple line formation of 3 in a wide bilateral road with 3 columns for each side. They were at the farthest side from off the road, with 2 ordinary limousines at the front and rear, with the only armored one in the middle. It was more like a picnic day, and as the ¡®princess¡¯, she couldn¡¯t be refused. She went in the middle, along her security chief, and Phesx. Yoali was at the front, with Phesx and Roroa at the back. Phesx had the window slightly open, just a tiny amount. Roroa wore a dark brown dress whose hem fell below her knees when standing as she looked to the left, watching a few vehicles pass by and the prairie, driving through a long curve heading straight into it. They had scheduled an appointment, as this prairie was to be both preserved and used to amass wealth for the government from the ordinary and wealthy civilians alike. ¡°We¡¯ll arrive in another 25 minutes. Fox, would you like any accommodations for the miss?¡± Yoali asked a couple of small rooms away from them in a slightly loud voice. Phesx lifted his face from reading a panel regarding news from the surrounding regions in the wilderness, when his right ear suddenly throbbed and his brain felt like it was electrified with seizures. Saying nothing, he threw a pen to Yoali, who looked up with startled, fully open eyes. Phesx Caolia lunged to Roroa, who didn¡¯t even notice with her left palm supporting her head, looking outside the window; until he was pushing her head down with his left hand, opening a hidden compartment below the seat with the right, and shoving her right in. ¡°Kyaaaw!¡± Roroa yelped, but at the same time, Yoali got down on the floor, with Phesx merely letting go of his body, crashing against it just before an incoming noise of tearing the wind apart neared their small convoy. Boooooom! Placgkh whoosh- pssht! Bang, cang- screeeeeech! Screech, screech! A rocket headed to the limousine at the front. It flew from over a small hill, heading straight into the first limousine¡¯s direction. The guards inside weren¡¯t too slow to act, but they were still not fast enough. As they tried stopping their limousine, the rocket hit exactly at the driver seats. With a tremendous sudden explosion, to which the vehicles surrounding them from both directions stopped only a few seconds after it happened, metal and a couple of tires flew into the air. They immediately hit Roroa¡¯s limousine after Phesx shoved her into a metallic compartment and closed its only entry/exit tight with a slap. The armored limousine was struck by the blown parts from the front, deforming it and heating it up with some fire. The front limousine burst in flames and rolled across the other direction, only stopping a dozen meters ahead, with its rooftop against the pavement. From the side, as the middle and rear limousines stopped, burning their tires on the pavement, people walked-ran out of the hill, nearing the road with second-hand firearms in hand. One even brought a rather technological rocket launcher with a panel for predisposition routes and flight potency. They walked to the limousine at the front, searching for something inside it as they yelled to each other. ¡°Find her quick! Those bastards are backing away!¡± - ¡°Is she there? Does someone see her?¡± - ¡°Shoot at this thing! Open the door!¡± - ¡°Hey you! Open the door, or I fucking shoot you, perra!¡± Phesx Caolia did quick work with his hands after grabbing from behind the seat¡¯s backrest cushion. He rapidly assembled a submachine gun as he watched them move around. They wore uniforms above ordinary, ugly, unwashed clothes. If they wanted to fool the ordinary eye to apparent being from a lagj, or mercenaries, they were only barely successful. Phesx also realized they were looking for Roroa, not caring if she was dead or alive, just bent on finding her. With this understanding, his multiple-contents impenetrable black eyes sharpened, and he finished assembling the firearm before grabbing a couple of magazines from the lower end of the backrest cushions. Pah- tomp! Trr. trr. Trr. trr. Trrrrr rrrr rrr rrr rrr rrrr rrrr rrrr! Phesx kicked the door open and rushed out of the limousine. He peeked out of the door and fired, aiming at those who weren¡¯t busy killing the guards and servants in the front limousine. Then, he closed it, locked it, and walked into the open space, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. The criminals responded swiftly, lifting their weapons, but Phesx sprayed his 3 magazines bizarrely fast, emptying them and reloading the gun within less than a second each time, destroying heads everywhere as they turned to look at him. Each time he pulled the trigger, just a small bit, 3 or more criminals fell. His firing rate and aim, as he slightly changed his gun¡¯s muzzle angle from side to side, sometimes up or down, was in the milliseconds. Phesx¡¯s eyes were focused, but more than that, they were entertained. Each man was gruesomely killshot to the face. Buried bullets inside their faces until blood and skull was all that remained belonging to human aesthetics. ¡­ Chapter 92 — Fortification Fortification Phesx checked the surroundings, his eyes darted left and right before taking his hand radio out. ¡°Get out and protect the limousine!¡± Afterwards, he walked forth, not caring about the other footsteps he heard from off-road, fleeing from the vicinity after only his gunshots rang in the distance. Phesx walked to the front limousine. He was too late. Everyone who went in it were either dangling with deformed corpses from their seats, or shot dead and lied on the ceiling. It wasn¡¯t much different from the armored limousine, but only the drivers and those in the room after Yoali were impacted. There weren¡¯t many to begin with, but 10 workers and guards died just in the armored limousine, let alone the front, which had most of the supplies and a good portion of the convoy¡¯s people. The rear limousine¡¯s guards walked out, each wielding a small submachine gun with a holstered handgun at their waist. Phesx looked back once before touching his left lobe, pushing it against his head. ¡°Yo, I will go scouting. Keep the miss inside there until I return.¡± ¡°Got it, Fox,¡± a breathy Yoali responded as she peeked from a window. She was a bit afraid, as that window had 2 shots webbing the glass, but she still looked to check Phesx¡¯s wellbeing. Then, she crouched to Roroa across the separate rooms, passing by some scared workers before crouching beside the hidden compartment, tapping it a few times. ¡°Miss, Fox has gone out to revise the perimeter. Stay there for now. He will return, alright?¡± Yoali loudly voiced. Roroa¡¯s small voice sounded from it, ¡°Yeah, I got it. Is everyone okay?¡± ¡°¡­ He will return soon, miss.¡± Yoali lowered her gaze. She didn¡¯t know how to answer for a while. In the end, she could only say those words. Roroa didn¡¯t add anything else. ¡­ Phesx went off-road. His nostrils flared up as he chased the criminal shit who ambushed him. He looked upwards and found a few drones trying to identify him. He didn¡¯t use his submachine gun but grabbed a large stone that he could hold with his hand and threw it with his left arm. The drones were wracked down after a single try and hit, with Phesx remembering where they dropped, and keep on chasing the criminals. Since they couldn¡¯t notice him anymore, Phesx wanted to take his tie and jacket off, but kept it as his body went ultra. His nails were ready, and his teeth gritted against each other. Phesx silently quickened his pace and caught up with some people running with their backs up and their arms even higher. He impulsed his body after stomping against a tree trunk, lunging at a criminal with his hands stabbing into the shoulders. The others only heard more leaves rustling, and dirt stomping. Phesx kneed the top of the back of the criminal¡¯s head, cracking it open before weighing his weight down onto the criminal, forcing his body down face first, with whatever remained from it. Stomping on the brains from behind, Phesx went after the others. His nails scratched necks, and his hands held and broke necks again. Needless to say, it felt incredible. Fulfilling. His form was concise and fast. He was only seen by 4 people towards the end, and he didn¡¯t give anyone the chance to ¡®confess¡¯ anything about them. He knew for a fact it was mostly useless to interrogate these people, at least in the majority, and with his appearance. After 15 minutes, Phesx returned to the road, with the vehicles that stopped before not daring to come close still. The guards and workers formed small groups in a wide circle, waiting for further orders as Yoali stayed beside the hidden Roroa. Who knew what some guards or workers would¡¯ve done if Yoali was either missing or taken down in his absence. When Phesx returned, he watched a small group of guards chatting with each other. One of them was pretty young, unlike the rest, but still older than Phesx. He walked past them before arriving at the armored limousine¡¯s door. Everyone grew quiet. What happened, in the end? K-tomp. Phesx opened the door, welcomed by Yoali, who aimed at his nose with a submachine gun she spent a few minutes assembling, perhaps, and a handgun to the other workers in the limousine. Phesx stopped and smiled, saying in a slightly deep tone, ¡°You are prepared.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a security chief,¡± Yoali said with a helpless tone. She lowered her submachine gun. Phesx looked at her before nodding. Only then did she lower her handgun, with the workers looking at the exchange with fully open eyes. Yoali made space for Phesx to open the compartment. He crouched and pushed his left thumb in, still with his sharpened nails, but only from his thumb, making it appear to be a gut bion. The metallic hatch dented, allowing Phesx to pull and safely open it. Phesx grabbed a shin with white stocking before pulling his princess out of the compartment. He didn¡¯t give her enough time to take her oxygen mask off, ending up dragging the oxygen tank out with her. Her hair was still elegant and didn¡¯t messy, as she looked at him and said with a pair of ragged breaths, ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Phesx Caolia hummed and nodded upwards before complimenting her with a caress to the top of her head, completely unlike what he did before, ¡°You did well, too.¡± ¡°My heaven!¡± Roroa didn¡¯t smile, maybe she couldn¡¯t, but she did notice his left-handed bloody fingernails as he caressed her with his right hand. She grabbed it and pinched his fingertips. Looking at him, she inquired, ¡®frowning¡¯ beneath her mask, ¡°Are you wounded?¡± ¡°No. Come out, you need to see this.¡± Phesx said, rubbing her left lobe before retreating out of the limousine. Yoali waited for her at the side. Roroa thought he found something interesting, but revising his tone and face, it didn¡¯t seem like that. Sure enough, when Roroa stepped out, she watched every worker and guard become stressed. Yoali followed behind her, with the armored limousine¡¯s personnel also coming out with nervous faces. Phesx Caolia walked to the back of the limousine, he checked the workers and guards from the around it, as those in the front were exterminated, and returned to those from the middle. Phesx remained silent and walked past Roroa and Yoali, as the latter held the former¡¯s wrist and placed her behind her body to protect. Meanwhile, the Chief Security Officer walked to the workers who were in another room before Roroa and himself in the limousine, now forming their little group outside. A young man and woman looked at him, feeling weirded out. Meanwhile, on the other side, the small group of guards Phesx saw before walked forth after one of the guards suggested to the others, ¡°Hey, we should go closer to the limousine in case more appear.¡± - ¡°Yeah.¡± - ¡°Right.¡± Phesx¡¯s predatorish walk with his shoulders moving up and down and slightly back and forth felt threatening to the young man. Before he could even open his mouth, briefly looking at the side to calm down, Phesx pushed him down, kicking his shins. The young man was just putting a pained, screaming expression as he fell, when his face met the pavement in a brutal manner. Yet, that was alright compared to what came next. Phesx grabbed a nearby guard¡¯s handgun faster than anyone could see before firing four times. Bang bang bang bang. Phesx was prepared to rapidly reload, but it wasn¡¯t a ¡®secure¡¯ handgun like those he¡¯s dealt with before. Noticing this in a moment¡¯s worth of notice, he shot the thighs and arms of the young man in one go. He couldn¡¯t shoot too fast for its firing rate was limited. ¡°Aaaah!¡± The young man rightfully screamed, sounding rough and sobbing. Phesx bent a little as everyone, including the guard whose handgun he took, watched with shocked eyes. He pressed the hot muzzle against the young man¡¯s head. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sorry, please!¡± The young man shouted, shutting his eyes as the armored limousine¡¯s guards became flabbergasted. Was what they were thinking really happening?! ¡°Grab him. Go and pick the weapons the criminals dropped. Just leave some, so the cops can investigate a little.¡± Phesx returned the handgun to the guard before instructing the other guards. They nodded, wearing stern expressions as they moved the wounded young man away. Roroa was a little shaken, but she seemed capable of processing this much. Yoali, however, continued to put her behind her body. Phesx didn¡¯t stop there. Instead, he suddenly turned to the young woman and placed his right sole on her left knee. What happened next was as expected. Crack. ¡°AH!¡± The young woman screamed with all her lungs put to work. Her mouth overly opened, somewhat inhumanely even, but she didn¡¯t look hurt. Well, at least not from opening her mouth wide. Phesx pushed his foot down, doing the same with his right hand on her upper back. Phesx grabbed her hair from behind as she unnaturally knelt, awkwardly tumbling about with her left knee broken, wailing as she held his wrist with both hands but couldn¡¯t do anything to him. She cried out in desperation, ¡°I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk!¡± Phesx let go of her hair and threw her head to the ground, she hit her nose, but only bled a little, nothing more. He gave the guards a look before turning around, heading towards the ¡®princess¡¯. The guards didn¡¯t need to be repeated what to do, they grabbed the young woman, not feeling chivalrous after seeing Phesx¡¯s treatment, and carried her to the rear limousine with that other young man. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Seeing this, Roroa, who was initially not as altered, became fearful. She was almost entering into shock when she saw the woman¡¯s ordeal. Yoali didn¡¯t offer words to Roroa, as she, for who she was, had to learn of the world she wanted to venture into if she really wanted to. Phesx dusted his hands off before stopping beside Yoali. She stepped aside and pulled Roroa to meet him head on, slightly shaking. Phesx didn¡¯t try to touch her or appear soft, directly saying with a grin that was not a grin, ¡°Have you seen? These are your people.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I- I see¡­¡± Roroa opened her mouth, suddenly finding her courage to lift her chin up, but she stopped and lightly called out. Phesx looked at her without parting his eyes for some time. It was a bit of a silent stare lock. They would talk later. ¡°Yoali, come to my room at night, before sleep, after we return,¡± Phesx said. Yoali had just begun her single nod, when Phesx lifted his left arm holding a submachine gun and shot towards a group of guards that came far too close to the armored limousine¡¯s rear. Tr rrr rrr. A guard to the young guard¡¯s left was shot from the chest to the forehead, falling backwards without another thought processing in that head. Everyone was flabbergasted, and the guards doubted if to take their handguns out or not. In their doubt, Phesx aimed at the feet of the other guards, firing at the ground. The bounce hit no one, not even the corners of their boots. ¡°Ah, hurry!¡± A guard reacted, his eyes widening. Everyone in that small group of guards began rushing away, but the young guard wasn¡¯t attentive. He only looked at Phesx in fear. The guard closest to him tried to pinch his sleeve and grab him away, but the guard was too panicked to pay attention, or do things right. As a result, the young guard only looked to his side in response, wondering what the hell was happening. ¡°Sigh,¡± Phesx looked as the young guard looked to his left and finally caught what was up. As Phesx lowered his arm, the young man started running away, but the guard¡¯s corpse, which had been left in the ground for at least 5 seconds, exploded with a loud sound. BOOM! The explosion was small, with more white than orange in its expansion, but it was very lethal. Phesx didn¡¯t expect it to be this powerful also. He ran back to Yoali and Roroa, bringing them behind the limousine to crouch, safe from the few pebbles shooting towards them. Needless to say, the road had a sudden crater form in the middle of nowhere. It was a bit deep, too. The young man who barely initiated a run for it, for his life, whose face nobody could see as he crouched to run like a crazed survivor, was gone. Only his arms remained, flying across the air, high up 10 meters above the pavement, before falling flat on the ground. A third of their remains were burnt charcoal, with the fingers so loose they seemed to never have bones formed inside. Furthermore, some hair strands fell near them, adding to a grotesque result. ¡°¡­¡± Phesx looked down as he felt Roroa¡¯s eyes look up at him. He observed the small holes hiding her eyes, feeling at ease, seemingly conveying his something into her eyes. After a couple of seconds, he stood up and took his hand radio out. ¡°All guards, hurry to search every person, even yourselves. This is nobody¡¯s fault but yours.¡± After that, Phesx stood up and walked around the armored limousine. Yoali helped Roroa stand up. He wanted to check everything in case he missed something. He already did before departing from the villa, twice. But he was gone for 15 minutes and only then he found some moles. There should also be accomplices, in the known or not. But all in its due time. After everyone was checked, and Phesx confirmed the safety of the 2 limousines, he ordered a retreat. Phesx left 2 guards and 4 workers to explain what happened. If the cops could help, his client wouldn¡¯t have moved so far from the city. It was just to record information of the attack. Thus, what remained of the convoy returned to the villa. Picnic day was cancelled. ¡­ As soon as they arrived, with news having been transmitted back beforehand, the guards left behind all moved to inspect the personnel again, opening Roroa and Yoali a path into the mansion with Phesx following suit. Yoali brought Roroa to her room, while Phesx took care of things in his. Immediately, the guards ¡®took power¡¯ and arranged everyone to form a vast line leading to Phesx¡¯s room. First were the guards that went with them to the trip. Once they were revised and they passed, Phesx put them to keep anyone from walking near Roroa¡¯s bedroom either on the same floor or below it, with others watching the mansion¡¯s surroundings and rooftop. As more guards were cleared, their number increased, and their efficiency flowed along. Phesx Caolia kept briefly interviewing the workers after the guards were cleared up. Some weren¡¯t, though, and were sent to an empty storage facility¡¯s underground section to be imprisoned. For the rest of the day, Phesx talked, asked, and received answers from the workers. Virtually all workers were clear of suspicion, but only half were revised. Then, in the evening, he questioned some people who gave their answers with sudden, quick heartbeats, producing nervous sweat. Phesx made a pause. The guards closed his bedroom tight, which was prepared to receive an influx of people nonstop, with a desk in the middle facing an open space at the side. He looked at 3 workers, of which one began sweating in abundance. ¡°So you knew that giving information of the supplies and the limousine¡¯s fixing for long trips wasn¡¯t appropriate to tell, but you did anyway? And when the suppliers came, you talked to them a bit too long. That also didn¡¯t seem inappropriate to you?¡± Phesx asked with upturned eyes, looking casual and a little baffled. The worker, barely a young man, rubbed his fingers together after being caught lying. He sweated, compelled to say something after seeing Phesx¡¯s expression. ¡°No, sir. It was just 5 minutes, that¡¯s not-¡± ¡°Most only spent 20 seconds or even a minute talking with them, waiting for things to get unloaded before focusing on work, as instructed in their labor codes. Why didn¡¯t you?¡± Phesx Caolia¡¯s words silenced the worker, with the others starting to sweat, glancing at their comrade with blaming in their gazes. ¡°I- ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry, they paid me 50,000 credits for every time I talked to them, and 10,000 whenever I brought someone else to do the same.¡± The worker confessed, feeling like the world wasn¡¯t pulling down the weight of his surrounding anymore. Phesx stood up and slowly stepped towards the worker. His voice could be heard throughout the room, ¡°You¡¯ll talk of those matters later. For now, you¡¯ll follow this guard with the others and wait.¡± Phesx placed his right hand on the worker¡¯s back and directed him to the door, which a guard opened. He continued, ¡°You¡¯ll be fined 300,000 credits, but you won¡¯t be reported. The others will receive a similar fine. The time to paid yours can be increased widely with every new name, alias, and piece of information you can remember.¡± ¡°Mn, you should also understand something else,¡± Phesx stopped the worker at the door, turning him slightly around, grabbing the left shoulder. The worker looked at Phesx in silence, acquiescent. ¡°You have seen the first time my face was shown to the world, remember it?¡± ¡®First?¡¯ The worker felt strange upon hearing this wording, but he would naturally not express it. He slightly nodded towards Phesx. Phesx returned the small gesture with his lips closed, the upper atop the bottom one, and lightly said, ¡°You should also remind yourself I was bloody then. Have you heard? I left to meet those who attacked us after the ambush, and I returned alone.¡± ¡°Go,¡± Phesx tapped the worker¡¯s back before watching him and the others leave. Returning to his seat, he called for the next workers. He has discovered moles, but not all of them. It would be fun if one of them answered incorrectly after reuniting information from everyone. ¡­ Time passed. Night fell. Unlike before, with dim and soft lights, and when the crickets¡¯ stridulation could be heard in one side of the villa. From tonight onwards, bright lights would illuminate the dirt paths and the outside perimeter of the villa would be on, scaring some small wildlife a bit away. Phesx finished going through everyone¡¯s profiles and interviews. The guards who gained respect not watching him go nuts after weeks of leisure were also gone. Just as Phesx checked the blueprints of various areas in the villa, and the map detailing the surroundings, his door opened. His bedroom remained ¡®office mode¡¯, with his furniture pushed to the side, and only his desk and a few lamps facing the open space in front of the door. Yoali walked in, wearing a long, white camisole only. Phesx looked at her, blinked, and went to the point, still seated at his desk. His voice was direct, but broken and soft still, ¡°Yoali, is that screening you spoke about enough? Do you still think so?¡± ¡°You said it took time to do it correctly. Is that all you did? No further precautions to someone who is supposed to guard the life of your miss? It isn¡¯t fair, but I¡¯ll ask it. If I wasn¡¯t there, what then? Your guard was lower than poor. You¡¯ve failed your miss.¡± He stopped there, giving her a chance. ¡°¡­ Foremost, thank you, Fox, for not addressing this in public.¡± Yoali expressed before her face grew stern. ¡°I have thought about it since then. Help me revise these procedures. While I have ideas on how to improve, I wish for your assistance. I should¡¯ve ensured a higher level of safety earlier, not remain inflexible, as I did. Having a notorious person watching over her dazzled me. I couldn¡¯t feel more guilty. It is with reason.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx looked at her for some seconds, rubbing his chin with the middle of his open index finger and thumb. Then, he stood up. Phesx walked before her and nodded, ¡°I blame you, but this is just to be expected. I was there, so I didn¡¯t bother reminding you. It¡¯s my negligence at play.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Yoali nodded. Then, they stared at each other in silence for some time. Phesx blinked before bluntly asking, ¡°Did you expect me to coerce you tonight or something? Why do you stay here?¡± ¡°Scoff, I do not. But miss said I should favor you.¡± Yoali said with relief. Phesx lifted his eyebrows a bit. ¡°Oh? So you are willing to do something like this because Roroa petitioned it to you?¡± ¡°¡­ I trusted your manliness of not seeking casual pleasure, Fox.¡± She said with a damned straight face after losing her breath. Phesx chuckled, forcing some guttural sounds stuck at the back of his throat. Yoali smirked, ¡°Fox? It seems you¡¯re human, too.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Phesx shook his head, further stating in a condemned tone and a neutral expression, ¡°Unfortunately.¡± ¡°She won¡¯t sleep easily tonight,¡± Yoali said after turning around, looking at him over her left shoulder. Phesx looked at her with his eyelids drooped by a third. Yoali left with a little smile on her lips. Phesx could feel her excitement as she walked to her bedroom. Looking around his ¡®office¡¯, Phesx felt like not giving a fuck. But only for tonight. He picked the documents and blueprints, and stored his pens, before walking out. He walked by the maid and Yoali¡¯s bedrooms, hearing light moans in the latter despite the excellent soundproof. Creak. Phesx entered Roroa¡¯s bedroom without knocking. Even if he wanted to be tactful, which he naturally didn¡¯t want to tonight, his habits acted first. Roroa stood before the lower end of her bed, vacantly staring at the wall. Remaining silent, he walked to her back and hugged her from behind, placing his left hand on her tummy while his other moved to her chin. She looked up at him, twisting her neck and lifting her chin, quiet and awaiting. Feeling like it, Phesx smooched her forehead, the mask¡¯s material, before whispering his breath against it. ¡°I saw them crouch after Yoali, looking at your absence with furrowed frowns.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not enough to recognize them as ¡®enemies¡¯, or whatever¡­!¡± Roroa loudly exclaimed. Phesx held her waist gently, sighing as he knew he¡¯d have to do some convincing first. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± ¡­ Chapter 93 — Sweet Sweet Phesx placed his left hand under her chin, resting it yet grasping her. She didn''t move away from his hold and caress as he spoke, ¡°That young woman is most likely the one to orchestrate your almost-demise. As for the young man? Probably her toyboy or something. She didn''t even blink when I shot him, if only in the first shot.¡± ¡°Besides,¡± Phesx pushed his body into her a bit more. Roroa still didn¡¯t move away, and she even stood still, going against his pushes as if welcoming him. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you I can decipher a person¡¯s act within just seconds? I had more time to reevaluate them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll just admit you¡¯re right because you told me that some time ago,¡± Roroa finally turned around and said. Her chin up, her eyes penetrating from beneath her mask. Phesx watched the ¡®scenery¡¯ before lightly holding her hands from bottom to top. ¡°Mn, it might not be enough. But I have something to show you,¡± Phesx lowered his head towards her. Roroa parted her lips, albeit a little, before closing them again with her face still up. Maybe out of her habit to welcome him and indulge, or just a few more words she wished to speak being halted. Phesx wasn¡¯t finished yet, so he continued, ¡°You want to learn, don¡¯t you? I can see you laze around, but nobody will be here to stop you. Mn, maybe you tried to manage them more directly and didn¡¯t end up well. Here, nobody can stop me from giving you a lesson. If you¡¯re willing.¡± ¡°¡­ Fine. What is your lesson going to be about?¡± Roroa fell silent. It wasn¡¯t until her chest heaved a little that she voiced, headstrong and with her brain choosing. Phesx lightly nodded, pulling her out of the room and opening the door while saying, ¡°Steel your heart first.¡± Roroa went silent, pondering on his words. Phesx brought her out of the mansion and into one of the storage facilities. He entered the code and opened the gates, where a few guards were watching over the stairs to the underground section. Phesx walked past them, bringing Roroa with him, who adopted a stern, solid attitude as she walked past the guards. Coming down the stairs, she turned around its corner to see 5 different people who used to roam around her during the day; some guards of her daily life since several months ago. Now, they were hung by their wrists from the ceilings, with thick chains but thin contraptions tightened around their wrists. Some had blood coming out their skin, and they only wore ¡®tough¡¯ pants that couldn¡¯t be any less natural or ordinary. ¡°You prepared this for me,¡± Roroa said without beating around bushes. Phesx casually nodded, placing his hand on her lower back before bringing her closer to the guards. They looked at her with squinted eyes, but so far, nobody seemed guilty, or about to implore. ¡°They are ¡®tough guys¡¯. They were discovered, but they know that staying silent is smart. Anyone would want to leave the quiet alone after torture, unless one knows what they¡¯ve done.¡± Phesx Caolia started explaining. He gestured to the man in the middle, ¡°This one¡¯s everyone¡¯s boss. He knows more information than the others. Although he doesn¡¯t have ties with the organized crime, he does business with them. One didn¡¯t stop the other. Of course, he would never send himself to most-likely-death. So he sent that person who almost struck you. Even one flying object from the explosive wave would¡¯ve been enough to send you down the path to the heavens.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Roroa opened her mouth amidst his words, looking at the man who awkwardly stared at them. She then thought for a few seconds before speaking, ¡°That still doesn¡¯t attest to them being chained like this, half-naked, and without any proper procedure.¡± She looked at him, ¡°And what about the young man and woman? Are they chained like this? They are workers of my choosing, and my responsibility. Their families, no matter how crooked they are, are unrelated to this. Why give them pain from nowhere? Wouldn¡¯t that sow discord alone?¡± ¡°Mm, yes,¡± Phesx nodded. ¡°Doing something like this to workers isn¡¯t feasible, but they can still be punished accordingly instead of being thrown to the cutely uniformed forces.¡± ¡°You think everyone¡¯s corrupt?¡± Roroa exclaimed, about to start another sermon, but Phesx stopped her with more of his words. ¡°Of course not. But many are from the highest among them. Which is more than enough already.¡± ¡°Where are the females here?¡± Roroa asked after looking at Phesx in silence. Phesx scarcely grinned at her cleverness. He never hid information from her or Yoali about the people he imprisoned anyway. Phesx placed his hands behind his back before replying, ¡°They are elsewhere. No matter how ready you can be, you still think of females as frail beings.¡± ¡°That means you¡¯re not ready,¡± Phesx further stated. Roroa¡¯s chest, which was just heaving up and down in breathing, calmed down. He gestured to the chained guards with his chin upwards, saying, ¡°These people conspired against you. Tried to kill you. There¡¯s only an end for them now.¡± ¡°What about a trial? They have families, too. We already don¡¯t trust the authorities. Do we also not care about other peoples¡¯ lives? When will there be a line to it?¡± Roroa also gestured to them with her hands, looking at Phesx before staring at them. Phesx exclaimed lowly, ¡°There¡¯s none of that when they threatened you. They were prepared to destroy and kill you, only feeling remorse they couldn¡¯t help with the former. Do families do that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± While she seemed bratty, somehow, and her doubts to his methods were many. Phesx didn¡¯t blame her for being annoying and answered, to which Roroa silently processed. As such, Roroa looked at these people with a lot less ¡®duty¡¯ to speak for as before. ¡°So, what now?¡± Roroa called out. One of the guards whimpered before opening his mouth to soothingly bark. ¡°Miss, please spare me. I, as you have said, have a wife and children. My whole family is big, too. I can¡¯t leave them alone in such a condition.¡± ¡°Miss, please,¡± another guard, this time their leader, spoke out. ¡°Take me, but these men worked with me only for money. I drew them into this path with money and benefits. Punish me, but let the others go.¡± ¡°Do you feel it?¡± Phesx spoke, standing behind her right ear. Roroa¡¯s eyes opened from slightly narrowing them. She looked at Phesx briefly before staring at the chained guards, shaking her head. Phesx whispered, ¡°Their need to beg after seeing you defend them from me, the country¡¯s worst criminal. You question me and I always reply patiently. They see me lower, you higher.¡± ¡°¡­ Is it this easy for their ideals to change?¡± Roroa asked, but Phesx didn¡¯t answer. While she questioned him in a whisper, the guards heard her. Moreover, Phesx felt that she was questioning herself more than she did him. ¡°But they¡¯re still not dogs for us to kill as we please after biting their master,¡± Roroa sounded decided. She looked at Phesx and exclaimed, ¡°No lives are for others to claim. Why do we have to? Can¡¯t I just show them goodwill? Is it really so bad?¡± ¡°Pity them if you want,¡± Said Phesx Caolia, taking a handgun out from his pants rear. ¡°Feel sorry and be compassionate towards them. Search for more excuses in your honorable mind. Nothing is wrong with that.¡± ¡°But those families they have are being fed by the money you¡¯ve given them. They can keep a home and not worry about medicine while millions in this nation can¡¯t do either or both. Forgive them for just ¡®wanting more¡¯. But like with your workers, they will only be the first.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about ruling or managing an organization, but you are a leader not because you perform honorable acts and search the better good in everything. Leaders make the better good for their people. These are just rats, and where one appeared, others can follow.¡± Phesx grabbed her right wrist and put the handgun in her hand. He looked at her and further stated, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be killing them because of the righteousness of a cause. You¡¯ll do it to show everyone else you can.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Roroa fell silent, and Phesx could feel she was tensely frowning, pondering on everything she¡¯s heard. With gun in her hand, the guards returned to their previous state. She gulped nervously and grasped her gun to her waist level. Phesx interjected, holding her wrist to say, ¡°Remember, you are a leader, not an asset. You don¡¯t have to do everything yourself.¡± ¡°Sigh.¡± Roroa felt a weight drop from her shoulders. She looked at the handgun in her right, caressed it, and looked up at Phesx. She drew a wide breath into her lungs before nodding, facing the chained guards, ¡°I have decided. This is something I can¡¯t ignore. Fox.¡± Phesx looked at her. Roroa took a step forward and slightly lifted her right hand towards them, declaring, ¡°I have decided to execute these guards¡­ Kill them for me.¡± She passed the handgun towards Phesx in the same position. He walked forth and gently grabbed the handgun from her hand. Nodding at her, Phesx aimed at the guards, shooting their leader last. Bang bang bang bang bang.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Phesx didn¡¯t hesitate, of course. Roroa jolted with the first 2 shots. When their leader¡¯s turn came, she looked at his eyes and saw fear. He looked at her with begging eyes as his people died. Suddenly, it hit her. Yes, they would do anything for survival, but for money? That, too. Her eyes were put at ease as the last chained guard was headshot and fell limp with his hands still up. Phesx didn¡¯t waste time and brought the princess out of the ¡®slaughterhouse¡¯. The guards above remained silent, descending the stairs after Phesx walked out of the facility. While the guards cleaned, Roroa turned around to see some of them walk down the stairs. She then looked at Phesx and grabbed the sleeves of his upper arms, finally noticing he was holding her forearms. ¡°That was so fast. You didn¡¯t give me any chance to change my mind, or leave someone alive.¡± ¡°Were you going to?¡± Phesx asked after rising his left eyebrow. Roroa let go of his sleeves and opened her mouth, feeling a bit difficult to breath. Phesx stored the handgun and slightly held her in his arms. After meekly shaking her head, Roroa rested her forehead against his sternum. Some time later, as the guards came back up the stairs with black plastic bags and buckets filled with ¡®water¡¯, Roroa stepped back and looked up at Phesx. ¡°I¡¯m expecting more from you from now on. You wouldn¡¯t leave me hanging now, would you? Show me more. I need to¡­ learn more.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx remained silent before nodding at her. His multiple contents eyes made Roroa pensive before she walked away a little. She stopped and turned her head back, Phesx kept his eyes on her. The notion made her pause for a moment. Then, she demanded, ¡°While I¡¯m not letting you to my body any time soon, I need someone to hold me tonight.¡± Before Phesx could make a remark, whether he wanted to or not, Roroa turned around completely and added, ¡°No. I¡¯m not looking to be comforted, nor am I scared. I just need someone to hold me. It¡¯s not universal. You either do it or you never come back to me. Understood? Clean this filth quick and don¡¯t keep me waiting.¡± Roroa left with flurried steps. Despite the overall heat across Lymoca, this night, here, was colder than in most of Lymoca. Phesx watched her leave halfway to the mansion before giving indications to his hand radio. Then, he walked to another precinct. ¡­ 20 minutes later, Phesx walked to Roroa¡¯s room. He could still hear noises from Yoali¡¯s bedroom, and a sleeping, contented maid further away in hers. Opening the door with care, Phesx heard Roroa¡¯s breath momentarily stop, as she lied on the bed, facing the door with her back. He stared at her before entering the bed for a good while. Taking his jacket, pants, shoes, and sockets off, he got comfortable to join her under the sheets. Phesx spooned her, feeling her tremble for a few instants before begrudgingly calming down, too used to his touch and him holding her. Her nostrils even let out a calmed moan before falling silent. The lights dimmed out in their own as Phesx pulled her closer to his chest with his arms around her solar plexus. Closing his eyes, feeling her fingertips slightly trace his forearms before holding him with her hands. Phesx let out a relaxed sigh from his nostrils, falling asleep before her. ¡­ Several hours later, in the morning. Phesx opened his eyes. Feeling her on his chest, he looked down, finding her little mask up against his collarbone. Her nostrils seemed intent on keeping her position, smelling him well. ¡°Hmf.¡± A small blow from his nostrils awakened her. Her head bobbed a little on his chest before she faced him upwards. Her lips trembled, but she didn¡¯t do anything. Phesx thought, ¡®Still punishing me?¡¯ As if reading his thoughts, Roroa pressed her lips, replying to him, ¡®Yes, I am.¡¯ Phesx shook his head and pulled her tight into his chest. Roroa offered no resistance as her cheeks cushioned against his collarbone. Her eyes felt like resting, and her nostrils flared up a little. At last, Roroa realized she couldn¡¯t hide her little antics anymore and just sniffed his aroma in before hugging him back. Her hands snaked around his sides before rubbing her face on his shirt. Before Phesx could breathe the air in his lungs out, she murmured, sounding especially spoiled, ¡°Don¡¯t let go. Keep it this way. Don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx didn¡¯t even offer a nod, but that seemed fitting with what she wanted. Roroa couldn¡¯t help but place a couple of kisses on his collarbone before stopping, deciding it was enough forgiveness of ¡®you¡¯re doing fine¡¯ for the morning, and the rest of the day. Phesx Caolia had noting to say. In fact, he just accepted it. He didn¡¯t find a reason not to, and he felt good following that decision. Thus, for the rest of the day, he shared her bed with her, albeit not like he would¡¯ve imagined not too long ago. ¡­ For the following 2 days, Phesx diligently comforted the princess. He had to work hard during them because of his absence in the day after the event, but he cleared things with Yoali for the future preparations until the situation was resolved and the client could return. He moved everyone around the villa, preparing for actual fortifications in the terrain, and to formulate a network for the security team. What¡¯s more, in the next week, Phesx would begin ¡®slightly¡¯ training them. He wouldn¡¯t make them special agents like himself, or any special agent, but protectors to shield his client, who wouldn¡¯t forget what they were here for. Phesx planned to be rough, only not at the beginning. It was indeed complicated to come by with so many hundreds of loyal people, and these wasn¡¯t everyone, only those in the villa. As for the further screening, that would be Yoali¡¯s issue for when Phesx¡¯s client returned to her daily life. About Yoali, during the 2 days Phesx nursed Roroa¡¯s mentality, and hence comforted her, she came to visit them once and deliver diner. Phesx Caolia was already comfortable, so he was in his boxers. She took advantage and teased him of now he was being the one trying to ¡®give himself¡¯ to the other, before retreating to her room. Either way, Phesx¡¯s training to these guards would be meant to engrave it into their minds so they could train the other guards, and so would the workers ¡®doctrine¡¯ the others after this was over. Nevertheless, when Phesx returned from a stressing day building the network for Roroa¡¯s security team, aided by the few cybernetic engineers experts in the team, he saw Roroa stand before her bed. Now, it really felt like she had something with standing close to her bed. Phesx cautiously stepped in and neared her, taking his clothes out; slowly. Roroa slightly turned her head to look at him with the corners of her eyes. When he arrived behind her, completely naked, and sticking his front to her back, she exhaled in delight before relaxing her arms, stretching them upwards before lowering them to her skirt. She wore a pale pink nightgown dress, with its hem stopping above her knees. Phesx didn¡¯t move or grab anything, simply letting her feel his ¡®apologetic¡¯ side and¡­ need. Even without his body, or those conveyed emotions, Roroa had her own plan. She grabbed the hem of her skirt and lifted it, revealing her bare, exquisite bum smoothly, followed by her delicious back, and ended with her swaying breasts held by his hands to stop their bouncing around. Keeping them in place, massaging them, Phesx¡¯s breathing hardened, and so did Roroa as she started swaying her hips on his groins. Little by little, bending over the bed together, reconciliation, if it could be called that, took place. Soft, tender, warm¡­ pure, ardent passion. . . . 3 months passed since the convoy arrived at the villa. Phesx Caolia has worked from day to night during the following month and few weeks to keep the villa secured, and his client even safer. The villa¡¯s perimeter had a 2 meters tall, wooden fence with more motion detection than aggressive deterrence. There was a bit of wildlife in the surroundings, after all. Furthermore, the princess still went on rides, although not as much as before, and without creating a pattern. Phesx was teaching her well, although it was not much. Considering he appreciated his time here, and her, no matter in which angle he looked at it, it would be better if she could learn to survive on her own for him. The guards¡¯ training went as expected. While they wouldn¡¯t have extreme reflexes nor sensory skills, their protecting efficiency towards his client increased and would continue to as they trained for the following months and even years. The days¡¯ most stressful moments were when Phesx had to work that network. Even with help, being something so new, of which he was still learning with Mena¡¯s handwritten manuals, Phesx had a little struggle to become proficient in it. Thankfully, the cybernetic engineers Yoali poached were pretty flexible and understanding to Phesx¡¯s requests. Not much could be done now. Even the machinery brought to build the fences¡¯ soil and further underneath were gathering dust in their facilities. At least, Phesx gained a few more firearms, with a few select being trained to be snipers to protect Roroa even better. Phesx had to ask Yoali to bring him the 10 most loyal, of which he chose 2 for this matter. Like the other trainings, they would find someone capable enough and pass on Phesx¡¯s teaching. It wasn¡¯t something unique and powerful, but it was different to what they were used to. In comparison, the team¡¯s already existent snipers were like kittens before a growing lion cub. But all that continued on its own. Phesx and Roroa continued their livelihood together, too. However, one obvious change was that their relationship during the day stopped consisting in so much sexual activity, replaced with¡­ just spending time, together or not. On the other hand, their schedule to return ¡®home¡¯ and talk about life became sooner than before the event occurred. Indeed, they couldn¡¯t wait every day to fuck each other¡¯s brains. All night, or as long as they could, however they wanted, and unreserved. Today, for example, it was the year 1,025, 6th month, 3rd week, and 7th day. After the first ¡®incident¡¯, Yoali no longer follows them everywhere all the time. Besides, anyone passing by Roroa¡¯s bedroom at night could feel the natural warmth leak from her room. Yoali was more than relieved to have Phesx protect, and bang, Roroa. It was a type of double care that only she, Yoali, the Security Chief, could understand. This afternoon, Phesx and Roroa were undergoing a set of stretching movements almost alone. They were still in the mansion, in one of the remodeled large rooms. Other maids and butlers here were relaxing or also stretching, but Phesx and the princess were a few distances from them, not necessarily because they looked down on them. Rather, it felt more natural for the others to draw this line. Just as they finished their sets, Phesx and Roroa relaxed their bodies, facing each other. Roroa sweated a little, while Phesx barely did so under his shirt. She drank from her bottle before stepping closer to him. In front of everyone¡¯s eyes, like the most natural act in the world, she gulped down her water and kissed him. Her lips pressed his with such regard that it stole everyone¡¯s breaths and attention away. Her eyes were closed with delicacy, and her left hand beamed, resting on his right shoulder. When it ended, their lips inadvertently made a bit of noise, swift and meaty, but light. Then, she spoke before walking to the exit. Her right hand caressed him from the neck to his lower belly as she stepped away. ¡°Since we¡¯re leaving early morning, let¡¯s get to rest sooner. This is for everyone else, too. Hey, I¡¯ll be waiting¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx Caolia remained behind, blinking. He thought, grabbing his cold water bottle and drinking half the long bottle¡¯s contents in one go, ¡®This¡­ really, what kind of woman is she?¡¯ He was contented, nonetheless. ¡­ Chapter 94 — News And New News And New In Roroa''s bedroom. Phesx entered the room, and once again, Roroa stood before the lower end of her bed. He walked to her, also noticing she wore a strapless dress for no reason. Sunlight still descended into the room through the windows, brightening everything, although the orange dusk slowly gained prominence. He walked to her to stand a foot behind her. Instead of habitually lifting her dress, as she entices and conquers him before even making a move on him, giving him her back, Roroa turned around and looked at him with a tilt of her head. Phesx nibbled his lower lip. He knew exactly what was going on in that mind of hers. ¡°You dressed like this. Just for me?¡± Phesx grabbed the fabric covering her breasts, pulling it to peek a little. Roroa grinned, staring straight at him. Lifting her hands onto his shoulders, she spoke in a delicate whisper, ¡°You took a bit too long. I had time to bathe, wear off this thing, and dress up. Yes, for you. So?¡± Roroa smiled with the last words she spoke, thrusting her torso a little forth, already cushioning her mounds into his chest. Phesx looked at half the face of this young woman of his dream, for she was always in his nights. Grabbing her chin, Phesx was going to say something, but he felt too lazy out of nowhere and just stared at her, moving her chin left and right. Roroa let him play with her face and stared straight at him, something Phesx slowly came to understand as he felt their departing. He caressed her waist with his left hand, as his right hand still grabbed her chin. Then, Phesx promised, cupping her face, ¡°I will protect you, wherever, whenever I see you. Do you understand this?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Roroa nodded a few times, obedient and meek, but then shook her head. Her lips remained open all the same. She looked baffled, even when Phesx couldn¡¯t see her face. She stuck her lower body to him, with her breasts showing their fullness from above as she stared directly at him. ¡°We¡¯ll never find each other again after this.¡± Roroa continued staring fixedly at him. Phesx returned the stare for some seconds before grabbing her shoulders. ¡°Why do you sound so damn confident saying that?¡± ¡°Hm,¡± Roroa blew through her nostrils, smiling. Phesx Caolia shook his head a little before tiling his head to the left. Letting go of her face, he declared, ¡°You know¡­ I have a rebellious nature. Just because of that, when I grow so much to the point influence is meaningless, I will find you.¡± It was such a simple ¡®threat¡¯. One that meant nothing but for the future. Yet, Roroa¡¯s body stiffened, halting her breathing for a moment, and her eyes seemed¡­ terrified? They shook and shrank, focusing on him, and she almost retreated. Furthermore, Phesx could just see this emotion beneath the small sockets in her mask. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Enough blabbering,¡± Roroa said, lightly tapping his chest before looking back at her bed to see where she could back down and lie for him to take her. But Phesx, burning with passion, grabbed her waist and controlled her body weight with ease. He placed her atop the edge of her bed before slowly lying her down, backwards. Her breath was shortened, and her body became excited. Her hair stood on their end, alarming her body to get ready for the incoming sexual pleasure. ¡°Wait, leave it a bit,¡± Phesx stopped her from removing her dress. Roroa blinked with half her body naked from her feet to her navel. He moved her top a little and partially freed the ginormous bunnies before opening the ¡®hatch¡¯ to free the beast. Phesx added, controlling himself from lunging at the beauty. ¡°I like clothed now.¡± ¡°Puchi- pfft! Hahahaha¡­¡± Roroa looked baffled at first with her lips slightly open. But she failed to contain her laughter later on as her sensual body trembled, laughing with him. He smirked at the silly beauty, still a tremendously seductive sight. He spoke, ¡°You¡¯re laughing so much. You should even it with your moans next.¡± ¡°Haha- ¡­¡± Roroa cracked up some more before stopping at once. She looked up at him as Phesx played with their bodies. Her little moans surpassed glory and the heavens. Then, Roroa slowly lifted her hands, hugging his neck as their bodies finally connected. A viscous, saliva-coated, warmest kiss of many was initiated by their 2 pairs of lips. With the sun leaving the day, their outlined shadows kissed and kissed, moved and sounded. . . . The next day, early morning. Everyone moved out to prepare the limousines and return to Proteros. It was no surprise that the time spent ¡®in hiding¡¯ was half as shorter if not more than in other occasions. They actually got to engage with the threat, or one of them, perhaps. This brought information to whoever supported Phesx¡¯s client, or from whichever organization she belonged to. For now, it seemed like that threat had been neutralized. Phesx didn¡¯t have to do anything else, other than keep protecting his client, and wait for further instructions. Those were the following instructions, to leave at last. Once Phesx delivered her back to the designated Proteros location, the task would be complete, and he could receive whatever rewards and condecorations for its achievement. Most workers and guards were aboard, with the now well-trained guards patrolling the limousines with a few submachine guns. Phesx waited in one of the armored limousines, whose hidden compartment changed place since the event occurred, when Yoali brought Roroa outside. They were to finally depart. ¡°Come on,¡± Phesx opened the door and said to Roroa. She looked at him for 2 long seconds before going in. Yoali blinked at him until he rolled his eyes and went inside next. Only then did Yoali gladly enter the car. ¡°Oh!¡± She wanted to push Phesx¡¯s thighs to Roroa again, but this time, Roroa directly sat atop his lap. Phesx was startled, not just Yoali, but Roroa wiggled her butt and got comfortable too quick to do anything. Somehow, he felt he gave this person too much power. ¡°This or follow us running,¡± Roroa looked down at him after getting all comfy. Her left arm hugged his right shoulder, while her right hand landed on his sternum. Phesx couldn¡¯t see it, but he felt she raised her eyebrows, daring him to vie against her. She said, ¡°I heard you¡¯re pretty good at running. Would you like that?¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re not wearing anything underneath?¡± Phesx dared not misspeak at this time, until he found an aperture. Roroa¡¯s cheeks blushed pink as she fell silent, slumping her head on the left side of his neck to hide from the truth. She wore a long shirt dress, but nothing underneath¡­ Thus, the trip back to Proteros began. . . . Roroa slept most of the time on their way back to Proteros. Since it was still dark when they left, by the time they neared the capital, sunrise had already begun, and the beauty of the sun shining and shadowing everything it reached enhanced the capital¡¯s magnificence. Against her wishes, Roroa was woken up by Phesx, who wanted her to see this scenery. Maybe he was bored, maybe sentimental, or just really bored. But when she did see it and complimented how beautiful it was, he felt¡­ nice. Not too long after, with the gray of the morning already leaving, the convoy parked in a district near the capital¡¯s center. The trip had come to its end, and so was their relationship, for whatever it remained as worth. Parking ¡®till the last limousines in the convoy did, Yoali looked at the stupid two. Roroa was wide awake and eating Phesx¡¯s neck. His left trapezius muscle would shudder if it was a little more delicate and flexible. His left eye constantly shivered, but Roroa knew that, and she now knew how to physically seduce hm the best. But now wasn¡¯t the time. Phesx tapped her lower back, yet, Roroa continued for a little longer before moving to his cheek, then his lips. Phesx opened his eyes and worded, sounding bossy, ¡°Behave.¡± He felt her eyes open and look at him as she suckled his lips. Before long, she closed them and bit on his lower lip, pulling on it a few times before simply nibbling on it like a delicacy. Phesx gave up, while Yoali rolled her eyes and decided to wait outside, where adults at least knew how to behave. Workers and guards in the limousine followed, including the driver and co-driver. Once they were left alone, Phesx grabbed her dress from behind and pulled, forcing her into the seat after a slightly curving trajectory. Beneath her mask, a pair of eyes were shocked, but nothing hurt, so she just looked up at Phesx grumpily afterwards. Nonetheless, Phesx had already opened a drawer under the seat and grabbed a panty and long shorts. Roroa felt stupid as he helped her further up to the seat and placed her feet together, dressing her lower body. ¡°Hey¡­¡± When Phesx was close to putting her panties on, she stopped him. Usually, between men and women, it was the opposite¡­ Phesx lifted his chin and looked at her. Roroa cocked her head to the right and begged, ¡°One last time? Why not?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx gave her a glare, alright. But his hands still moved under her long shirt dress. Roroa took advantage to hug his neck and plaster her mouth all over his while he labored her body¡­ In a succession of high-pitched moans covered by the soundproof windows, Phesx helped her dress up her bottom body while she still recuperated.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. They sat in silence with almost 1 meter in between them after he helped her. Roroa sat closer to him when she felt a bit more clear-headed. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s stupid to think sexual involvement would help in a mission, at least against your targets.¡± ¡°After all this,¡± Phesx nearly laughed off, but he had to finish his sentence, ¡°You barely thought so? My, a genius!¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Roroa smirked and blew from her nostrils, swaying her head to look elsewhere. Phesx¡¯s smile disappeared after a few thoughts, looking at her. She felt his eyes and returned the stare. Her left hand moved out of instinct to hold his left cheek. ¡°Your eyes, why would they change so much?¡± Phesx had the feeling she wanted to say something entirely else. Perhaps having to do with the words she told him before their first time together. His silence was met with silence, but he opened his half-dried, half-wet lips with a bit of difficulty, and said, ¡°An specialized doctor said it¡¯s in my genes. It¡¯s the same with my hair. I¡¯ve already cut these a few times, but they¡¯re growing white again.¡± Roroa looked at the white sprouts of hair exiting his scalp in the middle of his head. She rustled them with her right-handed fingertips before kissing his forehead. Since she was already in the position¡­ Phesx closed his eyes until the kiss ended, blinking them several times afterwards. Roroa sat back down again, supporting her jaw with her right hand. Phesx looked at this little thing¡¯s picture and lowered his eyelids, feeling a bit enervated. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was from his emotional state, or his dying body. ¡°How would you score my performance in this task, lady?¡± Phesx breathed deeply in before asking. Roroa looked at him, still supporting her head, and spoke with her mouth bouncing her head on her palm. ¡°I¡¯m grateful, and the payment is well-earned. I would contact your services in specific again if I could, but I might not need another such immediate safety like this for a while.¡± ¡°Will you move to another supercontinent?¡± Phesx Caolia asked without preoccupation. She did not deny nor confirm, avoiding moving her head, and just stated, ¡°I will have a¡­ different quality of people to take care of my safety. There are things to work on¡­ I¡¯m young still, and others much younger than me, years ago, have achieved things I would¡¯ve wanted for myself for the future.¡± ¡°Then good luck, Roroa.¡± Phesx extended his right hand at her. She was startled. Phesx could swear there was an intense glimmer in her eyes, beneath that damned mask. Like never before, Roroa smiled gracefully, looking like a heavenly angel. ¡°It¡¯s the first time you name me. No more princess this or that, huh?¡± Roroa¡¯s voice turned soft and low, surprising Phesx. He blinked a few times, when he decided to sell himself a bit better. ¡°I can show you something, but no telling it to any other, not even your superiors. Whoever they might be.¡± ¡°Aha?¡± Roroa smiled again, this time thinly. Receiving what could be best known as one of Roroa¡¯s agreeing attitudes, he sharpened his nails, going ultra. Roroa¡¯s face froze, although her eyes might be widened beneath her mask. ¡°That isn¡¯t a bion, in- is it?¡± She asked, but her hands were already holding his hand. Her fingertips pinched and poked his sharpened nails with her human, ordinary ones. Phesx shook his head, remaining silent. But then, seeing her have so much fun, he smirked. ¡°Not only those.¡± Roroa tilted her face a little, staring at his face before becoming stupefied. She tilted her head again, this time a lot and to the right, before bringing his ultra nails near her face. She bit them a little before planting her lips on them, but nothing happened to them. ¡°May I?¡± Then, like a huntress, Phesx felt her eyes on his ¡®fangs¡¯. He nodded after blinking. Roroa came closer and poked his teeth, trying to pull them a little before asking him again, looking up, and all cute. ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Phesx slowly nodded, feeling a bit insecure. Roroa immediately put her lips inside his mouth. She planted a peck on his open mouth, between lower and upper teeth, and both at the same time. Phesx lost all thoughts and concentration, feeling lost himself with slow blinks. Hell, he even felt a tongue lap at the back and front of his rows of teeth. Phesx felt like a lion cub, brand-new into the world and learning the means of showing submission or appreciation. Roroa, on the other hand, was an evil minx smiling from ear to ear. ¡®So beautiful.¡¯ ¡°It feels so much different from your normal teeth.¡± Roroa stated the impossible. Not that Phesx could notice, as he always had them near his tongue, and habitually used them to bite on things with blood. All Phesx could do, partly feeling like a child who lost his innocence to a naughty little lass, was, ¡°Hm.¡± ¡°So, these were all inside me.¡± Roroa suddenly said. Phesx burst with a choked laughter, spitting a bit around the interiors. Roroa held her belly to laugh, narrowing her eyes and puffing her cheeks. The whole package. ¡°Hahahahaha¡­¡± Silence ensued. Phesx looked at her and Roroa at him. She extended her left hand and shook it with his right hand. ¡°Good luck to you too, Phesx.¡± ¡°Fox.¡± Phesx blinked twice before correcting her. Roroa¡¯s face suddenly became stern. She repeated, ¡°Phesx. Phesx Caolia. But yes, good luck, Fox.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He fell silent, and also like this lady really wanted him to remember his name despite only calling him Fox for 3 months. Seeing this, Roroa smiled thinly, politely, and bid her farewell. ¡°Get out of my limousine, Fox. You have a life to deal with. Don¡¯t give it up so easily. It might make me feel weird. It¡¯s better to stay alive.¡± Tomp- slam. With that, Roroa opened the door on her side and exited, closing it without looking back at him again. She walked, with Phesx¡¯s trained guards forming a formation around her and to rush at her if anything happens and give their lives, disappearing into a garage building. Phesx felt silent on his seat. The limousine was still open, and probably not worth much, as another 3 limousines were casually called into the villa after the attempt, all armored, let alone just 1 of them. In the end, through the thoughts and experiences since before the task to until now, Phesx decided to¡­ leave it all behind. Forget it and go on, that¡¯s what he¡¯s always been doing. To live, right? Then, he has survived until today like this. Phesx decided to forget all about his life in that villa; everything that proliferated from outside his task. Opening and closing the door with an impassive pace, Phesx quietly exited the limousine and walked towards the center. It was just morning, and the day had but started. He figured, why not, enjoy the short morning cold before arriving at what is supposed to be his new home. ¡­ Phesx spent 3 little hours walking from the location he was dropped to the Plastics Recycler Factory. In a sense, it felt as if he was gone from civilization again and finally returning today. Shorter than in Preut, but longer than after Riverlye. The entrance was as ordinary as always, with only personnel coming in and out. Few times in trucks or trailers. Phesx walked in and saw Mena in the reception. Feeling lucky, Phesx walked to her, but the double doors in the back opened, revealing Butler. ¡®Was he waiting for me?¡¯ Phesx doubted. Butler stepped out of the reception and leaned over the counter, holding an elegant jet-black box with a smooth surface in his hands. Phesx looked at Butler lift its lid, revealing a bundle of items. An ultramodern phone, an insignia, some thin-looking clothes, and 2 windows. One crystal windows was high-end, with the same recording and storing features that any other of the same model would have, but the other wasn¡¯t much so. Instead, when Phesx held it, and he willed to see what it hid, or meant, his information was revealed. Both were the length of his wrist. Phesx¡¯s eyes widened. He looked at Butler, who grinned and seemed to remember something. He snapped his fingers in the air before facing Mena. ¡°Little gal, prepare the program. Now, Phesx, what alias would you like? It¡¯s important. You might even use it for the ordinary world, you know? It¡¯s not a new identity, but it will be in the system.¡± Butler looked at him with a casual expression, ¡°You¡¯ll be the envy of many business owners who cannot sign up with their aliases. Completely legal. Go ahead, choose.¡± ¡°¡­ Fox.¡± Fox didn¡¯t need to think about it. He was just slightly suspicious. If Butler wanted to hide something from him, Fox didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to realize so soon. Butler only smiled, though. He looked at Phesx like a grandpa would to a grandchild whose talent was almost wasted under the parents¡¯ pseudo ignorance. He also tapped Fox¡¯s left shoulder, closer to the heart. ¡°Well, see your payment. Don¡¯t lose your WID. You can just attach it to your skin, but keep its battery on performance, or it¡¯ll just fall off. I must leave. Do take care of yourself, kid. And¡­ seek other ways, if you could. It won¡¯t take much time off your daily life. Mn, I suppose that varies between individuals. You¡¯ll be on the list for missions around Lymoca soon, have enough time to settle down in the meantime.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Butler,¡± Fox nodded, taking the entire box into his hands. He liked the smooth feeling it had. Butler winked at him with his left eye, ¡°There you go. You¡¯re meant for greatness, child.¡± With that, Butler left, as quick as he came, repeatedly slapping Fox¡¯s shoulder. Fox blinked, feeling perplexed. That is when Mena spoke to him, working her fingers off on the desktop, Fox couldn¡¯t figure out what bit her to become so concentrated. ¡°It¡¯ll take a moment, Fox. Wait while I work my little magic.¡± Fox tried leaning over to see what got her so riled up, but the screen only showed between bright, white blank screens or glitching, black screens. Mena gave him a playful glare, which Fox could only give up to and wait at the side. He looked at his personal window and saw his information. His current staying location, not house or owned estate; all quite detailed. His rank, which was, indeed, 1st Grade special agent, among other things. However, there was also a number, a very big number. ¡°It¡¯s from your mission,¡± Mena interluded his thoughts. It also wasn¡¯t a big mystery to guess her following words. ¡°A mission only tasked to a firster, with a long period of time to accomplish it. They are always difficult, you know? Yours even lasted less than the agreed period by the contractor. You gained bonus.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lot.¡± Fox commented. Mena scoffed, tapping a bit too fast for a few seconds, ¡°I reckon you won¡¯t find any of these unless you have to make a big scene in a city. Usually, only firsts see something like this once or twice a year or 2. My last big-payment assignment was last 9th month. I got paid 3 million, and all I had to do was check some part of the Quarter Moon Ocean with another 20 firsts.¡± ¡°3 million?¡± Fox was a bit¡­ quite startled. Mena sighed, relaxing a bit back on her chair, and looked up at him, ¡°Welcome to the District, kid.¡± ¡°There you go, Fox. Alias complete, yawn.¡± Mena proudly smiled after tapping her yolks a few more times. Fox checked his personal window, seeing his ¡®Phesx Caolia¡¯ followed by an emboldened Fox. He smirked. Mena noticed it but didn¡¯t say anything. To each their own. ¡°Hey, I want to pick my alias. Oh, hey¡­ Fox? Thought you died in that rumor or something.¡± Just then, a person who was walking towards the reception, which Fox long detected, spoke to Mena. She nodded and readily asked him, not tired a bit. ¡°Sure thing, which you want?¡± ¡°Bluestwo,¡± the person said. Fox turned and saw it was a young man, tall, brown, with long hair combed backwards, looking like gel but not at the same time. Quite a well-taken care of hair. He was one of the ¡®fellow recruits¡¯ in Fox¡¯s batch. ¡°Sure, how do you want it spelled?¡± Mena asked again, still not tapping her fingers. The fella worded without a second thought, ¡°BLS2.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ mm¡­ done!¡± Mena did a few taps, slid her wrist on the desk, and looked at Bluestwo. Fox looked at this and became stupefied. What happened before? ¡°Oh, you did get the Fox alias¡­ 1.2 million credits?! What task did you have, man?!¡± The fella thanked Mena with a smile, which she politely returned, and looked at his personal windows while ¡®focusing¡¯ on Fox. Fox received a light, harmless shock through his body, emerging from his personal windows, and a bell¡¯s untraceable sound that seemed to only echo in his mind. Was he¡­ just¡­ scanned? ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: See what I did there? Fox to-> Fox. Ah ah ah ah eh eh. Chapter 95 — New Route… Awakened? New Route¡­ Awakened? Fox was about to say something, but the fella read more from his personal window. His face fell. ¡°1st Grade¡­ So, it was true. What the hell!¡± With the guy shouting, exclaiming, and just being loud, Mena narrowed her eyes and politely smiled with thin lips. Meanwhile, Fox lifted his left eyebrow and stared down at his personal window while thinking of the guy before him, not even look at him. Then, a similar but ''external'' toll from a swifter bell sounded, before a light holographic showcased a screen with another person''s information. ¡®2nd Grade, so he is something¡­ only 80,000 credits. Oh, I can read how long he has been a PSD agent, 3 months¡­ After I left. I can¡¯t see his address, nor his owned estate or business ownerships.¡¯ Fox understood the personal windows¡¯ functionality a bit better. The guy had already been sent off by Mena by the time Fox lifted his chin. It was the two of them now. As Fox blinked, Mena stared at him and explained, ¡°He didn¡¯t have something to say. I also read your file a little. I figured you wouldn¡¯t want someone like that near you for long.¡± ¡°Um, I¡¯m used to it. It¡¯s fine,¡± Fox replied, looking at Mena for a brief moment with the intention to know about her. A light holographic screen appeared above his personal window again, with the same slightly low quality lettering. Mena blinked at his curiosity but ignored it. Instead, she spoke in a low volume, ¡°Yeah, no. You shouldn¡¯t have to.¡± Fox lifted his eyes again to see her shake her head with half dropped eyelids. He thought for a bit before saying, ¡°Thanks. You said something about business on sale before I left, can you show them to me?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Mena crouched to look for a thick book before slamming it on the counter. With a slight, exclaiming breath out of her mouth, she looked through the pages before selecting 6 pages and separating them with a plastic tool within the book. ¡°These are within Proteros, and to my experience, the best ones yet. Whichever you want,¡± Mena gestured to the book, taking a step backwards to let Fox choose. After a minute, Fox nodded before asking Mena, ¡°Can I make a reservation?¡± ¡°Nope, but if you give me something in return, I may accidentally cross them off the paper for no reason,¡± Mena smiled thinly. ¡°You want my body?¡± Said Fox, closing the plastic booklet and staring fixedly into her eyes. Mena stayed silent, looking at him without a rippling emotion. At last, her lips quivered as she opened them, ¡°Nope. If I wanted to, I wouldn¡¯t blackmail you. What sort of ugly romance is that?¡± ¡°Oh, but I do want your body,¡± Mena seemed to think of something. Her eyes brightened, and as she leaned over the counter, she expressed. ¡°I want it to move nonstop and make me free bions once you get to business within the District.¡± ¡°Hah?¡± Fox lifted his eyebrows. Mena nodded with earnest. Fox thought for a bit before leaning over the counter with crossed arms, grinning. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly do that. But I¡¯ll give you a 65% discount from now on. But nothing more than that. We¡¯ll help each other from now on with this, mm?¡± ¡°Ah, those Ruvas did teach you well. Perfect, even. I¡¯ll see if I can climb the B&C¡¯s thighs.¡± Mena shook her head and straightened her back. She hid a smirk before taking his hands and shaking his right hand with hers. Fox smirked in return, correcting her, ¡°Ruva, only.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± she nodded. ¡°So, which do you want, Fox?¡± ¡°Not yet, I will look for somewhere to stay first¡­ And if I will have enough for my Myertha,¡± Fox shook his head. Mena nodded, understanding his cautiousness. Then, she smiled, not having to remind him how to spend well the hard-earned money before it became someone else¡¯s scam-earned wealth. ¡°For now, just¡­ ¡®reserve¡¯ these for me, if you could.¡± Fox pointed at a few and said before looking up at Mena. She nodded with attention before directly erasing them with a cylindrical object. It wasn¡¯t a pen or an eraser, but more like a small toy to assemble into things with many others of the same properties. ¡°Oh, these are just some of our things. We are one of the richest secret organizations in the world. We won¡¯t stupidly build our cybernetic system to record everything, you know? These are just some comfortable gadgets. Okay, Fox. Now that that is over, you wanna chat?¡± Mena closed the book, returned it to below the counter, and leaned over the counter. Fox didn¡¯t want to, but he felt like spending some time with this lady, who treated him well since he arrived here a criminal. Thus, he nodded. For the following 2 hours, while Fox saw her work with some agents taking the main entrance to go in or out, they chatted. At last, Fox looked at the time before thinking of something. After his mission, which he did his best to forget, he felt a bit embarrassed to not know what was going on in Proteros. He had no idea of what the deal was in the capital, let alone its surroundings. ¡°Is there anything worth noticing lately? News, I mean,¡± Fox asked with a slight frown. Mena¡¯s brown eyes brightened again. ¡°You want to know? Oh my, the kid becomes the adult. Will you watch news now? Hehe.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start calling you grandma sister if you really want an elderly status with me,¡± Fox politely smirked, threatening the innocent young woman. Mena widened her eyes, shaking her head in disappointment, ¡°I was only playing. Didn¡¯t have to be so bratty.¡± ¡°Tonight¡¯s a program¡­ that might interest you. It has been worked for several months now, with ¡®certain¡¯ things a madman did in Lymoca not too long ago becoming public knowledge after the government¡¯s investigation culminated.¡± Mena said before stretching. ¡°Anyway, if you find a place to stay, be sure to watch it.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ Thanks for everything,¡± Fox said, thanking her after darting his eyes for a bit. He turned around and exited the building. Mena looked at his back before chuckling, wondering in her little mind, ¡®What kind of things will you end up messing? G¡¯ luck to you.¡¯ ¡­ Fox presented himself to the HQ and became a 1st Grade special agent, a firster. The ceremony for his recruits¡¯ batch had already occurred and finished. He was 3 months late. While it would be nice to show up after that, Fox had a therapist to meet. As long as it wasn¡¯t necessary, he wouldn¡¯t bother with anything. Checking his new phone, Fox installed some apps to start his housing-finding. He wore a hat and glasses left in the box, and even kept the box, before walking into the open streets of night Proteros City. Fox couldn¡¯t go to the HD, the Housing Department, or he would be apprehended, though only if he didn¡¯t resist. As for his identity in the apps, he used ¡®Fox¡¯, and no profile. Anything else was cleared up thanks to PSD¡¯s connection with the government. Their relationship really seemed a bit close. Fox waited a little in the same coffee shop as before, taking another large drink until the evening. Once Morena walked into the building, he did the same as always and checked the perimeter before entering the building. This time, while the grandpa was there again, things changed. It wasn¡¯t the flirting phase of courting anymore, but the two, the receptionist and grandpa, sitting together and calmly talking about the other with one another. Fox politely smirked at them before directly walking into Mona¡¯s office, with the receptionist habitually gesturing him to go in. She also voiced a little loud after recognizing him, ¡°Welcome back- ¡­ Fox. It is nice seeing you return from work!¡± As usual, he didn¡¯t offer a comment or nod and just went into the office. Inside was Mona, with 2 cups of tea ready, drinking from her own. Fox took his ¡®disguise¡¯ off and sat, keeping his jacket on. Mona looked at the thin fabric beneath his clothes showing on his collarbone and spoke after taking another sip calmly, ¡°Congratulations, Fox. At last. I see you¡¯re wearing the ¡®uniform¡¯. How has it been for you? These past few months.¡± ¡°Eventful,¡± Fox slightly leaned over and intertwined his fingers under the table. Mona nodded, putting her cup down as Fox took a few sips from his. She inquired, ¡°How did your client treat you? She wasn¡¯t just any client, a VIP.¡± ¡°I knew that,¡± Fox nodded, taking more sips. Mona continued, ¡°As such, she has the right to know some details from her employees. Did she seem affected by your condition? It must be difficult to accept. Not many would believe that, and within reason. But you¡¯re far from reason.¡± ¡°That is indeed strange. Since she knew, why did it seem like she wanted to copulate with me? I did not do anything I didn¡¯t want to, but I had to always simulate that¡­ notion. She either didn¡¯t believe it or-¡± Fox didn¡¯t finish his sentence, interrupted by Mona, ¡°She didn¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Fox simply nodded, finishing his first cup. He served himself another while Mona asked again, ¡°I read you killed during this mission. How did that feel?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He stared at her in surprise. Mona explained without batting an eye, ¡°A copy of your report came to me the moment you registered, I believe. I¡¯ve read it a few times before coming here. I¡¯d prefer if we talk through it with whatever pace you would like.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Fox nodded after hearing her. He took a slightly long breath into his lungs before beginning, ¡°I liked it, at first. It was refreshing to do it again, and to so many targets placed together. But it became exciting when I chased them.¡± Morena looked at him, squinting her eyes a little at times, before asking him, crossing her right leg over the other. ¡°Did you use your ultra body?¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Fox closed his eyes while nodding, remembering the thin, fantastic sensations, like an animal reminiscing of the young days going feral during its old state. When he opened them again, his eyes polycoria were a little dilated. They returned to normal afterwards, but Mona noticed them. ¡°Well, we have a lot to discuss. You didn¡¯t come for months, remember?¡± Mona smirked to the left corner of her mouth. Fox blinked a few times, ¡°But I was in a miss- task. I had to fulfill my duty.¡± ¡°Uh-uh, that¡¯s not an excuse for being at fault anytime,¡± Mona lifted her left index finger and swayed nos with it. ¡°You could have come at any moment, but you didn¡¯t. Now, we¡¯ll make up for it. Ah, I know. Since we¡¯re celebrating your graduation from the recruitment regimen, and your success, bring me on a date sometime. Okay? I have the feeling you¡¯d be able to move around soon.¡± Fox tilted his head to the right, a lot. But considering he had a good reason to, and money, he nodded repeatedly before slapping his palms just above his knees. Mona smiled soothingly, saying, ¡°Now, before we continue. About that client of yours. You said she wanted you to¡­ act in a breeding manner, and you complied. Information such as fertility isn¡¯t shown to even the VIP clients. Did you tell her? And, how do you feel with her actions and your response in the matter?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox¡­ fell pensive. He wasn¡¯t dumb enough to not consider all of this before, but he didn¡¯t put it on thought for a reason. Just as Mona wanted to pacify him, and that he didn¡¯t have to if he didn¡¯t want to, Fox went, ¡°I didn¡¯t, but she wasn¡¯t stupid not to know it, or realize it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she knew, though. As for my response to her¡­ moves¡­ I don¡¯t intend to hide it. I do think I did it, and would again, out of compensation for Pheli.¡± Fox¡¯s voice became so low, lesser than a whisper. His face tilted down. His eyes became sorrowful; nostalgic. ¡®How matured you¡¯ve come to grow.¡¯ Mona¡¯s eyebrows weakly creased in curves. Her blue eyes became so worried, almost as if she could feel his pain. She leaned over and extended her right arm over her desk, lightly tapping his left backhand, keeping in check his comfort still. ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± They looked at each other, nothing more. Fox felt the warmth from her eyes, with Mona feeling a bit better the more his emotional state seemed to stabilize. She seemed to realize about something before smiling, feeling contented. Then, their session, a long one, continued. . . . Proteros City center, southern mega hotel #5, 6th floor. After exiting the therapist¡¯s building, it was already 1 PM. Fox had the money, so the costly yet available residences in the capital were up for the taking. With 1.25 million credits, Fox rented a suite in a mega hotel. This one faced the presidential precinct and had a fairly good angle of the ¡®capital flag¡¯, which would aim somewhat towards the hotel, but still give a good side view of its Silverplated Eagle. The mega hotel itself had over 60 floors. However, it wasn¡¯t the number of suites what mattered, but the sumptuousness each of the ¡®normal¡¯ ones had. There were only 2 ¡®ranks¡¯ about the regular suites, which Fox wasn¡¯t willing to go after, not wanting to spend hundreds of thousands of credits per night. Instead, he went for the ¡®poorest¡¯ richest suites in mega hotels. These rooms are quite large, evenly, and only about 6 of them are in each floor. 2 at the sides and 1 in the opposite extremes. Fox took the suite in the northern side near the sole suite in the eastern side. It cost him 10,000 the night. Almost 300,000 credits a month. With this ¡®incentive¡¯ Fox had better get to work soon, and fast. Still, it was damn worthy. The place was almost 20 times larger than his apartment atop the pizzeria alone. It had 2 showers, one that seemed best for couples, or more¡­ and another for relaxation and thought-process. It had 6 bedrooms, of which one was the main bedroom, with a wide space and comfortable bed. The others were a little small and simple, but as comfortable and fancy as the rest of the suite. Furthermore, it had see-through wallglass. If one wanted, they could enjoy the magnificent view of the concrete jungle. The only landscapes worth noticing were the national structures and buildings, which only Fox had when in the kitchen or living room. Currently, he was in the relaxing bathroom, taking a hot shower. After staying in the mansion and re-experiencing showering with a lover, he still couldn¡¯t let go of the feeling of water on his body. Alone and with no thoughts in his head. Fox supported his body with his left hand on the wall. [M¨¦temela, as¨ª, suave¡­ Qu¨¦ rico¡­] A flash of the most sensual memories in his head, rather recent, invaded him. Fox opened his eyes, almost furious. He stood straight amidst ragged breathing. Those memories weren¡¯t unique, as they repeated everywhere he could remember in the mansion where he could have a moment to ¡®talk¡¯. Furthermore, they were each as hot and¡­ unforgettable. Fox evened his breathing, but then, feeling something was off, he looked down. His eyelids drooped, ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Before Fox turned the shower off, a smaller layer of thin plastic-looking rectangular item glowed below the showerhead. It made a ¡®ting¡¯ sound before a voice spoke in a pre-recorded, non-human speech. Not quite robotic. ¡°Fox, it is late at night. This would be a good moment to write Doctor Morena about your troub-¡± ¡°I said no emotional support active,¡± Fox lightly called out, startled and annoyed. The voice stopped, but only for a couple of seconds before it recommended, ¡°The mental stability of young, regular, and old men throughout their lives in the world is vastly-¡± ¡°No emotional support!¡± Fox barked. The voice turned itself down, making no noise. It glowed a holographic message with impoverished quality that read ¡®emotional support feature has been turned off¡¯. ¡®Huh, you know how to behave.¡¯ Even though it was an awful experience just now, Fox couldn¡¯t help noticing the ultramodern technology he was barely coming across. There was also the NUAs, or rather, the Nuclear Uniform Armor suits, which sounded pretty damn powerful. ¡°?¡± Fox¡¯s right ear tingled a tiny bit. He lowered his chin and fixated his ear to face the small open window. Then, he spoke to his personal window while frowning. ¡°WID, call the police and inform the assault with a firearm, unidentified, a few streets from here. Anonymous.¡± The WID on the wall flashed a glow across its surface like the rapid passing of the sun on the ground, with the shadows of structures in the area moving along throughout the day. Then, Fox turned the shower off, grabbed his personal window, and came out of the individual booth. The small window remained open, but a net slid downwards, further covering it. The remaining water quickly ran down the drain with the level design before the steam was sucked by it after making some mechanical sounds from within. That would become reused clean water for other purposes, only for the mega hotel¡¯s benefit, though. Ignoring the spear ¡®stabbed¡¯ on his groins, Fox dried himself while walking to the living room. He picked one of the thick, long sofas to relax after slowly dressing up, feeling calm. Checking the time again and looked at the multiple channels before selecting the one that¡¯d rebroadcast the news he was supposed to watch before getting even more comfy. He placed his head on his forearms and spread his legs after pulling a lever and rotating a button below the armrest his arms were now resting on. Extra cushions slowly moved out of its lower front section while supports followed suit, keeping the sofa from inclining, as several cushions moved out. Feeling the soft and fullness of the sofa, Fox almost felt sleepy. Then, the show started. ¡°Tonight, we¡¯re presenting you ¡®the Lye martyr¡¯ of Lymoca!¡± A male announcer with short, black curly hair shouted in excitement. A tall, white blonde, mature woman with excessive, tantalizing bosom appeared as the angle zoomed out, complementing the former. ¡°To those who don¡¯t know, this is the mini-documentary after the government investigated the Sargonde incident.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the male announcer continued from where she left it, while his partner adorned a bright, wide smile. He followed with, ¡°In Sargonde, a tragedy that took over a thousand lives couldn¡¯t just happen because some people came in and came barging into the doors of life.¡± ¡°This is how a simple, not yet a young man, boy managed to elude the trap his lagj secret organization put him through when¡­¡± The male announcer knew how to make dramatic pauses. He continued, ¡°They discovered he was actually turning them to the government!¡± ¡°My heavens!¡± The pretty blonde shook her head exaggeratedly, but not so much. The male announced nodded, convinced with himself, before going on, ¡°Indeed. You will next witness a detailed explanation on this matter. Don¡¯t leave, it¡¯s about to start. Accompany us in informing yourselves of this tremendous honor, that although aided the country, it was not without misery.¡± The male announcer smiled brightly when he said those last few words. He wasn¡¯t as strikingly attractive as a handsome man as the female announcer, but he had a ¡®typical¡¯ guy next door detail to his character. The camera zoomed out into the dark, replacing the announcer¡¯s big smile and assertive eyes with nothingness. Sounds of flapping papers and ink spluttering sounded before the middle of the screen showed colors, like the dimly lighting of an oil lamp, eating away the black screen. ¡°Since the 24th, the police forces of the state of Sargonde became confused by the hidden notes left behind by an unknown person. With the president¡¯s new calling line for secret organizations investigations, the national guard and specialized police met these, quoting, ¡®nonsensical banters¡¯.¡± ¡°At first, they were believed it was meant to mock the authorities. It was clear that the job was orchestrated and done by these not professional, but special agents, with nothing but an objective and money in mind, had made their appearance in those scenes. However, a note was left behind in a few of those from everywhere in Sargonde.¡± ¡°Of course, at the time, they weren¡¯t known as notes. But as time passed, with each of these found between 4 and 14 days after clearing a scene, some individuals discerned a pattern.¡± ¡°A wide research that would take even the other supercontinents¡¯ curious experts to have a look would take place after the first few notes were discovered. But even then, the authorities and these experts weren¡¯t capable of finding any sense from the notes.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t until The Lye Martyr incident that they gained meaning. The moment the vice president, Lesly Rivera, showed the contents of what will be known as the last note, everything fitted together.¡± ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: Not gonna elaborate on the spanish part, too shy. Chapter 96 — Entering Somewhere New Entering Somewhere New Next were the countless images of the notes that were found across the missions Fox took. The program showed them throughout quick flashes before finally letting them pile up beside each other. They only had numbers along with letters from left to right, but they also had colors drawing a filled rectangle at the right. Most had their color to the right, while a few to their left, but the first one always had it to the left. Every single note had multiple codes like these, up to 8 at most, but it was irregular. The notes spread from the center to give space to the final note, which the vice president showed to the police, solving this enigma. The voice returned, and as it did, the notes moved, glowed, and started forming lines, some longer than others. It was easy to differentiate, as some colors traced on longer than others, while the intensity directed the distance each color traced. A paler yellow wouldn¡¯t be as lengthy as an ordinary yellow. A stronger yellow would be longer than those 2. ¡°They were coordinates. Each of them pointed to different cities in other countries, starting by their capital. The column of numbers would dictate which country to start with, but all 3 factors for each code meant a trail, which continued until it established its path. Another note would complement it, over and over again. They didn¡¯t make sense at first, even after discovering the truth.¡± ¡°But the government¡¯s forces burned their brains to get their answers. Hundreds upon hundreds of lives. All lost to the mere ultra intervention of a lagj secret organization into Lymoca¡¯s internal affairs.¡± ¡°Then, it was found out. These coordinates, all those paths that connected to each other; they all formed a map! This map wasn¡¯t put in any order, and even after placing them corresponding to the date they were found, it didn¡¯t make sense¡­ until experts started assembling the hidden truth right before their naked eyes¡­ Lymoca!¡± All the notes established paths, lines that became black and slowly comprised the political borders of Lymoca with a white background, but only a third of the trails were used. Furthermore, as the voice trailed off, the remaining lines first established every Ly state before tracing a path towards every city. But that wasn¡¯t the end of it. As the ¡®climax¡¯ approximated the spectators, Fox wore a resting, impassive expression. The program changed to show so many teams of national guard and specialized police forces working together, forming large groups of even hundreds of people as they moved into what is now known as Riverlye HQ. ¡°Vamos, pa dentro!¡± An old voice encouraged everyone. The large group rushed into the HQ, searching every room and further upstairs as a few national guard teams moved into the elevators. They worked, somewhat surprising Fox. The national guard sweated, knowing what they were messing with next. However, when the elevator opened its doors, and they rushed out, all they saw was a hallway filled with bloodstains and limp, cold bodies littering everywhere. Fox lifted his eyebrows. Some, which he let live, moved from the spots he remembered he left them. However, it was only a small distance before they stopped, dying anyhow. Nevertheless, the national guards were stupefied. But after the initial confusion, they lowered their presence and checked the area, confirming every single body was dead. Then, they waited for others to come down. Once they grouped at least 100 elements, they moved further into the HQ¡¯s corridors. One by one, they went through new halls, discovering it wasn¡¯t just at the start, but everywhere in the HQ that some passed by first and annihilated every living thing. At some point, there were fewer agents taken down by bullets or bions¡­ most were mauled instead. The program started showing short clips everywhere, with the gory parts blurred, but blood wasn¡¯t censored. Fox watched clips of the national guard moving through the corridors until they arrived at ¡®his spot¡¯. They had already gone past the small study he had with Pheli. ¡°¡­¡± Fox¡¯s expression changed, a little for the worst. He watched as they entered the main workshop, finding only burned, charcoal remains of everything as they rapidly gave up on it. Then, the national guard teams arrived at the security post, where everything was blown up. The national guard was fearful the ceiling would collapse, but nothing happened after they walked around it. Nothing was inside, not even the slightest bit of a structure or living being remaining. ¡°Sigh,¡± Fox briefly sighed. He changed his position to lay on his left side as the program continued. This time, the national guard and some special police forces moved out of the various elevators in the underground garage, which was all empty. However, when they came out and back into the streets, and felt relaxed, a person appeared before them. Fox didn¡¯t believe it at first, but then, he sat up, sweating from his hair as he saw¡­ Teon blast against the national guards and police forces! ¡°Reporting to HQ, there¡¯s a possible Riverlye agent out here! Sh- she¡¯s engaging¡­¡± The appearance of the agent paralyzed everyone, allowing Teon to kill a few tens of national guards and police units and officers in several seconds. Teon moved swiftly, instantly blowing heads, torsos, and especially limbs away, stealing firearms and killing everything that moved. She¡­ she moved like him! Fox felt a special pride in his little, lonely heart, but it ached so. With what he¡¯d had done, he only hoped, like Mar¨ªa and their team from Preut, she would never meet him again and live better. No secret organization would keep records of their people, unless it was a hoog. She was free to leave¡­ But she didn¡¯t. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t, she was Teon! Fox watched as the gunshots weren¡¯t blurred and saw Teon getting hurt. She continued still, killing and surviving as her body became riddled with bullets. His breathing ragged, and his fists clenched until he made the sofa tremble, if only a bit. Seeing all of this, with some cops and NGs¡¯ deaths censored, but she¡­ getting hurt¡­ ¡°FOOOOOOOOX!¡± At last, Teon was shot four times in the left thigh in a row. She fell to her knees, but the leading NGs ordered the rest to stop. They saw no one alive in the HQ and didn¡¯t want to waste their opportunity, not knowing if the other bases were also the same. They couldn¡¯t risk it. But that gave Teon time to roar into the skies, deforming her facial features and turning her beautiful, young face into an ugly one filled with hatred. After her hoarse roar, she took flight and escaped amidst the numerous yells trying to stop her and everyone from killing her. Teon fled the area, turning into a hidden shadow that disappeared into the tunnels nearby. Vehicles went after her, but she disappeared from their radar. Then, the screen darkened bit by bit. Fox¡¯s eyes stared into the void with no thought in his head. A few seconds later, the screen returned to the map of Lymoca traced by the ¡®Martyr notes¡¯. ¡°It was tunnels.¡± The voice returned. The screen evolved into a vast, high and wide tunnel with well-built ¡®sidewalks¡¯ to the side. Several police cars and NG vehicles raced through these tunnels. The program showed the map once again, this time zooming out of the shown tunnel to form one of the smallest, thinnest lines traced in the map. Then, the voice concluded. ¡°One of the most powerful lagj secret organizations in the world was taken down by one man, and a woman. The man is someone whose age was but 17 years old when he accomplished this, Phesx Caolia. While the woman, an appreciated member of the Forzt family, Pheli Forzt.¡± ¡°Together, under a most secret mission by the government¡¯s hand¡­ They saved the vice president and hundreds of student lives in the Lye martyr of Lymoca!¡± ¡°There you have it! The Lye martyr of Lymoca briefly explained over the course of a few minutes.¡± The male announcer, everyone¡¯s ¡®favorite¡¯ person for the moment, reappeared and smiled to the camera. The blonde took off from where he left with her tantalizing appearance, ¡°Now, we¡¯ll see the statements the vice president herself gave after the program was first shown nationwide. Here is Lesly Rivera.¡± Compared to how they called the president, Lesly seemed pretty more important and relevant to these announcers, and perhaps all of Lymoca? Fox couldn¡¯t care. He dropped his head back on his crossed arms and stared at the ceiling. ¡°I want for first and foremost, as my President stated to me, to inform you that all the lives lost in Sargonde that night won¡¯t be forgotten. They will be reimbursed now, whether the Supreme Court Justice decides to ¡®accept¡¯ the new bill or not. And if they do after the new laws, they will still be paid!¡± The vice president firmly declared. ¡°All students in the building were returned safe and sound, with a scarce minority suffering light injuries when fleeing the building.¡± Lesly took a pause before continuing, ¡°I want to formally extend Lymoca¡¯s apology to the contributors of this operation, Phesx Caolia and Pheli Forzt, for their success.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°The lost lives unrelated to the now disbanded Riverlye were the result of a misunderstanding, and the lack of judgement from part of the guards responsible for this massacre. Regardless of the guards¡¯ mindset when dealing with the situation, if they put money or their country first, their families will be reimbursed without a missing credit and no delays.¡± ¡°This will be all. The cabinet will turn in a formal documentation in 2 days, where we¡¯ll present-¡± The TV was turned off. Fox couldn¡¯t care anymore. He lied down and didn¡¯t move for some time, simply staring off into nothingness again, with his left arm hanging from the sofa and in an awkward position. After a bit, he moved, sighing and exhaling heavily before sitting down. His face was tired, and so was his body. Clutching his face, Fox sharply breathed in. Oh so, so many thoughts traveled back and forth in his mind, which quaked and cracked, but immediately healed. ¡°Oh- wooh¡­ woo- how!¡± Fox started tearing up, muffling howls came out of his mouth. His hands became wet until the fat of his palms slid past and revealed his face a little. He couldn¡¯t see himself right now. Otherwise, he¡¯d see just a man crying. Maybe with the last bits of the boy he truly almost was for the past 5 years of his life. ¡°In other news, the Preut civil war is seemingly coming to an end.¡± Fox turned the TV back on. He knew a lot of time passed since he turned it off, but he didn¡¯t think the same channel would¡¯ve looked so different already. It didn¡¯t even seem the same as before, with a more ¡®static¡¯ and ¡®decent¡¯ coverage as President Luis Heartez was shown in the screen. Was Fox¡¯s attention grabbed? That was an understatement. He stared fixedly at the TV as a voice continued narrating and the screen changed to show numerous shots from varying sources. ¡°The last week, only 300 casualties from all 3 military camps were reported by the Ly intelligence.¡± ¡°After years without a leader, and losing the support of manpower and the wealthy folk they forced to stay, freed a year after the border opened, and our country negotiated with these camps. It seems like, at last, the end of the civil war is nigh.¡± ¡°Talking about the end of a page in human history, last day, haha, a few hours ago. There was surprising news. As many know, the investigation to search for Phesx Caolia, a young boy who once brought his mother out to the borders in rags and poverty, had become the nation¡¯s #1 most wanted criminal.¡± ¡°Well, that boy, today,¡± as the voice spoke, Fox saw the shot where the BLF news anchors streamed of him when he brought Rubena Caolia to Lymoca. ¡°Has become a hero. That is true. He was actually working with the government.¡± ¡°Mn, I think they saw something we didn¡¯t, and read his file. Did you know he went from one military camp to another?¡± A female voice sounded, interjecting and adding intrigue to the piece of news. The male voice spoke again, sounding preoccupied. ¡°Ah, Amanda, you know that is classified, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, but this information came to me just a few minutes ago. It¡¯s incredible, isn¡¯t it? I even read about General Medina confronting General Hungish Salazar for ¡®stealing¡¯ him away.¡± Amanda continued. The man went silent, seemingly startled, before recomposing and saying, ¡°Woah! I did not know that! So the government did see something in him that others didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Mhm. Who knows if he¡¯s the only one, you know? Of course, everyone knows of Pheli Forzt¡¯s valiant deeds as she infiltrated Riverlye earlier than Phesx, but he did so smoothly and ¡®took down¡¯ an entire lagj by himself! Who knows how many other Phelis and Phesxs are out there?¡± ¡°And let¡¯s not forget,¡± the male voice complemented, ¡°Preutians do seem to have a strangely higher physical quality and mental faculties. To endure the savage beginning and climax of the Preutian civil war, nothing the world had seen, ever¡­ Phew! It¡¯s true that natural disaster were involved, but these only became part of the high number of casualties in such little time.¡± ¡°Well, now let¡¯s repass through the ¡®knowns¡¯ this Phesx hero knew about and their reaction to finding out he was a ¡®criminal¡¯! To commemorate his life from criminal to hero! Oh, I¡¯m so excited!¡± The woman exclaimed, showcasing her eloquent charm before the screen changed. First, a camera angle showed an old lady well past her hundreds. She gave wrong, wrong eyes to the reporter trying to question her. ¡°Excuse me? Did you know you gave lodging to a criminal? Phesx Caolia is the enemy of the entire nation, don¡¯t you know? What could you tell us about him so he might be found and brought to face justice?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± The lady just stared at the reporter, not even moving her head, as if she wasn¡¯t breathing. The reporter grew restless, fearful he killed the lady, or at least killed her from the news. They were so shocking, after all. Fox recognized everything. This was in southeast Chtst¨¦, where he massacred a cult, with 2 other Artistas felled in the nave. That was the lady who ¡®fostered¡¯ him and the 3 groups in her house back then. And as she was questioned, the reporter continued trying to juice something out of her once he confirmed she was still alive. Yet, the lady said nothing. Nothing at all. The screen changed, with a glitched sound and visual static, annoying Fox, before showing a very well-known corner to him. It came from the pizzeria. A reporter, a young woman this time, gentle and worried, blonde and tender like a mini-moon, interviewed the owners. ¡°Did you know Phesx Caolia?¡± She asked. The others nodded, with one of them responding louder than the others, but Fox heard everyone. ¡°He has always been our adopted son here. He lived above our pizzeria and was our guard. Even those ruffians stopped coming¡­ I wanted to engage him to tie him with the pizzeria in the future. That much he was loved!¡± ¡°But, don¡¯t you think he was faking all that life? You¡¯ve seen the news, do you have something to add or rebuke with?¡± The young woman was a clever one. Another owner nodded with crossed arms and bravely stepped forth. ¡°No pizza, no tea, no snacks from us ever again!¡± ¡°!¡± The young woman was startled. She hurried to apologize and offer double the prize before the store owners went soft on her¡­ The screen showed an old lady this time, but feisty and active, alright. Nothing like the first old lady. The reporter was a young woman, but older, with jet-black hair and brown. As Roberta opened the door, she raged her old heart out. ¡°Who the hell knocks at my door without an appointment? Huh? Oh, you¡¯re cute.¡± ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m a reporter for the Nights in the Neighborhood news anchor. I¡¯ve come to ask about Phesx Caolia, he-¡± She barely got to that point before Roberta showed her weapon, a broken broom without its head, and threatened. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare come here to talk bad about that little guy. He always paid rent! Hmph!¡± ¡°Well, but ma¡¯am, he¡¯s-¡± The reporter futilely attempted again. Roberta just sighed, putting her weapon down and leaning her left arm on it. ¡°Okay, little lass. This is something worth talking about. You¡¯re not so bad, childbearing hips and an honest heart. Mn, your attitude reminds me of my old self, proud but not stupid. Tell you what, you can be my son¡¯s second girlfriend. Yeah, you can.¡± ¡°Uhm, ma¡¯am-¡± The reporter tried again, and failed again. Roberta lifted her right palm. ¡°Ah ah ah. Hush. My boy is cute, and he¡¯s growing like his f¡­ growing. See? This is him. Tell you what, all the good ruffians in this city answer to me. If you listen closely¡­¡± ¡°Mm, I mean, he does look cute¡­¡± The reporter was conquered, and the screen changed. Fox wore a small smile on his lips as he watched these interviews one after another. After landlady Roberta, the screen turned to the tall building where he used to move things around. The female supervisor whom Fox worked directly under appeared surprised and cooperative, badmouthing Fox in a light demeanor without intending for much drama. Fox didn¡¯t even hear this interview. When the screen changed to Paloma and ?o?o, the farmers, all he saw was a pregnant belly, very big, and heard them talk lovely things about their future. Needlessly said¡­ Fox felt jealous. ¡°There you have it, folks! The knowns of the hero knew the vibe of the hero¡­¡± The favorite male voice sounded again after Paloma and her big ass belly disappeared. The TV sound slowly trailed off as Fox fell pensive. It was all too different. Entering the PSD showed him a hint of the life he now had. Even now, part of him wished it wasn¡¯t true. Yes, indeed, that¡­ that would make things easier. But no more of that, no more of the previous life. Even if he was to not meet those who aided him the most, and remain alive, soon, he might in the future. But only if the situation did present itself, not just because he could meet them, like now. ¡®Leaving everything behind.¡¯ Fox stood up, cracked his neck, and stared ahead without focus. The TV turned off on its own after the mute and sleeping button were pushed from the sofa armrest panel and the cancel command wasn¡¯t given or pressed. Fox suddenly felt his head¡¯s coursing blood, making it feel heavy but alive. ¡®I¡¯m the only obstruction and rival stopping myself from here¡­ and onwards.¡¯ Beep. Just as Fox felt every inch of his body, and his breath refreshed his insides, everywhere. His cellphone rang. Fox looked at the table near the living room, 2 steps higher than the living room. He walked to it, and on the 4th ring, he picked it up, smoothly taking the call. ¡°Tomorrow at late in the morning, my office.¡± Butler¡¯s voice sounded on the other side before abruptly hanging. ¡®Just what?¡¯ Fox frowned, feeling absurd. He still felt resolved, but he¡¯d rather not have had such dumb orders. But then, his phone screen turned on and showed a message. It was just a message, with no sender or even the time it was sent. It probably also didn¡¯t save in the messaging box. It read: ¡®The President will be receiving you. He wakes up too late.¡¯. Fox felt his mind clarified. He thought, ¡®I guess it¡¯s true they have a connection. I was wondering how deep. Mn, I am possibly an alarmingly useful asset. I would only be betrayed depending on the president¡¯s intentions. I can decipher than in- ¡­ What the hell?!¡¯ ¡°!¡± It took a moment for Fox to realize what he was getting into. No, what he got into. There was no going back, he just put those thoughts into creation. Now, all the little poor him could do was eat the pill and swallow it. Fox frowned hard, incredulous at the situation. He thought of the vice president, she was cute and pretty decent. Despite the things he¡¯s heard from others, and knowing what a fooled, desperate person looked like, the way she threatened him with Luis¡¯s wrath and her spiritual dependence on him intrigued Fox that night. Of course, Lesly only had that chance once before he ¡®helped her¡¯ into a recently disconnected fridge after briefly explaining things. But this¡­ this was different! He should¡¯ve hit her or something. Now, what if she thought well of him? And what if she spoke about him to that president with that erroneously good impression? No, it isn¡¯t ¡®that¡¯ president anymore, but ¡®the¡¯ president. Lymocan, he was a Ly; Fox had to accept that now, too. With a furious frown, he steeled himself and turned the TV back on, sat back on the sofa, and grabbed a few small laptops from the sofa¡¯s hidden back compartments. Then, he searched for content in all channels and selected Preut and Lymoca before setting the speed to x1.3. Time to study. He would only begin now, but the first programs Fox was going to watch had a ¡®slow pace¡¯ warning, which was the reason why so many old Lys had good sleep at¡­ any time of the day. This was Fox. Decisive and unstoppable after selecting a route, a path¡­ a door. ¡­ Chapter 97 — Strange Arrangements Strange Arrangements Fox presented himself to the HQ several hours later. He wore the thin uniform under his clothes, but still came out wearing glasses. His hair had grown quite a bit, and compared to his known photos across Lymoca, it was rather large, but nothing past his jaw. He just walked to the Plastics Recycler Factory, passing by people and vehicles alike with no one recognizing him, or at least it seemed that way. Walking into the HQ, he met Mena, who directly let him pass. Fox was guided by a fellow 1st Grade, a first, or firster, and was brought to the topmost floor after a little tour around the HQ. His glasses were already off, and the way the others looked at him, now more than ever, was singular. He carried his backpack around. Standing before a wide entrance after a few corridors, the guide left Fox behind and went to their own business. Meanwhile, Fox held his backpack a little tighter before pushing the gray and yellow, more the former than the latter, doors open. ¡°Welcome, at last. Serve yourself some coffee, or tea, whatever you¡¯d like. We¡¯re leaving in 10 minutes.¡± Butler read something on his desk, not from documents, but a screen hovering above the desk¡¯s surface. He gestured to the side, where electric coffee pots and heated kettles let steam out. Fox frowned slightly at first, but seeing the tea, he lifted his chin a bit and walked to the kettles. The smell was good, better than the new addition he knew of in the pizzeria. Serving himself a small cup, he turned to Butler. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we leaving yet?¡± ¡°Worried to let the president wait?¡± Butler looked at him with eyes upturned. Then, he smiled and chuckled a bit. ¡°Worry not, he should have barely started finishing his first activity of the day.¡± Fox frowned a bit. It was nearly 10:30. Was this the president¡¯s schedule? Or did he do other things earlier? Who knows¡­ Fox drank his cup before leaving it at the side, picking a bigger one and filling it before walking to Butler¡¯s desk. ¡°How was last night? I presume you watched it.¡± Butler asked after turning his screen off. Fox only saw a glitching, blank white frame anyway. Butler looked up at him when asking, placing his intertwined fingers above the desk. ¡°I saw it, and I understood,¡± said Fox. Of course he would know what could be happening. Shortly after watching the mini-documentary, he received a phone call. He felt they knew everything about him, his surroundings even, knowing when to call his attention. Fox added, ¡°And have questions.¡± ¡°They can be answered in the way there. We¡¯ll¡­ well, a little someone warned me of not forcing you to go through things you clearly dislike. But we¡¯ll do the walk when arriving there. Are you fine with it?¡± Butler asked, looking concerned, although a bit forced, yet sincere. ¡°And I, my image, of course, would be protected?¡± Fox drank from his cup after speaking, jumping his eyebrows without much reliance. Butler smacked his lips open with a light sound but fell silent for a bit. He pressed his lips and replied, ¡°You already are. It¡¯s not a simple meeting.¡± ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t.¡± Fox said before sipping once more. After a few seconds of silence, Fox held the good tea in his hands before stating, ¡°I can do that without problems. But¡­ well, I don¡¯t like being called a hero.¡± ¡°That- pft!¡± Butler couldn¡¯t hold a few chuckles. He lowered his head before lifting it with narrowed, smiling eyes to meet Fox¡¯s impassive visage. ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to that. It¡¯s of no use. That¡¯s what media do. Just know you have no obligation to go to them.¡± ¡°So, about Mena,¡± Fox lost interest, diverting to Butler¡¯s words from before. That chick was looking out for him? She really wanted that discount. Butler lifted his eyebrows in a gesture to wait for him. Fox went, ¡°Are her watchdog duties wrong if she acts like that?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m not displeased at all. In fact, the little lass is just like a granddaughter. I wouldn¡¯t be bothered if she was mine, some real granddaughters don¡¯t even talk to their grandparents, hmph.¡± Butler spoke, shaking his head and gesturing here and there with it. ¡°Oh¡­ You had a wife?¡± Fox nodded and lifted his cup but stopped, frowning as he thought. Butler, who looked elsewhere, seemingly thinking of something, turned to Fox and showed mild discontent. ¡°I am a man. It isn¡¯t a surprise to see someone successful sprout spawns.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I find troubling¡­ How young are the children if you have a granddaughter or grandson in ¡®those¡¯ ages?¡± Fox commented, sounding a little rude. Butler tilted his head a bit to the right, saying, ¡°Fox, you yourself are in those ages. Don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Fox was speechless. It was true. How did he not think of that? That was strange. Regardless, they kept drinking and chatted for a few more minutes before Butler brought Fox back downstairs and into the open parking lot. They took a car to the presidential precinct, driving for over 10 minutes before stopping. They were still a few hundred meters away from the entrance, on the public streets, but Fox could already see strict vigilance nearby. Some were obvious, with ¡®toll stops¡¯ like structures built between streets, but most were hidden. They waited in the car. Fox just followed Butler¡¯s silent orders as the latter turned the car off and just relaxed, looking out the window as if to relax. After a while, Fox opened his lips, thinking about something. ¡°Why did we stop here? Are we contacting the president¡­ or someone under him first?¡± ¡°No. They will all know as long as we come out. We shouldn¡¯t tell ¡®the boss¡¯ every little step we make, or he¡¯ll end up going mad. We¡¯re just waiting here until the cabinet and news anchors leave. There¡¯ll be fewer flashes and loudness then.¡± Butler explained. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Fox felt a little thankful. Then, he thought of something before straight out asking, ¡°I would like to ask for a favor. To-¡± ¡°You can ask the president instead.¡± Butler interrupted, looking ahead. Then, he swayed his head to face Fox, ¡°Not today, maybe not too soon. But you will come to accept the president as your own, Fox. You have to. It¡¯s no allegiance, nor fealty, that matters. Just¡­ eh, yourself.¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯s good late morning light, and the news anchors just left.¡± Butler added. Fox looked ahead, and with his sight enhanced, he saw the reporters who stayed to see if something else happened today, of all days. They packed their last bits of equipment and drove off. Butler opened his door and stepped out. Feeling this wasn¡¯t his domain, Fox awkwardly stepped out of the lone car and toured around the car to the sidewalk, where Butler nodded and walked on the buildings¡¯ side of the sidewalk. This made space for Fox on the street side. They walked in silence, with Fox wearing only his not cute, not little face in the open. How long since he did this? It felt absurd even now, but he had been hiding like a shy fella for months. Only now did he remember the feeling of showing his face. He didn¡¯t like it. It wasn¡¯t bad, but Fox preferred to wear a mask. Not because of Riverlye¡¯s methods to hide their Artistas¡¯ identities, but¡­ maybe he just hated people? Walking through the streets, crossing a few crossroads, waiting for a few lights, and looking at the ¡®toll stops¡¯ who looked at them when they saw the grandpa and young man, Fox felt his senses tingle. These guards grabbed a device and spoke to it before ignoring them like they never existed. Little by little, Fox was ignored by the civilians, but seen by these exposed guards. As they shorted the distance by half, and Fox saw the many hidden guards, not doing a good job befitting to at least a lagj forming droplets of shadows, the lowest of lagjs. But it was enough for anyone else whose senses and breathless bodies to be ¡®fooled¡¯ and taken by surprise. Moreover, the people, every civilian that was moving back and forth, crossing between blocks, and stopping to enter a building, meeting a comrade, family member, and the like; began noticing him. On the first few minutes Fox was seen for who he is and after what he has done, having experienced another chance at life, a woman walked up to him across the street. She stopped, though, and just looked at him like she just had many things to say, but her eyes watered, and in the end, she just turned around and walked away. Fox briefly glanced at her, ignoring her with ease soon after. Of course he didn¡¯t know her, he knew no one from here. As for those he met in Preut and didn¡¯t see after, but at least didn¡¯t watch die, it was virtually impossible to meet again. They might not want to after his crimes. Continuing walking, Fox and Butler were seen more and more. At last, after a few more minutes, they were pointed at and ¡®criticized¡¯ as they heeded to the presidential precinct. More in particular, Fox was their center of attention, with everyone realizing who he was. Even those who walked past them a minute ago stopped and looked back, staring at their backs after someone told them. Fox looked at Butler, intending to ask something, but he saw in Butler¡¯s face not what he thought. ¡®So, it¡¯s not a walk of shame¡­ You¡¯re just¡­ honing me?¡¯ Fox lowered his head a bit, but remembering his situation, he raised it. If the internet, the netizens, the people; were to see him for the first time today, it won¡¯t be with guilt. When they went into the presidential precinct and weren¡¯t stopped, those who had or were calling the police, and even the new calling line of the government, felt regretful or stopped. The guards in the entrance let that ¡®Phesx Caolia¡¯ and that gentlemanly old man in, shutting whatever thoughts or words could have been.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Fox amazed at the precinct once inside. From the outside, it could be seen like a large tower surrounded by small garrison buildings, but many of them. Yet, when he entered through its gate entrance, from the south to the north, Fox felt he was entering a strange kind of palace. He looked around and felt the vastness of the so-called presidential precinct. He also felt eyes from more than the guards and the military, of which some of the latter were in nice-looking light armored vehicles. Those eyes belonged to¡­ special agents. ¡°We''ve begun a protection program for the president, his cabinet, and everyone else important to him since the Sargonde incident. Although some things were still undecided, PSD is now tasked with the utter protection of the government¡¯s important assets.¡± Butler explained, easily recognizing from where and when did Fox grow curious. ¡°Am I a guard commander now, or something?¡± Fox asked without a nice tone. But all Butler did was chuckle a bit and respond like a gentleman. Or at least with the bearings of one, ¡°Oh- hoho, no! You can¡¯t be any nearer the president, besides ¡®spiritually¡¯ for now. Like¡­ like a¡­¡± Butler smiled a bit while staring ahead, trying to think of a good representation of Fox¡¯s future endeavors, already ¡®predestined¡¯ by the machinations of men and women. Fox finished Butler¡¯s words, somewhat convinced he wouldn¡¯t be wrong, voicing, ¡°Symbol.¡± Butler said nothing, but his smile enlarged. Fox looked at him after receiving only silence in return. Feeling the silent stare, Butler chuckled a few times in a light manner before voicing, sounding quite sincere, ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s right~.¡± ¡°Ahem. As I was saying, no such thing as a bodyguard. At least not yet. Don¡¯t you think you have to prove yourself?¡± Butler went on. Before Fox could defend his utter lack of ambition, Butler added, knowing what he¡¯d say, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you have thoughts on something or not. What matters, in this position, is if others believe you do.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox understood. He felt a little offended, but still understood. Butler continued as they closed into the tower¡¯s main entrance. ¡°There¡¯s a period of time before you are requested to do something¡­ drastic. You have proven yourself for certain matters, that is enough to get you here.¡± ¡°Wh-¡± Fox turned to Butler, but Butler ruthlessly went on, not letting the young man speak for himself still. ¡°Who told you to have so much image everywhere you went? If you just had not created such messes wherever you appear, would it have been like this for you?¡± ¡°AAAggghh¡­¡± Fox rolled his eyes, hard. Before long, they entered the presidential building, just into the base of the tower, which was somewhat recently built. A long reception desk welcomed them, with a few cuties, males and females, looking at them. ¡°Oh my heavens, look who it is!¡± A female secretary, young and with her hair well picked behind, but with a couple of strands to her sides, looked at the 2 ¡®newcomers¡¯. Everyone looked at them, curious, save for the stationed and passing guards. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­¡± - ¡°Oh my¡­¡± - ¡°So it was all true!¡± - ¡°Isn¡¯t this a little crazy? Wow!¡± Fox heard their comments, but it didn¡¯t matter. He ignored them, although he also realized Butler wasn¡¯t recognized. Indeed, PSD seems to have just started their deep relationship with the government. More specifically, with the president. It might even be the first time in history, from what little he learned all night long. Butler offered no words and even behaved as his special rank implies, a butler. He brought Fox about, guiding him and nodding in greeting to some people, of which most frowned and looked at them with some disgust. Who were these two randoms? Did they sneak in? Not too long after, Fox was suddenly stopped and turned to the right, where large beige doors with a spreading floral pattern stood tall and immobile. Butler sighed a bit before slowly walking up to it. He knocked on the door twice, giving Fox a reason to grow a little nervous. Then, the voice of the so acclaimed president of Lymoca, or at least that¡¯s what Fox thought, sounded from the other side. ¡°Ah, come in.¡± Butler opened the door at once. Fox looked at his actions and silently questioned why be so direct, but his back was pushed and all he could do was enter the room. Butler followed behind. There, Fox saw him. It was none other than, indeed, the Ly president. He was sitting at his desk, writing what seemed to be some letters. He didn¡¯t give them a glance yet, as Butler closed the doors, and continued writing for a few more seconds while Fox was brought before his desk. With the light mornings falling down the city, the office didn¡¯t need extra lighting, appearing quite natural. And the president, working on those letters, seemed serious and apprehensive. Fox only gave them a little peek before waiting in front of the desk. The president, Luis Heartez, had light, brown skin, with sharp, gray-black eyes, and seemed quite tall. His hair was a short flat of black hair. Maybe not in the media Fox has seen the president in, but he seemed serious right now. Plank. The president lowered his pens and looked up at them after folding a letter and passing it over his screen before pushing it away. He stared at Fox for a while, giving him the sensation that he was¡­ being critically judged? Then, the president looked at Butler, ¡°Ah, Egoaiz Prein. It¡¯s been a little while since we saw each other. I¡¯m glad to see you. I see you¡¯ve brought ¡®the monster¡¯ here.¡± Butler titled his head a little when he heard the ¡®alias¡¯, didn¡¯t say a thing, and nodded before speaking. ¡°This is your man, Phesx Caolia, alias Fox, rank 1st Grade. He has fulfilled a high-profile achievement, successfully completing a VIP task with bonuses.¡± ¡°Yes, I see,¡± Luis reclined on his chair in a lazy position, tough not too much, and swayed on his chair before turning to Fox. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re trying to sell me some well-used goods. Is it damaged? It is, but I can work with this if it is as functional as a much better option I could do better with, and would rather have.¡± ¡®What¡¯s this attitude for?¡¯ Fox blinked with innocence. He knew the president wouldn¡¯t feel good about him killing so many hundreds of civilians, even if they were guards. But he had ¡®cleared the misunderstanding¡¯ himself, did he not? ¡°I assure you it¡¯s no goods to become damaged. Fox is resilient, and his mind, as you¡¯ve witnessed with the Lye Martyr, is a clear demonstration.¡± Butler hung his head low, chin against the collarbone, almost, and scarcely gestured at Fox. ¡°Mm, yes, about that¡­¡± The president looked at Fox¡¯s chest, noticing the thin uniform, before going, ¡°The merit you both proved was tremendous. Worthy of an Honorary Merit.¡± The president sat up, straightening his back. He looked at Fox more intently, ¡°Pheli Forzt¡¯s family did a great achievement for the country. Even when they seemed to exit the line of politics and their merchant ways were culminating, they had a daughter working to provide the nation safety. Agree? Mr. Fox?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He knew he had to say something, anything that would make sense or please the president, but Fox didn¡¯t feel like it. He stared in silence at the president, not bothering to find an answer. But then, Fox lifted his eyebrows. He spoke as he took half a step forwards, and the president scarcely lowered his chin in return. ¡°Pheli was no PSD member, nor a woman like others have said. She was Pheli. Our contributions were not for merit, but I appreciate the rewarding Honorary Merit.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, you do.¡± The president looked up at Fox, slightly narrowing his eyes. Fox looked down, startled. What did he mean? And then, the president broke it down for him, making Fox feel a bit of cold sweat and¡­ provocation. ¡°Because of your notorious feats, the father, a man who lost his daughter, applied for his daughter¡¯s Honorary Merit to rescue your social standing, Mr. Fox.¡± The president¡¯s words here already made Fox¡¯s face gradually drop, beginning with his eyebrows. The president continued, ¡°He personally asked to grant you safety and the truth, that you never intended to harm the vice president, and that the deaths of countless innocents were a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°So, yes, Fox. You do appreciate it. Because this is not a pardon, it¡¯s the honor of merit. Neither the country nor I would forgive you, but¡­ well, you¡¯ve seen what you¡¯re capable of. Congratulations in being capable, Fox.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox remained silent, and as if growing used to that, and taking advantage of it, the president continued still. ¡°You still have another, but never think for an instant it matters. Do something wrong, and I will order your execution publicly myself!¡± ¡°It was never my intention to kill anybody, never.¡± Fox replied with harshness in his tone. The president didn¡¯t back away, even as Fox added, ¡°It happened once, and I knew they wouldn¡¯t stop. I knew it wouldn¡¯t matter what did happen. So I just went on with it, I killed everything on my path, more than for my survival, but still to live.¡± Taking a step forward, Fox continued talking, and so did his feet walk forth slowly, ¡°And I assure you, Mr. President, that for my life again, I would repeat those massacres. Even more, I¡¯d do it to ensure my objective. That, I can do, again and again. As long as I want to.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The president looked at Fox. The emotions in his eyes wasn¡¯t a test, nor was this situation controlled, or supposed to happen. Fox was just interrogated here and there, regardless of what this meeting was supposed to be. That much he could read. ¡°Luis Heartez, Lymoca¡¯s president. Pleased to work with you, Phesx Caolia, Fox.¡± Luis extended his left hand to shake it with the young man before him, just 2 steps from bumping against his desk. Fox looked down at the hand before staring at the president¡¯s face. Fox¡¯s eyes were a little fierce and narrowed, but even then, as Butler watched with eyes at ease, he extended his right hand and shook hands with Luis. Their movement was slow but ¡®official¡¯. They looked at each other¡¯s eyes before Fox unwillingly uttered, ¡°Fox, a pleasure to serve the country, president.¡± ¡°That is how it should be,¡± Luis nodded, letting go of the shake and sitting with his back against his chair. He looked at Butler before staring at Fox again. ¡°I suspect that Egoaiz has told you of some things already? You¡¯re not here to make money, but an image of the nation, one of. You will never turn into an icon for it, just its symbol for a time. Understood?¡± ¡°Better than nothing.¡± Fox shook his head with a cocking movement to the side. Luis looked up at this before continuing, sighing in frustration, ¡°Egoaiz tells me you haven¡¯t picked a Blood, however they are called. Do it quickly. You will be start earning experience once you do, and for the love of all that is reason, get a stable business! This won¡¯t be a paid vacation!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked down without words. Luis added, ¡°You¡¯ll have someone from my cabinet help you understand your situation. In not too far into the future, you¡¯ll be in charge of a covert mission to search for some ¡®things¡¯ at the sea. Get to know what to do before the time comes, or you¡¯ll just be useless either way.¡± ¡°Lesly!¡± Luis shouted after giving Fox so much of his time, even gesturing dismissively, half insulting Fox in the process. From a hidden wall-gate to the side behind Luis¡¯s desk, 2 doors opened, revealing 2 beauties. ¡­ Chapter 98 — Obtaining A Boutique Obtaining A Boutique ¡°?¡± Fox watched as Lesly brought a beauty with her. Lesly looked at him and stopped for half a second before smiling and walking to stand on Luis''s right, politely. She and the other beauty stared at him, as Butler walked to stand beside him, and a piercing silence ensued. The other woman, more or less of the same age as Lesly and Luis, looked at Fox with clear eyes. She had creamy brown skin, much lighter than Luis, chestnut, smooth hair, and gray-black eyes. This woman is tall, and she sported a lovely smile from time to time. Without a doubt, Fox felt charmed. She wore a formal dress, looking even more proper than Lesly, who still showed a serious work formula in her outfit, but her dress was simply not as strict-job related. ¡°You will still need to know the affairs of the country better, Fox.¡± Luis said, standing up before walking around the ladies. He stood beside the new beauty and held her right wrist. She looked at him and nodded, to which Luis lowered his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. Turning to Fox, he further stated, emptying his lungs. ¡°My sister, Sona Heartez, will help you with that. She¡¯s the vice president¡¯s secretary, and one of her greatest assets, besides me.¡± Lesly smiled in silence. Butler was so low-profile he seemed nonexistent. As Fox looked between the Heartez siblings, darting his eyes around, Sona walked to him and extended her right hand. At the same time, Lesly walked to Butler, while Luis remained beside his desk, alone. ¡°Mister Egoaiz, have you had something to eat? Thank you for coming, I was wondering when I could thank¡­¡± Lesly¡¯s voice trailed off his ears as Sona brought Fox to the hidden gate. He looked back once before focusing on the path ahead. ¡®Why is she holding me?¡¯ Fox looked at his wrist, softly grabbed by this beautiful woman who brought him to an isolated room, away from everyone¡¯s eyes, ears¡­ knowledge. Thud, thud. The doors closed 2 meters behind Fox as he looked at the place around him. Rather long and spacious, but filled with furniture, especially a bed¡­ and heating, cooling systems. Fox suddenly realized the temperature was becoming a little hot. ¡°Fox or Phesx?¡± The beauty turned, asking him, lovely smiling at him. Fox was a little taken aback, but he stood with his back straight and hips not hiding from the public eye. ¡°Fox is good.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Sona smiled and walked further ahead, nearing the bed. Fox looked at this but didn¡¯t get wild thoughts, continuing to look around. The place was mostly white, beige, and reflective. The floor had spots patterns, with most and bigger being the black colors. ¡°Come here,¡± Sona voiced, distracting him from being a proper, fake gentleman like many men can learn. Fox gulped a bit of saliva before walking to the bed, he suddenly felt strange. Do most females in Lymoca like to stand at the lower end of their beds before bedding? Pheli wasn¡¯t like this, but that young woman Roroa sure was. Standing before her, nearly 2 meters away, Fox did or said nothing and looked at her. Sona blinked a few times before letting out a chuckle. She lowered her head and walked to him, taking her coat off. Her large, bouncing, drooped breasts swayed with each sounding heel from her shoes. Her hourglass, chubby figure attracted his eyes. There was more curiosity in the impenetrable black polycoria eyes than interest. She slowed down near his front, stopping 2 steps and a half before him. Sona smiled at Fox, bringing her hands near his neck to slowly start taking his jacket off. ¡°I thought we were going to¡­ analyze Lymoca¡¯s affairs?¡± Fox frowned as he looked down. Her fingers seemed careful not to touch his body too much, focusing on his clothes. He felt a little gratitude from it. He wasn¡¯t a horndog, after all. ¡°We will, we are.¡± Sona smiled from ear to ear, bringing the corners of her mouth upwards, ¡°But we can also talk before ¡®studying¡¯, I¡¯m sure of it. We can do it many times, the talking. There¡¯s a lot to discuss about life, after all. It¡¯s no good if we spend most our time only talking about Lymoca.¡± ¡°But¡­ you, um¡­ you are¡­¡± Fox felt his jacket leave his shoulders as he spoke, when Sona stopped and looked at him, narrowing her eyes in seduction. He could only stop, feeling blood making its oh but natural course. ¡°Me, I; what?¡± She voiced, but her face drew closer nonetheless. Clearly not caring about receiving an answer, Sona pecked his lips. Fox was paralyzed. She separated quickly, shortly after their lips touched. Being shorter than him, she looked up with narrowed eyes, studying his iris-pupil-less eyes contents as they both showed 3 impenetrable black pools. Shortly after detaching their lips, Sona softly plunged her mouth onto his, pressing against each other¡¯s face as Fox couldn¡¯t help it anymore. He is a human, in the end. His hands moved up to find some things, catching orbs before measuring and deforming them with but his touch. As their rather deeper, intimate kiss finished, with Sona looking at him and standing on her tiptoes with her seductive, narrowed eyes locked on his face. Fox asked with eyes closed, remaining lucid. ¡°How do you hide this?¡± ¡°What?¡± Asked Sona in a contented, lovely smile. Fox gripped harder with both hands, ¡°¡­ Body.¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll learn when you have to hide them for me.¡± Sona dropped in a smooth motion afterwards. Before Fox could process what he¡¯d feel next, priceless pleasure engulfed him. . . . 3 hours later. Step, step, step. Fox stepped out of the doors after opening them carefully. He didn¡¯t want anyone to see what happened inside. The soundproof was good, so there was no need to throw it all into embarrassment. Lesly and Luis were on his desk, discussing some matters rather silently, with Butler staring at the window with the afternoon sunlight basking the city. When Fox came out, the former 2 stared at him. Fox walked to Luis without fear. Why would he have any? More so, he didn¡¯t feel guilty or the sort. Lesly looked at him before giving the ¡®men¡¯ some time alone. Luis looked at him, feeling a bit annoyed. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I was thinking of the guards that perished. Am I required to do something for them and their families?¡± Fox asked sincerely. Luis looked at him for a few seconds in silence before almost barking, ¡°That wasn¡¯t a subject for you to speak of. No. It¡¯ll be of no use. You cannot change anything, only worsen it.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Fox nodded and walked to Butler, but the latter had already walked to him. Butler faced Luis and said, ¡°President, I¡¯ll start this kid¡¯s field training now. If you require any matters, PSD will be attentive. Ma¡¯am.¡± After nodding to Lesly, which she returned the gesture, Butler guided Fox out of the presidential office. Fox didn¡¯t refuse and complied. Once outside, they didn¡¯t say anything and walked out of the presidential building in calm. When they exited the presidential precinct, many eyes stared at them. There were hidden news anchors positioned in corners and even below people or plants, streetlights, signs, and lights. One of them had the acronym ¡®BLF¡¯, but Fox ignored all these. After returning to the car, Butler started a chat with casualness. ¡°That thing you did there, speaking with the president. It was mature. Better than your almost tantrum. You nearly got scolded, too. It¡¯s good.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my intention,¡± Fox honestly said, but as soon as he said those words, he hated them. It¡¯s the same he told to Luis. Butler quickly caught that and smirked, ¡°Good for you.¡± ¡­ A few minutes later, Butler parked in the HQ¡¯s parking lot. He and Fox stepped out without saying a word. After exchanging a nod started by Butler, they went on their way. Fox headed to the reception. Arriving before Mena, he immediately asked her, ¡°Hey, you went to a sea task the other time, right? What can you teach me about that?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re getting into that? Mhm, you better do get prepared. But it won¡¯t be free. Gimme 2 regular void bions and I¡¯ll teach you for a week. If my guesses are correct, you better get 2 bions for the next 4-8 months for me, Fox.¡± Mena offered and advised. Fox nodded, he felt a little refreshed. Grasping Mena¡¯s hands, making her lift her eyebrows a bit in surprise, he asked again, ¡°How much would it cost me to start honing my craftsmanship here?¡± ¡°Oh, there are many packages for that. Well, just a few, but too many for anyone, even crafters.¡± Mena said, before lifting a thin screen from below the counter, hidden by the surface. Then, she turned it towards Fox before tapping the desk. ¡°There¡¯s 1 month, 3 months, semester, and year. The first 2 cost 250,000 credits, with the last 2 plans 1 mil each.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Fox inquired. Mena cleared her throat. When was the last time she was asked this question? She contentedly began, ¡°First, it depends on your demonstrated skill, and your schedule. The first is mandatory, but the second is vital for its utilization.¡± ¡°The better you¡¯re at it, the more packages you can schedule. The first is for anyone who can create bions and weapons. You get all necessary resources to build for an entire month, with a reference of 10 hours a day. Even then, you¡¯ll always have at least a small portion of unused goods remaining. You get up to 700 social points if you return them, no credits, though.¡± ¡°A 3 months package grants you the same amount of resources 3 times over, and much better ones at that. You can also directly request for any material you wish, and pay for it, with a slight extra fee.¡± ¡°The semester package gives you many great resources and lends you a few nuclear pieces or bions to study from or take references of. The year package give you the most top-notch bion resources, but not that many, and you have to pay an extra fee to replenish. The first batch lasts about half a year. They¡¯re stingy with those. However, it lets you visit the nuclear armory, where you can analyze a NUA for free for an hour.¡± ¡°That sounds amazing¡­ what about the equipment to craft, not the resources?¡± Fox was astounded, and encouraged, indeed. But he was still worried about the craftsmanship equipment the most. Mena threw him a hand with silly demeanor, ¡°Oh, you dummy! Nothing to worry about. You get all the ultramodern bion crafting equipment any crafter needs. Although your individual booth might vary depending on the package. Well then, have you decided?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to try for the first 2 plans, then.¡± Fox decided after some serious but rapid consideration. He still had his Myertha without repairing, but its first fix would cost 800,000 credits at least. And it would still be useless, and illegal, to ride. ¡°Okie, dokie¡­¡± Mena finger tapped her desk a ton of times before grabbing a piece of paper from her screen. It gave Fox a schedule and booth within the HQ. After looking at it, Fox faced Mena, who beat him to speak, ¡°It usually sends everyone to a random base that is either in the state requested or nearby. All on me. Now, get to work, Fox.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Fox grinned a bit before blinking and thanking her. Without much else to say, he grabbed under his shirt and passed his personal window through the wall of the counter. The little door opened. Mena smiled at him, and Fox nodded at her before he went through the double doors. After a long walk through places he didn¡¯t visit before, Fox arrived at a place after a long corridor where the hallways were of a black metal-brick-like pattern and material, and the lights a bit dimmer yet actually stronger. ¡®It smells so good¡­¡¯ Fox thought as he put finding his booth secondary. A bit of oil, a bit of metals being melted, the heat of some furnaces, melters, and even the sound of high-intensity machinery and tools at work. It was perfect. There was an excellent soundproof for even the supposedly smallest booths, or rooms, but it would never be the same if Fox is nearby. His hearing senses might not be exaggeratedly wide and far-reaching, but they were pretty acute, and that was without going hyper or through breath. After a while, Fox found his booth. He opened the door calmly, looking sideways twice, and finally entered the booth. It was only for testing, so it was rather small, smaller than a room for package for a month. Only about 3 meters wide and 7 meters long. Fox entered it and checked for a few things, grabbing several objects and components before walking to a little digital television to read a series of instructions. He introduced his code, grabbed his personal window from his abdomen to identify himself, and began the test. He had an hour to begin as many bions¡¯ constructions as possible. Fox didn¡¯t have to finish, but the television warned him that at least 3 basic void bions or 2 basic gut bions could be enough for the 1-month package. Fox sat cross-legged and began. He started by making the plain, boring foundations of many bions before focusing on the bigger ones. It usually didn¡¯t matter how big or small bions¡¯ infrastructure was, but in this case, Fox opted for complicated big and small ones. As the time ran down to 40 minutes from an hour, every foundation was finished. Fox grabbed the components of the big bions and fully armed ? of them, leaving only a few last important touches and the last plating or coverage unworked. He took 30 minutes for this, with only 10 minutes remaining for the smaller, complicated ones. While size didn¡¯t matter in bions¡¯ case overall, the small bions Fox choose were a bit more complicated than the big ones because of the small space. It left too little maneuvering and demanded ample agility and individual stamina of the wrists and fingers to work them. Yet, as the 10 minutes passed, Fox ¡®brusquely¡¯ worked his craftsmanship and completed as many small bions as he could, even finishing 2 gut bions. One was a skeletal hand replacement, it was only for the upper half, but it could work well and even add either electric or heated explosive waves to one¡¯s fists or forceful stabs. 10 seconds before the time went out, Fox lifted his left hand in surrender. He was damn tired. The time stopped and Fox heard a noise from a wall. He turned his head, only to see a thick tray come out of the wall like nothing. Fox picked his creations one by one and delivered them to the tray. After scanning his works with an unnoticeable scanning system, which only rang like a tiny hum-buzz in his ears and even mind, the wall opened slightly higher. Then, the tray ate his bions, unfinished and not, before placing a counter over it and closing the gap where the tray came out seamlessly. Almost 4 minutes later, the TV made a buzzing sound that was somehow comfortable for his ears. ¡°Those were 14 unfinished bions and 7 bions; 2 gut bions and 5 void bions. You barely qualify for the 3 months package. 1 month and 3 months packages are available.¡± A static, pre-recorded voice rang from the TV. ¡®Damn.¡¯ Feeling the high-end contest, Fox sweated a little. Was he that amateurish? Then, he tapped the 1-month package for obvious reasons. After that, the TV indicated him to put his WID on the TV before taking it back. Now, he had an additional single blue, tiny stripe coiling at its left corner. He tapped it as a poor hologram showed the 1-month remaining, already counting down. Without a doubt, Fox had to get to an available room, here in the HQ or in a Proteros base, and start creating. However, before that, he thought of that sweet Mena. He turned to the TV and asked like it was a godly being, ¡°Can I rece-¡± ¡°Admission finished, leave the area.¡± ¡®Nice. I was insulted and humiliated, one after the other.¡¯ Fox quietly turned around and walked out with his head low and face darkening. There was nothing he could do either way. . . . 3 days later. It has been 4 days since Fox returned from his 3 months long special VIP task under Roroa. Fox has gone back and forth through the HQ, doing who knew what for all day long. He had no social life whatsoever. If anything, he was a ghost half of Lymoca talked about throughout the internet. Needless to say, seeing this ¡®regressing¡¯ behavior, the special agents who instructed the training regimen and the recruit fellows from the same batch as Fox felt disappointed. He really just returned and did nothing all day, only bothering about his craftsmanship. But today was going to be different. Knowing the moon would soon show its full splendor on the last day of the month, Fox walked to Mena early in the morning instead of rushing to the massive, divided workshop at HQ. ¡°Hey, again?¡± Mena asked, not bothering to call out to him and working on her desktop. Yet, while she didn¡¯t receive a response yet again, she did feel Fox¡¯s presence remain. Lifting her head towards him, she saw a thinly smiling Fox holding 3 huge black bags whose contents bulged out of their zippers. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Clank! Thump! Thud! Before Mena could speak, Fox dropped the bags on her counter. They sounded very heavy and by the many too much lots. Fox broadened his thin smile as he opened the first bag, with bions sliding out like lukewarm yolk out a broken eggshell. ¡°These are¡­¡± Mena¡¯s face was terrified. Then, her countenance went mad, ¡°SO MANY!¡± She took the anti-accident, protective plastic out of a bion that rolled down the bag and inspected it. It was a bion! Not a basic quality, and while it wasn¡¯t an excellent quality, it was up to part with the secret world¡¯s global standard, just good quality! She looked up at Fox, wondering many things. She wanted to get him for herself. Not through marriage or contracts, but stealing his brain, cloning it, and putting it in robots¡¯ bodies with top-notch bion biotech to create endless more bions. ¡°All these for me?¡± Mena calmed down and went princess mode. Fox blinked and nodded repeatedly, knowing how she felt. Mena expressed, over the clouds. ¡°Yup. I¡¯m accepting them, but that doesn¡¯t take away something. Aren¡¯t these too many? Wouldn¡¯t it be good if you sold some? Like, just a few or half a dozen?¡± ¡°I am buying your knowledge for¡­ almost your whole life, I guess.¡± Fox darted his eyes around their upper corners. Mena nodded with her lower lip out, understanding. He continued, ¡°I already built and sold many more basic bions before I could finally find the way to make the next best quality. These are all yours as a gift, appreciation, and my future needs. All work related.¡± ¡°Mhm, don¡¯t worry. This isn¡¯t enough to whore myself out,¡± Mena smiled with thin-narrowed eyes, holding a spherical bion below and in front of her chin. Fox smiled, glad he wasn¡¯t seen ¡®like that¡¯. Then, he asked her, feeling curious. ¡°How come you¡¯re always here? Do you not go out?¡± ¡°Your timing is just bad. Just last night I had a hunt with a team task effort to get some lagj idiots who nearly interrupted a Captain¡¯s mission. I¡¯m a bit tired, don¡¯t you see?¡± Mena posed for Fox, who had already noticed but still nodded after she posed by compromise. ¡°Well, good luck then. Hope this helps you survive, always, from now on.¡± Fox commented, adding more than he thought he would, feeling strange himself. Mena stopped playing around and looked at him with blinking eyes, ¡°Oww, Fox! That was so sweet. Can I kiss your forehead?¡± Fox looked at the big sister role model before instinctively blinking as he slightly nodded. Mena smiled and went closer to him, who was already leaning over the counter, before holding the top corners of his head and plating a kiss on the left upper spot of his forehead. ¡°Mwaaaah!¡± Mena quickly let go and ruffled his hair for 0.3 seconds, all counted by Fox, who let her be¡­ for now. Then, she asked him, feeling contented and keeping her eyes fully narrowed in joy. ¡°So, what now? Are you going to petition a form to take a business up your butt at last?¡± ¡°Mn, can you take the form out for me? I¡¯ve further investigated them, to start small, I¡¯ve selec¡­¡± Fox nodded and began explaining. Mena felt a bit baffled. She was just being silly, so for Fox to readily agree, it surprised her. But even more so, it gladdened her! ¡­ After Mena helped him out, Fox took the form and dialed the business¡¯s owner for a meeting. Something simple, just outside the desired store Fox wanted to purchase at the price the owner was having obvious issues getting through. A young schoolgirl waited for him in front of a closed boutique, with her backpack and a cute, stripped, red and obscure brown duckbill cap. According to her information, she was a rich parents¡¯ 17-year-old girl who didn¡¯t have enough time to care about her rather impressive, yet semi small, boutique because of her studies. ¡­ Chapter 99 — Studies Studies ¡°Eh? Oh!¡± The young schoolgirl widened her eyes when she saw the young man standing just behind her. Then, she grew shocked. She slowly stepped back, looking up at the tall ''monster'' whose face looked impassively at hers. ¡°Y- you¡­ are you the¡­ you are really the person I was to meet, right?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Fox let the young girl have a breather, understanding where her fear came from. Anyone who saw those videos, even if not in the Sargonde¡¯s building, in his previous actions. Even though she was scared the hell out of, she extended her small right hand, pulling her cute, fashionable yellow-brown backpack tighter with her left hand. ¡°This is the place?¡± Fox looked at the store. It had a double glass door, with yellow crystal at the sides, before solid walls took over. The insides weren¡¯t lighted, but it was illuminated inside by the gate, with only the sunlight showering inside. ¡°Mhm¡­¡± The young schoolgirl felt a bit safer without those weird, unique eyes staring at her. After revising the inside, Fox felt a bit contented. The aspect was good, even a bit better than in the photos and video. He returned his gaze to her, looking mostly at her face and eyes, ensuring she wouldn¡¯t feel too pressured. He knew his eyes were truly unique, after all. ¡°I¡­ you are that guy, aren¡¯t you?¡± The schoolgirl accumulated enough courage to ask. Fox nodded, shaking her hand, which she forgot she hung in the air, briefly. ¡°I am. Call me Fox, that¡¯s all it¡¯s needed for this matter.¡± Fox passed a document to the schoolgirl, who gripped it with pale fingertips and read it. She nodded, signed it after resting it on a little notebook, and returned it. She looked up, still feeling startled and a little fearful of his eyes, ¡°I¡¯m Fabiola. I have received your info, but I¡¯d like to talk more before coming to a conclusion¡­?¡± She had white skin, black hair, big black eyes, and looked rather ordinary yet cute. Quite a neighborhood gal everyone talked about nicely, even if attracted to. Her eyes looked up at him, showing some brightness as she gulped yet again. Fox looked at the big eyes with his blinking ones. Then, he nodded slightly, cocking his head to the entrance, ¡°Shall we begin inside?¡± The schoolgirl, Fabiola, nodded, blushing a little. Of course, they had to discuss. They wouldn¡¯t just sign up an important decision out of just meeting. Fox waited as the lass opened the glass door, using a set of keys with a cute bear and a flower hanging from it. Fox walked inside with her, closing the doors for her and locking it. This made Fabiola a little jumpy, but she relaxed and went to the large counter. It reminded Fox of the reception at HQ. it was pretty long, but enough for only 2 people to walk shoulder to shoulder. It led to a backroom that only stored some documentation and computers, perhaps. Fox watched Fabiola pick a large, rich-looking bottle of liquor before grabbing a couple of glasses. Then, she walked to a standing table at the side, where she waited for Fox. Fox could smell her sweat, even though it was just a bit. She smiled a little forcefully before opening the bottle and serving the glasses after Fox walked towards her. ¡°My family is a bit rich, I know. I wanted this shop for myself, because I¡¯m studying for these matters, haha.¡± Fabiola formed some chatter as she drank a bit. Fox wasn¡¯t a hero to stop her. Taking a sip of his glass, he waited for her to continue. ¡°But I don¡¯t have time for it. I wish I had, but my studies are hard. I¡¯m looking to sell this boutique for a high price because it has been well-founded. I believe you¡¯ve seen the records of its gains in such a short time, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to talk about it in detail, but a little faster, if you don¡¯t mind?¡± Fox nodded before commenting. Fabiola parted her lips. She mustered more courage and asked instead, ¡°Why would you, M¡­ Mr. Fox, want to buy this boutique?¡± ¡°Make money?¡± Fox looked at her and smiled a bit. Fabiola blinked. Then, he further stated, ¡°When I was still at Riverlye, I could only live off a few small, odd jobs but mostly from the ¡®jobs¡¯ ¡®they¡¯ gave me. Right now, all I need is to start somewhere. I chose yours.¡± ¡°Riverlye! Ah, I see. I don¡¯t know what a life like that could be. So, what would you like to speak of, Mr. Fox?¡± Fabiola¡¯s words were simple, perhaps, but she very well ¡®took¡¯ the chance to begin business talks before Fox could continue. Fox just smiled and listened before commenting, ¡°Mn, but let¡¯s not talk more of other things that do not matter in our talks. Just Fox is fine.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Fabiola nodded a little, still looking up at Fox. She started to feel a small pain in her neck. Fox took a folder from his bag and began, showing her documents, numbers, images, and his information. ¡°Fabiola, knowing the main reason you can¡¯t successfully sell this boutique is its 350,000 credits price, can you tell me why is it so high?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Fabiola¡¯s good girl behavior started coming out, attracting Fox¡¯s good side, as she was brief. ¡°It¡¯s a small shop, but it isn¡¯t anything ¡®small¡¯ regarding its height in the district. Its price is well-earned, and I can promise you it¡¯ll be returned to you in just 3 to 6 months at the very least.¡± ¡°No promises, just tell me something solid I¡¯d like to hear,¡± Fox interrupted. Fabiola stopped abruptly, but she understood, although she felt wronged for this small obstruction. She nodded again, with more vigor, and went, ¡°I had to focus on my studies, but even then, I worked 162,000 credits off a small portion of my boutique in just a few days.¡± ¡°That came from a single week, and it didn¡¯t repeat, only maintaining a profit of about forty to forty-five thousand per month for the past 7-8 months?¡± Fox interjected. Expecting it a little, but still a bit afflicted from another obstruction, the schoolgirl elaborated, ¡°That time¡­ it was a reputable woman who bought some pieces. She isn¡¯t a bigshot, but around these districts in the capital, she is well-known.¡± ¡°But it was only that time that my schedule allowed me to let her take a look at my shop. I haven¡¯t been able to do so otherwise. It isn¡¯t just because we¡¯ve met before. My boutique is good enough to attract someone like her. While she must have grown displeased with my absence, even 2 days ago, I received another call from her to take a look around.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Fox quietly commented and said nothing more. Fabiola took a breather, relaxing her eyebrows but feeling the tension again. She didn¡¯t want to fail another possible sale of her shop, especially since this was the first that bothered to come in person and not just gave her one miserable call. She even had better luck with men trying to buy it, while women simply stomped her pride before rapidly hanging their calls. Fabiola had to at least maybe share the boutique if she couldn¡¯t sell it. Yet, Fox¡¯s next words made her feel incredulous and silly. ¡°Your boutique has exquisite pieces, but also ¡®humble¡¯ ones that fit well for even those who want to gift themselves something good if they can. You¡¯ve always managed to follow the professional standards and acquire a price that was even better for the boutique and not too unfair for the buyers. Otherwise, even 20,000 credits profit would¡¯ve been difficult in a month.¡± ¡°For things like these, and with your promise, I¡¯d like to buy your boutique for 400,000 credits.¡± Fox paused there. Fabiola wore a stupefied expression, feeling dumber than dumb. Slamming her fair hands on the table, she shockingly asked, ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Wait, why 400,000? Wait, why would you really want to buy it?¡± She continued asking, but Fox kinda ignored her as he added, ¡°I opt to buy this boutique and change all of its rights to mine, as intended in your requirements, but I don¡¯t want to see you gone.¡± ¡°Those 350,000 credits you ask for are the reason nobody wants to buy it. Not even I am this drawn to it, but with the professionalism showed, the connections it has, and the suppliers you¡¯ve made contracts with thanks to your family; I¡¯d like to keep all these, too.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Fabiola tilted her head and frowned, but before she could word anything, Fox looked at her with those polycoria impenetrable black eyes. ¡°You said I could make up for those in several months. I don¡¯t want to. I must make money quickly. This is also a small one-story shop, but the building is much larger than that. All I ask is those 50,000 for your stay.¡± ¡°Woah, seriously?¡± The schoolgirl looked at Fox with yet more incredulity. Fox nodded, ¡°I can do with the boutique, but it will only benefit me if I have the help you boast of so much. Those 50,000 are only for now. If you, for some reason, like it and decide to stay more, I promise you a 10% share.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°A 10 percentage?!¡± Fabiola widened her eyes like a madwoman. Fox nodded again, ¡°That¡¯s only for now. It would seem a little a little when I begin expanding. Summing it up to 15% would only be the beginning. I promise that if we do this well and ¡®conquer¡¯ this entire building, you will earn 25% of it shares. But that¡¯s¡­ quite a bit far from now. You would have to work hard, still. But I will be attending it mostly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fabiola was speechless. There was nothing stopping her from hugging Fox, not even her fear. Only her longing for such a promising future, and her rationale her parents taught her, kept her at bay. ¡°Well then¡­ gulp¡­ If that¡¯s all-¡± ¡°It¡¯s not. You see,¡± Fox interrupted her and grabbed her duckbill cap without her feeling a single whoosh. She looked at her cap in his hand as he spoke, ¡°This is a very cheap piece of clothing for how much you like wearing it, even now. Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I found it at a cheap one, yeah, hehe¡­¡± Fabiola responded, feeling a bit silly at the end. Fox nodded with a slow blink of his eyes. He took a scarf from his backpack. The colors didn¡¯t match, but she could imagine them doing so as he elaborated. ¡°With ¡®bundles¡¯ like these, not only can we rise the price of both added together a bit, we can also find more of these ¡®healthy¡¯ garments without using too much of our earnings.¡± ¡°Also, your suppliers are really good, but I¡¯ve seen these other pieces lately, and I searched for a bit, so I¡¯ve found these new models from Dawn¡­ Additionally, there are these new ones from Twilight. It¡¯s a bit old-fashioned, but it seems that it¡¯s gaining more reputation with ¡®safe¡¯ bions turning into the hands of teenagers and young adults.¡± Slowly, the pair of business partners chatted. Fabiola lost her fear to Fox, which she had all the right to feel. That Fox didn¡¯t care and only saw her as a bag of bones and flesh to convince to work with him ended up helping him. She also presented an adaptiveness that impressed Fox, at least for a civilian, and such a young pearl even. Fox felt the time of the day pass by faster than he hoped. He struck a lot of ideas into the boutique, even going out to see the tall building and machinate the overtaking of the whole thing. ¡­ At last, Fox and Fabiola were met with a complete document where the boutique¡¯s ownership would become his. They walked out of the counter leading to the backroom and returned to the standing table. Looking down at it, Fox smirked a bit. His first step into riches? For a price of 400,000 credits, Fox would buy this boutique, small but with high potential, and will have Fabiola as a permanent worker for the following 5 months. If the boutique could progress and rise astronomically, and they expanded it, they could discuss her shares and further stay. Walking out of the boutique, previously known as Pinkrose, now as Blackflower, Fox and Fabiola seemed relaxed. Thinking of something, he asked Fabiola, ¡°How did you pay your debts?¡± ¡°Mn, my father?¡± Fabiola still felt a bit impacted by walking with the known ¡®martyr¡¯, but she felt relaxed, even when talking of her personal matters with him. Fox jumped his eyebrows at her. Fabiola further elaborated, ¡°My father is a daughter-based daddy. Can you blame him?¡± ¡°Sigh,¡± Fox looked at her more focused before shaking his head, ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯d also be the same.¡± ¡°Eh? You¡¯re married?¡± Fabiola suddenly asked, her eyes becoming interested, but also like a puppy¡¯s. Fox twisted his eyebrows, looking at her with a funny face, ¡°I¡¯m just a year older than you.¡± ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± Fabiola was taken aback. She smiled and giggled. Both stood before the boutique, looked back, and could see the future of this little project. Then, she looked at him with narrowed eyes, asking, ¡°Can I give you like a small kiss? On the cheek!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox blinked several times. He spread his arms and just stiffened his neck. He was all but a lonely soul. Fabiola smiled before hugging his shoulders, near his neck, and planted her lips on his left cheek. Fox blinked again before Fabiola flurried away with quick steps. ¡°Byeeee! Cu¨ªdate!¡± Fox watched the lass leave, safely crossing the street, looking to the sides a few times, and disappear around a corner. Only now did Fox begin to see the area around the boutique, it was quite filled at noon, although being in between a few streets, the massive flow of people was a half a block away. Fox liked it, a bit lonely yet an obvious sight from the distance. With that, he turned around and left for the HQ. He took a bus first, as they were mostly empty at these hours, and couldn¡¯t afford to take a helitaxi every time to move around the city. Not yet. ¡­ Arriving at the HQ, Fox walked to Mena. She just greeted him with a shake of her head upwards, but he didn¡¯t go in immediately. Setting her eyes on him, she saw a smiley face. Fox directly asked her, ¡°Your people free to work in a small boutique?¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Mena sat up at once, ¡°When do you need them? Don¡¯t worry about the payment, you can cover that with a cheap bion if you want. They sell too high in the market, just don¡¯t give them any secret world bion.¡± ¡°Tomorrow, you know the address. I¡¯ll show them around. There¡¯s a co-founder who will work with us, an ordinary kid. She knows only about the ordinary world,¡± Fox pressed on. Mena smiled, ¡°Yes, yes. I got it. Repeat it some more, and I¡¯ll become a regular gal out there.¡± ¡°Hey, some people inside will be glad to know you¡¯re progressing. Have you given a thought to which Blood to join?¡± Mena bent over the counter, asking him in whispers. Fox smiled at her antics, casually replying, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I want Red. Can I?¡± ¡°Haha, ¡®can I¡¯, he says. You dummy, you can join any. Here, let me bring you to swear,¡± Mena did not give a fuck as she brought Fox through the double doors. Fox gestured to her seat, but she just turned her head to him and said, still uncaring, ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it. Most don¡¯t come to the reception because they don¡¯t want to wear the factory¡¯s uniform. Those who do just rush inside. Too few stop by the reception.¡± With that, Fox was brought into the HQ. He walked 3 short minutes before entering a seemingly small room. It had ordinary metal doors, which Mena pushed him into before walking away. Fox didn¡¯t fight it, crediting Mena to want to impulse him and not get cold feet, as he tripped forth. The door entered the room as the metal doors opened, sliding into the sides to reveal a long space inside. Everything was obscure, but Fox didn¡¯t doubt a moment when stepping forth. And as the entrance closed behind him, it all became black. Only a slightly red light glowed from far into the distance. It scarcely illuminated at the extreme of a platform extending from the wider floor he stood on. Fox walked to it after barely catching sight of anything else in this space. When he arrived before it, he crouched and lowered his hands to the thing glowing red. But it stopped glowing, and everything turned dark. Fox didn¡¯t move, and in the next moment, everything lighted up. A blinding, beige-ish white struck everywhere, illuminating even below his crouching position. Fox¡¯s eyes instantly grew used to the light. The first thing he did was look at the thing he grabbed. It was a small, metallic ball with a few slits on its sides at the center, all separated and about 2 inches long. Pft- pft- pft- pft! Its slits suddenly stabbed Fox¡¯s palms, bathing the ball with his blood before flowing down inside a mechanism. Fox looked at it for a bit before standing up. He glanced at the wall before him, which didn¡¯t seem much like a wall anymore. Like a screen, it showed digital footage. Before him were only green, white, and red. They were all murky and a bit obscure. Whenever his eyes focused on one of the sides, they fluttered and flashed a bit, like a banner. Fox knew this was directed to his mind, not his eyes alone. After looking at them for a while, with shadowy smokes flashing in between, he concentrated his sight in the red one. Little by little, as his eyes remained there, a disfigured facial expression showed before his personal window sounded a tolling bell in his mind. Taking it out, the lights went out as he lifted it to his eye level. Now, it was red instead of its previous simple, transparent aspect. Furthermore, it had a touch of blood, too. ¡®I guess that¡¯s it.¡¯ Fox thought, keeping his WID under his clothes and turning around. Everything was black again, but Fox could see a little better this time. Without further ado, he headed to the metal door. Fox still had some time to do some crafting and prepare for the first day of managing his new boutique, and his first business, per se. Walking out of the small room, or rather, the small door, Fox could swear he felt a semi familiar presence move around, but it went away as soon as he felt it. He didn¡¯t give much thought to it before heading on his way to the workshop area. ¡­ The next morning, early morning, Fox went to the Blackflower boutique. Fabiola had been quick to change things. When he arrived there, its sign went from a beautiful yet simple pink ¡®Pinkrose Boutique¡¯ to a humble, comfy, yet half-imposing ¡®Blackflower Boutique¡¯ white lettered. The only good thing about Fox¡¯s acquisition of the boutique was that, with Fabiola remaining in the business, none of her contacts, suppliers, or customers saw the change as untrustable. It hadn¡¯t opened yet, but Fabiola, the center of the boutique¡¯s future potential, was waiting for Fox in a thick jacket and skirt. ¡°You¡¯re quick to work,¡± Fox politely praised. Fabiola hugged her arms, wearing an ordinary black cap this time, with her hair tied. She looked up at him before questioning with trembling teeth, ¡°Where¡¯s those you talked about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still a bit early, they should be around in 15 minutes.¡± Fox replied. It was still dark outside, and a strangely cold day, which he enjoyed. But not everyone was like him, such as ordinary people, like Fabiola. She pouted a bit, ¡°They¡­ are they like you? Brrr¡­ Special agents?¡± ¡°Special workers, I¡¯d say. They are more or less your age, and I¡¯m paying them outside the boutique, so the money will all move towards my wallet.¡± Fox explained in a simple manner. Thoughtful, Fabiola nodded her head a few extra times to fabricate heat in her body before asking, somewhat worried. ¡°Isn¡¯t that troublesome?¡± ¡°No. They are both trustable and like¡­ civilian bions. Mn, they are serious in their tasks, or I wouldn¡¯t even think of them. I can take care of their pay easily.¡± Fox straight out responded. Fabiola nodded again, ¡°So, you make bions? For civilians, I suppose. I¡¯ve heard but never seen those you ¡®guys¡¯ use. How much for a TE phone? The temple-ear phone, if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡± ¡°For you? I can sell it for 10,000 credits.¡± Fox shrugged, feeling nice. Fabiola widened her mouth. Something worth 35-40,000 credits would cost her 10,000?! She looked at Fox favorably. It was impossible for him not to know the price of these things, right? Of course, Fox knew it. But with how unimportant those ¡®c bions¡¯ were, he couldn¡¯t be bothered to make money with them. Besides, PSD didn¡¯t allow their special agents to do so. Maybe aid a known or two, but no business with these. It was a very obvious, rather noble, motive. ¡­ Chapter 100 — Serving The Country? Serving The Country? ¡°Is that them?¡± Fabiola looked at a corner of another street before pointing out. Fox casually followed her gaze, having heard footsteps beforehand, and nodded without her noticing. He voiced, ¡°They will take turns, but we will bother about that later. Let''s go in and see what you should do to attract your previous customers, satisfied or not, and more.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Fabiola nodded in earnest approval. Seeing there were many more who would take care of the boutique, she felt at ease. The worst thing would be to have to still work at it when she was supposed not to. She did have a few doubts, though. ¡°Will they behave? My parents bought this for me, and my father worked hard to let me keep it. Yesterday, they were a little down because of my sale. They support me, but¡­ you know.¡± ¡°They will.¡± Fox said as casually as he could, but his words still sounded a bit intent. She looked at him with upturned eyes, having just felt a tremor in her heart that drove her a need to act with caution. She just nodded and said nothing more before welcoming the youngsters. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Fabiola, thank you for coming.¡± Fabiola greeted the group. They responded in kind, not too polite, and slightly casual. Afterward, she brought them to Fox, giving him a light smile to indicate she was contented with the lot. Giving them a look, the youngsters ranging from being in their 16s to mid 20s lowered their heads, pressured and¡­ well, knowing what he was capable of. None would dare take him lightly, but if they did, his polycoria eyes would remind them who they were messing with. ¡°Let¡¯s go in,¡± Fox declared. With that, he opened the double glass doors and turned the lights on. A smooth voice welcomed him and Fabiola as a warming feature made the interiors cozy but still fresh. ¡°Welcome back, boss Fox and miss Fabi.¡± ¡°Hehe,¡± Fabiola smiled at the new form of address the system had before taking her jacket off, a scarf, her cap, and 2 layers of thin sweaters. Fox looked at her, disapproving. She stuck her tongue out, shutting her eyes tight before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t like cold. Too meh.¡± ¡®How can there be people like this?¡¯ Fox unceremoniously nodded before checking the counter at the side. Meanwhile, the youngsters got to tour the small boutique. They could see each other from each extreme of the boutique, even amidst the piles of clothes. The public space had an irregular shape, and about 9 corners. After the new employees checked the place, and were given a tour of the backroom and the wide storage at the side, which was the second-largest room in the boutique, they were briefed by Fox. While Fox didn¡¯t need Fabiola¡¯s advice, nor did she have the right, he listened to her. She was also conscious of their status, so she didn¡¯t meddle too much. But while everyone had learned what to do, they still had to go through some practice before the boutique could open. Fox asked Fabiola to stay. Since it was the last week¡¯s day, she didn¡¯t have to worry about attending her academy. It would only be an hour at most, so she could still study after he returned. Thus, without further ado, Fox took a bus to the presidential precinct. ¡­ He didn¡¯t enter the main entrance by himself like before, instead using a series of codes from the outside, he went inside it with a random car that parked in a nearby precinct to the presidential building. It would also take him back out, all so he wouldn¡¯t draw attention. Fox headed to the president¡¯s office. A few hours had already passed. If he calculated from what Butler told him, and what he heard from other conferences the president had spoken about his meetings, then he should be in his office still. With the first few rays of light falling from the sun rising into the sky, the civil workers kept shut but looked at him with criticizing, and even begrudging stares. That might be due to some things some people Fox never knew about but carried weight in politics talked bad rumors of him. Knowing well what being in a political ¡®side¡¯ meant from now on, Fox only wondered if he¡¯ll have to perform a face off any time soon, hoping not to. He couldn¡¯t be bothered with those things¡­ Knock, knock. Fox stood before the office¡¯s gates. They clicked and opened on their own, allowing Fox inside. He didn¡¯t wait nor feel he needed to be told to get in. There, he saw Luis at his desktop again, this time with a tall, white bald man in front of his desk. Fox looked and stopped, not sure if to continue, when Luis looked at him with his right eyebrow lifted. ¡°Fox, this is Roam. Meet one another. He¡¯s my presidential secretary. Now, tell me why you are here, alone, without me calling you.¡± ¡°I can come here unless I can¡¯t, right?¡± Fox nodded and casually commented as he looked at the bald man, Roam. Luis rolled his eyes suggestively, saying nothing. Then, after nodding at Roam, Fox looked at Luis and went straight at it, ¡°I want to ask for a favor.¡± ¡°You want?¡± Luis pressed his lips together. To Fox, it felt more like he wanted to exchange ¡®dare¡¯ for ¡®want¡¯. He ignored it and continued, ¡°I need help finding my colleague. She was Pheli and I¡¯s ¡®little sister¡¯. Her name is Teon.¡± ¡°Teon?¡± Luis spouted questioningly. Fox nodded, while Roam looked at Luis with changed eyes. Luis briefly stared at Roam¡¯s eyes, pressing his chin with his right thumb and index finger before addressing Fox, ¡°Now what. Why? Can she be of an-¡± ¡°She¡¯s a proof of Riverlye¡¯s happenings. She was sent out by Pheli to save her, should anything happen to her.¡± Fox interrupted, bringing an uncomfortable silence between the three. He added after a bit, ¡°Clearing my image will be easier with her, and she is a formidable agent.¡± ¡°Even then-¡± Luis clasped her fingers and lazily shrugged. But Fox went at it again, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, in any political situation, ignoring the rest of the world¡¯s issues, having an easier way will be better than achieving the same through hardship.¡± ¡°Teon will make that happen.¡± Fox placed his palms on the edges of the president¡¯s desktop, Roam almost stepped forth, but didn¡¯t go further than that. Instead, Roam walked a bit away after receiving a glance from Luis. ¡°I understand that,¡± Luis commenced. Roam stood behind Fox, stepping a few meters behind. Then, Luis continued, ¡°But this Teon killed people from the national guard and police.¡± ¡°Self-defense.¡± Fox declared. Luis shook his head, closing his eyes as if in comfort. ¡°That¡¯s not it. At the beginning, she struck and instantly murdered 5 elements before grabbing their guns and ¡®defending¡¯ herself. It¡¯s not an excuse with these, is it?¡± ¡°Self-defense as well,¡± Fox repeated. Luis was just looking to the sides, moving in his chair, when Fox repeated those words, adding a few more. He looked up at Fox with a snap, staring at the young man in deep silence. Gaining advantage, despite Luis¡¯s stare growing deadly, but not scared, not yet; Fox pressed his weight on the desk, with his palms moving towards the center of the table. His polycoria looked down on Luis, ¡°She did so to survive, president. I am also capable of doing that, especially for survival. But as she can do it to save her life, which I care about, I can do the same just if I want to.¡± Fox¡¯s eyes and voice were impassive, and as he spoke, shaking his head out of emotion here and there, he saw some trembling in the president¡¯s eyes. It was there, a human emotion, a most useful primitive truth. ¡°If I were in danger, I would do that too. If I felt like I had to, I will massacre everything I see before me. And now, Mr. President, if I have to, under the orders to achieve both my and Lymoca¡¯s objective, I will do the same.¡± Fox slowly stood straight. He looked at the president with impassive eyes, accommodating his sleeves, ¡°Just as you don¡¯t feel fear before me, Luis. Maybe because Butler or others told you I won¡¯t do something like assassinating you right here and now. I want things, or rather, some¡¯s safety.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not much to ask, and I am a lot. President, I need help finding Teon, safe and sound. I will be responsible for the crimes she committed. Am I not?¡± Fox stared deeply into Luis¡¯s eyes. But then, he furrowed his brows a bit before relaxing them. In Luis¡¯s eyes, he saw a new emotion, at least towards him. He couldn¡¯t tell what it was from, but the sensation was a calmer and understanding, hearing notion unlike anything before. ¡°It seems you really want this,¡± Luis commented, reclining his back on his chair. Fox nodded. Gesturing with his fingers spread in the air, Luis looked at Roam and nodded. As Fox¡¯s ears tingled a bit, hearing some ruffling, Luis sat up and asked him with his face upturned.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me before? Were you too busy a few days ago?¡± ¡®Busy railing your sister.¡¯ Fox spoke with his eyes. Whether Luis could see that in his 7 irises-pupils, it wasn¡¯t known, they just stared at each other. Then, Fox breathed in, filling his lungs before speaking. ¡°I had things to consider, and¡­ I felt it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to ask you this immediately.¡± ¡°Is this about you choosing a Blood?¡± Luis asked, a bit calmed down from the previous atmosphere. Fox shrugged. Luis sighed and stood up, patting Fox¡¯s left arm before gesturing behind him. Fox looked back, only to see Roam with a window recording him. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry for the previous misunderstandings. We will find her. She deserves that much for helping save Lesly¡¯s life, and much more. The corrupt, vile lagjs arming against the Lys will be stopped because of this¡­ I¡¯m counting on you, Fox.¡± Luis said with a sincere expression and a hearty tone. ¡®Damn, he¡¯s a bit smooth.¡¯ Fox looked at Roam with a baffled expression, which he quickly hid. As for becoming lagjs¡¯ number 1 enemy, wasn¡¯t he already? Fox just stared at the camera, taking advantage to place his right hand on the president¡¯s back, just at the vertebral column. Fox felt a slight tremble from Luis, making him grin. He hooked the left corner of his mouth, while Luis had a weird expression before and even sweated. Then, Roam nodded, turning off the recording feature and storing the window in a box from his jacket inner pockets. ¡°Teon, right? She will be found. But why did you come to me?¡± Luis sat back on his seat, maintaining a neutral expression. Fox turned around with a swag, slightly smiling, half in derision. ¡°Because the District chose to bind to you. Butler talks to you subserviently, although not as much as ¡®this¡¯ fella. He is being pretty serious about you. I haven¡¯t yet gained respect for neither, but I will respect the respect Butler has for you, President.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis stared at the young man yet again. Fox didn¡¯t return the glare for too long, instead, he looked at Roam. Roam pressed his lips and nodded at him, but Fox kept looking at him before giving Luis an innocent expression and a superficial blink. ¡°You may leave,¡± Luis said after considering things. What needed to be said was said. Fox acted no more and walked out, passing by Roam, who opened the doors for him, and lightly voiced before walking away, ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Left in the office, the president and his presidential secretary stared at each other. Luis cleaned his sweat, smiling ruefully before Roam helped him with another handkerchief. Luis stared into the emptiness of nothing before saying, ¡°He¡¯s a tough stone to kick, mm?¡± ¡°I recommend not going against him, sir.¡± Roam said with a worried expression. Luis nodded, feeling much better after getting out of the situation in ¡®good¡¯ graces. ¡°Yes, I believe that¡¯s the best course. Who wants a maddened grown cub with fangs out near their necks?¡± ¡°Heheh. Sir, the reform is about to be debated. When will you send the kid to check the waters?¡± Roam chuckled before remembering something. Luis mulled for a bit, turning to Roam after standing up. ¡°It¡¯ll do just when it happens.¡± Roam frowned a bit, not understanding. But then again, Luis is the president, so he just nodded and offered a cup of coffee. Luis untied his tie and felt the sweat on his body grow cold and off his skin. Checking his phone out, he looked at a few contacts, but he only stared. After a minute, with Roam waiting at the side with a mug of coffee, Luis turned and took it, turning his phone off. ¡­ After Fox exited the presidential precinct, rising no commotion for his appearance, and in the presidential precinct, no less, he headed back to the boutique. There were only about 20 minutes before it opened, and Fox had to be there, although not so out in the open. Fabiola told him her nice customers were aware who owned the boutique now, and that she remained, but Fox didn¡¯t want to remain in the public like a one-animal zoo. Although, maybe for the sake of publicity, he may show up in the store. Returning there, Fabiola was already gone, probably growing inspired to study. Fox met with the youngsters and checked with a quick practice with each of them before growing satisfied. As Mena said, these kids were rather good. When the time to open came, Fox didn¡¯t offer a ceremony or anything. He simply opened the glass doors and let anyone interested come inside. When it had just started, an unexpected visitor came first. ¡°Hello, miss. If there¡¯s anything you¡¯re curious for, let us know.¡± A young girl walked to a beautiful woman with dull orange and long, thick curly hair. Her creamy bronze skin ¡®shone¡¯ under the lights, and her deep dark brown eyes consumed anyone curious enough to dare look at them. ¡°Morena,¡± Fox came out of the storage backroom, realizing who those familiar steps and breathing were from. Mona smiled when he came for her and hugged him briefly. Then, she grinned from the left corner of her mouth, ¡°You didn¡¯t invite me to the opening ceremony. You really thought I wouldn¡¯t want to congratulate you? It¡¯s a good, progressing step.¡± ¡°I know, I just didn¡¯t care that much.¡± Fox innocently said. Mona was wordless. She couldn¡¯t help but comment, ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s what I thought. Come, why don¡¯t you help me a bit.¡± Mona said as if Fox was supposed to bring her around, but it was her who led. Mona picked a few long shirt-coats and some bundles, using 3,000 good credits to start the business. After paying for them, she threatened Fox, ¡°Don¡¯t forget our date, hm?¡± After seeing his therapist out, Fox returned to his cave. The youngsters had gossipy glares exchanged, but they didn¡¯t bother with it. The day continued. During the first day, Fox showed up a few times, helping some old grandmas and a few elderly gentlemen who were curious and ended up buying a couple of things. It was a good start. Although the youngsters made Fox cringe a bit with some of their ways, and taking maybe too long to chat up some customers to convince them, they seemed aware of their inconveniences, too. They could grow in the job, which further satisfied Fox. The time to close arrived, nearing 7 PM, to which Fox let everyone out and stayed in the boutique alone. He waited until 10 PM and sold more than a dozen other pieces, including bundles, maybe from people who now knew who he was, and what he was doing. But, by then, a video of him being formally ¡®accepted¡¯ by the president himself, who now had a reputation of defending the Lys to the bone at least once, had long been spread on the internet. Closing the boutique, Fox watched the lights dim to pure blackness from the outside. Fox looked at the new sign telling ¡®Blackflower Boutique¡¯ for a few seconds before turning around. It was time to go back to the HQ. He didn¡¯t feel like sleeping tonight. Besides, he had a ¡®mental quota¡¯ of bions to fill, all of good quality. . . . 2 days later. Fox was just returning from another day in the boutique, letting the kids spend the morning alone, as he was early morning to noon in the workshop. He was just walking to the Plastics Recycler Factory, when a shadow fell from a building just a few main streets from the factory. Fox stopped, surprised not a little, and looked at the agent. The agent had a hood covering his face, which he uncovered and showed white painting on his skin before present a small notebook to him. Fox grabbed it, and when he did, the agent rushed back up. Fox saw the agent disappear like a shadow, not shown by the streetlights. ¡®Neat.¡¯ Fox was amazed by the tool. He took notes and already wanted to make some himself. Then, with his factory uniform on, he walked to the HQ. The reception was taken by someone else this time. When Fox walked over, a bald brown young man voiced, ¡°Mena¡¯s in a surveillance task. She will soon return, maybe in a few days.¡± ¡°Is it fine to say or know that?¡± Fox questioned after nodding at the man, stopping for a moment. The young man shook his head, easygoing, ¡°Nah. It will only if it¡¯s an operation. She¡¯s just working on something. Mn, most Captains would know their peoples¡¯ tasks, not just those from the same team.¡± ¡°I see, thank you.¡± Fox nodded again before walking through the double doors. Before going into the workshop, he went to a bathroom booth and read the notebook. His eyebrows were raised. After engraving everything in his mind, Fox relaxingly walked to a workshop booth. ¡­ The next morning, after showering in the HQ, Fox headed to the armory. He borrowed a ¡®few¡¯ firearms, none top-notch, and brought some of his bions with him in a case. Then, he went to his suite in the mega hotel, packing a few suits and wearing one before taking a taxi to a slightly farther district from the center. Fox spent 3 hours in the taxi, with traffic catching him and the taxi in the latter half of the journey, before arriving near a neighborhood. The location he neared was close to another district, where more large buildings stood tall and lots of people still walked to and fro. Coming out of the car, which left with an annoyed face for being made to come all the way here, but for a good price, Fox checked the neighborhood before turning around. With his suit and case, Fox walked to the other district. It was already too late to meet his client in his house. Another 40 minutes later, Fox entered this part of the city¡¯s most bustling zone. He headed to one of the tallest buildings, which had several companies and other businesses hoarding inside. None of the expenses would be accounted to him, but PSD. Besides, he was firster, so the District might even ¡®waste¡¯ a hundred thousand credits without batting an eye, but only if it was ultimately necessary. The taxi only costed a bit more than 1,000 credits, barely something, and mostly because of the extra time spent. Regardless, Fox wore glasses, and even without changing his appearance, few seemed to notice who he might be. Fox wasn¡¯t a beauty, a handsome fella, or a buffed guy. Many guys ¡®could look¡¯ like him, just another guy. Who knew how many fellas were nearly arrested after being beaten down when he was still fleeing? ¡°Good morning,¡± a beautiful young woman with a wedding ring and traditional hairstyle with a single strand of her long hair at the tip tied to a small stalk, said to him with a smile. Fox smiled, showing his ravishing smile that looked better covered with liquid¡­ Leaving an obviously fast-beating heart behind, Fox took an elevator after enduring having to walk through where more than 200 people walked around nonstop. He took his glasses off and looked around, shocking some of the employees in the elevator with him. But he said nothing. After reaching the second-highest floor, Fox stepped out. Because of the building¡¯s strict rules, nobody dared record him, but they still messaged their groups and who knew who; lover, couple, children, or just their gossipy friendsies, about what they just saw. Fox entered the ¡®one-room¡¯ floor only. He welcomed the sight of a wide hallway, going around the entire floor, with only a glass wall separating the hallway from the room. What¡¯s more, the wall leading to the outside of the building were also all glass, although these were all armored, and thick. Inside the single room in the floor was a brown man with honey-like, smooth hair, talking to a phone with exasperation, sweating a bit, and a heart beating unlike that woman downstairs. He was agitated, constantly gesturing with fierce motions. There was fear and hatred in it. ¡­ Chapter 101 — License To Kill License To Kill Knock, knock. Fox went to the door and waited. The man inside looked at him with annoyed eyes before changing them to surprise. Fox waited a few more seconds before the man hung the call and walked fast towards him to open the glass door. The man was somewhat of a regular height, brown, with extra honeyed, dark chestnut short hair, well combed with ¡®thick waves¡¯, and dark black eyes. ¡°Welcome!¡± The man greeted, rather enthusiastically. Fox nodded before getting in. The man was startled but still let him inside, closing the door after checking the elevator was closed and already running up or down, he couldn¡¯t see the panel with this angle. ¡°Expecting someone else?¡± Fox said, putting his goddamn jacket off and throwing it on a chair¡¯s seat. The man looked at it, wondering why Fox treated such expensive clothing without politeness before replying. ¡°Oh, no no! It¡¯s not that. Well, I think.¡± ¡°So, ehm, do you¡­ uh¡­¡± The man went close to Fox and asked, lowering his head, as it seemed complicated for him to ask in the first place. Fox frowned a bit, still relaxed. He placed his case down, letting it bang the floor somewhat at the end, sounding a notorious ¡®pank¡¯. ¡°I know my task¡¯s requirements. Any doubt to my capabilities won¡¯t serve us good.¡± Fox spoke first. ¡°Call me Fox, I will be here to help you. Who are you?¡± Nudging his chin upwards, Fox extended his hand. While he took his expensive jacket off, he wore gloves that obstructed the sensation and the direct contact of skin. Otherwise, this task might all have been a bit more stressful for him. ¡°Ah, my manners!¡± The man exclaimed, stepping forth to shake Fox¡¯s hand for a few moments. Once procedures were done, he walked to his lavish, wide, tall desktop and took a couple of bottles before excitedly saying, ¡°I am Armando Pe?a. Nice meeting you, Fox.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked at Armando without words, whose eyes were on his face, trying to see his reaction. Helpless, Armand articulated with both bottles still in his hands, ¡°Never heard of me?¡± ¡°Mister Armando, would you mind telling me what am I to do for you? Specific, if you can¡­¡± Fox put his hands in his pockets as he spoke. Armando nodded, walking to a standing table, grabbing some glasses, pouring them, and went back to Fox, this time more mentally stable. ¡°For now, I guess we can spend some time here until night falls. I¡­ I¡¯m afraid things have gone to terrible angles for me.¡± Armando said, drank a bit, and prepared to speak again, but he drank once more and went, ¡°I have been working for PJPH¡¯s firm for a couple of decades now, since I was a young man.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the name of this building,¡± Fox thought for a moment, with his eyes gone upturned, and smacked his lips open before saying out loud. Armando blinked. Was this really the heaven-awful man that took down so many people like they were nothing? Regardless, Armando nodded before sipping his glass again. Then, he spoke, ¡°Indeed, I have been fearful since a few months ago. I suspect there are some ¡®bosses¡¯ who have sent their goons after me. They want information the government of my country should have instead.¡± ¡®Ah, a Judgement key leaner turning Heart or Humane?¡¯ Fox looked at Armando without much emotion. Armando continued, ¡°You see, it¡¯s one thing to ¡®talk¡¯ with ¡®certain people¡¯ and get something out of it, but now, I think I¡¯ve pissed off something even worse.¡± ¡°Worse than organized crime? Like¡­ what? Foreigners?¡± Fox thought, upturning his eyes to the upper corners of his sockets before asking. Armando frowned, blinked, and threw his neck back once. ¡°Another country? No. The Supreme Court, I meant.¡± ¡®Wow. I really need to get deeper into Lymoca¡¯s affairs.¡¯ Fox thought before nodding. He gave his glass a look before searching for a seat. He gestured to Armando before walking to his desktop. Then, Fox sat before it as Armando took his seat at his desk. Armando politely nodded at Fox with a thin smile, which Fox slightly nodded to and played with his glass. *** Proteros, upper chamber; senate chamber. A white woman with chestnut bright hair down to her ribs and eyes stood behind the speaking podium, to the side from the senate president. She lowered her upper back a bit, talking to the microphones near her face, ¡°It won¡¯t be long before the country seethes in fire and is consumed by the greediness of its presumptuous, tyrannic, imperial leader, and his lackeys.¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be a place for any of you to be by then. For now, you can eat and sleep from the success they have amassed, but soon, you¡¯ll only watch as that tyrant does as he pleases, all on his own! Ignore these words, and it might be the last time Lymoca ever remained a sovereign entity with honor and love for its people! Es cuanto, your presidency. Loma Jenta from NSH.¡± ¡°Thank you, miss Jenta. Now,¡± sitting behind in a higher, wider stand along a few others, the senate¡¯s president nodded at the woman before looking elsewhere. He is brown, tall, and bald. ¡°Now, I concede word to the Senator, Sebasti¨¢n Lara, independent Senator, you may begin.¡± The senate president, Omar Preon, indicated to Senator Sebasti¨¢n. Sebasti¨¢n Lara, one of the neutral members of the congress, was a white, middle-aged man. He had natural gray hair, was unusually tall, and even his eyes were naturally gray, as well. Needless to say, he was handsome. When he passed by Loma, she looked up and down at him with an indifferent expression, nodding a bit before both walked past each other. But when she walked near the open booth seats of the DOH political party, she came close to a woman and made a face for a second. Afterwards, Loma walked to her side with a light grin on her lips. Unlike the DOH¡¯s seats, her NSH party¡¯s side was the largest in the congress, both in the senate and chamber of deputies. Seconded only by the LV party. As the most important but smallest of the 3 political parties in the country¡¯s limelight, DOH looked deplorable, and their congress group would always remain quiet and polite. It wasn¡¯t any better that the other parties besides these and the neutral congress members were half the rest of the congress, making the NSH, LV, and DOH all reliant upon them. While Sebasti¨¢n was of a neutral ¡®side¡¯, not all neutral congress members took action, and those who did only do so when it was deemed absolutely necessary. In this case, since Sebasti¨¢n had something to say, and he was quite known even outside the congress, all eyes were on him. ¡°Sebasti¨¢n Lara; thank you, your presidency.¡± Sebasti¨¢n looked at Omar Preon before beginning. ¡°Today, after numerous debates and several words and insults exchanged between these 3 parties. I¡¯d like to talk to everyone.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve all studied the president¡¯s reform for a while now. It has been what¡­ a year and 7 months since the proposed reform was taken up as an initiative? It¡¯s been a never-ending coming and going of this. It¡¯s not as if it should be stopped, but continuing any further is idiotic, and too low for our honorable assembly.¡± ¡°I know none of us here believe these reforms to be something of utmost change in our country, and it has been a most anticipated approval from the citizens.¡± Sebasti¨¢n spoke up to here, causing the allied NSH and LV to grow a little restless on their side. After looking at them for a few moments, Sebasti¨¢n continued, ¡°They are necessary and what our people want, what everyone is looking for the most, especially after the events almost a year ago. For the sake of our country, and the lucidity of our upper chamber, I hereby announce I¡¯m positive this reform will only bring our nation deserving benefits, now more than ever.¡± Sebasti¨¢n Lara lifted his right hand and declared. The neutrals chatted to each other, not expecting to see this happening, although they felt glad this absurd, elongated debate might come to a close at last. However, the allied parties didn¡¯t think the same. Loma Jenta, the senate woman who just had her turn end, stood up and shouted amidst her comrades shouting to Sebasti¨¢n, marking him for betrayal of not only the country, but their political parties¡¯ righteousness. No, instead, and more furtively so, he was ¡®denounced¡¯ as a traitor whose treason won¡¯t be forgotten. ¡°Not fair, Sebas! Have you forgotten what the president has been fault to? Who he murdered just to save his skin?! You¡¯ll be just as guilty as he is! How dare you?!¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Es cuanto, your presidency,¡± Sebasti¨¢n looked at Omar Preon before walking away. The senate president nodded before announcing with his louder, rumbling microphone, echoing his voice everywhere. ¡°That has been everything for this round. As we¡¯ve come to the last round as it has been in every other debate like this, I will proceed to ask you to vote if this is enough debating to proceed with the voting of the reform¡¯s overall approval.¡± Omar Preon said before a wide, long screen on the wall behind the senate presidency seats, facing everyone else. The 100 senators¡¯ names appeared even before Sebasti¨¢n rejoined his neutral seat. He was greeted by some others before sitting down. He lifted his head to the screen, seeing only DOH, LV, and NSH already into it, having voted in favor or against it. After a single look, he lowered his head and pressed buttons for a command on his open booth seat¡¯s terminal. The screen showed his name with a green circle behind it right after. There was a small commotion inside before it quickly calmed down. Not before, and neither this time, the presidency had to speak up to calm them down. Only the NSH and LV were loud, too. The chamber slowly came to a conclusion. Even after the time set to vote was reached, some senators made their choice afterwards, when most had already done so. At last, the senate president called for attention and announced, ¡°The votes are 31 against, 69 in favor. We will now vote for the reform¡®s overall approval.¡± *** Proteros center. Blackflower Boutique, soon-to-be evening. ¡°Aaaaahh~,¡± Fabiola stretched with all the calmness and satisfaction in the world. She had left the academy earlier on, as it was exam times for some of the teaching instructor, and only a few belonged to her subject. Now that she could relax, she came to the boutique. She already knew Fox was on a private matter, more than that, of course. She still wanted to come and maybe ask some questions. The sales were going really well, making Fabiola think maybe she should¡¯ve gone on her own and just hired some people. But the folks Fox brought were not to be taken lightly. ¡°Hey, so, what do you say he¡¯s doing right at these moments?¡± Fabiola held her jaw on the counter and asked the pretty young woman behind a screen, working with data. She looked at Fabiola and bluntly replied, ¡°I dunno. I¡¯m not an agent, you know? It¡¯s just my ¡®cuz that is. Mn, you don¡¯t go around telling others you know someone like this, do you?¡± ¡°Eh? No, but I can¡¯t hide the fact I¡¯m business partners with the Fox.¡± Fabiola was taken aback by the response, but she smiled and went back at it, going all smiley on the young woman. The latter shrugged. ¡®Hmm, I wonder if he¡¯d be working on a mission. What could he be doing right now? I hope nothing like murdering, or kidnapping others.¡¯ Fabiola thought, passing the pages of a magazine on the counter, preparing to order the pieces Fox recommended. He was the boss, now. *** Back to the PJPH¡¯s firm, in the second-highest floor in the building. The light of the sun was leaving soon. Red and orange took place over the western clouds, spreading elsewhere as the east began obscuring. Fox played with a stress relief gadget, spreading and shrinking it out of boredom, hearing Armando¡¯s endless writing and keyboarding. ¡°Sigh!¡± Armando wrote and keyboarded a few seconds and taps more before slamming his costly pen and tapping the desk with a drawn keyboard¡¯s enter button. He stretched his arms and reclined back on his chair, making Fox a little jealous. But then, he felt they were unsafe. ¡°Oh, just give me a second. I need to breathe.¡± Armando stated after standing up and walking to the window, Fox darted his eyes left and right before letting it be. He knew people working for decades in the same job, paying well or not, would feel the drain of their mentality. Usually, jobs as high-end as these, especially a ¡®dubious¡¯ lawyer, would treat such inconveniences with rapt attention. At least on this side of the daily life of jobs and struggling to make money. ¡°Haha, come. Take a look at this,¡± Armando said after observing something. Fox¡¯s eyebrows twitched as he stood up and walked to Armando. What he saw made his eyelids and brows drop, feeling silly. There were a few people on the wide sidewalks, carrying Lymoca¡¯s banner and some hats of the Silverplated Eagle designs on them. It was barely audible from so high up, but to Fox, he could hear their yelling and humorous loud singing clearly. ¡°Steppin¡¯ forth, cavalry goes~~! Through flying dirt, our smoking blooood~!¡± - ¡°Ly! Ly! Ly!¡± - ¡°Doctor, what are the orders?!¡± - ¡°Drink and eat!¡± - ¡°For how long?!¡± - ¡°Drink and eat!¡± - ¡°WOAAAAH!¡± - ¡°Que chingue su madre toda la oposici¨®ooon![Fuck the opposition¡¯s mothers]¡± ¡°¡­ What this?¡± Fox asked after hearing what he considered enough. He looked at Armando, who also lifted his chin and responded to him, ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance to see someone this excited in a while. Even after the Green Transformation¡¯s creation of Humane, few times has Lymoca seen this type of celebrations, and just because of a small reform.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Fox gave them another look before returning to his seat. Armando pressed his lips and ignored Fox¡¯s behavior. But then, Fox stopped halfway to the seat. His polycoria eyes blinked, and after taking a look at the left, where the elevator sounded, as usual, he turned around to look at Armando, but he seemed to realize something, too. ¡°I just saw half the personnel from this building joining that party. The bosses don¡¯t usually let them have this much freedom.¡± Although Armando spoke eloquently, he was terrified, trembling as he also looked in the elevator¡¯s direction. ¡°So, can you-¡­ can you kill?¡± He asked, feeling a last bit of hope he could hold onto. Fox blinked before bending over to grab his case. He opened it and released its contents on Armando¡¯s desk. Several pieces of disassembled things littered it. Fox picked some pieces in detail before assembling them, flashing bullets before loading them into a magazine, all under Armando¡¯s shocked, surprised and widened eyes. Finishing assembling it, he grabbed it and showed it to Armando, ¡°I can with this.¡± ¡°No, b- but¡­ You can¡¯t kill!¡± Armando walked to him, hurried. Fox blinked, letting the man speak out. Armando said, ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to just come to places like these and start using firearms! I need you to-¡± Fox ignored him and began assembling a large submachine gun, leaving Armando baffled. He was fast and meticulous. Grabbing the small pistol with his left hand, and the submachine gun with his right, down and up respectively, Fox looked at Armando and bluntly laid it out. ¡°We can either run or not. Regardless, even if you want to try immortality like many others do, I won¡¯t. And I can¡¯t let you die, you¡¯re my money. So,¡± Fox tilted his head and expressed. Armando felt helpless. He shook his head, almost in a seizure, before acquiescing. ¡°Alright, alright. You¡¯re right, I get it. But if people are indeed armed and are coming for me, we should go check on my wife as well. Then¡­ return here and pick my things. I must leave this place, this position!¡± ¡°And is your home, something every boss people in this building knows, as safe as this?¡± Fox asked with little care. Armando weighed pros and cons before gesturing with both hands, ¡°At least I could work from home. And yes! I could be safe in my house. I¡¯ll request guards from your secret organization. I have a hundred million credits saved, after all.¡± ¡°That is corrupt. Well, listen to everything I say, okay?¡± Fox blinked, somewhat exaggeratedly, and said with his guns ready to be used. Armando was confused still, sweating and wanting to hide somewhere. He nodded, not knowing what to expert next. Just as he waited to hear Fox¡¯s instructors, he saw Fox pull ribbons from underneath his suit. Then, tying them to the firearms and hanging them over his shoulders, Fox grabbed his left shoe and threw it out the window. Alarms went off from the building. On the sidewalk all the way down. A red alarm spread after the system detected where the glass and shoe would fall. The people moved away with a scare, with the vehicles in the surrounding 80 meters stopping. Even the lights and digital signs changed, making everyone and everything stop until the glass and shoe fell down. Crarrrarraarrraasshhh! Thud. ¡°¡­!¡± Armando was shocked. That¡­ that was armored glass! Yet, Fox wasn¡¯t perturbed as he did the same with his other shoe. This time towards a closer window to his right, also closer to the entrance. Like before, Fox grabbed his shoe with his left hand and threw it, using a little less force as he didn¡¯t want to send the shoe to the other side of the street after calculating. Armando jumped, sending his forearms into the air, lifting his right knee, feeling quite upset and fearful. Fox ignored it, and as he grabbed a bion from his lower right back, stuck to his uniform under his suit, he walked to grab Armando. ¡°Ah? What?!¡± Armando didn¡¯t know what was going on until Fox was already jumping out the first broken window, to the left. Armando barely felt his balance lighting up like a feather before fresh air breathed on his skin and luscious, well-combed hair. ¡°Shut up, hold onto me¡­ grapple me!¡± Fox viciously whispered as they began falling. Armando felt compelled to obey everything he was told, at least coming from Fox¡¯s lips, and wrapped his arms and legs from Fox¡¯s back. Fox¡¯s right hand held a white, transparent cone aiming upwards from between his thumb and lower section of his index finger. The bion trembled before firing upwards as they fell a dozen apartment floors, barely a few from the firm¡¯s building. The transparent white cone struck its tip against the building just below the broken window. Immediately, it spread outwards and glued to the wall with its topside. Fox felt a rash tug as he began planning his balancing movements. ¡°Get in!¡± - ¡°Shhh! Let¡¯s see who else is here¡­¡± Meanwhile, in Armando¡¯s single office, a dozen suited people hurried out of the elevator and walked to the door. One of them had keys out, arriving at the door first. But he noticed the lack of anyone being inside, and the broken windows. ¡°Shit! There¡¯s a situation! Target has seemingly jumped off the building!¡± - ¡°Dammit! Quickly get in! Check the computers and everything! Just take it, don¡¯t waste time!¡± - ¡°You! Come check the windows. Be careful, that little Fox might be hiding traps or something.¡± One of them and another 2 checked the window closest to them; to the right, peeking over to see if there was anything. One of them even held another¡¯s collar from behind, but nothing. Neither up nor down had anything, just people looking up from the sidewalks, with the sky already black. Only the streetlights allowed them to see those people, but they couldn¡¯t see them. ¡°Nothing here! Check the other, goddammit!¡± The person cursed and directed his people to the other window while the rest made a mess out of everything. ¡°!¡± Meanwhile, balancing around the corner of the building, Fox¡¯s face scrunched up, gritting his teeth like crazier than crazy. His right arm held himself and Armando in this free fall, forcing their bodies into the necessary angle. Armando barely heard the voices from above with the right wind, feeling too afraid to say a thing. Fox¡¯s right arm trembled. He knew his strength was never good. Not doubting for another moment, he opted for risk. As Armando slid down his body again, nearly taking his pants off, Fox let him slid down, not helping him up this time. Armando opened his eyes, shocked and fearful to death. As it happened, Fox turned towards the left, making a full 360 before grabbing Armando under his armpits with his right arm. They fell a dozen apartment floors while Fox raised his left arm, as if hoping to grab the bion¡¯s rope he easily let go of. ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: ''Es cuanto'' is basically finishing their speech, turn, and so on. At least orally. Chapter 102 — License To Make Money License To Make Money Fox''s left hand gripped hard, but the rope, which was easier to grab with skin like those of humans, slid with ease, forming smoke around his palm. However, Fox didn''t feel the pain, letting the ultra Mintip take care of that, but he could feel the heat, which would mean horrid pain if he didn''t stop it. With rapid movement, Fox tapped onto the glass, still holding onto the rope, with Armando held by his right arm as he grappled onto Fox, this time facing him. As Armando pressed his forehead against Fox¡¯s right shoulder, Fox¡¯s feet tapped the glass, careful not to break but still powerfully sending himself up. When he finally stopped their descent, Fox let go of Armando with his right arm, but he still grappled onto Fox. Fox grabbed another similar bion from his left upper back. He aimed it below the other broken window and shot it, letting go of the other rope after deactivating it with a button from his right thumb. Fox rapidly grabbed the new rope on his left, remaining ¡®standing¡¯ on the wall for a second. Just as he began falling, and Armando despaired, he pulled himself upwards. Fox ascended the rope, quietly and smoothly at first, before speeding up. Up above, the 3 suited people looked over the broken window on the left, but they couldn¡¯t see anything. Only a red alarm on the street, perhaps to further keep the civilians from any possible, sudden accident that the system wouldn¡¯t read in time. ¡°There¡¯s nothing!¡± - ¡°Send someone to check the streets. It doesn¡¯t matter who¡¯s looking, grab the corpse if you have to!¡± The suited people slowly dispersed, enraged and with lower morale as they had nothing. What was now in their hands might still be nothing. They headed to the elevator, with 4 already carrying everything they were grabbing from the office waiting inside, when something happened. From their backs, a strange sound echoed, something like a belt sliding on a rope, echoing from afar, and coming towards them. They stopped and looked backwards. ¡°!¡± Bang, bang, bang- thud! Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang¡­! Fox showed up, jolting onto the edge, but he rapidly grabbed the rope, still not deactivating it, and turned Armando around, whose limbs could barely still move, let alone help him stand or continue grabbing something. Fox unceremoniously tied the upper end of the rope around Armando¡¯s waist tight before turning him around, therefore kicking him out of the window. His pistol hung on his left shoulder, but it was down to his waist. He bent a little forth, with his back facing the stupefied suited people who barely lifted their arms, and grabbed the pistol with his back almost fully bent. Fox fired his pistol, killing 3 in the head, aiming at them from his left waist, before one of them rushed at him to tackle him out of the window. As Armando rested, hanging just below the broken window¡¯s wall, he sobered when the gunshots rang. Welcoming the charging suited man with his left fist up as a shield, Fox stepped forth with the respective left foot. The man used his forearms together to bash him away, even if he had to jump out, too. But Fox didn¡¯t even move, and instead, the man felt his forearms¡¯ bones break. Taking advantage, Fox turned the pained, surprised man around with his right hand, still holding the piston in his left, and used his broad chest with bulletproof vests to further welcome the incoming bullets. Lowering his left arm, aiming from the man¡¯s head, he fired again. It didn¡¯t matter that they had vests, the small pistol shot through them from so close. They had nowhere to hide, except the tall, lavish desk they turned over whilst Fox played with his improvised swing. It was exactly that reason he didn¡¯t fight just then and there, because many suited people, including women, were coming up the elevator. With nothing to hide, it would be a miracle if Armando isn¡¯t at least almost shot dead. The desk could be a cover, but only for a few first shots. Fox aimed at their heads, killing another 2 with ease. As the gunfight unfolded, immediately informing the rest of the building downstairs until the bottom, the elevator motioned on its own. It went down automatically, but a mere split of attention from Fox was all that was required for those 4 inside to die. A bullet went through someone¡¯s left jugular, bouncing off the wall and gushing brain matter on an elevator¡¯s corner. The other 2 were headshot together, falling limp as the elevator wasn¡¯t affected and continued descending at a moderated pace. Those wanting to see if there was someone in the elevator who needed help could only get surprised and mortified at once. The elevator¡¯s doors remained opened as per the procedures, but as it went down, Fox¡¯s attention returned to those right in front of him. The man he used as a meat shield was limping, with his entire torso bloody and his flesh disarranged. A lung stuck its upper section out between a pair of ribs. Fox didn¡¯t discard him yet and fired at the remaining 2 suited men. One was hit in the stomach with the vest, leaving him without air. The bullet barely penetrated it, entering his body, which was worse off for him. As the man knelt, the remaining suit covered for him, standing to block Fox¡¯s view, but the latter had already aimed at the former¡¯s left knee. The suited woman fell on her left knee, scrambling down without hopes to get up. The might of a small pistol wasn¡¯t something even the militaries across the world were ¡®an expert to¡¯, only ¡®the kids¡¯ from Preut would understand. As soon as she fell on her stomach, and shut her eyes tight, the man she protected quickly crawled to the desk. When the woman had just opened her eyes, and her ears barely registered the beginning of another gunshot, her eyes contents sized down to reflect a bullet less and less. Yet, it became more obvious as it came closer and closer. Her head exploded through her glabella, before hitting the man¡¯s left shoe, still crawling away. She slumped on the floor with a baby¡¯s fist-sized hole nearly splitting her head. The rooftop of her head somehow kept it together. Fox indifferently looked at the desk, where the last person remained alive. The person knew it was death or a worse death, so he shouted, ¡°Alright, Fox. Listen, we can talk! But I still want to live after you, so I can¡¯t tell you much abo-¡± Bang bang bang bang! Fox didn¡¯t give anything any additional thoughts and shot the desk, making 4 notorious holes as a few, slight ¡®thud¡¯ sounds followed. The man was shot in the tailbone¡¯s lowest end, right lung, collarbone, and head, in that order. Turning around, Fox helped Armando back up. Armando looked at Fox with widened eyes, but calm. When the rope loosened around his torso, and it fell to the sidewalk, Fox shook his body to further sober him up. Fox couldn¡¯t allow Armando to be in a shocked state now. ¡°Where are the stairs?¡± Fox asked, Armando was baffled, still processing. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The hidden ones,¡± Fox elaborated before grabbing his case. It had nothing, so it was left behind. With his left-handed nails, he Fox forced a thin aperture to open, revealing some bions, especially comets and a few pivots. ¡°Over here,¡± seeing Fox getting ready for more, Armando went to the side, pushed some thrashed documents and rubble away before pressing his thumb on the floor. A small portion sunk before a square slowly slid, integrating itself into the side, revealing a staircase enough for 1 person to walk through at a time. ¡°Go pick your stuff, we¡¯ll return to check other things.¡± Fox said, heading to the stairs. Armando said nothing and walked to his desk, pushing it a little after almost vomiting when he saw the corpse behind. He did the same, but this time, he had to pull a handle up from the floor after the painting ¡®disappeared¡¯ from a small section. Taking a few cylindrical and rectangular items the size of a middle finger and the width of 2 thumbs from the hidden compartment, he then returned to Fox, but this time with questions. ¡°If we could take such a risky route to escape danger, why did we come back up here? What is this about, Fox?¡± Armando frowned and spread his arms with hands at his waist level. Fox prepared to go down, submachine gun ready, when he heard those words. He turned his head and stared at Armando, who felt a bit betrayed. His breathing was already a bit heavy, and his body couldn¡¯t wait what was to come. What could he say? Fox simply looked back at the stairs and went down, exclaiming when he was halfway down, ¡°Follow me.¡± Armando didn¡¯t bother wasting more time. A part of him just wanted to delay, he was scared. Despite being in the cold, night skies, which he hoped nobody saw, he was already sweating and feeling like a fever could strike him any time. Coming down the stairs, Fox appeared beside the elevator downstairs, with its gates obviously closed. The floor downstairs was emptied, but it seemed like everyone who used to work here left in a hurry. Fox waited until Armando came down to stop him.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Whenever we change floors or step into another room, wait until I tell you to.¡± ¡°Mm, okay.¡± Armando nodded and expressed. Fox nodded without looking back and walked forth. After confirming his ears of not hearing a breathing noise or a movement of hand signals weren¡¯t erroneous with his eyes, Fox lightly voiced, ¡°Come inside.¡± Armando walked to the spot where the next hidden stairs were and opened them just like before. Once they went down, Fox asked while letting his senses work their sensory magic. ¡°Why were the stairs closed here?¡± ¡°They must¡¯ve done that to not let the people you killed get to them. The elevator is blocked and back at the lowest floor.¡± Armando responded, to which Fox asked again, ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°There was no one left,¡± Armando responded again, helpless. Also confirming he knew they¡¯d treat him like a dead man, which wouldn¡¯t have been wrong had Fox not been here. Fox commented, ¡°And the boss atop?¡± ¡°Oh, no. He¡¯ll stay there, safer in his dispatch.¡± Armando replied like it was the most normal thing. Fox frowned. He let his hearing sense check the outside of the stairs, another floor down, and voiced, ¡°That leaves him an easy target. So stupid.¡± ¡°Eh, well, nobody will get to him that way.¡± Armando waited, gulped, and sweated a little more. Fox casually commented before going out to check himself, ¡°if anyone wanted to kill him, just a few boom booms in your floor would¡¯ve been enough.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ now that I think about it,¡± Armando felt stupid before casually commenting with eloquence. Then, all he heard was silence. Just out of curiosity, he peeked out, only to find Fox grappling against 3 suited men, and 2 women aiming their handguns at them, not daring to friendly kill their comrades. Fox had just broken someone¡¯s left knee as they tried to clutch his neck with such ease that it made Armando tremble. Then, Fox snapped off that someone¡¯s neck with a simple slap from his left hand turning to a knife stance. Bang bang, pah! Thud, bang- bang bang bang- pftt~! Fox grabbed his pistol in that fraction, as he received 2 elbows placed together on his back, and a kick to his left shoulder. He shot below his right arm, near his ribs, sending the one who struck him with his 2 elbows backwards, dying with his chest broken apart. Then, Fox aimed at the guy before him with his right hand, crouching and destroying his vertebral column from the front before forcing his body above him. He used it as another meat shield and rushed to the women. With the beehive-dead suited man thrown to one of the women, hitting her head on the wall with his butt on her face, Fox shot through the other¡¯s left eye all of a sudden. However, right after, Fox aimed at Armando peeking over the stairs. Armando saw the muzzle and let his instincts kick in, saving him from 3 bullets after Fox changed his aim and waited. He became paralyzed when he detected 3 impossible-to-see bullets fly past where his head was, exactly one above the other, one after the other. ¡°Told you to stay put,¡± Fox¡¯s voice echoed from the outside. Armando resisted the urge to go out and cry in fear. Fox finally gave the order, ¡°Okay, come out.¡± ¡°Fox?!¡± Armando came out and demanded loudly, but Fox grinned. He rested his face before turning around. He grabbed the submachine gun he dropped before starting the fight, and resumed their path down the building. Armando could only silently follow. ¡­ Opening one hidden staircase after another, they continued going down the building. The employees had run away before the suited people barged into the building and occupied the floors. They also didn¡¯t know about the hidden stairs. As they went further down, with Fox sometimes finding a few who did find the staircases¡¯ doors and investigated them, dispatching them off with ease and before they could react; Armando saw Fox¡¯s methods and grew numb. His scalp and hands, hanging from his arms, tingled whenever Fox refused to easily and rapidly kill some suits. Nevertheless, Armando could see why someone like Fox would choose a path like this. Be it lunging towards an enemy who can kill you, entangling them at melee before they can react to a quirky set of movements that ends up paralyzing them and sometimes causing their death. Anyone could grow addicted to such barbarous behavior. It was power. In some floors, the suited people cut the energy off, leaving them in the dark. Yet, Fox continued moving, letting Armando crouch, holding his head for dear life in the dark in a corner before the exit of the stairs. His life was endangered a few times, with footsteps different from Fox¡¯s coming near the door, some even walking into it by mistake. Neither side had lights. Yet, Fox protected him from any possible danger just in time, sometimes a bit too close. From the second-highest floor to the bottom, facing a little over a hundred suited men and women, Fox brought Armando to the streets. By then, there were some specialized police forces making a perimeter. When Fox came down with Armando, some gave him simple nods before they slipped away like they weren¡¯t seen. It was a bit strange, and Fox could feel he should feel guilty towards some of them, but he didn¡¯t and just went on to deliver the target to his home. *** Outside Proteros¡¯s senate chamber. At night. Sebasti¨¢n walked out of the building and saw a young woman waiting for him with a large coffee in one of her hands, waiting for him. He smiled and lowered his head. He was about to wave high up at the blondie, when another woman walked to him from behind. ¡°Hey, Sebs,¡± Loma Jenta came walking with her long chestnut hair swaying in the air. Sebasti¨¢n Lara looked to the side, becoming startled when her face was too close to him. He almost screamed. But he contained himself, then said, ¡°Loma.¡± She smiled and talked, brushing her right shoulder on his a little, ¡°No hard feelings, ey? You weren¡¯t in the late lunch break. If you feel hungry still, you can come with us to a small meeting. We¡¯re going to a very nice restaurant.¡± ¡°No hard feelings,¡± Sebasti¨¢n lifted his right hand and shook it in the air, leaving his left arm to remain stiff, unmoving. However, there was that expected, annoying feeling. And just as Loma¡¯s face dropped a bit, he added, ¡°but I do am tired. I¡¯m going to catch up with Clarita here.¡± ¡°Okay, bye then.¡± Loma said nothing else and lowered her head before leaving his side. Sebasti¨¢n watched her leaving back for a second before smiling, dropping his head as he neared the blondie. She smiled and looked up at him, with the fringes at either side of her forehead making her look ever more cutesy. She teased, ¡°Clarita? I heard you talking. Is that right~~? Hehe.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that, it¡¯s rude.¡± Sebasti¨¢n smiled bashfully. He grabbed his coffee and poked her nose with the opposite end where the mouth is, making her adorable younger self become so tender and sweet when she shut her eyes tight out of reflex. ¡°It¡¯s not fair, you know? Anyways, drink, drink! I formed in the line for 3 minutes for this, thank me yet? Don¡¯t think so, come ooon~.¡± Clara urged him to drink, as delicate as a feeble wing of a butterfly, so the middle-aged man drank. After taking a sip, Sebasti¨¢n exhaled, feeling better. Clara drank from her bottle, which smelled of some juice. Sebasti¨¢n couldn¡¯t help but feel something strange, making him frown. ¡°Oh, look at that,¡± Sebasti¨¢n felt a tremor from his cellphone. He took it out and read something before showing it to Clara, who also felt her cellphone tremor and was about to take hers out. On the screen, a young man ¡®planing¡¯ with an older one swung from one end to another down a broken window from a high building. The quality was good, but it came from someone in a helitaxi, impossible to see well. Which made sense, or the repercussions for misusing a helitaxi could be social life-ending. However, the next video came from a police helicopter recording from the distance, ensuring no stupid news anchors would come near with either drones or public helicopters. Anyhow, it got leaked, showing how a young man moved around, killing dozens of people floor after floor, escorting a terrified person further downstairs. The obscured floors were lighted with night vision, making everything nearly clear. Clara looked up at Sebasti¨¢n after understanding what was happening. She became a little stern. ¡°That guy messes everything everywhere every time, heh?¡± Sebasti¨¢n pressed his lips together and said, trying to sound comforting, but hiding it well. Clara inhaled and exhaled deeply, feeling her face become heavier. ¡°Hehe, thanks, drink again.¡± Clara lowered her head with a grinning, saddened mouth. Sebasti¨¢n complied as they walked along the sidewalk, falling silent; a comforting silent. At one point, he took another drink but didn¡¯t lower his head, staring at the sky between the tall, wide, enormous buildings overall. ¡°What is it?¡± Clara delicately inquired on his right. Sebasti¨¢n looked at her with the corners of his eyes before placing her on his left, where she could walk on the sidewalk without facing the street directly. Then, he said, unable to forget the sensation of that wetness around the drinking hole before he took a sip from his coffee. ¡°Nothing, I was just considering buying a ¡®very nice restaurant¡¯.¡± ¡°Hahahaha, hehehehe¡­¡± Clara burst in laughter. Her every behavior, reaction, and charisma making him feel better. They continued walking, feeling comfortable to spend a few hours of the night in some local restaurant together. *** Presidential Precinct. Luis looked at the videos again and again. It has been a couple of hours already. He finally stretched his neck, snapping in some places, and stared at Roam, who remained by his side dutifully. Roam opened is mouth to say, ¡°Is there something you would like to say, sir?¡± ¡°No,¡± Luis said, affirmatively. Roam frowned a bit, trying to comprehend, but Luis continued, ¡°It can¡¯t be him. There¡¯s no guarantee with someone like this. So beastly, unreliant, slaving to his thrill¡­ crazy on murder and violence.¡± ¡°I cannot let such an image blaspheme mine!¡± Luis said in a slightly high pitch. He stood up and put his jacket on in somewhat of an ill mood. Roam walked to him, trying to advise him, ¡°Sir, I¡¯m afraid that, to try and change something when you haven¡¯t met in a while-¡± ¡°There are no buts for me. I¡¯m the president! And for 2 consecutive terms. I should be able to decide something if not everything, no?¡± Luis contemplated in a loud voice and a potentially irksome attitude, but Roam remained with him. ¡°At least, let me accompany you.¡± Roam offered, but Luis remained firm. ¡°No! You will only remain her distraction device in our ¡®conversation¡¯. You will keep things orderly here¡­ and Roam.¡± ¡°Yes, sir?¡± Roam cut his sigh half the way down, glancing at his president. Luis stared with his eyes lining around his eyes sockets¡¯ lower corners before speaking, ¡°He¡¯s not responsible enough. No, not even that, cross the ¡®enough¡¯. He isn¡¯t worth it. As a matter of fact, he is not worth a mere word. I won¡¯t offer him that. Too dangerous and high for him. That kid will only cause trouble. I have enough of my own to deal with the shit in the diapers of a random ¡®skilled¡¯ assassin.¡± ¡°Indeed, sir. But don¡¯t discard him away to be forgotten, his use is beneficial to the country.¡± Roam tried to level things down, to which Luis nodded slightly, blinking his eyes indifferently, ¡°Eh, I know this. And he will have to, too. When he returns, he shall come to my office at a word¡¯s notice.¡± ¡°I will have that prepared, sir.¡± ¡­ Chapter 103 — Investment, A Night, More Money Investment, A Night, More Money ANS, in the capital state. Laen Worfield, a young, aspiring senator in one of the most powerful governments in the world. He walked towards the capitol, with the day soon commencing as the first lights of the day would descend in about an hour. It was still very early in the morning, but he was going to work at this time, besting most middle-aged and elderly who had a lot to give still. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s everyone checking?¡± He moved closer to a person of attending status near the capitol¡¯s entrance, watching his phone with most attention. The attendant looked up before nodding, focusing back on his phone, letting Laen see. Laen watched news from Lymoca, of how another ¡®incident¡¯ occurred, only for a ¡®good reason¡¯ this time, although virtually all new anchors there weren¡¯t exactly ¡®positive¡¯ towards it. ¡°Huh. Well, this is bad. Something tells me we¡¯re about to get a lot of research to do.¡± Laen Worfield continued watching, tilting his head as the news showed more and more detail on the happenings. Seeing the lawyer involved and some names made his eyes narrow. Beep, vrrrb. Indeed, just a few seconds after his comment, Laen¡¯s phone vibrated. Reading its screen, he grimaced with a smile pressing his lips together, before tapping the younger man attendant¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Get to work, then. I have to tire this ass again, ugh¡­¡± Laen threw his head backwards before rushing into the capitol, going up the stairs step by step with a good trotting motion. *** Lymoca. Proteros, still deep in the night, in the first hours of pure dark skies. Fox drove a stolen taxi, driving the lawyer back to his residence with a doubtful driving skill. In reality, Fox wasn¡¯t bad, he would just rather drive pointlessly inside a box. But that was just his mentality. Exiting the car, he checked the area before the obedient Armando stepped out and rushed to his door. He took out several keys, cards, and even poked his thumbs with a needle before smearing his blood around it. Once at the door, he unlocked the first locks, but then, several contraptions showed up from the side of the door, sliding into view. One by one, as Fox was baffled but still working, Armando deactivated each of them before the door finally opened. Immediately, when Fox walked backwards into the house with his small pistol aiming around to check for any tails, the opening door revealed a wonderful young woman. She had Dawn supercontinent¡¯s aesthetics, from a more slender and sharp end, whose features were just divine, even if she didn¡¯t have many attributes to turn her into an unrefusable goddess. ¡°Ay, mi bebito osito!¡± The young woman exclaimed, already knowing it was her hubby from inside the house, spreading her arms and hands before hugging his face. Fox watched with startled silence, ¡®Ah, that must feel so good.¡¯ Armando unglued his face from his wife¡¯s delicious honey brown skin and hurried her, sounding tense. ¡°No time for affection, woman. Let¡¯s go inside, Fox won¡¯t be able to protect us out here!¡± ¡°Yes, mi beb¨¦ oso.¡± The young woman nodded before helping him in, as if she would die of grief if she couldn¡¯t hold him, even if just by hand. Fox followed inside, restraining himself from rolling his eyes, and closed the door, with which many mechanisms sounded, locking up. Once inside, Armando introduced his wife to Fox, ¡°Fox. Thank you for helping me, I- I- I never thought-¡± ¡°Mn, not necessary,¡± Fox shook his head. The young woman looked at them with wide, beautiful eyes open, concerned. He continued, ¡°I can discern some sound isolation but good ventilation despite the clear echo from the hidden armoring of the walls. You might be safe here, indeed.¡± ¡°But neither you nor your wife can stay in one place forever. How are you supposed to remain safe here?¡± Fox asked without much expression. If it wasn¡¯t ¡®protocol¡¯ and instructed in the training regimen to identify every tiny bit of an issue for future follow-up tasks, Fox wouldn¡¯t have bothered. ¡°We¡¯ll contract some of your guys to safeguard us. Isn¡¯t that right, darling?¡± Armando held his wife¡¯s hand and voiced, nudging his head up towards her. The young woman nodded, clarifying to Fox and backing her hubby, ¡°You¡¯re very capable. Thank you so much for helping ba-bear.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox felt a little helpless. So, Armando had a fortified house, but his great plans to defend himself from an enemy was to hire capable guards to have them buy groceries for them? ¡°Guarded or not, anyone who seems ordinary and knocks on your door might be a suspect from now on.¡± Fox stared sharply at Armando, ¡°As you¡¯ve said, something of this level was never imagined, not even PSD thought it would be like this.¡± ¡°Dozens came for you tonight, your wife will be next. You have to plan something, not just stay and see if there will be a next time.¡± Fox looked at the wife next, ¡°Moreover, I only had to protect you, not escort you or protect anyone else. You can check that with other agents, it¡¯s not my problem.¡± ¡°Then, what would you require? Any payment?¡± The wife asked him, taking a step forth. Fox looked at her and saw her without her husband nearby. He nodded, ¡°Double my pay.¡± ¡°Done,¡± Armando said without a second passing by after Fox spoke. Both Fox and wife looked at Armando, the latter smiling sweetly and proudly. If Fox wasn¡¯t here¡­ ¡°Okay, take 2 hours to rest and we¡¯ll return. They, whoever might be, should have fled by then to rearrange another operation. The police should have also cleared things up.¡± Fox nodded, satisfied. He looked at the married couple before unstrapping his guns. ¡°Ah, but my manners, again!¡± Armando suddenly voiced when Fox stepped towards a sofa to also rest. He looked at the man, who gestured to his wife, ¡°This is Yue, my life¡¯s love. Yue¡¯er, meet Fox, my life¡¯s savior.¡± ¡®That was¡­ smooth.¡¯ Fox half praised and half commented in his mind. He extended his gloved right hand, ¡°Fox.¡± ¡­ 2 hours later, they returned to the PJPH firm. Before that, Fox spent a good night in their house. Yue made food, not only preparing both Lymoca¡¯s and Dawn unique specialties, but also mixing a few other plates. It was¡­ perfect. Now, returning to the building, with police elements everywhere, Fox was a sight to behold. Not only were the police here, some employees had returned to give some reports and information to the former. As they saw Fox, whom they discussed a lot when news of him arriving spread in the building, they were startled. He ignored them, along Armando, to return to the second-highest floor. Nobody was there, with the elevator already working, and some police elements¡¯ voices coming from upstairs. Ignoring everything else still, Fox bought Armando to check whatever else he wanted to recuperate. Armando didn¡¯t hide his actions from Fox, directly grabbing a thin case beneath the floor near a corner, behind a tall shelf. In the case were semi-transparent, high-quality documents and blueprints, which Fox didn¡¯t prove out of courtesy of not getting involved. ¡°Thanks, Fox.¡± Armando said after checking them, confirming they weren¡¯t touched, missing, or ruined. He heaved a sigh of relief, staring at Fox, his ¡®hero¡¯. Fox nodded at him politely but had nothing to say. Understanding him a bit, Armando grabbed the case and a few other items hidden in the open view before heading down the elevator. Fox had a last exchange with Armando, bidding each other farewell, before they went parted ways. Armando returned to his house, soon to quit from his job, for more than a single reason, while Fox headed back to the capital¡¯s center. ¡­ Returning to the center, Fox first went to his boutique, spending only a little over an hour and 50 minutes to return. The first thing he saw, at the first morning lights, was a few of the youngsters playing with some of their bions, playing some games and listening to music. Without saying anything else, he opened the shop and waited inside, feeling a bit more at ease. It was almost like returning home after being forced to stay elsewhere, for whatever reason, for at least a day. The youngsters kept playing outside a little more, still a bit early for them to start working as intended. On the other hand, Fox checked his new earnings. From the initial 80,000 credits, another 80,000 created new 160,000 credits for himself in just a day, or 2, for that matter. He now had 700,000 credits, returning to that massive amount from earlier. And this was without the sales of the small boutique. They would be much lower than his personal earnings through tasks in the District, but Blackflower was still a small store, with many floors to conquer still. Before long, sales began. Fox checked a few data from the days the store has been open and unhesitatingly invested in another model of pieces for the boutique. The expected gains might increase by at least a third, if all went well.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! With the news of the boutique opening for the entire day, and serving the goods just as it was rumored, and these words spreading further in the center, it was only a matter of time. Thus, the day continued, and Fox meditated within the backrooms, using his breath to spend some time, going out a few times. When evening came, and the boutique still had some time to go before closing, Fabiola visited. She brought slices of cake for everyone with at least 2 per person. She had just come from a teacher¡¯s birthday in the academy, and obviously heard of the incident in the notorious firm. Everyone in the business world in Lymoca overall knew, let alone a baby gem like her. Fox met her, eating a bit of his slice over the counter and chatted with her, ¡°I¡¯ve invested another 60,000 this morning. The supplies should arrive in 2 days.¡± ¡°¡®Kay, I¡¯ll get it ready.¡± Fabiola replied obediently, supporting her jaw with her fists, and with upturned eyes. Then, she asked, ¡°Is this because of the job you had just yesterday?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Fox didn¡¯t bother and responded in a casual manner, eating some more. It was chocolate, after all. ¡°Just don¡¯t ask too much. You shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I know, I know~!¡± Fabiola shut her eyes and stuck her tongue out. Fox looked at her before inquiring, ¡°Don¡¯t your parents worry you come here after news from yesterday?¡± ¡°Yup, but they also seem reassured for some reason. They must know I need to grow, right? That¡¯s what parents do,¡± Fabiola responded, one thought at a time. Fox just ate and finished his cake, exclaiming with a light, ¡°Mm.¡± Afterwards, the youngsters left, with Fabiola second-last, and Fox closing the shop. Even though the month had just begun, the first ¡®layer¡¯ of clothing everywhere was nearly bought off. They would have to replenish the store with the storage rooms in the back in a few days at most. Fox didn¡¯t go to his lavish apartment, which still charged him even if he wasn¡¯t at least sleeping there. Instead, he went to meet with his therapist. He owed her a date, after all. Not a romantic one, but more of a reunion. Either way, Fox didn¡¯t care, he just went to her office. This time, it was closed, practically. The receptionist lady wasn¡¯t there, nor was her older ¡®boyfriend¡¯. And while the lights were mostly off, those around Mona¡¯s office were on. He knocked on her office¡¯s door after checking around the entire block. ¡°Come on in,¡± Mona¡¯s voice sounded from the other side. After these few weeks, and especially after his first assignation, Fox could hear better thanks to his breath. Although his breath hasn¡¯t received an enormous improvement, just a little allowed him to hear clear muffles of movements inside before her ¡®loud¡¯ voice sounded. Opening the door and stepping in, Fox saw his therapist with her usual appearance. Only her hair was picked up a bit towards the lower middle, not too thick and curly everywhere anymore, and her outfit was an elegant bodycon dress. It was beige-brown and light, but it hid her undergarments¡¯ outlining well. ¡°Miss Mona, are you ready yet?¡± Fox stopped at the entrance and asked, watching his therapist arrange some things in a small bag. She stopped, looked up at him, and smiled. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡­ Later in the night, after walking to a nearby local restaurant, where they drank and ate roasted chicken like animals, Fox and Mona went to a relaxing site. It was a tall building from a poorer district, atop a rooftop, and with a warming system keeping the already fresh yet not too cold night calid. They drank cold-hot tea, staring at the far, faraway ocean that wasn¡¯t exactly seen from Proteros, but tiny bits of the land ending could be somewhat discerned by the mind. Many places had lights on everywhere, while others were mostly dark. There were some trails of lights amidst darkness, while the obscure blue ¡®ceiling¡¯ above everything contrasted it all with the occasional wall of clouds. ¡°Tell me, how was it? Your last mission,¡± Mona looked into the distance before asking. Fox also stared away. He blinked and thought before parting his lips, ¡°As expected.¡± ¡°You¡­ enjoyed it? Are you okay continuing like this?¡± Mona was cautious, but not afraid. She looked at Fox with clear eyes and a blunt voice. Fox smiled for a moment before elaborating with a slightly emotive tone, ¡°For the first; more than I should, I¡¯m sure. But yes. I do not find it uncomfortable. I don¡¯t know other tasks, but PSD shows we can be compatible. I like it, so far.¡± ¡°The last thing the PSD wants from you is to let you believe they¡¯ll also betray, sell, or abuse you.¡± Mona said before taking a few long sips from her cup. Fox turned his face to her and asked, forming a superficial grin, ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°They better,¡± she contested with a solid tone. Fox smirked from the left corner of his mouth, for real this time. Mona added, clinking her empty cup with his before standing up, ¡°Eh, come. We should relax a little more before going back to being client and employer.¡± Fox followed her to the edge of the rooftop. There was a net below it, gaining a light, whispered scoff from Fox. It looked that this place was far too peaceful for some in the past. But there was nothing wrong with trying to keep ugly things away from one¡¯s business. Although Fox did feel offended, somehow. ¡°Will you make lots of money with your business?¡± Mona inquired, sitting on his right with their legs dangling to the outside. Fox nodded a few times, a bit. ¡°It will do well. Oh, it¡¯s a boutique. I bought it from a nice girl¡¯s hands. I¡¯ll see how things go in due time.¡± ¡°Eh? How nice? Is she pretty enough for you?¡± Mona smiled and brushed her shoulder with his, teasing him. Fox smirked politely, shaking his head, ¡°No. She is a beauty, and I could just guide her to a sexual relationship if things aligned, I suppose. If only¡­¡± ¡°Ah, yes. You¡¯re not like it, Fox. But not trying to find someone isn¡¯t something that matters. If anything, you avoid the useless time wasted and ¡®experience gain¡¯ many failures and broken hearted love to say it¡¯s necessary.¡± Mona nodded, understanding him better than most. ¡°Oh, your meeting with ¡®him¡¯ is soon, right? Don¡¯t play with people¡¯s time. Well, at least not mine, and his, of course.¡± Mona suddenly remembered and said, taking the atmosphere to another little place momentarily. Fox scoffed, throwing his neck backwards with a slight frown, ¡°Or what, would he berate me? Pfft. I¡¯m not a kid anymore. How would that happen?¡± Mona shook her head and remained silent. There was nothing he could do when it came to those games between men. Just as men getting involved in women¡¯s stuff is off the charts. A while passed before either of them spoke. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t need of the person I would love to do ¡®something¡¯ to be broken hearted,¡± Fox commented, not knowing why, really. Mona¡¯s eyes drooped when she heard this. Her left hand brought his head closer, landing below his nape, and let him rest on her left shoulder. ¡°¡­ Fox, this is your new time, opportunity¡­ You can¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be the last. Make it count. You said many things that made me believe you know more of the world, the nature of it all, and the human heart way before you became a young man. That must not change. Don¡¯t let go of your principles.¡± Mona spoke with breathed words after a while, with him on her shoulder. ¡°¡­¡± Fox remained silent, hearing her out as she made sense. Suddenly, not only the thoughts of maybe not really having a choice of anything else or the emptiness from not owning a path that was his disappeared, even the notion of his previous irritation also left him. He felt¡­ just calm. Enjoying her presence and the fact she let him lie on her shoulder not only to rest, but for support. Fox closed his eyes, wishing he could fall asleep, but he didn¡¯t. It would be too embarrassing. Furthermore, his therapist bringing him to a lavish mega hotel¡­ no no. ¡­ Some time later, Fox brought Morena to her house, ensuring her safety. Then, he went to his mega hotel, in a good mood and quiet all the way there. He couldn¡¯t wait to get his Myertha back out of the HQ. He rested his eyes for a couple of hours before heading to the HQ, worked some products in the workshop, and then, he finally had the time to go to the president¡¯s office. Selecting another series of codes so people could bring him inside, Fox walked in the presidential building. It felt a little more common this time. Fox completed an assignation, his business was just beginning, and it was blooming, and his therapist was more than that. A support of his new life. Yet, when he stood before the ¡®presidential¡¯ gates and waited a command, it was Roam who sounded, ¡°Come in, Fox.¡± ¡®Oh, I was being expected already?¡¯ Fox thought, but feeling the tone and manner of speech despite Roam wanting to hide it, he grinned. When he opened the door, Luis was at his desk again, this time with his intertwined fingers supporting his chin. He briefly glanced at Fox before staring down at his desk. Stepping inside, Fox carelessly walked to them and greeted Roam with an upwards nod. Roam nodded at him, stopping halfway and frowning, as if he wasn¡¯t supposed to do that. ¡°President?¡± Fox looked at Luis and voiced, somewhat inquiringly. Luis sent his eyes upturned right after, giving him a premonition, but it was too late. Luis stood up slowly, but his lips moved fast, with a heavy pressure accompanying them. ¡°You went to a mission of ensuring someone¡¯s safety, and you bring the police forces more than a hundred corpses to deal with, and half the personnel of one of the most important buildings in the country to terror?!¡± Luis was exploding, already seething. Fox¡­ wasn¡¯t prepared. His eyes widened a bit. He took a quarter of a step back with his right foot, which Roam seemed to notice, but he couldn¡¯t say something now. Fox opened his mouth, trying to defend himself, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault, I did not send anything nor anyone to provoke anything! Many people suddenly came, and I had no way of knowing if every single one of them inside was an employee moving around to do their work or hired goons to kill my target.¡± But that meant nothing to a seething Luis, president of a nation, and not a small one for that matter, or with little to few geopolitical impotence. Luis stood up, finishing his previous motion, and swung his left sleeve up into the air, resting it diagonally. ¡°Half the building! In terror! Corpses, everywhere! The firm¡¯s sole owner called me to complain! Everyone knew you were there. So did those people who went after you showed up!!¡± The president raged on, unrestrained, and definitely not feeling guilty of his behavior to a servant of the country. ¡°There¡¯s no way to confirm that. If they wanted to take my target, they could have accomplished it with a dozen people with ease, why so many? It doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Fox¡¯s argument, impassively spoken, was valid, but did he care? He lashed out, too, not going to be slighted like this. No, not ever! ¡°I could have tried to jump down from there, as you probably think you knew after seeing some footage from a random passerby. I am not a person with unlimited resources, my bions there only allowed me to traverse a third of the building, no more. I still didn¡¯t know if they had more people elsewhe-¡± ¡°The next time you go out with a target who¡¯s in danger, you will look for the best opportunities to keep everything safe! I don¡¯t care if there¡¯s too many¡ª MINIMIZE all damages! Or you¡¯re out of this president¡¯s eyes!¡± ¡°Huff, huff¡­¡± The president swung his coat for a few times before pointing down at his floor, at his office, at his status. He breathed harshly, reddening what his skin could show, and flaring, furious, wide open eyes. In retrospective, Fox looked at Luis with calm impassiveness, like he was only an observer, but engrossed in the scene. His opened polycoria eyes had all he wanted to say, because this president ¡®of his¡¯ didn¡¯t deserve any more word from his lips. From him. ¡­ Chapter 104 — First Cooperative Task First Cooperative Task Fox stared at the president still, exchanging eyes before stepping backwards twice. Nodding a bit, he prepared to depart, having no more words or anything to exchange with this president. He walked a few meters away before Luis raised his voice, ¡°You will adhere to these instructions, would you not? Special agent Fox?!¡± Step. ¡°¡­¡± Fox stopped. His sudden halt was eerie. His head slightly low. He turned around, wearing a cold expression that could be anything but impassive. With quick steps, he returned to Luis¡¯s desk, arriving there rather fast. Roam stepped in, or tried to, but Fox smoothly pushed him away, not exerting any strength on his palm. Fox bent over the desk, supporting his body with both palms atop it, and looked at Luis straight in the face. Luis might¡¯ve been startled, constricting his pupils, when the polycoria-eyed Fox walked back to him without receiving a response first. But as Fox lowered his face to stare off into his eyes, Luis felt his balls and buttcheeks man up. He sat with a straight back and moved not an inch backwards, unknowingly forming a stern gaze to back to Fox. ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Fox spoke after a while. It was easily a tense moment where Roam almost genuinely fell to his knees in weakness. His brows wrinkled his glabella, and his fangs, ordinary yet, were shown. ¡°Nothing ever makes me do what I don¡¯t want to. Not a civil war, not the gripping death as my limbs break and melt from the inside, and not my dying body, worse than a branch already turned into dust.¡± ¡°If you look forwards to see me with an obedient face and lapping my tongue in the air, I invite you to line up. Beware of the stains of blood and organ meat on the floor, don¡¯t trip after taking your place. At least reach the steps others did when they connived to put a leash around my neck.¡± Step, step, step, step. Fox straightened his back and walked away, leaving those 2 behind him. Luis continued his stare, unchanged, even before Fox turned and walked away. But as Fox was halfway to the exit, his face faltered, opening and relaxing, unable to move his eyes away. Slam. The doors were almost slammed close. Luis suddenly sucked air into his lungs and managed to move his eyes away, tearing up a little as Roam tried to help, but a hand stopped him. Luis couldn¡¯t want something like help in these very moments. ¡°I¡­ ah, that ingrate¡­¡± Luis recuperated his breath after a few more seconds. He cursed as he stood up. The sweat and heat of his skin had him unbutton his collar, and take his tie and jacket off. Roam lowered his eyebrows with his head already low, trying to say something with a low tone, ¡°Don¡¯t lose your temper with him, sir. It¡¯s¡­ been a rocky situation that meri-¡± ¡°It¡¯s not rocky! He¡¯s the issue, any trouble and situation is him!¡± Luis bashed out verbally. Roam closed his eyes, taking the toll indirectly. With Luis walking around, circling nonstop, finally going after some coffee; Roam exhaled a short sigh and articulated. ¡°Sir, if it¡¯s him leaving this project, and not having to worry about him any longer, I¡­¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Luis lifted his head to stare out the wide window, serving himself some warm water first. He put the jar down and slowly expressed, ¡°So he can slip away, and this time, see the entirety of Lymoca as a whole new enemy? A little bit of luck, and he could selectively target any country ¡®hostile¡¯ to us to also ¡®serve¡¯ for his egotistical benefits.¡± ¡°Sir, do you intend to keep him?¡± Roam asked as he opened his eyes, lightly surprised. Luis turned his head, just about to pour actual coffee on a disposable mug. Roam jumped, even if just a bit, when seeing that face on Luis. Luis¡¯s words were hushed, ¡°No. The moment the fox was trained how to upgrade his every talent and passion was the moment we became slaved to his being.¡± ¡°Then¡­ you don¡¯t want to keep him, but you must? To ensure no actual enemies are made for Lymoca that can threaten our nation?¡± Roam further asked. But Luis shook his head and blinked before saying, ¡°That moment came because I allowed it, or he would have never turned into a possible enemy in such a likely scenario. If I did it, other than particular reasons, it is because Lymoca does need him. At least someone like him. But now¡­ he¡¯s tempting me¡­¡± Luis downed the warm water before taking a few sips from his coffee. Turning around, he voiced to Roam as he walked past him, ¡°No more disposable ones. Let¡¯s use plastic or glass from now on.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yes, sir¡­¡± Roam looked at the disposable mug with a slight twinkle in his eyes before agreeing. Luis walked to the doors to probe them with his left foot, checking in case it broke or was jammed. He drank more from his coffee before opening the doors. Then, he closed them without the force Fox used before. As he did, he stated in a darkly voice. Unknown if it was to the air, Roam, or to convince himself. ¡°Besides, he is a Ly¡­ whether he wants it or not.¡± . . . At night, past 12 AM, HQ. Fox walked into the Plastics Recycler Factory with the workers¡¯ uniform on. His face was impassive, as always, but it had a notorious heavy weight on it. He didn¡¯t have the pulling need to come here until it was late at night, and after going to therapy once he closed the boutique. The night had just started, and Fox wanted to get into the workshop, all to spend the entire time making some extra money. He still hadn¡¯t readied the good quality bions to sell, as he needed PSD¡¯s help with that. But he suddenly felt like not doing anything to get an approval, at least for now. ¡°Hey, mate.¡± A voice called out to Fox when he was just walking into the reception, taking his working cap off. He had seen the person¡¯s eyes on him before, but had ignored it. Now, Fox kept walking at a slower pace but turned his head a bit to see who it was. It was a tanned young man with a ¡®military¡¯ afro and light brown hair and eye color. He was tall and muscular, with a charming, resting smile on his lips at the moment. Fox felt he was being called not for no reason, so he gradually stopped, still looking back. The young man stepped towards him and extended his right hand, ¡°Nol, I¡¯m a Red Blood. Like you, champ.¡± Fox looked down at the hand with a bandage partly covering the lower sides of the thumb and another coiling its tip. Then, he looked up at the young man, calmly moving his lips, ¡°Fox.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± the young man pressed his lips. Every move of his had a charm, even if it was just a little. He stepped backwards and stood before Fox before saying, ¡°You see, my Captain¡¯s team is a little short of everything. It would be good if a free spot could be emptied, but we aren¡¯t moving with outsiders, not even if they are from the same Blood as us.¡± ¡°Care to join me?¡± Nol proposed, lifting his left eyebrow. Fox thought about it. If that was true, then seeing this fellow¡¯s charm, it made sense he was ¡®out there¡¯ recruiting someone. But something like this wasn¡¯t meant to work on him. Regardless, Fox didn¡¯t turn the opportunity down right away, and if something fun could take his ¡®wasting time in the workshop¡¯ away¡­ ¡°What do you propose?¡± ¡°We have a little assignation tonight. You¡¯d have to work hard all night, though. Also, keep up with the rest. We¡¯re not slowing down so you can acclimatize.¡± Nol grinned and elaborated a bit. He took his WID out from his abdomen under his shirt and sent Fox a bell sound to his before leaving with a few more words. ¡°If you are interested, oh, and the pay is good, we¡¯ll wait at that address until 12:40.¡± Fox looked at his WID, taking it out from below his left ribs with a frown. He read through a pin left behind by Nol, most likely, as there was no ¡®address¡¯, which he had to accept to receive. After doing that, Fox read the contents. A brief resume of the task tonight, and the meeting location. Walking into the HQ, his eyebrows knitted a bit, but he was no longer reading the pin¡¯s message. Slowly, Fox lifted his head, and his eyes showed a shining determination in all currently 8 pupils-irises; his impenetrable black pools. Then, he focused and went further inside, looking for the showers. ¡­ After showering and picking a set of bions, Fox grabbed a small case with a strap to hang it around his lower stomach, with the case remaining behind him. He exited the HQ again and headed to the accorded location. There, he saw a group of 5 waiting in the corner of a street, which looked like a construction that was supposed to happen but never was, or where a building used to be. Now, it was just an empty space with walls in 3 directions, but it didn¡¯t cover every meter, leaving space for some narrow alleyways.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Other than the young man, Nol, Fox found the other 4 to be female, all looking like they were just young folk about to spend the night doing nothing but relaxing with liquor and company. ¡°Oh, hey. New kitty did come! Alea~, pay Lyan~ up!¡± A young woman lying her back on the ground, with her pitch-black, medium long hair spread, spoke without looking at him. Even from this angle, Fox could tell she had Dawn aesthetics, but smaller and more finite than Yue, Armando¡¯s wife. Before staring at the owner of the voice again, Fox looked at the back of a blonde who sat on the edge of a building¡¯s rooftop, on the opposite side from where everyone else was, facing another street. This was the only one Fox felt significant threat from the moment he caught sight of them. ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± After spouting those words, the young woman on the ground arched her neck to stare at Fox with her face in upside down, revealing her features. She had matching, phoenix eyes, had milky white skin, and was tall. She looked very slender. With her words, two young women sprung to motion. A red-haired with orange hair walked to a beautiful ebony lass. The redhead had rosy white skin, large gray eyes, and her orange hair was of a light tone. And she was a shortie with freckles all over her face, hands, wrists, neck¡­ maybe everywhere. On the other hand, the lass was a bright ebony young woman, barely taller than the redhead. She had chestnut, smooth long hair and intense black-brown eyes. Unlike the redhead¡¯s notoriously small proportions, the ebony had childbearing hips and perky, ¡®semi large¡¯ breasts. With that, only the blonde, whom Fox felt danger from ever since he showed he was willing to join them, at least for tonight, was left outside his eyes and slight comprehension. ¡°Here you go,¡± the redhead expressed to the ebony, whose eyes brightened when she received coins that could be exchanged for 60,000 credits. Fox¡¯s forehead creased, wrinkling with reason. However, the ebony¡¯s excited eyes didn¡¯t seem like so because of the money, but because of winning some bet. Fox didn¡¯t inquire about it and walked near Nol, the only one he had met with before, as the redhead returned to a wall with a pout. As both young women ignored him, and the one on the ground just looked at him with playful interest like going to a zoo, Fox met up with Nol. Nol, of course, faced him and smiled with arms crossed. Fox actually extended his right hand to greet him this time. It was the second time they met, that meant they were no longer completely unknown, right? ¡°Oh, hey,¡± Nol exclaimed after further smiling, shaking Fox¡¯s hand. He gestured to Fox¡¯s cheeks. That¡¯s when Fox noticed something. This wasn¡¯t just a team assignation. Everyone but him, and who knows if the blonde on the rooftop, had red painting on their faces, skin, clothes, and hair. ¡°You forgot to put it on? Aww, man. Let me help.¡± Nol grabbed from his rear pocket. Fox opened his mouth, feeling¡­ a bit embarrassed, ¡°I-¡­ this is my first time.¡± ¡°Yea, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be gentle,¡± Nol didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to speak such words, leaving Fox mouth agape. With these happenings, the only one watching with a salivating mouth was the one lying on the ground, with who knew what and how much passing around her head, seeing Nol¡¯s smooth, charming ¡®moves¡¯. However, before anyone on the ground could react, Fox didn¡¯t even notice, but a harsh whooshing sound blatantly echoed. Someone appeared before him with a speed he never experienced before. There it was, someone rushing to and standing before him, with her left hand pushing Nol¡¯s pocket painting away from Fox and to the side. With everyone¡¯s eyes reacting, they watched as a blonde, the one who was on the rooftop, came down and faced Fox. Her face was just in front of his; the red did nothing but accentuate her countenance¡¯s celestial touch. Fox was startled. His lips opened a bit, showing his teeth pressing against each other out of reflex. But next, as his polycoria eyes took in her visage and body image from up close; gentle, cold fingertips touched his face. This young woman had goldish-pale, white skin and gray, light blue eyes. Tall, indeed. Although her body didn¡¯t seem much on her front, it looked slender yet toned. Her hair was a short mushroom with femininity, exotic, and slightly seductive; of a golden blonde color. This was the ¡®specimen¡¯ Fox met in the coffee shop before he went into Mona¡¯s office. The beauty and reason he was half banned from it until he returned from his first assignation. Fox was left speechless. He knew he¡¯d met her eventually, but like this? ¡°You have to put these on when you go out in tasks, or at least when you get into action. Honor your color, your blood, lye!¡± The young woman already had painting on her yolks, which she put all around his face, gnarling her last spoken word from the throat, sounding like a small creature berating with scolding. She even hooked her lips upwards, showing her fangs, appearing¡­ attractive, indeed. Fox blinked a few times, trying to amplify his eyes¡¯ image and quality as she painted him. The notion of her touching his face was long thrown away from his worries. If anything, it was comfortable. ¡°So very beautiful indeed¡­¡± Fox spouted rapidly. Not even he realized until 2 second after he did. She stopped moving her fingers on his skin, and the others looked at him, all too silent. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± The young woman slightly lifted her eyebrows, kept her eyes at a rest, and tilted her head as she asked. Then, she continued painting him, this time around his jaw and neck before outlining his collarbone with his thin uniform. Next were his clothes. She formed irregular lines, sometimes with slopes or sharp ends, tips, and arrows without widespread similarities. She got creative, in short. At last, she painted his firearms and case, which only showed to the trained eye even when light directly fell on them, or on his skin, for that matter. In the end, Fox was a painted black fox with unnatural red everywhere. But it looked hella good. When she was finished and gave her artwork a look, the young woman nodded in satisfaction. Then, her eyes shot up to meet his, cold and indifferent. ¡°I meant under the night. To my eyes, everything looks in better dimensions and shows me the visual truths that are¡­ very beautiful; gracious.¡± Fox spoke just then, salvaging his previous moments. The others relaxed, returning to laze around, but the young woman crossed her arms slowly, aloofly staring at him with drooped eyelids. ¡°Nala Loba, I¡¯m this team¡¯s Captain, and the Red Blood representative Captain. You listen to me tonight, as you would whenever you¡¯re not at rest. You¡¯re my pawn of sorts, do you understand?¡± She said, introducing herself and consolidating her status. Fox didn¡¯t have to wonder why she was doing this. His past known achievements and the most recent one not even 72 hours ago are more than enough to have any leading figure concerned, let alone a global leader from a hoog¡¯s internal faction. ¡°I do¡­ of course I do.¡± Fox lowly muttered, lowering his head in a slight nod. The young woman pierced his eyes with her gray, light blue ones a few more seconds before releasing her arms. She nodded, pointing to Nol, who had stepped back a few times by now, tranquil. ¡°Aliases, Wheel.¡± ¡°Fox,¡± Fox slightly jumped his eyebrows before introducing his. Nala Loba snapped her head to face him and gestured him to stop with her right palm, lowering her perfectly carved, slightly small nose a bit, ¡°No. You will wait your turn.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox felt like a puppy shouted a ¡®no¡¯ or to ¡®stay¡¯. He remained quiet as Nala Loba pointed at the others, naming those he couldn¡¯t have known before. Her rebuke didn¡¯t interrupt the serenity with which she introduced the rest. ¡°Akina, White Stone.¡± Nala Loba gestured to the young woman lying on the ground, still looking at hm with her face upside down. Fox looked at her briefly, in which she added, ¡°They had Moon, Soft White, Tender White, Downmoon, and even Pale Moon. So¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox blinked. Just as he thought White Stone did match with her. ¡°Lyan, Bloodycoon.¡± Nala Loba offered no reaction to their exchange and continued, pointing to the beautiful, bright ebony young woman. Lyan looked at him and waved, smiling brilliantly and looking quite precious. ¡°Alea, Oragem.¡± Nala Loba gestured to the redhead next, and then turned around without a care, walking to the center of this open space. Alea turned her head when she was mentioned. She supported her chin with her right palm and waved with her left hand, looking at Fox with curiosity. With one look, Fox could tell she was no T¨²acan redhead, but one of her parents could have come from there. ¡°The instructions are clear to my team, follow and do your part. You¡¯ll get paid if you stand out from mediocrity,¡± Nala Loba said without facing anyone, but these words were clearly for Fox. She lowered her face, simply looking wonderful. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for Colmillo¡¯s transport. Rest until then.¡± Then, Nala Loba turned to the small building whose rooftop she was on top of before. Fox stepped forth and loudly asked. ¡°Captain, your alias?¡± ¡°¡­ Loba,¡± Nala Loba said, stopping her steps and turning her head halfway before rushing back up the building, eluding Fox¡¯s every sense. He lifted his eyebrows in response. Her speed was too exaggerated. ¡°Why is her¡­ last name also her alias?¡± Fox looked at Nol before asking, returning to stand at his side. Nol, or Wheel, looked at Fox, still getting used to the softness and brokenness of his voice. ¡°Mhm, nah. Don¡¯t ask that unless you want to get it. Just because you did ask just now, and I brought you here, I think I¡¯m getting beaten soon.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Definitely, Fox could not comprehend. Feeling the atmosphere growing awkward, though he was fine, Fox asked again, ¡°Is she supposed to paint me red¡­ for me?¡± ¡°Oh no. mess that up, and you can even get excluded from half the Blood. And no, she doesn¡¯t help others get painted. You see, she investigates someone first before allowing us to look for ¡®random¡¯ applicants. She didn¡¯t let you into our team just because you¡¯re almighty in the news. In fact, I think I¡¯m more in trouble for saying all this myself. Yeah, now I¡¯m definitely getting it, sigh.¡± ¡®Are colors that important? Really? It¡¯s just colors.¡¯ Fox affirmatively doubted what he was understanding, or thought he understood. Before Fox could breathe the cold night in and out, recently showed, making the sensations even better, Nol spoke again. ¡°Tell you what, if you can get me to see a nice beauty, to hit it off good, you know. I would be very contented even if I get beaten afterwards.¡± Fox: ¡°¡­¡± Looking at the tanned young man, Fox thought of how charming this fella was used to be, maybe since he was a little Nol, quite the talent. And with that thought, a question arose in his innocent mind. He stared at Nol, both not knowing the latter was being sentenced. ¡°So, why don¡¯t you with the Captain?¡± ¡°!!¡± Nol looked at Fox like he had just caught him trying to steal the sun. He began trembling, and before Fox knew it, Nol turned vicious as he looked up at his polycoria eyes, swearing. ¡°I will beg that your turn for torment comes soon¡ª with but all of my rage!¡± Fox only had a hunch and a thought form in his mind, ¡®Oops?¡¯ ¡­ Chapter 105 — Riches Everywhere! Riches Everywhere! Vrrrrrooommm. Fox waited until a vehicle with a rather thundering engine neared their location. He eyed the corner of a street a few dozen meters away, managing to see a blurry person exit the vehicle as it continued moving towards them. It went over the sidewalk for a few meters, stopping a few other meters before Fox and Nol. Then, before he could ask anything, a female figure with an armor-like uniform glued to her skin, and wearing a strange mask covering her every facial feature, including her hair, slid down a rope. Just like that, from a light post Fox wasn¡¯t focusing on, a person sneaked upon them. Furthermore, she looked similar to the shadow Fox saw moving out of the vehicle just then. At least when carefully analyzing her outlined, well-shaped figure. She descended from the rope, a few meters to Fox¡¯s right and in front of the vehicle, looking at him with a straightened head. ¡°Fox, meet Colmillo,¡± Nala Loba returned, who knew when, to the group, and attracted everyone¡¯s attention, including the newcomer. Everyone stepped closer to the vehicle, a tall truck with half a meter distance between the ground and its doorsteps. It wasn¡¯t too long, so it didn¡¯t need more than 4 wheels, which weren¡¯t too big, but it would still attract quite the bit of attention. It had a dark green painting, and it definitely seemed a bit armored, if not fully. Fox looked at the newcomer, a female no doubt, who wore a strange mask. Fox didn¡¯t need confirmation to know it was a bion, one whose price and quality he couldn¡¯t hope to match for the time being. It looked like a cutting edge bion, and not only that, it gave Fox a familiar sensation. It reminded him of that semi-empowered uniform armor Fox saw when he hunted Im¨¢n¡¯s boyfriend back in Riverlye. However, it was somehow different still, and it brought his attention to the maximum. Furthermore, the rope she used was as thin as a vein, but it didn¡¯t cause friction. He was just going to his first cooperative, team-up task but was already learning so much! ¡°And no,¡± Nala Loba suddenly said as she took the keys, a keycard, and a note from Colmillo¡¯s left hand. Then, she looked at him, saying with indifferently narrowed eyes, ¡°You are not good enough to know her name yet. Everybody, get on. We won¡¯t be moving slow.¡± Fox was a little perplexed. The thought had just emerged in his mind, but the Captain immediately bashed him down again, like this was too frequent whenever Colmillo appeared. ¡°Thank you, Colmillo. We¡¯ll be on our way,¡± Nala Loba¡¯s expression eased a lot when she returned to face the masked young woman. Surprisingly, the latter spoke, sounding with a natural, rough-robotic yet soft, clear voice; melodic even. ¡°Thank you. Supplies like yours favors me days or nights.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Nala Loba blew from her nostrils in a good mood before nodding. Then, everyone stepped into the vehicle. When Fox passed by Colmillo, the latter looked at him in greeting, which Fox understood. However, he was also attracted by her mask. It was like a black thief¡¯s full face mask, one that tightly yet softly hug her head and neck. Her face was somewhat distinctive, with her mouth area having multiple ¡®bone structure¡¯ covering it, looking like a fashionable group of the same. Her eyes were empty white sockets that didn¡¯t move, but while it was a bit longer than wider, it encompassed all eye movement. A thin, sharp trail of bones moved from her mouth area to her eyebrows, forming small portions of what a heart would look like, but only from the sides, without completing even half of one. Her temples, sideburns, cheeks, and jaw from both sides had a few patterns, like blades and teardrops decorating it. A very beautiful mask. Fox suddenly felt goodwill towards this person. She lowered her head just a bit, nodding at him, before he went past her and entered the truck. When he closed the door and looked back outside, she was no longer there. Fox only felt the truck begin movement before rapidly speeding. In under a few seconds, they left the meeting location far away, heading towards the outskirts of the city. The ride had the occasional bump. Not because of the truck¡¯s fault, but because the driver, namely Nala Loba, drove really fast. She took the routes that were the emptiest, where even if police heard the roaring engine, they wouldn¡¯t move to intercept out of laziness and not wanting to bother with such a ¡®crime¡¯ late at night. As long as it wasn¡¯t in front of them. Fox couldn¡¯t know something like this just yet, but Nala Loba moved around like she built every cubic millimeter of cement on these streets. She drove until one of the airports for public use. However, they didn¡¯t go inside. Instead, she toured around it before entering an empty facility with a long driveway. It looked like a potential neighborhood in the future, but when the truck went in, Fox rapidly found a plane waiting for them to be used, hidden and small, but not too small. Fox¡¯s previous thoughts on Colmillo were more or less correct at this point, she was like a little thief. However, he didn¡¯t offer any questions and just followed the rest, getting into the plane after checking its equipment. Then, boarding it at last, Fox and the Captain¡¯s team moved out. What surprised and intrigued Fox the most was that, when the plane went on the move through the driveway, it made no sound. And when it started taking off, there was only a rough sense of wind being broken before it all remained smooth and quiet. A covert plane, for sure. Considering what he¡¯s learned of the world, something like this could only be in a nation¡¯s leader¡¯s hands. Although any rich person with enough balls to waste on such high-maintenance aircraft, like politicians and some, very few, criminal lords, could technically get one. Fox knew not how Colmillo stole one, how she got it, and much less how she put it in Lymoca¡¯s capital without anyone noticing. If PSD wanted a plane like this, it wouldn¡¯t have been hiding out in the public. He now understood the depth of the District, and how far he was from it. He only wondered if his current knowledge made up for it, or if his new limit for PSD was still lacking. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just them taking flight, the truck was hauled in and carefully strapped in the small storage compartment the plane had. Even then, not a single sound was made. Soon, Fox understood how they would accomplish their otherwise impossible mission. At the beginning of the SO, perhaps they could¡¯ve flown right into another political entity¡¯s territory and have a high probability of not being discovered, but not a thousand years later. As they took off, an airplane, much larger and bulky, coming from the airport, flew above them. The plane was quick, so it didn¡¯t have trouble catching up. The pilot was still Nala Loba, with Fox sitting farthest to the back with no one by his side as the other four sat together in pairs. Soon, the plane flew below the airplane. They could even hear their pilots¡¯ comms, which Nola Loba put on while flying to their destination. Fox was still surprised, as this was his first flight, with cargo of a truck, and going into another country to do the unthinkable, and carried firearms. It was a hell of a first time, but he felt pretty chill about it. Even the ascension was nothing, and compared to when he dropped from the chopper in the Riverlye tunnel, it wasn¡¯t that much. All he knew was that they were flying well above 13,000 meters from the sea level. Their target this time was a certain assignation in ANS, the northern neighbor. Fox didn¡¯t know who was the main target in this case, but he knew that whoever it was, be it their government or not, their task¡¯s success would mean detrimental losses. They went from Lymoca¡¯s capital to the neighboring state of Lydn¨ªgo, and then, still airborne, into ANS territory. It was simple, in truth. The team entered ANS¡¯s state in the ¡®cleavage¡¯ region that always served to remind Lys of their humiliating past. ¡­ Fox rested his eyes, keeping them open, while the others occasionally chatted with each other. The only ones not mingling were him and the Captain, Nala Loba. At this time, Fox blinked his eyes once and became sober. He watched as Nala Loba grabbed a hidden panel below the seat, pressing some buttons and forming some commands before unstrapping herself. ¡°Fox, you close the door behind us.¡± She stood up and began giving directions, walking to the backdoor leading to the cargo. ¡°The rest, come with me. You know your drill. Get ready to work once more.¡± ¡°Hua, hua, Cap.¡± Nol uttered in low volume, standing up and grabbing his assembled firearms inclining on a wall to the side. The rest did the same, with Lyan, the bright ebony beauty, smiling at the still sitting Fox, maybe as comfort or to encourage him. Fox stood up after they did. The team waited behind Nala before she opened the door to the cargo. The ramp was still closed as they hurried to the truck. Fox saw this and hurried over, closing the door behind him with his case strapped to his lower back.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Fwuuuuushhh~! Pa, pa, paallmp! Just as he jumped a little into the air and closed the door with a light spin, the ramp opened rapidly. Fox felt the air everywhere rushing about as the truck¡¯s straps disengaged at once. His eyes widened, with their polycoria shrinking a bit. He stomped his feet against the floor and dashed into one of the doors, feeling some straps slapping his body around. Fox opened the door and harshly pulled himself inside, closing it with a bang. It was lucky he didn¡¯t grab a left door, or his arm¡¯s strength might¡¯ve broken the window or dented the door, nothing good for what they were about to experience. When he felt comfortable enough, Fox looked to his left, becoming startled. He unknowingly took the co-driver¡¯s seat, which was fortunately empty. As the truck backtracked, falling into the air, Fox barely cared about it, as Nala Loba supported her jaw and stared ahead. She turned her head, definitely not caring that Fox was just a second from being left behind, or dying even. Her gray, light blue eyes stared at him indifferently, showing a calculative glint that made him shiver. It was the first time he felt such notions from someone without his life being endangered in multiple levels. While the motion through air did nothing to him, Nala Loba¡¯s attitude made him breathe erratically; it was quite the irony. After seeing everyone else, seated and with their belts around their waists and across their torsos, Fox did the same, feeling the thrill of the truck free falling, but it didn¡¯t move freely. It was somehow retaining its angle, with its belly facing the incoming ground, which came closer and closer at a surreal degree. Nala Loba didn¡¯t have to say anything to alert the rest. They knew ¡®the bump¡¯ would be something. However, it would be fine, as they¡¯ve done this before. On the other hand, Fox did perspire a bit, as he could only imagine they¡¯ve done this before, and that it should be safe¡­ Right? CRASSHH! The truck landed swiftly, with Nala Loba immediately rushing it after turning the shifter and putting metal to the petal, gritting her teeth as she did! The truck received damage, but nothing substantial. Windows cracked, but only from the sides, while the front and rear were most untouched. The quarter glasses broke down, crushed under the resilient wheels, left far behind by a truck whose engine now didn¡¯t make a sound. However, its shape and size was the same, so it was impossible not to notice under the streetlights. Fox breathed rapidly after the landing, even a minute after the truck drove a few hundred kilometers per hour in a mostly empty, long interstate freeway. He looked at Nala Loba, who gave him a brief glance before checking the road ahead. They were in ANS territory. Some minutes later, checking the truck¡¯s clock and the distance between a certain ¡®route¡¯, Nala Loba drove off the road, rushing into the dirt and some hills, going completely dark. The truck was hidden by the deep of the night¡¯s darkness and the surrounding vegetation that, albeit small, works well enough to cover their movements. Before long, they arrived at a facility of an old but massive garage, with multiple buildings where supplies or vehicles were stored. The truck was parked in the wilderness still, with the team and Fox rushing over on their feet. So far, everything was good. They ran up a wall after making a race for it on the dirt, trying to form as little kinetic force around their feet as possible. Their every movement and use of strength, detailed and delicately precise to climb the walls and railing, barely making a noise with their breath becoming their greatest support, aided them enter the precinct. Nala Loba and Fox were at the front, while the other 4 behind them. They peeked over some routes as patrolling guards and vehicles slowly passed by. They reckon these patrols couldn¡¯t even notice them if they walked side by side unless they were too obvious. Silently cursing these people¡¯s skill, Fox and Nala Loba move further inside, instructing the others when to move. It wasn¡¯t intense, with only sometimes requiring them to be patient and rush or slowly move in intervals between corridors and buildings to avoid irregularities. To Fox¡¯s surprise and joy, without exaggeration, the team was all rapid-mobile, rational, quick to react, and able. They all surpassed Fox¡¯s experience of watching other ¡®clumsy¡¯ special agents work in the field. Then again, it was his first time in an assignation like this in a hoog secret organization. Now, he only needed to see the team fight to evaluate them completely. So far, they were satisfactory to Fox, although he didn¡¯t have the right to opine on them like this. Hence, he kept quiet and just helped them get through. At last, they moved into a particularly small open building with a ginormous gate, practically replacing an entire wall, where some large trucks and trailers hid a small compartment. This compartment was left open, with stairs leading to a lower level. They took it without hesitation and walked for a few hundred meters before going back up. The underground floor was all white, bright, and with little to no surveillance. Additionally, only 2 persons could walk at the same time, leaving no space to carry heavy loads. Fox was the first to come up, confirming the previous information gathered was correct. The underground floor led to a building whose lower half was open, but the upper was closed. He gave the signal to the others before they came out with their rifles out, checking everything. Some had their pistols around their shins, others behind or at the side of their waists. Fox had his small pistol on his back. Since he could bring all 3 of his preferred types of firearms, he didn¡¯t bother with a higher pistol caliber. Furthermore, because they were in such a sensitive situation, they couldn¡¯t bring the supercontinent¡¯s chosen weapon, so Fox wouldn¡¯t see the team show those beauties off. Nala Loba took the lead to move upstairs, carefully checking everything. She was followed by Nol, with Fox in the middle, and the other young women behind him. He still hadn¡¯t taken his case out and assembled his firearms, but he wasn¡¯t questioned. When they stepped near the second upper floor in this half, at the stairs, Nala Loba stopped for 3 seconds. Then, just as Fox heard footsteps and noticed there was a marvelous soundproof field and a material surrounding the following floor, and most likely the rest above them, Nala Loba¡¯s body jolted. Her head was peeking above the steps, with her arms high up. After her body jolted, they rushed upwards. Fox saw a triplet of corpses with several meters between them, all killed with a single shot. He looked at Nala Loba and cocked his head comprehensively. ¡°Fox, go up. We have this covered. Find out if the next floor is as stocked as this one.¡± She noticed his glare and stared back, commanding him with ruthlessness. The others looked at him for a brief moment before getting to work, taking mantles off some large items around. Nodding, Fox walked up, bearing only his tightened fists as he took the stairs up. Knowing about the dedicated soundproof, he stealthily moved inside, supporting most of his weight with his legs and using his arms as support when taking long strides across the floor and through the industrial shelves. The entire upper half was like a building still in construction, but it had items covered in mantles with a length of 2 to 5 meters, and only the width of almost half a meter; all piling something up. Fox didn¡¯t take time to find patrols. They were some fat, mostly middle-aged, although some elderly, men and women. He first caught one from behind, jumping his left waist on their upper back and hooking their neck with his left arm from behind, easily breaking it. Hiding the body near a pile of covered items, Fox melee-assassinated every other patrol around, repeating on and on. It wasn¡¯t fun, and his life wasn¡¯t endangered, but it was the job, so. After taking care of them, sweating not, and with none of them realizing their comrades were assassinated one by one, with only the last 2 feeling an eerie atmosphere. Fox checked the place for surveillance before walking to uncover one of the 2 meters long piles. ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked at the hundred plus gold bars lined up in a 2 x .40 meters pile. They were shiny, and smelled of nice, big ol¡¯ riches. Feeling the texture of one bar, and then of a few added together, Fox smiled before letting go. It wasn¡¯t an enjoyable touch, so it was whatever. He searched the others with his senses, letting his smell and perception decide whether they were all the same or not. Of course, he got close to those he couldn¡¯t smell quite right before confirming it. Then, he walked to the stairs leading down and peeked. Everyone¡¯s attention immediately went to Fox, clearly alerted in case they were seen. Nol mouthed a yelling ¡®Fox?!¡¯ before he faced Nala Loba and mouthed a few words. Reading Fox¡¯s lips, Nala Loba widened her eyes. After a thought, she nodded to the others before moving to the upper floor. Fox stood back up and moved to the other gold bars, fully uncovering them by the time the team came up. Nala took a look around before nodding at him. Then, she led her team upstairs. Fox followed behind, grabbing the right side of his case, still at his lower back, in case it was needed at last. They went up another floor, with this time many guards around. There was also a table, lighted by a long pole, as other guards played cards with their windows lying on the table. Fox opened his case, startling the Captain¡¯s team. They watched for a few seconds as Fox silently moved his hands like a madman and assembled a rifle before putting a silencer to its muzzle. Then, Nala Loba, who didn¡¯t look back as much as the others did, nodded. The team returned the gesture, while Fox simply watched them spread out before doing the same. One by one, several at the same time as they worked together, the team and Fox all got rid of the guards before moving to those still playing cards. Their movements weren¡¯t only elegant, but silent, efficient, and swift under the cover of the lack of light almost everywhere. Nala Loba looked at Fox, letting him know of her gaze. When he looked at her, she nodded. Fox slightly nodded in return before moving into the guards¡¯ view, hiding his rifle strapped on his left shoulder, hidden behind his back. ¡°Ehh, what the hell are you? What are you doing here?¡± One of them stood up at once, grabbing a radio. Fox looked at the other guards. They seemed surprised at first, but then widened their eyes without nothing happening behind him; Fox narrowed his eyes and nodded to the team. Pi- pf- pt- pi- ptt- pi- pft- pi- pi¡­ The guards were barraged to death. The light was taken down with a pair of shots as well, but the team wasn¡¯t contented. Nala Loba wore a serious expression with her eyebrows slightly furrowed. She walked forward to check if anyone had a transmitting device. The guards were killed cleanly, with no one making a mess, not even falling to the floor. But some objects were destroyed or tumbled down. While the others searched around, Fox lifted his right hand and looked down. The team took notice at once. Fox kept staring at the square-shaped small device near his left foot giving off static white noise. His polycoria eyes were flashed with a pensive gleam before he lifted his right foot, crushing the device. Lifting his chin, the others wore stern expressions, even if not by much. Then, the Captain looked at Fox before addressing Nol, sparing him a glance at the end of her words. ¡°Nol, check the floor above.¡± ¡­ Chapter 106 — Unearthing The Hidden Unearthing The Hidden ¡°Haah,¡± Nol exhaled before lifting his rifle. He brought his feet to the stairs and went up. The rest followed after uncovering the fewer piles of gold. Fox saw Nol slowly getting encircled by a few figures silently moving towards him. Just as they were nearing him even more, and as Nala Loba stopped, making everyone else stay put, Nol dashed towards the closest figure. Pi- pt- pi- pi- pi. Nol¡¯s rifle fired away as the unknown special agent was surprised, but the latter held Nol¡¯s rifle and tried to fight him over it. The other enemies approached closer. Nol suddenly sent a flurry of attacks to the enemy holding him off, resulting in too many hits for the latter. Nol took the rifle off the enemy¡¯s hands and hit their head with it before aiming its muzzle down, firing away quite a few bullets. The special agent had armor on, not something as simple as bulletproof vests, requiring for a higher fire potency for a successful slaughter. Right after, another special agent motioned to tackle Nol down, but Nol side stepped with tapping stomps from his right foot. Evading the incoming enemy before aiming at the other still a short distance away, crouching. The enemy was surprised before their head was riddled with bullets. The other special agent whose tackle failed returned in a hurry, but they were too late to save their comrade. However, their melee was much better. The special agent kicked Nol¡¯s back, jolting him upwards, letting go of his rifle that flew across the air. Nol turned around after tripping a few long steps forward, trying to counterattack, but the special agent attacked with high knees and kicks, forcing him into an immediate defensive stance. Nol was moved around like a punching bag, a resilient, high-quality bag. Blocking his head and sides. With his sides hit nonstop, ribs, shoulders, and hip, the severity of the situation started dawning on him. Nol tried headbutting in a rare chance, but the special agent expected it. They threw their head away before biting Nol¡¯s cheek. ¡°Aaagh!¡± Nol shrilly exclaimed before punching up towards the enemy¡¯s throat, but they also expected it. Their hands held Nol¡¯s wrists, forcing them to stay put in place, before kneeling Nol¡¯s stomach again and again. ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Fox motioned forth, but Nala Loba crossed her arms and slightly turned her head to the right, towards him. Her eyes were downturned, not looking but looking at him at the same time. Fox ceased any further action and watched, wearing a hardened expression, albeit calm. Even in this situation, Fox couldn¡¯t deny how aloof, alluring, and exotic she looked. Regardless, he looked at Nol¡¯s fight. His lips started pouring bits of blood, getting badly injured in some places of his torso. Nol¡¯s nostrils flared up and closed out of nowhere, a sign of breath. The special agent realized too late. Nol acted, using his left knee to block the enemy¡¯s right knee. The special agent motioned his left knee, which Nol blocked once again with his right knee, still blocking each other with the other. Together, they fell to the floor, landing on light steps and crouching. Nol almost formed a lock around their neck, but the special agent desperately sent a flurry of attacks with a right elbow, further worsening Nol¡¯s right-sided torso injuries. Nol¡¯s body weakened, unable to form a grip on the enemy¡¯s most vulnerable extremity. Nol was grabbed by the shoulders, thrown from one side to another with the special agent arching their back backwards, slamming Nol¡¯s body on the ground behind them. The special agent turned around, planning to continue and avenge their comrades, but what welcomed them was a comical yet ruthless sight. Nol¡¯s head was hurt, indeed, against the solid ground as it bled and seemed a bit serious. However, his left foot¡¯s arch headed to the enemy¡¯s forehead with such, utmost precision. Like a dancing practice gone wrong, Nol nearly hit the special agent, who dodged, self-breaking a few left ribs in the process, letting it go past their right temple, barely grazing their skin. A bloody trail was left behind, short but painful. But just as the special agent felt the advantage coming to him again, Nol¡¯s palms struck towards their neck. Nol had just impulsed himself upwards, using all his strength to push his forearms up from the ground. ¡°Mmf!¡± The special agent let out a soft exclamation, barely stopping Nol¡¯s palms from breaking their neck. They still hit, just not out all-out, with less than half the strength Nol had put in his forearms. But if the sound of the SA¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t enough, then the feeling of an apple from one of his palms let Nol know the SA¡¯s sex. He immediately headbutted, finally succeeding. But this time, his target was a crotch. ¡°Aagh! Wua?- Ack-¡± Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa- bang bang! Patt patt patt patt pattth!! Nol¡¯s face became fierce, to say the least! His forehead crushed whatever manliness the enemy couldn¡¯t protect in time, at last. Then, as the special agent groaned in pain, Nol kicked his lower chin with both soles of his feet. The enemy was disoriented, which Nol used to stand up, kicking him again in the face to push him against the floor. Standing up, Nol hit the sides of the enemy¡¯s knees, dislocating them, making the right leg bend unnaturally. Then, Nol straddled the man with both feet standing at his sides. Nol bent his back to hit the special agent. The enemy still had the guts to defend himself, which Nol had no problem letting his attacks get blocked, at first¡­ Once Nol had the man lift his forearms straight enough, he surprised the enemy by quickly grabbing his pistol, aiming down at the palms. The special agent only heard gunshots accompanied by terrible pain whipping his mind, turning his arms useless. Then, Nol threw his pistol at the man¡¯s face before resuming punching and palming, contorting his face in rage. At the side, still waiting behind Nala Loba, Fox¡¯s eyes slightly widened. Nala Loba looked at him, this time fully turning her head, and lightly muttered, ¡°We don¡¯t become Red Blood out of luck. It¡¯s not polite to forget these things.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox fell a little pensive, but not too much. Nala Loba gave the wordless order, a nod, so the rest spread out and checked for guards, but there were none. They were also close to the rooftop. Nala Loba walked behind Nol, who stopped after his breathing became ragged. Without having to treat him like a child, Nol looked back. His raging eyes became serene again, like an intelligent living being, and his breathing eased down. Seeing his recuperation, Nala Loba nodded before walking away. Nol stood up, nearly tripping from the pain. Lyan walked to him and landed her hand on his shoulder before giving him a red and yellow pill. Then, she grabbed a paper sheet from under her clothes and put it under his clothes and uniform as he gulped those pills. Afterwards, the team went back to surveying the building. From then on, all the way to the rooftop, they found no more people patrolling the rich storage. From the floor Nol fought, the piles of gold were less and less, probably separated like this in case the floors were affected by too much weight resting for an undetermined amount of time. Reaching the top, the team considered how to move everything. Fox and Nala Loba stood before a group of bags and strange bag-looking contraptions. The former were resistant enough to drag the gold bars, from 2 to 5 meters long, even if they were to be hung from a high altitude. But not lasting enough. The latter, however, were mostly used for transporting through water. The latter was not only more resistant than the former, they were also difficult to tear apart, and it offered cushion damage to whatever was held inside, as long as it wasn¡¯t a living being. Fox and Nala Loba looked at each other before Fox proposed, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°If the truck can work wonderful magics, why not take those? It¡¯ll be easier after we¡¯re discovered.¡± ¡°After we are discovered?¡± Nala Loba lifted her right eyebrow, appearing exquisite, and lightly crossed her arms. Fox ruefully hooked the left corner of his mouth open. ¡°No, it¡¯s a good option.¡± Nala Loba looked at his ¡®grimace¡¯ for 2 seconds before releasing her arms, nodding towards the water transporting bags. Fox nodded and bent over to pick some up, passing them to the others, who couldn¡¯t help feel sore already. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving.¡± Nala Loba grabbed a good bundle of those bags before setting the example, coming downstairs to begin. Meanwhile, the rest of her team looked at each other. They had to start from the top¡­ ¡­ With a few dozen bags set between the first and second floor of the building¡¯s upper half, the team grabbed 2 each before coming down. They would have to make faster movements, but for now, they had to clear the path ahead, just in case. And ¡®case¡¯ it was. With Nala Loba leading in front of Fox, both with their rifles up, one hand holding a bag, and the other attached to them, tied around a strap, they met a few guards walking around a corner in the distance.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The team stopped for a moment, with Fox¡¯s eyes locking onto them akin to a beast with prey in its sight. Nala Loba didn¡¯t order for an attack, not yet. They continued walking forth, with the guards doing the same towards them. They could hear the guards talking about them, but nothing to fear. Only that they couldn¡¯t recognize them, and that no wonder there was no communication, as some were moving the gold again. However, they started to doubt just about 50 meters from the team. ¡°Go! Wheel, Bloodycoon!¡± Nala Loba crouched after shouting ¡®go¡¯, firing at the guards along Fox, who was more than attentive, and ready to kill. Nol and Lyan let go of their bags and rushed forth, taking the right. By the time they rushed onwards, Fox and Nala Loba cleared the guards. They turned around the corner without fear or waiting another moment. Immediately, they lifted their rifles, firing away as some handguns were heard shooting from farther away. ¡°Alea, work the floor, we¡¯ll go ahead of you.¡± Nala Loba looked back and commanded, with the redhead nodding as she let go of her bags, asking, ¡°Who will take these then?¡± Nala Loba frowned. Fox spoke at this moment, letting go of the bag in his left hand before extending it to Alea. ¡°Let me, I won¡¯t grow tired, nor slow everyone else down.¡± ¡°Both at the same time?¡± Nala Loba¡¯s eyebrows jumped before they knitted again. Fox¡¯s left arm remained extended. He said, ¡°I can do it. And still hold onto my rifle.¡± Not wanting to speak any further and waste time, Fox went over and grabbed the bags from Alea¡¯s hands. She helped him a bit, but the strong grip she felt from his hand left her perplexed. Fox turned to look at Nala Loba and nodded. All she could so was nod in return before continuing. Meanwhile, Nol and Lyan finished firing after reloading once, spending half a magazine. They advanced a little while Alea returned, taking some small circular metal boxes from Akina. On their way to the outside, with Wheel and Bloodycoon leading, Fox and Nala Loba exchanged some words, starting from Nala Loba¡¯s part. ¡°Does your arm make you more electric-conductive?¡± ¡°Uh? Er¡­ I don¡¯t know. Is it important now?¡± Fox hurried along, becoming startled before asking back. Nala Loba didn¡¯t respond, frowning a bit and continuing running. Stepping a little behind, she saw Fox¡¯s toll on pulling 4 bags filled with gold bars. They could do it because it wasn¡¯t that much, and their breath relaxed their bodies. It was more a matter of stamina. But when doubling the weight, it also involved strength to pull it. While Fox seemed to have endless stamina, his body was overly stressed from the weight he was pulling. In short time, making quick work of the guards ahead, the team exited the underground floor. They threw flashing devices, not just grenades, before going out after the guards either took cover or randomly fired, wasting their ammo. Coming out, they barraged every single guard on sight. Even those taking cover were taken down. Their hearing aided the team recognize where others hid and killed them before they could peek out, or dare to. They returned from where they came from, but had to stop after a minute and were forced to make another escape. Furthermore, they couldn¡¯t jump the walls nor railings with those gold bars. So, what now? ¡°Let me,¡± Fox let go of his bags after moving for quite a while. 3 bags of golden bars made a number on the ground, lifting so much smoke it covered them and attracted attention at the same time. Nala Loba made everyone step back as Fox walked to the railing. There was no wall around this spot, which would have made things easier if one just jumped and brought the car, but they couldn¡¯t just throw the bags over the more than 7 meters tall railing. Knowing this, Fox extended his left arm, fearlessly gripping a few metal strings before pulling down, all in one rapid motion. ZZZZZZZ! ZAAP! The railing burst in shockwaves, so tense and rigid that flames burst around the hole Fox pried open. If the guards were doubting where the intruders were, this cleared their doubts a bit. Fox gritted his teeth, but the expected pain and even possible death, or coma in the best case, never came. He looked up at the others to see if he wasn¡¯t dead already, doubting whether he was alive when he saw they were unmoving. Out of half-fear and doubt, Fox shouted, ¡°Go!¡± Step, step! Drag~! Everyone, except for Alea, including Nala Loba, rushed out of the hole. Then, they laid the gold outside. Nol rushed ahead, leaving his bags behind, and went for the truck. The others returned, with Nala Loba passing by him, stopping, glaring down at him kneeling on the ground with his palms against it and gasping for dear life. Then, she nodded at Akina. Nala Loba left, with Akina helping him up. She checked his left arm, but other than a bit of heat, it was completely normal, still human-like. Fox looked at the beauty before him, who smiled when seeing he was unharmed, and said, ¡°I guess I am.¡± ¡°Tehee. Let¡¯s go!¡± Akina slapped his intact shoulder and rushed back for the gold bars. Fox¡¯s slaughter machine mode activated. He covered Akina as she directly ran past everything, killing more than a dozen guards before running there himself. The guards should have left in fear by now, anyone would¡¯ve understood this was an impossible-to-solve situation. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t hundreds of them, like in Sargonde that night, but only a little over a hundred guards patrolling, including vehicles and entryway. Something didn¡¯t allow them to let go of their position. However, they wouldn¡¯t throw away their lives. They tried holding them off, and even kill some intruders, which all ended up getting them killed instead. After a few rounds, with the secret stash leaving their facility rapidly, bag after bag, the guards were too scared to peek again, limiting themselves to wait for reinforcements. ¡­ With Alea having softened the floor before they returned with a special dust, they simply lowered the bags down the stairs. Then, they slid them through, or kicked them, easily sending them tens of meters, enough to reach a corner, and even slightly farther. Bag by bag, with Fox always following those bringing the bags away, and stayed a little to let Nol safely tie them to the back after they no longer fit inside the truck. It would be a heavy pull, but this was no ordinary truck, but one that Nala Loba herself requested to Colmillo. While Fox covered for the runner, the other 3 would kick or throw the gold, chase after it a few times, and repeat until reaching the next checkpoint, which was another team member. Like this, time after time, and with little to no shots being fired at them towards the end, the gold was stuffed and then tied to the truck. Fox let go of the last 2 bags, following closely behind the team, with Nala Loba turning to check him, covering him with her rifle. Even her just standing there and checking his rear was safe made her look gracious. However, he was too tired to let his emotions out to simulate. ¡°You wanna drive?¡± Nala Loba looked at him as Lyan and Alea helped tie the bags to the truck for him, shaking the keys. Fox shook his head, hyperventilating, ¡°Noah- no- n¡­ I can¡¯t feel my legs.¡± Fox walked to the truck¡¯s co-driver seat. His brain could only think of easy things to proceed with after his body experienced such levels of stress. He walked to it with trembling legs, barely able to lift their feet off the ground, with a turtle speed pace. Nala Loba looked at him again to confirm his speed and proceeded to cover for him until he opened the door to the co-driver¡¯s seat. She rushed into the driver¡¯s seat while Fox pulled himself into the truck, similarly as harsh as he did the last time. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Nala Loba murmured, letting her people feel excited about finally moving away. They only needed to get out to complete their assignation! The truck drove through the obscured land, avoiding the hills and heading towards a large lake separating ANS from Lymoca, one good reason the border was set there, stealing a larger chunk than necessary. As they headed towards there; back at the facility, 3 thin, slender figures had just arrived atop a building. They wore masks, and whether they enhanced their sight or not, they stared in the direction of the truck as it headed into the lake. VVVVUUUUUMMM¡­ Just as the truck neared the water, and a helicopter¡¯s light fell upon them, an obvious, thunderous sound of a plane flying nearby echoed. The helicopter immediately flew away, but still kept track of the truck, albeit it couldn¡¯t direct its light on it again, and a not even a quarter of a moon was enough to illuminate the ground. The plane they used before to come here, flying under the belly of a passenger airplane, moved towards the lake, seemingly in a hurry, and not specifically caring about the truck. The helicopter had just arrived, and all they could see was some bags being dragged by the truck, which followed the routes any other programmed self-driving vehicle would take from their security measures. Pvvvvwaaaaaaaaaang, pvvwaaang~! With this in consideration, the 2 warplanes flying towards the truck¡¯s direction changed course, slightly arching in the sky and aiming at the plane instead. Within 2 seconds, hundreds of bullets turned it into a beehive, smelting from midair, falling with irrefutable momentum. They also sent 2 rockets, but these were only to send powerful explosive waves, forcing the plane, which was arching far to the east, to come crashing down to the beginning of the lake in ANS¡¯s side. SPLASSHH¡­ The sound of the plane crashing into the water could be heard even tens of kilometers away. Meanwhile, the truck slowly drove into the lake from the eastern riverbank, slowly becoming flooded and lost in the water. Compared to the plane, the truck with possible fake bags was the least important, but there was still some personnel sent there. Yet, most of ANS responsive forces headed towards the plane, almost forgetting about the truck. And in that very same truck¡­ Splutter, splutter, splash~~~. Fox turned his head back to watch with open, relaxed eyes, as water entered the truck from some holes beneath the windows. As for the windows, they closed with a metallic plate before it began submerging. He didn¡¯t dislike it, as it was a cold and comfortable, good-smelling lake water. But his mind wasn¡¯t at ease. After sitting straight, with the water stopping flowing into the car when it reached their upper chest level, Fox turned his head to Nala Loba with a slow motion. She looked back at him with those indifferent, aloof, cold gray and light blue eyes. Her irises were gray, her pupils light blue, but both seemed to have a bit of the other, with a notorious primary source respectively. ¡°We entered foreign territory, stole gold they ¡®had¡¯ from other countries, and are now successfully escaping. Am I right?¡± Fox voiced, feeling a rebellious, semi new emotion surge inside his chest. Nala Loba grinned a bit from the left corner of her mouth. Damn, she looked gorgeous. ¡°Eheh,¡± Nol emitted a silly chuckle. His wounds were patched by Lyan and Akina before the water flooded them. ¡°And now we¡¯re returning to Lymoca, with all this gold¡­ how are we not sinking?¡± Fox wondered. Even if the truck had a ¡®submarine¡¯ feature, which he didn¡¯t doubt as his image of Colmillo improved; with all that gold, they should¡¯ve inclined backwards already, starting to spin nonstop. But they didn¡¯t. Fox thought back to when they were descending from their now long gone plane. That was when Nala Loba indifferently voiced, ¡°This truck was part of an experimental submarine, only some military officers kept it as a souvenir.¡± ¡°In the world?¡± Fox wondered, surprised. Nala smiled, stupefying Fox. She shook her head, her neck; swaying all too beautifully, and shook her left index with nos before pointing at the front window. ¡°From Lymoca.¡± Fox followed her finger, already frowning, and ended up inadvertently opening his mouth; startled, a bit stunned, but definitely taken aback. ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: Plot twist, Lymoca is a country of sirens and start singing operas?! Chapter 107 — Bright Lights Bright Lights Fox saw a small yet incredibly heavy-looking vehicle move towards them. It was a very small submarine. Strangely enough, it had an apathetic skull face painted on its front as a couple of smallish, thin arm-pincers moved around its front. They grappled towards the truck, somehow grabbing it without breaking anything before turning around. The arms didn''t move as the submarine slowly turned, the mechanism they were attached to the submarine with slid around it, barely moving the truck in the meantime. Once the submarine turned around completely, slightly facing upwards, it began moving forth. It had a small jet on its back that seemed small but was actually 90% of the submarine¡¯s diameter. It was smooth and didn¡¯t seem to make much noise, though. Somehow, Fox had the inkling that this submarine couldn¡¯t just move around, turn, and even face upwards or downwards, but might even fully rotate in the water. Fox looked at Nala Loba, who gave him a slight, smug, thin smile before ignoring him, resuming her cold, aloof, indifferent face. For the following minutes, with the water down their collarbones to the soles of their feet, the team waited until they neared a rather massive object. The small submarine was about 1.5 times larger than the truck, but this massive other submarine was at least a few tens of times larger than the small submarine. Furthermore, they were still in the lake between ANS and Lymoca. How were news of something like this never known before? Before entering the massive submarine, which the small one led them to, Nala Loba grabbed his attention and spoke after he looked at her, ¡°You need to wear this when we go in.¡± Fox looked at a black bag made of cloth, similar to the top-notch strap used to hang weapons and cases around one¡¯s body. He lifted his left eyebrow and asked, a bit doubtful, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ because I say so.¡± Nala Loba smiled after touring her eyes around their sockets, searching for a reason before casually playing around, throwing him the bag. Fox looked at the Captain, a little bamboozled because of her, before pressing his lips together. The boss said it, since it was so, he wore it. Fox asked as he had the somewhat dizzying, strange notion of the truck moving and getting closer to a surface. ¡°You know my smell, the noise, and my footsteps can read the surroundings, right? I was trained in PSD, after all, after Riverlye.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Fox only heard a small hum before silence engulfed the truck, except for the gurgling water. And mechanisms working on and grabbing onto the truck from the sides. Rather large contraptions to either hold it in the air or just to be put. ¡°Aren¡¯t we-¡± Fox felt the passage of time extend a bit too much without moving and nobody saying a thing. He lifted his right hand to the door¡¯s handle, but a hand grabbed his wrist, stopping it from exerting force and pulling the handle, with Nala Loba¡¯s voice echoing rather close to his head. ¡°No movement. This ¡®thing¡¯ operates secretly, don¡¯t you think there¡¯s a reason it can¡¯t be detected yet? We wait until we¡¯ve arrived at a dock before anything.¡± Her voice was really close, and if there were lights, which weren¡¯t, even though they were inside the massive submarine now, Fox would¡¯ve been able to distinguish it through the tiniest gaps hidden to the naked eye. ¡°Say you understood,¡± her voice sounded again, so close that her breath landed on the bag, further pushed to the left of his chin. She was serious and not playing around, cold and indifferent, but the sensation she gave Fox was an itch but not an itch on his left jugular, turning him slightly crazy. ¡°I understood,¡± Fox said without moving his body, with a tranquil tone. He could swear he felt her move her head, nodding, accompanied by some water movement, before her presence disappeared from such a nearby distance. He didn¡¯t hear the water move as she retreated, but he felt she was already properly sitting back on her seat. Fox released a heavy sigh in his mind before relaxing, meditating on his breath. ¡­ About an hour later, Fox felt the truck re-enter the water as the contraptions let go of it. The sensation was similar to when the truck drove into the water before, but much more instantaneous. The bag on his head was taken off by Nala Loba, who didn¡¯t give him more glances and just stared ahead. Fox¡¯s narrowed eyes immediately became used to the morning light of the first hours as the submarine brought the truck onwards. When nearing a berth, the submarine stopped the truck and went under it, propelling it with its arms into the allotted site, even extending them further without losing maneuverability nor power. At last, the truck park-docked into the site, with a machine lowering a limb to securely grab it and move it unto a flat surface. Fox felt the fall of the truck¡¯s wheels on the ground like a sudden headache being relieved. He took a breath to tranquilize before the truck¡¯s doors opened on their own and the metallic plates on the windows slid back down with ease. Fox came out of the truck, feeling the morning¡¯s coldness rush at them. Being far from an official city, with this place looking but like a town with a simple shipyard for fishing, and the few quays here and there, which seemed to be made for the wealthy. At once, Fox felt instantly relaxed. His lungs breathed without obstruction, his skin palpitated, and his nose flared smoothly as his stomach inflated and deflated in comfort. ¡®Ah.¡¯ Fox opened his eyes in alarm when he remembered something. Looking down at his clothes, he checked the red panting to see if it was still there. Fox felt at ease when he saw the patterns were still there, although he couldn¡¯t confirm for his face and neck. ¡°Now you care?¡± Hearing Nala Loba¡¯s timely remark from the side, he looked towards her, not having something to explain himself with, or just say. On the other hand, she smirked from the left corner of her mouth, hooking her lips a little downwards before staring ahead, ignoring him. Fox stared in the same direction after a few, no, several seconds. He didn¡¯t know if his staring was too obvious, he just liked looking at her, it felt as nice as breathing, just like now. ¡®Well, that was enjoyable.¡¯ Indeed, it was. The cold morning and the water falling from his body, keeping it wet as the breeze hit his skin and clothes. Fox even took his gloves off, just wanting to feel the air and the extra sharp of coldness from the wind against his wet hands. So relaxing¡­ ¡°Your WID is ¡®ringing¡¯.¡± Nala Loba voiced. Fox sobered from the reverie and took his personal window out of the left side of his belly. Looking down at it, Fox frowned before relaxing his eyebrows. He spoke in a simple manner, ¡°It¡¯s the District, I have a new mission to prepare in 2 days. Babysitting a celebrity.¡± ¡°Huh? Is she that famous and pretty?¡± Nala Loba asked with a thin frown of her brows. Fox cocked his head to the right. That¡¯s right, only certain people would not just hire them, but know about the Piya Sanctum District. Fox looked at some information, not showing it on the hologram towards her, and despite its quality, he nodded, puckering his lower lip, ¡°She is, pu.¡± Nala Loba¡¯s indifferent cold eyes, slightly narrowed, relaxed when he yet again made a sound from his lips. She didn¡¯t know why, but she just looked at them. Fox looked at her, to which Nala Loba seemed to wake up. Returning her face to ignore him and stare ahead with smoothness, she commented, ¡°Well, that¡¯s your task. It¡¯s possible to gain lots of money depending on what happens during those missions, congratulations.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox wasn¡¯t dumb. He was either warned or treated like a manwhore just now. He shook his head a little, wondering what the pay would be like here instead, and continued enjoying the coldness. Then, a military officer, well over his 90s at least, walked to them. The team congregated at the side behind her, but they didn¡¯t move towards Fox, while Nala Loba walked to the military officer. Before greeting her, the military officer looked at Fox, startled a bit, but barely showing it. Then, he nodded to Nala Loba, who just put her left hand on her hip. ¡°With this much extra, how much will our extra be?¡± She asked. The military officer nodded again, saying with a neutral-stern expression, ¡°It¡¯s a lot. We already identified some of the gold, it should belong to some K Tribes nations.¡± ¡°Uhuh, exactly what the silver wanted. So, how much extra?¡± Nala Loba dismissively nodded, not caring about the morality of the situation, and asking for the total money. The military officer blinked, opened his mouth to breathe in, and moved his chin a bit, clearly uncomfortable. Under Nala Loba¡¯s waiting attitude, he could only say, giving in, ¡°I think 1 mil per head is admissible. But that little rat can¡¯t get-¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°6 mil extra to 6 heads, got it. Got it?¡± Nala Loba looked at the military officer still. She was slightly shorter, but he was still shorter than Fox. The military officer looked to the side before nodding with narrowed, heavy eyes. Her firm stance and solid attitude reigned victorious before Nala Loba looked at him and nodded towards him upwards. Fox returned the gesture with a little nod before walking to them. Nala Loba turned to him, while the team looked at him from behind her. She raised her voice, speaking as always, indifferent, cold, and aloof. ¡°Fox, your performance was satisfactory. There¡¯s not much to say. Keep your WID in check, we might invite you again. Maybe for less energetic ¡®situations¡¯, but for a good pay, if you¡¯re willing to risk national conflict, that is.¡± Fox looked at her, then at the team, and then at Nala Loba again before speaking without thinking, shaking his head, all so smoothly. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m more than sure.¡± ¡°Hmph~,¡± Nala Loba lifted her chin and harrumphed through her nostrils from her throat. She seemed in a good mood, if even just a tiny bit. Now, it was time to leave, to return to Proteros and keep living their daily life. *** Proteros, late morning, just a few minutes before the daily meeting with his cabinet, even in the weekends. Luis was alone at his office, finishing some important documents he started going through since the early morning. He didn¡¯t know why, or at least liked to think so, but he couldn¡¯t be at ease lately. Only by starting the day by ¡®overworking¡¯ since the early morning until the daily meeting put him at rest. On this moment, from a pile of ¡®pages¡¯ a secretary brought just a quarter of an hour ago, Luis grabbed one of the new pieces of information before jolting with a startle. He lowered the sheet and read it over and over again, jolting his neck backwards before shaking his head. *** Fox arrived at Proteros just at the first hour of the noon. He was brought to Proteros¡¯s airport with a private jet, also bringing the Captain¡¯s team with her. They didn¡¯t speak with Fox anymore, although they chatted among each other. It was clear a level of camaraderie had developed between them since who knew when. After silently bidding farewell, he directly went to his boutique, thanking Fabiola for taking a spare hour from her academy to open it early on. The youngsters were there, working and attending more clientele than usual. Fox greeted them silently before hiding in one of his caves in the back. At last, Fox returned to his lavish, costly suite. Although he didn¡¯t need one, not utmost necessarily, Fox took a shower. It was a bit lukewarm leaning towards the cold side at first, before adjusting it to slightly warm. It felt fantastic, perfect. Fox had a nice time showering, cleaning his skin even more times than he counted. Using more water than expected wouldn¡¯t cost him more in this already hefty price of 10k a night. Fox exited the showed feeling great. He dried his body before wrapping a towel around his waist, leaving another like a cape on his shoulders to feel more comfortable and cozy. Heading to the sofa, Fox scratched behind his ears and some spots near his nape. He was just 2 meters from the living room, a couple of steps below the rest of the floor, when he felt something. From the upper corners at the back of his head, Fox felt as if something was pulling the inside, from beneath his skull, of his brain, to the outside, spreading and stretching it. His feet suddenly didn¡¯t work well. Fox¡¯s left foot, which was just stepping forth, stopped and dashed to the right, tripping his right foot. His body slumped to the floor, falling on his left side, head knocking against it before his unfocused eyes regained clarity. However, as the pain was just leaving, trailing off with a sense of cold sweat and freshness behind, his chest sunk heavily before he started coughing. Fox didn¡¯t even feel his mouth opening, nor after, when he started barking harshly. Very few, but obvious, bits of blood were expelled from his mouth, coating some of his insides. ¡°KAF- cough, cough,cough- cough cough cough cough cough COU- CO- KAF KAF KAFF¡­!!¡± Fox¡¯s head returned to feeling that pain, but now extended across his forehead, further down his neck and vertebral column. Every cough thundered the pain again, with subsequent coughs worsening it time after time. Fox¡¯s eyes became bloody and sick, and the veins of his forehead bulged in no time, leaving his body and throat helpless to torment. An unknown amount of time later, Fox laid on the floor near the living room in a semi fetal position with his body bare. After realizing he wasn¡¯t coughing anymore, as he spent the last few periods of time not even feeling his body anymore, everything having grown numb, Fox struggled to stand back up again. His hunched back heavily and slowly, so slowly, moved to stand up. He grabbed a towel still in his grasp, bringing it with him, and dragging his heavy feet to slump backwards on a sofa. Fox stared at the ceiling. His eyes were bloody still, but not as terribly as before. His throat quaked, emitting a few coughs, somewhat impossible to stop, but similarly nothing like before. Staring up, Fox felt how his body regenerated despite the damage and who knew what else happened to his body. His polycoria eyes warped a little, as if his impenetrable black pools were balloons, pinched by someone¡¯s fingertips out of playfulness. His heart hurt, too. Fox lifted his left hand, making a weak, widespread grasp with his fingers above his heart. He let go of it, feeling not just a bit tired, but like he never ever wanted to move again, even live. ¡®What¡­ is happening to me?¡¯ Fox kept his eyes narrowed, resting, almost lifeless, staring into the ceiling. The results of his health were there, existent. But was it meant like this? To live up to 50, at best, like this? . . . Within the simple course of time, Fox continued his life, and 2 days went by. Now, Fox had made a contract with PSD to sell his basic and good quality bions. He would get all the money from them, except those whose complexity was far much more difficult than even the acclaimed complex bions. Not only because they were a headache to build, even for decades-old experienced crafters, but because their materials were also very rare. Most often than not, the more a special agent advanced in their use of tools, besides firearms, the greater the quality of the manufacturing and material becomes. The processes become complex and more complex. Adding the rarity of materials, or their cost, it made an already complicated situation into a heavily pressured matter. Fox could make these, but only after scheduling for their creation. It wasn¡¯t something complicated, and it took about the same time he needed to build as many bions as he could with the 3 months package in a day. But while these helped make a lot of money, the speed rate at which he could make other bions surpassed that of other crafters, ending up a little worse off. Either way, that would now gain him a bit of reputation each time. Little by little, he would be known to craft those babies, and should any Blood, team, or the District itself want to mass-order any of these, he would be in the list. That was at least one of his plans to get rich, and so on. He still had just a bit below 3 months worth of ¡®free¡¯ bions components, parts, and the like, adding the firearms parts to build some himself, and ammunition. The boutique flourished a bit more, putting a pleasant, proud expression on Fabiola¡¯s face, and a good notion in Fox¡¯s heart. He was present in the boutique for the following days without error. His condition flared up, that was the best outcome Fox could come out with, and the state in which it could be described. But in the next 2 days, like before, Fox was as usual and didn¡¯t show any signs of sickness. If anything, his light brown skin seemed a little pale with the ¡®right¡¯ angle and light, which he noticed when standing in front of a mirror. Fox closed the boutique with Fabiola, who brought him a large cup of tea. It was still warm and smelled good. He turned around and faced the ¡®nightness¡¯ of the city before telling Fabiola, ¡°Tomorrow, I will be unavailable for the whole day starting from the mid-morning.¡± ¡°Oh, another one of- err, you know what I mean?¡± Fabiola slurped her coffee with a straw, the psycho, before correcting herself midway through her words. Fox looked down at her, noticing her ¡®understanding¡¯ progress before nodding. Since it wasn¡¯t going to be a secret from tomorrow onwards, Fox nodded and grabbed his phone from the space between his right hip and pants, ¡°I¡¯ll be in charge of a ¡®baby celebrity¡¯ for 2 weeks or so. I get handsomely paid each day.¡± ¡°Oooh! Who is it?¡± Fabiola¡¯s eyes sparkled. Fox remembered a few things of his new client and smirked. Seeing him not answer to her justified demands, Fabiola pouted a bit and furrowed her slender eyebrows, ¡°Oiii! Gasp! Wait¡­ could it be-¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know tomorrow anyways,¡± Fox palmed her nose carefully, smirking a bit as he let the lass guess or not who it might be. Fabiola jumped on the spot, following him for a bit as he walked to the stop bus, ¡°Oh, come on, come on~! I think I know who it is. Hey! Can you get me an autograph? Pleeeeeaaase? Help me meet her, too. Can¡¯t you? After all we¡¯ve been through?¡± Fabiola was no brand-new girl in this world. She started using puppy eyes and an adorable, not high-pitched voice to implore. But Fox was no newbie dealing with this side of his. He clouded his processing of the exterior world and continued walking, shaking his head in a firm stance. ¡­ After seeing Fabiola off in a bus, with a police element throwing him a begrudging glare, Fox went to the Plastics Recycler Factory. He was paid 1.2 million credits for the ¡®heist¡¯ back then. After debating for long and heatedly with his inner self, he decided to use 800,000 to begin repairing his baby. When he walked into the HQ, he found a cute young woman with her face covered with stitches. However, they made her look a bit more attractive, gaining a teasing smile from Fox. With that smile, Mena seemed to notice him. She looked towards him before lowering her face. She didn¡¯t wait for Fox to come and lower her older sister status, saying, ¡°For your information, you will be thankful for me in the future. So, if you plan to say something or do something right now, I¡¯ll just let you know who you messin¡¯ with, boy.¡± ¡°Aish, I was just going to say you look pretty, pretty sister.¡± Fox walked to the counter, stood before her, and smiled a bit. Mena made a disgusted, exaggerated face and countered, ¡°Aj¨¢, and Loba is a demon with ugly horns, ugly tail, and smells bad, doesn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡± Fox was baffled. Mena smiled victoriously, just what she wanted¡­ needed. ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t those 3 yappers, then the few soldiers and the officer who wouldn¡¯t stop complaining about you would have been enough to let a few in the District know, hehehehehe¡­¡± Mena had her long, arduous, to Fox only, and contented giggling for almost half a minute. After she was done, still laughing and holding giggles back, which Fox could only allow for she was the ¡®bigger sister¡¯, she made an attempt to stop. ¡°So, what did you come here for? Other than make money with your bions?¡± ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: Fox never stopped making ''pu'' sounds. Just a reminder; note reminder. Chapter 108 — She Is Back She Is Back ¡°I was hoping your marvelous self could help me look for a workshop where I can begin repairing my baby. Do you have any recommendations?¡± Fox asked Mena. She lifted her eyebrows a bit, ¡°You''re getting that thing fixed? Good, gimme some rides when it''s good again, aight? Well, let me just check for you, Fox.¡± Mena turned to her screen and tapped the desktop. After a while, with Fox reading about his future plans in his phone, she looked at him and voiced a delicate ¡®mhm¡¯ before saying, ¡°I got some. There are 4 possible choices, 2 out of Proteros, and 2 here.¡± ¡°One of them belongs to a corporate. Not good deals with ¡®the common folk¡¯, but all rich clients leave satisfied. This one is in decline, and it seems they use underhanded methods to keep customers returning, male or female. The other is a place I know, and most agents who own a baby they cherish, like you.¡± ¡°Alright, where is it?¡± Fox understandingly nodded. Mena smiled before showing a smaller screen to him from below the counter. Pouting as she showed him the map, she then said, ¡°This workshop knows a little what they¡¯ve gotten into, but they¡¯ve stopped hearing from ¡®floor charge¡¯ individuals and bigger business trying to push them away from their zone.¡± ¡°So, they comply and even give us satisfactory discounts. I recommend you go there. Oh, and don¡¯t say anything that might show how little you care about Lys or Lymoca. Have some respect. Okay then, now, you¡¯ll keep your end of the deal, right?¡± Mena finished, looking at Fox after lowering her head, eyes upturned, and a malevolent older sister smile plastered on her face. ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Fox nodded a few times, closing his eyes in acquiescence. ¡°I will behave. Please tell me if anything happens to those other businesses. Oh, and, Mena.¡± ¡°Mm?¡± Mena, who was already contented of abusing her mighty power and felt relaxed, besides a bit painful from her injuries, looked at Fox from glaring at her screen. Fox blinked his polycoria eyes, ¡°If you ever want to pass by my boutique, know you can have some leverage. There are many things you¡¯d look good on.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mena stared at Fox back as he departed. She blinked several times in a row before whispering in a sweet voice, knowing he¡¯d hear her still. ¡°That was so sweet, Fox~. Thank you, oww. Wish you many good lucks.¡± Fox took a bus and a 15-minute walk to the workshop he saw in the smaller screen. He didn¡¯t have a method to bring his Myertha, and the world wouldn¡¯t just give him everything he needed for no reason or logic. Thus, he walked into the place. It was a bit of a wide, mostly long workshop where Fox could already see a dozen cars stationed. More than half were old and needed a wash inside out, and perhaps remodeling. Only a few seemed to be decent, elegant, or simply costly. As soon as he stepped in, he felt his feet ¡®wave¡¯ through. Fox looked down and noticed it was a good place to put sensors on. Just a few seconds later, someone came from a door to his left, slightly further ahead, looking for someone nearby, before finding him at the entrance. ¡°Oh, hi. You can step away from the entrance, there¡¯s a sensor there,¡± the young man pointed at the ground. Fox looked at him before nodding, stepping inside with ease. The young man was an ordinary one, with a face that didn¡¯t say much, and a somewhat stout appearance, but a little taller than that. He had short hair and a pair of readied eyes, untouched by the restlessness of not sleeping at these hours. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Mau¡­ oh shit, you¡¯re him.¡± The young man extended his hand. Fox shook it with his right gloved hand, when the young man realized who he was. Fox waited there to see what would happen next, but the young man only stared at him in wonderment. ¡°Will that be a problem?¡± Fox asked, as polite as he could. The young man blinked slowly before shaking his head, wording, ¡°Not with me. Mierda. I just never thought¡­ I¡¯d get to see you. Well¡­ what is the thing you came to repair?¡± ¡°¡­ Do you only get repair orders from others?¡± Fox looked at the young man, slightly lifted his chin, and asked. The latter nodded, cocking his head with his lower lip out, ¡°If I wanted to make things they¡¯d paid me much more for, and I¡¯d want to do, I¡¯d need many tests and connections I don¡¯t have. PSD cannot intervene with my matters, so I¡¯m ¡®stuck¡¯ here.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Fox blew from his nostrils. Indeed, he was trapped doing millions every now and then. The young man saw Fox understood him and grinned. Then, he pointed behind Fox, ¡°Is that what you want me to take a look at?¡± Fox tilted his head to the left in confusion before looking behind. There, he saw a guy with white painting on his face, a bored, deadpan expression, driving a trailer with a thrashed Myertha on the back of the trailer he drove. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Fox expressed agreement. The young man nodded and went to the other special agent to give indications. After 20 seconds, they unloaded his Myertha as delicately as possible. Crash~! Fox watched his Myertha fall on the ground, standing on its wheels, and looking at him pitifully. He felt pained, ¡®Sigh¡­ we¡¯ve been apart from each other for so long, I know. I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t pick you earlier¡­ I only have you.¡¯ As the trailed retreated, with the other special agent nodding at Fox, he and the young man walked to the poor bike. The young man cocked his head before exclaiming, ¡°Phew, I never thought I¡¯d see one so soon. I think this is a good first time and the worst night I¡¯ll have in a while.¡± ¡°Mm, what can you tell me about my Myertha?¡± Fox crossed his arms with a nod, staring at his baby with empty eyes, inquiring. The mechanic looked at him and nodded a few times in a row. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sure you guys would know what you¡¯re getting into before being sent here. Tell you what, I can give this delicate treasure its first patches and stitches for 600 big credits.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Fox tilted his head, lifted his eyebrows, and stared at the mechanic with eyes that said many good words without opening his mouth. ¡°Haha, I know that look. Yeah. I¡¯m not big on getting money, especially when I can keep a steady income for a prolonged time of my life. Do you have anything you¡¯d like to offer? I take it you¡¯re okay with the 600,000?¡± The mechanic added, spreading his arms and hands, feeling at ease. Fox looked at the mechanic, and then at his workshop. Trying to decide and think of something, he finally spoke, ¡°I will, yes, take that offer. What can you do if I want as many reparations as possible? To at least take it out for a ride. It¡¯s good as long as it can move again. I want to feel her.¡± ¡°Mm, I sense some nostalgic romanticism there. Good, I like it!¡± The mechanic pointed at Fox with knowing eyes. Then, he clapped his hands, and after ponder for a few seconds, he said, ¡°I cannot offer you much just like that. With the first fix done, she can get better with light maintenance every few weeks, but never a month.¡± ¡°If we add another 1.5 million, I can get her to start making noise on the streets,¡± the mechanic talked business coarsely and shortly, but efficiently. Fox moved his neck a little before resting in its neutral position. ¡°How about this.¡± After getting the mechanic¡¯s attention, Fox began gesturing around the workshop a little, and spoke passionately about his Myertha¡¯s ¡®recuperation¡¯. ¡°I know these prices are low for you, and more good for me. But I want to ride her as soon as possible. Your place uses a sensor to avoid anyone trying to get in, even at the walls and ceiling. I guess that¡¯s PSD¡¯s extra commitment and rewarding you for your service.¡± ¡°What I can do for you, if you¡¯ll let me complete those 2.1 million credits at the end of the month, is fix your sensors. These do not show you the standing point of those who walk towards or after the sensors, and when someone remains on them, the detection systems can¡¯t show you that, do they?¡± Fox was only beginning, but the mechanic went from slightly shaking his head to listening with undivided attention. ¡°They¡¯ll tell you everything, from the weight, shoe, feet size, their pace, calculating their age, and the trajectory they came from as well as the one they took once going past it. All in real time. It won¡¯t make beeping noises underground nor at your security room, and it won¡¯t give off as many undulations, but sensitive agents would still notice them if they are careful.¡± ¡°Yeah, alright. I get that. I¡¯d like to ask you something while we speak,¡± the mechanic said, nodding as he walked around the Myertha. He pointed to a few open holes in the corners of the spot around the bike, ¡°Could you help me move those ¡®incubators¡¯ into your Myertha¡¯s feeding systems, wheels opening lids, and to the engine? It¡¯s procedure. All about that consenting when dealing with someone else¡¯s vehicle. Like condoms, for our protection.¡± Fox didn¡¯t react to the joke and looked at the so-called incubators. They were tubes hidden in holes a few inches below the surface. Fox had to extend his hands inside before being able to pull one out. He grabbed around their mouths and placed them around their respective parts, whichever was closer to the Myertha¡¯s respective structure.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. While Fox worked it, the mechanic looked at his work and nodded. He didn¡¯t plan on recruiting Fox, knowing well what kind of life these special agents had, more or less. The mechanic raised his voice in the meantime, ¡°So, about your status in that PSD. You work with the president, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Uhm, something¡­ similar. It¡¯s more that I¡¯m working for him.¡± Fox stopped for a moment to clarify. The mechanic nodded again, expressing as he walked around, ¡°In fewer words, you¡¯re with the Lys. So, you might influence in his upcoming¡­ I don¡¯t know, schedule, right?¡± ¡° ¡­¡± Fox stood without moving, holding the last incubator, and looked at the mechanic before going straight to the point. ¡°What is it you¡¯d like to tell me?¡± ¡°That day, you saved the vice president. You know, she is not only a beautiful lady, she has worked multiple projects and programs in the states she¡¯s been governor of. All humane oriented. Not many, but a few, and she¡¯s just making it to her 30s. She¡¯s an amazing leader, not like that president nobody gives a shit for.¡± The mechanic spoke with praises before turning all hateful. ¡°Why so much hate for the president?¡± Fox smirked as he said this, placing the last incubator. The mechanic sprung to action and checked the little panels of the tubes facing the ceiling or sliding them to do so. ¡°Hate? It¡¯s more than that, you know?¡± He responded. Fox crossed his arms and questioned, becoming interested somewhat. ¡°What is it exactly? Or is it just the custom nowadays? The more I study of politics, the more I learn everyone detests their leaders overall, with a minority liking them, and an even smaller portion going against them¡­ in the best scenarios.¡± ¡°Yeah, just one second,¡± the mechanic stood up and went to grab a large toolbox, whose length extended from his hand to the floor as he stood up, dragging its small wheels. Then, mulling over it, the mechanic stopped, as if paralyzed. Fox waited. After a while, with the mechanic showed traces of distrust, annoyance, disappointment, and feeling idiotic crossing his facial expressions. ¡°It isn¡¯t only because of one thing, or two. Even though he has pushed forth that brand-new reform, it makes up for nothing.¡± The mechanic said, which Fox felt the need to complement, ¡°One that will benefit certain people of Lymoca, and right away.¡± ¡°Heh, yeah,¡± the mechanic scoffed a little. Fox listened patiently as the mechanic calmly ranted, ¡°It¡¯ll be of help for those hundreds you killed when saving her, the families whose family members you killed will have ways to grieve, however that must be. As humanely as possible. It will help hundreds right away, and in decades to come, it will reward another few hundreds.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox didn¡¯t feel insulted. He looked at the mechanic who walked a little closer but was stopped by his question. ¡°What would it take for you to change your views on the president?¡± He mulled over it again. But this time, the mechanic looked¡­ just pained. ¡°It¡¯s not what he¡¯s done to the country, or even us, you know? It¡¯s just¡­ he betrayed all of us.¡± His lips pressed tightly after every sentence, ¡°He promised so much during his first campaign, and the welcoming of a new era, those things, you know¡­¡± ¡°But, man, it has been 12 years, well, almost. It¡¯s been 11 years, but how are things going? Anyone going out can see some cheap prices just went up double or past 12 credits for no reason! There isn¡¯t even inflation, and the world is peaceful. Preut¡¯s civil war even granted Lymoca some ¡®acclaimed¡¯ inversions, and hell knows what they¡¯ll do with our territory.¡± The mechanic¡¯s despise for all of Lymoca¡¯s turbulent steps on the path ahead of the world wasn¡¯t hidden in the slightest. He went on, not stopping, ¡°I know that look, but try telling those close to you that they can stop worrying about food and studies with the millions you make sometimes. It doesn¡¯t seem that easy, right?¡± With his arms crossed, Fox cocked his head to the right, lifting his left eyebrow. Indeed, it was easy to understand. The mechanic continued, ¡°Of the things he promised first, not even a third have been completed after a decade! There¡¯s been 2 attempts at innocents, people who are simply better than him, that could easily replace that repugnant president and bring Lymoca to that promised ¡®paradisaical era¡¯.¡± ¡°So, your answer is?¡± Fox impassively asked from the side. The mechanic lifted his eyes. He found a pair of polycoria eyes that still made his skin feel like endless invisible bugs crawled on and beneath it. ¡°I guess just show us he can atone for his faults. It¡¯s not something like that would be the start of things¡­ but that would¡­ make me want to know what a person who has betrayed me once could do it twice, could do with. That¡¯d be his last chance, though. For example, if a big issue was to disappear, like the organized crime, yeah, that would be a start.¡± ¡°Pfft, that- you are indeed asking for something.¡± Fox almost burst out laughing. ¡°It¡¯s only fitting,¡± the mechanic nodded with a frown before getting to dismantle the Myertha. Even Fox knew his baby had to go through cleaning and repairing from the deep inside. If a monstrosity like this one could get fixed after being thrashed about without thorough planning, then any other vehicle could be spit on, spread thorough, and be fine in an hour or a day. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll also see if something can be said to let that president show something or not,¡± Fox walked forth with crossed arms, tilting his head to the right. The mechanic slowly lifted his gaze, rotating it to the right. His eyes seemed to ask, ¡®really?¡¯. ¡°Now, about a full repair¡­ shall we talk about it? Oh, I also don¡¯t know about the prices. Are they really skyrocketing for no reason?¡± Fox asked this more confidently. He frowned a bit, and seeing the intention he had, the mechanic nodded before starting to explain. ¡­ For another 2 hours, as Fox came to terms to have his Myertha fixed through struggles and hassles, they negotiated the price and time for repairing the Myertha and paying for it respectively. Fox checked the sensors once things were cleared up. He had until the end of this month to pay the 2.1 million, leaving a deposit of 600,000, and him back to 1.2 million credits. Of course, the period could be extended for a few days in case some delay in payments occurred, although the mechanic didn¡¯t know Fox¡¯s money didn¡¯t come from legal or usual means. After giving the sensors a few rebooting commands to begin the ¡®fixing¡¯, and then leaving it how it was while ¡®saving¡¯ a new configuration in another hard drive Fox had the mechanic buy, he left. The first lights of the morning would soon fall from the sky, and he had to be at someone¡¯s place early to begin his continuous assignation. He went to his apartment, grabbed the least elegant and tight suit he could find, and left after showering twice. He got a bit dirty working with that workshop¡¯s sensors, after all. Fox took a taxi, paid by the PSD, and arrived before a rather lavish apartment. There was one problem though. As soon as he arrived, even though he was 3 streets away, at a double directional road that led to other rich parts of the district. Some of the hundreds and hundreds of news anchors, all ¡®humanely parked¡¯ on the street near the sidewalk, looked at him. ¡®How acute they can be. For ordinary people.¡¯ Fox reprimanded their senses, as little by little, they turned around and flashed their cameras and the like towards him. Fox didn¡¯t hesitate to take the glasses the PSD got him, immediately feeling the incoming flashes lose their annoying, irritating property. They were still easily discernible for his trained eye, but now became like trying to see rain when looking at a light blue sky. Flash, flash, flash, flash! Accompanying the incessant flashes were the reporters and paparazzi never-ending questioning. ¡°Aren¡¯t you Phesx Caolia?! What are you doing here?¡± - ¡°Could you be miss Selena¡¯s new bodyguard?¡± - ¡°What is it like working for the president? Is he as heinous as they say?!¡± ¡®Step by step¡­¡¯ Step by step, Fox ignored every pesky voice and retarded words, even asking him if he was his client¡¯s boyfriend, lover, husband, or father of some hidden babies. He walked forth with calm, not looking back. He ignored them, not offering them a photo from up front after passing past them. Within a few seconds, half of Lymoca¡¯s sensationalist news and gossip consumers knew about his new sighting. Things like ¡®the monster has shown up again!¡¯, ¡®unpredictable! Is the government in cahoots with multi-talented celebrity, Selina?¡¯, and even ¡®everyone should stay away from her and that sanguinary kid, experts say¡¯ articles popped everywhere. Meanwhile, Fox walked the several steps from the only usable staircase, as the others at the sides led to nowhere and started on random platforms beside him. They were all ornamental, and in Fox¡¯s mind, pretty ugly. He slid a large card on the single door¡¯s mechanism. It unlocked with a beep and a white light flashing gently. Fox opened it and went inside, leaving the oh so irritating noise behind, outside the building. He enjoyed the sudden silence. Looking to the left were the receptionists of the building, all looking back at him with smiles after getting the idea of servicing him right. One of them talked to the phone after confirming his appearance. Fox walked to him. When Fox neared his counter, he smiled, took a humble servant¡¯s stance, and started, ¡°Welcome, Mr. Fox. Miss Selena is waiting for you in her bedroom.¡± Fox gave the guy a look before nodding a few times, just a bit. Saying nothing, the receptionist was left feeling awkward as Fox returned to the foyer and went up the stairs that were in front of the single door. Going up a few floors, Fox entered the bedroom that the pieces of information the District sent him, which matched with the card he used. It was a luxurious hotel, but quite humble regarding size. Practically made for individuals who either want to be alone and be called self-made something or want to commit adultery. With a simple slide, the card opened the door, letting Fox inside an even more luxurious surroundings than in the hallways. Bright, yellow lights were everywhere, but hundreds of times more comfortable and serene than the reporters¡¯ flashes outside. Walking inside, Fox closed the door, ensuring it wasn¡¯t broken or touched. Then, he walked further in with his pitch-black, loose bodyguard suit, but he found nobody. He heard a few echoes from a rather large bathroom, with the scent of a delicate female recently showered. No water was running, so Fox knocked on the door to one of the bathrooms in the room. Knock, knock¡­ tap, tap¡­ knock, tap tap tap tap¡­ knock, knock, knock, tap, tap, tap¡­ ¡°Come on in,¡± a clear voice spoke after Fox received no answer through numerous attempts to call the person on the other side to no avail. At last, he was answered, but he frowned. Fox could feel there was something going on. Regardless, naked beauties didn¡¯t scare him, unless they didn¡¯t hold a gun or knife at him. Fox opened the door, only to see a marvelous beauty with a rather exquisite, small, fair, slightly pointy upwards nose sitting before a mirror, watching herself. She was combing her hair with her fingers, turning to Fox when he opened the door without entering. First with her head, then her body. And then, she spread her legs. Only wearing a towel, she exposed the unthinkable. At least it looked quite neat. Fox¡¯s eyes blinked. ¡­ Chapter 109 — One After Another One After Another Fox gave the grassless garden a glance before looking up at the beauty, who shortly after closed them and stood up. Her tower, however well wrapped around her torso, smoothly fell to the floor as she stepped towards him. Then, the beauty fully revealed herself to a Fox who still held the doorknob and didn''t move, or rather, charge towards her. A young woman, maybe 12 years older than Fox, still in her prime, with bright white skin, Dawn aesthetics, long jet black hair and pure black eyes. She was a bit tall, albeit short when in front of Fox. That only further excited her, smiling as she lifted her hands towards his shoulders. This was miss Selena, the celebrity Fox was to bodyguard from now on. Although only today would he attend to her from early morning to night, she was his new client, and from the looks of it, new lover. ¡°Mfh, ah. Mr. Fox, you do seem worthy of certain praises,¡± the beauty landed her hands on his shoulders before directly pushing her semi wet body against his torso. Her eyes narrowed seductively, looking up in search for a pair of lips. In the next moment, she felt his hands land below her armpits, making her body slightly shudder, but in another, she was pushed a few steps away with her body sore under her armpits, above her chest. Backtracking, she looked up at him and covered her breasts, but not her mound of venus. ¡°Miss, ascertain yourself. I am Fox, your new bodyguard, this is my new job; to protect you and see your performance and mental/body health is at an above standard value. Nothing else,¡± Fox looked at her before turning his head behind him, where her matrimonial bed had clothes atop. He walked to it and grabbed them before entering the bathroom. Selena looked at him do all this before lightly pushing her back onto her chair, even crouching to grab her towel and handing it to her. Then, Fox checked around the steamy bathroom before disconnecting a few devices, finally leaving with them after dropping her clothes on her lap. ¡°Call me if you need anything, I¡¯ll be outside waiting.¡± Fox said before closing the door when turning around. Selena sat on her chair, feeling clothed and covered, perhaps like never before. She couldn¡¯t help but recall the squirming movements Fox did after pushing her away, as if he just got covered in feces. Not knowing if to feel ashamed or insulted, she prepared herself. ¡­Creak. After more than half an hour, taking a toll on her mentality before glossing her bare beauty up, Selena opened the door of her bathroom and walked out of it. There was no longer as much steam inside, as she closed the door and looked at him, sitting on her bed. Fox rested his right leg on his other knee, supporting his chin with his right fist, and looked at her. He seemed to have been waiting for her to come out, as he kept the position even after she showed up. Then, before she could speak in her defense, Fox uttered, ¡°To entice someone, maybe don¡¯t try methods that¡¯d make any old man or woman glad to take the chance.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Regardless of how she felt before, Selena now felt insulted, but Fox continued. ¡°And if you look to have that fun, be it with someone you want to. With me, you¡¯ll stop seeing others if they ask you, buy you, entice you, or make you submit.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Selena was awestruck. This time, she looked up at Fox, having lowered her head like a little girl being reprimanded. She felt¡­ different. Fox stood up from the bed and walked to her. Despite having just showered and being somewhat vulnerable, at least from her state of mind, Selena serenely looked up at him without feeling afraid. ¡°Just¡­ just one thing. I¡¯d like to ask something,¡± Selena waited for a few good moments before opening her lips. Fox nodded. She bit her lips before asking out loud, ¡°Is there not a trace of likeness from you towards me? Am I not beautiful to you?¡± ¡°¡­ No, you¡¯re beautiful.¡± Fox blinked in silence before bluntly stating. Selena smirked herself to comfort, lowering her gaze. She blushed a little, took a deep breath, and walked around her room after exclaiming, ¡°Okay!¡± Fox looked at Selena, who seemed to gain spirit, moving around with her ordinary, casual clothes that looked a bit too much elegant with her figure, exquisite features, and youthfulness. He opened his mouth after thinking a few things, ¡°When was the last time you had contact with your parents? Do they know of you? Of the possible incidents?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Selena stopped, grabbing 2 bags, one small and the other regular, before looking at Fox, feeling a bit startled. She made a slight hook of the left corner of her long, enchanting lips, ¡°You investigated enough to¡­ what, maybe suspect my extracurricular activities, but not my family?¡± ¡°I refrained from doing so,¡± Fox commented, not taken aback by her clever remark. She opened her eyes wide, relaxing her jaw. Then, Selena¡¯s lips twitched before moving, ¡°How so? Thanks, many others don¡¯t seem to care¡­. What would you like to know?¡± Fox nodded at her comment before giving out his thoughts, ¡°I think miss should see to have her family watch her work. Maybe in some public demonstrations, where they can sit along a crowd. Take time, perhaps not soon enough, but you may want to include them in a few weeks or so. When you feel¡­ ¡®clean¡¯, or more likely to enjoy being seen without shame.¡± ¡°Wow, Mr. Fox, you have a way for being direct.¡± Selena remarked after sobering up from his words. Then, she smirked, and neither denying nor agreeing, she pointed towards the door. ¡°Shall we?¡± Fox nodded and went over. Just before opening the door for her, carrying a few other non-fashionable bags she just packed, he turned his head to her and said, ¡°Just Fox is fine.¡± . . . The first day working under a celebrity was filled with eye-rolling for Fox, but it wasn¡¯t taxing. If anything, it was like staying in the boutique during his free time, albeit he had to move around a lot. It wasn¡¯t a problem for Fox, as he didn¡¯t mind walking to do things instead of just wasting time. Many cameras, albeit less than a third, turned to Fox instead of his client. When miss Selena presented herself to a radio station where she would undergo an interview, the people in charge actually came out, which Selena told him rarely happened in public. Fox could smear the nervousness and fear from their very eyes. After introductions and pleasantries, Selena was invited to the booth. However, being as tall as a towering mountain to instill fear, and the tiger hiding within it to make them feel compelled to his ¡®intervention¡¯, Fox ¡®forced¡¯ his way to enter the booth as well. With just these first few hours ¡®working¡¯, Fox gained a pair of dependent eyes looking at him pitifully. That of which, albeit concealed, were pretty obvious and not new to Fox. In the booth, the voices from the station focused all on Selena, trying to forget the big bad murderer who stood beside them like an unmoving mountain. But after a while, way before half the interview transpired, the situation turned towards ¡®Selena¡¯s bodyguard¡¯ and not much else. While a bit despondent, she remained polite, and whenever she seemed about to fall apart, she looked at Fox. He looked at her in tranquility, seemingly transmitting it to her. When the interview ended, and they were no longer on air, the farewells began. Selena was invited to attend a private meeting with the voices of the radio, which is for just a few people, well knowing she had an appointment elsewhere a couple of hours later. But Fox intervened, claiming she had to prepare for the next appointment soon. Lying through his teeth, Fox walked out of the radio a minute later. Who the fuck would dare to say no to his lies? Yet, even though Fox now knew not only the power of reputation, but that of a big bad boy like him. He didn¡¯t care about it, nor did he think of planning to do more crazy stuff. Fox continued his first day without obstruction, bringing Selena away from the radio to a random restaurant, where nobody dared bother Selena once their ordered food arrived. This was, indeed, still Fox¡¯s reputation. But for the first time, she relaxed while still on a working day. From then on, be it showing up at well-known clothing businesses, such as companies, and even a few enterprises; other high-end restaurants, science/technology development studies, and the like. Fox brought the little celebrity, who depended on him a lot, to do her advertising everywhere she was supposed to. Additionally, on the first day still, Selena¡¯s agency called for the good efficiency of her work, and the ¡®new aura¡¯ she was praised with from every brand and contractor. However, Fox also heard from her phone of her manager berating her for refusing 3 private meetings in the latter half of the call. He spoke with innuendos and some ¡®keywords¡¯ before ending the call. Later that first day, when Fox returned her to her apartment. Just before leaving, he prohibited her from going to her agency, and much less having direct contact with his manager whenever he wasn¡¯t immediately next to her.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. With that, Fox left the still insecure young woman to fend the night for herself, and he returned to the boutique to check on things, where the youngsters remained to elaborate how the day went without him. It was all fine, except for a few individuals who seemed kin on asking about the boutique. Nothing else mattered. ¡­ Like this, Fox spent another 2 days. This time, and from then on, at least during the weekdays, Fox first went to open the boutique before going to Selena¡¯s apartment still in the morning to begin her day. She had a busy season this time, and perhaps even after the end of the year. It was unknown how long he¡¯d stay with her, but his first 3 days were paid 40k each. In the late evening of the 3rd day, after delivering Selena to her apartment, Fox took another bus and arrived at the workshop where his baby was being repaired. The mechanic had waited for him while working on the components of the Myertha, and wasn¡¯t alone anymore. He and another 5 worked the Myertha, but there was a ¡®naked¡¯ bike on the other side of the workshop, garnering Fox¡¯s attention after it reminded him of his baby. Walking to the mechanics, Fox talked to Mauricio, who began attending his Myertha at first. ¡°How is it?¡± Fox asked, feeling in a relaxed mood, soon to grow better. Mauricio slid out from under a machine holding a few pieces so that one could relax their neck, working like they were dealing with a car instead. Looking at him, Mauricio gestured to the prototype on the other side of the workshop, ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve arrived. Look, we¡¯ll soon finish the safety measures of your baby while the other parts arrive. See that one there? That¡¯s gonna be the new body of your Myertha, go try it. We still have time to change it, so we can adjust if you¡¯d like to change anything.¡± ¡°Take into mind it isn¡¯t a finished prototype, so some braking, countersteering, and speeding might be a bit tricky. You just ride with a mind to test how it feels, alright?¡± Mauricio added, giving him a couple of ultramodern keys, looking like diminutive data transfer devices. Fox nodded, saying nothing and giving the others a look. They used thick gauntlets that went up to 2 inches before their elbows, more or less made by design to be as efficient and the same as the rest. Some used intricate machinery, tools that looked quirky and a bit too big to hold, but that facilitated many steps into a single yet elongated process. Fox turned to the bike and headed towards it. Meanwhile, the other mechanics looked at Mauricio, exchanging eyes before smirking. It really was as Mau said, or so they thought. Arriving before the unfinished prototype, Fox could distinguish it only needed its covering material and one layer of paint before it could look like a proper bike. As for its properties, there did seem to lack a few things, but nothing that compared to the times he went to Preut and rode through uneven terrain everywhere. Without offering much word, Fox introduced the keys into its double-hole ignition switch. After triggering it, the bike immediately activated its lights, with a light hum echoing thorough, indicating it was waking up. Fox could tell it had some components inside still belonging to his Myertha, he smirked, caressing its back. ¡°Yeah, I can feel you.¡± Hopping onto it, he checked the wheel, the height, and the correlation from his butt to the handlebars, feeling a bit unsatisfied. Taking note in his mind, Fox drove it outside the workshop slowly. ¡°There he goes,¡± some mechanics paid attention to him leaving the workshop for a few moments before focusing solely on saving the beauty¡¯s life. There was hope still. ¡­ Fox rode the unfinished prototype and could immediately feel it was his Myertha, though incomplete, it was there. He rode slowly, passing by the streets around the workshop, planning on only moving a bit before returning. Yet, after 3 laps, Fox grew to like it. While some things were off his expectations, the rather silent sensation as it moved felt just right. Even when going past buffers, he felt pretty comfortable still. The bike was precise, and unless Fox was direct and exerted a reasonable amount of demanding force, the bike wouldn¡¯t move so easily. That meant, if it came down to it, in a road fight where Fox moved with his bike in the future, he wouldn¡¯t be too worried of other people¡¯s hands also riding bikes. Among other things, but that was the first thing that came to his mind. Who didn¡¯t want a loyal machine without conscience? Furthermore, this was the best thing one could imagine getting that couldn¡¯t compare to but was a decent enough compensation for mecha enjoyers. After trying it on the streets for 15 minutes, Fox went into a highway to circulate Proteros a bit. He sped up at last, although it took 5 seconds for it to start speeding up. Fox felt the harshness of wind on his face again and marveled. His back leaned, straight, and feeling cold; worked magic on his mental state, calming him down from things he didn¡¯t know he was irritated for, and in the future. It was that beneficial to him. A few minutes into the road, Fox felt a few other bikes come close to him. They approached him carefully, not intending to startle or bump into him. Doing so would easily mean at least another bike¡¯s terrible end. When Fox had enough ignoring them, turning to one of them, he saw a biker with helmet on make signs to him. Easily understanding their meaning, Fox felt like it and tried adjusting his unfinished prototype¡¯s speed, taking a bit more than he would when using any other bike. The others were patient, and once he aligned up with a few of them, with others a little behind or to the front, one of them lifted his visor and revealed his eyes, mouth, and nose. His helmet pressed around his chin and cheeks, keeping his mouth somewhat free from air currents. ¡°We see you, congratulations,¡± the man said, confusing Fox. He grinned upon seeing this, adding, ¡°We just wanted to let you know¡ª if there¡¯s people who don¡¯t like you, there must surely be those who do. We¡¯re just some of them. Also, what bike is this? Haha.¡± ¡°Prototype, for a Myertha.¡± Fox spoke slightly loudly. His broken, soft voice was heard well despite their situation. The man lifted his eyebrows as much as he could, tilting his head as little as he could, and commented, ¡°Alright. From all my guesses, I did not think it would be this.¡± Fox nodded a bit, continuing driving. He didn¡¯t feel intimidated, nor did they show signs of wanting to be. It also felt a bit¡­ nice, to have these bikers, with quite good quality albeit humble-looking bikes riding alongside him. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re moving to a motorway, maybe go outside the outskirts and spend some time in the rural. We¡¯d go back and forth in like 5 hours, if you wanna go. There¡¯s a large gas station on the way there, too.¡± The man proposed after a few seconds. Fox looked at him, then at a few other bikers around them before nodding. The man smiled, with the others making unique greeting signs as they sped up. There were still a few tens of kilometers before said gas station. They rode for minutes without end before the man signaled Fox to take a right turn with them in the next chance they get. Just as Fox nodded, and they headed there, the back of his neck tingled a bit, making him squirm somewhat. Vrrrrrooooom~! At the same time, a rather big engine sounded behind them, echoing closer and closer. Fox leaned to the right and changed lanes until he felt these sensations go away, putting himself at ease. But it was only he who did, while the others took him for preparing for the right, which they didn¡¯t need to. When Fox looked back to see what was going on, the other did as well, wondering what was up. Of the several bikers on the left, they suddenly became blinded as a pickup truck¡¯s lights went from standard to very strong, but many reacted and fled, orderly moving away from the lights. However, 2 bikes didn¡¯t. One was a lone young man, and the other a young couple. The truck advanced rapidly out of nowhere. Fox began speeding up without knowing, watching this unfold. The truck neared the young couple first, just a foot behind the young man. Seeing the incoming truck, the latter pedaled the former¡¯s bike at the front, pushing it away, nearly causing them to scamper, but they stabilized. However¡­ when they looked at the young man, who was quick to maneuver and avoid getting bumped by the truck¡¯s bumpers, they also saw the tall, wide white truck chase after him. The other bikers sped up, ignoring the turn to the right as they shouted, trying to grab his attention before provoking the driver, afraid he¡¯d actually hit the young man. ¡°Hey, nobody¡¯s doing anything to you!¡± - ¡°Move to the side, please?!¡± - ¡°Hey, ey ey. What are you doing?¡± - ¡°There¡¯s a bike in front of you! Stop!¡± - ¡°Shit¡­ he won¡¯t stop. Look at him! Fuck¡­¡± - ¡°Hey faggot, piss off!¡± - ¡°Motherfucker, you think we won¡¯t jump you?¡± - ¡°Break his mirrors!¡± - ¡°Ingrate, leave us alone! We are not-¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox¡¯s bike was still amidst its engineering to begin speeding up, not even on the motion yet. But he could still hear and see what was happening. Even before the bikers became desperate, the driver began playing with the young man, trying to derail his bike. The young man was skilled, able to stabilize time and again after the continuous, tardy attempts from the truck. But Fox could see nothing was changing, and furthermore, they were also endangered. His polycoria eyes trembled a little before he sent his hands to his rear and lower hidden pockets beside his shins and heels. As Fox took disassembled small pistol parts and put them together, a drone flew over from a bridge for pedestrians, focusing on them as it chased and recorded them. Fox didn¡¯t care, knowing these procedures, as they went well over the speed limit and other vehicles nearby were getting restless. When Fox finished assembling it and stored it at his rear, something happened up front. Their speed increased ever more, threatening to cause an accident before the truck could do anything. The bikers broke the mirrors and started hitting its sides, breaking the lights in front and in the rear. But then, the young man finally erred, mentally exhausted, and his bike slumped rightwards as it inclined far too much into the ground. ¡°¡­!¡± Fox watched as the young man¡¯s terrified face past his pitch-black visor neared the ground, and the bike turned to the right as it inclined, facing him and the other bikers, of which not everyone realized. The visor¡¯s glass broke, along with thin traces of blood bursting from within, before the truck timely steered to the left, just a bit, ¡®eating¡¯ the young man¡¯s left side, crushing limbs and torso alike. Then, the motorcycle made it bump, crushed by its left front wheel, causing further weight pressuring on the ground, which met with the young man¡¯s paralyzed body, with a heart half-crushed, at best. The young man¡¯s body got crushed. Fox had the opportunity to see the helmet crack entirely, as the truck¡¯s rear wheel were that thick, and the corpse glued to the wheel. It accompanied a third of a spin before it shot into the air, along with the central section of the motorcycle following suit. Fox dodged, seeing an unrecognizable, as a human, flattened face with eyelids down, but eye organ matter splashed past its closed eyelids for an instant. He forcibly leaned his bike to the left, passing by the corpse to his right, above, and the motorcycle part, below and further to his left. Fox¡¯s eyes widened uncontrollably. As the others noticed, Fox once again sped up, having cancelled it to build the small pistol at his rear, with his eyes entranced on the white truck like a king cobra upon discovering prey. Meanwhile, the other bikers noticed, slowing down as they wanted to preserve¡­ what remained of the corpse. ¡°OH MY HEAVEN!¡± - ¡°Shit¡­ shit, shit¡­ no- ah, shit!¡± - ¡°Mother¡­fucker¡­ how¡­ why- shit¡­¡± - ¡°Stop, stop, stop stop stop¡­¡± ¡­ Chapter 110 — A Dog That Cant Learn Is A Mad Dog A Dog That Can''t Learn Is A Mad Dog ''Mother¡­fucker!'' Fox fiercely furrowed his eyebrows. Looking ahead, his sight became a little blurry as he cursed for not keeping on speeding up, having to reset it now. The other bikers fell behind, giving up on hope, rather to stop chasing out of fear than anything worse. Fox desperately waited his bike¡¯s acceleration. When the white truck was far ahead, disappearing in a slow angle towards the right along the rest of the highway, his bike began impulsing with towering speed, building momentum. The unfinished prototype had a slow start, but its speed wasn¡¯t mediocre. Fox was supposed to keep the speed in check so it wouldn¡¯t implode on the streets, but this moment wasn¡¯t for thinking. Even the other bikers who saw him yelled out to him, but their voices became muffled thumps falling on screens made of gum. Fox rushed forth with the unfinished prototype. Wee wooo weee wooo- waaaaaanng! Sirens echoed from behind. With the evening gone, the night revealed yellow lights everywhere, cautioning all vehicles, all except Fox. While he could feel at least a couple of vehicles stopped more or less where the young man was slaughtered, there were half a dozen cop vehicles chasing behind Fox. However, Fox knew that the cops who stayed behind were mostly to apprehend the bikers, who just stopped and were easy targets. As for those behind him, they followed his every action, not intending to speed up to catch the only murderer here, and increasing their km/s as his bike did. ¡°STOP your vehicle!¡± A cop car shouted with a hands-off microphone on his left cheek, sounding from the sirens and lights. Fox ignored it. As the car advantaged and illuminated Fox¡¯s bloody murder face, he seemed to grow quiet. But after a while, his voice sounded again, ¡°Mr. Fox! This is a matter belonging to the SPD! Calm yourself and- Mr. Fox! Damned mad shit! Carajo!¡± Veeeeeeeerrrm¡­ Fox listened to his bike¡¯s humming engines as they weren¡¯t well protected by the prototype infrastructure. He shook his head unnoticeably, thinking from the corner of his mind, ¡®I¡¯m sorry, baby. I won¡¯t let this go. Accompany me.¡¯ Fox¡¯s eyes gained a bit of clarity, but only enough to distinguish his surroundings, avoiding other vehicles as he zoomed through, closing in on the white truck! In no time, with the driver none the wiser until his mirror reflected too much of a set of obvious yellow lights, Fox was just at the white truck¡¯s rear, and still rapidly driving ahead! The driver didn¡¯t notice Fox because of the lights, only realizing once he heard a light, soft hum that made his unstable mentality a little focused. He looked outside his window, only to see a riled up Fox, the worst kind anyone who has shortly lived it in Lymoca has seen. Confused, then enraged, the driver prepared to open the door with a slam. When Fox neared enough, trying to slow down his bike by pressing with force from his left arm in the middle, the driver slammed the door open, but Fox avoided it like he was the one doing it. Startled, the driver looked at Fox before his eyes slowly discerned a face, and with it, memories. ¡°Oh, holy¡­ shit!¡± The driver exclaimed, becoming a little flaky. Fox¡¯s strange eyes looked at him, thirsting of blood and murder. The driver wasn¡¯t too idiotic, driving with his right hand and gesturing with the other towards Fox, filled with fear. ¡°No, a- ah- ah, I didn¡¯t know you were with them! Wait, look, I shouldn¡¯t have done that. I¡¯m so so sorry. Fox, I¡¯m actually an admirer of yours! My son, too, he¡¯s just about to learn how to drive from his pa. Please let me- GASP.¡± Before the man continued, Fox¡¯s polycoria eyes trembled intensely. His right arm flashed, pulling his small pistol out and firing once, penetrating the driver¡¯s ribs in the middle. Twice, hitting the collarbone. Thrice, hitting the chest. Four times, blowing his brains. Five times, disentangling the half-blown head from the neck. Six times, destroying his groins. Bang bang bang bang bang! Fox saw a young man sitting on the co-driver¡¯s seat, paled and panicky as he squirmed up from his seat with the belt still on, looking down at Fox with the muzzle slowly aiming at his face. The young man wasn¡¯t really so, just about 16-17 years old, with exotic, smooth black hair and light cinnamon skin, like his father. Bang bang bang! Three consecutive shots ruined a young face, barely younger than Fox, never having seen or done what he did, but practically immune to similar terror unless it happened to himself, like now. Not knowing what, how, and when, the teenager became paste from his head to his neck. Seeing it was almost blown off, Fox aimed again, not worrying of the vehicles ahead who all rushed forth, disregarding civil order. As the white truck deviated a bit, losing speed along Fox¡¯s slowing bike, Fox¡¯s right arm stably aimed at the second corpse¡¯s shoulders, bursting with a spray until a fourth of the body splattered everywhere. A semi-clean cut was left behind at the shoulders. Bang bang¡­! ¡°¡­¡± Without shaking or hesitating one bit in his seat, Fox aimed at the fuel port next, located at the other side of the truck. With impassive, impenetrable black eyes, Fox shot until he smelled gas spreading, aflame around the truck port. He disassembled his pistol with 1 hand and threw the parts to the sides as he attempted to speed up. Vveerr- Booooom! But before Fox could get away, just as the white truck slowed down and scrapped against the side, sending off many sparks thorough its right side, and his bike barely began speeding up, it exploded. Fox felt his back stabbed by a few small broken metal parts, too thin to impulse him physically, more than the explosion did, lifting him slightly in the air, but not too much. His breath resisted the otherwise might-be-lethal penetrating of those metal shards, turning a few small spots on his back into piked skin and blood. Fox was thrown off, sent forwards by the inertia as his bike was impacted by the shockwave. He forced his legs to hug the belly of his bike, keeping it steady as cop cars far behind stopped due to the sudden explosion, turning a few tens of meters in diameter ablaze. Cars behind them had long stopped, nearly turning the ordeal into a green alert even. Those fore Fox had long fled, so only he was affected, though it did scare the shit out of some cars on the other side of the road. With his legs forcibly steadying the bike, Fox¡¯s veins all over his body bulged. His nose threw off some red blood from the force he was to breathe in. Only his left arm was at ease, but his back and right arm felt more and more sore. His bones could be felt slowly dislocating. Pakkkuff- screeech~!! Vee- vee e- e- ee- ee- vee- veem¡­ When the bike finally landed, Fox sweated to control the bike, which he heard suffering a hit when the explosive wave reached them. Many things inside must have become disarranged, at best. He worriedly stabilized the bike after a furious speed wobble. Having to drift it, hard leaning on his right, as he felt his right leg slightly crushed along his foot before finally riding it on its two wheels. However, its engine failed, slowing down rapidly after already slowing down previously. At the same time, the yellow lights behind him returned, becoming more prominent unlike before. The cops went all out to catch him. Fox looked down at his bike, even more worried as its lights flickered and its engines had gone off before he even landed. Wee woo wee woo wee wooo! Multiple sirens went off behind him before surrounding him. Fox heard screams everywhere, but he didn¡¯t process them, simply feeling his heart like it had grown as big as a fourth of his torso. Each heartbeat, slow and tremendously mighty, sent slightly ticklish/painful waves across his veins and tendons. Strangely enough, it excited him further, but those around him were cops, not targets he could pick¡­ anymore. He stopped trying. The bike lost all power, becoming a shaky construct whose wheels fell off by the time the cops caught up to Fox and slowed down, surrounding him and forming a reverse ¡®U¡¯ shaped blockade. Fox had no thoughts of stopping, but before he could even bump into them, the wheels disassembled on their own, and he felt to the ground with his back facing up. The cops, who took their handguns out and were so ready to pull their triggers, stopped upon seeing his youngish face and the wounds on his back. They looked at each other before their state police sergeant cuffed Fox, who let his body cool off with the night¡¯s coldness and raw ground. *** 2 hours later. Proteros, presidential precinct. President¡¯s office. Fox was brought into the office by a national guard wearing armored gloves. The latter placed the former before the President¡¯s desk. Receiving a nod from the president, the NG nodded in return before departing with a firm stance walking. After the doors closed, Luis leaned forth, harshly supporting his chin on his right hand with his fingers spread, looking up at Fox, who remained handcuffed. Fox looked down at the president, still nothing to say.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°¡­ Do you know what it costs to even have you here instead of through legal process?¡± Luis Heartez asked Fox, sitting with a relaxed back. Fox looked ahead before returning his eyes to the president, ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Of course you DON¡¯T!¡± Luis let him finish, but still barked on with all his rage, standing up in a moment. His face reddened, nearly growing dizzy. Fox shrank his neck with calmness, staring at the president with impassive, impenetrable black eyes. ¡°Hah!¡± Luis derisively scoffed, ¡°How can you understand? You¡¯re a damn monkey at this point! You just have no idea what it means to expose yourself to my opposition!¡± Fox threw his head and swayed his neck around. He was being yelled at again. Luis saw this, and just as he was sitting down, he flashed back up to straighten his legs and point at Fox with his right index finger. ¡°Don¡¯t you even have an attitude! You don¡¯t have the right!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox impassively snapped and looked at Luis with basically no emotion. Luis choked on his next phrase, not knowing what to put out of his mouth. At the side, the observing Roam lowered his head, knitting his eyebrows. ¡°You¡­¡± Luis sat back down, supporting his chin again. He looked at Fox with hardened eyes, clearly debating something. It had to be very important. But even then, Fox didn¡¯t offer any word or reaction again, which tempted Luis even more to get rid of him. ¡°Siiigh!¡± Luis exhaled with fury, almost sounding like a kid grumping about before being slapped the shit out of his mouth by any of his parents. It irritated Fox a bit, yet he remained unmoved. ¡°You will use the remaining honorary merit to atone for this petty crime,¡± Luis¡¯s voice echoed as he looked down, rubbing his forehead¡¯s sides on his palms, trying to release tension. But Fox gained some instead, widening and hardening his eyes as he looked down, ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Oh, my fucking heaven,¡± Luis harshly expressed. He slammed his desk lightly, lifting his chin again. ¡°You don¡¯t, you can¡¯t. Is there something you can are able of? At least? Do you just not understand everything that has been happening? Why? Now I see it¡¯s daring to choose ¡®fox¡¯ as your alias, what a puny lament!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do it,¡± Fox started, but he was interjected by Luis, who laughed it out off of anger, speaking in quick succession and gesturing. ¡°Hahaha, there it is. Now, you won¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­ Because I must use it for Teon.¡± Fox finished his sentence, calming down. Luis was about to deny it and laugh more in anger, but the word ¡®Teon¡¯ seemed to stop him. His eyes changed the glint cross them, and his face warped, even seeming relaxed, if a little. ¡°No, you won¡¯t use it for that. You can¡¯t use it for that. You don¡¯t have my permission to,¡± Luis looked up and decisively declared after thinking it through. Fox¡¯s eyes were set on the desk. A few seconds after Luis¡¯s words, he lifted them, staring at Luis¡¯s face, and ran his mouth in a low volume. ¡°I think the president can show the Lys what is all about ¡®marking a difference¡¯. Absolve me of the crime I so-called committed.¡± ¡°So you think I rule every piece of the country? I say this and they do just that?¡± Luis shook his head, staring to the side, already losing hope. Fox didn¡¯t care, further stating, ¡°Then grant me another honorary merit. It¡¯s not by decree, but by honor. Saving the vice president is a note several times worthier than killing a morbid murderer.¡± ¡°My first honorary merit by saving hundreds of lives, my second, hidden for stability, by saving the vice president who, from what I have heard, president, is beloved, unlike you.¡± Fox paused, exchanged glances with Luis¡¯s glare, and continued. ¡°While you hide here, wherever I go, if it happens, I just so get recognized for saving her, not serving you.¡± ¡°Mm. So that¡¯s what the people would want. Is that so?¡± Luis nodded when he asked Fox, further opening his eyes, pressing his lips decadently. Fox shook his head. ¡°Whatever new honorary merit, just ¡®appoint¡¯ one to me. Though you are no emperor, the people will be with you. Their will alone, for the vice president¡¯s sake, will be enough a reason to support¡­ you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis wasn¡¯t half-convinced, but his last statement¡­ those last few words¡­ they got to him. Luis looked at Roam, whose eyes were fully opened, darting between him and Fox. Then, he fell pensive. All this long, for more than a decade now, Luis has been through a fever dream, and a bad sleep. A first term of being puppeteered, falling at every little project, accomplishing essentially nothing, and a second term that had brought differences between the war in Preut, and the growing restlessness situation across Lymoca. Before, when Fox first appeared in everyone¡¯s eyes and was discovered, Luis barely felt a tad trace of hope from them: his people. Something he hadn¡¯t felt since the first few months of his time as Lymoca¡¯s president. Now, it was back. Product of the worst person he could think of currently, and far into the future, from the looks of it. Luis didn¡¯t know when, but his body felt relaxed, and his mind was thundering about no more. He felt a bit thirsty, so he extended his left arm to Roam, who hurriedly gave him a bottle with coffee. After drinking, he looked down at documents on his desk but addressed Fox. ¡°In an hour, a delegation will be sent to speak in your behalf. From now on, I forbid you from speaking on camera, be it by news reporters, interviews, or spontaneous. Disobey that and I¡¯m done with you.¡± ¡°O¨ªdo[heard],¡± Fox exclaimed before tapping his feet repeatedly on the floor. After quite a bit of tapping, Luis looked up with askance, ¡°What now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m handcuffed,¡± Fox stated. Luis blinked his eyes, dragged and slowed, before gesturing towards him. ¡°You can get off them, then. Roam, call that chief of police. The reinforced handcuffs were a nice touch, but too costly for such a ¡®safe¡¯ individual. Remind him th- ¡­?¡± Clack. Fox waited for no one before flicking the locks with his left index finger, just once. The handcuffs broke off and fell to the floor, powerless and pitiful, Then, he looked at the president, analyzing the man¡¯s image before impassively speaking, ¡°Whether the presidents seeks to exile me to PSD services only, just remember I¡¯m not much of an unknown figure as I was before.¡± Fox walked away without being told to. Not that it mattered, but it was a reminder of his nature to Luis Heartez, who still thought of ¡®conquering¡¯ him. And, of course, how could Fox not know why he was give an easygoing task like becoming a ¡®baby¡¯ celebrity¡¯s bodyguard? Naturally, he has been everywhere and done too much. It was the president who wanted Fox to pipe down, and the Piya Sanctum District that reminded him who he was now. He wasn¡¯t a ¡®Phesx Caolia¡¯ anymore. He wasn¡¯t a Preutian, a pariah. He was Fox, a Ly. With Fox gone, walking off to whoever gives a care where, Luis rubbed his forehead before blatantly rubbing his face with his palms. Looking at Roam, Luis nodded, feeling tired. Only he knew how bad it was if he woke up in the night and his sleeping hours were interrupted. No other choice but to keep laboring until the next night. ¡°I almost did, Roam. I really did.¡± Luis commented. Roam offered silent comfort. ¡°I wish I hadn¡¯t let him in. No. It is my fault; from my decision, from my choice. I shouldn¡¯t have taken that. Now, I¡¯m raising not a fox but a mad pet. And it¡¯s playing pretend as a loyal beast.¡± ¡­ Fox put on an insubstantial disguise with new clothes, a stolen hat from an employee at the presidential building, and even grabbed a jacket from a tomboyish beauty inside. Hiding most of his face with the borrowed hat, Fox exited the precinct on his own before heading to his boutique. But not without passing by a route he always took whenever he walked certain streets. As Fox walked out, he read the window messages he couldn¡¯t when he was handcuffed and seen in public beside the police. Now that he was free, he knew Fabiola went to the boutique because a notorious client wanted to buy many pieces but would arrive late and leave early. When Fox arrived at the boutique, it was already closed, with the youngsters walking away around the corner, and Fabiola walking to the bust stop, relaxed. Just then, Fox saw a hooded person sneak unto Fabiola¡¯s back, just as he was crossing a narrow alley and Fabiola walked past it, not noticing him, let alone the hooded person. Fox glimpsed at the slightly wet cloth and a pocket knife in the hooded person¡¯s hands. Kicking his right heel into the air towards his crotch, Fox grabbed a tiny silencer with his left hand, grabbing a small pistol with his right from his rear at the same time, and aimed forth. Not having enough time to place it, Fox used it with its urgency mode, sticking it against the muzzle, feeling the burst of the pistol against his left hand clutching it. It didn¡¯t hurt nor feel scalding hot, but Fox didn¡¯t even pay it attention, hurrying over to pick the corpse before Fabiola noticed. He was completely silent, practically nonexistent. But the corpse falling down wasn¡¯t. It made a puddle sound to the side, perhaps from a passing rain earlier on, and landed its waist on the edge. When Fox walked out of the alley, Mena¡¯s cousin, one of the youngsters, happened to come back around the corner and witness him move towards a corpse lying on the sidewalk¡¯s edge. Fox motioned at her with his eyes, and thankfully, she understood. It wasn¡¯t difficult to understand, considering he was being stealthy, and that the innocent gem Fabiola-rich-parents was the other person and the only one unaware. She skipped over, to which Fabiola noticed. ¡°Ah, why are you still here? Hehe. Wanna accompany me?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure. I was hungry, so, do you wanna go for some botanas?¡± - ¡°Oooh, yeah! I¡¯m starving. Diet is for silly girls and boys, come on. I¡¯ll tell you all about my plan to murder Foxesie tomorrow. He¡¯ll be gladdened! There were sooo many sales. My heavens~!¡± Fox watched the girls leave, tilting his head to the left before confirming there were no more irregularities. He even enhanced his senses to make sure. Then, he walked to another alley with the corpse over his right shoulder, towards a person tall fence blocking the way. Dumping the brainless limp body on the ground, near the trash, Fox crouched. Although the fella was dead, approximately between 25 and 40 years old, hard to tell from the disregard of his health, Fox had means to investigate. He perused the man¡¯s pockets¡¯ even the thick, ugly jacket and shirt¡¯s. Fox found obvious scents from typical drugs that are sometimes used for medicinal purposes, but smelled something more after spreading some pockets. ¡°¡­¡± He looked at the young man, maybe nearing his just a ¡®man¡¯ age, and noticed the deformation of his clothes on the back and front of his pants and shirt. Fox identified them as when a person usually wears their pistols there for no reason. A tiny, intricate observation that the special agent untrained eye couldn¡¯t confirm. Fox also does this, but only when in combat. Otherwise, he assembles his small pistol only if necessary. He carries their parts instead, spread beneath his clothes, which are either strapped with a moderate adhesive function on its ends, or in some tiny pockets he creates. ¡®So, you¡¯re a trafficker. And an idiot. To ¡®hunt¡¯ here for no reason, you were either on a bet¡­ or expanding. And growing bolder.¡¯ Fox understood right away. PSD¡¯s slightly different studies taught that much, though Fox didn¡¯t know how much it was compared to jobs who dealt with these things professionally. Either way, this was an organized crime¡¯s henchman, and most likely an isolated incident. ¡®I have to also patrol my¡­ my street, now, too?¡¯ Fox¡¯s polycoria eyes narrowed just a bit, impassive. ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: Botana is basically junk, yummy (most of the time) food. Chapter 111 — Bratty Teon Bratty Teon After checking the boutique''s block, Fox went to the workshop. The bike, what remained of it, and what he protected the most of it, laid in the center as mechanics and Fox looked down at it. It was opened with an electric, high quality saw for matters like these, where the frame in question couldn''t be opened. Everything inside was disarranged, with some broken, though very few. ¡°Well, at least the majority is fine.¡± Mauricio looked down at it and nodded, hanging his head. Fox sucked his upper lip, grazing it with his lower teeth. Then, a mechanic slapped his hands in the air before everyone got to work, ¡°Well, that¡¯s it. Everyone, get to work again. Amonos.¡± Fox nodded and watched them work. Before Mau moved some things away, Fox looked at him, drawing his attention. He said, showing his WID to the mechanic, ¡°I¡¯ll add 1 million now to make for the parts missing, and other things.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Mau nodded. Then, Fox sent 1,000,000 credits to the workshop¡¯s number, not losing a single credit to the holy taxes, and made Mau shake his head again. No matter how used he became to seeing these numbers travel so easily, and even bigger, it made him jealous. ¡°Sorry for the trouble, but can you still have ¡®her¡¯ in there?¡± Fox asked, storing his WID. Mau looked at him in appreciation, realizing Fox had noticed. He thought for a moment before nodding, ¡°I think that can happen. It¡¯ll take more time.¡± ¡°I can do with that. Thank you, and sorry for the damages, again.¡± Fox said, turning and leaving the workshop, not wanting to remain just here any longer. Mauricio nodded again before getting to work. Hundreds of hours were left to maybe get back to what they were at before. After dealing with the bike, Fox went to his suite, receiving glares everywhere, including from the mega hotel¡¯s workers, as even the vice manager came out to watch him. Once at his suite, he took his damaged clothes and rested on the sofa. A vein on the left corner of his forehead bulged out of nowhere as he watched TV, feeling a bit of a headache, but nothing he hadn¡¯t dealt with before; during his childhood, let alone after all that. ¡°¡­ The president¡¯s declaration has become an alarming sensation. Will this be the beginning of these happenings? This isn¡¯t the first time something illegal has happened, coming from him. This time, it is to help a criminal, but before, it was to¡­¡± Fox watched as the very same channel changed to a different view, showing a live footage from a police station, looking like a SPD. Fox saw some of the bikers, whom he could recognize from their attire and the bikes they were blocked from by the flood of news reporters. ¡°Excuse me, what happened before? Why were you detained? What did you do? Do you know Phesx Caolia? Is he in cahoots with the reason why you¡¯re here, and not him?¡± - ¡°Could you answer some questions? What happened before Fox murdered the innocent father and son?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what happened,¡± a young woman spoke, covered with a mantle over her shoulders and a young man hugging her from the opposite side of the cameras angles. She stopped moving through the reporters and cameras, looking at a person in particular. The young man held her shoulders, supporting her as she spoke, ¡°One of our friends was murdered by a disgusting killer. He chased and wanted to kill me first, but the one he killed saved me and my man from it. He ended up dying because of that, but we were detained. That¡¯s what happened!¡± ¡°What can you say about Fox¡¯s crimes? What did he do exactly?¡± The same reporter from before, a female, asked almost as soon after the young woman finished. The latter¡¯s face dropped at the blatant disregard and dissociation from the cruelty she suffered. Sobering up, the young woman dryly gulped before declaring, looking deadly into the reporter¡¯s eyes, ¡°What happened is justice. The murderer who went after us for no reason is now dead, along with his stupid son! Who brings an underage in the co-driver seat to kill people on the road? Fox avenged us! Fox stood up for it when cops didn¡¯t even know who they were supposed to at least fake a pursuit! And it seems it¡¯s only the president who understands this, ptui!¡± The young woman spat on the reporter¡¯s face, which showed a few seconds after it happened with all cameras turning around. The young man holding his girl took advantage and escaped, moving to the bikes, and left this awful place from an awful day. Fox then saw the news rapidly blacken out, with the previous announcer calmed and changing the subject. He looked at the time nearing 4 AM before deciding to rest his head, closing his eyes and facing the ceiling. Before he knew it, within a few minutes, he relaxed and felt a strange movement below his eyelids. Dark smoke moved throughout, his eyeballs rolled without intending to, here and there, and before he could feel falling asleep, his phone sounded. Riiing, riiing, riiiiiing¡­ Fox opened his eyes with difficulty, like something was keeping them tightly closed. He sat up and stretched his right arm, grabbing the phone atop the sofa¡¯s backrest. Putting it to his ear, Fox heard from a PSD contact, ¡°Teon has been found.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Fox was surprised, yes, but he also slowly grew stern, keeping his calm at bay. The time had come. Fox dropped his phone and went to his bedroom to pick some more clothes, grabbing his gauntlets, and brought only pivots with him. They were still at the basic level. Without missing a beat, Fox left his suite with a slightly aching body, feeling like ants crawling within his skin. It disappeared after 5 minutes of taking a taxi and paying the driver to push the accelerator. Fox arrived near a silent, obscure alley between a few large, tall buildings resembling an interconnected enterprise, but wasn¡¯t. There, he met with a PSD agent wearing white paint, crouching on a bench, doing so bored out of his mind waiting for Fox. Meeting, the agent told Fox before retreating, ¡°She¡¯s in the alley. Her hideout is an unused, hidden compartment, probably built illegally by a previous owner of the building. She¡¯s fine, and her health is top-notch. If you need help, tell your WID.¡± Fox said nothing, letting the agent leave, and scanning the alley with his polycoria eyes. He didn¡¯t need help. In fact, all he needed was himself. Fox only had to know how to deal with this. He walked into the alley, not bothering to hide his steps. Only he was here, with the nearest people walking around the city in the hundreds of meters away. It was far too early, and even those who lived far and had no means for a better lifestyle would have just begun commuting. After stepping, stopping, and stepping forth again, Fox heard someone¡¯s hidden breathing finally show. He looked a little to the right in front, behind a trash container, and stared at the ground. After several seconds, with his eyebrows slowly furrowing, Fox saw a sewer grates open on its own. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap¡­ Fox saw a humanoid image come out at once with a speed he might¡¯ve considered blurry in the not-so-far past. A figure moved towards him, rapidly identifying him and rushing towards him. Fox didn¡¯t move away, waiting until she jumped at him, barely lifting her feet above the ground with a right punching motion. Fox saw her, since the moment she rushed out of her hideout, to her body jumping towards him, sending her right fist towards his chest. She was only a bit dirty, but her skin remained bright pale white; big black eyes; but her long hair was cut short. Tall, with long arms, and with a strong light etched across her eyes, now accompanied by a baleful will. Pah- pfush, tap, tap, tap. Teon¡¯s fist fell on him, but Fox¡¯s right palm blocked it with ease. She didn¡¯t give up, kicking with her left foot, but Fox used his right thigh to cushion its strength away. Before Teon could headbutt him, even draw her neck forth, not needing to draw it backwards to employ her full strength, Fox threw her fist to his right, turning her around and kicking her lower back with his left sole. Teon tripped forwards, flinging her arms around before Fox grabbed her chin with his left hand and locked her right arm and legs with his own. Teon widened her eyes, she thrashed her head to bite his hand, becoming more and more animalistic.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Fox dropped to the ground, making her hit her forehead, but she didn¡¯t bleed, although she closed her eyes tight and endured the tremendous pain. After a few seconds, feeling him locking her in place against the ground, Teon shrilled like a beast, ¡°WHY DID YOU DO IT?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not why I did ¡®something¡¯, and you know it well. You¡¯re not stupid, Teon. Who are you to not know why she sent you away?¡± Fox struggled to hold her, using his left hand to hold her head in case she bit him, which would end up as a painless attack from her to him. His guttural words emerged in her head, audible at last. Teon struggled even harder. At this point, she wasn¡¯t enraged anymore, for the tears drowning her face and dampening his left backhand indicated something more. Fox turned around, pressing her back against his torso, both facing the sky as Teon only continued. Teon bit his hand, unable to poke her teeth through his skin. She tried tracing her teeth through his skin, but still nothing. And when she bit harder than she should, she felt metallic obstruction on her teeth, making her jaw unable to clench any further. ¡°AAaaww- hwaa wa waaahaaa¡­~!¡± After enough was enough, with Fox enduring it all along, he kept holding her tight. Teon stopped struggling, now bawling as she held his left arm, nearly hugging it to her chest. Suddenly, Fox grabbed her left side and turned her around. His strength was such that he made her stand up, straddling her feet to the upper sides of his torso. Teon looked down at him, startled. Then, Fox did the unthinkable and took a knife out of his left rear pants. ¡°Since you want it so much, then go ahead!¡± Fox exclaimed, turning the knife¡¯s handle towards her. Teon looked down at it before returning her big black eyes on his face. Then, in a swift set of rapid movements, she took the knife, knelt straddling him, and stabbed his lower belly left side. Swwlip- sheefth, swwliip¡­ Once wasn¡¯t enough, so Teon stabbed another four times in a row. When she took the blade out of his body for the fifth time, she felt weak and slumped on his torso, crying in silence and forming fists from her slender hands. They might be womanish, but they were threatening to the toughest body builders. Just one punch from them can kill any agent not up to par with her, and it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Teon bawled a few more minutes before turning around. She looked at the bleeding wound on his belly before asking him after as series of sniffles. ¡°Why are you bleeding?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? You, of all people, and right now?¡± Fox lifted his head, enduring the bits of pain. Teon shook her head, ¡°No, not that. Before I stabbed you, which you deserved.¡± Rolling his eyes with ill mood, Fox lightly explained, softly pushing her onto the ground to sit up. Each stab made his back hurt a bit more, which he hadn¡¯t treated yet. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re really a neanderthal, or did you come from the 3rd order? Ahh¡­ I just had a situation before coming to you. You were a bit difficult to track, you know.¡± ¡°Nah, I was tailed for just a few days. That¡¯s very good. But hey,¡± Teon helped Fox up, still looking at him with some resentment. Fox looked at her, attentive, as she said, ¡°I was contacted by some people. They told me they could help me; train me to kill you, and even find you in a good opportunity.¡± ¡°Really? Who?¡± Fox asked, knowing the possible next answer. Teon answered, as expected, ¡°How would I know? They were very shady, and I couldn¡¯t track them. I think they called themselves something like shadows, or preternatural. Something like those things.¡± ¡°Mnn. About that, join me, Teon.¡± Fox thought about it, but he couldn¡¯t do much more. He looked at the lass and said, offering his left hand facing up towards her, which she salivated and teared up on quite a bit. Looking down at it, Teon fell pensive. ¡°Is this your tuned arm? They said something like that. Anyhow¡­ what do you want me to join?¡± Teon asked, looking up at him without moving her slender arms, confused. Fox bit his lower lip, sandwiching it between his rows of teeth a little, and mouthed without emitting a sound after closing in his lips to her eyes. ¡°Piya Sanctum District.¡± Teon¡¯s eyes widened before she calmly soothed them. She looked at him and asked, blunt and bratty, ¡°Will they teach me how to kill you?¡± ¡°Oh, and much more than that. You¡¯ll have to go 3 months under their training regimen, though.¡± Fox said, feeling a bit relaxed. Teon hmphed. He tilted his head before warning her, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t consider ¡®those other¡¯ people, right? You wouldn¡¯t be this idiotic, Teon.¡± ¡°What would she think of this, then?¡± Teon asked, crossing her arms, acting all casual like she didn¡¯t just stab Fox a few times. Fox looked down at her, holding his belly. ¡°Don¡¯t ask what you know the answer to. Don¡¯t depend on anything else. It¡¯s time you did yourself well, Teon.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Teon blew through her nostrils before relaxing her arms. ¡°Very well, just¡­ give me time to readjust¡­ I¡¯ve spent days unable to laze around. And I¡¯ll have to keep hiding even after.¡± ¡°Mn, let¡¯s go.¡± Fox didn¡¯t offer any other words and gave her his jacket, a little bloody, to cover her. Fox looked at a few corners around them before heading to his suite. When arriving at the mega hotel, Teon didn''t care about their surroundings and just walked wherever Fox told her to go. She went directly to his individual bathroom, showered, and walked naked to the other bathroom, taking a set of towels Fox left atop the sofa. Ignoring her, letting her feel all well rested as she went to the big bathroom to relax, Fox finally administered treatment to his belly. It was a nasty wound, yet nothing to worry about, not for him. He did a gamble, and it didn''t end up being so bad, with only a few days needed to rest. With his job as a celebrity''s babysitter, Fox didn''t worry about his pay. He placed tons of yellow cream and injected certain sections of his open flesh with yellow medicine. He didn''t bother using red medicine and just relaxed on the sofa. When Teon came out, Fox showed her the other rooms besides the main one. Despite her wanting and asking for the main room, Fox kept that for himself. Then, Fox went out while Teon used his ''new'' laptop and TV, getting caught with things she might''ve missed. She had to flee from a hoog secret organization, after all. She must''ve understood how to run away quickly, and not get detected. Especially with the national guard, which seemed more and more capable the more the president let them work. It was even more drastic as the drones they used could triangulate back and forth information with the small bases nearby, and detection. Fox walked to a few restaurants, especially those Teon used to order a lot from, except the pizzeria he used to work in, and returned. When he did, Teon was walking all around the place, but calmly. She looked at him and then at the tons of bags he carried. Teon became a little, silly girl and started crying, but only a bit. She helped him up and offered her body; meaning, she let him cuddle with her on the sofa as she ate and received his head and shoulder rubs. When she had her fill, like a kitten, Teon fell asleep. Looking at the time, Fox put her on his bed, giving her an extra layer of clothing before taking his leave. Teon was heavily asleep, only able to wake up much later. On the other hand, Fox prepared to meet with his client and begin the day after opening the boutique. ¡­ Meeting with Fabiola, who looked at him somewhat warily, Fox opened the door, to which she went in after a light greeting. Mena¡¯s cousin remained outside, with the other youngsters walking in nodding at him, seemingly told what he did for Fabiola last night. Fox was left pensive with this. Last night was such a time. It wasn¡¯t really as difficult as his other worst days, but the amount of things happening did compare somewhat. ¡°They want me to tell you that they want you to know that they don¡¯t think you did anything wrong, with the truck psycho, anyway. They liked it when It told them about what you did here last night. Everyone likes Fabiola, even if half of them want to fuck her more than anything.¡± She said. ¡°I got it,¡± Fox simply said before gesturing to welcome her in. The gal took the gesture with a nod and prepared to get to work. Additionally, since Fabiola came, he went to see her, conversing a bit in the computer backroom. . . . Since the white truck event on the highway, and finding Teon; 4 days passed. As the end of the week, with the moon nearing its half-moon stage, the people became a bit more relaxed, even enjoying some hours of their boring jobs. Teon began planning to join the Piya Sanctum District. Her life had begun to calm down, and the support Fox showed her was most helpful. Especially with the money he gained. He was just babysitting a lass like her, but he was winning a few hundred thousand per week; too much. Of course, Fox let her know that only ''high-end'' people could request PSD agents. And that even 3rd Grade, thirds, would get this kind of activity, even if not the full per diem, at least half the price of a firster. He also let her know she¡¯d learn more things than she can imagine, not quite relating to a special agent¡¯s needs, but management and even logistics and strategy. For that, though, Teon was a bit far from accepting. She continued lazying in his suite, quite impacted by these few months when all she could do is run. Fox only spent a couple of weeks like that, and not even he can imagine that sort of life, where everyone is searching and hunting her. Preut was different, as practically everyone would kill anyone, where sides were but fragile and blurry when outside the encampments. As for Preut, Fox had a hunch. The civil war had stopped already, but the government, namely Luis Heartez, waited for something. After learning, and realizing where he had to look for, Fox wondered if it might show up before the naval cooperation between Lymoca and other countries down south. Additionally, ever since Fox was berated yet again, and most likely not for the last time, a little someone began following after him during his daily job. Sona Heartez was in Selena¡¯s hotel room. He could hear their voices even a few floors below theirs. Fox had just convinced, or so he thought, Luis to not treat him as a lost cause. Yet, the next day, or a few hours later, Fox is met with the sight of the president¡¯s sister ready to educate him in the ways of politics. Even if Fox didn¡¯t hate it before, which he didn¡¯t, and at best didn¡¯t like; he began doing so after being made to grasp in these circumstances. Regardless, during the first assignation Selena had during that day, Fox was sweet coated by Sona, who jumped and fell on his body, talking about life, hard. From then on, Fox became even more¡­ engrossed, in politics. While he still wouldn¡¯t like them, he approved of Sona¡¯s honeymoon technique. And he started abusing it, too. To her amusement and delight, of course. Even then, that didn¡¯t mean Fox wasn¡¯t taking care of Selena. He had to enhance his senses, which meant feeling more¡­ satisfied thorough. A few times, he had to stop, hide the beacon of life, and interrupt before Selena was intimidated. Only to return with fury into Sona¡¯s hugging¡­ legs. To her delight, of course. Always. ¡­ Chapter 112 — Checks, Studies, New Assignations Checks, Studies, New Assignations At these moments, it was the afternoon, a few hours after Fox brought Selena to eat at one of the restaurants they have been often visiting amidst work, fairly known around the localities, and a bit on the internet. Selena had just exited the premises of a program, where she briefly sang and then played around on live with a team to bring a few relaxing, family-friendly entertainment section of the program to the country. Fox waited at the side, exchanging a word with Sona, who leaned on him with her hands weighing atop his right shoulder. By now, any touch to his body was something he didn¡¯t mind from her, outside of extracurricular activities. A news reporter, tranquil and fangirling over this celebrity who was growing at last in Lymoca, asked her, slightly lifting his rectangular-shaped, thin item. ¡°Miss, miss. While this might sound unsightly, there are rumors of your bodyguard and you, to resume. Have you words for this?¡± ¡°I do, actually.¡± The beauty, Selena, looked up to her right and said, lowering her face to pause. She lifted it with a slight blush on her cheeks, making oh so many reporters silently gasp. But she continued, ¡°I actually did try to, you know? I made a few moves. But ah, Mr. Fox, which he doesn¡¯t like being called, is an exemplary, decent Ly. He¡¯s a great guard, I tell you.¡± ¡°I cannot thank him for helping me change, not enough, at least. I now know I¡¯m no longer young, hahaha. Isn¡¯t it dumb? He¡¯s more than a decade younger, but he helped me grow mature. More, at least. He takes good care of me, and I¡¯m glad I could request him.¡± Selena smiled, placing her hands together in front of her belly, looking enchanting at worse. ¡°Oh, oh! Miss Selena, do you have any engagement with the government? You¡¯re so pretty, is there a possibility you have connections¡ª direct connections with the president?!¡± Another news reporter asked, gaining a few glares from his comrades. ¡°Ah, what? No. How can there be such things? Ahaha¡­¡± Selena narrowed her eyes, trying to be polite as a furrow formed between her eyebrows. She tried laughing it off as Fox watched her, sending lightened eyes towards her out of feeling a bit playful. ¡°I¡¯ll make you go through a test later this month. Don¡¯t end it without answering everything correctly, understood?¡± Sona smiled at the same scenery before turning to Fox, lightly grasping under his chin, lifting it, unafraid of being seen. Rumors and what not would run no matter what, whether it was happening or not, from what Fox has been seen. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Fox worded. Sona smiled, briefly glancing at his lips before articulating, ¡°There is wisdom in your growing patience. Is it my doing? Of a kitten or a wise girl?¡± ¡°You¡¯re no girl,¡± Fox smirked strongly. He looked into her gray-black eyes, similar to Luis¡¯s, but prettier and fitting, unlike his. Sona smiled grinned from the left corner of her mouth, ¡°Oh, and what am I?¡± ¡°A good woman,¡± Fox commented, lightly and without lust. He wasn¡¯t in love, he was just being respectful. Sona¡¯s eyes changed, she looked at him and felt moved. Then, she pinched his arm and clicked her lips from the same corner of her mouth, caressing his chin, ¡°You¡¯re really getting better at boot licking. I¡¯m honing you into a perfect politician.¡± ¡°Only when it¡¯s honesty,¡± Fox said, helpless. Sona smiled, even doing so with her eyes before hooking his arm and walking forward. Fox knew Selena¡¯s quick mini-conference was finishing because of his hearing, but Sona knew because of her experience. ¡°Meet me at night. Oh, can I meet your ¡®little sister¡¯? I¡¯m sure she can be a good asset, too. If she can join the District sooner, it¡¯d be even better. How ¡®bout it?¡± Sona lifted her chin and asked with glowing eyes. Fox smirked a bit, ¡°Not only you want to ride me in my home, you¡¯re even lusting after Teon?¡± ¡°So¡­?¡± Sona nodded in a good mood before perfunctorily asking. Fox flashed a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll get her controlled, but do something to her, and you¡¯re on your own. Teon is a sweet one-way gal.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she older than you?¡± Sona intervened, softly whispering her breath against his jaw from the right. Fox squeezed her bottom, imperceptible to the naked eye, ¡°I changed my mind, I¡¯ll throw you around.¡± ¡°Prrrr¡­¡± Sona purred after a gasp and heavy breath with a high rising and low bouncing chest. She melted her head on his shoulder, smiling before walking away from him a few steps after he let go. Naughty time was over. ¡°Ah, my hero.¡± Selena exclaimed after feeling Fox¡¯s presence. She turned around and walked to him, standing behind him, waiting for him to walk ahead and guide her. Fox brought his client and Sona to the car PSD covered, listening to Sona¡¯s teachings and answering Sona¡¯s questions regarding the rest of her schedule for the day, and the week. *** Late evening, presidential precinct. Luis worked in his office, although he was having a relaxing time instead. Letters were neatly piled at the front edge of his desk. Drinking from his hot drink, he constantly eyed the letters, falling pensive. ¡®I can¡¯t keep writing so easily anymore. There¡¯s more and more people who want their letters read. How am I supposed to do this from now on?¡¯ Just then, the double doors opened. Luis looked at the entrance, only to see the most beautiful woman in the world. Lesly smirked from both ends of her mouth. She donned a tight, black denim dress showing some thighs, but even just from her knees to her calves was mouth watering. ¡°Working so hard this late, my President is not going to rest unless his state of mind commands it?¡± Lesly voiced as she neared his desk. She walked with a folder in her hands, half-throwing it on the desk after arriving beside it. Crossing her arms, she looked down at Luis, ¡°Do you need anything else, President?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be coming. Lesly, good to see you.¡± Luis gulped, looking up at her. Lesly smiled at his words, slightly bending her back. Her breathtaking black eyes took whatever remained of Luis¡¯s breath away, ¡°I barely don¡¯t see you once or twice a day since Sargonde, Presi.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡ª we don¡¯t spend time together. Only work. You¡¯re not going to betray me and join another candidate next year, are you?¡± Luis spoke from his heart, before teasing. Lesly jumped her left eyebrow, slow and charming, before further lowering her body. Luis couldn¡¯t see it, but she looked a bit silly when bending over this much, and she did it for him. However, in return, he could see those eyes, that nose, eyebrows and mouth, up close. ¡°Maybe if you don¡¯t make something about it,¡± Lesly spoke. Luis wasn¡¯t sure, but he could swear he felt her breath on his face, or was it just him? It¡­ he felt different when it happened. But then, Luis processed her words, and naturally, he grew confused. ¡®What does she mean with ¡®it¡¯?¡¯ Lesly kept looking at him, and Luis returned the stare, albeit confused. Ruefully sighing in her mind, Lesly nearly exhaled out, when she thought of something and looked at Luis with sharpened eyes. ¡°I heard something a little funny in the news today,¡± her words left uncertainty in Luis. He frowned, ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing much.¡± Lesly tilted her head, playing with her right hand atop the desk. Her eyes snapped at him after a blink, but her words were¡­ low and soft, ¡°It¡¯s from our mutual friend, Fox. But more importantly, these news came from his client, ¡®miss¡¯ Selena.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Luis was none the wiser. Lesly added, ¡°I heard something like¡­ ah, are you and her meeting? Do you know each other? Ah, it seemed like many think so, or doubt you aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°What? Haha, how so?¡± Luis smiled, finding it ridiculous. Lesly nodded, showing a pout for half a moment, ¡°Say, is she pretty? Do you like her?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ No?¡± Luis started to feel something was wrong, he frowned. Lesly nodded, sitting on the corner of his desk, half a meter beside his seat. She once again added, ¡°How come she asked for Fox? So easily, at that. What did she offer? Or was it just easy for her?¡± ¡°I believe she was having some crisis in her identity. Intel about her spoke of some irregular activities outside of her job as a celebrity, or well above them, having nothing to do with one another.¡± Luis finally caught on what was happening. He sat up a bit, looking at Lesly without drifting his sharp gray-black eyes away, somewhat turned docile. Lesly looked at him in silence, for quite a few seconds, before asking with a thin smile, ¡°Oh, so she¡¯s a damsel in distress?¡± Luis wasn¡¯t smooth enough, after all. He sweated a little, gulped dryly, and added, sitting up as straight as a spear. ¡°Fox seems to have worked it out with her, not necessarily engaging in coitus or similar acts to hit it off together. It¡¯s true help she needed, and her agency were willing to pay.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°¡­¡± Lesly¡¯s smile disappeared, she hung her head down to her right shoulder for several seconds, exchanging glances with the president before suddenly straightening her neck. ¡°I have lunch, well, diner, just now. I left it at the dinner, wanna come?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been drinking for too long. Yes! Let¡¯s go eat. I¡¯ll have to do with their small portions, all for you.¡± Luis¡¯s eyes brightened. He exclaimed in a good mod and with a sudden, joyous expression. He loosened his collar and stood up, with Lesly getting off his desk, spinning in a good mood, it seemed, and led the way out. With a smile, of course. ¡°No, you don¡¯t. I can share some of mine, it¡¯s a lot. I came prepared today.¡± Lesly smilingly said once Luis caught up with her, just about to turn around the entrance. ¡°If you behave.¡± ¡°If hm?¡± Luis exclaimed, not hearing well just that bit, or mishearing it. He couldn¡¯t even tell. Lesly¡¯s stiffened, pale face rapidly relaxed. She said nothing and continued walking forwards, not wanting her little belly¡¯s growls to be heard. *** Outside the Plastics Recycler Factory. Nightfall. Fox relaxed outside, putting his worker boots on while sitting at the end of the sidewalk. Not many vehicles passed by. Those who did don¡¯t stick near the sidewalk, using their utmost primitive instinct of fear. ¡°I see you are still coming and going. How much money are you planning to make with all those bions?¡± Suddenly, a voice sounded behind Fox. He turned his head and saw Nala Loba standing behind him. He never really saw her around the HQ, or in any other place than that time in the coffee shop. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Fox couldn¡¯t comment anything else. Nala Loba sat beside him, bending her knees up to her torso, looking ahead before turning her head to Fox. ¡°I see you¡¯re doing well, still. There¡¯s another assignation soon. Maybe tomorrow. Do you have free time from your daily duty?¡± ¡°I do have a free day either tomorrow or past tomorrow. If I can join you, I will. When do you depart?¡± Fox felt gladdened, doubting not once to get on to it. Nala Loba¡¯s eyes, resting cold and indifferent, flashed on his. They were already large, appearing simply beautiful up-close. With her mere nature, all added up together, she was many folds more incredible. ¡°Whenever you have yours should be fine. We can depart any of those days. It shouldn¡¯t take too much, so give my WID a message when it¡¯s deemed available.¡± Nala Loba said, standing up. At the same time, Fox received a notification in his personal window. He took it out, reading her information before adding it to his list. It felt good to him, just doing that. ¡°What about this? Won¡¯t you get it treated? Your front might be worse, but if we meet water in the task, you¡¯d only end up worse. That¡¯s not something I accept in my team. Eh, let me check it for you.¡± Nala Loba suddenly said, squatting behind him and tracing her index fingertips on his shoulders. Besides pain, Fox inadvertently shivered. ¡°Alright,¡± Fox¡¯s eyes unknowingly dropped. He turned his face backwards to his left. Nala Loba slightly turned hers, staring back at him, before patting his shoulders. ¡­ A few minutes later, Fox met up with the team, Nala Loba¡¯s team. At once, after Alea and Lyan checked him up rather quickly, he was seated on the ground, with Nol preparing to treat him. Fox took his shirt off and sat with everyone else around him, chatting with each other as Nol began his treatment. It turns out that Nala Loba¡¯s offering was for her team to help his wounds to heal, or at least begin their faster healing process. Midway through, as Nala Loba considered things with Alea and Lyan on the mission, sitting at the side, Akina looked at Fox and Nol. Fox constantly glared at her, wondering when she would act. Then, seeming to have grown satisfied enough with what she was watching, Akina voiced, ¡°Come a little closer. Come on, you¡¯ve touched each other¡¯s skin for so long, stop playing hard to get, and get hard and get it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Fox and Nol mentally pacted, staring up at the she evil to make a front against her even more evil wishes. Even the other young women looked at Akina, wordless. Akina wasn¡¯t ashamed, though. ¡°Oww, come on. Kiss a bit, okay? Let me see what you two already wanna do.¡± She seemed insistent. Fox arched his right eyebrow. ¡°Would you turn into a doggy, and a good doggy for us?¡± ¡°Sure! I¡¯d treat you both,¡± Akina smiled widely, even spreading her legs, revealing her tight lycra shorts? groin area. She added, ¡°Depending on how much more you show me, I¡¯ll turn into your pet all day, all night long. So, show me!¡± ¡°¡­¡± They were defeated. Fox and Nol broke their alliance and ignored the she evil, who pouted before smirking, closing her legs in disappointment. On the other hand, Alea and Lyan, the one-way pure saints, shook their heads. Nala Loba refused to show any reaction, though. After a bit, Fox was treated from his back to his lower belly. Besides colored medicine, Nol used a few instruments to arrange his skin with rope-like strings among others, which Fox somewhat felt his skin squirming with, like endless tiniest worms all worked up. Nala Loba guided him out, letting him rest with a few extra layers of protection, gadgets like skin partitions to cover his wounds from sweat and any other filth or fluid. When exiting the HQ, with Mena not present at the reception, they stopped. They didn¡¯t speak on their way out, nor did they seem to have something to say, but equally at the same time, they stopped and turned to each other. It seemed like they had something they could talk about. ¡°I guess I can say I didn¡¯t see your nature and¡­ codes before. I am now contacting you, but not to work again.¡± Nala Loba spoke first. Fox softly interjected, ¡°Are you inviting me to your team?¡± ¡°What makes you think so.¡± Nala asked, with not a question. Fox didn¡¯t argue. He just shook his head quick and a bit before expressing, ¡°I¡¯ll be honored to join if you offer me just that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nala Loba offered no further words, for a time. She slid her hands up her pants before crossing them at her ribs. ¡°It¡¯ll be your honor then. I¡¯ll add you to my team. Welcome, Fox, Phesx Caolia. I will see to your improvement.¡± Nala Loba then tilted her head, forming an exquisite frown, ¡°Have you gone to the doctor lately? In the HQ, not your therapist, or whoever else.¡± ¡°Mm, no. I will after our task. No problem?¡± Fox arched his neck, gaining a pair of eyes briefly, before showing annoyance. Yet, he spoke with a calm attitude. Nala Loba nodded after thinking for a bit. Bending her body a little low, she gestured to the streets before returning to the HQ, leaving a few words behind. ¡°Get ready soon, you already know we must act quick when we do.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Fox nodded, remaining seated on the sidewalk for a while longer before standing up. Both wore their worker uniform, looking quite like a pair of doofuses disputing about marriage. After Fox relaxed enough that he grew bored, he headed to his suite. ¡­ There, he saw Teon, who wore a camisole she could only have bought with his money. He tilted her head, but since she was a good delicacy for the eyes, he let her be. Teon brushed her teeth, greeting Fox by sending her head upwards before ignoring him, flashing her tiny under butt. Fox walked in and drank an entire bottle of water of 1 liter. Then, he went to Teon, who watched TV. He grabbed her like a puppy and lied on the sofa, but instead of caressing her belly or neck, he ruffled his palm on her hair. ¡°Gyaaah.¡± Teon exclaimed before growing used to it, as always. She kept brushing her teeth before poking his wrist with her nose to go clean her mouth. When she returned after he let her go, Fox was resting with his eyes closed. Teon tilted her head before scurrying back into his arms, like a dog feeling clingy. Watching the TV, she murmured, knowing he wasn¡¯t asleep. ¡°Just a little. If you can¡¯t sleep quickly enough, I¡¯ll just go to my bed. Ack!¡± Fox slapped her head, making her cutely exclaim before giggling from her nostrils. Fox then cuddled her tummy and tussled her hair again, resting his eyes and body. It was pretty calm now. If only it could¡¯ve been like that since long ago. ¡­ After a while, in the living room, everything was dark. Only the TV was still on, showing news Fox usually watches at night, usually prioritizing Proteros¡¯s matters. Fox slowly opened his eyes, almost falling asleep but deciding not to by his body, always almost. ¡°The case has, as they say in ANS, ¡®grown cold¡¯.¡± Fox opened his eyes only to see the channel reveal something of importance to him. It was a female announcer who was previously cut off amidst her section. ¡°The bikers, who used their legal rights to defend themselves from the mayoralty¡¯s lawsuit against their instigation of the defensive measures a man was forced to take.¡± ¡°According to the reports submitted just 2 hours ago, after being let go of, each of these people were fined 20,000 credits each. The money will be used for reimbursement to the murder of a wife, a mother; a woman¡¯s man, husband, and son, half her life.¡± The announcer worded before a small frame appeared beside her atop the screen. It was smallish compared to the announcer. ¡°I can¡¯t believe my family is broken! Broken! Awwoooo!¡± A light brown woman with a hunched back and guttural female voice cried out loud, rubbing her eyes with rolling motions from her hands. ¡°My heart is BROOOOO-keeeen! I am so thankful, thank you, thank you, thank you mayoralty. Ah, mayoraltyyy!¡± ¡°Those are the words of Estela Urtiga, the words of a mother.¡± The announcer sternly spoke with an equal nod before another small frame appeared, rapidly enlarging into the full screen. It showed the bikers Fox knew, with most of them dispirited, and the young woman from the couple the deceased young man saved crying her heart out without saying a word. They exited a governmental office building, stomping down some stairs in the deep night. ¡°¡­¡± Fox didn¡¯t realize when he sat up until after the images were replaced by a smiling male announcer, who now talked about animal rights and nature being saved from the current government¡¯s projects. Fox threw his back on the sofa, feeling his lungs alive again. He rolled his eyes and felt like killing. Tsking his lips, he shook his head before walking straight to his bedroom. He turned the TV off before throwing the control remote to another sofa. When he opened the door, Teon was there, calmly sleeping on his bed while facing the ceiling. Fox looked with his polycoria eyes locked on her. He walked in, toured around his bed, and looked down at her face. Picking a few hair strands to the side, Fox lowered his head and caressed her cheeks. Teon hummed a little, tender and swift, as Fox smooched her forehead. All thoughts of killing for the sake of killing vanished. Not that he would target any person, especially with a mission happening soon. But Teon¡¯s calm sleep and sweet sleeping image reminded him of Pheli. His time with her in Riverlye. Fox continued caressing Teon¡¯s face, blowing at her small nose a few times, remembering the first time they met, where she almost heavily injured him with a punch, although he wouldn¡¯t know it would be that bad back then. After another smooch to her flat, smooth forehead, Fox left, covering her body better and accommodating her head on his pillow. ¡­ Chapter 113 — Passing Time Accompanied With Money Spent Passing Time Accompanied With Money Spent Fox met with the team in a subway station outside the city center. When he arrived, it was still dark outside. Fox met Loba and the rest of the team waiting for him outside, although he arrived early. Nala Loba looked at Fox and asked him as everyone else grabbed their ''luggage'', ¡°Your injuries persist, are you sure you can accompany us?¡± ¡°I more than can,¡± Fox stated. He carried his luggage in a bag hanging over his right shoulder. Nala Loba looked at him, slowly nodding before attending her team. With a simple nod upwards, everyone went into the subway station. ¡°Back then,¡± Nala Loba further spoke as they went down, walking beside Fox. He looked at her, awaiting. She continued, ¡°When Nol was treating you, I clearly saw him graze your tendons by mistake, twice. But you didn¡¯t make a noise.¡± ¡°¡­ It did hurt, a lot, of course. But it¡¯s only pain,¡± Fox shook his head, not eager to talk about it, nor phrase it. Nala Loba looked at him more before nodding. Fox then added, feeling he had to. ¡°You ought not to worry about me, you know I can take care of myself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not enough,¡± Nala Loba clearly worded, although she didn¡¯t expect him to say that. Fox nodded, articulating a wry, thin smile before saying, ¡°I can also take care of others.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± Nala Loba went on again, annoyed. The other teammates looked back for a moment before resuming their walk before them. Fox wore a neutral, easygoing expression. Then, he offered, ¡°I won¡¯t slow anything down, and I want to learn. Let me. I also need the money, and this extra payment is just perfect. Please, let me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nala Loba said nothing more. Not only for a while, but for the rest of the journey. Fox didn¡¯t feel she was mad at him, or annoyed, only not bothering about him anymore. The others treated him as politely yet without any sort of unneeded attention as possible. First, they went through the subway before arriving at a random location in the city with a distanced, tall building from the rest in the district. It had a helipad at the top, and seemed abandoned. In truth, there was just no one inside it, but it wasn¡¯t abandoned. Regardless, the team climbed the building with keys and smooth access to the top. Then, taking off without causing too much disruption, as helicopters overflying the area was somewhat of a normal occurrence, they headed to Lydwe, a small state with a sea border and sharing a land border with Endessa. While light and a bit small, the chopper was fast, and not too loud. It easily went quite high up and rushed to Lydwe, arriving there before the first morning lights fully descended. The team then landed on another helipad from a building that seemed abandoned, but wasn¡¯t. This one was shooter, as it is the case with Lymoca¡¯s south, poorer and less attended. Fox moved along, all going in a group down the subterranean tunnels, wearing masks and googles. They weren¡¯t for vision, but to look at the time and communicate with each other without having to raise their voice, nor take another device out. Whenever they looked at each other with those goggles on, they¡¯d see a respective color glow and pattern that would otherwise not be there. They could communicate simple orders with just their eyes and some head movements, with their patterns and glow intensity also meaning other things, but mattering little. After a couple of hours walking through the tunnels, Fox could smell the ocean. Shortly after, they exited a larger sewer hole leading to a rocky shore with a tiny bit of sand leading a path to what is known as Endessa territory. They were at least 30 meters from the rocks and the sand in terms of height, but the shore seemed about half a kilometer away. Without being held by the hand, Fox took his respective bions and wore a pair of gauntlets and shoes with pikes at the front. He activated them before his turn came to climb sideways, following after Alea, last out the sewer hole. Fox could understand these sewers were virtually abandoned as well, though they still ¡®worked¡¯. Otherwise, such an ¡®entrance¡¯ wouldn¡¯t have been left open for anything to come in or out like this was an AO period. The gauntlets suckled towards stone, metallic, solid, cold surfaces with ease, but one would still need their feet to get a good balance. The shoes¡¯ spikes suckled air when identifying a hole or aperture in a surface similar to the gauntlet¡¯s effective type. Then, it would ¡®stick¡¯ to them after nestling inside for a limited amount. The military version of these bions was overwhelmingly costly and more useful, not counting with a limited suckling period and able to adhere to many other types of surfaces. However, those kinds were also from the ¡®half a¡¯ semi empowered tools branch in the world. Little by little, they arrived at the beach, a little sore, but no one was exhausted. Even then, only Fox was second to Nala Loba in stamina after they resumed their speed to their objective, with the morning already lighting its sunlight on everything, on their left and backs. Their target was an abandoned water park, quite minimal and not so lavish, near the sea. This time, it wasn¡¯t as troublesome as before, but Fox knew it was a ¡®rare¡¯ chance for tasks like these. And what¡¯s more, they weren¡¯t here all inconspicuous. They received information and further details from a source in Endessa. The source¡¯s identity is unknown to everyone except the Captain and Butler, perhaps. They arrived there in another hour, using the vegetation and overly rural environment at the sides of the streets of a town, hiding from the countless people, especially tourists, walking to the beach. Naturally, they didn¡¯t head to the dangerous shore the team came from. This was the first time Fox saw ¡®different people¡¯. The difference between Preutians and Lys back then was only in the small modernisms and little else. Here, however, in Fox¡¯s eyes, they seemed to give off an invisible notion he couldn¡¯t understand nor pinpoint. At last, they arrived into the abandoned water park. To Fox, this was like an exercise, while the team was bent on getting the goods from the individual¡¯s hands this time, not worried about a possible ambush, as it was most likely expected. A few minutes into entering the premise, Fox heard gunshots from a distance. Those were from the guards this time, or other agents. They stopped almost a second later, killed by one of his new teammates. After a few more minutes, it was his turn to do the same. Accompanied by Lyan, Fox encountered half a dozen guards, putting them down fast before another dozen showed up. The sparks flew off everywhere in the water park, and a gunfight here and there unfolded. Skirmish after skirmish, with several corpses keeping the goods ¡®safe¡¯ littering the ground, and some falling into the empty pits where water used to be, the team finished everyone off, counted the time, and went for the bags. Like before, they were coming after gold bars, roughly of the same size. But they also searched and found some trinkets, especially ornaments and pieces of art from hundreds of years ago, barely kept. During the fight, the latter suffered not a scratch, all hidden in safe storing boxes in different buildings. Once they had everything in the bag, they headed back from whence they came from, carrying everything slowly and discreetly back to the building with the helipad. It was tiring, having to wait for long periods of time that put their patience to the test nonstop. A few times, some of them had to go out and create a situation outside to bring attention elsewhere so the team wouldn¡¯t get stuck again. When they returned to the helipad, they moved to an aerodrome, where they took a jet and returned to Proteros. By the time the forces moving under Endesa¡¯s noses rushed to their hidden base, Endesa¡¯s police forces and military investigators filled the place. On the other hand, Fox and the team smoothly landed on the airport, appearing to be just another rich folk coming from a trip from Dawn or Twilight. ¡­ They unloaded the stuff, brought away by the White Bloods who awaited their return. As the goods, of which the golden bar bags were much less than before and of smaller bundles, were delivered, Fox and Nala Loba stood beside each other. It was a job well done, and their payment of 200,000 credits had been delivered the moment they landed back on Proteros. ¡°Would you like to drive next time?¡± She asked, out of the blue. Fox looked at her, nodding with a little smile. ¡°I could use that.¡± ¡°You will. To learn, right?¡± Nala Loba faced him for a few words, turning around before walking past behind him. Fox nodded, scratching the back of his head, ¡°Yes, Captain. Uh¡­ I¡¯ll await the next task, Captain.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Fox bid Loba farewell, who left with White Stone, Wheel, Bloodycoon, and Oragem. Fox released a sigh of relief, checking his bank account which still needed some working. Sighing some more, he left the airport and returned to the HQ. He still had something pending. ¡­ Fox greeted Mena before walking to a medical area, where the doctor who had researched and diagnosed him was. Fox just had to walk in to be received, to which the doctor, working on a screen, turned around and was surprised by his visit. ¡°My, you¡¯re back. It¡¯s been a while, Phe-¡­ ahem, Fox.¡± The doctor stood up, shaking hands with Fox¡¯s gloved right hand. Fox nodded, putting on a thin, polite smile. ¡°Does the doctor thought I left? That I went for another, female, cute doctor to tell me better things about my condition?¡± ¡°But of course!¡± The doctor flung his arms upwards. ¡°Anyone in that condition would want to hear it as many times until they believe it.¡± ¡°I did from the first time, doctor.¡± Fox honestly stated. The doctor stared at Fox for a while, sighed, and sat back down on his chair. Fox brought one for himself and sat in front of the doctor before speaking, ¡°I wanted to check myself again.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do that.¡± The doctor nodded, leaving his computer work to the side and at the back of his mind. Fox picked his sleeves up, asking, ¡°How long will the results take?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll take care of that. You¡¯ll have them by night. Go use your bladder, here¡¯s the syringe, and a bit of blood, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± The doctor frowned, as if insulted by Fox¡¯s questioning of his perfect analysis speed. Fox wore a neutral expression as he carried the items in his arms, walking into a booth at the side while the doctor dragged some pieces of machinery towards their chairs. ¡­ A few hours later, after all procedures, having lunch, and talking about little things of life which Fox could now somewhat understand. The overall analysis was done. The doctor went to pick the results up, returning after just over a minute with his head low, reading the documents. When the doctor sat before him, Fox supported his forearms on his thighs and asked, leaning forth, ¡°How is it, doctor?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the exact same, Fe- Fox.¡± The doctor looked up, feeling it was normal, and went back to look at the documents, gesturing at it with some rapid taps from his yolks. ¡°No abnormalities or changes to your body, be it what makes one a human¡­ or your illnesses.¡± ¡°Did your nails and teeth change?¡± The doctor asked after lifting his chin again. Fox shook his head, ¡°No. Although I feel a bit ¡®limited¡¯ when I use my left ¡®ultra¡¯ nails.¡± ¡°Well, you could make a bion out of it, don¡¯t you think?¡± The doctor looked at the nails, which Fox flashed beside his face like showing his new pedicure, and commented that. Fox blinked. He hadn¡¯t thought of that. Of course, to meddle with ultra Mintip, he needed ample experience. ¡°Indeed. Thanks, doctor. I¡¯ll be taking my leave now. I won¡¯t go to others, I don¡¯t need to.¡± Fox nodded a few times before standing up. The doctor remained seated, perhaps a bit tired after spending almost the entire day checking Fox¡¯s health. ¡°You also don¡¯t need to meet some crazy ones. I swear, if I had colleagues here, they would go mad and try to bribe me to sell your body to them.¡± ¡°Mn, that itches. Makes me wanna kill,¡± Fox commented with his voice, feeling in a good mood. The doctor smiled ruefully, barely noticeable. ¡°Yeah, I was trying to say that as me protecting you, but now I think I was protecting them.¡± ¡°Farewell, doc.¡± Fox smiled, demoting it to a rogue grin before exiting the room. The doctor nodded, blinking softly before watching Fox¡¯s back be replaced by the closing door. He sighed and looked down at an antique-like clock, showing the crude hologram of a little girl. It was a simple little girl, with white skin and black hair. Her image on the hologram was exaggeratedly coarse, but it made the doctor smile, contented. . . . 2 weeks passed by fast. Before that, Fox, who acclimatized to the life of guiding Selena as a young woman freeing herself from her pervious torment, trauma, and behavior, and as his celebrity client; paid the due 2.1 million credits to keep his baby in repairing procedures. It was now the 8th month, and the 2nd week had just started. A few days ago, it was notified by the government, of which Luis Heartez first stepped out of his ¡®cave¡¯, as Fox likes to think of his office, to announce it to the world. Soon after, the Lymoca¡¯s military and institutional organizations declared the confirmed end of Preut¡¯s civil war, 1,020-1,025. There was a bit of party celebrations, but it was kept low. Fox didn¡¯t know before, but ever since Luis inaugurated the victory of his second consecutive term, the Supreme Court Justice practically banned festivities from taking a larger ¡®toll¡¯ than one¡¯s household. Not even employees or sports were allowed to celebrate Lymoca¡¯s national festivities. Be it at their houses, companies, stores, stadiums, schools, or even arenas and stages. Regardless, Preut would soon pass to become Lymoca¡¯s state once again, but that would take a month or so, according to the president. Meanwhile, the more Fox participated in retrieving Lymoca¡¯s long-lost gold, and some trinkets, ornaments, and rare items, even those that seemed plain tasteless, the more Luis didn¡¯t yell at him. To anyone with a brain, that meant a huge step towards not growing to hate each other. A very important step. Naturally, Fox was paid more and more. During the following week, in the 4th of the 7th month, left with only 560k credits, Fox went all out to sell his stuff. The boutique, for starters, made 200,000 credits in a month, of which 60% went to Fox¡¯s pockets. Seeing the massive influx, and salivating, Fabiola wished she had been less flexible on the contract. However, there was a future, and it was near; and she, young. Thus, she didn¡¯t complain, knowing it was on her for being too complacent, and kept aiding the new owner. Fox took 120,000 credits from the boutique, getting to 680,000 credits in his bank account, but this was without counting his daily duties beside Selena. That is, besides being paid 40,000 credits per day, Fox was fucked his brains out of by Sona, always rewarding him. Even more when he fully answered her first test for him correctly. That night, day, and miracle of life was something else¡­ For the past time working under Selena, and the still ongoing days with her, Fox received 500,000. With this, he was now with 1,000,000 credits left to pay his Myertha¡¯s continuous reparations. But now, discounting 280,000 from the mega hotel, Fox had 900,000 credits. Fortunately for him, he was able to quickly learn to build good quality bions. Not only because he had ample experience before, and ended up being a promising crafter. The tools in the Piya Sanctum District were countless times better than Riverlye, allowing anyone to learn to build some basic bions, let alone helping those like Fox with incredible talent. Fox could only work with the daily limit every day, so he had to focus on doing everything he possibly could with that limit, only sometimes not showing up. Even then, he gained 1.7 million credits. With those 2.6 million credits, Fox paid the due reparations for his Myertha, at least the first part before it could be ridden like before, and even better, according to Mauricio. Fox was left with 500,000 credits. His boutique self-supplied with the remaining 40%, and he also tasked Fabiola with negotiating with the floor above them to see how much it would cost to buy it off. Things grew a bit stable and would only continue to do so. ¡­ On this day, Fox had enough free time to make money for the next reparations, so he could afford to spend those free days however he wanted. Since there wasn¡¯t a cooperative task yet, Fox visited the presidential precinct. Now, he had up to the end of the year to pay the following repairs, which were more complex and required the mechanic team to grow mentally prepared for certain procedures. Fox walked into the presidential precinct, this time without hiding. At last, Luis wasn¡¯t ¡®embarrassed¡¯ of him openly walking in. Fox¡¯s hair was starting to grow, and maybe because of that, some females took a few glimpses at him, unlike before. It was difficult to figure out the whys, as his curling right side and smoother, flat left hair was even more blatantly attention-grabbing now. Arriving into Luis¡¯s office, Fox entered after a knock, not waiting to be told to go inside. Luis didn¡¯t even lift his head, writing something down as he voiced out loud with a dull tone, ¡°What is it now, Fox?¡± ¡°I came to ask about the lawsuit the bikers from that day ¡®lost¡¯ to that mayoralty office. Can you put someone to intervene and let them off?¡± Fox asked outright. Luis wrote some more with an ordinary pen, which Fox remembered Lesly giving to Luis after the last task to retrieve gold. Then, he stared at the mad fox before him with slightly dropped eyelids. ¡°What do you want exactly? That I abuse my power and let-¡± ¡°Okay, nevermind then.¡± Fox politely smiled with thin lips before turning his head to the right, staring at Roam. His 3-left and 4-right polycoria eyes glinted a bit, curious, before voicing as Luis went back to writing with his pen. ¡°Hey, Roam. Can I ask of you a favor?¡± ¡°Mr. Fox, what would you require?¡± Roam properly gestured, giving Fox a bit of satisfaction so that another yelling fit wouldn¡¯t resonate outside the office again. This is even when the office has such excellent soundproof, slightly muffling everything from Fox¡¯s ears. Fox grinned from ear to ear and tilted his head a little, fashionably flinging his hair. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give me the address of the mayor? I¡¯ll chat him up, we can make a quick, bilateral agreement to benefit us both.¡± ¡°Woah, ugh.¡± Luis had enough. He drew his chair backwards and stood up, walking away with a deserving attitude, not willing to hear more of this. Luis widened his eyes exaggeratedly and took his jacket, disappearing into his bedroom behind his desk. Fox smiled, hooking the right corner of his mouth hard. Staring at Roam again, he pressed on, ¡°Well, what say you? It¡¯ll be quick. Better than annoy me here and then let me seek that old ¡®official¡¯ on my own, yes?¡± ¡°Mr. Fox, I¡¯ll only ask this one thing, don¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll seriously damage Lymoca¡¯s eternal peace.¡± Roam sweated before taking a napkin out to clean his face. Fox¡¯s eyes continued to look at Roam, twinkling curiously, before Roam took a folder out. His face rounded with surprise, Fox looked at Roam, who definitely didn¡¯t give him a nasty clue, ¡°This isn¡¯t something the president has prepared for a while now. Don¡¯t go around thinking he did, it is normal to have the records of those who seem a bit doubtful.¡± ¡°Ah, ah. Thank you, not president. I see my hands aren¡¯t as invisible anymore.¡± Fox took the folder, giving it an eyeful before closing it. He gestured it towards Roam before motioning to turn around, but Roam said with a polite, amicable smirk from ear to ear, ¡°There¡¯s news of your current situation on your duties as miss Selena¡¯s bodyguard.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Fox stopped, facing a Roam who began smiling. Roam placed his hands together and narrowed his eyes along that smile, ¡°Selena will be cancelling her program with you and start a contract with the government. Naturally, also with PSD to be protected.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox tilted his head, only a little bit, to look at Roam for several seconds with a serious-like glint across his polycoria eyes before lowly uttering, ¡°Is this because of that matter with her agency? I made her do it. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯m being punished. So, what is it?¡± ¡­ Chapter 114 — Errand Boy… Young Man Errand Boy¡­ Young Man ¡°Indeed. I am afraid miss Selena has grown close to you, Mr. Fox. However, she is not a young girl in a young woman''s body. You''ve freed her from her entrapment. She wishes not to obstruct you, Mr. Fox. Your paths are vastly differing from each other.¡± Roam said, bowing a little bit as Fox slightly opened his eyes further and looked around. He understood, but it was a pity, just when he was going to propose his per diem raised from 40,000 to100,000 credits. ¡°I understand, thanks for the information,¡± Fox stepped backwards and gestured to the folder again before turning around. Roam watched him leave with a light bow, relaxing once the evil demon fox was gone. Luis peeked out of his bedroom¡¯s doors in between to see if Fox left. ¡­ Fox had a long time before nighttime. He also had to deal with Selena¡¯s matter. Today was the day. Thus, he went to his apartment and ¡®glossed¡¯ up, tousling Teon¡¯s head roughly before heading to a business district where Selena¡¯s agency was located. As soon as Fox arrived, he could tell there was a commotion inside. The main doors were bulked up by half a dozen guards. Fox walked to them, but they didn¡¯t budge, and when he stopped before them to look at their faces, they avoided meeting his head-on. ¡°Okay,¡± Fox lightly called out before kicking the guard on his right. The guard felt bones in his body breaking as his body bent to the left, crashing against other guards before his right arm and leg went all limp. Before it all ended, Fox struck with his left elbow to the guard on his left, giving no time to respond to these ordinary people. The guard to receive his elbow below the ribs felt cracking as well, but only from the lower end of their body. Unlike the other, this guard directly slammed his full side body into another guard, thereby pushing their row of tall, bulky fellows laterally into the air before crumbling down. The entrance was cleared. With whimpers and vomiting sounding to his sides, Fox went through the glass doors, with the receptionist outside already calling the cops. Fox gave them an uncaring, brief glance as a middle-aged, slender woman looked at him, immobile. Hearing urgent reminders from the other end of the call, urging the receptionist to continue reporting, Fox didn¡¯t react and just walked further inside. After he left, the receptionist remained petrified for half a minute before muttering to the phone, ¡°Nevermind. It¡¯s Fox.¡± ¡°Oohh.¡± The operator on the other end of the call exclaimed. Soon after, the call was hung up. Fox walked up the stairs to the uppermost floor, the third floor. Just then he heard a door slam to a close, followed by a brief silence, which was then ensued by footsteps, heavy but quick, walking away from the door. Then, just as the door slammed back open, Fox walked up the stairs in time to see Selena with her thin jacket half torn and 4 scratches on her right shoulder, from where it was torn. Bead-shaped tears spilled from her lacrimals as a brown, tall man with broad shoulders and strange blonde hair chased her on the corridor after slamming the door to a close again. Selena¡¯s body was intact, if only by those clawing marks, which were like red spray scarcely spread on a wall on her skin. Fox stepped onto the floor, no longer at the steps, causing Selena, who held her chin high despite everything, to stop and focus her gaze up on him. The man behind her did the same, stopping with widened eyes and a gaping mouth. Fox only stared at his client, she was his client still. He imperceptibly nodded at her before walking past her. Selena¡¯s eyes flashed with conflict for a moment as she turned around and looked at Fox¡¯s back, but then disappeared. Fox walked to the man, Selena¡¯s manager and ¡®leader¡¯ of this agency. With how coarse, disordered, raw everything was, one could tell what kind of ¡®sponsorship¡¯ they take in this place to survive. They wouldn¡¯t hesitate to sell their money-earners off at any price. The man cowered and ran back into the room, opening the door with trembling hands before Fox, who walked to chase after the man, heard a clinking sound of a lock, an old-fashioned one. With his left hand, Fox gently twisted the doorknob, pulling it a little down before thrusting it up. The door broke open with Fox¡¯s following kick, flinging into the room for a few crazy, random shaking before falling to the floor. There he was, the manager leaning back on a sofa, like not doing so would turn him into minced meat. Fox looked at the man after walking in, stopping in the middle, tilting his head to the left. A smug grin formed on the left corner of his mouth. Fox resumed his walk, slowly stopping before the trembling man whose cold sweat never stopped, and never heated. Fox looked down at the man, letting him terrify himself with the sight of his changing impenetrable black pools. ¡°Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t come prepared to punish you, mr manager. But I still can inflict well-deserved retribution.¡± Fox lowered his head, nearly coming face to face with the manager. However, he was no just man. He grinned from ear to ear, ¡°You touched my client. Took advantage when I wasn¡¯t here. Pain just won¡¯t cut it.¡± ¡°I- I- but I paid you¡­ I hired you¡­¡± The manager trembled, unable to speak like he didn¡¯t have something up his ass. Fox reached out with his left hand, slowly grasping his clothes¡­ Craasshh! ¡°Kyaaaaaa!¡± - ¡°A man has killed himself!¡± - ¡°No, he¡¯s not dead, look!¡± - ¡°Is he naked!? Oh~ my heavens!¡± - ¡°Isn¡¯t he that little overlord? The one who touched your niece!?¡± - ¡°¡­¡± From the peaceful third floor, a man was thrown outside the window, through passersby couldn¡¯t note the difference. They only saw someone barely covered roll downwards, almost like he was falling down a cliff. The shards of the broken window fell on his skin, cutting and stabbing before falling off. Before the manager could scream, his instincts made him shut his mouth and eyes tight, enduring the pain all around his body. When he neared the ground, the improvised rope made from sheets and other cloth slapped his body with inertia. This made him hang in the air for less than half a second, allowing him to only get ¡®slapped¡¯ hard from the front. Furthermore, facing the ground full of broken glass¡­ ¡°Aaaaaaggghawaaaah!¡± The manager shrilly screamed with blood splattering from his face, breaking his throat and becoming hoarse as he stood up in a jiffy, grabbed his butt, and ran to the nearest hospital. His ding dong dangled, along other things, rapidly getting tackled down by an enraged white knight of the streets. Meanwhile, some people noticed a few things from the bare body. ¡°Mom, why are his poocheeks red like yours when dad asks you to wear that ¡®bikini''?¡± - ¡°Ayo? Why is his face red? Looks like an innocent makeup art, is this a skit?¡± - ¡±No, again. Why are his buttcheeks so red? Is it even possible on that skin color? It looks sickly¡­¡± At the broken window, Fox watched as a few people looked towards him, not immediately recognizing him. Selena appeared behind him shortly after, peeking over the broken window at the manager, who was once her boss, once seen as respectable, and now a nightmare at times. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see¡­ this,¡± Selena murmured. Fox looked at her before grabbing her arms, pulling her away before anyone recognized her. All the public knew of her agency was that she came from an unknown company, and not much else. Though that would change soon. ¡°So you were the one to want to end my contract?¡± Fox looked at Selena, who smiled, feeling bemused. ¡°Am I your manager now? The power, no wonder! I like it. Hehe.¡± ¡°Hm,¡± Fox grinned a bit, infected with her amusement. Selena stopped giggling and fell silent. She looked at Fox, swaying her shoulders back and forth intermittently, and pressed her lips. ¡°I¡¯d like to spend more time together, for sure. I just don¡¯t think I should get to rely on you for my friendships. It won¡¯t work unless I want to start wearing edgy sunglasses and suits. I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°No need for explanations. Not for that, at least.¡± Fox shook his head and did the same with his palms, facing her with nos.¡° As long as it was you, then I will let it be. It was no easy to get to this point. Good for you to do it. Any other agent in the District will protect you as good as I did.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Selena nodded, reassuring herself and Fox with an extra blink of her eyes. ¡°Take care,¡± Fox held her upper arms again and squeezed them. Although her breasts cushioned against each other, neither of them gave it importance. Fox nodded at Selena and she looked at him with upturned eyes. Then, Fox walked out, guiding her one last time to get out of the hell she once dreamed about. When coming out, Selena could swear hearing one of the female receptionist scream ¡®good riddance!¡¯ towards them, positively towards them. She smiled, giving the rows and rows of cameras outside a marvelous sight to fill the news with tomorrow.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Fox and Selena, coming out together after the big bad villain was punished without being killed. What more of a perfect story? Unfortunately, it was bound to never go anywhere. Unfortunately for the sensationalists and bored asses. . . . A wealthy residential district in Proteros capital city. Night. Hours after the scandalous news of Fox throwing a man naked out of ¡®his house¡¯. ¡°Mm, mhm, hm hm~?.¡± An elderly man walked around his kitchen with the lights off, only using a light that followed wherever he went to see what he was doing. He had both his earphones, made of transparent metal showing a dynamic depending on the song, out of his ears. That didn¡¯t stop him from humming like he was home alone. After finishing preparing a sandwich with copious quantities of different types of meat and add-ons, he grabbed a large wine bottle from a container above. Uncovering it, the elderly man couldn¡¯t help taking a sip directly from the bottle¡¯s mouth. Placing the bottle down with a satisfied expression, he served himself a glass and put his sandwich on a small but lavish plate before turning around. ¡°Gasp.¡± Fwi- crash! Clink- crsshhh- clink clink- clank. The elderly man was startled into terror. Fox stood in the dark, with the kitchen lights not following his being and illuminating him. The elderly man thought he was seeing wrong. Maybe those few nights where he thought of that Fox and worried he had a relationship with ¡®those guys¡¯ were finally playing his mind tricks. But to crush those hopes, Fox¡¯s unique voice sounded, crumbling the elderly man¡¯s passionate survival delusions. ¡°It¡¯s often a useless person who is high-up, except for a thing or two that help others make money, or more money. Not those they complain about, ¡®ruining¡¯ society. But here you are, making yourself a snack I myself feel bad I ruined it.¡± Fox looked up, ¡°Should I have called for a consultation through a rotten judge, first?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The elderly man looked at Fox motionless. Fox stared back, not minding the staring contest. The elderly man looked like he was terrified, shocked, confused, and felt offended, but he couldn¡¯t act on any of these. ¡°Mayor?¡± Fox called out after a while, growing bored but showing an impassive expression, which was his natural resting expression. ¡°I came here to talk about something important. It¡¯s simple, really. Take the stupid sentence off the system, remunerate the money you stole from the bikers twice, and never appear in my radar again.¡± Fox felt a little stupid calling out a ¡®radar¡¯ for modernism, but the manual said it worked. As soon as something new that was ¡®seen before¡¯ entered their ears right, it would be easier to intimidate a civilian. From the Piya Sanctum District¡¯s manual for civilian exploitation. ¡°But, it¡¯s my money!¡± The mayor shrilly exclaimed. Fox¡¯s eyes lost all humanity on them. He just doesn¡¯t like hearing something like that. But the mayor didn¡¯t notice, finding newfound rage to step forth, defending his belongings. ¡°This is my property, young man! It doesn¡¯t matter who you think you are, the law is the country! If you think the president can ¡®teach me¡¯ how to do my job, my job; I have done it for 6 decades, he might as well destroy the Supreme Court Justice of the nation-¡± Before the mayor could continue, not remembering walking forth so much towards a known, skilled killer, Fox sent his right hand forth, catching his neck. The mayor¡¯s breathing halted for 2 seconds, reddening the rosy white, sickly skin of his face. Meanwhile, Fox slowly passed the hold to his left hand. The mayor didn¡¯t even have that much hair on his head anymore, but as his eyes darted around dizzily, strands atop his head towards the rear stood up out of fear from their survival instinct. ¡°No, oh no.¡± Fox¡¯s voice turned hoarsely bloody. The mayor was taken aback. He went on, ¡°Mr. President knows not of this, do you understand? Get it? Nobody is here but I, and I can do what I want, mayor. There¡¯s no Supreme Court Justice to save you here. Even if you put them all lined up together, how long would they watch before they start writing a decree for me to stop?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still as easy as before, so listen again in case you understand at the second time. You are old, after all.¡± Fox spun the elderly upside down with his left arm strength, stopping him midway to force the mayor¡¯s head just above the floor. Without stopping, all in one sweeping series of actions, Fox bashed the mayor¡¯s back against the dinner table, knocking it over and careful to not hit the back of his head. ¡°So break off the sentence, reimburse for twice the amount you stole from them, then piss off! Do it well, you old worm. How many people would lean over to watch your neck crack?¡± Fox grasped the mayor¡¯s neck with both hands, crashing into the corner of a couple of shelves, and spoke with the viciousness of a murderer. Looking at the murder in those eyes with his whole body still turned upside down, the mayor nodded, becoming fearful. ¡°I will, oh heav- oh- will! I will! Please, please let me go. I promise you, uwaa hawaahwahaaah¡­¡± The elderly man began crying, having nothing to do to plead but this. Fox looked at the old man, tilting his head and breathing evenly, before letting go of the mayor. As the mayor dropped, his feet rushing to the floor, Fox¡¯s voice left a few words behind. ¡°I will not return to cover my hands in your sweat next time.¡± ¡°Uh! Huh? Wooh!¡± The mayor rapidly crouched up, turned around, and checked left and right in as many angles until he felt getting himself hurt a bit. Fox was nowhere to be seen. The mayor retained the position for a long while before he slowly stood up, feeling weak, dry at the throat, and sleepy. It was a cold night, and he had to clean his kitchen, the food and drink¡­ and the bikers. . . . The next day, Fox woke up with a beauty at his side. It wasn¡¯t Teon, but Sona, who was his consolation prize, no doubt sent by Luis, just in case. Teon went into his bedroom, wearing a tight green shorts and boyish shirt, briefly glancing at the hugely proportioned super beauty sleeping next to him. Teon opened her lips, about to berate him, when she smirked instead. The left corners of her lips became malevolent. Standing just there, Teon used the girliest, sensual voice she could ever muster and feel shame for, and called out. ¡°Daddy, hurry! I will be late if you keep holding that big beautiful aunty.¡± ¡°!¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Sona woke up with unrest, widening her eyes to the possible drama device of a long-lost child. What¡¯s worse, from a very young age! But Fox, on the other hand, refused to opened his eyes right away. It wasn¡¯t until a few seconds after Teon¡¯s beautiful words that he opened them and stared at Teon. ¡°What now? You¡¯re not entering until 2 months from now,¡± Fox sounded somewhat bellyacher. Teon put her knuckles to her waist before striking a demanding pose. Fox saw this and rolled his eyes, ¡°Get out of here or Sona will show you why she is so loyal to me.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Mena said she¡¯ll help me get in shape. I was a long time without eating properly, after all. You know?¡± Teon exclaimed. Sona got the cue. She grinned, moving her left hand across the blankets, his torso¡­ his groins. Teon exasperatedly shook her head before turning around, leaving with her eyes rolling. ¡°Ugh!¡± With Teon gone, Fox and Sona looked at each other, smiling, before Sona actually continued. Fox opened his lips, but they were stopped by her right index finger as she knelt beside him. Sona uttered her breathy words, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to follow you in every task you get. I have work, too. I¡¯m not just a good lower mouth, you know?¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Fox blinked, now more than willing to let her continue. She did, smiling and speaking before diving her head into his groins. ¡°But do treat me like one right now.¡± Fox¡¯s eyes rolled. His hands found their way to become busy, and his body dominated the art of passive-dominance before using full-on dominance. Another day, more study, wanton fervor. ¡­ After talking about life with Sona, Fox walked out with Teon behind him. Sona left for her own matters, leaving the pair to properly head to the HQ. It was early morning, with Fox still having to go to the boutique and begin his daily work there. Without Selena to take up most of his days, Fox could return to see the environment within the store. What¡¯s more, Fabiola made a breakthrough in negotiating to see if it was worth fighting for the next floor now. Fox dropped Teon at the HQ, which he only entered to greet Mena and then left, though he only grabbed a taxi and brought her to the Plastics Recycler Factory. Strangely enough, Mena and Teon seemed to hit it off very well, perhaps knowing each other from one of Teon¡¯s outs. After being ¡®pardoned¡¯, she became a mighty goddess in Lymoca¡¯s eyes. Then, his day began in the boutique, where all he had to do was meditate, come out a few times, and take care of his needs. The youngsters became¡­ rather professional in attending the store clientele. Even some of those vip clients that only come in the weekends, as they are the days Fabiola can at least come to the boutique for some hours, became used to coming here on their own. It was all flourishing. And just as Fox received Fabiola¡¯s message about her breakthrough, and he considered having an official chat before anyone else could buy the floor above the boutique, Fox received a notification from his WID. He read through it before becoming a little excited. Before, all Fox wanted was to gain the better skills and a purpose no matter how small and petty, like credits or gaining status, was to kill. And then, how to kill better, and better, and worse for the living beings in every part of the world. Now, however, without mulling on it, Fox felt glad at a ¡®miscellaneous¡¯ task. It didn¡¯t directly involve a confrontation, but the pay was slightly larger than usual from other tasks. Not for too much, but the difference is there. In this case, although he was a Red Blood, or anyone who was, Fox had to do well in his espionage and avoid detection, or in other words, anti-espionage. Knowing the theories and having visualized in his meditation sessions was different from living it himself. Fox smirked and ceremoniously consented to the assignation. It wasn¡¯t needed, as a special agent from the Piya Sanctum District, most missions were an irrefutable source of income; and prestige. Fox looked at the notebook from the store¡¯s ledger. He could see the sales from just the first week astronomically beating the first week from the previous month, and being slightly larger than the last, most profitable week of the last month. Should it continue this successfully, 200,000 credits would have only been the entry level of a cybernetic issue Fox could now rapidly solve unlike before. Checking things with every youngster, and telling Fabiola to prepare to acquire that next floor. Fox checked more information of his next assignation in a storage backroom. ¡­ Chapter 115 — Moving Along The People Moving Along The People After 12 hours of taking a plane from Proteros to Himperyia, and taking the main road from there to Prosas in the northwest of the country, Fox exited the taxi, which a middle-aged man drove. No doubt, the first thing Fox did was make a driver hella contented, giving the man almost an entire month''s worth of being people''s driver. Exiting the vehicle, Fox wasn''t just Fox, but ''Luis'', a recently integrated ''professional'' new recruit into the country''s Post Office. He definitely took the name for this task due to the unsavory relationship with his boss''s boss. He stepped out to face a rather large but still doable and usual building. It had 3 sets of stairs leading up to it, each helping a person half a meter up, with a flat surface next, and then the next staircase, for over 15 meters. The building itself was nearly 40 meters wide and extended from the entrance to the other end for about 60 meters. It was the state post office, after all. Fox contemplated the building with a big, long bag hanging from his right shoulder before moving forth. He was a couple of streets away. When he stepped into the post office¡¯s sidewalk, he went to a stand and bought an old lady¡¯s candy apple from before heading to the building. Munching on the thing, Fox solely liked the bitter, spicy taste mixed with the acidity of the apple itself, feeling like a delicacy when moving his jaws to send its taste overflowing everywhere. Be- twiiiink~. Fox went through the doors with a bell indicating his entry. The entrance faced a long corridor, possibly to the other end of the building, and a small reception desk immediately to both sides, of which none looked at him. He went to the young woman to his right. Not a beautiful woman, who was a little chubby, and had a dull ponytail, but she looked serious yet easygoing and professional. She looked at Fox when he neared her, immediately saying, ¡°Hello, sir. Would you like to form a complaint, speak to one of our managers¡­ ah, or find a family member?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to introduce myself, I¡¯m the new guy, Luis.¡± Fox said, looking a bit serious, perhaps because of his nervousness. The receptionist read into it before checking some information. Just as she was going to ask further details, her screen showed Fox¡¯s image. Naturally, it wouldn¡¯t be Fox¡¯s face, but Luis. And more naturally so, Fox wouldn¡¯t do a mission like this with his fame. That¡¯s why his face was burnt charcoal here and there, spreading through most of the area around his left eye and from his jaw to his neck. He wore a mask, but it was impossible not to notice. Fox¡¯s light brown skin and that burnt charcoal ¡®flabby¡¯ skin peeking from a few corners of his expensive-looking, thin mask weren¡¯t helping. It was too easy to contrast them. ¡°I see. Sorry, I- I didn¡¯t know. Ahem, here¡¯s your ID card, don¡¯t lose it, or you¡¯ll actually have to pay 700 credits for it.¡± The receptionist gave him a hand-long card, easing up as she spoke. Fox questioned, looking down at his card, ¡°Isn¡¯t it 200 credits?¡± ¡°Mm? Oh, yeah,¡± the receptionist dully reacted. ¡°But not here. Even if you go to the Housing Department, they¡¯ll charge you 500. Just don¡¯t lose it, treat it like your second phone.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Thanks,¡± Fox nodded, sounding a bit somber, but still cooperating. Seeing this, someone¡¯s motherly instincts kicked in. She gave him directions up the stairs to the upper floors before grabbing a slightly old-fashioned phone from under the counter, ¡°Go meet with the executive manager, I¡¯ll inform him of your arrival. Go on, don¡¯t worry.¡± Fox silently nodded before taking his bag to the upper floors. There weren¡¯t many. Additionally, only the first floor was pretty tall, most likely because it was where virtually everything was stored. Fox ignored his future coworkers and found the stairs to the upper floors. After going up a few floors, Fox arrived near the executive manager¡¯s office, knocking on it before someone readily but lazily replied on the other side, ¡°Come on in.¡± ¡°Hello, sir,¡± Fox greeted before sitting on the chair before the executive manager¡¯s desk, who silently invited him to sit. The man was in his middle-ages, gaining some old man¡¯s hair but colored with silver hair paint atop. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you. Your file says you have excellent cooperation qualities, and your experience to organize people for small tasks is good.¡± The man started with a light smile. Fox nodded, ¡°I was treated well in Proteros. But I just had a small spot with many others, and I wasn¡¯t even in the capital post office.¡± ¡°No, yes. I know,¡± the man put his fingertips together. ¡°What I¡¯d like to ask of you, Luis, is to first check around the place to see if you can adapt well, yes? Then, I¡¯d like to see you organize some of the people and procedures around here. Uhm, there¡¯s been some messes that shouldn¡¯t have happened. I don¡¯t want more of that, this post office doesn¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°Sir¡­ a- are you offering me a job? You won¡¯t¡­ have me interviewed first?¡± ¡®Luis¡¯ was excited upon understanding, as the executive manager directly arranged for his stay in the post office. And sure enough, Fox saw the man smile from ear to ear with thin lips. ¡°I don¡¯t need to. I know a good working fella when I see one. Start now, if you don¡¯t feel tired. This will be your first day, how about it?¡± The man proposed. ¡®Luis¡¯ was ecstatic, nodding, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± With that, Fox started his assignation. He stood up from the chair with his new boss smiling, and left in a good move. The boss nodded to himself after he was left alone in his office again, he glanced at those books in their bookshelves to the sides of his wide office. Fox returned to the receptionist, who congratulated him with half-a-beaming attitude before professionally adding him into the system. Then, Fox went to HR, where he was rapidly introduced to the place he¡¯d move packages and even letters to and fro, and the new comrades he¡¯d have before they became his staff members. ¡®Luis¡¯ was an exemplary colleague and even person. He dutifully greeted those who wanted to greet him, and even those who didn¡¯t were helped by him when he was just passing by and had trouble. Other workers noticed him at lunch, especially because of his mask. Regardless, the first day went uneventful. ¡­ Fox stayed at a cheap hotel nearby, with excellent views to concrete and more vehicles moving around. He left the post office past 11 PM, but instead of heading to his hotel, he went to the nearest PSD base in the state capital city. After spending the night creating bions, although he didn¡¯t have as much pressure with the workshop mechanics trusting him more, Fox went to his hotel. He showered before returning to the post office as early as 7 AM, which seemed a bit late to him. Like this, 3 days passed by. It was now the final day of the week, with ¡®Luis¡¯ becoming well-known during the 5th day of the week. He went from moving things left and right, even up and down, to have his own staff members. It was a rocky ¡®first¡¯ day like that, but ¡®Luis¡¯ showed exemplary guidance by the end of the week¡¯s 6th day. The issues that would grant daily headache to a select few were gone. What replaced it was more time to deal with their dull paperwork. Fox wasn¡¯t a ruthless dictator of sorts, but he did ¡®ignore¡¯ those who didn¡¯t want to cooperate, making the manager in charge of them slightly berate ¡®Luis¡¯ before thundering against those few. On the 7th day of the week, the day Fox planned his move, the staff worked diligently. In the executive manager¡¯s office, the big boss was just chatting with a female manager whose beautiful smile seemed unable to ease up, when he gave a document a brief glance. He looked up at the manager again, but this time without narrowed eyes and smiling lips, ¡°About Luis, that new fella. How is it going? Does he have any issues?¡± ¡°Oh, him!¡± The manager¡¯s eyes shone a little, but the executive manager was too attentive to know about ¡®Luis¡¯ to care or even notice. The manager went, ¡°No~, he¡¯s doing just fine. On the first day, he was silent. On the second, he actually tried confessing to one of our gems, hehe. He was ridiculed, but don¡¯t worry, sir. He is much more mature than his age tells.¡± ¡°There was a situation on his first day managing some staff members, but it was completely fine the day after. Even those the other managers ask you to consider moving to a branch building became good puppies the next day. Luis asserted his dominance, I believe, hehehe.¡± The manager was clearly in a good mood. The executive manager smiled in response, exchanging ¡®a mutual glance¡¯ with the manager before returning to the subject, ¡°How was he this morning?¡± ¡°Oh, as¡­ usual? I believe? His staff members greeted him, something rare here.¡± The manager said before adding that little part. The executive manager nodded, clearly displeased that no one does that to even him, ¡°Agh, I know. Oooh, maybe he¡¯ll get everyone else to feel like doing the same? To please us, you know?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Aaaaah~!¡± The manager exclaimed, reacting accordingly, as she knew the boss desired but had no rights to demand honor and respect from other people. Especially with the things happening in the post office, let alone his well-known manager-touching policy discussed among other managers. ¡­ On the other hand, as noon came, Fox was busy doing nothing and reading a screen with a keyboard connected to it on a desk. It was news from today on a big window almost half as large as the screen, worldwide; and another few windows of certain matters pertaining to studying politics and Lymoca¡¯s records with its 3 branches. Ring, ring. An old-fashioned phone rang. Fox took it without thinking before a male receptionist called, ¡°Hey, Luis, is it? Your girlfriend is here. She¡¯s asking you to come out early so you can¡­ uh¡­ phew¡­ ¡®play¡¯. Listen, I can call the boss and tell him for you, thanks for accepting my little brother the other day. You washed mine, now I¡¯ll cover your back, yes?¡± Fox was a bit startled. He picked up with things and realized something before voicing through the phone, ¡°You do that. Thanks, I¡¯ll be down in a minute.¡± Fox hung the phone and called a staff member standing at the side, acting as his servant. A 15-year-old black kid wearing quite an attractive, ¡®cute¡¯ suit, with a golden tie and all. When the kid stood before him, with ¡®Luis¡¯ putting his nonwork jacket on, he addressed the little guy. ¡°Tell the others I¡¯ll be here in the night shift. I put Miguel in charge, and tell Mabe that if she whores around in my absence, it will be the executive manager knowing about this, this time.¡± A little perplexed, the kid blinked and didn¡¯t respond for the first 2 seconds before nodding, saying as ¡®Luis¡¯ walked away with a gallant strait. ¡°I will, Luis. Good luuuck!¡± ¡®Luis¡¯ went through the walk of honor as word ran quickly. From wanting to have one of the post office¡¯s gem as his, to having a bombshell of a beauty call out for him. Whether it was fake or not didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that ¡®Luis¡¯ could make a beauty this unique come for him, begging him to come with her so they can be together. As Fox walked to the entrance, arriving halfway through the long ass corridor down the stairs, he met with the young woman he targeted as an alibi the other day. ¡®Luis¡¯ looked up and down at her, but without the up, before flicking his eyes elsewhere, facing the entrance. With the beautiful lady beside him looking at his back with slightly widened eyes, baffled, Fox looked at an unknown young woman standing before a black man chatting her up after hanging down the phone behind the reception desk. While Fox didn¡¯t recognize her, he did recognize something from her. Short hair, cocoon styled even, large mouth, wonderful smile. She had ¡®cinnamon¡¯ white pale skin, with quite a few freckles, and she wore a skirt covering slightly far above her knee. Her shirt revealed her thin, soft arms, while her eyes were pure black and her height less than 1.65, a height he knew well. ¡°Hey,¡± Fox said as soon as he walked up to her. Like a young lady not noticing anything, but suddenly unable to hide the fact that she actually knew, the young woman turned to him with a magnificent smile. She uttered, ¡°Hi.¡± But immediately after, surprising even Fox, who flawlessly hid it, she reached her left arm to hug his nape, softly throwing her head backwards before connecting her lips to his. She moved as if she knew there needn¡¯t be haste. Fox hugged her torso at the center, eating each other¡¯s mouths in public before she softly separated, eyes dreamy and luscious. Her lips, trailed with saliva, moved, whispering in not a whisper, ¡°I have missed you. Today, you¡¯re receiving a considerate gift for how I left you. Come.¡± Fox flashed a glance to the receptionist, who slightly nodded and thumbed up towards him. Fox nodded in return before following after this young woman, watching how high her skirt was because of her derri¨¨re. She didn¡¯t seem to have much bosom, but her rear¡­ She was just perfect. Moreover, her skin would contrast so good with Sona if they were together in bed with him¡­ Fox shook his head, many thoughts went into his mind after oh so many bad words from that wicked beauty. As the young woman led Fox into a car, the latter was already smiling, having seen through the tinted windows with ease. Once they got in, Fox sat in the middle of the backseats, with Sona, wearing a see through white linen dress under her jacket that gave light to protrusions of love, smiled at him. She sat on his right, with the young woman from before sitting on his left. The seats were a little too close. Sona said nothing and smiled, indicating to the driver, who dared not look back in any way. ¡°Let¡¯s go. To the back of his hotel.¡± ¡°Ehh? But, when am I being dropped? When can I leave? Miss Sona, you¡¯ve already paid me to bring your man out, not to¡­ I¡¯m not like-¡± The young woman, exposing what happened and how it came to be by Sona¡¯s plot, was startled and spoke with uncertainty. ¡°Shhh,¡± Sona came to her rescue, somewhat. Fox felt her elbow on his groin, doing things, as she bent over to place her right index finger on her mouth. The young woman widened her eyes, which didn¡¯t lose the respect she held for Sona. Sona said, smiling, ¡°I¡¯m not whoring you, or anything as silly. No, I¡¯m gifting you to him.¡± Things became hotter in the backseats, with the driver closing his window and pressing a button so that a black cloth covered them from the front except the rear mirror; and a dreary silence. Then, so so slowly, Sona returned to her seat with the young woman becoming bewitched by Sona¡¯s charm. Fox gulped. He was no dumb boy in a city. Sona returned her stare to him, or rather, at his body. Her right hand caressed down to his crotch, feeling something building up. Before diving her head down while unzipping a little something, and as the young woman sat closer to the edge of her seat and to Fox, Sona worded, ¡°This is as good as it gets, and you can¡¯t turn it away¡­ You can¡¯t.¡± Fox watched as the young woman seemed to fall in a trance, a lusty, passionate one. Her eyes briefly went to his, already without the mask, and his lips, before dutifully returning to Sona. Then, as the monster of monsters was freed, kissing noises sounded from Sona¡¯s side. Before long, Sona lifted her left hand, moving through the air towards the young woman¡¯s left shoulder before pulling her down¡­ towards their ¡®friend¡¯ in common. The young woman was stiff at first, but loosened as her eyes changed to elsewhere. Fox joined the fray, teased by Sona who just would not gobble down her plate, and lifted his left hand to caress the young woman¡¯s right cheek, but her eyes were dead set on his groins. Then, he moved his hand to her neck, just below the ¡®corner¡¯ of her jaw, and pulled her heavier to his crotch. At last, the volcano was quelled, and the day of insane pleasure had just begun. Even more so as Sona¡¯s head disappeared below the young woman¡¯s, who was already playing with his something all over inside her mouth. ¡­ Hours later, in Fox¡¯s hotel room. He laid in bed, under the cheap yet clean and proper sheets, as Sona rested on his left, with her face on the side of his head. Her occasional blow made his weakened knees even weaker. Her legs sprawled around his left thigh and side, entangling his body from above or below, not caring where she put her intimate features. On his right, a slender bunny slept with her face against his shoulder, kissing it in her sleep as she hugged his arm. She was much shorter than him, so her body could neatly entangle with his arm alone. She looked tender and sweet, despite being a sex goddess thorough until a few minutes ago. A paradise for the one man to go through it like a champ. It was night, so it was time to go. Fox sat up and accidentally revealed huge breasts and a delicious butt on his left and right respectively. His eyes entranced, especially on the latter, making him grope and rub a bit more before shaking his head. He wasn¡¯t a sex-driven person. Fox dressed up with his working clothes and left with a small case in his right hand. Shortly after, during their sleep, the beauties who made of Fox¡¯s life a prolonged living paradise, entangled to each other, hugging and pressing their assets to the other¡¯s perfectness. ¡­ Fox arrived at the post office, greeted the night shift receptionists, always the same, and went into the corridor. One of them had to see him go up the stairs, which he did. But afterwards, in the fraction of a second after she turned her head, Fox returned and headed to a room on the right at the end of the corridor. Inside were hundreds of cases inside the walls, all as important as a bank¡¯s vip client¡¯s most treasured possessions. Fox ignored them, staring at the only staircase leading downstairs in the entire building. Downstairs wasn¡¯t supposed to exist, as there should be no subterranean floor, or basement, of any kind. Furthermore, only the executive manager and some mangers had access to this room. Something anyone working here for a few weeks can deduct, which Fox randomly listened from people who were led by him through conversations; unbeknownst to them. Wearing a plastic bag, still with his fake charcoal skin, Fox walked down, letting a blond hair and a fresh blood sample plastered onto a transparent crystal fall on the floor on purpose. Downstairs were all server-like equipment, with dozens of metallic black boxes without a lock or panel to open. Fox ignored everything again, heading to the opposite end of the stairs, where the reception was located if this was above. He searched left and right before stopping between 2 rows of servers. There was a colorful screen with a keyboard on a wooden plank stuck to the small space on the wall. Fox opened his case, its lid flinging open, of which nothing fell off. He grabbed a few square-shaped devices with entries on all lateral sides, putting them in his left pants pocket before kneeling in front of the screen and keyboard. Fox took out a small pistol¡¯s parts before rapidly arming it, placing it in his right side a moment later. Then, he took a cable out, connected to a¡­ mere rectangle-shaped surface of thin plastic. It was solid, though, although clear and empty. Fox stood up and pushed the keyboard up, placing the plastic in the exact same position the keyboard was before relaxing. He prepared 2 square devices the size of a third of his palm, and disconnected the keyboard from the screen. Rapidly connecting the plastic¡¯s cable to one of the square devices, the latter connected to the other, before Fox hurriedly plunged the last one into the screen. He let go of them, but the cables stiffened, becoming suspended in the air, as he put the keyboard down and tapped his fingertips on the plastic nonstop. After 12 seconds of Fox sweating like crazy, he stopped, breathing relaxed, but still inaudible to the untrained ear. Then, he relaxed and worked, tapping nonstop but at a slow pace, looking at the screen that showed only 3 letters per ¡®word¡¯ and about 100 to 900 words per sentence, paragraph, or page, so to speak. At last, Fox left, picking his case after storing everything, and after using the other square devices to ¡®format¡¯ the keyboard, which wasn¡¯t just a keyboard. Therefore, Fox disassembled his pistol and kept everything in his small case, returning upstairs. Just as he exited the room with the receptionists not glancing his way, taking him 3 minutes waiting until the opportunity presented itself and Fox rushed up the stairs several meters away, a silenced pistol fired fourth times in a row. It happened just as Fox stepped up to the floor where his ¡®spot¡¯ behind a small corner counter was located. ¡­ Chapter 116 — Seeing A Truth Seeing A Truth Plop. A corpse fell to the ground with widened eyes. Fox looked at the window, from where the bullets came, and saw Nala Loba enter with Colmillo through the window, agile and quick. Fox was startled, mesmerized even. Nala Loba looked at him and spoke, looking at the woman dead on the floor. ¡°This was your mistake. You left an improbable out. Give it to Colmillo, she''s the one to deal with it.¡± Fox subtly nodded, passing the case to Colmillo, who grabbed it and hugged it to her chest, nodding to Fox. He then stared at Nala Loba, who kept looking at him. He knew, she just spared him the time to do it himself, of killing his ¡®coworker¡¯ because of his mistake, and he felt thankful. Colmillo walked to him and gave him her hand a little awkwardly, which Fox politely shook with his gloves on. Nala Loba walked to his small counter and put a note on top before returning to them. She stood beside Colmillo and stared at Fox along the former, ¡°There¡¯s a task for tomorrow morning, team¡¯s going out, Colmillo is joining. Are you coming?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I just have to deal with something first.¡± Fox nodded, calmly expressing. He wasn¡¯t referring to his alibi coming out of the building, but his hotel. However, Nala Loba tilted her head to the right before saying, ¡°Is it to tell your little girlfriend that you didn¡¯t just leave her?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Fox stared at his Captain, speechless. Nala Loba cocked her head and shrugged before shaking her head, ¡°Go ahead. We¡¯ll be waiting at the subway. Colmillo just learned that the idiot whom she bought ? of the stocked bions weeks ago is you. She¡¯d like to talk to you, and it might help you not lose money like a moron again.¡± Fox was gladdened to see his Captain and Colmillo didn¡¯t just intrude in his personal life, but her following words, though direct, they seemed¡­ Regardless, Fox looked at Colmillo and blinked, slowly figuring something out. ¡°Ha he he he ha heh¡­¡± Colmillo covered her lips and giggled. Her neutral, magnetic, soft, and soothing voice sounded outside her mask. Fox couldn¡¯t find fault at her for this discovery, and Nala Loba¡¯s words. He lowered his chin, as his position couldn¡¯t be currently any lower. ¡°What does that mean? I could¡¯ve made a deal, or sell them to someone in specific?¡± Fox asked. Colmillo looked at him, and, of course, he couldn¡¯t tell if she was smiling. After a little bit, she shook her head and hung her head to the left, ¡°We can talk as we go go. See you, Blood Fox.¡± Nala Loba and Colmillo turned around, with the latter taking a strap out of her left back¡¯s hidden pockets, and tied the case around her lower back. They jumped out of the window and climbed upwards, disappearing from his eyes and hearing sense. Fox looked at the night of the world before turning around, sighing somewhat. The bit of blood coming out of his dead coworker wasn¡¯t too much, but he was still on guard of it touching his shoes. Fox first went to his counter and sat there for 40 minutes before taking food out of the little fridge at the lower corner of his spot. He prepared himself something, a lonche, and ate it without being hungry before leaving a bit of a mess behind, and a combination of sauces with different main ingredients that¡¯d make even children frown when thinking of ingesting all that. After he went to the bathroom, he planned on waiting for 30 minutes before making some noise, and then another 40 minutes to get out, but a shrill scream sounded, startling the hell out of Fox. This was outside his plan, but aware that nothing was absolute, or such, he rapidly sprayed some floral scent on his butt before rushing out. The camera outside the bathroom showed Fox hurrying out, limping strangely before turning around the corner. A few hallways later, Fox saw one of the receptionists plummeted to the last step on the staircase, holding her forehead as she spoke to her phone in a call. Seeing Fox come, with the window letting the wind in, drifting the floral scent to her, the receptionist¡¯s mind went crazy and shouted, ¡°He¡¯s here! The murderer! Oh my god! He raped her!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox lifted his hands, already about to appease her, when she called him that. He jolted his head backwards, and then thought, ¡®What the fuck?¡¯ Fox fell into thought just to make sure he was free of such actions, but never in his life, even in Preut, did he find himself so ¡®needy¡¯ of forcing someone else to give him pleasure. He backtracked to give the demonic lady a break, when he heard the other end of the call, ¡°Oh heavens! Quickly, send half the SPD! Someone¡¯s raping and murdering another victim soon!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox tilted his head to the right. On his ¡®long¡¯ way to the state, which indeed took the longest Fox has needed to travel; he checked the homicide and rape in Prosas was of 4 to 10 in a semester for homicides, and regrettably at least 10 per month, just from this state. ¡­ Fox waited for the cops to arrive, which colored the entire building with yellow lights as they stormed in. The executive manager and his direct subordinates were alarmed as well, hurrying here. Especially a few of them and the executive manager. He returned to the bathroom, showing an exemplary image of a person who clearly had to go from the woman¡¯s sight until he closed the booth. Others might not know it, but there was a sound and footage recorder hidden somewhere in the hallway of the men¡¯s bathroom for extra safety. When the cops arrived, Fox was pants down holding his body like the booth wasn¡¯t large enough, and he wanted to make a renovation for free. They looked down at him, with a putrid smell flowing into their noses. An officer got him a paper roll from another booth after seeing his didn¡¯t have any, and just for safety, they waited until he ¡®cleaned¡¯ and didn¡¯t pull the lever to ¡®check¡¯. They gazed at the exemplary bits of cow dung in the toilet, nearly throwing up before giving in at the other booths. A brave state police officer went over to save the janitor from sure death. Then, they walked, not brought, Fox to the main entrance, with the body already taken away. After exhaustive investigation, especially in the bathroom, along its camera¡¯s footage, and from the hidden camera, Fox was cleared of suspicion, with his counter and note marking an even clearer evidence. However, the note had a ¡®sorry, I will work at a better place from now¡¯ kind of message, which would have made the managers and their boss unhappy. But after their exemplary, briefly lasting employee was horribly misidentified as the murderer, they couldn¡¯t say a thing. In the end, Fox¡¯s way out went smoother than expected. While the executive manager and accomplices would find the clue he left behind before sinking into suspicions of one another, he had all questioning he expected erased from his to-do list. Arriving at his hotel room, Fox saw two kitties playing to lick each other¡¯s kitties, with the sunlight caressing every delicate intricacy of their wonderful bodies. He joined in, but only observed, naked. They played with him from time to time before finally spreading their joyfulness to him once they¡¯ve grown tired of quivering without his intervention. When they were done being adults, Fox faced Sona in the bed, both cuddling the young woman in between. To see this scenery as hot was undermining it, as the younger woman was still with part of her body in heavenly clouds with her rump sticking against Fox¡¯s pelvis. ¡°I¡¯m leaving sooner, my team needs me.¡± Fox said in a low, hot voice. Sona purred in response, caressing his head, giving it good massages, before voicing. ¡°I understand. And there¡¯s no need to tell me. I know my limits, and it¡¯s not like I will try to keep you to myself. I¡¯d like a person who¡¯d stay with me most of the time, even at work. And that¡¯s just one of the misses you have on my perfect husband requirements list.¡± Fox gave out a relaxed grin, with the kitten between them moaning kittenishly again. After bidding the pair of beautiful women farewell, Fox grabbed the bigger case, rather regular size from Fox¡¯s collection, that Sona thoughtfully brought with her before meeting with the team. His task was complete, and he received 200,000 credits straight out, adding to his growing balanced and sensical income. With his rifle and 2 submachine guns in the case he now held, readied to be assembled, Fox joined the team for another task. This time, it was a bit simpler, but more dangerous. They would intercept a cargo from the criminal organization, moving military grade weaponry, not third or second-handed, but military straight out, from the north to the south. All information they had is that the organized crime band suffered an accident midroad and were forced to camp near a long, dirt, unworked road. They were well armed and could even use the equipment whenever they wanted. The team dispatched the criminals, bandits, before confiscating the goods. The national guard couldn¡¯t be involved, as the military equipment they are given to deal with these matters were under strict orders to not be used. On the other hand, the military couldn¡¯t just surround these bandits in the wilderness when they were far from any urban settlement, farther from the military bases around the country. Fox didn¡¯t need to ask, as he knew the governor or Prosas was a NSH party member. But to think that they¡¯d go as far as to undermine the president by letting this kind of armament integrate into the OC¡¯s hands¡­Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The situation became even more severe when Fox and Colmillo identified the materials that, strictly speaking, could be used to build a combat helicopter¡¯s tail and its anti-torque rotor. For the first time since becoming a Ly, Fox felt the stupid brazenness of the political world. If only they knew what a single combat helicopter could do. Furthermore, the material he saw, and ammunition amongst all else, were leagues above what Fox suffered in Preut. In a fit of discontent, Fox separated from the team against Nol and Alea¡¯s wishes, who wanted to keep the mad dog ¡®dog¡¯ alone, apart from ¡®mad¡¯. He went to the governor¡¯s residence at night while the others back to Proteros. Nala Loba watched him leave silently, hardly giving him another glare. However, she kept Colmillo from getting involved, which Fox didn¡¯t mind, and felt even better that Colmillo wanted to help him. But Nala Loba was right, if anything, it was best to not involve someone else. Thus, Fox rushed to the governor¡¯s residence, only needing to dial Mena a little bit before convincing her of becoming his accomplice unwillingly. The governor was an old man who lived alone, divorced wife who ran with the kids and made some more with a husband that she could love and receive love back from, and a lonely person. However, whenever he showed in public in Prosas, he was shouted at and given awful glares from the crowds or even just a few people nearby. There were many ¡®iconic¡¯ videos of such happening, becoming the governor¡¯s restlessness and uneasiness to show up in public. But Prosas, a state near the northern border states, was one of the worst taken care of in Lymoca, how could that be? Naturally, it was a clear example of when one shits in their own garden. Fox changed his mind when he arrived near the gigantic mansion. There was only 1 vehicle, a car. With how well-taken care of it looked in his trained, tech-obsessed polycoria eyes, Fox decided to not enter the mansion and just play outside. Fox had to be slower than he should to not make too much noise nor seen as he worked his ¡®prank¡¯. He left deep in the night, where the world was asleep, at least in this half of the planet. Thus, the next morning, when the governor came out of his mansion, after looking left and right to avoid any public eye, and more so with cellphones, he walked to his car with a coffee mug as usual. Yet, when he started the car and looked back to enjoy his baby¡¯s smooth driving, he was flabbergasted to not feel it moving at all. He could her the wheels spinning, and the engine was on, with the radio badmouthing the president on, thought it was more like any radio. Stepping out of the vehicle, the governor saw his wheels madly spinning far above the ever-possible-thought limits. He couldn¡¯t even see them properly anymore, intermittent between slowly spinning to not at all. The governor became so scared that he scrammed back to his mansion, calling the national guard line and even crouching behind his fridge. In the end, the wheels stopped on their own after 15 hours, of which the car¡¯s sides were burned, but a strange sponge-like block hidden inside spread when it heated, allowing the car to avoid exploding. Though it did burst in flames for a while. The dozens of national guards, all forcibly commanded by the governor, bored and wishing it could just explode, or at least ¡®speed up¡¯ the process, finally left with a bad taste in their mouths. When the governor, who didn¡¯t attend his daily duties in the governmental office, went to his bed to sleep, found a gift. He saw the mangled corpse of the organized crime band¡¯s man leading the convoy sprawled on his ceiling. Dried blood, dark and repugnant everywhere, were the canvas, with the limbs and skinned pieces forming a word: ¡®Fox¡¯. *** When Fox returned to Proteros the following afternoon, he received a message from his WID, from Butler, which Fox first ignored and went to his boutique. First things first. He went to see his boutique, which was operating at full motor, and with the owner of the floor above upstairs watching this happen with an understanding expression and constant nods. Fox met the old man, who seemed quite serene and understanding. When he appeared in the old man¡¯s retinas, they shrunk a little before recomposing, but still continued trembling. Fox greeted the owner from the floor above, ¡°Fox, this is my boutique. I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve reached a good point with Fabiola?¡± ¡°Good to finally meet you, yes.¡± The old man shook Fox¡¯s gloved hand. ¡°She¡¯s a sweet girl. At first, I couldn¡¯t figure why she would be there with you, working for you. I apologize for my treatment, I now wish to have further talks. If you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Oh, I am complacent to hear that,¡± Fox politely smiled and walked forth, bringing the oldie to the storage backroom to talk business. But then, he said with a lazy smirk spreading from ear to ear, ¡°But do you mind we speak informally? I don¡¯t like pleasantries, only solving things.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± the old man widened his mouth and looked at Fox like an unearthed treasure. He had been enjoying wasting his time trying to find a buyer for his flat because Fabiola was just the perfect granddaughter that he didn¡¯t realize he could act differently now. More to his taste. Blocking the words ¡®one of my own¡¯ from his lips, the old man nodded with an open smile, ¡°I agree. Ahahaha, shall we?¡± ¡°Right, we don¡¯t have to decide everything now. Let¡¯s treat this as a brief first meeting. We should just speak a few things about what to expect and how to deal with them, yes? Be blunt with me, I have a meeting with the president since I returned to Proteros, we wouldn¡¯t want to have him waiting for too long.¡± Fox said, grinning towards the end of his words. ¡°The president?!¡± The old man shouted, incredulous and stupefied. Half the boutique turned heads around, with the other half eyeing them from the corner of their eyes. Fox grinned widely, nodding with an expression at ease. ¡°Ah, what¡¯s he like? The president,¡± as they stepped into the area at the back to hide, the old man expressed his curiosity. Fox stopped and considered the thought. Nobody ever asked him that after remembering, or he reminded them whom he worked for. He tilted his head, contemplating for a few moments before gazing at the old man. ¡°He seems strict, but there¡¯s a bit of him that¡¯s still¡­ the president I hear everyone talk about, at least the majority. I can see a part of what an extreme minority truthfully speak of when they talk about him growing inside him. I just haven¡¯t been able to see much of it. He usually yells at me a lot, like I¡¯ve owned him for my whole life.¡± ¡°That¡­ does indeed seem not like what I¡¯ve heard, how strange.¡± The old man said, stopping his words somewhere to change them for a better use. Fox shrugged and pointed to a pair of below mediocre chairs at the side, below a desk. ¡°Shall we?¡± ¡­ After Fox left the boutique in the good hands of the youngsters, promising Mena¡¯s cousin a little ¡®gift¡¯, and after leaving it clear that Fabiola still held importance in the boutique, he went to the presidential precinct. Arriving before the presidential office¡¯s doors, Fox knocked twice before coming in. Inside were Sona, Lesly, and Roam around Luis¡¯s desk, with the ¡®unmatched¡¯ president sitting there. They turned their heads at him before ignoring him, looking at their president still. Walking towards them, Fox watched them chat a bit more before the president dismissed them all. Lesly left, giving Luis a powerful smirk to the right corner of her mouth as she left. Sona winked at her brother at the same before retreating together. Roam remained at the side, though he walked 20 steps away from the desk and neared the window instead. Fox looked at the president and playfully slapped his sides with his arms to stand, awaiting. ¡°So you know what you¡¯ve done,¡± Luis said as a matter of factly, not questioned him. Fox lightly nodded. Thus, Luis continued, ¡°Not only you paid the honorable mayor of this capital a visit at night, you even put up a corpse in the house of a governor? And a high-ranked officer from an organized crime group?!¡± The more Luis spoke, the higher his volume went. Fox waited until the president resumed his deeds before showing a face that he was mulling over it. Then, he lightly nodded again. ¡°Did you ever think what would occur after that group heard this news? They might attempt against the governor, Phesx! It¡¯s not my reputation you¡¯re messing in doing those things, but my country!¡± There it was, the president yelling at Fox, only fueling him instead of calming him. ¡°It¡¯s not when considering those OCs are all in touch with your dear ¡®I-can¡¯t-touch¡¯ governor, president.¡± Fox said in a casual manner, lowering his eyes when pronouncing the word ¡®president¡¯ with a rather condescending emphasis. Fox added, still ringing inside his head from the yelling just now, ¡°At worst, he¡¯ll just have to consider putting more bags into their piles of money. Ow, was it the other way?¡± Slam! Luis hit his desk, rather hard this time, unlike before, where it was his rage talking. This time, it seemed like it was something else, something like¡­ fear and precaution. Yet, Luis¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t only more stern and hardened, he even stood up and slowly walked to Fox, clearly aware of what he was doing. ¡°And where do you think that money, which is not from his pockets, will end? How many more parts and equipment do you think that money, from the people¡ª to the people, will buy them¡ª again?! Where do you think he¡¯ll gain more money from?¡± Luis neared Fox¡¯s personal space, stopping just 4 steps away after his eyes slid elsewhere for a moment, seemingly thinking of something. He still pointed at Fox, but staring at his own finger, Luis lowered it before continuing. Trying to calm down, to become serene, but he just couldn¡¯t. ¡°These type of people, with too much power in my country, pulling resources and forces as easily as they were given food and wealth when being born, won¡¯t care if there¡¯s no more money. Just as long as they get their cut, no matter what.¡± Luis had an enraged expression still, which, at this time, stood out the most. Fox analyzed this expression, this face, hearing well what it was speaking. ¡°And now, you¡¯ve made a mayor piss his pants in public after being ambushed by a group of reporters, seconds after his declaration of seeking justice from you. Then, you made a governor with not new suspicious alignments to the organized crime bands stand all the more in the limelight. All within a few weeks¡¯ worth of time at most, just half a year since you became a special agent in the Piya Sanctum District hoog secret organization.¡± ¡°The organization that¡­ belongs to me.¡± The president gestured towards himself, gently. His words might¡¯ve been softly spoken, but they were¡­ confident. ¡°¡­¡± Fox tilted his head, not expecting something like this. Luis took another step, standing 3 steps from Fox, whose eyes immediately changed when he did. Luis noticed it right away and almost smiled, understanding the personified madness, but it seemed like Fox didn¡¯t notice. And indeed, Fox didn¡¯t realize, especially because it is something he¡¯s always done, ever since he first discovered society exists. When other women discovered it, they only figured Fox was amazed by them, when it wasn¡¯t. ¡°Now they know the president has a hornets¡¯ nest, and for the past 11 years¡­¡± Fox voiced, lowering his eyebrows a tad. Luis nodded ever so imperceptibly. Fox finished his words, ¡°They¡¯ve been stirring it up.¡± ¡­ Chapter 117 — Moving Within The People Moving Within The People ¡°Hah. If there was something we''d both end up gaining common ground on something, it''s got to be this.¡± Luis laid back on the spot, looking at Fox somewhat in a different expression, somewhat at ease. Fox tilted his head to the right before Luis turned around and returned to his seat. Roam walked to them, feeling much more at ease without the sweat Fox smelled from him before. ¡°Well, if you have nothing else to say, you should leave.¡± Luis lazily gestured to Fox and said. Fox, on the other hand, still felt perplexed for a few moments before taking his leave with his hands behind his back and a bit confused. ¡°Hmmf,¡± Luis smiled and blew from his nostrils, somehow feeling good now. Roam politely smiled from the side before leaving the office. The following months were meant to be busy. ¡­ Fox returned to the boutique and spent the rest of his time there before night fell. When he returned, Mena was actually in his suite, enjoying some expensive liquor the mega hotel would charge him banks for with Teon like the best gals ever, and chatting on one of his sofas. He ignored the unruly ladies and went into his bedroom, full of new female clothes. After making a little spot for him to sit on and meditate, Fox began resting for the rest of the night. . . . 3 days later. Returning to a daily livelihood of focusing on the boutique, and beginning talks with the floor above with Fabiola, Fox has had it easy, already planning for more bion packages from PSD. But he also wanted a little break, to focus more on upgrading the quality of his invented bions. Regardless, on the 5th day of the week, Fox reached a more or less understanding with their neighbor above. It was the early morning, when Fox and Fabiola met with the old man before she had to go to her academy. Things were getting a bit heated for her as the year was coming to an end, and she would soon have more time and knowledge to manage a shop. At this time, after a quick revising of their previous talks, and confirming what each party wanted, Fox and Fabiola shook hands with the old man. Now, it was time to decide the full-on payment after checking their ¡®arsenal¡¯. ¡°Good to see this happening at last. I might need a week before things on my end are prepared. Will this be a problem?¡± Asked the old man after shaking hands with both. Fox shook his head, ¡°It won¡¯t, but that¡¯s where our friendliness ends. I¡¯d like to repass some things, so I need some time, too.¡± Fabiola looked at Fox briefly when he mentioned this. The old man looked at him, paused, before nodding. ¡°I see! Let us meet again next week, then. Little miss, I am now sure your future path is indeed going to be filled with riches.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too nice, mister.¡± Fabiola cutely said before the old man left, exiting the boutique directly. Fox looked at her and crossed his arms, knowing she had something to say. Sure enough, the young girl looked at him with her fists tightened at her shoulder level. Her big eyes went upturned, and she cutely pronounced, ¡°You leaving today it¡¯s for a mission, right?¡± ¡°What makes you think so? Did I say so? No, no¡­¡± Fox just looked down at her with his arms crossed, shaking his head a little playfully. Fabiola pouted like a stupid, pouting little girl. She demanded while flinging her fists against her clothes out of ¡®rage¡¯, ¡°Aw, come on! We¡¯ve been partners for 2 months. We can share some things, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go asking questions that you shouldn¡¯t ask,¡± Fox knocked the top of her head with an innocent fist, making her shut her eyes tight before giving up. She went to tell the youngsters to come out now. They exited the storage backroom carrying plates and smelling of a good breakfast before getting to work. It was a serene, easygoing routine for them. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± While Fabiola had to return to her academy and she prepared her stuff, Fox signaled to Mena¡¯s cousin. She greeted him after standing before him, to which Fox simply looked at her before taking out a set of keys. ¡°There will be more safety, which I¡¯m taking care of, and the boutique will most likely expand, so there might be more times I won¡¯t be available, and the shop might not be opened due to this. While Fabiola¡¯s vacations start ¡®soon¡¯, what matters the most is that the boutique continues running. I¡¯ll think about security from the outside later. It would take time, and more so choosing the right ¡®guards¡¯. Take this, I give you the ¡®power¡¯ to open the boutique every day at 6 and a half in the morning if I do not show up, nor Fabiola. But only with those conditions.¡± ¡°She knows?¡± Mena¡¯s cousin widened her bright, trembling eyes, taking the set of keys in her hands. Fox arched his lips, appearing to be somewhat charming. ¡°It¡¯s my boutique, you tell her.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± She fell a bit speechless. Before she could recuperate, knowing this was Fox¡¯s little test, he added, ¡°As for that ¡®sir¡¯. Unless you feel like really calling me respectfully, don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Of course, sir! I am serious!¡± She said, shaking her head resolutely. Then, she seemed to think about something with Fox¡¯s ¡®knowing¡¯ eyes on hey. She awkwardly added, feeling embarrassed, ¡°Well, I might have not in the past. But I definitely do now. It¡¯s my future!¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Fox nodded at her honesty, but his eyes grew strict as he tousled her hair a bit; short brown hair, like Mena. ¡°But continue doing good work, Pamela.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Pamela almost shouted, bringing attention to herself. However, those who knew her, which were all of the nearby youngsters, congratulated her in silence. Few things would make her excited outside of talking about the boutique. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Fox walked past her and announced, receiving nods from the other youngsters. Pamela was committed to keep this boutique as good as it started, and help keep its standards as it improved. Pamela, of course, knew the complications of the boutique¡¯s security as it expanded, so she had to really dedicate more of herself into this ¡®project¡¯. ¡°Eh? Are we leaving together?¡± Fabiola caught Fox when coming out of the tiny restroom beside the storage backrooms, carrying a large bag over his right shoulder. Fox shook his head, ¡°I can accompany you to your bus.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Fabiola contentedly accepted, getting herself the only bodyguard in Lymoca that will be feared and respected altogether by a few select people wherever he went, but mostly feared. ¡­ After giving Fabiola some vip treatment to deter even dogs and birds in the streets, Fox took a subway station to the southernmost side of the capital city, wanting to get there fast to not miss a flight. Then, he used one of the ¡®secondary¡¯ airports slightly at the outskirts of the city to directly fly to Crechenon, a state that is pretty much at the center of Lymoca, albeit more towards its south. Fox didn¡¯t land on the state capital city this time, simply landing somewhere in the northern region of Crechenon. Then, after settling down in another cheap hotel, Fox searched for a restaurant with multiple types of food and services, finally getting a job as a food delivery man. Fox spent the rest of the day supervised by an employee, driving around the parking lot, as it was full, and checking his responses from some unnecessary virtual ¡®issues¡¯ the employee pinpointed. After the annoying experience, Fox, or rather ¡®Gerardo¡¯, with a slightly wild long black hair and green eyes, returned to his hotel. In there, just as he planned meditating before going to a base to build some bions, Fox walked into his open room, only to see a completely bare, playful and warmed up Sona waiting for him. She had her hands showing she has been bad, and after smiling at him, she spread the valley, letting the river of enticing and arousal flood down the river. With no soundproof to hide the passions of one room, let alone the others, Fox spent a good night to begin his food delivery job the next day. He really had to thank PSD, or it wouldn¡¯t have been this easy for an ordinary ¡®chick¡¯ like Sona to find him and give him such gifts. The next morning, after being lovely kissed like he had suffered his entire life by Sona just before leaving, Fox left in a good mood, and carrying tons of ¡®foreign¡¯ saliva. When he arrived at the restaurant, still with a parking lot full even now, Fox was picked on. He wasn¡¯t just the new guy, but a ¡®low¡¯ delivery guy. Not only a delivery guy, but the one that takes care of the least important and popular deliveries. Pizza. While it wasn¡¯t just pizza what Fox would deliver, it was the majority, more than 60% of his upcoming trips. But Fox ignored everything. After all, Sona got him in such a good mood. And when he is in that mood, nothing can stop him. Except, perhaps, being yelled. Fox started his first day, delivering food to several locations in a row, mostly one pizza box per delivery, carrying a rather large box behind him on the motorcycle. Even though the restaurant was a little underhanded, it didn¡¯t treat its establishment nor employees too badly.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The motorcycle wasn¡¯t that ¡®up to day¡¯, but it was better than the entry dirt bike Victor Ruva got him. It was nothing compared to his baby Myertha, but Fox enjoyed the riding. As for the pizzas, it was no wonder they were a bit of a disappointment when compared to the rest of the restaurant¡¯s top-notch pieces that made them well-known across Crechenon. Fox could tell it was an attempt to copy the most delicious pizza in Lymoca from Sargonde, and even well-recognized in other countries. But an attempt without the honest intention. It didn¡¯t really matter, though. Fox wasn¡¯t there to learn how pizzerias or fast food restaurants worked to later on establish one. He was here to compile a report of the streets¡¯ flow and the city¡¯s flow of people everywhere. A simple recognition task of sorts that Fox was paid 200 credits a day to do, with only about 4 days being paid, as that was his schedule, but he was welcome to come all 7 days of the week. A boring yet somehow interesting lifestyle came to Fox, who couldn¡¯t help but notice things as he spent more and more time on the streets, particularly the entire day. From late morning to early night, Fox worked his ass off on the motorcycle¡¯s seat, quite literally. At night, he¡¯d work the other end of his ass, although Sona was getting creative to tease him. Nevertheless, with the passing of time, 5 days went by really fast. It also indicated the time for Fox to return to Proteros. That was left for the night, though. Fox spent his last day around the city with the pizza as his companions, one last time. However, during these days, Fox couldn¡¯t stop feeling something unusual. Every time he thought another person was interested in him despite his somewhat quirky appearance, he found no one. At first, Fox didn¡¯t turn to see who wanted to flirt him up. But after boringly turning his head in their direction one time, where he found no one there, with the other pedestrians walking, not giving him another glance, Fox had a strange sensation. From then on, not ignoring those sensations whenever he wanted to look for those who ¡®eyed¡¯ him, Fox always saw no one. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t seem to follow him, or at least not in his mindful opinion. When he returned to his hotel, none of those sensations were felt. Otherwise, Fox might¡¯ve become really irritated. But regardless, Fox finished his task here. In the assignation¡¯s information, it told Fox that like parts of the center and from the east to the west in an ¡®eagle flying¡¯ shape, the cities were built more or less like Proteros. Only less detailed and more abundant. Proteros was small, but its capital city was truly one of the most beautiful and since ancient times in the world. There was the history chapter of the first Lys who weren¡¯t called remotely that, only their warriors. They settled down in Proteros after embarking on an odyssey over all of the Moonblue supercontinent, finally deciding to spread throughout nowadays Lymoca and other countries down south. Through time, a ¡®nation¡¯ was formed from these many tribes, forming the first official civilization in the supercontinent known to the history records. It was shaped like an eagle, and without much surprise, it quite reminded one of the Silverplated Eagle. Ignoring prophecies and legends of yore the first Lys built this civilization with their minds on such, the borders they marked were indeed like those of the national symbol nowadays; since then. Not only in the shape, but if using the correct scale, one can compare a Silverplated Eagle anatomy to the first Ly civilization, and its dimensions. Fox could confirm that. This city in Crechenon was like the capital city, but a bit more ¡®free¡¯ in certain characteristics. Perhaps the aboriginals had ideas to bring quite a lot of attention to Proteros, which ended up bringing a resolute foundation for the capital¡¯s infrastructure. At last, without being able to do anything to the watching eyes, Fox wouldn¡¯t allow himself to grow restless and worried because of these. Thus, he quit in the early evening that day and went back to his hotel earlier on. Talking about life with Sona until both their sweat coated the bedsheets, they left Crechenon together. ¡­ Fox returned to Proteros and even went to Luis¡¯s side to report his findings, with Sona publicly pecking his lips before leaving the boys to talk of men¡¯s things. Fox had a lot to talk about, especially the small intricacies of criminal activity under everyone¡¯s noses, even the ¡®honest¡¯ cops and the people who witnessed a suspicious ordeal. After his brief report, Fox was allowed to leave, with his pay of 200,000 credits for virtually doing nothing. Soon after, Nala Loba sent him a message to meet up in Lyer¡¯s central southern shores. One of the 2 states connected to the sea in the southeastern mini-golf. Leaving a message to Fabiola and Pamela with his phone, Fox then rushed back to the airport. He happened to watch Sona and Lesly actively discussing something as he ran. Neither Sona nor Fox greeted each other. Albeit bizarrely intimate, their relationship would remain ¡®professional¡¯. It wasn¡¯t an issue for either side. On the contrary, it brought both parties a sense of relief. However, Fox didn¡¯t really have a footing to get to know Lesly, the vice president. While he did save her life, perhaps he was too brusque. And more so senseless when putting her inside a fridge. It wasn¡¯t his place to make friends, though. He was only the special agent in PSD that had a more direct contact with their government. Who knew, maybe other countries cooperating with their, or one of, hoog secret organizations were the same, and more used to it. Arriving at Lyer¡¯s central southern shores, Fox met Alea, who wore a damnable nice white bikini, showing her body in the best ways possible. She also wore a hat, just to brag about her blatant charm. However, what Fox enjoyed the most was her nonchalant attitude as she led him to meet the rest of the team. They didn¡¯t need masks or disguises this time. As a hoog secret organization, of course they¡¯d prepare and send elements beforehand to ensure there¡¯s no ¡®paparazzi¡¯ or foreign spies doing their work. It seemed like a characteristic only alive from movies, and in truth, it was. But unfortunately, Lymoca was far too close to ANS. Once back with the team, Fox learned of their next move. There was a OC submarine heading their way. Like before, it carried big weapons, and some other unknown possible variables. Fox wondered if they would become more focused on this than in the gold, but he didn¡¯t worry. There were other teams just as good as theirs and with a leader like their Captain who could also take care of that. Besides, the payment was the same. The team was set in motion. They wore ultramodern diving suits and brought propelling devices to rush into the water before the target showed up, with other devices masking their sounds and movement. All of this wasn¡¯t necessary to deal with criminal scum, but PSD wasn¡¯t a place for idiots. Furthermore, being so small and carrying little gear, they were undetectable even for a military submarine, as long as it wasn¡¯t first hand or ultramodern. However, the OC group in charge of this ¡®territory¡¯ encompassing Lyer and other states, namely the Coalition Party Syndicate, only had a small, transporting submarine. Usually, they carried their ¡®business¡¯ in such submarines, bringing goods and whatever else from Lymoca to other places in the world, or vice versa. This time, they are bringing stuff PSD cannot allow to happen. Fox felt ecstatic remaining underwater for so long and not having to move or pretend he was swimming or relaxing around. Just like a dying living being, he floated aimlessly on the spot until the submarine came. The raid began, and with a destructive device, they perforated the submarine from its rear sides, but only a bit; enough to scare the shit out of the unaware bandits. With the submarine rushing to the surface, the team followed suit, faster than the submarine. The hatch opened, immediately welcomed by Nol¡¯s barraging of bullets at pointblank from a submachine gun. The game was on. After the first bandit fell, with bullets embedded in the insides of his torso, the rest inside the submarine were alarmed. There were only 3 small compartments separated by light water tight doors, but the noise was more than clear, even as it was muffled. The bandits were nothing and no one to stop special agents, much less from a hoog secret organization. As soon as the team jumped down into the bridge, the criminals fell one after the other. While they didn¡¯t use the D/LMs, original to the Moonblue sc, the submarine wasn¡¯t made for deeper waters, so its walls were just a little more resistant than metal sheets from cars. Once the submarine was overrun, with it slowly gobbling water from below, as it slightly inclined downwards at the rear, the team proceeded to empty everything out. They couldn¡¯t take the most important things through the hatch, so they called Colmillo with a support frigate in the waiting to do the heavy work. After waiting for a few minutes for Colmillo to come, Fox watched the frigate extend a mechanical arm to grab the heavy stuff from the submarine. They had long opened its cargo while still in the water, but with the safety measures, the transport submarine expelled floating accessories to float for as long as possible. Several minutes before the submarine began sinking, Colmillo picked them up with the heavy stuff on the frigate¡¯s stern. The job was done. From the initial 200,000 credits per job, after realizing what kind of monstrosities they found, the District paid them 300,000 extra credits each. It wasn¡¯t gold bars, or a war vehicle¡¯s parts. Instead, it was missile parts. One of them even had an assembled rocket that only needed a system to guide and use it properly. While the pay wasn¡¯t much, they gained many social points. News of this also further alarmed Luis, who couldn¡¯t even think how the fuck, and who in the hells, would do this. Selling used firearms, grenades, explosive, and just ammunition had been the worst so far, with metal plates being only an issue that could be resolved with time if a ¡®monstruo¡¯ appeared. But missiles?! And a rocket only lacking a launching system? PSD and the president had a meeting of sorts, while Nala Loba¡¯s team went for a drink. They were in one of the wealthiest and most well-known shores of Lymoca. Why not? Sona even wanted to come, but Fox was leaving soon to attend his boutique. Thus, instead of staying some more to party, although he mostly just watched, Fox decided to return later that day. ¡­ Fox walked to the team, bypassing the bunch of half secret world and half ordinary world people dancing and drinking in a bar of Lyer¡¯s beaches. He walked to Nala Loba, who sat with Alea, and looked at the crowd in calm. When she noticed him, Fox was just standing 3 steps to her side. She lifted her head and asked, ¡°Are you leaving? Something to do with that president, or your store?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Fox nodded, keeping his attitude a little respectful. ¡°Not my ¡®girlfriend¡¯. I didn¡¯t give her time to come, but we don¡¯t owe each other things. Ahem, with your ven¨ªa, Captain. I¡¯ll leave earlier.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nala Loba looked up at him, her eyes upturned. Then, she reclined on her seat, drinking from her glass while gazing around. Fox gave Alea a stare, wondering. Alea only looked at him with upturned eyes, having difficulty to drink, but¡­ he also discerned playfulness from them? Startled, Fox nodded a bit towards his Captain before turning around. Nala Loba and Alea seemed quieter than before, and somber, even. A minute after Fox departed, with no further news from him, Nala Loba sat with a straightened back again. Alea tried something, ¡°Would you like to get into the danc- ah, well. Okay. Keep my drink safe, aye?¡± Before Alea finished her words, she smiled and changed them, then stood up. Nala Loba flung her short mushroom, exotic-styled golden blonde hair, snapping to stare at her. Saying something that was unnecessary, with the smelling sense they have, Alea left to join the crowd. Nala Loba¡¯s face, remaining indifferent, cold, and aloof, eased a tiny bit. She crossed one leg over the other and took another swig. Then, she just pouted a bit for a flashing instance. Only her slightly furrowed eyebrows remained from that tiny pout. And she looked exceptionally graceful just like that. ¡­ Chapter 118 — Going Deeper Going Deeper The next day, in the morning. Proteros, Blackflower Boutique. Fox sat in the computer backroom with the neighbor above and his semi-partner, Fabiola. They were discussing the final talks of the sale from the old man''s floor. It wasn''t a small matter. The old man was adamant in receiving a considerate but not exaggerated amount upon seeing the boutique''s business. After all, it was bound to make fortunes if it kept expanding. It wouldn''t be ''fair'' if the old man received just a normal price. But that was what the old man thought, and illegal procedures. Fox and Fabiola weren¡¯t about to let the old man have this much, at all. The old man extended his arms downwards to gesture, becoming serious. ¡°700,000 credits is a fair price for my place. It is wider than this and has more space in the building. Its stairs are still in perfect shape, and they can be customized for the clients¡¯ comfort! Why would you not take this?¡± ¡°The initial price is about 300,000 credits, sir,¡± Fabiola debated, somewhat repeating words she¡¯s already said. This time, she was a lot more continuous, following up with, ¡°400,000 credits for an empty space that still needs to be renovated generally will cost us higher than that number.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯d like to get back to my price of a million. Have that, and I¡¯ll get the things done in 3 to 6 months.¡± The old man crossed his arms and laid back. Fox looked on, supporting his left cheek with his knuckles, while his elbow supported on his knee. This was a different Fox, not like the one from before, who at least had politeness. The old man briefly looked at it, not wanting to terrify himself into ¡®basically giving it for free¡¯, as he repeats in his mind like a mantra. ¡°We can¡¯t wait so much. The opportunities we are presented with are generous, as you can tell, kind sir.¡± Fabiola continued still, rubbing that dark, grumpy soft spot hidden in the depths of the old man¡¯s being. She half-puppy eyed him, ¡°The Blackflower Boutique will seek professional, cutting edge technology to bring about the remodeling in just a few days. Even a week would be a bit too much, let alone all those months.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to 650,000 credits¡­¡± The old man¡¯s eyes widened as he seemed to realize something. He sat up and looked at both before rapidly focusing his eyes on Fabiola, ¡°If you let me have 1% share of the profits, which will increase 0.5% per year for 18 years. Then, we can think on what to proceed when the time comes.¡± ¡°Let me stop you there.¡± Fox lifted his left hand, showing his palm to the old man. The latter had finished, but Fox¡¯s ¡®late¡¯ intervention somehow stopped all building momentum, which had made even Fabiola consider. Looking at Fox, the old man had a bad premonition. Fox sat upright, accommodating himself a bit better before opening his lips and speaking after a momentaneous pause. ¡°What you are presenting us is the direct rent-free service in exchange for money here, and then more in another year until we have spent enough time working with the place to claim its rights.¡± ¡°I propose something else,¡± Fox didn¡¯t speak of the old man¡¯s offer, letting the latter cool off and for his attention to be drawn elsewhere. Fox offered, casually, like offering a cup of tea. ¡°Transfer all rights to me with the total price of 7.1 million credits. 3.1 millions which I¡¯ll pay at the end of this year, and the rest throughout the next, 1,026, year. I have the document here, all we need is to sign it. There¡¯s the screen, so you can copy it to your devices and send it to your lawyer.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The old man felt stupid for that premonition from before. He thought, ¡®7.1 million credits in just a year? This¡­ when we¡¯re so close to the end of the year¡­ only about a quadrimester away from receiving just 3.1 million credits. Furthermore, this is without taxes, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ The old man hurried Fox to let him read the document. When he arrived at certain articles, his eyes widened. He looked at Fox like he was unearthing a treasure. Then, he shook Fox¡¯s prepared, gloved right hand while looking intently into those polycoria eyes. ¡°But of course!¡± Fox smiled. The short-term huge gains one can accept in the matter of just hearing them could never lose to a dying old man who was 2 to 3 decades from leaving this world. Fabiola was a bit taken aback, interchanging her pretty, big eyes between the two men. A while later, the old man left and returned with 3 suitcases. One had the keys and new documents to the rights of the flat, another for the necessary signatures from Fox and Fabiola, and the other had documents that needed all parties¡¯ signatures. The latter was for the congruence in the clauses according to the GHH, Green Humanism Harmony; OML, Oscard Market Link; and the IWS, Intellectual World Security. They not only put both parties, the buyer and seller, into a harmonious conclusion. These all added the records of Fox¡¯s ownership, in partnership with Fabiola, of a larger business. With this, he could formulate his own shipping/delivery system and service without having to contract private companies. Of course, that would be hella expensive. But if the old man at the farm taught him something, that was to shit and piss in the business¡¯ folk who only want to grab, grab, and grab without a care. Fox bid the old man farewell, who received a promise that could never be broken. Furthermore, with these documents uploaded to the IWS global infrastructure, shared by all satellites, the old man couldn¡¯t be scammed. This old man could only be terribly contented. Still at the computer backroom, Fox organized the paperwork, giving him a headache, with Fabiola at the side behind him with crossed arms. Finishing piling them up in another suitcase, he looked at the young lady and asked with a polite smile, ¡°What is it, Fabiola?¡± ¡°If you could have at least told me about this. Why not?¡± She demanded an answer. Fox grinned a bit, purposely showing her pity. ¡°I did. You got your shot. And you did very well, but that¡¯s not what I want. Not that way, at least.¡± ¡°Watchu mean?¡± Fabiola cutely asked, still with crossed arms. Fox tousled her hair, making her grumpy, but also secretly girly deep inside. He said, ¡°This boutique will conquer the entire building. Let¡¯s not have time for lengthy bickering and fear of money expenses to broad our space. Let¡¯s just give ¡®them¡¯ a good sum and send them off. This is our boutique, aye?¡± ¡°Aaaah!¡± The lass understood, at last. She nodded like a chicken pecking on rice, but looked like a rabbit with her upper teeth showing. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll stay until night and then leave. Won¡¯t take much this time, so get the calls done yourself, ¡®kay?¡± Fox said, leaving the room. Fabiola nodded, already knowing his drill. She started messaging her parents, contented to tell them the victory her ¡®elder brother¡¯ achieved. ¡­ Fox kept the paperwork after confirming everything was primarily saved in his system account in the Piya Sanctum District thrice. Only then did he hide the paperwork in a secret stash he built before Fabiola became engrossed, hidden in the back storerooms. Then, he went out. This time around, the team would operate in Lymaospas¨®. Usually, there¡¯s nothing ever going on there. If it wasn¡¯t because it is the largest area with forests, fauna, flora, and had more than 77% of the water Lymoca uses, many would forget about this state, the largest in the country and even the entire world. There were news of a contingent organized crime group trying to settle down there. As the most important natural habitat in Lymoca, where many animals are protected, and pests and plagues are studied to further get rid of them from the country. It could not be allowed to have criminals there. Thus, the PSD employed more than 40% of their 3rd Grade forces there, which numbered to more than ten thousand special agents. If the payment for even the lowest tiered missions wasn¡¯t above the half a million number, there was no way PSD would be able to pay their agents to do this. Fox went on a mission to exterminate said criminal band¡¯s contingent, but not so simply. And since Fox showed exemplary work before, he was the one to decide how to ¡®warn¡¯ any other criminal group, be it from Lymoca or not. The team ¡®worked¡¯ for 3 days, with news of a ¡®newfound¡¯ tribal people found in Lymaospas¨® being discovered. The reason was simple. Meat and a skin was cooked and put in spikes from its northwestern shores, even showing flattened eyes and noses without bones in human skin masks. However, the response from the world to this ¡®troll-like¡¯ event was rather¡­ comical. ANS announced they wanted to make contact, so they directly sent experts to investigate. This happened a few days after Fox returned from the assignation. At first, it was silly. But when footage of national guards stopping and being shouted and shouting back to some ¡®leaftree¡¯ people propagated on social media, it made Luis frown. After considering for a bit, not wanting to cause trouble for his country, he sent a letter, which he immediately made public, to the ANS government. It was a simple ¡®request¡¯ to not intrude into their territory, and that the so-called newfound aboriginals hidden from the world were not real. He went on to further remind everyone of the relationship between both countries, accentuating the need for each other¡¯s understanding. Unfortunately, several prestigious universities and even an academy from ANS declared the possibility that those people were from ANS origins.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. This was a blatant insult, and Luis didn¡¯t need to respond for the Lys invested in knowing their geopolitics and even the senate to vehemently discuss this ordeal. Just as Luis was considering a brief press conference, Lesly sent him a video. It was from the senate. Of the few that joined their cause at the beginning, when Luis prepared to drop from the LV and NSH¡¯s plans, they all entered the parliament groups in both lower and upper chambers, but their numbers were really too small. However, now, and at last, they were showing what they¡¯ve been piling up in their chests, full of fury and a desire, all this long. In the senate chamber, a slightly chubby brown man with fatherly beard and tummy flung his arms around after hearing the ginormous opposition badmouth Luis. It wasn¡¯t for not only not allowing ANS to enter as they pleased, but because Luis should have welcomed them with red carpets and fighter jets flying above in welcome. ¡°They are talking about our land like it was always theirs! The leaftree is still there! And you, country-sellers, are worshiping this past humiliation today! No, I will not approve of this! You can¡¯t see the damage you¡¯re doing to your own people because money, your god, is blocking your sight, but not mine! Not my people¡¯s!¡± ¡°Senator, conclude your speech!¡± A senator in a higher position sitting beside the senate president sharply screamed, as the DOH¡¯s senator, from Luis¡¯s party, had already reached his time limit to talk. ¡°I will!¡± The senator nearly shouted back but kept his composure in order. He lifted his right hand, though, annoyed. Meanwhile, the senate president, Omar Preon, side eyed the person who sharply did his job for him. The senator continued. ¡°I¡¯m making this calling. Lys, please hear me¡­ We shall not let these people come and take whatever they want from our lands again! This is our sovereignty!¡± The senator concluded with the same person beside the senate president cutting sharply in, and the opposition deafening, booing and hurling lengthy insults. Their noise filled the senate. So much that the left fist he raised became visible. The senator¡¯s words and the burning fire in his blood were what Luis never showed, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t feel it, too. Luis Heartez shared it on all his social media, receiving some backlash, especially from the opposition¡¯s inconsiderate words. With their position, reducing to such harassing was quite something, but afterwards, as more people saw it, it became a sensation. Unfortunately, the world didn¡¯t revolve around popular opinion, and Lymoca was one of the most obvious examples. Despite the sensation on the internet, the senate and chamber of deputies all voted after the last exchange was transmitted. There won¡¯t be a ¡®stop¡¯ to the foreigners from coming and searching for the tribe they were looking for. Even then, Lymaospas¨®¡¯s governor, a middle-aged woman from the DOH political party, installed national guards to watch these people¡¯s cargo when coming in and out. Similarly, PSD sent 80% of their 3rd Grade special agents to ensure nothing important was ¡®touched¡¯. A week later, most ¡®research¡¯ teams left, with most of them carrying black, huge bags with them back onto their ships. Leaving to never return. When Luis read these reports, and that the items and resources the foreigners took were all some stones that weren¡¯t discovered before, with cravings and markings of some things, he felt his heart was pierced. ANS, and the few other countries from the Dawn and Twilight supercontinents that attended the ¡®public calling¡¯, aka public invitation, to research this new tribe; offered no word nor explanation whatsoever. After contemplation, he decided to keep that information away from the Lys¡¯ ears and hands. What one didn¡¯t know¡­ Of course, by an unknown impulse, he recorded it all with more solid methods. . . . A few days later. It was now the 9th month, 1st week¡¯s 2nd day. In the presidential precinct, Fox met with Sona. She was busy before, so she couldn¡¯t test Fox from what he¡¯s learned. Now, a couple of days later, she could. Moving to a desk in a library, a silent place, they didn¡¯t engage in flirting or gazes, or a simple smooch; this time. Sona gave Fox 2 paper sheets and a pencil, whereas he had to answer 50 direct questions with the perfect answer, or else. Fox didn¡¯t know what that ¡®else¡¯ meant, much less Sona. Only one thing was certain, it no longer led to naughty times. It ¡®clicked¡¯ between them. At last, Fox answered everything and gave his test to Sona, who nodded without end until she read the 50th question, all perfectly done. She lightly smacked her lips before looking at him, keeping the tests to the side, ¡°Well now. Oral, last test. Name the most influential names from the current congress, executive branch, and judicial branch.¡± Fox nodded, prepared for this. His lips moved as his left leg repeatedly jolted up and down with his hindfoot elevated into the air, ¡°The executive branch has the president, Luis Heartez, 2 terms president of Lymoca. His presidential secretary, Roam. The vice president, Lesly Rivera, whose amazing secretary is Sona Heartez, also the president¡¯s sister.¡± ¡°Which is pretty, resilient, stubborn, and likes to wear formal dresses that makes her feel like she deserves her place, when she doesn¡¯t need to.¡± Fox said with a polite smile. Sona lifted her eyes, smiling in the same way back. ¡°The senate and deputies¡­. The legislative branch.¡± Fox mulled a bit, relaxed. ¡°The senate president is Omar Preon, a man who has long been so, and very influential. Senator Gracial Feks, whose aides are deputy Aron Mades and Nayeli Saf. Senator Ol¡¯ Pak, who has always been¡­ well, not much of a Ly despite being a Ly. Less of a Ly than me, even.¡± Fox nodded to himself, badmouthing senators like it was nothing. He wouldn¡¯t stop now, ¡°Her lackeys and half her neurons are deputy Santo Gonzalo and deputy Jime Tuola.¡± ¡°Senator Sebasti¨¢n Lara, who only has 1 trusted aide, Clara Metelti. They are both neutral, like Gracial Feks and his aides. The former is a middle-aged man who has ¡®thrilling¡¯ experience in Lymoca¡¯s political world, while the latter is the youngest deputy in the world. She was just 18 a few years ago, but she was deputy since the current president¡¯s first term.¡± ¡°Oh, the president of the chamber of deputies, Benito Metelti. He has been a senate/deputy president in the various terms since decades ago, nearing his 90s already. His granddaughter, Clara Metelti, is an excellent show of the Metelti¡¯s incredible political skills. Mm, especially his wife whose political skill match them, Linda Zebel, rest in peace for what I know. So much respect for one person¡­¡± ¡°Sigh, now those strange fellas,¡± Fox leaned back on his chair. Sona nodded in understanding. She rested her elbows on her knees, leaning over, and waited for him to speak. His voice in lengthy explanations was just too, so damn soothing to hear, to say the least. ¡°Ju- di- ci- al¡ª branch,¡± Fox pouted a little before smelling his philtrum, a bit pensive. ¡°Their Supreme Justice Minister, the ¡®head¡¯ of the Supreme Court Justice, Vanessa Valyer. She has repeatedly destroyed any plans the president had¡­ relating forming new projects, programs, and even reforms before they were even committed. Not even a tenth of the population know about this¡­¡± Fox was a little pensive again before continuing, ¡°Supreme Court Minister Javier Laran and Supreme Court Minister Jennifer Paws are her most influential aides. Javier is an old comrade of hers, and they¡¯re in a solid, good fellowship. Jennifer Paws is the youngest minister in the history of Lymoca.¡± ¡°While many think her knees are red behind her pants and tights, and her tongue is only able to move with 50% of its strength, her personal qualities are above exceptional. Right, the president supported her. How come she betrayed him so easily?¡± Fox wondered towards the end of his words. ¡°Sigh~¡­¡± Sona limited her disappointment to shake her head. Fox nodded and said no more, ending it there. Sona smirked, speaking with a teasing tone, ¡°You forgot one person.¡± ¡°Huh? Which? Butler is not in those powers,¡± Fox tilted his head to the left, inclining it to the right. Sona smirked even harder, ¡°You.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox was stunned, his underchin showing. Indeed. In a way, not only was he a person who responded to the president under direct orders, at least on de facto, he has also aided other political party members realize about ¡®the change in the skies¡¯. He shook his head and accepted it like a champ. Fox and Sona stood up after the test, feeling quite relaxed; in a good mood, even. Sona walked to him and held his left wrist, pressing her thumbs on it as she faced him with her chin tilted upwards. ¡°Fox, can I talk with you?¡± ¡°Mhm, you can.¡± Fox blinked, patiently staring at this woman. She nodded with a semi-quick-and-slow, thoughtful blink. Sona failed to speak after 2 deep breaths, finally succeeding in the 3rd. ¡°I want to end our relationship. It¡¯s been something. Gladly talk about it with my future self in retrospective. But it¡¯s been solidified enough¡­ and you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to soften it for me,¡± Fox didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment. He placed his gloved hand atop hers. In comparison, his hands were simply big enough to cover her fists with his palms and extended fingers. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that impossible to figure out, you know? Luis wanted me to have any attachment to this place. Maybe not to him, not the country I had to form part of in times of need, and maybe not through ¡®intrafamilial¡¯ new bonds. He wouldn¡¯t use that to tie me, as it wouldn¡¯t work. My file¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I know, you¡¯re a horrible mess.¡± Sona smiled from the left corner of her mouth, as if directly pulled by the hooks from her heart, appearing even motherly. Fox nodded a bit before carrying on, ¡°He wanted me to think of this place, and there was you.¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re saying my pussy is that attachable?¡± Sona smirked deviously. Fox looked at her face with wide open eyes¡­ before bursting in laughter. His smile went from ear to ear, showing sunk, charming dimples, and a few tiny wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. ¡°Well,¡± after laughing it off with Fox, Sona smiled proudly. She held his wrist and placed it at the side before resting her chin against his right shoulder. ¡°The way you talk about my brother. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to start respecting him? Don¡¯t answer, I know the immediate answer right now, and for the next several months¡­ But I¡¯m not sure about later than that.¡± With those meaning words, Fox blinked profusely as Sona concluded, ¡°It started as an occupational hazard, but we ended it like this¡ª. I wonder if he¡¯ll fume, knowing he couldn¡¯t make you mad like you¡¯ve done to him¡ª oh¡­ so many times, mmhm hehe.¡± Fox grinned really hard upon hearing that. Sona stood before him and accommodated his ordinary clothes, which didn¡¯t need fixing. ¡°Remember this, no matter what, against my brother, Lesly is your biggest ally, always. You¡¯re pretty much alone and hold no value. Die now, and those whom ¡®support¡¯ you and your deeds will watch porn in an hour or bed their partners at night without a problem.¡± Fox tilted his head at the crude but truthful words. She clearly cared about him. Sona spoke again before hugging him, burying the top of her head on his left chest, ¡°But if you do more¡­ Maybe there might, perhaps, be someone out there to mourn you. At least just a day¡­ a year. You know?¡± Then, Fox embraced her shoulders, hugging her back. He thought for some time before closing his eyes, leaning his face on her head as she hummed lightly; feeling comfort. ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: And here I thought the third volume would be like 30 chapters¡­ =). Chapter 119 — Moving Around The Country Moving Around The Country Fox returned to his mega hotel at night, after closing the boutique. The second floor was already in renovation, the machinery was a little loud, but it didn''t drive away the customers, at the very least. For the past month, Fox made more money than before, especially with Colmillo''s deal to buy some of his bions. With the constant missions, and those he was assigned to after leaving Selena¡¯s side, his bank account summed to 1.9 million credits. Additionally, he gained 1.4 million credits more from the bions sold to the PSD, whereas it was only ?. The ? sold to Colmillo was worth 1.1 million credits to her. Knowing this clear difference, Fox wanted to find others who¡¯d appreciate his creations and sell more to Colmillo. But if it was that easy, it wouldn¡¯t have been superficially unknown to Fox from the start. Colmillo also wouldn¡¯t just practically give him a million credits or more every month out of charity. There were virtually not many people who would experiment and disassemble or deconstruct so many bions for personal experience, research, and for fun. Colmillo was one of them, but the only reason she helped might be because he made it into Nala Loba¡¯s team. More importantly, Fox began creating these bions not even a year after entering PSD, he was clearly a promising investment. Now that Fox knew, he planned to show that worth, but could only wait until the end of the 9th month to know if Colmillo liked it to at least continue buying from him. Regardless, this granted Fox 4.4 million credits in his bank account. Before, he would¡¯ve wondered what the government would¡¯ve done if there was this kind of number. Now he knew. Either he¡¯s ¡®asked¡¯ what was going on, or was first reached by some public servant to see if they could get him to ¡®donate¡¯ some to resolve his have-not-even-happened problems. But now, Fox was practically working for the government. Who would dare come pick trouble with him? Similarly, the other PSD special agents should be just like this. The commotion of SAs in the world wasn¡¯t as lively and discussed as before, when Fox first nearly stole a national treasure. But it was now recognized, and even more as Fox, ¡®the spy¡¯, destroyed Riverlye ¡®on his own¡¯. That was in Lymoca. The rest of the world wasn¡¯t so keen on these things. And, truth be told, because of his previous ¡®save¡¯ of the vice president¡¯s life, he was a bit of a national pride; but just a tiny bit. It was the importance of Fox¡¯s deeds that drew attention, not himself. ¡­ Fox walked to the reception, where a beautiful lass who had just ended her break time and was a little wet from a pool stood behind the counter. This was a mega hotel, so things like unprofessionalism would be taboo. However, when considering the huge, bouncy rack the young woman had, with her rosa bikini covering it well yet revealing enough flesh, nobody would complain. Mega hotels also weren¡¯t for kids, so, under-table rules. ¡°Hi, I wanted to ask about the payment.¡± Fox politely smiled and placed his fingers on the counter. The young woman smiled, her eyes brightening when recognizing that face, although they trembled when identifying his rumored polycoria, impenetrable black eyes. ¡°Oh, hi! Uhm¡­ you can¡¯t pay it anymore?¡± ¡°Hagh,¡± Fox smirked with a guttural scoff. The lass felt a bit awkward. Fox directly went at it, ¡°I wanted to see if there was a payment method to not pay it day by day, but every month.¡± ¡°OH!¡± The young woman¡¯s eyebrows, which were starting to furrow a bit, relaxed as she exclaimed. She smiled, looking charming before nodding with a pair of gullible eyes, ¡°There is, indeed. Although not everyone stays here that long, so it isn¡¯t offered at first. You know, professionalism. You can ¡®pre-reserve¡¯ for an entire month, but you¡¯ll have to pay 20,000 extra credits, 300,000 in total.¡± ¡°¡­ Alright,¡± Fox rolled his eyes before taking his phone out. He saw his bank account go from 3.2 million credits, after buying the floor and initiating its renovations, down to 2.9 million credits. The receptionist worked the procedures before winking at him, arching her left eyebrow, ¡°Your number, too?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked down at the beauty, his eyes penetrating into hers. After a few seconds, he lightly nodded, exclaiming, ¡°Mn.¡± She proceeded to take his number before smiling, just like a big-bellied, middle-aged hunter shooting a deer drinking water, contented to add to their collection. Fox thanked her before going to his suite. There, Teon was sprawled on the ground, reeking of sweat and with some of her limbs muscles twitching, clearly impacted. Fox grinned, picking her left heel before dragging her away after forcefully turning her around from her feet to her head, ending up with her back against the floor. ¡°What now? I thought big baby Teon could deal with anything,¡± Fox said with a wide smirk showing his ¡®eerie¡¯ teeth, which Teon saw. She tsked, ¡°Well, your baby Teon needs to get back to it, so massage me while I breathe. Where is your red medicine? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really use it anymore, unless I get badly wounded, which doesn¡¯t happen often.¡± Fox said, throwing her to his bed. Teon shut her eyes tight before feeling her body getting undressed. Fox left her undergarments on and threw her the blanket, which she neatly covered herself with. Blushing a little, Teon looked at his left arm and wondered, pouting. ¡°This thing really works wonders, huh? You don¡¯t need any other bion for your arms. Although you could do the same to the right one.¡± ¡°No!¡± Fox became stern and shook his head, startling Teon. She frowned and pouted again before advising, ¡°Well, you could at least buy a high-end bion, no?¡± ¡°Nope. Too much waste. I can¡¯t use so much money for that.¡± Fox remained the same, but he showed dispirited values in his eyes and heart. Teon lifted her left eyebrow, but feeling his magical hands massaging her right shin, she closed them comfortably and breathed. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll spend tens of millions in that boutique and the Myertha. So, why not use another tens for a bion that¡¯ll last you?¡± Teon said amidst little moans. Fox mentally shook his head. Then, he responded, already getting to her thighs, ¡°Myertha is my baby. The boutique is my future pillar of business. Another bion wouldn¡¯t belong to me, not like my arm does¡­ I¡¯ve learnt that much.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Teon subtly nodded. Then, she flicked his fingers, which were several inches away from her groins. ¡°Ey! Don¡¯t touch me. If you do, I¡¯ll let my future man beat your ass.¡± She sounded so smug, threatening with someone that didn¡¯t even exist, and all conceited already. Fox humored her, ¡°What boyfriend? Is there someone who would ever take you and not get his prick crushed by mistake? Who knows what happens where not even cobwe-¡± ¡°For your information!¡± Teon shouted back, stressing and sitting up. ¡°He¡¯s a representative captain, you know? Don¡¯t think you can be undefeatable. If I want to, after he sweeps your little ass over the HQ, I¡¯ll put a strap-on and get you on your kne-¡± ¡°Relax,¡± Fox pushed her back onto his bed, poking her collarbone and making her feel enough pain to shut her eyes tight. Then, he showed a brief grimace from the left corner of his mouth before massaging her waist. ¡°So, how was your second day?¡± Fox asked her when working her right arm. Teon, who had been bratty just now, was all melted with a quivering mouth, wishing half a dozen other Foxes came over and massaged her every limb, her back, and her tummy. ¡°The first one was tiring, but I was worked up to my limits today, it¡¯s¡­ so much fun!¡± Teon purred after these words. Fox expressionlessly nodded twice, knowing what something like that would feel like. Perhaps even he would have been like Teon, but he had Emer, while Teon was under drastic conditions for months. ¡°Have you thought what Blood you¡¯re interested in?¡± Fox asked, not expecting an answer. The Bloods were further explained as they spent their 3 months regimen. But Teon immediately replied, ¡°Green!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox stopped momentarily, rapidly continuing after Teon¡¯s baby grumpy eyes glared at him. She had a body to be massaged, couldn¡¯t he tell? But inwardly, Fox thought, ¡®Ah, I see. No wonder. And you like those, huh?¡¯ Fox smirked a bit, unnoticed by Teon. When he was done with the massage, Teon was half asleep. He looked at her serene, sleeping bratty self and lowered his face again. Kissing her right cheek, Fox stood back up with his right hand on her left sided jaw, lightly caressing it. Teon opened her eyes when he was standing up. ¡°No matter what you¡¯re looking for, try not to overexert your body and mind. You can¡¯t always receive my massages. Should anyone find trouble with you, I¡¯ll be there. So don¡¯t be afraid, and make trouble, mm?¡± Fox spoke somewhat gently after looking into her face for a few seconds. Added to his broken and soft voice, it was overly soothing to hear.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Mhm,¡± Teon¡¯s big black eyes looked up at his face meekly. Then, Teon blushed as she murmured lightly, enough for any special agent to hear her even from a few meters away. ¡°That was okay, but one more wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°Hmf,¡± Fox looked down at her again before bending over. Teon closed her eyes a bit tightly, feeling his lips on her forehead before inadvertently producing a sweet, tomboyish smile. When Fox was just about to straighten his back, she threw her arms in the air and said, still blushing with a little smile, ¡°Wait! It¡¯s not fair if it¡¯s just like this.¡± ¡°Mmwuaaah!¡± Teon grabbed his chin and turned his head before planting a powerful smooch on his right cheek. Then, she smiled, her hands at his trapezius shoulders. Fox looked at her in the eyes, slightly narrowing her eyes as she commented, seemingly out of nowhere, ¡°Hey, if you were to kiss me right now, and I remind you I¡¯m in my undies, because of you, you might steal me away from that boyfriend, you know?¡± ¡°Uh-huh?¡± Fox, who smirked amidst her seemingly provoking words, nodded a bit a few times in a row. Teon looked at him as he countered, ¡°Indeed, I could do that. But I wouldn¡¯t do that. I won¡¯t conquer you. Besides, would you enjoy if I did this to you?¡± Teon pouted a grimace to the right corner of her mouth, shaking her head at once. Fox tousled her hair before smooching her forehead again, holding the sides of her head, this time on her left side. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve seen to this, get some rest.¡± Fox turned around and left a drowsy Teon in his bed, covered by his blankets. Before stepping out, he reminded her, ¡°I want you out at 4 AM every day! Or I¡¯ll drag you there, regardless how unprepared you are!¡± ¡°Uggh!¡± Teon brattily pronounced her discontent with a hidden, lovely, thin smile before Fox went to the living room. There were things he had to work for, especially the Blackflower Boutique. Looking at his phone to the right, on one of the sofa cushions, Fox reminded himself that tomorrow was another task to be completed. ¡­ The next day, after bidding Teon farewell, dropping her to HQ like an older brother, Fox took a PVT (taxi), and went to one of the few remaining railways in the country. His destination: D¨¦sinc¨¢. It is northeast from Proteros, more to the east, and also where the OC the team struck a blow last time with the submarine raid was influential. Fox only had one task there, which was pretty simple, even if not so especially alluring or curious. Furthermore, it was something he had already done, to a certain degree. He was to work in the PVT services, the personal vehicle transport. For this, Fox was to learn¡­ the livelihood of the people. It could be in any city, but it would be in the state of D¨¦sinc¨¢, one of its many cities. Despite this state being near Proteros, more or less, being in the southern regions, it was poorer than any other state outside these regions. Fox arrived at a small PVT branch. There was no surprise element, espionage art necessary, nor tension. This branch was controlled by PSD. Indeed, it was a not so simple assignation. Fox met with his ¡®officer¡¯, so to speak, and was designated an area. Fox was given his work attire, ordinary clothes, but the kind he would never wear. Short-sleeved or sleeveless shirts, no jacket, and white or colorful hats, sunglasses, and sweatpants or jeans. With that, Fox began his daily routes. From all over the city, Fox only took clients who wished to go within the city. He used a car. No way he was letting people touch his body, even with full clothes on, just to travel on a bike. Even if bikes earned more! Despite having to drive such a caging box, Fox also had his new character. Furthermore, he was now ¡®Im¨¢n¡¯. The car itself could be said to be a phone itself. It didn¡¯t have one that belonged to the PVT system and was connected to the vehicle, because it was it itself. There were panels for each seat. Fox drove a traditional 2 seats in front and up to 3-4 people at the back, but only 1-row seats. The front seats had a panel at the side, next to each other, which they had to let the system recognize, so no other people would use, by using their finger yolks. The back seats had the panels at the front, up to 4, 2 placed near the other. After arriving at the destination, Fox had to either charge in physical, or the system would, after the client¡¯s confirmation from their phone or window, or if they had an ultramodern, expensive gut bion in their heads. With a little over 2.9 million credits in his bank account, Fox was a little closer to the 5.2 million he had to pay at the end of the year on his Myertha, and then those 3.1 million for the old man. The ninth month had just started, so he had to get to working his ass off again. ¡­ On one occasion, after Fox went through several first clients in the first day, on an orange evening, Fox received a notification. He picked up a single mom, who looked a bit stressed, but wore quite elegant, attractive clothing, showing some of her small cleavage. ¡°Hello, Im¨¢n. Thanks for coming quickly, can you bring me to the suburbs in the First Repelling Battle? Thanks,¡± she said after confirming she went into the car. Fox nodded, doing the same with the panel before him. ¡°Yes, Sara. Ah, if you¡¯d like to relax with something, just tell me. We are 15 minutes from a Galapeso if you want to drink something¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re so sweet, thank you. Why not?¡± The single mother said. Thus, Fox went to pick some drinks by the drive-thru. Then, directly to her destination. When the trip ended, Fox was softly grabbed and pecked on his cheek. It was really nice, and he could feel her motherly instincts. ¡­ Another time, in another day, Fox brought some tall, bulky, stern-faced fellas around the city. Half were bald, or wore sleeveless shirts, only wanting to listen to corridors and banda. The trip was silent otherwise. Whenever they spoke, it was to each other¡¯s ears, to not let Fox listen. They were innocently pried by Fox¡¯s ears, of course. At last, Fox brought them to their destination: a bowling center with many fashionable decorations and of refined etiquette. Fox saw them step out of the car after their phones each paid separately, and their faces blush as they met with their dainty girlfriends and even a couple of boyfriends. Then, hearing something about dressing code, and the bulky fellas agreeing meekly, Fox grinned as he left. ¡­ On yet another occasion, Fox drove a couple to their house from a late night party. Both were brown, with the young woman having curly hair, well-stylized, and appearing shy the entire trip. Meanwhile, the young man had short black hair and seemed cool overall. When arriving at their destination, the young man swiftly stepped out and facepalmed, sadly crying out, ¡°Oh no! I forgot to buy the groceries. Baby, can you pay him? I¡¯ll use our money for the stuff. Be right back.¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± The young woman shyly looked at Fox, not knowing he knew her heart was beating wildly. At last, she had the guts to go ahead with their accorded plan, while Fox thought to himself, ¡®Oh, so it was one of those situations.¡¯ In the next moment, Fox was asked, ¡°Is there- ah- is there any other way I can pay you, mister?¡± Fox looked back, glancing up and down at her, as she stuck her chest out and spread her legs, showing a white thin, luscious tong. Fox smirked a bit. She was into it, but what about him? Picking her hand with his gloved hands, he looked at her seriously and said, ¡°Better luck next time, but I have a few tips that might help you regardless. It¡¯ll be very shameful for you, so be sure of it before deciding.¡± The young woman only hesitated for 3 seconds before nodding. Fox grinned. After having the young woman sit in various poses and doing so many things to herself alone, Fox dropped her on the sidewalk with one of the cushions so she wouldn¡¯t break a bone, or something. When the young man returned and saw her like this, he was worried. But after feeling her hot, sun-melting skin, he felt a good premonition. His girl showed her the audio of Fox ¡®fucking¡¯ the life out of her, as he spoke in command nonstop, cold and disregarding, and she responded like a kitten, moaning nonstop. By the time they were near the end of the audio, it played inside their house as they talked really hard and long about life. ¡­ Unfortunately, there was this other occasion. After picking a few clients, delivering them to their destinations. Fox had a few underage, white, rich girls grab him in the app. It was all fine, until they playfully wanted to peck his face all over, to which Fox acted responsibly. He drifted to the other end of the car, almost hitting several in the other lane at a fortunate red light. Then, returning to his side, he stepped out and opened the door of the 16-year-old gals, who shot outwards and felt like vomiting after finding solid ground. With that, Fox returned to his PVT and left, thinking, ¡®I hate people.¡¯ . . . On time, 5 days later, in the 9th month¡¯s 2nd week, Fox returned to Proteros, having had enough exploration fun back there. Although he didn¡¯t like taking a talkative character. He¡¯d had to complain about this to Butler, somehow make it so he won¡¯t tell Luis. Fox had a hunch there was a not-so-unknown, unknown mastermind behind this. He returned to the boutique first, wanting to see it finished. When he did, at early night, Fabiola was outside, talking with many clients in a group. When she saw him, she smiled big time and shouted, ¡°Fox!¡± The clients turned around, wanting to rush at him, but stopped. They seemed irritated and impatient, though. Fox walked through them and arrived before Fabiola, who took his arm with both hands and said, ¡®showing him off¡¯ to the group. ¡°Since he¡¯s here, I can now open it. No need for ceremonies, the Blackflower Boutique¡¯s second floor¡­ is open!¡± Fox raised his eyebrows, contented and surprised at the same time. As Fabiola announced it, she ran up the stairs at the side to open the second floor. The stairs had further wooden plates and pillars to make it more stable. Furthermore, it was a little wider, with a half-cage-like railing protecting them from falling down, arching well above them. Fox looked briefly into the main/first floor, noticing half the youngsters inside, busy to attend fairly new faces. A few looked at him, smiling in satisfaction and glad to see him. They now wore uniforms. Not too decent or identity-taking, just enough to appear more organized. Fox nodded at them before going upstairs in large strides. He was just in time to see a slightly nervous Pamela standing behind a proper counter in a much larger, spacious area filled with more pieces and garment types, especially the bundles. The design was similar to the first floor, only much broader, but the same design. The crowd went in as soon as they could, feverishly looking everywhere. A third of them went to Mena¡¯s cousin, whom they recognized but nearly didn¡¯t because of her uniform. It was different from those downstairs, or half the other youngsters around the second floor. She looked like a clerk of a higher position, not an attendant anymore. With time, rather quickly, Pamela felt her nervousness leave as she remembered her every learned traits of the job and helped the known clientele with ease. While online shopping was master, personally touching, trying, and discussing the pieces in person was irreplaceable. Furthermore, socializing was so important for nearly all humans. Looking at them from a few steps below, Fox suddenly felt twitching from his left eye. A few seconds later, as his face passively fell, he felt tremendous twinges on the right side of his head. Slowly, he stepped down. The night was young. ¡­ Chapter 120 — Its Not Easy (1) It''s Not Easy (1) A few days later, in the 4th day of the 9th month''s 2nd week. Fox looked at his phone before calling Fabiola. She picked it up rather quick, even though it was just noon, and she should be in class. Academy''s classes are something, alright. ¡°Yes? What''s uppie, bro?¡± ¡°Hm, what are you doing?¡± Fox smiled a bit, preparing his bags as he gave the youngsters a look and sent a message to Pamela. Fabiola sounded from the other side, ¡°I¡¯m relaxing. The class I was supposed to be in is 2 months behind what I know. This isn¡¯t me lying, the teacher said only I and other 8 were like this. She¡¯s pretty good, you know.¡± ¡°Mn, good for you. Listen, I¡¯m leaving again. Pamela has started screening new guys like them.¡± Fox said. Fabiola fell a bit silent before inquiring, ¡°Homeless school dropouts?¡± ¡°More like schoolless or homeless, but yes.¡± Fox cocked his head at the sides, with the youngsters around him looking at him, blinking. Then, he kept nodding in the phone before hanging up. ¡°I already told her, but do contact each other each time I do, and get into agreements. Mn, take care.¡± Fox then nodded one last time at the ¡®senior¡¯ attendants working here that were secretly candidates to become the new first floor¡¯s clerk. Seeing them nod in return, Fox turned and left, feeling at ease. One quick call to Teon let him know she was being pesky to the person she was courting, wanting to spar nonstop. Then, he called Morena, his therapist, to tell her about it, since he forgot yesterday. As for Mena, she knew. She always did. With a couple of millions still in his bank account, Fox didn¡¯t buy anything, not even food, except for Teon, and left for his next assignation. ¡­ This time, to his worst nightmares, it was to help people. Fox went to Jaewim. Since it was so close, past Coalely, he took a railway to the westernmost region of the state of Jaewim. Fox met with a White firster, who led him to a secret booth, and then, into a PVT (taxi) to leave the train station. He traveled for 20 minutes before arriving at a used-to-be small mansion at nighttime. It was candidly lighted, with the top of the mansion, no more than 50 meters tall in total, completely dark. That part was truly abandoned; once upon a time, it was known as a noble house. Not because of noblesse, but because it belonged to a part of the anarchist faction of the Lylaco Empire, still surviving, which resided here to keep certain ¡®traditions¡¯ of an ¡®Empire¡¯ alive. After its blatant betrayal, unearthed by the spies of the Empire, right before it fell, the commoners simply surrounded the mansion and killed them left and right. Only a few survived, spreading through the land to flee the home they became traitors. It is said at least a fourth survived. Firearms were obviously well researched back then, but stones, feces or urine and fire, and fists and kicks, have always been known for killing people, any living being; one way or another. The females weren¡¯t even groped that day, simply torturing them shortly with the worst pains before dying. Tendon-pulling was like water beside an ordinary plate that day. Fox entered the mansion after grimacing with a pout. He thought back to Victor Ruva¡¯s Ly history collection and wondered what all those things would have. Learning history, from the mouths and hands of those who left it in books, records, images, and art; was a new lifestyle to him. Stepping into the entrance, the gate was opened, but it wasn¡¯t like there was anything to rob here, nor did anyone want to enter this repudiated piece of land. When he went into the mansion, everything was an open space. At least for the main, ginormous floor. Fox could tell there used to be walls, pillars, and decorations. This thing might have been burnt and have fallen apart hundreds and hundreds of years ago, only rebuilt later on in those times. In the end, nobody seemed to care for it. ¡°Ah, Jos¨¦! Seems like you made it in time. Can you see with those glasses?¡± A middle-aged man walked to Fox. The man radiated good father disposition as he walked over with a broom and spread arms to welcome him. Fox politely, and by compromise, hugged a little back. ¡°Yea, sir, haha. Thanks,¡± Fox wore his gigantic sunglasses. Ending the hug, he backtracked and pointed at his comical face. ¡°My eyes are partially blind, and they ¡®kinda¡¯ survived cancer. I need to keep them on, or they won¡¯t stop laughing. Then, I won¡¯t stop laughing.¡± ¡°Gosh!¡± The man embarrassingly exclaimed, lowering his head. Fox saved him the trouble, ¡°Where is everyone? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re 15 minutes late. Everyone here is from the outskirts, so they can leave at night, but not that late. Come on, I¡¯ll show you where you can stay. Just a few days, right?¡± The man said, gesturing to follow him before turning around, walking away out the mansion. Fox gave the mansion interiors another look before following the man. This place was just in the outskirts of a city nearing the state borders between Jaewim and Coalely. It was dirt roads everywhere, with the humbleness of a forsaken town, but the people and liveliness of a warm city. ¡°Even though you¡¯re only here for some days, I want to let you know we appreciate you coming. Just your expertise might help the others and us counselors improve our methods. See you tomorrow at 6.¡± The man said, giving Fox a set of keys before leaving. Fox looked at his cabin. Like the rest of the outskirts, it was warm and humble, even though it was cold and obscure outside. With no lights, even an ordinary person would feel compelled to step inside and get comfy, only bothering to turn 2 lights at most, to keep the silence. Fox, however, saw many of the things he¡¯s always been followed¡­ Ignoring the many gruesome, somewhat comical but never to laugh at faces, among eyes and shadowy figures, Fox went through the dark and searched for a spot to sleep on. Too lazy to go to a bed, Fox picked a long enough sofa to spread his legs and not touch either armrests at the sides with his feet or head, before leaving. He dropped his large bag on the silent, dark space. He went to the small PSD workshop installed here. A base wouldn¡¯t be necessary in the outskirts, but things like workshops, shops, and tech-repairs could be installed outside the cities. ¡­ Time passed. From night to early morning, Fox received no notifications from the tiny sensors he dropped around his cabin, doorstep, and first floor windows. After a session of building bions, he decided to rest a little. After resting, Fox went back to the workshop. Finally, at around 5:45 PM, Fox received a notification, with further footage showing the middle-aged man coming to knock at his cabin. Fox walked out of the workshop, having spent the last couple of hours wasting time checking, disassembling and assembling unimportant parts, and met with the man. Seeing Fox already out, the man was a bit surprised, but now it made sense why. The man led Fox away, back to the mansion. Fox commented that, if he could have come earlier, he should¡¯ve been told. The man humored him with some idle chat before going inside the mansion. ¡°This is the place?¡± Fox said, looking at the small places where a circle of a dozen to 2 dozen chairs formed a semi circle, leaving a few spots to walk in and out of with ease. It looked quite neat; to Fox¡¯s taste. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t like it?¡± The man questioned, worried. Fox didn¡¯t shake his head, but he said, ¡°On the contrary.¡± ¡°Well, they are coming in about 10 minutes. Get ready. The one in the middle, to the right, is yours. It¡¯s only 12, so that you can focus well on each person in your group. Is that alright?¡± Fox grimaced. Nope. He wanted to leave this place, anything similar to this, out. Thus, he nodded lightly, ¡°That¡¯s perfect. Thanks for taking care of me.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re too nice! Don¡¯t worry. We always care for each other. Alright then, pick your chair. After a few days, they usually like to pick the same spot, or chair. We even had to begin putting numbers on their chairs, and separate the places orderly. Also, we can¡¯t put the circles too far from where they usually are. It¡¯s a type of trust. Well then, I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± The man said, leaving his side to join his circle of chairs. Fox raised his eyebrows, quite a bit intrigued. Then, he walked to his place. He checked the chairs and the numbers, as well as some who had some stickers and words, very thin and not widely spread. It was done carefully, not wanting to look vandalish. After several minutes, Fox heard a flurry of steps coming in all directions from the outside, slowly becoming louder and louder. It was in the couple of hundreds at most. Fox heard at least 40 to 50 people walking together in groups. Thinking back to the past, of history, he wondered if this is what they felt when people came to burn their noble house down?Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Welcome, I¡¯m your new counselor. Take a seat so we may begin,¡± Fox stared at a group of 12 people before him. They all knew where to go, but didn¡¯t know him. However, as they looked at him, they seemed to know the drill. Not even nodding, they pulled their long, expressionless faces around and sat around the circle. ¡°I¡¯m Jos¨¦. The best thing I can tell you about me is that, well, apart from surviving eye cancer, I am well-guided in spiritualism, and I believe all kind souls go to heaven¡­ As long as they know how to bribe the world¡¯s guardian.¡± Fox said with deadpan humor. He caused a few grins to appear, regardless if they were ridiculing or containing laughter. ¡°Who¡¯d like to start?¡± Fox said, soundlessly clapping his hands before someone could interrupt him and ask him something to cause some drama or tension. With this ordeal avoided, Fox felt 300% more calm. His counseling had just begun. ¡­ After just 5 hours talking with people, drinking a bit and eating some pastries from a lovely young girl, who everyone treated diligently, Fox adapted to the mansion¡¯s AA group. An old lady in his group commented, feeling like a burden was expelled from her very own skin. Her voice was trembling and a bit rough, quite a bit old. ¡°I used to make my boy get naked and spank his rear until my wrists grew numb whenever¡­ whenever it came to be about my drinks. At first, he only asked me why I kept drinking if it was so bad. Then, he implored me to stop¡­ But then, I started doing it if he just saw me drinking.¡± The old lady looked down, mimicking some motions when manually sewing a scarf, or long cloth. Maybe tears would¡¯ve come out, if she wasn¡¯t old to the point she could only squeeze them out with indirect bodily reactions, like pulling one¡¯s hair from their shins. ¡°And then¡­ It went on even when he just saw me¡­ drinking¡­ ¡­ ¡­just something, anything.¡± The old lady had trouble speaking and remembering at the same time, terror in her eyes. She seemed like choking and convulsing. At that time, Fox leaned over and held her hands. He pressed heavily but harmlessly against the spots under her yolks, then his nail on her fingerprints, trying to not damage her wasted skin. He ended doing the same to the end of her fingers. It seemed to work for her, as she calmed down, and even began crying after giving Fox a surprised, long-lasting look. Exiting the mansion later at around 11:30 PM, bidding the young lass farewell beside his father, Fox sighed. His cabin looked cozy this time around, so he stayed there first for the night. However, at merely 2 AM, he woke up without any movement nor feeling a bug nearing him. He just woke up. He didn¡¯t fall asleep, not truly. It was but resting his body, in repose, but not him as a whole. A little gadget some, like special forces, learn after experience, but for a special agent, it becomes an improved evolved version, one that although it only helps the psyche a little, is much better. Fox walked out of his cabin, searched for a food vendor, saw a few obvious criminal folks hanging around, which ignored him after recognizing his sunglasses, and went for a bite in a 24/7 right-violating minimarket. Then, Fox went to the workshop again. He learned one thing from this AA group. They weren¡¯t for just people around the outskirts, and those who didn¡¯t seem to have lived here before have moved in after a few days, somewhat permanently. At least a third of them were rich people outside of not just these outskirts, but even Jaewim, The rest were either from Jaewim, inside the city, or from the outskirts. The first type, although some showed pride of their status, they treated the people in the AA group as nicely as any other did. The only difference was depending on the time they¡¯ve been here. Those who have been around for longer than weeks were polite, while those months or a few years around are all easygoing and warm to the rest. The others, much ¡®younger¡¯ in the AA group, were only not offensive, trying to avoid trouble where they found help. Regardless, there was something Fox hadn¡¯t known of, or noticed before. Drugs. While these existed, and were apparent in the world, it wasn¡¯t a problem that recurred into Lymoca. Drinking was different, because it was the ¡®least¡¯ worsening addiction in the market, and legal across Resilient. However, drugs in Lymoca were a laughingstock. It is even said, in the netizens¡¯ ruling social media, that Lymoca has no drug or family critical issues, because it is all leaning on their levels of political corruption. They weren¡¯t wrong. But how did Lymoca accomplish this? It wasn¡¯t a problem in the 7th century, it didn¡¯t become one in the 8th, where the Green Transformation occurred. There were many reasons the Ly felt proud for, one of them, perhaps, is the warmth they carry. Among the supercontinents, it is unique. But sadly, within the same Moonblue supercontinents, it is also unique to them. Even in the south, where ANS was once limited of their reach by the growth of Lymoca after the fall of the Lylaco Empire; It lacked the liveliness that is heard of in their past, of their honor and joy. Fox ate to his small fill before beginning bion work in the workshop. Once it was 5 PM, he went back to his cabin and spent several hours in the AA group, surprising the middle-aged man when coming up 30 minutes prior. The following day, Fox repeated the motion. It had been 3 days since he arrived here and began completing his task. ¡­ On this fourth day, 1st day of the 3rd week, Fox walked into the AA group, only to find a new person sitting in his place, even beside his chair, with a new one added to the circle. At once, Fox knew the others wouldn¡¯t like this. ¡°Ah, she¡¯s new. We didn¡¯t have any other spots, and your group seemed to have acclimatized very well to you, so she was sent there. She arrived just¡­ ah, 33 minutes before you did. Could you please deal with this? She needs as much help as anyone else, but the others, I¡¯m not sure they¡¯d do well with a sudden addition to their circ-¡± The man came to Fox at once, apologetic. ¡°I get it,¡± Fox said. ¡°I won¡¯t refuse. This isn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault. You make me feel like a person who likes to make trouble. I¡¯m just a lonely soul. As a matter of fact, you might have played wingman here, heh heh.¡± Fox smirked with open lips before walking past the middle-aged man. His faced eased immediately afterwards. He understood this fella well. The middle-aged man wasn¡¯t a malicious person, and maybe a bit too softhearted, but he had a great emotional coefficient. ¡®I am also softhearted, too¡­¡¯ Fox thought for a moment, stopping as he upturned his eyes to the left corner, falling pensive just then. Walking inside, Fox almost stopped halfway through. He looked at the woman whose face was covered by a white, intense-care mask, only showing one gray iris and light blue pupils, with mixes of both between one another. That was his Captain. Fox wordlessly walked forth and sat on his chair, not knowing what to say, or think. He sat there, knowing he was supposed to say something. Maybe ask her why she was here. Loba, her alias. Nala Loba, her name. But he didn¡¯t find himself doing so. He wasn¡¯t even anxious to do so, as if it wasn¡¯t deemed important, and it shouldn¡¯t be. Fox looked to the past women he¡¯s ever done more than talk to, touch, have intercourse with, and even feel. Each of them were memories of his old self¡­ and as always, and as of late, a source of shame for him. What was it he felt back then? Even the idea of having children seemed¡­ tasteless and gray. Before, how could have he? She remained on the spot, and Fox felt it was to wait for him, or something just like this, but¡­ He could at least send a signal to see if she just came here out of boredom, for a task, if something urgent happened, or¡­ maybe just to see what¡¯s up with him during his assignations. But still, no; nothing. Shortly after, people walked into the mansion, all used to the same deal everyday. There were breaks every now and then, but Fox¡¯s scheduled stay as ¡®Jorge¡¯ wouldn¡¯t get to experience such boredom. Whoever assigned him had at least that decency. They were surprised, at first, about the new lass showing up. But seeing her mask, and what could very well be a worse environment she lived, they silently sat in their preferred spots. The old lady who spoke about her boy walked in and tilted her head curiously, trembling, when she looked at Nala Loba. ¡°Well then, first and foremost,¡± Fox went ¡®Jorge¡¯ mode and addressed everyone, already sat down. At that very same instant when he began speaking, Nala Loba turned her only eye towards him, almost as if snapping at him with a regular pace. ¡°This is a new ingredient to our spicy sauce,¡± Fox gestured to her. ¡°She will introduce herself, and then, we might hear something from her. If anyone wants to ask her something, she¡¯ll let me know if she¡¯ll answer. Then, you guys can go ahead. Alright, expose your nature to us, lady.¡± In the same instant Fox thought she¡¯d look at him and at least narrow her eye, the only visible one anyway, Nala Loba nodded and meekly sat upright to face them properly. She wore a white plated skirt, but also white jeans. ¡°My name is Wolf, nice to meet everyone. I¡¯m just being polite,¡± she gestured in the second half of her sentence with her left arm swinging in the air, appearing easygoing and humorous. The group warmed up a bit, feeling she was just the young lass everyone adored in their family. If they had one; a family. ¡°I had¡­ an addiction after a certain point in my life. That addiction changed a little when something happened in it, ah, my life.¡± Her voice was like dinging bells sounding and ringing in consecutive motion, yet indifferent and cold, with an aloof touch. ¡°I am 25 years old, born in 1,000. ¨ªndigo person, if you will it.¡± She gestured cutely and a little dumb. Inadvertently, for Fox, she gained his attention. His sunglasses moved even more dumbly. The group welcomed ¡®Wolf¡¯ into the group, with some voicing the notion, while others nodding with crossed arms or just staring. ¡°Will you be okay with questioning?¡± Fox asked, assuming a cheap lawyer¡¯s attitude, crudely asking Wolf this. Yet, once again surprising him, Fox received a light, meek nod from her. He pouted his lips a bit, reacting, before a bald man with a gray shirt unfolded his crossed arms and pointed at her. His voice was broken and like a pair of fiber sponges scrapping together. A little like Fox¡¯s, but much lower and weak. ¡°What are you suffering now, you were saying? Like, you said something about your addiction changing after something occurred. What occurred? Did it make your addiction worse?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Nala Loba remained quiet for a few seconds before responding in a small voice. She added, slightly elevating her voice, ¡°I lost someone so important I almost lost myself. Even after I recuperated. I almost lost myself again¡­ until I saw someone whose resemblance took to that person I lost¡ª so quickly, too.¡± Nala Loba directly answered, but Fox felt a strange notion surround him, like an aura. Of course, this was just like pheromones between living beings, albeit perhaps influenced by their trained bodies by breath. A sensation of being watched¡­ of being taken into consideration. ¡°And are you single?¡± The same man asked, widening his eyes brightly, almost like looking at a small animal. Fox turned his head to him, sternly calling out, ¡°Hern¨¢n¡­¡± ¡°S- sorry¡­¡± The man widened his eyes further upon hearing Fox, but their contents shrank instead. Fox¡¯s face, albeit mostly hidden and his eyes unavailable, pined his spirits and dumb intention down. This wasn¡¯t because of the improperness from the man, Fox realized this quickly and felt it within his chest. Nala Loba, for whatever reason, looked at him as he did. Fox only noticed a few seconds after he piped the man down. After remaining silent for a little while, he shook his head awake and echoed his words, ¡°That is enough. You may continue to be here, or leave. Now, let¡¯s hear others, alright?¡± ¡­ Chapter 121 — Its Not Easy (2) It''s Not Easy (2) Everyone left at their own as 11 PM long swept their butts, taking many by surprise, not realizing how late it had become until a few gramps and grannies nearly fell slumped to the side. As everyone left, and the middle-aged man and his daughter were picking things up with a few of her aunties helping, Fox bid farewell to the others with his crossed arms and a few good words to each of them. Nala Loba then appeared beside him, stopping half a meter to his left. ¡°Captain¡­¡± Fox voiced. Nala Loba sighed a bit, seeming to have something to let out from her chest. Then, she looked at him, expressionless and in askance, ¡°Can you let me stay in your place tonight and from then on? It shouldn¡¯t take longer to read into some things.¡± ¡°Ah, mhm.¡± Fox was surprised, but he agreed with crossed arms. Nala Loba gestured to the road ahead. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked at Nala Loba¡¯s back before following suit. He gave the middle-aged man a look and thanked him, leaving the man flabbergasted. In the end, he did help ¡®Jos¨¦¡¯ get a hold of a chick, acting like a wingman. He only hoped ¡®Jos¨¦¡¯ wasn¡¯t a rough guy, she seemed hurt. Arriving at his cabin, Fox opened it and let her in. Nala Loba didn¡¯t light any room until he did after closing the door. He could hear her take her disguise off. Turning around, he saw her marvelous countenance and resting face and eyes. Feeling his eyes, Nala Loba looked back at him, just staring at him. She pointed at the stairs leading to the upper floor, ¡°Hear, I¡¯ll take a look at the bedrooms. Do you have anything to eat here?¡± Fox shook his head, now realizing he never chose a bed, and he didn¡¯t even know what was it like upstairs. He watched her go up slowly, slightly bending her back, maybe wanting to relax. A few seconds after she paced around the upper floor, Fox rushed out, adopting a calm walk into the minimarket once outside. A few minutes later, he returned to the cabin. She was still upstairs, not making any sound. Fox let some frying pans and stewpots heat up and left some ingredients in the open before walking up, feeling some calm urgency from within the deepest corners of his self. Fox walked up and into her new bedroom, of which there was only 1 in the cabin. Fox opened the door left ajar, stepping into the bedroom with calid, orange light illuminating everything fairly. He saw his Captain on the bed, relaxing with her knees bent over the lower edge of the mattress as she stared at the ceiling. Slowly, Nala Loba sat up and looked at him, patting the spot on the bed behind her. Fox maintained his silence and walked over, sitting beside her as she turned around slowly and faced him. Her legs crossed as they stretched on the bed behind him, and she looked at him. ¡°How is your progress? Found anything yet?¡± Nala Loba perfunctorily asked. Fox looked at her face, only separated by less than half a meter of distance. ¡°A little more than you.¡± ¡°Saw those outside?¡± She asked again, nudging in the direction some groups of people always hang out until morning, though the walls obstructed the sight. Fox nodded, knowing whom she referred to, ¡°They are from Sierra Caliente, mostly, but there¡¯s also Coalition Party Syndicate and the Yobartes gang members. It feels like they¡¯re trying to get together, an alliance at best.¡± ¡°Yes, it sounds curious. So, they feel threatened by the other two,¡± Nala Loba narrowed her eyes, showing great intention to do something, but restraining herself. Fox looked into behavior and narrowed his eyes a bit, then saying, ¡°You¡¯re bloodthirsty, Captain.¡± ¡°Not as much as you, firster,¡± Nala Loba said, weakly countering his remark. Fox didn¡¯t know how to respond, so he just looked at her little nostrils and hummed, ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ladder up, Fox?¡± Nala Loba frowned, pondering as she let everything fall in silence before asking him that. Fox looked down at bit, accidentally staring at her knees. They were covered, but he could see the quirky shape they have. He lifted his gaze, almost snapping. ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to become a Captain, Captain.¡± Hearing his remark, Nala Loba looked at him, feeling the comfortable warmth of the room try to invade her well-seasoned, trained senses. She muttered after a slow blink, ¡°There¡¯s something higher else than a Captain, without as much responsibility like the Butler, and as influential.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ what is that?¡± Fox looked at her, confused and intrigued. The warmth and coziness of the bedroom, something entirely lacking elsewhere in the cabin, also affected him a bit. His breathing slowed, like Nala Loba¡¯s, and his gaze became a little sleepy. ¡°!¡± - ¡°!¡± Before Nala Loba could explain, feeling a bit at ease, a noise attracted them both from the outside. Without thinking twice, they rushed downstairs, making no sound as they hopped outside the windows after enhancing their hearing and not detecting anyone nearby. They took different sides of the cabin to detour it before heading to the source of the commotion. A couple of groups faced each other from afar, with 2 people in between, who seemed to engage in conversations. One of them pulled a gun, though, while the other was helpless. Fox hid to the side, followed by Nala Loba, who was a bit farther from a safe hiding spot. The criminals continued their little face off before both parties took a step back. They observed the situation, appearing quite unusual. They couldn¡¯t tell which was which, as these people wouldn¡¯t talk of their associated organized crime band like they were paid to expose themselves. Unless they were whoring, but secret organizations don¡¯t move that way. A few people walked to their hiding spots. Fox was fine, as there was a blind spot hiding from nearby houses¡¯ walls where these patrols were moving to and fro. But Nala Loba wasn¡¯t. Furthermore, she was a beauty, so she had it harder to not stand out, even in the dark. Fox listened attentively as Nala Loba remained tranquil, looking at him as the patrol walking a few meters before him would soon find a wild beauty hidden in a corner on the opposite side of the dirt street. Calculating the time, Fox held a small pistol in his left hand, just in case, as he then roughly cleared his throat. The patrol near the corner of the building jolted, looking down just as he heard someone walk near him. He turned around, wearing a dissatisfied expression, but the person walking towards him also thought the throat-clearing sound came from him. The latter said, ¡°?Qu¨¦ est¨¢s mirando, pendejo? (What are you looked at, stupid?)¡± ¡°Oh, are you serious?!¡± The patrol, holding a weapon as the other bandit did not, followed after the latter. He strode dissatisfied, not caring about his duties. Fox nudged to Nala Loba to get moving. She didn¡¯t nod but moved at once, hiding a little better but still slightly seen before jumping onto a smallish storage cottage not even more than 3 x 1 meters large. Now, with the streetlights not reaching to the small cottage¡¯s roof, Nala Loba was hidden in the dark. Fox looked at this before finally refocusing on the OCs having a bad talk to each other. He and Nala Loba continued to listen before nodding at each other when they felt it was enough. Coincidentally, they stared at one another at the same time to depart. Returning to ¡®their¡¯ cabin, with the lights still on, Fox checked the small kitchen before getting to work with what he had. Nala Loba initially returned to her bedroom but came down to observe him, sitting on the sofa he has slept for 3 days now. Once he was finished, he brought some entry snacks to her, one of them being seasoned, roasted asparagus on the domestic stove. She didn¡¯t want to eat that; at first. After a whiff and a bite, she ate it with 3 fingers holding it, bite by bite. Then, Fox brought some mediocre cut thin steak with smashed potatoes and a few carrots on the side, just in case she wanted something crispy, like he did. Besides, only carrots were second to oranges. After bringing her his plate, Fox accommodated another sofa for her to sit more comfortably before going back to the kitchen to pick his plate. When he returned, she remained on the same sofa. Walking over and sitting in another, putting his plate down on a table, he asked her, ¡°Why don¡¯t you move to a better sitting place?¡± ¡°Here, it smells good,¡± said the wolf with her mouth full, munching on and on. Fox frowned a bit before looking up at her with an eased expression. She devoured the steak and brought the plate to her face to do the same with the smashed potatoes. A minute before Fox could finish, she extended her plate to him. Fox pouted ever so slightly before leaving his plate on a small side table in the center before returning to the kitchen to serve her more. He returned only to find Nala Loba with his plate as she licked it clean, lying on her back as she reposed, but wanted more still.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Fox looked down as he gave Nala Loba her plate, wearing an expression of being hurt. She commented before wolfing her third plate, or 2 and a half, ¡°You treated me like a younger person and your inferior before. This is the least that should be.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox lifted his eyebrows before lightly shaking his head. He picked his plate from her tummy, feeling her body shudder for a moment before relaxing. With his thumbnail against her clothes, feeling those jolts from her abdomen the most, Fox retrieved his plate after she calmed down. ¡°And you, Captain, are like an animal that is weary of even a dead rabbit.¡± Fox ¡®fled¡¯ at a slow pace when saying this. Yet, her words still echoed after a few seconds, just as he picked some cheap beer cans. ¡°You¡¯re not dead, nor a rabbit. You a fox!¡± Fox stopped on the spot, contemplating and at a slight loss. He smirked out of nowhere before bringing a couple of large mugs to the living room. There was no TV, but if they wanted to, they could use their phones or WID¡¯s holographic feature. ¡°Ooh¡­¡± Nala Loba stood up after finishing his plate and hers again while he was gone. Fox could only smile when he realized, and when she looked at the liquor with renewed vigor and the desire to know it, he felt a little silly. In his stupor, he didn¡¯t realize his Captain was waiting for him to give her her mug. She looked up at him a few times, askance. ¡°Here¡­¡± Fox responded after the umpteenth glare. Like a tail wagging from her rear, Nala Loba slightly stood up from her sitting position and grabbed her mug. She sipped thrice before downing the thing. ¡°Hmf,¡± she looked down, slowly forming a spectacular grin from the left corner of her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s always those who only vie for the people who do the flavorful stuff.¡± ¡°Does it affect you?¡± Fox asked, drinking his a bit, not finding it likeable. He refrained from taking longer sips than tiny bits, and frequently. She shrugged a bit, her eyes returning to their true nature. ¡°I have innate resistance, and a bit honed, but nothing like yours.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Fox nodded a few times. He looked at his drink some more, then at Nala Loba¡¯s face, whose resting eyes narrowed to a droop. Her head was tilted down to the left, and her mouth a little opened. She looked up, noticing his stare, and continued looking. Nala Loba¡¯s eyes fall to his mug again. Fox smelled his philtrum before saying after standing up. ¡°For the food in the next few days, I¡¯ll check some things and prepare some stuff. Let me start sorting a few ingredients already.¡± When Fox was a minute into organizing the kitchen and making preparatives for tomorrow, he looked back, only to see her down his mug all the way down. Then, she burped and softly fell on the sofa sideways. Fox¡¯s eyes blinked for a moment, his 6 irises-pupils intrigued as he shrugged, before becoming relaxed. A couple of hours later, Fox finished the preparations. He turned and saw she was still there, having had thought Nala Loba would have left for her bedroom without letting him know. He walked around with doubt and felt baffled when he saw her sleeping, drunk self. She wasn¡¯t blushing, or reeking of alcohol, but she was clearly lying dormant like a drunk one. Fox thought, ¡®So it does affect her, and she doesn¡¯t have strong resistances.¡¯ He looked down at his Captain. Now, there he was, in yet another dilemma of life. After pondering about his possible punishments, remembering Nol¡¯s pained expressions as he was publicly beaten, Fox felt the ballsiest in the world as he picked his Captain up. Her natural scent drifted into his nostrils. There was nothing he could do, his nostrils flared up in shame and self-reproach, all against his own desires. Fox was in pain. He felt hurt as he walked up the stairs and pushed her body to his chest. She was well toned, and even though his palms were 1 or 2 inches away from touching when unnecessary, his fingertips were far too sensitive and well-trained. Just touching her legs and hips a bit for a good hold made him realize how tremendous she felt to grasp. Fox carefully walked into the bedroom, bringing her face closer when stepping in, and helped her inside the bed. He had to grab her legs again to lift her so that the bedsheets wouldn¡¯t be lonely below her. Although the bedroom felt so cozy and warm. Fox looked at her just as he was about to cover her body with the last blanket, all thin but warming enough. ¡®She looks like Teon¡­¡¯ Seeing the similarities, Fox stopped, not wanting to unsee the image. Sleeping, not caring of vulnerability around him, and having the confidence to become all easily accessible. But that was only in the notion. Nala Loba was just¡­ who could ever spawn such a creature? ¡®But she¡¯s not like Teon.¡¯ Fox thought as his eyes hardened a little. He placed the covers on her, careful not to jolt her awake. He switched the lights with a button. The lights gradually dimmed until it was fully dark, with Fox closing the door afterwards, not knowing why he was so ¡®protective¡¯ out of nowhere. Then, his mind definitely being off the bion work, he went back down and to the kitchen. He needed to get all the following days¡¯ meals done, or he¡¯ll be restless¡­ restless¡­ Fox cleaned the sweat off his forehead as he remained in the kitchen all night long. ¡­ During the following days, every hour, before 6 PM, Fox would arrive with Nala Loba, ¡®Jos¨¦¡¯ and ¡®Wolf¡¯. The days were spent without suspense. While they investigated the happenings around sometimes, it never involved direct action, although they could tell things were happening, just not the reason. Little by little, days passed. Fox went to the workshop from morning to noon, returning to the cabin back to accompany his Captain to spend time. As he became used to the job as a counselor, Fox inevitably realized how, as Nala Loba began leaving a bit earlier, he always returned to a cabin with lights on. He no longer went out at night, staying in the slightly lit living room and kitchen, even if Fox was alone downstairs. It was a way to return there from being elsewhere where he was fake. He could¡­ relax. Finally, the day to fill in their time in the task came. Fox bid farewell to the middle-aged man, and his daughter. Nala Loba didn¡¯t show up, simply disappearing from one day to another. There was enough information to consider their assignation complete. And so, Fox returned to Proteros, only returning by railway with silence in between him and his Captain. Then, the daily life resumed yet again. . . . The second floor of the Blackflower Boutique was like a beacon. After seeing the difference in the tall building, many people became curious and wanted to see why there was the same design for the first 2 floors only. After buying something, or gaining information from it, one would realize these were here since a few months ago already. The sensation of an ¡®old¡¯ establishment attracted anyone. Fox saw the numbers go up like crazy, completely unlike before. They could definitely double their previous numbers. Furthermore, after returning from D¨¦sinc¨¢, he finished the shipping/delivery system for the Blackflower Boutique series. It wasn¡¯t really a big business yet, and a bit far from it, but according to the global conventions, they were already a ¡®can reach far and wide¡¯ business. The boutique only needed a better service on its online services, a bit more security, and a renowned reputation to truly try to get to the big leagues. This was just the 9th month, 4th week¡¯s 3rd day. It¡¯s been a few days since he returned, but he was prepared for his next assignation. Furthermore, he was notified about the addition of a special agent who would accompany him, and both would work together. That¡¯s just how things work. Fox wanted to curse Luis, but he didn¡¯t want to get bad luck indirectly from himself. After checking things with everyone, he left things to Pamela and Fabiola. ¡­ Fox was sent to the west of the State of Proteros, far outside the capital, but still the capital state. He only spent an hour traveling by train, finding the train¡¯s movements and vibrations enjoyable. These trips became more and more relaxing as he continued traveling. He wore his disguise already, looking more like a young man in his 30-35s with a gadget to hide his hair and appear to have a short, elegant hairstyle. He wore a beige suit, smooth to the eye, and a bit effeminate. Fox didn¡¯t like things with such obvious sides, but the only worse part here was the tightness around the armpits and groins. Fox wore white glasses and a small white hat that didn¡¯t cover his ¡®perfect¡¯ hair. Arriving at the station, Fox walked out, holding his chin a bit too high, and his chest a bit too forth. However, his body was damn fine, and if he had a handsome face at least, he would¡¯ve been taken as a supermodel, or just a rising star. He walked holding a small case, with papers, IDs, permits, and, of course, hidden bions and pistol parts. After taking a ¡®random¡¯ PVT from one of Piya Sanctum District¡¯s branches across the nation, Fox was brought to a PAB, a Police Arms Bureau. Below a SPD and above a PPO. Just as he gave the White seconder 12 social points as a tip, Fox looked ahead and noticed that he wasn¡¯t the only one who was given good disguises. He mentally sighed and whistled before walking to his boss, Nala Loba. ¡°I really can¡¯t believe it,¡± Nala Loba beat him to it before he could say anything. Feeling her annoyance, Fox found it amusing. He smirked from the left corner of his mouth, but she won him to it again, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me. You asked to be sent with me? What? Was there anything you wanted to say?¡± Being incriminated, but not bothered by it, Fox shook his head with a shrug. He smiled a bit ruefully, ¡°No, oh no. I didn¡¯t. I speak the truth. I would never do that.¡± Nala Loba wore thick sunglasses, a white sun hat, and thick white gloves that accentuated an elegant, long white dress with a lengthy, open skirt. She wore white jeans to cover it all, though. But her fashion was really top-notch, too much for a place like a PAB. When Fox spoke those words, Nala Loba looked at him fixedly. Either because she didn¡¯t believe him or maybe anything else, she then lowered her head and offered no additional word regarding that. Fox nodded a bit and gestured to the large precinct ahead, above a few staircases divided into different levels with small platforms between each other. ¡°Shall we go? Miss Sara?¡± ¡°Yes, why not, Mister Medina.¡± Nala Loba had just pronounced her words, when she walked forth and left him behind. Fox lifted his eyebrows before following her. Walking side by side, they began their police affairs journalists. The first thing they noticed when going in was the ease and freshness in everything everywhere. Fox looked at Nala Loba, who looked at him. She was supposed to be the big girl with experience here, but her gray, light blue eyes showed that she was as deluded as he felt. ¡°Ah! Are you two Medina and Sara? Good! Come over here. You can work in just a few desks, okay?¡± A police officer said before unceremoniously bringing walking into the crowd of a lazy and slothful environment. With another exchange of eyes, Fox and Nala Loba walked forth, with Fox taking a step ahead of her, letting her face his back up close. Nala Loba sneakily looked up at him, resting her gaze on his shoulder blades before lowering her chin. ¡­ Chapter 122 — Its Not Easy (3) It''s Not Easy (3) Fox and Nala Loba sat in separate chairs in front of the first desk of 2 that they were allowed to work with. The police officer left, leaving them with 2 police units who worked in pairs for the same vehicle. They looked at Nala Loba almost all the time. The only reason they remembered Fox was because he attracted far too much attention. Nala Loba''s disguise had some makeup, but her beauty was transcendental for it to mark a difference. ¡°And are you two together? What¡¯s going on? I see vibes, hehe,¡± a police unit with balding hair in the middle, large eyes, and chubby, asked, gesturing at them. Neither responded before Fox clarified, ¡°We work together for different news¡­ and you? Do you work here?¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± A desk belonging to police officers resounded, pointing at the police units. The man Fox mocked blinked, he said, ¡°Of course, I am. Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± ¡°Eh, if you¡¯re not goin-¡± The mind leaned towards ¡®Sara¡¯ and bent his back, but she stopped him by showing her right palm. ¡°Work only. This is the Proito city PAB, isn¡¯t it? Did I make a wrong turn somewhere, gentlemen?¡± ¡®So you¡¯re a prude who reeks of female insecurity?¡¯ Fox read her character as soon as it was her turn to act. The balding police unit pouted, looking sad with his big eyes. The other police unit, a slender, brown young man with a shaved hairstyle, nodded up to her. ¡°What is it you want to know the most? Do you ¡®give¡¯ something or ¡®take sponsors¡¯ for further detail?¡± Fox didn¡¯t wait for her to educate these units in what those phrases were used for and bent over, looking at the police units, ¡°Yes, we do. So, who first? I am very proactive, so I promise you won¡¯t be able to feel down to your ankles until our next ¡®meeting¡¯.¡± Fox winked and clicked his teeth at the end of his words, intertwining fingers like caressing the tender skin of a lover. Nala Loba was amused, but only she could tell herself. The police units looked at Fox, taking in the image of his clothes even more, before shivering. The young brown man jolted his body backwards to sit straight in the chair, clenching the entrance to a new paradise, or hell. ¡°What the hell do you want anyway?!¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Fox and Nala looked at each other before she took a window out and used a pen with a digital-worthy tip to write like a sticky note. ¡°We want to ask about the precinct¡¯s working conditions and the life expectancy of your equipment, vehicles, armory, and overall psyche.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± both police units were astounded. Someone actually sent people because they cared to know about what was happening behind the noble image of their police bureau? They were intrigued and felt grateful. Meanwhile, Nala Loba tapped her feet in morse code, barely lifting her shoes, to let Fox hear her. Fox responded in kind, slightly bending a toe or two before snapping them, fully bending them. Thus, as they began to her about the police units talk about the situation, and how much they worked every hour, saving the day in their ¡®office¡¯; Fox and Nala listened to voices from hidden rooms and spaces below the floor and in between thick walls. ¡­ In the evening, after conversing with the other desk after the first guys felt too tired to continue remaining in the building where they work, deciding to rather do so in their homes. The other desk were seats of an orange, redheaded woman and a brawny, middle-aged brown man who had extensive information to answer the same questions. They left in the late evening, unable to stay anymore, and were almost thrown away. Walking down the street, but truthfully circling around the PAB¡¯s precinct¡¯s block, Fox and Nala Loba silently traversed a few kilometers like this before stopping. With the night falling, they looked into one of the doors of the precinct before looking at each other. With a glance, they smoothly moved into the back of the precinct. They silently avoided the hidden detection platforms under the ground sticking to the railing protecting the perimeter. Nala Loba took her right gauntlet off, revealing a bion attached to her wrist, resting on her palm. It looked like a mini motherboard with blue, electric currents contained, flowing inside resistant glass tubes. She pushed it softly into the doorknob, opening it with a jolt, holding the door to avoid its sudden burst after a muffled ¡®bang¡¯. After the door emanated some trails of smoke, Nala Loba briefly looked back at Fox before stepping inside in silence. Fox followed suit, closing the door and ensuring it looked just fine. Whoever touched it after them would be blamed, not them. They rushed to the stairs, finding themselves in a mini-jungle of corridors with yellow beige walls from a person¡¯s head level to the top, and brown floor. They read the blueprints and knew the building to the letter, all they had to do was find a spot where they could hear what they listened to earlier. Fox helped evade a couple of close calls, where silent cameras moved with improvised programming to catch thieves just like them. Of course, these cameras are not supposed to be in a PAB, or even a SPD. A few turns and stairs later, going up or down to hear better, Fox and Nala Loba ended in the rooftop. A series of heavy talks were ongoing below their backs as they gazed at the clouds and few stars. They heard creepy things, of which were either followed by laughter or boot licking from a few or everyone in a hidden room. They were 2 meters apart with their backs against the ground and their ears easily taking in information. But at this moment, Nala Loba frowned and barely blew a trace of air from her nostrils, garnering Fox¡¯s attention. ¡°Get closer¡­ this is important. I don¡¯t want to lose my chance,¡± Nala Loba¡¯s voice drifted weakly through the air, reaching his trained, enhanced hearing sense. Fox said nothing and dragged his body to her, making no sound, even though his clothes were dirty and a bit holed. His right arm against her left arm, Nala Loba offered no words and continued listening. At some point, Fox looked at her, moving his head a bit. He prepared to say an excuse to why he was looking at her, and that was to put his ear into the ground and hear better, to see if he could find something else; anything. But she didn¡¯t ask. What¡¯s more, Nala Loba craned her neck to the right, showing her goldish-pale, white skin to its utmost. While Fox was in the throes of her beauty, feeling his teeth sharpening to their ultra nature, she heard her feeble voice echo again, ¡°I¡¯m trying to hear better.¡± But she wasn¡¯t done there, as Fox felt his heart like a foot of divine somberness pressed on it. She further stated, ¡°Put your ear¡­ right ear where my left ear was hearing, there was something important. Don¡¯t miss it.¡± Her aloof voice only increased the graciousness she bore in his eyes, in his ears, in his heart. No longer pressed upon by any emotion, any obstruction. Let go of. ¡°Mmf,¡± with Fox obeying her words, his nose grazed her neck, weak and out to the touch. Fox didn¡¯t manage his breathing, letting his nostrils continue weakly breathing in and out. Nala Loba let out a noise, but noting more. Yet, her body constantly shivered, which Fox cared not about, for he was staring at her throat, gulping and squirming so close to him. Minutes passed by. Their ears were fully attentive, but their senses were focused on something else. One felt their skin tremble every moment, only sometimes losing decency and shuddering in¡­ enjoyment. The other watched and felt the other¡¯s skin, salivating with itchy, sharpened teeth. When the time came to live, nearly at 4 AM, every voice and strange noise in that hidden room was gone. Just to make sure, Fox and Nala Loba remained there until 6 AM, supervising their surroundings in case they were discovered. At last, they crouched and supervised their surroundings. They looked for some pebbles before throwing them to a few cameras, using the right strength and angle to disable them independently of their distance. Then they dropped from the roof and returned to the streets. ¡­ Walking into a motel nearby, Fox let his Captain take a shower first as he meditated his breathing. He didn¡¯t speak after they left the rooftop, embarrassed to even think of the possibility of Nala Loba seeing he couldn¡¯t pipe them down, or thin them down. ¡°No towels here, do you have any around you?¡± Just as Fox sat cross-legged and stimmed to further feel relaxed. He opened his eyes, wondering what that might be about. His eyes were resting, not aware or polite as always, so Nala Loba saw them look at her like she was bones and behind her were only the bones of trees or dirt mixture. She was fascinated.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°!¡± On the other hand, Fox watched a bare Nala Loba who walked out with a hand towel covering her genitals. Her breasts, albeit so small they could be called adorable, and it would be an understatement, were bright lights of life in infinite darkness. Every inch and a contrast of colors stupefied Fox entirely. ¡°Fox?¡± Nala Loba lifted her left eyebrow and pressed on. Fox immediately turned his head away. There was a silence and an illusion of ragged breathing, or maybe not an illusion. Fox suddenly moved fast and grabbed a towel from somewhere he didn¡¯t even know when or how. He walked to her, and when he came close to her, he looked into her eyes. She was standing there with her back straight, looking at him aloof and with fully opened eyes. Her lips seemed to pout outwards a bit, and her wet skin¡­ her wet skin invaded his nostrils, his nasal cavity, his brains. ¡°You still have shampoo¡­¡± Fox muttered, passing one of the towels to her. Her hair didn¡¯t show it, but his nose knew. Nala Loba looked down at the towel and grabbed it, placing it over her left shoulder. Fox fought hard to not look down just then, almost drove by her actions, simple and meaningless. She looked back up again before uttering after a couple of seconds of pure silence, her short golden blonde hair wet but still bright, ¡°I¡¯m aware. I don¡¯t make decisions without having things nailed down. That¡¯s for children. Dumb people.¡± ¡°Yes. But don¡¯t wet the floor,¡± Fox said, and by whichever cancer in his brain flared up, he grabbed her hand towel, deciding to hold onto the other he hadn¡¯t given her yet with the other. Nala Loba did nothing in return and watched and felt as he dried her body, rubbing the hand towel around her belly. Nala Loba slowly lowered her gaze, losing the determination Fox couldn¡¯t notice in her eyes, closing them softly with his hand¡¯s sensation over the not-so-thick hand towel becoming obscenely clear and distinctive. ¡°Don¡¯t rush out of bathrooms while still showering like this.¡± Fox said, returning her the towel hand. Nala Loba grabbed it before rising her chin again. Looking at him, she tilted her head to the right before looking at his shirt. Rustle, flip. With her free hand, she grabbed the lower end of his shirt and pulled up, quirkily sliding her hand behind his armpits to take it out for him, requiring him to do as little movement as possible. Fox''s torso laid bare before her. Nala Loba looked at him still before inadvertently looking down at him. Her dry lips, meat struck to one another, forcibly separated along her opening lips. Her eyes ran up his skin, at those slender, light brown muscles, along her chin. When she looked up, her eyes were fully opened, and like a phoenix¡¯s vibrant life, they brightened, stimulated. Nala Loba¡¯s eyes suddenly calmed after what seemed an eternity, lowering the towel hand covering the last bits of her bare body. Fox¡¯s polycoria eyes contents shrunk, both suddenly showing 4 impenetrable black pools. Nala Loba took the other towel from his hand and stepped backwards before turning around, securing Fox a glance to her front, ¡°Thanks.¡± With that, Nala Loba re-entered the shower. Running water sounded from the inside quickly after. Fox watched her leave, but even after several minutes, he stood rooted to the spot. That very tight, bubbly, thick heart-shaped derriere left him incapable of thought. It surpassed his shock at the beauty of small, round, teardrop breasts. Furthermore, he was right, her body was toned, even though slender. Looking down, Fox didn¡¯t know that seduction would be that¡­ good of a fertilizer for gardening. Looking at the beds, Fox wondered if he¡¯d be able to sleep. At least there were 2 beds. When Nala Loba came out, Fox eyes burned all on her for a second before he retracted his instinctive gaze away. Nala Loba said nothing, simply scratching her head before sitting on her bed in silence. Still shirtless, Fox grabbed the only towel remaining, smaller and thinner than those he gave to her, and walked to the bathroom. ¡°Those are dirty, take them off.¡± Nala Loba coldly said, sounding a lot like a command. Without waiting for him to decide, she added, indifferent. ¡°Turn around if you are so shy. Don¡¯t ruin the bathroom with evidence.¡± ¡°Where are the towels I gave you?¡± Fox asked as he turned and took everything else off. He couldn¡¯t tell if her eyes were on him or not, only her response, cold and indifferent still. ¡°Wet; unusable. Give me your clothes, don¡¯t dirty anywhere.¡± Fox blinked before sharply breathing in. He stepped backwards, a walk of shame of sorts, and passed her his clothes. Nala Loba exclaimed before falling silent, ¡°Mn, we should rest now.¡± With that, hearing her enter her bed, Fox walked to the bathroom with a gulp, then two, then several, until he closed the bathroom door behind him. ¡®Why so dodgy? Holy fucking fucks, I am a retarded king of retards.¡¯ Fox hated the shit out of himself as he got to the shower. Only now did he realize something. Nala Loba¡¯s changing clothes were tight, but her underwear was here. She should have brought more, but something told him she did not have any when she came out. Fox shook his head, turning the shower and feeling the fertilizer get the tools excited for plowing, but no no, uh uh. He breathed harshly in and out, calming his growing-annoying irritation. ¡­ The next day, Fox and Nala Loba went to the PAB again. This time, there was a case that had the city and municipality turning rocks upside down, even becoming a bit overly questioning with random people in the streets. A little girl burnt to force a father out and kidnap him. They asked the 2 desks¡¯ police units about it, but they only knew what was on the news. Thus, they decided to check on the last bits of what these guys had to talk about their PAB before leaving a little sooner this time. When going to the roof, the same voices walked into the hidden room, letting Fox and his Captain hear again. To Fox¡¯s surprise, when they were just about to lie down and play the waiting and recollecting game, Nala Loba grabbed his wrist with a serious expression. She had him face him, cuddling in reverse as their knees and feet were up against each other. Their heads close to one another, several inches separating them, and Nala Loba¡®s head a few below Fox¡¯s, they listened. This was to use their left and right ears respectively, looking at each other in case they were discovered so they could signal the other with their eyes, and whatever blabbering they convinced themselves with. They listened in utter, emotionless silence. At some point, Nala Loba¡¯s eyes locked on him. She looked up and down for a few moments before reaching out to his hands. She grasped his left hand and held it, not letting go. Fox looked at her patiently, in silence. She closed her eyes before opening them again, writing in his left palm, telling him she¡¯ll be operating this way for comfort and better, quicker understanding. Fox reached out to her hand, but she stopped him, admonishing him with a gaze before grabbing his left hand again. Nala Loba furiously wrote in his palm again, leaving him speechless. Fox nodded slightly, only then receiving a silent scoff from her nostrils and her closing eyes. ¡®Still looks as good as ever.¡¯ Fox thought before continuing to do their task. From then on, he received her little messages. Without a doubt, all were useless, as it was what he heard and thought. She even sometimes wrote what any ordinary person would think of in the moment of hearing or knowing something. He read through them all, patiently¡­ letting him touch his gloved hands all she wished. ¡­ Somewhere around 1 AM, they aborted further actions, for they have heard enough. Knowing this assignation of 200,000 credits was coming to an end, they left with a slight disturbance, only causing some guards to look at the cameras they just repaired in the afternoon with suspicion. Returning to the motel, Fox and Nala Loba silently proceeded to their beds, taking their shoes and socks off, and the rest of their ridiculous outfits and disguises. The matter of taking a shower wasn¡¯t even considered, yet. It was like it didn¡¯t exist anymore. Fox took his shirt off, feeling a hundred times better. He didn¡¯t know why, maybe just the ordinary excuse of hormones, or not. But he felt incredibly relaxed after doing so. He breathed unobstructed and suddenly felt his mind freed, gaining an enlightenment; an idea. He stared at Nala Loba, who was just taking her last clothes off before leaving a shirt and knickers on her body. ¡°We never talk about him.¡± Fox faced her, supporting his forearms on his knees. Nala Loba slowly came to a stop as she accommodated her clothes under her bed. With a blink, she looked up, all in slow motions. She mimicked his posture and faced him straight to the face. They were only a hand¡¯s width away from each other. ¡°Since when did you confirm it?¡± Cold, indifferent; the aloof beauty asked him, wearing an expression of equal import. Fox looked at her face fearlessly, he¡¯s seen more already. He wasn¡¯t a learning young boy anymore. Lowering his eyes to her lips, he answered, blatantly staring and only raised them back up into her gray, light blue eyes after a good while. ¡°I knew before I saw you those two times, especially at the coffee shop.¡± His eyes wandered left and right, thinking and feeling, but Nala Loba had already set hers locked onto his. They were 3 and 4 pools, about to change, she knew it! ¡°I confirmed about after our first cooperative assignation. I didn¡¯t see you move much, but you were the only one who understood why I wasn¡¯t convulsing. Even with my arm, it¡¯s not within reason to endure for so long. You also moved a lot, exercised through heavy stress.¡± ¡°Regardless of the difficult or easy factors in dealing with certain types of armed enemies, targets, or people; you lower your guard not¡ª never.¡± Fox looked back into her light blue retinas, deeply. ¡°A leading quality that I was drawn to quickly. But that was only the first I saw, and the first one attracting me. I¡¯ve seen leaders before. I¡¯m not a good one, so I can tell when one is.¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re all murder and onslaught,¡± Nala Loba smirked a bit, showing her excessive number of canine-like, natural teeth, entrancing him with shuddering notions at the top of his head for seconds on and on. She ignored it, if she knew, and nodded, cocking her head to the sides, ¡°But another quality you haven¡¯t seen is my teaching skills.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you a good leader,¡± Nala Loba said, matter-of-factly. Fox looked at her, curious. He could only wonder why she was being so adamant in a random topic for now. She frowned at his face, offering no explanation or word. ¡°How was he?¡± After a lasting wait, she asked. Fox blinked, sending his eyes upward. He straightened his back, followed by Nala Loba. Fox breathed deeply in, filling his lungs before letting it out through his nostrils. His polycoria eyes rested, looking impassive; yet so innately cruel and calculative. ¡°He taught me how to be murderous and mad.¡± His words left an empty spot for silence, which was sucked into their surroundings like a vacuum, employing infinite force. Nala Loba¡¯s eyes shone. She darted them left and right profusely on his changing 4 to 3 black pools before smirking, mirth and reminiscence shockingly appearing in her lips and grieving eyes. ¡°Yeah, that sounds like grandpa.¡± ¡­ Chapter 123 — Its Not Easy (4) It''s Not Easy (4) Fox nodded in silence, their surroundings growing amicable. Fox mulled a bit before saying, ¡°I gave him pizza after he started training me. It was from the best of Sargonde. The country, even.¡± ¡°Ahh, ambitious,¡± Nala Loba nodded her head, ''teasing'' a bit with a light open smile, still with her nature. Fox cocked his head sideways before continuing, ¡°I didn¡¯t have any words with him, not in his end. I didn''t realize he was dying when I saw him for the last few days. But he left a letter for me. It was somewhat of his words to the world, too.¡± ¡°Could you write it for me? I¡¯d like to read it for myself¡­ Keep his words with me after his parting,¡± Nala Loba looked at him and asked, almost turning soft. Fox looked at her for some moments before nodding. He looked for a pen in a side-shelve between their separate beds. ¡°Here,¡± she presented him with paper and pen from below her bed. She was quite ready. Fox looked at the things before grabbing them, turning to the side-shelve to write the letter. At first, he was going to omit the part where it was dedicated to him directly, but then decided to show it all. As he did, he couldn¡¯t help hearing the rustling of clothes again, smaller and briefly, but he did his best to not think about it. Although the scent, natural, soft, and fresh, feminine meat assailing his nostrils a bit didn¡¯t help. ¡°There,¡± Fox turned back to her and said, presenting the note and pen in his right and left hand respectively, but there was Nala Loba threatening to thunder his heart. Looking up, still sitting on the bed, he stared at a smooth, flat space of goldish-pale white skin from her abdomen. Looking up, she was completely bare. He was fully clothed and silent, and for a moment, he illusioned with her hands holding his head, caressing it fondly¡­ But it didn¡¯t happen, of course. Fox stood up after her hand softly grabbed her pen and paper back. They were face to face, with their breathing a bit chaotic, just a little. Nala Loba wore an aloof, slightly surprised countenance, but calm still. Fox remained impassive, but for how log? Some of his fingers trembled. He looked down at her face, although not that low, as she was at least tall, and scrutinized it. Fox was careful to not be too apparent, but he was thorough. After a while, he asked, looking at the bathroom. ¡°So, won¡¯t you get to the shower now?¡± ¡°The towels were wet, so I sent them to dry before leaving. I forgot to pick them, though. Could you bring them? I also gabbed yours¡­¡± Nala Loba gestured a little, lowering her face and turning it to their sides. As she did, her small breasts moved, jiggled, and angled a bit, giving a full view from almost every possible angle to Fox, except from below. ¡°Won¡¯t you¡­ get inside before I open the door?¡± Fox gulped twice, pausedly, looking down without the shyness of a boy, just as his natural manly scent wasn¡¯t ¡®hidden¡¯, and reminded her. Nala Loba looked up at him, never tracing her eyes away, ¡°I will, yes.¡± Her voice was strangely soft, but still cold and indifferent. Fox looked at her face, her glabella, eyebrows, cheekbones, mouth¡­ He rapidly looked away from those lips; then, her eyes. Which he looked rapidly away, wearing his resting expression that¡¯d strike to stop one¡¯s heart for an instant to those who saw it, especially unprepared. Fox looked at the bare skin around her shoulders and neck before rapidly turning his eyes away again, lifting his feet to move around her, jumping a bit and bending his upper back strangely. Knowing he looked embarrassed didn¡¯t stop him from avoid touching her body completely before walking to the door at a slow pace. He looked back to make sure. By then, Nala Loba had walked into the bathroom, and Fox was just in time to stare at her moving, colossally drawing bottom. It spasmed relaxed, jiggled just a bit, as it was firm despite its bountifulness. She looked back at him for half a moment before closing the bathroom door. Fox opened the door and walked out. He went to the motel¡¯s public washing services and picked his room¡¯s towels. After making sure they were theirs with a glance and by memory, Fox returned to the room. He went to the bathroom and knocked. ¡°You can leave them atop the toilet.¡± Fox opened the bathroom, not needing to use a lockpick in case she locked it, or for her to open it, and left the 2 towels from before on top of the toilet before leaving. When he closed the door, his nostrils flared with her lingering wet scent reaching him through the humidity of the bathroom steam, Fox heard her call out. ¡°There might not be water again. This place is too old. Come in if you¡¯d like to get warm water, at the very least.¡± He stopped, feeling his head buzzing with noiseless rumbling. He licked his lips somewhat before responding out loud, ¡°I won¡¯t take long showering.¡± ¡°Well, enter or not. It¡¯s to your pleasant use of this shower. You either get water, or used liquid. Up to you.¡± Nala Loba¡¯s voice replied, calling from within. Fox frowned. Used water? Not warm? The implications¡­ Fox turned and slowly took his clothes off, leaving them at the side. They were clean, and the steam inside was too thick. He didn¡¯t want them to get wet. The bathroom was clearly not designed to mix well with some modern boiling and shower systems. Fox looked at the door like a deadly enemy for a few seconds before feeling an intense sense of urgency, opening and stepping in, not wanting to waste more time. Once inside, he felt the atmosphere change completely. He refused to look up before, and now that he saw it, Nala Loba had indeed left the curtain open. Looking into the shower, he saw her standing there, looking at him with the cheap but warm light partially descending on her wet, slender body. He walked to her as she indifferently and coldly looked at his body, strangely more curious and thorough than Fox has ever seen in a woman react to or be with him when he exposed his skin. ¡°What, you think this is something I usually do?¡± Nala Loba suddenly said just as he lifted his right leg to walk into the non-slippery bathtub side. Fox looked up at her, penetrating into her gray, light blue eyes. He shook his head, his eyes impassive and honest, ¡°You don¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nala Loba looked at his face before stepping closer to the running showerhead, giving him a bit of space. As Fox entered, moving towards her step by step, she added, ¡°Just because this is so I won¡¯t lash at you in annoyance for these living conditions, and that I don¡¯t do this, it doesn¡¯t mean you can touch me.¡± Fox said nothing, stopping 2 feet and a bit more behind her, letting the hot water fall on his skin. They began showering, with Nala Loba asking him as he let his hair and body get wet first, ¡°Which would be better for you? When you first lay with a woman, do you look at her, or would you rather see her back?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯d prefer to stare directly at her,¡± Fox said without thinking, voicing a silent ¡®ah¡¯ after realizing. Nala Loba nodded a bit before turning around, then turning around again, and passed him soap and shampoo. Afterwards, she remained facing him. ¡°I¡¯m allowing this, and you¡¯re mature enough, but I don¡¯t want to see you show if you are a man and touch me. But come closer, or the water will run out without you showering properly. I won¡¯t let your living conditions worsen because of me, your Captain.¡± Fox said nothing, stepping forth just enough to avoid accidents even if the sun came out, and it did point to nether, intimate regions. With his body wet, Fox began showering at last, using shampoo first before coating his body with soap. When he was working the latter, and he was to do his back, Nala Loba locked eyes with him and softly said before turning around. ¡°My back¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Speechless, Fox watched his Captain¡¯s back as she turned, wet and waiting with an invitation written all over her glossy beauty. Fox acted on command, realizing this a bit later, but not caring this time. He accumulated soap in his hands before rubbing her shoulders, going down to her blades and started spreading it over her back. ¡°Mnf.¡± Nala Loba let out a comfortable sound from her throat, engulfing the bathtub as it came out of her nostrils, her head slightly thrown backwards and her lips pressed together with her eyes closed. Fox didn¡¯t dare think it was a moan, but he knew he accidentally massaged a spot. Yet, with such an inviting noise, Fox felt compelled to look for more. He dropped the soft, barely-a-touch approach, and began massaging her back, hips from the back, shoulders, ribs a little, and neck. Fox drew his hands when he felt the sides of her mounds, not noticing before despite his ample experience, but she uttered not another noise other than those of complacency as he continued massaging her.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. He repeated those actions, taking the better of himself, before going to her neck, where she let him do what he wanted with it. Her head hung low wherever he wanted to have easier access. Fox didn¡¯t know how long this persisted, but at last, he felt all the soap on his body long gone. Only his back remained. At some point, Nala Loba seemed to think of this, too. She turned around, surprising him as his hands paralyzed, landing around her neck and close to her collarbone when she faced him. ¡°My turn,¡± Nala Loba said, taking the soap from the side before rubbing her hands with it. Before Fox could turn around, feeling awkward, she pushed her body against him, front to front. The feeling of her hands on his back drove him to realize why, and sobered him up. He used that to give this plenty of reason. ¡®She¡­ is she treating me this much good because of our shared mentor? Is this more like a step-sibling so-called clich¨¦? The foster sibling grows fond of the other, or vice versa? Although we¡¯re both foster¡­ no¡­ which¡­?¡¯ Just as Fox wondered, Nala Loba rubbed his back, burying her chin on his torso at times, rubbing her breasts and the unthinkable grazes with their groins. He fought the power of nature, while she didn¡¯t buck her hips forth as if to ask for something. In the end, Fox had to ask with his trembling eyes shut tight. ¡°Are you Emer¡¯s granddaughter?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m not.¡± Nala Loba replied, stopping for a few seconds before continuing regardless. Fox nodded, further aligning his thoughts, but she then added. ¡°But he picked me up since I was an infant. He¡¯s been training me since then. He was the closest kin I will ever recognize¡­ for now.¡± Nala Loba inclined her torso backwards to look at him, saying those last 2 words while staring at him without meaning. However, this caused their lower bodies to fit like yin and yang, more or less. With the embarrassment, just as Fox thought he saw an unimaginable, impossible blush on her cheeks, she pushed her face against his skin and continued rubbing. Fox was taken aback and silent, muted; wordless. A little later, she stopped lathering his back with soap and turned around. Fox¡¯s eyes looked at her, pensive, before falling down her figure by mistake. Her one of a kind rear feature all to his enjoying pair of polycoria eyes. ¡°Are you done?¡± She asked after a while. Fox nodded, and whether she knew or not, with her head slightly down, she uttered, ¡°Come closer. I think the water will run out soon. Let¡¯s not waste it, now that we¡¯re here. We aren¡¯t even paying for it.¡± Nala Loba lifted her right hand to the showerhead, attracting Fox¡¯s attention. Her palm opened and closed artistically. He stepped closer after a couple of seconds and more paused breathing. He almost stuck his still tranquil lower body to her. She noticed, grabbing his wrists before yanking them forward. She had to almost push his palms to the wall to make him step forth. Fox¡¯s impenetrable pools trembled a little as this happened, but he wasn¡¯t so surprised anymore. Then, as he refrained from hugging her stomach, almost doing so out of instinct¡­ and desire, she hushed before leaning her head back. ¡°Shhh¡­¡± Their bodies were already stuck to each other after she yanked his wrists forth. Now that she leaned her head on him, they became a lovely scenery. Fox separated a bit, just a few centimeters at most. Doing so caused him to half-groan, and her to exhale a covert moan. His intimate skin separate from hers, and the sensation it gave her, combined to pleasantly surprise both. Fox looked down at her as the water continued running down their skin without interruption, seemingly endless. Her eyes were closed, relaxed. But more than anything, vulnerable. Her nose, exquisite and small. Her lips¡­ almost aiming at him, closed, but plump, giving him the feeling of irritation the longer he looked at them and didn¡¯t bite them. After staring for a period of time, he looked ahead, then at the shower head, before closing his to enjoy the immobile shower. Little by little, their bodies mostly remaining from touching each other, Fox heard a mechanism ever so slightly before the water stopped running. He immediately opened his eyes and closed it, mentally sighing in relief with his resting face before looking back up. His body felt warmer, causing him to look at the source. He had accidentally bucked, humped, stuck his body to her, every inch of his front and her back together. And yet, the only thing mattering to him was the face looking at him. Nala Loba¡¯s slightly narrowed eyes looked up at him, ever so slightly reflecting the bathroom lights. Fox felt entranced at first, but then it all went away. Then¡­ He just stared at her. After a while, with Nala Loba¡¯s eyes narrowing a bit more, losing the hidden softness within, she blinked. When she slid her eyes up, she had separated from his body and spun to go under his right arm supporting his leaning body on the wall, leaving the bathtub and Fox behind. Fox looked below still, his head jolting a little when the door closed, slamming a bit. He remained like this for a while before finally moving. He snapped his bones and walked out of the bathtub, knowing his clothes were outside. When he opened the door and peeked to the side, he didn¡¯t see his clothes. He looked at his bed and at the folded clothes on the farthest extreme of the bedroom for him to walk through. Coincidentally, he would have to give Nala Loba, in her bedsheets, the front view of his body. Fox ruefully smiled, ¡®Does she really think I¡¯m a boy? Perhaps it¡¯s my fault.¡¯ Fox stopped peeking, with Nala Loba dropping her phone and staring up at him. He walked out, slowly and impassive, to his folded clothes. Standing just beside her and purposely facing her slightly. She looked at his face alone, but when he put his shirt and dried his hair, she ogled all she wanted to the dangling things. Curious, intriguing, critical; whichever was the reason, she stopped only when he wore his pants. Even the sight of his bulge was like a mystery to her; and fascinating. Fox could only smirk to that, treating her like a stupid young girl having her first experiences. Afterwards, both silently quieted down and went to bed, resting before returning in a few hours. Yet, when morning came, Fox woke up to a sensation. He opened his eyes, just a bit, in alarm. Darting his eyes to the side, he had no time to react before a left sole came kicking at him. Fox slid his body to the right, to the center of his bed, avoiding the kick. Nala Loba followed with a left knee crashing down on his sternum after impulsing herself back up, which he stopped with his right hand pushing against her sternum. His left hand turned into a fist, but instead of punching forth, he slammed its reverse towards her right foot supporting her knee attack. She dodged it and jumped to his lower right, looking for a better stance to face him, as his left side was far too mighty to face off, at least with just clothes on their bodies. Fox chased after her, but she feinted her dash and forced her body at the corner of the bed with ample nimbleness to turn back before pushing her body to tackle his stomach with hers with notorious strength. A lengthy spar had just started. Fox and Nala Loba continued on their sudden morning activities, spending 3 hours sparring like this. They used all their strength, tensing every body part they needed to not fall behind each other one bit, and having no qualms to hit with full-on brute force or scheme their dirtiest hidden moves and surprises. Each hit was fully throughout and powered. By the time they finished, their bodies were heavy with sweat alone, breathing raggedly, and lying on the mess of a floor they left. The beds, mattresses, and even the walls were disordered with some fabrics they threw to each other for fun or meager distraction. Looking at each other after staring at the ceiling, their heads at the same level albeit their bodies facing opposite directions, Fox saw her smile and couldn¡¯t help but do so also. Her eyes seemed to grow satisfied at last, as if she wasn¡¯t contented with his performance as an agent so far. ¡°Say, how many things, and which, did I randomly attack or threw something at?¡± Still in ragged breaths, she asked. Fox frowned, opening his mouth to breath and talk, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, like 15? Mostly pillows, a few spots on the headrests¡¯ wall, and the window curtains.¡± ¡°Wrong. Take each of those like a team group you were in charge of, all firsters. There were 22 times I struck randomly under your eyes. One was at one of your shoes under my bed, another one at the pole holding the curtain windows, one was at the lower left leg of your bed, two on the right side of your bed, and the last 2 to the doorknob, which you let me handle twice for no reason.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox was confused. He couldn¡¯t understand at first, but as she named the things and how many she hit, his eyes opened fully, and his face fell. Nala Loba saw this and ruthlessly said without a breath, ¡°48 excellent special agents died during a simple operation¡ª along their 22 Captains. You are disappointing for someone who led an elite team in Preut, the ¡®war country¡¯ of the decade. At least for now.¡± ¡°¡­ Preut should be a one-time incident¡­¡± Fox admonished himself silently, but he couldn¡¯t understand Preut, just as he didn¡¯t and still haven¡¯t processed her quirky ¡®teachings¡¯. But then, he thought, and that was when things became a little foreboding. At least he knew what she was implying from her sudden lesson. The way she just walked to the doorknob demonstrated how easy one could move chess pieces and prepare the downfall of any segment, all without ringing alarms until it happened. Half the things she spoke of, Fox didn¡¯t even see, maybe heard, but didn¡¯t give it attention after no more noise, or strangeness followed from them. In short, his mutual awareness was awful. He had to learn how to read them. But now that he knew, it wouldn¡¯t be as bad. However, his first record already showed his inabilities. ¡°Ah, yeah¡­¡± Nala Loba stood up and exclaimed, uncaring. Fox followed suit, still breathing hard and sweating, like her. Nala Loba threw him a set of clothes from below her bed before starting taking her clothes off before him. ¡°Wear it. You¡¯re welcome. Let¡¯s return now.¡± Fox looked at the clothes and found them to be a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, very loose at the groin area, and new gloves. There was also a jacket. They all seemed bought from a humble store, but Fox felt so much better now. The fatigue was ignored by his body. He even felt like getting naked and letting his Captain explore him with her eyes was a decent trade at worst. But she turned around and took everything off, rapidly wearing her knickers, which Fox only saw the heavenly butt for a second of. He turned around afterwards, realizing about it. He took his sweaty, smelly clothes off and wore the set she brought him, giving her privacy and quickly wearing everything. Fox noticed that she stopped after fully dressing up, to which she asked him if he was, and he confirmed it. Then, they left, heading to the train station to quickly return to the capital city. Then, once both dressed up and outside, they left for Proteros. Scheduling a ticket for a train together, the entire trip was silent. ¡­ Chapter 124 — Its Not Easy (5) It''s Not Easy (5) Fox returned to Proteros without further ado, arriving at the boutique in the evening. The Blackflower Boutique was bustling, even though it was only an hour and a bit before it closed. He walked inside, checking the first floor and catching up with the youngsters before walking into the second floor. He saw Pamela working relaxed, with her surroundings a bit empty, but the attendants hard at work to show the fabrics and further showcase the colors of every piece. Coming to her, Fox drew her attention, to which she smiled. ¡°Welcome, boss.¡± ¡°Have you thought of any possible fellow clerk?¡± Fox politely smiled and inquired. Pamela nodded and showed him her screen, as its glitching white blankness disappeared. ¡°Eduardo, Pilar, and Karla are my best candidates. All of them show the necessary skill and atti- nature, as you say, boss.¡± ¡°Start with Eduardo first,¡± Fox said. She nodded and prepared something in a little panel beside her. Fox looked at this and tilted his head, saying, ¡°You don¡¯t want to use your phone?¡± ¡°Oh, well, I don¡¯t, boss. I prefer to do a little something for my work, but I only have the screens for that. This panel is to take notes, just that.¡± Pamela showed her little gadget. Fox nodded a bit and said, ¡°I will get you a window later. I forgot something like this.¡± ¡°Thanks, boss,¡± Pamela smiled and didn¡¯t refuse. Who would? When they are difficult to get for people like her? Before becoming a clerk, of course, although she wouldn¡¯t just use her bions to buy one thing alone, she was now ambitious. Fox nodded again, liking this about her, and took a look around before returning to the first floor. There, he holed up in his cave and meditated, using the free time to relax and¡­ maybe even think of other things, anything. . . . These days, even with Fox continuing participating in his team¡¯s cooperative assignations, the country seemed to grow incredibly tranquil. The parliament approved certain initiatives and only had a few heated debates, but nothing like lengthy talks that required weeks to reach the first voting period to decide an affirmative or negative. The lagjs were seemingly silent now; but Fox, and only those in the other hoogs in Lymoca knew they were aware of a ¡®slip up¡¯ where they realized they were being spied by at least one hoog secret organization. Moreover, there were disappearances from lagj secret organizations¡¯ leaders. Unfortunately, there was still crime everywhere, and the ¡®rates¡¯ everyone knew existed and had to learn fast how to protect oneself to were still making their worth in every place in the world. The 9th month came to an end. Just as news of a last reform before the president Luis Heartez left, with the upcoming elections in 1,026, or at least that¡¯s what every radio and communication medium advocated; Fox was sent to a peculiar task. He had just finished rearranging the Blackflower Boutique. Pamela had screened another dozen workers, of which can still be used for the boutique even if another floor was to be added. Fox only needed to decide the future 2 clerks for the first floor, and the third floor, of which the latter¡¯s acquiring had begun. Fox had Fabiola send a few hints to the ¡®neighbor¡¯ above. For the income of this month, it was definitely an increase. Fox obtained a few hundred thousand from his personal assignations, but he didn¡¯t have many, as these more or less required quite a bit of time to complete and prepare. Furthermore, the PSD seemed to want to give him some time after the successive plentiful intel he gathered. Fox gained another approximate 1.2 million from his missions with the team, besides another 600,000 credits from the missions he completed in the 9th month. From the bions, he made 1.4 million credits from his bions sold to PSD, and 1.4 million credits from Colmillo. She unfortunately didn¡¯t buy him more bions, but she did promise him she¡¯d rather take more of his bions the next month, meaning this tenth one. With such a promise, Fox felt at ease. Furthermore, he began preparing for learning creating excellent quality bions. First, he wanted to improve his personal pivot and comet bions, though. With just this, not counting the 300,000 less from the mega hotel, now monthly, Fox had 7.7 million credits. Taking into consideration he couldn¡¯t pay the new and newer workers with bions all the time, Fox prepared a plan to pay them with bions on the first 2 months they worked. Then, it would pass on to a monthly salary of 4,000 credits, which can only increase as their status does in the Blackflower Boutique. For now, with the previous youngsters and the new, there were 18 employees in the level of attendants, and 2 clerks. Of which 6 weren¡¯t paid until the next year, and the first youngsters to arrive costed 48,000 credits from the attendants, and 11,000 credits from the clerks to the boutique. The attendants, for now, gained 4,000 credits, but that might increase in the future, while the clerks received 5,500 credits from the get-go. However, seeing the increasing problematics in the business world when growing, Fox decided to separate his gains from the boutique¡¯s profit. Thus, he only took 30% of the now monthly 410,000 credits of earnings. That was at least the result from the 9th month¡¯s sales. 119,000 were destined for resupplying and paying the employees, leaving only 168,000 credits as profit. With this, the boutique could start functioning in the following year, which he hoped would be at least half the building as tall regarding expansion. With this, Fox now had 7.523 million credits in his bank account. He could pay either the mechanic or the old man already, but he wanted to wait. Furthermore, as they expand, they¡¯d need more and more money. Even if he had to sacrifice a slower repair for his Myertha, Fox would do it. Regardless, while this was still not stable enough, at least for Fox¡¯s knowledge after being taught by Victor Ruva and further counting numbers up, it was much better than it would have been. His image helped a lot, and the fact the PSD targeted the most possible easily acquirable businesses for their special agents. With better options, too. With the boutique as one of his mayor investments, the others being his personal matters, Fox hoped he could get thanked back and filled with millions already. And then, just as he was getting bored, having selected another Clerk for the first floor, Fox received that particular task. With a smile, even more so as he read it was a ¡®mini¡¯ cooperative task, Fox left the boutique in the morning, feeling in a good mood. The clerks messaged him back after he notified them, just as expected from the working code, and left with ease, in a really good mod. ¡­ This time, it was also not only in the state of Proteros, but in the capital city. Furthermore, he wasn¡¯t to conceal his identity. The reason why was simple; he¡¯d work as a detective for the capital¡¯s SPD! What¡¯s more, he was to meet with a case partner, and this was no other than his Captain, Nala Loba! There was no secret. The PSD amply observed the reports from their previous tasks where they ¡®accidentally¡¯ ended up working together. Thus, with this complicated task, or so they say, they decided to send some of their best agents. Fox went to his mega hotel, caught Teon checking herself in lingerie, and shook his head at the possible ways she could conquer her poor target. Then, he went to grab one of the silly suits and decent outfits Mena gifted him once ago. Once dressed up and with his little gadgets, he left, but not without being hugged by a mini-short and skimpy shirt-wearing Teon in the living room. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Fox looked down and asked her patiently. Teon wrinkled her nose and innocently replied, ¡°Hoe-repellent. They usually like targeting married men, and like those with family of lawyers, but not those with girlfriends. They are afraid of them. My perfume is a girlfriend¡¯s perfume, I gotchu, Fox.¡± ¡°Why would they be scared of girlfriends?¡± Fox asked, he was the innocent now. Teon made a grimacing pout to the left corners of her lips, ¡°I hope you never get the chance to know why.¡± Slap. She tapped his left shoulder and walked past him, ¡°Off you go now. Gooooood luck¡­ can you buy me a bi-¡± ¡°Get to work!¡± Fox went to the door with quickened steps the moment he felt something was wrong. Indeed, it was, and terribly wrong. Before Teon could finish her puppy-eyed, sweet-voiced transformation spell, Fox was already closing the door and escaping his suite. ¡°¡­¡± Teon looked back, sad that she didn¡¯t even get to show him her trained cutesy skills, taught by mentor Mena. What she didn¡¯t know is that Fox already suspected Mena of doing so. Who else would teach Teon things of social life like that when she was his and Pheli¡¯s protected little sister?If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡®Now that I think about it, Mena seems to have so much experience¡­¡¯ Fox wondered, not knowing why, when it had been obvious. Maybe because of recent occurrences. Fox decided to mull it over and maybe consult Mena about this, but later. He had a task with Nala Loba again! Exiting the mega hotel, Fox took a PVT (taxi), and headed to a part of the city, somewhat to the northwest. Coincidentally, that was where ¡®territories¡¯ between the Yobartes gang and the Coalition Party Syndicate conflicted, or could. 40 minutes later, avoiding a bottleneck that could¡¯ve even made the trip last 2 hours, just by a hair¡¯s strand of difference as it began behind the PVT. Fox arrived at the SPD. If the PAB from before was lavish, the capital¡¯s SPD was too much of everything. It had more stairs, divided by small floors like platforms, each staircase going higher and higher until nearly 5 meters from the ground level. Even though it was the capital¡¯s SPD, and its elements and armament could compare to a national guard base in numbers, Fox didn¡¯t think these should be that¡­ rich. At once, he saw a young woman with short golden short hair, with a mushroom hairstyle, exotic, feminine, and slightly seductive dancing in the cold winds of the day. She wore a long beige coat and a small black hat, with slightly large sunglasses on this gray day. She leaned on a wall. Fox walked to her without any pretense or momentum. Stopping by her side, Nala Loba took her glasses off and looked at him as he stood there. Fox nodded a bit, ¡°Greetings, Captain Nala. Good day. Being detectives doesn¡¯t differ much from the last time.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The only thing he received was Nala Loba¡¯s gray, light blue eye, and both, to be exact. Her silence remained, but Fox didn¡¯t press for anything. At last, she stood with her back straight from leaning her upper back on a high wall leading to a staircase at the corner of the street. ¡°Good ones.¡± With just those words, she looked up at his eyes after analyzing his outfit. Elegant but nothing too characteristic. She opened her lips, at last. ¡°Are you ready?¡± With Fox¡¯s nod, she gave him her hand. It had a dainty lady¡¯s but ultramodernized purple gloves, exposing the reverse of her hair and left side of her wrist. Fox took it, understanding the game was on. They walked up the several dozen meters long stairs and the platform leading to the SPD entrance. Nobody was watching outside, but he saw many cameras moving systematically, with at least 3 following them. Going inside, a pair of police units opened the doors for them, with some guarding police officers¡¯ attention taken away by them. It didn¡¯t take long for a third of the enormous, open space first floor to turn their heads towards them. And in the silence of it, the entire floor turned heads and twisted necks to eye them. One was indispensably a figure impossible to ignore. Fox, Phesx Caolia, was a person not considered human by some. Those some were definitely a good portion of all PPO, PAB, and SPD. After all, it was them who had complete access to this kind of information at any time during working hours. Fear and hostility were warped a little by cooperation. The other wasn¡¯t known. Nala Loba has done a great work being PSD¡¯s special agent to not be known. Even those who were seemingly prepared to show the truth to the public were carefully selected, Nala Loba wasn¡¯t supposed to. With al this, Fox wondered what was going on in the PSD upper echelons, which Nala Loba herself was part of as the Red Blood representative captain. Fox walked forth, this time guiding her. He only noticed a few steps onwards. He looked back at her, perplexed, before unceremoniously continuing. He searched for the chief of police¡¯s office before heading straight to it. Fox heard and saw many look at him wrongly, speak ill of him, but overly ¡®compliment¡¯ Nala. Ignoring all these, he held Nala Loba¡¯s hand and walked into the chief¡¯s office. Without knocking or asking anyone, not even talking to someone, Fox entered the chief¡¯s office. It was a balding brown man with a serious natural face, sitting in front of a beautiful, brown young woman, politely smiling from ear to ear. ¡°What the hell now?!¡± The chief slammed his fist on his desk at the first chance he got, but when he looked at them as the young woman jolted and her face became terrified, his eyes widened. Nala Loba¡¯s beauty didn¡¯t compare to realizing Fox was there. At once, memories of news where blurred images showed a gruesome ceiling, or where the mayor was interviewed, and he retold what he experienced, surged in his head. That mayor couldn¡¯t walk through crowds without 3 rows of guards walking before him, always giving him their backs, afraid to meet anyone upfront. It happened a few times, and in all those times, the mayor peed himself. ¡°My! What a surprise. Please forgive me, I didn¡¯t know you were arriving so soon.¡± The chief stood up and shook hands with them. He first shook Fox¡¯s gloved hand, but before he did the same to Nala Loba, planning to hold hers with both hands, for longer, Fox saw his eyes and slapped Nala Loba¡¯s back away. The chief shook Fox¡¯s hand again, gaining him the chief¡¯s upturned eyes, which quickly fled in cowardice from his polycoria eyes. The young brown woman frowned when Fox did that, but Nala Loba lifted her left eyebrow, looking at his face directly, before easing up and relaxing her lips. They protruded naturally, and Fox took that like it came to be because of him. The chief invited them in before realizing about the young woman, ¡°Please, come in. Ahaha. Uh¡­ ey, Mariana. Why don¡¯t you leave first? Aish, there¡¯s something important with them. Tell you what, we talk another day, with better conditions, yes?¡± ¡°Ahahaha,¡± the young woman politely laughed, but her polite smile looked more forced and superficial as she hurried out, carrying her bag over her shoulder. ¡°No problem, chief. Take your time. Hahaha, have fun~!¡± ¡°Hahaha,¡± the chief chuckled before returning to his desk. ¡°So, I assume you know how to work things out. This is your partner, Fox? Nice to meet you. The SPD will count with your help this time, hahaha. Do you have any questions?¡± ¡°No. Give us the badges and call us when the next incident occurs. Meanwhile, grab some of your state police sergeants. I want to interview them.¡± Fox shook his head and laid his words out, clearly and without possible no¡¯s to stop it. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The chief wanted to say a few things, but for the first time, he considered his actions. If he said something, it wouldn¡¯t be with reason, so Fox¡¯s demands would happen either way. Might as well not waste Fox¡¯s time, which he seems to care a lot, besides briefness. As this silence prevailed, Nala Loba placed the fat of her thumbs together and spoke, looking at the chief. ¡°I¡¯ll proceed with a thorough revision of your arsenal and lockers. Give me the ¡®master key¡¯. Furthermore, give me all files of the criminals and detained whom you consider involved in this case.¡± ¡°Of course, of course. Just a second,¡± the chief saw a chance and took it. He exited the room with half his body covered in sweat already. Once he closed the door behind him, he didn¡¯t care about the eyes of everyone on him and exaggeratedly breathed in relief, not knowing those inside heard it all. During his absence, just a little over 2 minutes, Nala Loba started by turning her head to Fox, slightly lifting her head to stare at his eyes. Fox wanted to relax at first, with his eyes closed, and breathe a bit. But feeling her movements, and feeling she was a bit cute, unlike the Loba he knows, Fox returned the stare. With just their eyes, they seemed to chat. Fox said, ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡± Nala Loba said, ¡°I¡¯m just thinking. Looking at your eyes distracts me from distractions, keeps my head empty.¡± ¡°Is it the irises and pupils?¡± Fox asked with gullibility. Nala Loba nodded a tiny bit, saying nothing more, only giving a little exclamation that gave Fox an even deeper sense of his heart strangely melting. On the contrary, she was helpless. When the chief returned, he saw those two remained staring into each other¡¯s eyes, including those outside peeking from their seats. The pair continued staring off into each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ahem, here they are. The files will be prepared in a while¡­ hello?¡± The chief closed the door and sat before them, explaining the situation before realizing he was being ignored. He felt a little grumpy. He was the capital¡¯s SPD chief of police, alright? ¡°Why don¡¯t you have the files prepared?¡± Nala Loba coldly and indifferently said as she and Fox turned their heads to the chief simultaneously. The chief was taken aback by this 2-prongued attack. ¡°Ah¡­ this¡­ well¡­ Aaah, I just didn¡¯t think about it. Haha, I¡¯ll prepare them for you tonight, don¡¯t worry~.¡± The tone the chief spoke with wasn¡¯t to Fox¡¯s liking, but it was unimportant. Fox grabbed his badge as a ¡®senior¡¯ detective, leaving the other and the one key and key card tied to the same chain to Nala Loba. She picked them after him, storing them before questioning the chief again. ¡°And the state police sergeants? Do you want to delay or just lazy? Alright, you can be tardy, but not us. Either cooperate or we¡¯ll proceed with our methods.¡± Nala Loba said before dragging her chair backwards. She looked at Fox. Understanding, he stood up and took the first steps to the exit. ¡°Wait, I will prepare everyone before the evening! Ah! B- be sure to return at that time, at the very least, if you can, today¡­¡± The chief saw them live and panicked. Many things passing through his head, reflecting in the shine of his eyes. Nala Loba looked back at him before seemingly whispering something in Fox¡¯s ear. Him bending his back to the side looked bizarrely cute. This occurred as the chief¡¯s begging turned more and more low, extending the reunion date on and on. Only then did the chief felt things were alright, but the door had already closed behind the ¡®special agents¡¯, giving him no conclusion, only a lavish door without windows or glass. ¡­ Fox and Nala Loba walked out the precinct, not hand by hand this time, and turned to a place where hot, warm food smelled from. It was a brightly lit, rather large, area where tons of people moved around in the distance, perhaps 2 km away. Just as they were walking down the SPD precinct¡¯s stairs and into the sidewalk, Nala Loba tapped her feet and stopped. Fox looked back at her, just a few steps from where she stood. She wore her glasses, but her fixed eyes on him were prickly. Fox blurted, ¡°What is it?¡± He saw her left eyebrow arch up, making him gulp a bit. It was an exceptional sight, as always, but just that he did that made him realize something wasn¡¯t right. He took a step towards her, and just then, she lifted her left hand casually before turning it around, showing her palm. Fox looked at her purple gloved palm before grabbing it, staring up at her glasses, penetrating through them, and right into the gray, light blue eyes behind them. They stared right back at him with a nature he now knew well. ¡°Alright,¡± Fox gently said, wearing an impassive expression. He felt her fingers wrap around his larger hands, feeling some of the strange composition before Fox passed it to his right hand, making her stand on his right, whereas he stood on the side of the street. Then, he walked forth. He didn¡¯t have to pull her, she came up his steps with ease, synchronizing with his feet. ¡­ Chapter 125 — Its Not Easy (6) It''s Not Easy (6) They walked into the brightly lit area, as the gray sky made its lighting all more important and contrasting. Fox had pocket money, but Nala Loba didn''t. Thus, without intending to, Nala Loba and Fox began to experience the ways of simple dating. Buying some salchipulpos here, getting some spicy, candy drink there, and even making their own tacos in a wide food stall. It was all too easy to lose time, and they didn''t back away from it. As they walked, wearing a few wristbands and collars with the colorful murky green and silver metal, Fox and Nala Loba looked around with Fox only wearing some glasses. There were at least half a ten thousand people in just this place, too many even for him. Walking around, Fox thought of something and asked, ¡°What do you think of the chief?¡± ¡°Why ask me?¡± Nala Loba looked around, indifferent but spending time discovering many things she usually ignores when operating. Fox added, feeling nothing from her comment. ¡°You¡¯re the one with the widest experience. Um, since when do you work for the PSD?¡± ¡°Since when? Probably since I was a kid,¡± she replied. Nala Loba was casual about it, but Fox didn¡¯t know she had never spoken of this before, other than from others¡¯ mouths out of possible implications. He widened his eyes and jumped his eyebrows, ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Sigh, I started collecting information. I wouldn¡¯t be sent to kill or protect a target even if I was able to until I turned 15.¡± She remarked, delicately sighing at first, seeming to reminisce. Fox looked at her, a little lower than his eye level, ¡°So, your first kill was at 15 years old?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Nala Loba nodded, keeping their words to the point where not even non-military devices could hear them, not really caring if they were heard, as they could ¡®speak¡¯ lower. Although it was more tapping sounds and the flow of air from their mouths, and their quantity, at that point. Nala Loba added, maybe feeling like it, as Fox listened. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a simple first time. I had to find a target in the middle of the night, and it wasn¡¯t a ¡®special agent¡¯ of nowadays, just a fleeing hitman of sorts. I did it with a small, wide knife. I remember the first time I stabbed in, wanting to get the heart but choosing the wrong side. He fought a bit, but I broke him an arm and 2 legs before he bled to a weaker state, and then I cleaved it in his head.¡± ¡°You?¡± She immediately looked at Fox and asked. Fox blinked at Nala Loba¡¯s story before shrugging his shoulders. ¡°When I was 13, in my home. A soldier from another camp was rummaging the goods inside. I broke a bullet and exploded it with another. Blowing part of his head. Something like that.¡± ¡°So young, and from a soldier? So, someone capacitated to kill¡­¡± She commented, wondering. Fox nodded and added, ¡°He hesitated a few times, and I was bent on killing him. I almost got killed, though I believe he would¡¯ve sent me to an encampment and not kill me if I wasn¡¯t so¡­ Struggled that much.¡± ¡°I think the word you were looking for and changed just now is ¡®mad¡¯.¡± Nala Loba said with her coldness and indifference. Fox smirked. What was said was said. He then looked down at her and repeated, ¡°So, about the chief.¡± ¡°He is corrupt, but not involved with the matters of the OCs, at least not by much, or enough to have something to do with it. That¡¯s my best guess. We¡¯ll still see in the end.¡± Said Nala Loba without further delay. Fox nodded, adding, ¡°Nothing like a bit of extra gain when there¡¯s need, but he clearly has growing greed.¡± ¡°Uhuh, oh, and what you did back there¡­?¡± Nala Loba¡¯s eyes jumped a little before turning to look at him with her head. Fox darted his eyes left and right, wide open. ¡°Mm, what about it?¡± ¡°Now, you¡¯ve initiated a profile of an¡­ interest toward me, at the very least. It¡¯s only right you follow into it. We are mature adults, and it¡¯s not like we special agents get to have any sort of romance while working.¡± She said, looking at him clearly and with undivided attention. ¡°Really?¡± Fox asked, a bit curious. She nodded, ¡°Only when one¡¯s a couple, or they¡¯re fellows in companionship, do things like that happen, including just playing with each other during assignations. It¡¯s common to those who do, but nothing more.¡± ¡°Mn,¡± Fox nodded pensively. Nala Loba turned to him again out of nowhere, ¡°You ever done that yet?¡± Her eyes were scrutinizing. Fox shook his head, feeling a bit startled. Nala Loba further asked, ¡°What about Riverlye?¡± ¡°Neither. I don¡¯t do those things.¡± Fox said, looking down and swaying his head a bit. She narrowed her eyes, and just as Fox thought Nala Loba would talk about the president¡¯s sister, she just fell silent. Fox heaved a sigh of relief and walked some more, when they received word from their cellphones. They had to return to the SPD. Since they were close to the entrance where they came from, they just walked out. Fox thought of something again and asked, ¡°Captain, how do you manage in your daily life? Surely, you have some good business outside PSD? What is it? How much you make?¡± ¡°I¡­ had a heads start to begin that path in the District. I am most successful. Are you sure you want to know?¡± Nala Loba¡¯s words caused Fox to think and tilt his head, but he still shrugged. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t see why not.¡± ¡°¡­ I make 5 million a month, and I can¡¯t tell you where or what my income comes from, but I can tell you it correlates to the roads, and includes metal processing.¡± She said, looking around, her eyes darting to the ceiling, bright and warm. Fox: ¡°¡­¡± Feeling pressured, Fox shut up. However, he still another question before they exited the indoor corridor-plaza, ¡°So, why was it that you weren¡¯t sent to missions when you were too young? Considering you might have been able before.¡± She smirked. Looking up at him from the corners of her eyes, Nala Loba smugly said, as if to brag. ¡°Would Grandpa Emer have ever allowed me to fall into those events? Nobody dared to go against him, hm hm.¡± Fox was startled at first, with a trace of a smile, before smirking to the left corner of his mouth extensively. Then, he exclaimed, ¡°Oh! Almost forgot.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nala Loba stared into the distance as he grabbed her wrist. They stopped, already outside the plaza, and she looked slightly up at him. Fox toothily grinned, ¡°Is this enough pretense?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just procedures,¡± Nala Loba said after grabbing his hand well, holding his hand in a passive hand holding posture before walking on. Fox looked at her with blinking, wide eyes. Then, he followed her. ¡°Ah, right. Is there something you¡¯d see as a gesture, not lewd, nor boring, that you¡¯d like to see in a woman you are already interested in?¡± She asked as they walked back to the PSD. Fox thought before blurting, ¡°You should sit on my lap.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nala Loba turned her head to him, remaining silent with her resting face. Fox¡¯s eyes slowly widened after a few seconds from her gaze, he hurriedly added, ¡°You can do that, as a response to your question. That would be it, it¡¯s all I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°Hmf,¡± Nala Loba scoffed through her nostrils before grinning and looking away, mocking him. Fox stopped talking, feeling every interior of his body useless and plain worthless. ¡®Words are so hateful.¡¯ Fox was in a foul mood now, to the ¡®grace¡¯ of the PSD state sergeants he was about to interrogate. No- interview. ¡­ For the following days, the pair remained in the surroundings as they worked an investigation in the SPD¡¯s case. Dealing with hidden organized crime members who might have infiltrated or learnt of their department¡¯s workings was not good. As Fox interrogated them, pacing back and forth between the streets where some incidents occurred, studying the surroundings with some expertise, and back at the PSD, it went regularly well. ¡­ One time, Fox interrogated a state police sergeant with a laid back attitude. That was, until Fox started speaking of certain matters, ¡°You took 32 criminals the last 2 weeks before we arrived, letting them go just a few days later. There was no legal procedure, nor any money involved moving into the SPD, mayoralty, or the government¡¯s central system.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The sergeant¡¯s lips quivered before he spoke that word. ¡°You did this, and it¡¯s just one of your SPD¡¯s ¡®schedules¡¯ from what this information entails. Do tell, why stop when we arrived?¡± Fox seemed proactive in his interrogation. The state sergeant thought for a bit before gesturing with his arms. ¡°Those are the Supreme Court Justice¡¯s orders, mister. It¡¯s what they decree to us every week on a random day.¡± ¡°But it stopped after we arrived here,¡± Fox reminded. The state police sergeant was helpless, he shrugged with a goofy smile, ¡°It¡¯s because they¡¯re not stupid, mister. They know you are the cavalry of another force. We haven¡¯t received any order like that so far.¡± ¡°It¡¯s detective, for you and anyone else.¡± Fox revealed a smile that wasn¡¯t a smile. The state police sergeant fell silent: ¡°¡­¡± ¡­ On another occasion, Fox ¡®chatted¡¯ with a person that seemed less implicated but who still fell directly into the honey trap, and his hands were dirty but not because he tried to get out.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°For 2 years, you¡¯ve been handling matters when interrogating presumed OCs members. Since a year and a half, the OC sightings in this half of the city have increased. It has turned the capital into a greater rate of rape, homicides, and more than anything, blackmail and assault in robbery.¡± ¡°Mi- detective, you have to know, there are-¡± The state police sergeant tried to say something, but Fox calmly looked down to take notes, saying with an impassive tone, ¡°The time to talk about friends in ¡®the high clouds¡¯ can come later. Once I¡¯m done having at least one date with the rest of your comrades.¡± ¡°¡­¡± the state police sergeant was shocked at first, before hiding it from his face, but only his outwards appearance. His shoulders slumped at the ¡®boy¡¯s¡¯ meaningful moves in the SPD. ¡­ On yet another occasion, Fox talked with someone who seemed like the best average line of cops in SPD, and perhaps most police forces¡¯ precincts. He met with a man who wasn¡¯t invested in the under table ¡®politics¡¯ everyone tried to hide, hint at, or deny to him at first. And that just as they wanted to cooperate, it would be the next state police sergeant¡¯s turn. ¡°What is your evaluation of the activities and efficiency of your precinct?¡± Fox asked. The man responded after blinking in defeat. ¡°I think it¡¯s boring to try and ¡®do good¡¯ for my fellow police forces. It¡¯s been bad and it will only grow more¡­ ¡®bad¡¯. For the past 3 months, we¡¯ve been nodding our heads to the Yopbartes gang. And when we stopped, they made us follow them as they left any kind of shit behind. We are hopeless¡­¡± Fox took this sergeant a little seriously, unlike many others he interrogated over the course of a few days. ¡­ Like this, Fox started investigating the depths of the case. The streets he visited and examined had clear criminal activity transpiring over the course of daylight under everyone¡¯s noses. Even the preteens who walked from one establishment to another left letters and warnings in them to some business, while others, who were subordinates of politicians, or aspiring for public service, were approached more brutishly. A few days of investigation was enough to check in this information, along with Nala Loba¡¯s investigation with the files and the arsenal, where she immediately found clues and obvious corruption signs. Of course, she didn¡¯t just jump to arrest or denounce it. All on its due time. Thus, the only lengthy problem here, the completion of this case, was the sole thing that cost them time and effort to resolve. After the initial research, they recompiled information and discovered that there was not only the usual 3-way conflict of interests between 3 of the 5 OCs in Proteros, but all 5 instead. Furthermore, the ¡®leading¡¯ OC, the Yopbartes gang, in the capital, were the smallest but still the big bosses in the capital. With this, anyone who knew of the matter would feel more and more stressed. Yet, the chief seemed well-enough, although his attention to lure beauties for favors could be his method to cope with it. As for Luis? He was all alone, making Fox wonder if he had someone, like Lesly, perhaps. But, of course, this was only his observation. After reuniting their info and selecting the next course of actions, together and with ample understanding, although cracked here and there only to decide again. Fox and Nala Loba got to work with the SPD, delegating new orders. Even if the SPD was wholly corrupt, were the OCs to get ballsy to orchestrate anything in the capital, anyone with the slightest bit of corruption on their files or conduct would grant them a death sentence. If not from the government, then from the people. While stupidity was one of humanity¡¯s traits for all eternity, it didn¡¯t mean everyone was stupid as they would have been the previous 3 orders. There was political learning in each country, each varying. In Lymoca, many things were understood by their civilians, the only difference to those who successfully fool their people is that Lys had to endure their daily lives accepting it. As such, not only the state police units, officers, and sergeants; even the captains were deployed for this matter, albeit only half. Fox and Nala Loba¡¯s discussions brought them to a conclusion: they couldn¡¯t bring the NG or army to the case, as possibly previewed before. Instead, they ought to draw out the special targets and catch them with heavy injuries. After 5 days of planning, from the previous when the investigations had just started, the SPD embarked on its operation, which lasted for a few more days. From setting every stone on the road in its place, to counting the steps from beginning to end, the SPD became readied. This, of course, wouldn¡¯t have been easy if Fox and Loba just went ahead with their plans. The investigations brought with them notorious ¡®sure no¡¯ elements who had to be ¡®contained¡¯. Being just sent here for a case, neither had killing permission, especially if it wasn¡¯t vital or treason. Thus, some individuals in the SPD were imprisoned carefully. Even then, there was the issue of responding to cues and messages from their contacts, but that was hardly an ant walking on the road with dust lifted and in a quick pace. Fox and Nala Loba impersonated these people without error, relaying news of practically nothing changing despite the ¡®special agents¡¯ sent to the PSD. Thus, on the fateful day of the year 1,025, 10th month, 3rd week, 6th day; Fox and Nala Loba¡¯s operation took place. The OCs lieutenants of all 5 OCs in the capital, preparing for a decisive occupation of their ¡®business¡¯, became the mice in many cats¡¯ eyes. The moment all targets went out, picking a fruit, flirting a lass, a lad, or went out to take a breather, the motorcycle SPD units rushed into the scene with louder sirens than allowed, and modified. At the same time, the national guard was called, with a report sent to the army so the president would consider checking the outskirts of Proteros to assail any criminal from the other 3 OC. With all this happening at the same time, or nearly, one after another, the targets were taken off guard. From the 5 different organized crime groups, only 2 weren¡¯t too affected and didn¡¯t respond with gunfire to the incoming cops. Those were the Yopbartes gang and the Coalition Party Syndicate. The rest reacted immediately. The targets only had 1 or a few guards following them, which, along with their bosses, took aim and fought. Naturally, with the preparation and training these cops had, and the morality of the ¡®capital city¡¯s sake in their hands¡¯, they had much more to fight for than some bandits being ambushed. The streets weren¡¯t isolated, but the SPD couldn¡¯t have done that even if they wanted to, way outside their jurisdiction. Many people scram and fled for their lives. Hearing gunshots made their poor little hearts echo with ultimate terror. But it ended quickly, except for the Yopbartes gang and CPS people, who only ran. Since the cops didn¡¯t receive fire first, they wouldn¡¯t open fire. Thus, after a successful pursuit, the targets were apprehended, but their people were all loose. Or not¡­ While the cops had fun playing cops with the organized crime playing bandits being caught, Fox and Nala Loba directly and swiftly disintegrated the hidden ¡®bases¡¯ of all 5 OCs. Those ¡®bases¡¯ were just buildings, and not even as a whole, but a floor or two at most. The OCs got clear image and first-hand experience of the Red Blood for the first time¡­ and lived to tell. Fox and Nala Loba went from base to base, killing all presumed criminals with positions and fled to the next, not bothering about the rest, be it hoodlums, ¡®workers¡¯, or recruited youngsters. All they did was kill a little, ensure their ¡®officials¡¯ were taken down, and go to the next. For the first time, as the news anchors and independent journalists got wind of a ¡®tremendous shooting¡¯ in the capital, the people of Lymoca saw the Piya Sanctum District¡¯s works. Fox and Nala Loba rushed through the streets, carrying nothing but their bodies and clothes as they rushed through the streets. Sometimes taking a fast vehicle that had been parked and abandoned for who knew how many few days, but functioned as soon as one of them grabbed it. Entering a building and exiting it after gunshots and screams from the inside, they became quite the scary sight, but news began flying left and right, and Fox¡¯s face was far too notorious. Nala Loba¡¯s face was shown, but she was unrecognizable, nobody knew who she was, absolutely none. It was a strange sensation for the Lys, as they thought only Fox was this monstrous. But now, there were two¡­ ¡­ In no time, the capital¡¯s SPD threw a report to inform the masses. After numerous weeks of research and anti-organized crime realization, they were able to stop a major conflict between these bands from happening. It was just evening when these things were spread throughout the governmental net, where some news anchors were still in the midst of gathering crucial data, and independent journalists busy interrogating the mayor. Apparently, there were 2 lieutenants who were seen with him on a few luxurious restaurants in the past 6 months. Modified, orchestrated images were so easy to detect for anyone with a few credits to buy for a membership of the IWS¡¯s anti-invasive violation feature, be it to falsify images, videos, or audio records. Thus, it was now known the mayor had a link to these criminals. How could the independent media let this fat piece of juicy meat go? Later at night, the president, Luis Heartez, ¡®compromised¡¯ to quell the angst of the Lys, who wanted to know more; for their safety and pride. A short livestream was emitted, with Luis Heartez sitting at a sizeable long table with his cabinet and some other people. One of them was a representative captain of PSD, from the Green Blood. Luis remained seated as he looked at those around him with the camera zooming out, ¡°Well, I am pleased to have everyone here. Tonight, the capital can celebrate the successful project, an operation for the long-term, that has been in the working for several years now.¡± Listening to him lying through his teeth, some chuckled in a good humor, especially Sona and Lesly. Roam stood before the president, filling his glass of wine as Luis stood up. ¡°The country has always been riddled with hidden unknowns for decades, more than one century, I dare say.¡± ¡°From today onwards, the country has the support of Lymoca¡¯s anti-espionage program to eradicate these hidden dangers, and free the population of the organized crime! In a decade, there will be no more organized crime in our country! It¡¯s a slow and painstaking goal I give my life to promise you, Lys, Lye! Lye!¡± This time, those sitting at the table looked at Luis differently. It was no more politics, it wasn¡¯t more words well said at the right time¡­ It was¡­ Luis Heartez¡¯s speech of change, of¡­ revolution. His heart was out, and he drank his wine in a toast, which the others followed, now with conviction, as his palms were dug in by his nails on the other not holding the glass. Lesly¡¯s chin remained lifted, looking straight at Luis Heartez¡¯s profile face with a light shine glossing over them. ¡°Lye¡­ lye¡­ lye¡­ lye¡­¡± Across Lymoca, the temporarily forgotten call of glory and patriotism since antiquity surged. It was low, minimal, barely audible¡­ but it¡­ was¡­ there. ¡­ On the other hand, Fox sat at the back of the SPD, sitting on a wall¡¯s steep design with Nala Loba on his lap. She sat on his leg, nearing his left knee, and not quite at his lap, but still intimate. It helped as they looked at each other¡¯s faces in silence, without commentaries exchanged, although the overly excited chief that shouldn¡¯t be so asked them again, breaking the image apart. ¡°So, what do you say?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Fox and Nala Loba continued to look at each other, silent and with their resting faces. At a simple look, they didn¡¯t seem to appreciate staring at one another, but only they felt¡­ ¡°What do you say? Feeling like banqueting?¡± Fox asked, raising his right eyebrow in an arch and asking charmingly. Nala Loba smiled. She acted, playfully grazing the left side of his jaw after gracefully lifting her right hand in the air. She jolted her oh so sumptuous lower end a bit closer to the middle of his thigh, ¡°Well, why not?¡± Her cold, indifferent voice echoed as she craned her neck, first and foremost finally looking down at Fox, with the chief of police jumping his knees high up and down in satisfaction. ¡­ Chapter 126 — Its Not Easy (7) It''s Not Easy (7) The next day, Fox was in the SPD bathrooms, taking his suit out and wearing it slowly. Afterwards, he looked at himself in the mirror and accommodated the stupid ass tie. Just as he was lazily trying to fix it, Nala Loba walked to him, entering the bathroom wearing a black with brown-gold cocktail dress with extra clothing on the outer sides of her thighs hiding the rest. She lifted her hands, moving them towards his collar. Fox looked at her in the mirror and let her deal with it, just like a wife would help her hubby get ready and handsome. But Nala Loba immediately grabbed the tie at the center and pulled it, breaking it off like noodles around a hot spoon. Fox wasn¡¯t even moved. He smirked a little, but Nala Loba kept a straight face, looking at his face and collar with her indifferently cold resting expression. She arranged his collar and tieless, dull, obscure gray suit. Looking around him, she knowingly pinched the fabric at his shoulders and pulled up quickly before letting go. With that, whatever erroneous wrinkles from the way Fox lazily put his suit on were deleted. Then, she checked the insides of his jacket and patted in and out before lifting his neck, disarranging his collar a bit. At last, she grabbed his sleeves and unbuttoned, leaving only 1 button pressed before grabbing the hem of his pants, arranging them to a more comfortable area after stretching them. Fox looked a bit surprised with this last one. Nala Loba stared at his face, her body still nearly up against his as she now looked at his face from slightly below his jaw, standing on his side. ¡°There, that¡¯s better. Why would you follow usual customs to wear this? Think a bit more before thinking like them. You are not a normal person since months ago.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think my image will affect the country¡¯s joy. As long as I look ordinary, I¡¯ll get past the night unnoted. My face and suit will be among the cheapest,¡± Fox complained a bit, but his tone was grateful instead. It did feel better to wear this like this. ¡°You¡¯ll be beside me¡ª we won¡¯t walk from each other. What¡¯s the point of looking ordinary? Besides, you going there is the reason half the most important people in the country are. Don¡¯t treat yourself lightly¡ª you can¡¯t anymore.¡± Nala Loba shook her head, licking her thump before rubbing it on his chin before he could notice. Fox blinked, ¡®Why is she doing that?¡¯ ¡°You don¡¯t have to go there and chat, just go there and show your fur, how you wag your tail, and that you are ¡®fertile¡¯.¡± Nala Loba said, carefully setting her heels back down as she didn¡¯t want him to notice her tiptoeing. ¡°Not many can reach this place in just a day. Some others are overseas, so if you talk with no one, no one will feel left out and grow grudgies.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Nobody could blame Fox for losing his cool when the cold and indifferent voice of the century spoke cutely. ¡°Why are you speaking like that?¡± Seeing Fox smile widely didn¡¯t cause any reaction in Nala Loba. She remained quiet for a few seconds before glancing at the mirror, having finished arranging his outfit. ¡°Because I¡¯m chiding you. You can¡¯t understand as a man, so I treat you like a child.¡± ¡°I can understand it as a man,¡± Fox retorted calmly, frowning a little. Nala Loba¡¯s expression remained untainted, sternly stating, ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Fox: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk in the car. The route is cleared, 15 minutes from the department.¡± Nala Loba said, letting the words drift out before turning to head to the exit. Fox looked at himself after standing there doing nothing. He recuperated, saw his polycoria eyes without any ripple in his eyes, face, heart, or mind; and left. Walking to the car, Fox hurried up, catching up to Nala Loba who hadn¡¯t waited for him. Heading towards the 4-seater silver car with a White driver and a Green co-driver, he inquired, ¡°Would you let yourself be used like that? For me to show off?¡± ¡°No,¡± Nala Loba said, looking left and right before entering the car. Fox followed suit, expecting Nala at the center, but she was at the other extreme of the seats. He pressed his lips before sitting down and continued, ¡°Then why are you doing it?¡± Nala Loba didn¡¯t respond even a minute after the silver car went on the move. Fox looked at her until he realized she wouldn¡¯t respond. He leaned his back on the backseat and engaged in the deadly silence prevailing inside the car. ¡°What¡¯s the point of showing such a ¡®secret weapon¡¯ to all your rivals?¡± Fox uttered halfway through, his face heavily supported by his hand. Nala Loba looked at him, at last, but he didn¡¯t turn to her this time. She said, ¡°He¡¯s not afraid. As for losing you to them, maybe before, not now. I don¡¯t know the specifics, but the president seems keen to believe you¡¯re in his bag.¡± ¡°Hah,¡± Fox exclaimed before falling silent. Nala Loba looked at this, an enigmatic flash crossing her eyes. ¡°You are no special agent going around. The ruckus yesterday made it more clear. It could be said you fell right in his trap. Is that all it takes?¡± ¡°Takes? All for what?¡± Fox asked, feeling confused, looking at her. Nala Loba stared indifferently at him, ¡°A good pussy, some easy money, image equals easier deals, and peaceful tasks¡ª to recruit you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox stared at Nala Loba with a different light. His countenance rested, but he changed it to a superficially indifferent one, somehow feeling he didn¡¯t want her to see his resting face. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of it like that. Maybe,¡± Fox said those words intentionally, and so, they intentionally landed on Nala Loba¡¯s ears. She looked at his profile face for several silent seconds as he looked through the window and then stared ahead. Her thoughts were her own. Arriving at a lavish building, about 40 minutes from the presidential precinct in a cleared route like this one, Fox opened his door before the car even stopped. The White Blood drove and stopped only when he had to, with Fox left behind. On the other hand, as Nala Loba remained impermeable, Fox toured the car, easily catching up with it as flashes went off in the distance towards him. He opened her door after the car stopped, and without asking or gesturing to her, he peeked his head and shoulders inside before grabbing Nala Loba¡¯s left wrist, bringing her out. He seemed rough, at first, but he carefully placed his left arm around her lower back. Others didn¡¯t know, but as he seemed strange with his arm placed diagonally on her back, she felt protected by his ¡®evolved¡¯ ultra Mintip left arm. Looking at Fox after flinging her hair a bit, shaking her head to accommodate her small, exotic braids. Then, she looks up at him and says nothing for a while, just keeping up with him as he walks forwards for both. At last, she speaks, ¡°Do I look besotted enough for you?¡± Fox instinctively looked down at her, feeling something in the situation. He sees her flawless face that always cause his eyes to lock like no other. Never feeling this, not even with Gerardo Tellez, Riverlye¡¯s ex-boss. ¡°¡­¡± Fox didn¡¯t know what to answer, drawing his eyes up and down from her chin to her forehead hairline. Nala Loba said before the courier at the entrance could nervously speak to them. ¡°I sure hope. Why else would someone look like me in this situation? Sensationalists must be going wild.¡± ¡°Hello s- gulp, sir and ma¡¯am. Your invitations are at the top. A few of our most exemplary personnel will guide you through the VIP corridor.¡± The courier, a regular height white man with square, thin hair rubbed his white-gloved hands. ¡°Is it quieter?¡± Fox asked, making the courier more nervous. ¡°Y- yes. There are snacks and waiting rooms if you wish to freshen yourselves.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Fox noncommittally said. Nala Loba elbowed him gently, ¡°Babe~, he might think you want to do bad things to me. Be more kind. Thank you, can we go now?¡± ¡°Ah- ah¡­ Yeah, sure.¡± The courier was flabbergasted with Nala Loba¡¯s perfect beauty. After stuttering like an idiot about to lose his head, he stepped sideways to leave room for a butler and maid-dressed pair. Proper and attractive. Nala Loba nodded to them, ¡°We¡¯ll be in your care.¡± Fox and Nala Loba were brought to the VIP corridor. It was just through a small door at the side from the big main entrance. It was a bit underwhelming. But after going in, they noticed it had 10 times more luxurious metals and so many lights¡­ ¡°Would you like to rest?¡± Nala Loba indifferently, coldly asked. Fox shook his head, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Nala Loba sped up their pacing. Fox finally stood before the doors leading to the main hall, opened by the butler and maid. He and Nala Loba were welcomed by the sight of hundreds of people immediately. As Fox looked around, wearing a half-concealed disgusted expression, Nala Loba pulled him elsewhere. Quickly, they moved to a slightly less visible area as they could hear dozens of conversations, all dealing with the same: trying to find out if they could engage in a deal, favors, or find a candidate for whatever was up to offer. They chatted with no one, but a few dozen people immediately noticed them. Of course, nobody dared walk up to them. Seeing Fox was a sight to behold; ¡®the monster¡¯ so up close. Something to tell the fellas who didn¡¯t come here, and their families.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. But seeing him walk away from them and hide in a darker corner made them feel relief. This could be considered the typical image of a politician and a soldier. One thinks the other only knows how to massacre, the other knows the former is full of shit; regardless if they are senseless mass murderers or not. Fox stared at the ceiling for a long while, just trying to mitigate all the sensations of annoyance building up infinitely in his body. When he looked down, he noticed the reason why his neck felt prickled. A pair of unmoving gray, light blue eyes were etched to it, even after he lowered his chin and looked back into them with 8 impenetrable black pools. ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± They looked at each other. Nala Loba seemed to not care of her surroundings as she stepped towards him, landing her smaller feet beside his, and her face so close to his chest. ¡°Later on, we¡¯ll dance. Nothing unnecessary, just what you learned in PSD. Follow my rhythm. Let your trained body do the rest¡­ and show you enjoy holding any part of my body as you do. For the dance.¡± Fox imperceptibly nodded. He knew he was supposed to look down and smile at her, at least. But it just didn¡¯t come to him. Nala Loba looked a bit more at his chin before lowering her gaze like a shy maiden. The onlookers smiled, fascinated by this couple, as they just saw this. ¡°Captain Nala, a pleasure.¡± A voice sounded from Fox¡¯s left, making him frown. ¡®Captain¡­ Nala¡­¡¯ ¡°Captain Nauer,¡± Nala Loba snapped her head, turning it to the male voice. Almost a second later, she walked to the origin of that voice, leaving Fox behind. He looked at her back for 2 seconds, slightly unresponsive, before his eyes instinctively moved to the man she was going to. A young man, rather grown, but still that young. White, black eyes, blond, and tall. He looked military, at least in nature and composition, with an elegant hairstyle of a gentleman. Quite the catch, in other words. Fox looked at this as he also looked at him. Nala Loba then arrived before him, looking slightly up at the blond man, but less than she would to him. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I saw you, avoiding me already?¡± The blond, Nauer, Captain Nauer, looked down at Nala Loba, ¡®Nala¡¯. He smiled and raised his right fist, showing its backhand to her. Nala Loba lifted her hand and formed a small fist before bumping his. ¡°I was stuck. It¡¯s cleared now, as you¡¯ve probably heard by now.¡± She said and tilted her head to the right. Her neck showed a bit. Nauer lifted his eyebrows, he seemed a little silent before charmingly smiling. ¡°I hope it was good, at least.¡± ¡°Mn, payment was 400,000 for the extra effort and time record. You? Is your body lusted after so many beauties still?¡± Nala Loba remained on her spot and continued the conversation. Fox only had her back view as she moved her head, bit by bit. She was a step and a half before Nauer. The latter smiled, looking at her with narrowed eyes, ¡°None worth it? Hahaha! Ouwie! You know that was a joke, alright~?¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Nala Loba blew from her nostrils before commenting, ¡°Growing so bold.¡± ¡°Anyway, we are now being exposed. How do you feel about it?¡± Nauer smiled again, he seemed to never lack smiles, as he rubbed his punched arm and shook his head to complement her in silence. Nala tilted her head to the left this time, showing another angle of her neck¡­ this time. ¡°It¡¯s happened at last. Nothing unexpected. Hard work is still fore us.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. About that¡­¡± Nauer looked at Fox, who lifted his eyes to meet Nauer¡¯s. Nauer then looked back at Nala Loba and brushed her right shoulder with his left shoulder, ¡°You¡¯ve got a heavy load. Good luck, Nala.¡± ¡°Thank you, Nauer.¡± Nala Loba nodded. Chatting a bit more, Nala Loba looked back at Fox, whose back faced her as he walked to a seat, before she returned her indifferent gray, light blue eyes to the blond man. ¡°¡­¡± Sitting on a sofa with large cushion seats but no armrests with a short backrest, Fox looked around. His fingertips were placed together. Fox blinked, feeling relaxed and in a different state as anyone else. He seemed not to hear them, not to see them, the crowd, as annoyances, but things to study. Some were having fun, doing a bit of dancing, spinning on the spot, smiling and reddening their faces, or smiling embarrassingly. Fox couldn¡¯t help but twitch his lips in accordance as he did. The more he comfortably looked around, the more he nibbled his lips, engrossed in observing, analyzing, and understanding. His blinking eyes became calmer and more enjoyable. Fox slowly gazed everywhere, not realizing when his legs stopped stimming, and his arms relaxed with his wrists on his knees and hands hanging from them. His lips were dried, forcing him to pry them open, almost moving his jaw to do so. It hurt a little, so he salivated them a bit. ¡°¡­?¡± Fox felt his right shoulder patted. His instincts nearly lunged his left hand towards the person touching him in a knife stance. But looking up, his suspicions were right as he saw Nala Loba, in a more refreshed and relaxed atmosphere. Also in a good mood, and her shoulders seemed no longer stiff, with her clothes having become looser, instead of rigid like when he walked with him. More like his when she accommodated them for him. The left corner of his mouth still remained stuck, so Fox opened it further to separate his lips, glancing at Nala Loba with his resting expression. This time, he did not care. ¡°I need my dance now, unless,¡± Nala Loba bent over a little and looked down at him. She spoke in suggestion, and even almost said something else, but didn¡¯t in the end, fully staring into his eyes all the same, as if she didn¡¯t know how to stop. Her face at the end was a little expressive. ¡°Okay.¡± Fox said, his voice was, as always, without ¡®for public¡¯ filters; broken and soft. He stood up and directly grabbed the hand she just presented to him in the air delicately. He walked forth without looking back at her again, and just as he wondered where the dance floor was supposed to be, he heard elegant music. Fox headed there, asking no more questions. Nala Loba walked after him, altogether becoming the entire place¡¯s center of attention, taking it away from the ¡®excellent¡¯ dancers already on the dance floor. With a few slow but long strides, Fox entered the dance floor with Nala Loba behind him. His hand holding hers over his shoulder, he turned around and faced her with his resting expression. Nala Loba had her resting expression, too. But the glint he used to perceive before wasn¡¯t there anymore, replaced by¡­ just her resting expression. Fox began, gently pulling her after bowing, and after she lowered towards one side, leaning into it. As she was pulled, Fox moved in the opposite side, looking like small birds with overly long wings initiating a mating, dance ritual. After an initial ¡®chase and dodge¡¯, mostly performed by Fox ¡®fleeing¡¯ her arrival, and only sometimes with their roles reversed, they then stuck their chests together as she arched her back backwards. Fox held her lower back, his eyes narrowing when being so close to her neck and collarbone, seemingly intoxicated. His eyes, however, reflected impassiveness¡­ From then on, their dance left the introduction and began, moving with elegance as their heads, ¡®beaks¡¯, clashed once and again; nonstop. After every long move, their heads closed in, pressing their foreheads or their cheek bones together, never too close with their mouths or noses. Nala Loba began showing more and more grace, more than she innately portrayed, while Fox became more resolute and ephemeral; a race to meet each other despite the unrelatedness. During the dance, as they stole the limelight even in social media of everything else within existence, the titles of foreign media such as ¡®the refugee kid turns into enigmatic dance & lover!¡¯ and the likes of it; Fox felt and saw many glances from curious people. One of them, of many, was a redheaded woman, who looked just past her 30s, maybe in her 40s, pretty young. When he first entered, she glared at him, seemingly never leaving his image. It was a bit of a hostile gaze, although she tried to hide it. However, this gaze changed thorough the night. And as he now danced, only she seemed to see him. Fox glanced twice in her direction. Her image and name appearing in his mind before he could fully complete her facial features. He paid it no further mind. CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP¡­! At last, their dance ended, with their hair a bit disordered and sweaty. They had to coordinate their every move to a slower pace, so everyone could see well, including cameras for better pictures. Fox had to look good, after all. Fox held Nala Loba with his right hand intertwining her left hand, both stretching them, leaning towards her side as Fox held her with his left arm around her lower back. Her legs placed together and stretched out as Fox¡¯s feet were besides them, his knees slightly bent. Her head was thrown backwards, as their dance is supposed to end. But then, Nala Loba lifted her head, rapidly found his face, and directed hers to angle with his. Her eyes looked at him while her face looked somewhat adorable in this position, watching her exert herself like this just to¡­ There was a foreign aroma about her, atop of hers, male-ish. Something he noticed but denied until now. But her natural scent was untouched, directly from her skin, and hair. Fox only stared at her, looking at her lips once before sticking his polycoria eyes to her nose or glabella. He even moved his lips to separate them again, making hers twitch¡­ but nothing in the end. ¡°Third time¡¯s the charm¡­¡± Nala Loba murmured, so thinly he almost missed despite how close he was situated to her head, face, mouth, saliva and tongue¡­ And then he stood up. Her eyes danced with an attitude, looking at the floor or the ceiling, or just the distance. The dance floor was cleared. The excellent dancers let the ¡®mediocre¡¯ dancers fill the dance floor. Meanwhile, Fox walked to the VIP corridor without a word, while Nala Loba followed him a few seconds after looking at his back. Nala Loba found him just as he neared a white bench, humorously ordinary and the only one in the VIP corridor, in an awkward position past the center. His jacket off, all his shirt¡¯s buttons off, and his belt folded with his jacket, Fox sat on the bench with his back bent. Taking one last looking behind her, seemingly noticing something, Nala Loba saw Nauer looking around, trying to find someone or something. Then, she looked back at Fox, and remained standing on the spot. She walked to Fox and sat on his left. They went silent, and even though Nauer should have already noticed her by now, she just stared ahead. Then, lowering her body, also bending her back, she craned her neck downwards, facing him, ever so close to his profile face. Fox looked at her, facing her this close. It was similar to other times, but never like this¡­ this close. Fox¡¯s head twitched, just a tad, and his right eye¡¯s right corner did as well, both at the same time. His eyes blinked and became invested in something¡­ anything else as he stood up and walked away from the bench, from Nala Loba. His fingers twisted as he faced the entrance, barely keeping his neck from arching forth any further as the veins all around his neck and head simply bulged unhealthily. After seeing him depart just like that, Nala Loba¡¯s eyes felt lost. A while later, she glanced one last time at him before standing up, and then, she turned to return inside. A few minutes later, she returned to the corridor and walked out alone, passing by Fox, who turned and slightly stepped into a refreshing waiting room, giving him her back like a coward. He noticed, however, she had picked her high heels into her arms and walked with a man¡¯s pair of shoes covering her feet. Afterwards, Fox rushed further into the waiting room, entering the small janitor room. He leaned against a wall he couldn¡¯t even see, and held his eyes to avoid trying to. Forcing himself to not cough or sneeze, blood slowly streamed from his nostrils, but mostly from his mouth. With some droplets bursting from his ear holes. His body shuddered nonstop, almost like a mini version of a seizure. ¡­ Chapter 127 — Its Not Easy (8—Last Part) It''s Not Easy (8¡ªLast Part) An hour and 15 minutes later. Fox walked to his Blackflower Boutique. It was a little late, but he could still see the lights on, and the number of clientele leaving. After several days since the second floor opened, the clients became used to the schedule and didn''t try funny business anymore. For example, if they were still far from the boutique and couldn''t come until too late; if there wasn''t enough time, they would just not come to bother the boutique. This wasn¡¯t something Fox came to know, but the attendants, who even if they are not socializing enthusiasts, learned to help the clientele and ease their mood. And now, Fox walked to it slightly from afar, with his jacket over his shoulder, his shirt loose, and pants wore more comfortably. He walked step by step, without the slightest bit of hurry. ¡°?¡± Fox looked at the entrance of his boutique just as he came across a corner. A building obstructing view from it just revealed a black-hooded man smacking the glass door, expectantly looking at it as he did. It didn¡¯t break because Fox had it ¡®improved¡¯ a few weeks ago, but the hooded man, who already seemed irritated, was enraged due to the door not crashing into bits. He cursed, letting Fox hear from afar, and walked away with his hands in his hood¡¯s pockets. This did not break Fox¡¯s mood, feeling fresh and floating like in a pool of just the right temperature after remaining in the cold or hotness of the surroundings. He did frown, though. Walking to the boutique, only a few attendants remained, with Fabiola and the clerks having a chat in one of the first floor backrooms. Fox heard sniffling and anxious debating before even walking into the boutique¡¯s sidewalk. Entering it, the attendants looked at him with widened eyes before worriedly lowering their gazes. Finding no fault with them, Fox went to the backrooms to see to whatever was happening. ¡°What was that about?¡± Fox asked out loud as soon as he entered the storage room that Fabiola and the rest had gone into. His voice surprised them, but they weren¡¯t scared, only concerned with frowns and not knowing what to say. ¡°It¡¯s, ugh,¡± Fabiola faced him first and tried to explain but found it too hard to do so. Pamela stepped forth and voiced, sounding just as hurt but indignant, unlike Fabiola, who felt dispirited. ¡°It¡¯s the¡­ illegal floor charge.¡± Fox raised an eyebrow. Fabiola stood up with a face crestfallen, ¡°Rumors of these things spreading to the capital have been going for like a decade, but they were just rumors even a few years ago. Now? They seem to be true.¡± ¡°I heard from other business owners being threatened near the center, but I just didn¡¯t see it as I do now, thinking they got into family or internal strife in the business. We are ¡®tasked¡¯ to bring out 150,000 credits a month to them¡­ or ¡®else¡¯.¡± Fabiola said, her lips quivering. Fox lifted both eyebrows and looked down at the girls, before setting his gaze on Fabiola. Before, Fox would have immediately acted if he saw such a person act like that near Morena¡¯s office, let alone his boutique. Naturally, he didn¡¯t this time, and it wasn¡¯t because he changed his nature or felt weak, it was just his experience not wanting him to simply go ahead and cause a ruckus for no reason. However, hearing all of this, now¡­ there was a reason. ¡°For how long has this happened?¡± Fox asked her, but Fabiola only looked down with upturned eyes and a wrinkled forehead. Fox pressed on, understanding but stern, ¡°Fabiola.¡± ¡°They have come twice before in these past 3 weeks. At first, a group of suspicious people came and bought nothing after taking sneaky photos of our displayed pieces, which they refused to let us delete, even cursing quite threateningly. They asked us about the shop¡¯s monthly salary and wouldn¡¯t leave until told so¡­¡± Fabiola lowered her head. But she lifted it soon after, clearly putting her weight on the security Fox brought to her. ¡°The second time, they said we would have to give out 10,000 credits per week to ¡®be protected¡¯. Pamela called me and I came here. I treated it like a small joke. Now you see, they demand 150 big ones.¡± ¡°You should have told me earlier.¡± Fox casually worded. Fabiola frowned, curious, and tilted her head. Fox added, ¡°Now, I don¡¯t have information to act right away. Mm, Fabiola.¡± Being called out after saying those ambiguous words, Fabiola nodded and blinked, almost saluting like a shoulder. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You keep the store open, and don¡¯t worry about this filthy blackmailing. Pamela, keep the boutique running, and call me. I will take a leave from my ¡®job¡¯ to deal with this. I¡¯ll be around in the next few days. If I tell you to do something, even if it means appearing begging, do so, alright?¡± Fox became active, showing eagerness. The girls nodded, feeling he was up to something, and hearing the news about yesterday¡­ However, seeing his good mood, neither wanted to question him nor take his building momentum away. With that, Fox chatted them a bit to directly know of the boutique¡¯s matters after his absence in his detective assignation. Becoming a ¡®senior¡¯ detective ended up taking more than he thought. Then, Fox went out. He had to ask a few things from Mena to build a few things for his upcoming ¡®activities¡¯. He usually doesn¡¯t feel enthusiastic about sneaking and stealth, but now, there was some important work to do. ¡­ Arriving at the HQ with a case in his right hand, Fox went in without a care. He wore the jacket and cap of the factory, but nothing else. Mena looked at him from afar, detecting him beforehand. Just as she was about to say something that seemed serious, Fox spouted, ¡°7 days leave, back until the 11th month¡¯s 1st day in Moonblue supercontinent. Also, can you grab me this week¡¯s type AB materials?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mena blinklessly stared at him before tapping her desk. Then, she looked at him, ¡°Your materials are being sent to your mega hotel in 30 minutes¡­ A week? Really? What had you wanting to free yourself from the District out of nowhere.¡± Fox looked at her, noticing her eyes knew ¡®something¡¯, but clearly not about his pressing matter. Rather, a misunderstanding, perhaps. But he did not move to change her thoughts. He shook his head with a soft blink before uttering, then leaving to check on something in a workshop, ¡°It¡¯s personal. I need this break. Nice seeing you, Mena. Thanks.¡± Mena watched his back leave through the double door and through the small circular window. She couldn¡¯t tell what was what, only worry and wish him to get his head and heart sorted. Fox walked to a workshop, noncommittally nodding to the smirking and greeting agents like he was now a popular boy. He sat down and opened his case. There were only blueprints there. He used his WID to communicate with Teon before grabbing and studying them closely. The theoretical part was finished. Now, all Fox required was to go ahead with it. Checking the time, Fox began working. He grabbed a few things from the Piya Sanctum District¡¯s depository, paying for them individually, and began a road to success. 40 minutes later, Teon arrived with her well-donned uniform and some cool-stylized clothes above it, but she seemed pouty, maybe not finding whom she hoped she¡¯d bump into. Fox thanked her humorlessly before continuing. Teon left, leaving Fox to work on his improved things hour after hour¡­ ¡­ 6 hours later, before light even peeked through clouds or from the horizon, Fox exited the workshop and went to the center. It was time to work, for personal work. . . . 2 days went by, quick and smooth, but with impeding, incoming blitz. Fox investigated the matter of the floor charge. He was only one person, so he could do little to nothing to ¡®aid¡¯ the whole country as a whole. Thus, he limited his area of activity; he chose the entire district comprising the capital¡¯s center in this business sector, where his boutique was. On the first day, Fox met with many situations that easily lifted his left eyebrow. While most business around the boutique¡¯s block, which were mostly above decent, but not by much, were fine; any other business below ¡®decent¡¯ was targeted. These weren¡¯t awful businesses, they had neither lack of hygiene, quality, and service, but compared to those anyone hears of when they come to the capital state, they earned and looked ¡®lesser¡¯. Those were the business that Fox saw being targeted. Furthermore, through passing by tall rooftops at the right time, he heard other such business that weren¡¯t ¡®visited¡¯ in his investigation complain about it through the phone or some police called to investigate. Fox even saw some national guard elements, who were seemingly responsible for dealing with organized crime like this, primarily. While the cops were like lazy and will-less authorities, the national guard promised their aid, but that it wouldn¡¯t be easy. The reasons were simple.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Some of the business owners complained that those the NG detained before returned and threatened them, harsher than ever. Moreover, some were beaten, a few half-killed in the spur. But the national guard had few things to say. They started by telling the owners of the issue with the Supreme Court Justice. Even the lowest judges under a magistrate could stop the social activities of a state, denied by no one it seemed, let alone a minister who had much more power. It was one thing that the criminals they caught were given freedom, but several times in a row? In just a few months, the NG grew tired of seeing it, too. There was another thing. While those lesser businesses were targeted the most, some decent ones were, too. The NG would be much more proactive and compromising to them, securing their safety. As for the business above decent, none of them were targeted. That was a strangeness that was not coincidental, which Fox could easily spot. His Blackflower Boutique must¡¯ve been considered a decent one, but there was no such thing as a threat or warning, only a ¡®friendly visit¡¯ followed by money demands. This further helped Fox want to keep doing this, although it wasn¡¯t like he would have reconsidered it anyway. After investigating, realizing the organized crime group in ¡®charge¡¯ of this were actually expanding, now reaching their corners towards the line his boutique formed part of, and beyond, Fox had everything ready. ¡­ In a workshop, early morning of the 10th month¡¯s 4th week¡¯s 3rd day. Fox sat cross-legged, sweating with focused and impassive polycoria eyes. He finished working on the last procedure of a thing, a bion, an improvement of the previously not-so good quality it had before. Fox rose both hands after grabbing something from the side and elevated them to his face. They were his self-invented bions, the pivot and comet. The pivot still had a pen structure, but it was no longer thick, able to make room for more to be carried and even held between one¡¯s fingers. Instead of dark gray ropes, it had dark gray ribbons, with some repelling force and durability. The thinner ¡®limbs¡¯ as it is shot forth to deal with incoming projectiles were faster and could generate more force, while it can take ¡®a few hits¡¯ now and its functionality lasts longer. The comet, the hidden arm-blade void bion, was still a metallic brown blade, but it went from a height of its steps below its rear of 2 to 2.1 centimeters, allowing for a longer, recoiled blade. It still had a double-edged, wide triangular tip. The blade remains 2 millimeters thick and 3 inches long, the latter only in repose. It also still uses dark gray thin treads to strap it around the arm. However, it no longer requires a plastic plaque on the forearm as a base to wield them. The comets had become much more flexible due to this, and that was the biggest improvement, an actual evolution of the bion blade. It no longer required for a super pre-memorized set of movements to read one¡¯s arm intricate movements. Both had gone from the basic degree to the ¡®good¡¯ one. Meanwhile, Fox had learnt and even made some excellent bions, but with his own money. He¡¯d have to learn a little more, buying more materials, before attempting a test for a better plan package. Ready to go, Fox stood up from the ground and stretched, snapping many bones before grabbing a thick black box on the ground, filled with those good quality pivots and comets. Fox¡¯s polycoria eyes hardened impassively as he stepped out of the workshop¡­ ¡­ From morning to evening, the day went as usual. The district the boutique is in was peaceful, somewhat. There were a few people who barged into a few shops and came back out full of spirit, balls, and smugness. Later on, police came after a long wait and left quickly. As darkness covered the streets, and the many lights of the capital city spread throughout everywhere, yet still not quite catching every dark corner on them, a few people walked, drugged and drunk. Unbeknownst to them, a figure crouched, dangling from the wall like his dimensional direction was wholly different to theirs. The figure looked at them talk. ¡°Hahaha, she was good though. I¡¯ll grab her chichis next week. I¡¯ll even use 100 credits to help her up, bwahaha!¡± - ¡°Bring me, too. We¡¯ll gladly help her. I¡¯m sure she needs this much help with her debts, ey?¡± - ¡°Hahahaha!¡± - ¡°As a woman, I support this! Bring me, too!¡± ¡®Crude.¡¯ Fox thought, before letting his body fall. He was 17 meters up, unseen by the group walking on the streets, with no cars driving anywhere nearby. As Fox¡¯s body neared the ground, someone noticed, despite the light hitting their eyes from above. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that?¡± Fox soundlessly hit the sidewalk with his left foot, turning his body towards them before stepping on the building behind him with his right foot. Before they could turn their heads, and the one who spotted him realized a bulge of shadow was becoming person-sized, Fox arrived before them. Pfsst, pfsst. Fox activated his blades and lunged them forwards before spinning a bit in the air, still dashing towards them. His feet hit a young man¡¯s head, making a dent from his jaw to his forehead, his eye exploding. Another was hit on the right side of their stomach, unnaturally bending as their spine directly broke. As this happened, Fox also spread his forearms to the side, rapidly swinging his comets as he passed in the middle of everyone. The first victim was a young woman with her red hair tied in a ponytail. Fox opened her skin from her chin to her collarbone in a straight line, drawing blood incessantly. By the time Fox¡¯s momentum disappeared, and his speed was engulfed with every attack of his, corpses dropped one after another, disarranged but lifeless or dying. No one could utter a word, either paralyzed or cut at the throat. Fox even improvised, cutting someone¡¯s tongue while only sliding their cheeks with utmost expertise. Step, step, step. He didn¡¯t have Red Blood¡¯s painting this time, but he was painted red, alright. The corpses happened to fall near a spot of light from an ultramodern but lonely streetlight. Half fell on the edge of the light, illuminated. The other half in the dark, bleeding just as good as the other half. As their mass murderer walked away, the silent night continued flowing. ¡­ The next morning, the people woke up to see many SPD vehicles and forensics heatedly debating in the first hours of the morning to welcome light. Some had come out earlier, but they either didn¡¯t see a horrible scene, too focused in getting to work, or it was cleaned beforehand. Few routes remained blocked, allowing a more or less flowing traffic to continue as usual. However, in the hideout of unknown criminal organization ¡®officials¡¯, many people converged, with only a tiny portion feeling worried. From the hundreds that could move about in this district, well-funded, a few were scared to death, trembling even now. ¡°Red?¡± In the hideout, a middle-aged man with clear skin, no longer sweating with the natural coldness embracing Lymoca nowadays, nodded to the shivering few in his office. ¡°We already did, they are either envenomed or traumatized. Medicine for that is too good for ¡®this¡¯.¡± A person said lazily as he stared at the trembling ones with hostility. The man nodded, pacing around the small room beneath the ground, and asked after standing behind one of them who trembled the less. ¡°So, someone killed you?¡± The man asked. The trembling young man looked up at him. There was no more fear or apprehension that newcomers like them would have in their eyes when looking at him, only maddened fear. ¡°It was so quick¡­ w- we- w- we- we couldn¡¯t do anything. They were down since the moment we heard weird things. I¡¯m alive¡­ because whoever does this¡­ w- w- w- w- wants to hunt us. They don¡¯t care about us.¡± ¡°Heng,¡± the man exclaimed before walking away. He looked at a few who walked to him and frowned, ¡°It¡¯s either the Lyclan or Guerramar Cartel. Has any of you seen anything?¡± ¡°No, but they, should we let them? I think they could have something to do with this. What do we do with them?¡± A person shook his head with the others and said, looking at the trembling ¡®pups¡¯ with a dark desire. The man in charge narrowed his eyes, bothered, and declared, ¡°Do whatever you want. But only if you investigate for me whatever la chingada is happening out there.¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll do. I have good new ones. I may get info in a week. Make me a buffet when I return, and more girls this time, I want more.¡± The other person said, excited and smiling with thrill. The man looked at him and tsked, gesturing to the trembling newcomers, ¡°Are you bargaining with me? Get the fuck out before I let them fucking kill you first.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± The person laughed as he left the room, looking back at the man the entire time. The laughter sounded 2 parts friendly, 2 parts hostile, and 6 parts challenging. ¡­ The news came quickly after noon. The public wasn¡¯t too keen on whatever was happening, thinking it was another organized crime¡¯s incident where it affected a rich person walking or driving by, and all this atmosphere was to cover it up. If not rich, then definitely influential. Naturally, the truth scared the living hell out of the people in the district. While the news spread to the entire capital fast, it reached the entire state of Proteros and Lymoca¡¯s nationwide media at night. More than a hundred men and women from the organized crime were massacred last night. After scanning and revising, it was found out that at least half of them have been destined once or a few times for illegal floor charge, assault, and similar crimes violating another person¡¯s humanity and dignity. First, it was a shock. So many deaths in the course of a few hours while most slept, and this was after the exhaustive, quick and efficient research of the police forces and even the government. Of course, how could the government not intervene in something like this? Then, there was joy. Criminals? Massacred? Vigilante¡¯s style? Perfect! Who didn¡¯t want that? Although there were some families, especially weak-hearted and timid mothers, who came out to the streets to cry after realizing why their children didn¡¯t return in the morning this time, the celebrating side of the situation wasn¡¯t affected. But then, they realized. What if this was a sign? The beginning? Just the showoff moments of an incoming conflict that could put the capital city in a state of empty streets, ghost businesses, and desolate liveliness it used to have? It has happened before, not in the capital, at least not in the last 72 years, but the last time it did was on Chtst¨¦. That is where 2 of the most renown and dangerous OCs in the country faced off after an attempt of intervention of one in the other¡¯s territory. This wasn¡¯t even that long ago, almost 3 years ago. Although civilians were hurt, they didn¡¯t die. At least those who weren¡¯t part of any OC. Those who were killed each other for 2 weeks, with the army only taking to the streets amidst the first week, killing more criminals, while having less than half a dozen casualties. In the end, almost 20 criminals were killed in those 2 weeks, with over 200 detained. Would it happen here, too? Naturally, since the civilians worried about this, the government would have taken this into consideration. Luis Heartez, the president, may have not announced it, but he met with his general secretary of defense to get things prepared in case something remotely dangerous for the capital city¡¯s population happened. And then¡­ then, there was Fox. He stood atop a rooftop with a hoodie. He felt too artistic nowadays, so he kept the blood from yesterday¡­ While blood doesn¡¯t wash away blood, let alone the dark, crusty dried blood, they could add layer upon layer. With the cold, it was even easier to have blood dry up while outside, even if it wasn¡¯t snowing, or that cold, and mostly windy. Of course, only Fox could know that, as he wore the blood of his victims himself. ¡­ Chapter 128 — The Winds Are The Ones That Have Changed The Winds Are The Ones That Have Changed ¡°Is it here?¡± - ¡°Yeah, check if anyone''s in.¡± - ¡°¡­I see the patron, brown old man, right? He''s reading some books.¡± - ¡°Yeah, okay. You move to him and I pull it up. Ready?¡± - ¡°Oh, hell yeah.¡± Fox looked with patience as the 2 criminal, hooded guys peeked over the glass into a small local restaurant. Coincidentally, Fox has heard the attendants visit this place in their free time all the time. It has to be that good. However, it seemed like it was only now that the criminals were going after it, with the place being 10 minutes from the boutique by walking. It was a rare slip up from them, from what Fox has seen and investigated these past few days. Fox slid down from the rooftop. Even though his shoes scrapped the wall, and his hand slid through some windows, he only made the wind vacuum whenever his feet dragged his body down. Barely some sound. Just as a criminal lifted his baseball bat, hitting the window and scaring the owner, Fox jumped on that person¡¯s shoulders. He wasn¡¯t trying to act with style. Immediately, the man¡¯s spine broke, looking quite cartoonish as his body plummeted. The owner was almost having a heart attack, while the other criminal had his right hand behind his back, looking at this with wide eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked at the latter with narrowed eyes. The criminal could barely see his face, which was enough to identify him, but the criminal had no brain functions for that at the moment. Fox¡¯s polycoria eyes gazed at the young man, a couple of years older, as he stood there. The criminal put on a bawling face without shedding tears. His right arm brought forth a handgun in his hand, aiming at Fox, jolting with shakiness. Before pulling the trigger, he exclaimed worse than a baby, ¡°Waawanaabwaaaaaah!¡± Bang. ¡°¡­¡± Fox¡¯s eyes narrowed. His arms were a bit spread apart, whereas a bullet went perfectly through the middle between his left arm and left chest. Fox lifted his left eyebrow after it twitched, but shook his head a bit afterwards. Then, Fox punched the handgun in the young man¡¯s right hand, disengaging the young man¡¯s fingers from his hands. ¡°Aaaaagggh- puk!¡± The young man knelt to the ground. As soon as his knees hit the ground, with perfect timing, Fox slightly pinched the criminal¡¯s chin and opened it a little further. He rapidly plunged the young man¡¯s mouth with the handgun before kicking hard onto it. At first, the young man¡¯s body seemed about to spasm, but in the end, it just didn¡¯t move anymore and stopped breathing soon after. The hit¡¯s impact was transmitted all the way to his brain. Only Fox knew how badly does a strike like this from a special agent means for a civilian, and anyone without breath. Bang, bang, bang. Fox then grabbed the pistol, a little bloody, and turned his head to the other criminal whose spine he broke with his thighs on his shoulders. Then, Fox aimed at the guts from the back and fired, before throwing the gun to the corpse of the young man. ¡°¡­¡± Fox gave the owner, who peeked with fear creeping over him, but not as badly as curiosity, over the counter; a nod. Afterwards, Fox left, leaving the mess in this street behind. The owner stared over the counter with overly widened eyes. A few minutes later, he decided to step out. Everything was quiet, but in the corner of his restaurant, there was gore. On a corner of a building on the other side of the street from the small local restaurant. After Fox dashed away. A figure peeked their head from the darkness, with the growing-full moon revealing her golden blonde, short hair, and a pair of moonlight-reflecting gray, light blue eyes. Nala Loba looked at the corpses and restaurant owner as he called the cops, and then the national guard, before focusing on the direction where Fox went. She went after him. ¡­ Fox wasn¡¯t just killing any of this organized criminal group¡¯s people whenever he saw some, he was targeting them intelligently, knowing of their whereabouts and who they possibly were. He did patrol a bit to see if he actually found some, and return to search for particular criminals. Here, there, on the street, in a building, in a little alley, or a large one. Fox seemed to know just where to stroll through the walls, rooftops; and dealt with the few or many he found. He even waited a few or several minutes in some places, killing the rest of criminals who had gone out of their hangout places. In the morning, as the first lights of the day were shining down despite the gray, rain-announcing season of strong winds and thunderstorms; the people came out of their houses just to see a similar event unfold like yesterday. They were astounded. Those who go out early on even thought back to yesterday¡¯s news and couldn¡¯t believe when they saw something like it again. They thought they went back in time and were witnesses of those things when or after they just happened. A quick call to the cops or national guard was enough to deal with their hysteria, though. As the rest of the people exited their homes, they were welcomed with more of this. The only difference was the amount of SPD and NG patrols. Silently, the civilians waited, knowing they could only hope the news weren¡¯t as frightening as they thought. On the other hand, while civilians waited for the official news, the organized crime set in spreading their blackmailing to the capital city were confused. These, and the civilians, shared something in common, though. They were both unaware, ignorant of what happened the first time, but that was clearly not the same case when it happened the day right after. Now, as it has happened for the second time, and is just the middle of the week, both were confused. What in the helling hells happened? Where did the congregation for only criminals to die occur? Why was no one notified? Thus, the criminals woke up to the news of more than 250 of their people, obviously not all armed, being murdered just like the first hundred plus from yesterday. The man in charge moved to send people to scout everywhere their influence had been established, and even recently with the floor charge. One thing that occurred during the night scared him, even if he hid it. The man, quite a capable one, that he sent to investigate was spotted lifeless with all his organs out but his skin intact. It was obviously the work of a ¡®great¡¯ handicraft. Nevertheless, no one but 2 OCs in the country would be like this, and in his OC¡¯s territory at that. The confusion was slowly turning into a raging fire. Even though they were the smallest organized crime group in the nation, they were untouchable in the state of Proteros, Pretetl, and T¨²acan for a reason. Of course, that was something for the organized crime to worry about. The next night, they would fight back and end these bastards. ¡­ During the night, Fox watched as groups of even 50 people walked into an alley, congregating and talking about stuff. Some were violent, others scared, but most were following whoever had the handguns or the occasional, meager firearm. Fox looked up after staring at them for long. His humble hood felt comfy in the cold, mostly because it let the cold hit his nose and fingers. He could hear footsteps of more people congregating everywhere in certain points in the district. The night was a special agent¡¯s aid to hear farther. It was even more so for Fox, and his unique senses, who has been getting imaginative with his ultra nails. After calculating the distance from the sounds, and a rough number of people in those groups, he looked back down¡­ ¡°AAAAAAAH!¡± - ¡°Wa- fwlack! Aaaahgkgkk¡­¡± - ¡°Please, please, please, I was rec-¡± - ¡°Shit! It¡¯s him! What is he- no, wait! Aww, no wait!!¡± A minute later, Fox walked out of the alley. Everything was dark, but the broken blade from his right arm shone some of the moonlight back at it, before Fox kicked it away and another came forth with a ¡®pfsst¡¯. Good comets went 1 foot past his fingertips. Then, he rushed elsewhere. Behind him, half a minute later, a figure peeked out of an alley a few streets away before following him. The night was long¡­ During the night, there were at least a dozen calls to the cops, and an equal number to the NG line, to report wild shootings. The people had just checked the news of hundreds of casualties again, although not as bad as some thought, and were finally resting under the illusion of a safe night. The cops and NG were also people, but with selfless duties, or supposedly. Regardless, wherever shootings happened, Fox would have long left before any authorities were remotely nearby. In the morning, half the district woke up normally, the other half woke up hours earlier and couldn¡¯t sleep back in. Trouble is trouble. When it finally knocks at one¡¯s doors, quite literally, it incites the most primitive memories of human history.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡­ Without a doubt, the people watched in horror as they came out when they felt it was safe enough, with more light than the first of every sunny morning. News came long after, at the afternoon, leaving the civilians cold and helpless. Over 400 people were killed last night. It was said that all these people were both from the district or capital, and from other states. They weren¡¯t here on business or pleasure, they were just there. Knowing these many people were in cahoots with the organized crime was more terrifying than knowing how many died. Such was humanity. The people were now restless. They visited the governmental offices, but as evening approached, they rushed home. Not wanting to stay out at night, feeling more fear than they would if there was martial curfew law. Just as well, the organized crime in Fox¡¯s business district were on full alert. It¡¯s been 3 days since they were hit. At first, they knew nothing. Then, they became confused. Just now, they tried to fight back with their anger, but were massacred. Many of their people were killed, mostly those who are just of miscellaneous utility. But still. Now¡­ now they were terrified. As the evening approached, hundreds of people walked to the same building in the district. A small, unsuccessful roasted chicken service. One had to be very bad to fail this in a nation like Lymoca, but it still happened. They didn¡¯t even bother covering for safety¡¯s sake, and even chatted with others to relax, talking out loud of their lawless activities. One thing was common, they had slowed down their floor charge, but they were more pent-up and stressed. Many wanted to just go out and lash out at some weak folk who came out at night. Even more so in these times, only an idiot would. The man in charge was sweating all day despite the cold, and more so at night. He had to deal with almost a thousand idiots coming here and congregating before managing to send them off at 10 PM. He then went to his room, hoping this was just a warning from some lagjs or something. He has sent word to those lagjs that accept quirky works for the criminal world, hoping they¡¯ll respond despite the requests for more information. ¡­ Another day and news of casualties, cooling the blood of all Lys, causing sensation in the world; another night where the bloody Fox comes out. With the organized crime in the district terrified, Fox stood atop a rooftop again. It was pretty tall, and close to a useless restaurant. But no, this was too easy. Fox could assassinate generals with utmost security in Preut at 15. What can a measly roasted chicken restaurant compare to? He turned to the city, where he could see endless lights¡­ outside the district. His fists tightened. The thoughts that have been there before despite his sheer mental fortitude, credited to his evolution, which he couldn¡¯t stop having, were finally smoked away. He thought to himself, ¡®This¡­ I did this¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a declaration, but a realization. The capital was bright and beautiful, even at the deepest hours of the night, but it was only 11:58 PM and the district his boutique is part of was mostly dark. Only streetlights and a few small windows had light. Fox inadvertently smiled before stepping backwards, unaware of the peeper a few streets away, sprawling her body on a rooftop while hiding her body from him. Only her eyes were looking at him from afar¡­ curious. ¡­ Fox had a smile as he ran through the rooftops. First, he scared the people who were still on the streets, belonging to the groups he already discovered to be in cahoots with his targets. If not, then he¡¯d wait a few seconds to hear them say a few things. Just half a sentence was enough for Fox to know if they were related. Then, after making them flee, killing 2 out of 4, or 1 out of 2, Fox would go after them like a predator. They didn¡¯t even bother using their handguns. Those with rifles or submachine guns just dropped them and ran, hoping that was enough to flee, but it never was. This night was longer, with Fox killing less than any before, but having the greatest fun. He wasn¡¯t in a team, this was no assignation. While all he was doing is murder, and that they are in an organized crime group doesn¡¯t change the fact they are all humans, he was defending his territory. It wasn¡¯t really his, but it was where his boutique was situated. Other than the business plummeting if something like this continued, Fox was too territorial. He also just so happened to be restrained, and had very few things that were ¡®his¡¯, so the chances for him to show this side of him were few. Now that he got a way to unwind from the events of the ballad night, and he could defend what ¡®is his¡¯, Fox felt ecstatic. He was able to go for this and take the matters into his hands, not just watch¡­ Fox chased and killed every confirmed target. Furthermore, even if he wasn¡¯t so sure who might or not be from the criminal organization, they had this ¡®scent¡¯ he could see with his eyes, an invisible form to distinguish. It might truly reach between the work of ancient ants, among other magnificent living beings, plant or animal, and the like. But Fox only used his evolved body for one thing¡­ and that is to kill. In the morning of the 4th day of this happening, the second-last day of the month, with the moon bidding farewell at around 8 AM, the district woke up in an alarming situation. The entire district was in a lockdown. This time, there were fewer people who were killed. The civilians weren¡¯t even doubting if something happened, only how badly. The casualties might be less, but the situation was worse. Furthermore, the NG and cops had to restrain themselves and form a blockade around the place where, out in the open, hundreds of people fled to. If those people thought they¡¯d be fine if they didn¡¯t go out at night before, then, after last night, nobody did. Like a flood striking while they slept, a few lucky bandits came out of their house only to see a NG and SPD vehicle parked at the side. From a fourth point of view, one could see that the bandits¡¯ houses were invaded, and their owners killed, outlining a circle with the failed roasted chicken restaurant in the middle. With only a few doubting, most fled to their base. To this, the president was finally fully invested on the matter. However, a casual call to Butler left him helpless. After rubbing his temples and the thinness on the bridge of his nose, he made an order and sat back down. He gave the NG and cops an order. It was simple: focus on protecting civilians. The civilians holed up in their houses, with the NG distributing food supplies to all in case they needed them, as well as settling stands for medicine, all free. The criminals, on the other hand, holed up around the roasted chicken restaurant, not moving away no matter what. Slowly, so slowly¡­ That day, the light became moved way slower and hotter despite the blatant coldness. But when it began to flee, it seemed too quick. Cold seeped into the criminals¡¯ bones, etching into their marrow, begging them to run. ¡­ At night, Fox stared from an alley just 50 meters from the roasted chicken restaurant, closer than the police barricade. He could tell that many of the bandits were looking up, already aware the ¡®assassins¡¯ might like rooftops a bit too much. He waited until night fell, and then, hour by hour, as the middle of the night approached. The OC¡¯s man in charge, sweating and trembling, was almost struck with allergy to anxiety if he hadn¡¯t been injected red medicine twice. Of the nearly a thousand people, less than 150 were armed with at least a handgun. The rest either had cold weapons or blunt ones. But no one wanted to stay at the front, even when many took the buildings surrounding the restaurant, everyone walked around, not knowing where the ¡®bloody fox¡¯ would come from. They definitely didn¡¯t feel like ¡®dying first¡¯ in anything, much less now. Slowly crouching, Fox grabbed a case from his lower back, one of those hanging at his back. He silently placed parts on the ground before assembling them, taking his time as his polycoria eyes looked at his targets, barely blinking a few times. ¡­ In a house inside the blockade. A shut-in who could pay his bills in his parents¡¯ inherited house didn¡¯t notice all these things happening. The street was quiet because it was where the OC had control since months ago. At least to a criminal world level. At this moment, after accidentally opening an app in his screen, he saw the news and read his district¡¯s name. Astounded, he read through many pieces of news¡­ Now, at night, 11:59, he looked towards a window, doing what he just learned to be careful and have fewer chances of being seen. With all lights off in the house, always left like this, he lowered his body and turned to the side before walking to a window. He took his earphones off, which he didn¡¯t remember, and looked outside. Everything was dark, even the lights. Just as he wondered if there would be an operation tonight, he heard a loud ¡®bang¡¯ traveling a distance before screams went out to his house¡¯s right. ¡°Benny!¡± - ¡°Aawww, shit¡­¡± - ¡°Watch out!¡± - ¡°Defend-¡± - ¡°RUUN! Fuuuuuck- ack!¡± Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang¡­ ¡­ With his presence lowered, Fox advanced. Any criminal holding a weapon had his brains turned into lifeless objects, smashed by the sheer firepower of his rifle. If they wielded a firearm, they should have been ready to die, not just use it for their gains. Fox wielded a different rifle. One for mid to long distances, with a large clip and rapid fire, yet without losing neither accuracy nor firepower. It would maintain a strong and stable kinetic force until 800 meters, but it was naturally lower than the one he always used, at least during the first hundred meters. It had a more steep, straight structure, and was longer, but it was easier to hold to one¡¯s chest despite its heaviness and length. Fox came out of the alley, crouching with his bum nearly grazing against the ground but moving as fast as a person walking normally. He looked a bit too fast and way too flexible, even comical. But he was killing every armed criminal while they looked up, not realizing he was at the ground level with them. ¡°AAAAAAAAHG¡­.!¡± The bandits ran after the initial several seconds trying to find him. Before the man in charge could act to stop them, he was also caught when he was planning to flee in an armored car. Killed with 3 shots on his back before he could enter his car. At first, the cops and NG looked at each other, alarmed and taking defensive cover. But after the NG received a communication, they looked at each other again, only this time it was with a comical hint. They peeked a little but could only see a diminutive flash bang away near them, with screams on the other side, and then, a darkened figure rushed away in silence. It was so silent that it made them think they were losing their minds and were seeing things at first. But then, they remembered. ¡®Special Agents¡¯. Without further ado, they entered their vehicles and began the raid. Farther away, hidden without armored vehicles, the army waited, spread in a wider area where civilians were evacuated during nighttime since 8 PM. If it wasn¡¯t Lymoca, the birthplace of the Green Transformation and the Humane Key, it would have been easy to believe this was the start of another war¡­ Although it might very well be. ¡­ Chapter 129 — How Dare They? How Dare They? The seventh day''s early morning left quickly, with a rather wide area recognizing a shooting around their homes, even outside the business district Fox has his boutique, all reported. The civilians were afraid, thinking they''d have to stay in their houses for days nonstop. But it ended before even half an hour. By the time the first morning lights came down, everything was peaceful again. Furthermore, excellent news reached everywhere, further placing the NG¡¯s mobilization and army¡¯s efforts to deal with organized crime to a brand-new level. The direct elimination of the organized crime in a district in the capital city! Just as the opposition, and virtually all known media, had been pointing virtual fingers to the president and his government for letting such horror and slaughter for days; this happened. Hundreds of criminals were apprehended, with more than 200 bandits falling in the early morning. This wasn¡¯t a simple matter, as it happened in just a few hours. When the dispute between OCs in Chtst¨¦ occurred, it went for days and all day operations to settle the matter. Now? Just a few hours and a similar, if not better, result occurred. Naturally, some pointed fingers at lagjs, and then at the president, but then didn¡¯t know what to think out loud. Who was the responsible? Yet, it didn¡¯t take long, merely the afternoon of that last day of the 10th month, for some people to remember something, and quite easily. The president¡¯s announcement to combat organized crime, and anyone who puts Lymoca, the Lys, in danger. Connecting a few, small dots, nobody doubted as some social media content creators started formulating news and revelations that anyone could confirm, helping others not waste their times and doing it for them. The day went on with peacefulness in the district, although there was uncertainty there and in the rest of the capital. Regardless, it was nothing a few soldiers driving by to tell the people to join the medical stands to report their issues and to raise their voice for any complaints they¡¯d like to make; couldn¡¯t help. It was still ¡®unsafe¡¯ to go out, but the civilians would have to slowly get used to it. While the day passed, and the news of this ¡®enormous¡¯ victory spread through Lymoca, making all opposition silent, and their presence in all social media a ghost, Fox walked back to his boutique. He returned at night, tired to hell and glad to see the boutique was closed with lights on. Business should have been tough this last week, but it did open in this afternoon, as a few other businesses had. He walked to his boutique, feeling tired and extenuated as he coughed a few times. He felt something stuck in his throat each time, and not as a matter of speech. Fox didn¡¯t feel like cleaning his clothes or something, having folded the bloodied hood, with disgusting dry blood smeared all over; with some fresh blood, so he forced the feeling in his throat it to stay in his body. However, this made him cough more and deeper every few minutes. Walking into the door, Fox saw only a few attendants around, with most keeping Pamela company upstairs. He looked at the clerk downstairs and nudged his chin upwards before walking to the backrooms. Fox felt like he would need a rest real soon. And get checked again. Just as he sat on a chair and was leaning his back backwards, the door to his side closed. Fox opened his eyes and looked at Nala Loba wearing the PSD inner uniform below some flexible-resistant thin body armor. It was usually good for training¡­ or stealth. ¡°Na- Captain, what is it? How come you¡¯ve come?¡± Fox asked neutrally, almost impassive. He was practically emotionless, and she could see that. After staring at him for several seconds, unmoved, she crossed her arms. ¡°You seem tired,¡± her cold and indifferent voice sounded, as it was her nature. It also spread to the rest of her image, as always, with a touch of aloofness. Fox blinked. What would he say? It didn¡¯t matter, irrespective of how he tried. Nala Loba tilted her head before walking behind his chair, releasing her arms. ¡°I was tailing you just atop this ¡®nice¡¯ building, but you didn¡¯t even notice. No, you didn¡¯t even notice I was running on rooftops as you walked here, nor when I rushed into your boutique.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you get the danger of such a state?¡± Nala Loba¡¯s eyelids harshly narrowed a bit, looking down at him. Fox tilted his head a bit, pressing his lips a little, and offering only his tired polycoria eyes. She crossed her arms again, ¡°You were lucky I was around, and that if there was someone, anyone, they didn¡¯t dare come too close.¡± ¡°Things happen, I would¡¯ve understood.¡± Fox uncaringly spouted, leaning his neck atop the chair backrest. Nala Loba looked at him before suddenly kicking the chair beside his lower side, rotating it to make him face her. The noise of the chair screeching sounded, attracting the attendants¡¯ attention, but they didn¡¯t want to bother the district¡¯s hero, as only they knew. ¡°You have a team for something just like this. If it¡¯s something as big as this, what you do is tell them, tell me, your Captain, and then do this.¡± Nala Loba stepped up and walked forth, staring down at Fox with her knees just before the chair¡¯s seat. Fox was unfazed when his chair was kicked, and he sobered up a bit, still hella tired. He blinked, ¡°It was personal, all on me. But it was indeed tiring, I¡¯ll ask my team, and my Captain, if it happens again.¡± Nala Loba stepped backwards after giving Fox the ¡®you are my responsibility, my team¡¯ face for a long period of time. Then, she dropped her shoulders and tilted her neck to the left, ¡°The president has called you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox narrowed his eyes for a moment. He nodded and stood up, feeling a bit wobbly, not having rested for 7 days, maybe a couple of hours before 7 days were met. As for the things surrounding him that nobody else could see, hear, or feel; they were barely noticed, used to it since his childhood. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Fox muttered. Nala Loba unceremoniously walked to him and put her hand on his back, slowly lowering her body to support his arm with her shoulders. She harshly pressed the weight from her wrist on his forearm against her shoulders and helped him onwards. Fox opened the door with his other hand and revealed his ¡®state¡¯ to the attendants. Of course, there was also that beauty, which was seen with him from the endless short videos and countless images of them being together, and a little gossip drama, last week. With knowing glances they thought Fox and ¡®his lady¡¯ didn¡¯t notice, they lowered their faces and gossiped nonstop in their group chats. ¡°I brought my car,¡± Nala Loba¡¯s voice sounded like soft bells in Fox¡¯s tired ears. He looked at the street, only to see a well armored, silver car with 2 front seats and a spacious, wide seat in the back. Fox nodded a bit, ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d drive one like this. I miss my baby¡­¡± Nala Loba dropped Fox on the back, hearing his stupid comments, with her hair messed up by his arm when she placed him on the seat, and looked at him for some seconds. Afterwards, she picked his legs up and closed the door, going into the driver¡¯s seat. She drove to the precinct, having no qualms of bringing attention to herself as she went through the sea of news reporters wanting to take photos of anything. After the early morning¡¯s operation, there was no way these people wouldn¡¯t have come here and knocked a few bars if they could. After driving through the gap, with the news reporters not trying to stupidly enter between the gaps as the gate opened, Nala Loba drove into one of the parking lots. The windows showed only the outside, not allowing any of them to see her or Fox. Even those with ¡®sneaky¡¯ bion mods in their cameras would find only a big flash reflected on the windows in their storage. Nala Loba helped Fox out of the car, to which he had a bit of strength and could stand on his own. But he still needed her thin yet formidable shoulders to rely on walking. Fox entered the president¡¯s office afterwards with Nala Loba behind him. At first, he thought she¡¯d stay outside or just leave, with more possibilities to the latter, but she walked in as well. Fox frowned further when he saw not just Luis, Roam, and Lesly here¡­ but his entire cabinet. What was happening here? ¡°Come on in, Fox,¡± Luis said with a rather¡­ calm and understanding, or maybe comprehensive tone. Fox frowned for a moment, walking forth to stand before the desk. He looked at Roam, who smiled like a gentleman at him for a bit, before facing Luis. Naturally, Sona was here. Just as Fox darted his eyes to his right, meeting Sona¡¯s with a light nod of his head, Nala Loba skipped twice and stood on his right. Almost twisting his lips, Fox¡¯s attention was brought to the president as the latter coughed. ¡°Fox, this is in a good record.¡± Luis commenced. At once, Fox felt there was something wrong. His senses went off as he could ¡®read¡¯ Luis¡¯s cabinet¡¯s faces all around him without looking. Some looked a bit nervous, and others had hidden smiles on their politician faces. Luis went on, ¡°You have shown, within good reason and ability, your balance as a special agent and a common person of the ¡®ordinary¡¯ world. I, we, have seen ample reintegration to civilization after Preut.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox noncommittally looked at Luis, who remained seated, before the latter stood up. This surprised Fox, but it was even more surprising when Luis extended his right hand. Looking at it, he heard Luis speak again, ¡°With Butler¡¯s recommendation, I validate this project completed and successful.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Fox slowly moved his polycoria eyes, frame by frame, up Luis¡¯s hand to his face. When his eyes landed on the handsome man¡¯s visage, the latter had a slightly surprised face, eyebrows jumping a bit and that jolt of one¡¯s neck. ¡°Oh? What? Did he not tell you? This is a good surprise then, not just a ceremony.¡± Fox felt the need to jump out of the window. It was no joke, he just wanted to leave the place, not even leaving through the lavish doors. That¡¯s when Luis smiled even more, forming a more ravishing smile, and said, ¡°You have been promoted from citizen to a qualified representative, president of my political party.¡± ¡°!!!¡± Fox¡¯s eyes widened to untold levels. His neck extended forth for a second before he retracted it. While Luis¡¯s smile was more than victorious, and petty, Fox looked at Nala Loba, wanting to see that this was real, and all about it. Fox, however, only saw a serious Nala Loba, acting like a representative of PSD¡¯s upper echelons in this, as Luis called it, ceremony. Returning his eyes to the president, Fox was just as flabbergasted. ¡°You will see with Sona and Lesly to bring about the necessary knowledge and procedures you are to become aware of. I trust you know about the reform to change the elections¡¯ voting day to a much later day next year. As my political party¡¯s representative, and as I am the president, you will have to run the campaign for me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Each new set of words coming out of the president¡¯s mouth turned Fox¡¯s brains into a new upheaval. Couldn¡¯t this petty president just try to kill him? He could leave and protect himself within PSD, or maybe escape, if he was lucky enough. Why did this man have to be like this and ruin any possible route and situation he thought of? Fox was a little mad. ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ am not qualified for any of this, president-¡± Fox placed his left hand¡¯s fingers on the table, at a loss for words. He could feel but didn¡¯t have the mood to see Nala Loba¡¯s eyes mock him a bit. Yet, Luis struck, kicking, hitting, and throwing scalding water while Fox was down. ¡°You will work in a week, but not after a little job. Roam?¡± Looking at his presidential secretary, a ¡®serious¡¯ Luis gestured to Fox before Roam stepped in with a smile, not so gentlemanly anymore. He brought a case and opened it on Luis¡¯s desk, smiling all the way. Inside were documents, and Fox wasn¡¯t contented to use his senses out of instinct like this was a threat. There were at least 57 pages, and who knew how many he had to sign¡­ if he wanted to sign them.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m not considerate enough to acce-¡± Fox looked up at Luis¡¯s face before the petty man interrupted him with ease, ¡°Leaving¡­ ¡®the District¡¯ to attend personal matters was fine. But you had to clear out an entire organized crime¡¯s influence in a district? I¡¯m not carrying that, and you are capable.¡± Luis sat up a little, his eyes hardening towards Fox, although they weren¡¯t as bad as before, ¡°If I say you are, then you are. I can choose anyone here, and they are all as capable as one another. Lesly would be an easy win, and I won¡¯t let my sister suffer humiliation by sending her out with all the media in this country waiting for a drop of blood to fill the air.¡± ¡°And you, you take matters into your hands,¡± Luis pointed at him, casually and briefly, but it felt like half a mountain on Fox. ¡°As you said before, people look up to you. Regardless of the reason. Furthermore, your previous ¡®appearance¡¯ with your ¡®partner¡¯ had costed this government many questions from all parties.¡± Luis glanced at Nala Loba for a moment, to which she didn¡¯t even move her eyes. Fox might have lowered his eyebrows a tiny iota, but it did bother him. Nonetheless, Luis continued. ¡°They ask: ¡®what are they¡¯, ¡®who are they¡¯, ¡®where do they come from¡¯, and many other questions that I cannot answer unless I have a firm foothold in a country that still does not believe in me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked down at the president, serious this time. Luis repeatedly nodded when he saw the change in Fox¡¯s eyes, at least in the way the ¡®boy¡¯ looked at him. ¡°I can give all of these questions a concise answer, but only one. One that will reveal hoogs to the world as a whole, safely, and putting this country into a development that should have been leading since hundreds of years ago.¡± The president finally looked at Nala Loba, showing respect, ¡°The Piya Sanctum District will emerge to the light, bearing the shield, sword, dagger, and arrow of the Lys. Dragging its shadow.¡± He stood back up again, ¡°The country, regardless of how they hate me, will have abandoned the old teachings from the past in my last term.¡± ¡°And all I ask of you, Fox, Phesx Caolia¡­¡± Luis stared into the polycoria eyes, unique in the world. His voice wasn¡¯t silly or faulty anymore; it carried a heaviness behind him, not belonging to him, but to a country. ¡°Is that you lead half of it for me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox stared straight into the president¡¯s face. It almost looked like a glitch, where the world slowed and the office halted. After feeling his consciousness almost wave, Fox sobered up and licked his dried lips with his head hung low, looking at the documents and ordinary pen at the side. ¡°What about-¡± Fox lifted his chin, but Luis semi-interrupted his words, completing them with a light smile. ¡°What about your earnings from the secret world?¡± ¡°Roam,¡± Luis called out, still looking at Fox. Roam brought a small, ultramodern folder made out of Courusel machinery¡¯s fabrics. ¡°This will be your payment for the position as my political party¡¯s president, and this will be a contract to grant you 1,000,000 credits worth of bion parts, tools, and products to fabricate bions every 2 weeks.¡± Fox looked at the document to sell his soul and saw a whopping 10,000,000 credits in it. It reminded him of the numbers Selena was gaining now with some movies and a few other contracts, all made under the government¡¯s brand-new entertainment management branch. Fox fell silent. He looked at Nala Loba again. This time, after he stared at her for 3 seconds, she gave him a look before staring ahead, calm and with her natural disposition. Fox blinked, returning his attention to the desk, and grabbed the pen. Roam brought a chair for him to sit, which Fox comfortably adjusted with his right foot hooking one of its legs. As he read and signed nonstop, the cabinet wearing smiles everywhere, Luis commented, ¡°Now, there is an event coming soon. I need you to bring about a great show to the world to show our shores are safe, and we have as many pirates as we did in our times of the Lylaco Empire.¡± ¡°What is it about? Can I take a break to visit my doctor?¡± Fox looked up and frowned. He was quite a bit more serious now, making Luis blink. It was a distinction Luis didn¡¯t expect. But, without looking at his cabinet, he nodded to Fox. Then, he smiled again, looking so handsome. *** Piya Sanctum District¡¯s HQ, the Plastics Recycler Factory. Medical section. Fox sat before the doctor, who has always shown him a bit of care and lots for his ¡®evolved¡¯ body. After a series of intensive test-sampling, Fox looked at the doctor, who casually took some of his blood to study. It was the last step¡­ which they forgot at the beginning. Fox asked the doctor after long, silent hours of taking countless tests from his body. ¡°Will this be enough to check?¡± ¡°Mhm, don¡¯t worry. But although I know where to look now, these procedures take a long time, especially as I am getting entangled with something else.¡± The doctor said with an excited smile. Fox nodded, narrowing his eyes before looking at his nameplate, reading ¡®E. Valle¡¯. ¡°What is it you¡¯re so busy with?¡± Fox asked. The doctor smiled further and looked at Fox, seemingly waiting for this. ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been working for¡ª my whole life, Fox. Ever since I came across colorful medicine, saving me from not being able to reproduce from an incident in my childhood, I have wanted to put my foot in the records of the 4th SO¡¯s medicine.¡± Fox listened attentively. The doctor¡¯s smile remained big as he grabbed a small box at the rear of his chair. He seemed prepared for this moment, putting Fox in a good mood. ¡°See¡­ it is something I have been trying to ask you to help me. I was worried you would feel invaded, so I refrained, but I have reached a bottleneck.¡± ¡°But with your evolved body, Fox, but more than anything, your sheer willpower and mental fortitude, I believe I can make it! That¡¯s why I will take some more time with your tests. I am sorry, but I must.¡± The doctor said, putting his hands at the sides of the box after unlocking its latch. ¡°How long would the tests take?¡± Fox asked, a bit intrigued. The doctor quickly said, ¡°About 2 months, at least. Will you reconsider and then-¡± ¡°I agree, just don¡¯t put my name anywhere,¡± Fox said, tilting his head left and right nonstop, looking at the small box. The doctor was gladdened, before smiling at Fox¡¯s words. Then, he humored the young man, opening the box¡¯s lid¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Fox widened his eyes. They darted left and right before focusing on a few things, his eyes reflecting some powerful color from inside the box. *** Somewhere in Lymoca. ¡°How is it?¡± A bald, light brown man, past his middle ages, walked into a dark room with black, light-absorbing material. He looked at a capsule 3 meters long, 1 meter wide, with half a meter of diameter in the center, located against the wall opposite to the entrance. A few old men and women in striking but obscured white coats turned around. A short old man with complete baldness at only the center turned and walked to the bald, light brown man. Being very tall, and bulky, the old man was like a child beside the bald man, trying to catch up to an adult. ¡°It¡¯s stable. There are obvious complications, but it will be operated awake to reduce the issues. Its joints at the elbows, knees, and limbs connecting to its torso are very powerful. It will wake up in a few days. Its learning capacities¡­¡± The old man turned fanatic, ¡°They are as expected, Head Hound.¡± The bald man looked around, set his gaze on the capsule for a while, and nodded. ¡°Get it to training amidst everyone else. If it cannot behave, kill it and start again.¡± ¡°We will not fail!¡± The old man¡¯s eyes hardened, saluting before the bald man nodded at him. Giving the capsule one last look, the bald man expressionlessly stepped out of the room. *** Lymoca, late morning, with the first lights of the day long fallen into the Moonblue supercontinent. The first day of the 11th month. In a lavish, well-known, and historical location at the center of the capital city of Proteros, the well-known and ¡®self-dedicated¡¯ government¡¯s opposition drank hot drinks and ate to their heart¡¯s content. They had delicious snacks, all especially brought from overseas, or from the north. ¡°Munch, munch. How do you think they are doing?¡± - ¡°Ah, the little cabr¨®n has already flown from the Lyclan Ocean to the Ly Ocean.¡± - ¡°Aaah, that¡¯s something.¡± - ¡°Mhm. Gulp, did you see his girl¡¯s photos. An angel.¡± - ¡°Yeaaah¡­ maybe we can bring her to us. That¡¯d be perfect. She didn¡¯t even seem contented around him.¡± - ¡°He doesn¡¯t deserve her.¡± At this moment, a person entered the large, lavish living room, with many sofas and a gigantic TV situated on a wide wall. He brought his hot drink and some more snacks, warm and smelling great. Many turned their heads before widening their eyes. ¡°President Mu?oz!¡± - ¡°Mr. Estandarte, welcome!¡± - ¡°Ah, Mu?oz. You came. Look, they are checking the waters already, to show there¡¯s nothing to fear. You missed 2 boring hours of nothing, no te da pena (aren¡¯t you ashamed)?.¡± ¡°Hah, thank you for making me feel bad.¡± The tanned-skinned middle-aged man with balding black hair, more than nearly a decade ago, and small black eyes contorted in sarcasm. He was slightly chubby and of regular height. Mu?oz Estandarte, the president of the political party of Lymoca¡¯s Vanguard. ¡°Where is Galan? He wasn¡¯t answering when I called in the parking lot.¡± Mu?oz Estandarte looked at a few people before staring at one in particular, Loma Jenta, a senator from the NSH political party. She was just cleaning her hands from eating some snacks. She looked up at him and said with dropped eyelids. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. He suddenly went into the offices-¡± ¡°Bad! Mu?oz? You¡¯re here! Bad!¡± The gates behind Loma Jenta slammed open. A more or less handsome, white man stepped into the enormous living room. He had unserious black eyes and long hair for a man¡¯s style. And currently, those eyes showed dead worry and a hint of seriousness. ¡°What is it?¡± Mu?oz asked, frowning, feeling worried upon seeing Galan like this, but composed. He didn¡¯t feel the need to be so agitated, until Galan started speaking with his ear on the phone. ¡°Yeah, yeah, no. We¡¯ll see what. I hang up. Mu?oz, do you remember the movement of resources? The thing we did with the group?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Mu?oz had a bad feeling, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what. The president of the National Scholars of Honor was sweating without moving a bit right in front of him. ¡°They are¡­ at the fucking Ly Ocean!¡± Galan slowly uttered, word by word. Mu?oz¡¯s eyes widened as he inadvertently rotated his head, glancing at the costly TV. Everyone did the same, feeling their jaws numb and grow restless under their butt. *** Ly Ocean, within a ¡®bullet ship¡¯, traveling the Ly Ocean just a few tens of kilometers from the nearest shore. Fox felt so damn incredible in this thing. It was small enough to accommodate half a dozen people, with enough sits for such, and had a Courusel machinery products that lightened the force as it reached amazing speeds. Currently, he¡¯s spent 5 hours since the early morning navigating the Lyclan Ocean before flying to the Lyclan Ocean. He started from the north to the south of Lymoca in the Lyclan Ocean, and would do the same in the Ly Ocean. Thus, he traveled down south. The Ly Ocean was the largest near-inland ocean in the planet, making quite the trip. But he had food and drinks, and the bullet ship had a feature for going to the bathroom¡­ Moreover, it had ultramodern cameras to adjust images after a few seconds, converting the blurry quality from ¡®okay¡¯ to ¡®perfect¡¯. The latter was only used to take pictures of greater scopes. ¡°??¡± Fox suddenly frowned as he looked at the monitor in the bullet ship. It couldn¡¯t be called a yacht, since this was practically military technology. Similarly, it had recognition systems only the highest positions in Lymoca knew about. ¡°Fox to communications,¡± Fox stood up from his seat, keeping his back bent, and pushed a button. A small island showed irregularities, detected by the system. A voice came from the panels, echoing in everyone¡¯s livestreaming platform across the world. ¡°What is the situation, Fox?¡± ¡­ In the presidential office, Luis tilted his head after blinking. In ANS, an old man slightly frowned. In Dawn supercontinent, the watching ¡®overlords¡¯ of the KAA and the presidents of the ¡®land of warriors¡¯ paid more attention as they went on to attend their paperwork duties. In Twilight supercontinent, the largest country watched, their parliament wearing serious expressions. ¡°There seems to be changes to an island. There is more¡­ ¡®density¡¯. I will check.¡± Fox¡¯s voice could be heard from the livestream before the bullet ship slowed down and gradually turned. Fox arrived near an island, no more than 50 meters long, and about 20 meters wide. The moment he arrived, he could feel the tension of the world fall around him. There were¡­ containers everywhere, with countless food supplies, mostly products processed through chemicals and spices. There were some fabrics, too, all with a few brand names etched onto the containers, which were broken open and oxidized. ¡°!¡± Fox was flabbergasted, before his chest boiled. He expanded the detection radar before tying his belt around his torso and moving his seat to the front. ¡°I¡¯ll check other¡­ other islands, gulp; Fox out.¡± ¡°Wait, Fox. This is the president, it¡¯s-¡± The president tried to speak into the communications, but Fox accelerated as logically possible to not crash by accident and arrived at another island. Fox found the same, there was food, some fabrics, and even medicine. A lot of medicine. So much he could swear all of that would have been enough in Preut to avoid at least 2-3 million deaths by the time the war ended. Not all were islands, some were platforms floating in the water, with improvised anchors that are used for rescuing people in aquatic tragedies. Fox looked at each of these islands with¡­ disbelief. ¡®Is this done by someone? What could make one do this? Why would anyone do this? How could there be people like this?! How¡­ how dare they¡­¡¯ ¡­
This is the end of Volume 3 ¡ª Door Ajar. Let It Rain''s note: It took me 2 extra chapters to finish the volume, and much more than I thought it would take me to write the entire volume. I''m only scared, because I start getting crazier and crazier from hereon. These 3 volumes are all papi Fox getting to be known, now I''m just unfolding everything. Political intrigue starts here, although it''s all vanilla and soft. Don''t expect too much ''watefac'' here, at least not until the end of the volume ;). Thanks for reading. Chapter 130 — This Is What It Feels Like This Is What It Feels Like ¡°Aaah¡­¡± A brown man with a luxurious but more decent suit sat on a bench to rest. It was the morning, so few people were out of work, taking a break. Most would long for their lunch, or not, if they were masochistic and maybe good at their job. Others, such as the legendary freelancers, might be taking a break at this time, like now. The brown man, a handsome, proper man with thin hair, spread his arms on a bench and looked at a digital thin screen in a store. A good, quick, well-paid consultation was his every day¡¯s breakfast, second only to having actual breakfast with his wife, which was second to only waking up with her every morning. Looking at the screen, he blinked, wearing a thin smile that wasn¡¯t a smile, and feeling in a good mood. The screen showed a news anchor that had rapidly grown in population. The In Between Life and Future news anchor; BLF. They started with small footage and meaningless interviews in Preut, although they had a channel, profile, and account in every social media beforehand. That was until they struck gold with a nowadays prestigious person. From then on, it seemed like their heavy steps up the ladder were paid with their respective worth. Having a lot of interviews with the public servants who had worked up until now under president Luis Heartez¡¯s 2nd term, and reporting news of the happenings around the country, they had become the spokesfolk of the government¡¯s deeds. As they expanded, instead of taking the usual route, they ¡®hired¡¯ content creators with alike minds. It was rocky at first, having many fake pro-Heartez individuals sign up, but they learned from their mistakes. Currently, they had a lot of people, but still could not cover even half the states of Lymoca. Still, they were gaining as much if not more views than conventional news anchors. ¡°Today, 13% of the known brands taking ¡®pact¡¯ in this group of businesses cartel have been confirmed to be successfully prosecuted. Even then, compared to 65% being arrested but absolved from their charges by the Supreme Court ministers themselves, this is but a diminutive fraction¡­ if you can see here¡­¡± The screen showed footage of people lowering their heads as they were grabbed by soldiers and brought into a contention precinct. It was clear the government wasn¡¯t even willing to let these scum anywhere near the Supreme Court Justice¡¯s reach. The brown man looked at this channel for a few more moments, not like he could change it, when he felt his body vibrate. He sat up as his face fell. It wasn¡¯t his phone that was called, or notified, but his ¡®work¡¯ phone. Standing up, the brown man checked his work phone before sweating, yet also with his eyes becoming severe. With the hard-set notion of an enraged husband, he walked away and¡­ took a PVT. *** Proteros, in one of many street condominiums. Late morning. A woman with Dawn aesthetics opened the door after seeing it was cops who were calling to her door. But as soon as she did, the cops stepped aside and revealed 2 men who didn¡¯t look Ly. She frowned, but she was also questioned by them right away. ¡°Ma¡¯am, we know you might be threatened by your husband. In the past, he dealt with companies from overseas and ANS, we came here to talk about this. If you could let us in, we¡¯ll talk about this, and we can help you out of this situation.¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, if you are afraid, you must tell us. We¡¯ll bring this man to justice, paying for his deficit and trickery against other companies. Armando Pe?a is a monster! We will not let him get near you ever again!¡± ¡°I- you are both mistaken!¡± The woman was about to try and dialogue with a calm tone, but her face changed as she seemed to think of something. She frowned at them and barked out with sternness. The men weren¡¯t pleased, their eyebrows sinking. Just as they were about to stop her door from closing, stepping past her doorstep, a whistling sound went off. Pank- pffuph! A couple of items flew from who knew where, hitting the head of one man and the chest of another. The first one seemed fine, no blood was spilled, and only a slight dent was visible as the woman looked with terror. The other man, however, had a half-circular object, without sharpness or heavy weight, impaled in the chest. The latter¡¯s body twitched, his heart crushed between the ribs and the item, before finally stopping, dying paralyzed. On a rooftop of the community service building, Fox stood up after lazily throwing those 2 unfinished bions to rescue the wife of an erstwhile client. Fox was 140 meters away from the house, so he had to use his left arm. Otherwise, with those unfinished products, he would have sent it 40 to 50 meters away, at best. He looked at the street, where Armando Pe?a rushed to his house, breathless, before sliding down to clarify things. He didn¡¯t want them to flee, making him run a few tens of meters more than necessary. ¡°Wife!¡± The husband exclaimed, rushing to his home after seeing the corpses on the garden and her wife on the doorstep. The wife responded in kind, ¡°Husband!¡± They rushed into each other¡¯s arms. They were fine, perfect, even. After exchanging a passionate kiss, they heard someone walk to them. Fox looked at Armando and Yue with uncaring eyes, wearing Red Blood paint as he walked to them carrying a rifle on his back. It was a short model of the one he usually uses, with greater projectile speed but less long range effectiveness. Regardless, Fox walked to them. Armando looked at him with hardened eyes before recognizing him. ¡°Fox!¡± ¡°Being a lawyer is hard,¡± Fox commented. ¡°Old contractors from ANS come to check on you daily until they grow bold enough to approach your wife¡­ Will you accept the government¡¯s invitation, or am I also not enough for you?¡± ¡°A¡­hahaha,¡± Armando¡¯s eyes were a bit dumb as he looked at Fox, who complained a bit. Yue worriedly stared at the young man. Armando stepped up and extended his hand, scratching the back of his head, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. And no, I¡¯m not refusing¡­ I can¡¯t anymore.¡± Armando looked back before walking over to inspect the corpses. Meanwhile, Yue walked to Fox with tears in her eyes, cleaning them with her wrists. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Fox. How have you been? I hope you¡¯ve been eating well. Would you like me to do something for you?¡± Fox stared at the wife with a blank expression, ¡°Ma¡¯am, we¡¯re already moving away. You can¡¯t stay in this place. Other special agents will bring your stuff later.¡± ¡°¡­Hehe,¡± Yue giggled after narrowing her eyes. Just then, Armando made an exclamation. Fox leaned to the side and saw the ex-lawyer try to grab one of the unfinished bions, only to realize how heavy it was and stumble into the grass. By sheer luck, he didn¡¯t fall. ¡°Others will pick those, too.¡± Fox felt like notifying him. Armando looked down with some shyness before nodding, returning with empty hands. Fox nodded before staring at Yue, nodding again as he guided them to a vehicle on the street. ¡­ Fox drove them to the presidential precinct. The car was a simple one, with armored structure and fortified windows, so the couple could relax. Once at the precinct, the ex-lawyer, who has been ostracized after being the reason an entire firm was closed, felt somewhat inferior to be here. But nothing like one¡¯s virtuous wife to encourage oneself to believe in oneself. Fox brought them before the president¡¯s office, walking through the renovations that took place over the course of 2 weeks. Armando Pe?a and Yue were amazed. It was the first time they came here, and it already blew their mind. If only they knew it didn¡¯t look as extravagant and wealthy as it used to, who knew their reactions then. Knock, knock. ¡°It¡¯s Fox, President. The targets are here.¡± Fox said before stepping backwards. The doors opened after a mechanism only special agents could hear sounded. Armando Pe?a¡¯s eyes darted a bit in anticipation to meet the president. ¡°Go in, he usually has letters to respond to. Just talk to him like any other,¡± Fox looked at Armando Pe?a and felt like giving some advice. The ex-lawyer, soon to be a lawyer again, nodded before Yue winked at Fox and thumbed him up. ¡°Ah, Fox. Come back at night, before your first time. Let¡¯s discuss something else,¡± Luis¡¯s voice shouted, bringing the couple¡¯s attention to Fox before he nodded, not caring whether Luis saw or not. Then, Fox left. Armando Pe?a and Yue sat before Luis¡¯s desk, gulping in anticipation. Luis waited a bit before looking at the door, where the long gone Fox was far enough, perhaps. He looked at Armando and his wife. He smiled politely at them before saying, ¡°Armando Pe?a, I expect you know why you¡¯re here.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I am willing to do my best to sort any legal problems you give me, president. It¡¯s an honor to meet you, and this is but the perfect dream work that any ambitious lawyer with ideals like mine could hope for. I¡¯m truly apologetic for the previous situation, I wished to keep a low profile and live with my life. We were planning to get pregnant, so we couldn¡¯t help but¡­¡± ¡°Hmf!¡± Luis blew from his nostrils, a bit harder than he intended. He donned a smile. ¡°You think I¡¯m a petty leader who is offended by your constant refuses? It¡¯s not me who should. Anyhow.¡± ¡°No,¡± Luis worded before stating, putting his pen down, ¡°The reason I brought you here, mainly, isn¡¯t to have you work like any other capacitated lawyer. I could have had you brought to the vice president instead. The work you¡¯re going to do here is different, much more¡­ unique.¡± Armando Pe?a slightly widened his eyes. Of course, he wasn¡¯t clueless. Since he had ambition, he had that head well-trained. There was the possibility that he could get ¡®a job¡¯ under the president as a ¡®quirky¡¯ lawyer. It was just the way the president put it, as if it correlated to the safekeeping of the nation¡¯s secrets. It made Armando Pe?a apprehensive. He listened¡­ *** Center of Proteros City, a prosperous business district at noon. It had been 3 weeks since the event in the Ly Ocean. After Fox checked the islands, practically horrifying the moral heart of the world, he could only return and do nothing. The Lymocan government, on the other hand, acted quickly. Over a few dozen people were arrested in the first day. A week later, they were released by the Supreme Court Justice. One would think Lymoca would unify before this controversy and face it accordingly. One could also be na?ve. Regardless, with Fox becoming the new political party¡¯s leader and president of such, Fox had to get a few photos from a single photoshoot and press conference under the president. Fox couldn¡¯t believe it, let alone those who still knew him in the ordinary world. From a kid escaping Preut to a most-important figure in the country in less than 4 years. Naturally, without the president¡¯s thin shade of honor within his political party, he put Fox¡¯s record to the test and ran the road for the ¡®kid¡¯ right away. Now, Lymoca knew of Fox more than whenever else. There weren¡¯t many ads about him, mostly that he was showing his subservience to Luis, ¡®the tyrant¡¯. While countless media put him down socially like a dog, the amount of glares Fox received before a nod of trust were¡­ so many. During these 3 weeks, the Blackflower Boutique had flourished, redundancy omitted. Even though the 11th month¡¯s last week had just started, the calculated gains for the Boutique had been successfully mathed. Individually, Fox has earned 7,346,000 credits on his own. The boutique, as expected, had gross sales of 820,000 credits, and 246,000 credits from his monthly profit. Fox had accumulated 24,969,000 credits in his bank account, while the Blackflower Boutique now counts with 504,000 credits in reserve just from the monthly net sales of 168,000 credits. They could begin talks with the next, third floor, of the boutique, although at a slow pace. Fox¡¯s individual credit came mostly from his tasks, bions, and the contract as the political party president. Colmillo now bought 1.85 million credits worth of bions from him, which would increase next month, little by little. The assignations he¡¯s attended with his team were also helpful, among a few other individual tasks. Then, 2.2 million credits from crafted bions both months, which were sold to PSD. Fox hit the iron while it was hot and requested to be granted more rare materials for his research, although the latter didn¡¯t need to be known by the government and PSD. Either way, it was accepted, but Fox had to give some of his bions until his time as the president finished. However, the materials would still be delivered to his ¡®storage bank¡¯ in the HQ every 2 weeks if he didn¡¯t use them all. Fox also wouldn¡¯t idiotically try to trick neither. It would also be simply stupid for him to not continue practicing and accumulating experience to learn how to build excellent quality bions with a higher chance and ease. Regardless, Fox didn¡¯t doubt pouring money to his current projects. Most importantly, he paid the remaining millions to the old man of the boutique¡¯s second floor, and paid the 5.1 million credits to the mechanics, who were now motivated to work his baby. Fox didn¡¯t continue paying for the Myertha, as it would need a couple of months and a bit more for the current paid reparations to finish. Turning to his business, however, Fox didn¡¯t hesitate to pour 11,000,000 credits from his almost 16,000,000 remaining credits to the Blackflower Boutique¡¯s reserves. Thus, the idea to begin negotiation for the third and fourth floor one at a time and slowly went down the gutter. With Fabiola studying hard, and her vacations just around the corner after the exams and expositions of her work, of which Fox let her use his boutique as part of her project, the Blackflower Boutique neared a brighter bloom. Fox couldn¡¯t wait to leave, tour the country, and return to see his Blackflower Boutique twice as big as now, taking a third of the 11-story building. ¡­ After bidding farewell to Pamela, the second clerk, and checking the possible 2 new clerk candidates, Fox prepared for his ¡®big¡¯ starting day. He also notified Fabiola, who was engrossed with studying. Furthermore, since she would remain in the academy after graduating for classes, which she could pay with the money Fox gave her before, and kindly asking her parents, they decided to postpone her ¡®rejoining¡¯ to the business. It was great for Fox, who was amidst the largest expansion he¡¯s ever made, and a bonafide gesture from Fabiola, who clearly wanted to call the boutique her own again in the future. Like this, as advised by Lesly, Fox took a bus that left him nearest to the presidential precinct. When he was still a couple of minutes from the stop, Fox felt a little stare, different to the surprised or disbelieving stares, and turned to see who it was. Fox found a short man looking up at him with hostile eyes. He never met him, nor someone like that, so Fox blinked and tilted his head, further infuriating the unknown man. When coming out of the bus, the short fella rushed to him and tried upper punching Fox, who didn¡¯t even bother blocking and just smoothly swayed his body to the side. The people stopped, even the bus driver, refusing to leave. Fox looked at the short man, who felt everyone¡¯s gazes, except Fox¡¯s behind some sunglasses, and pointed at his face. ¡°You! What can a killer, womanizer, corrupt young na?ve man like you achieve for my country? You are just a military son from a poor, violent state!¡± Fox lifted his left eyebrow, truly not expecting this. The intensity the man accused him with was sincere. Fox looked at the man before shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head a little, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Since when am I a military¡¯s son?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to hide it!¡± The short man bellowed, begging his throat to emit more righteous words. Fox blinked, not moving from his standing point, ¡°Do you have proof then?¡± Fox asked that, but he was already smiling since he questioned his ¡®identity¡¯ as a military child from Preut¡¯s infamous once-upon-a-time military camps. Asking the man for proof was the opposition killer, and sure enough, the short man didn¡¯t break apart the bad image Fox was engraved into by Lesly and Sona. ¡°It¡¯s all on the social media!¡± As soon as the short man said this, the people began to leave, some rolling or half rolling their eyes, bothered. The short man felt his spirits down and just turned and walked away like his brain was divided into halves and these exchanged positions instantly. Fox shook his head before heading to the presidential precinct. Fox walked to the ¡®presidential¡¯ streets, which were known like that only because few vehicles ever passed every day. Before he crossed the gate, with the guards, soldiers, looking at him sternly; some people went to him and bombarded him with questions. Fox ignored them, only offering some words at the end, having to do with the Lys learning about the happenings in the country that they can¡¯t hear anywhere else, because it doesn¡¯t exist in those media. Then, as evening approached, and some guards arrived to bring the news anchors away, Fox stood before the president¡¯s office again. Before he knocked, the doors opened, letting Fox inside, who placed his hands behind his back and walked to Luis¡¯s desk. ¡°What is there to talk that is so important, President?¡± Fox looked at the man who just finished writing 2 letters and let them pile up at the borders of his desk. Luis looked up. His gray-black eyes seemed a little sharp. But when they looked at him, Fox saw consideration, not disdain, a sort of ¡®temptation¡¯, and the lack of the latter accompanied by the prospect of cooperation. ¡°You don¡¯t have to sob story the people. It¡¯s good to tell them about you, but don¡¯t reveal cards nobody is expecting. You¡¯ve seen it yourself, I wonder if you¡¯ve experienced it, but their only weapon is disinformation. If you become an opened book-¡± Luis half-sermonized Fox before he nodded and patiently interrupted. ¡°Yes, I know. I let them pick me from anywhere they could possibly grab or shut their beaks to hold onto, and my image becomes flooded with that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good you understand,¡± Luis intertwined his fingers and said, looking up at Fox with his chin against them. After a few more seconds, Luis seemed to mentally sigh before opening his mouth, ¡°It seems you don¡¯t need any more explanation. You have most of it figured out. You just need to find the method or you. Just don¡¯t be ¡®intimidated¡¯ from repeating yourself through the tours. Repeat, repeat, and repeat with a proof of loyalty and truth at the side, and they¡¯ll learn what they don¡¯t think they require. They will understand where we come from with this.¡± ¡°I got it,¡± Fox looked down and bent a little to look at the letters. He returned his gaze to Luis, ¡°Would it be better to announce you won¡¯t be taking care of the letters yourself if you remain in the presidency?¡± ¡°¡­ You know what?¡± Luis rubbed the thin bridge of his nose before lifting his face. ¡°Yes, go ahead. Now, an important matter. You are leading Defending Our Home, but the name, and ¡®DOH¡¯, are simply not talked about by the people. As the new president, you will also be the first president of this ¡®renewed¡¯ political party. Choose a new name, sigh, unless you want to keep it?¡± ¡°Defending Our home?¡± Fox asked, his eyebrows sunk. Luis looked at this and nodded with his hand covering his face, glancing through the gaps. Fox¡¯s eyebrows slowly eased, seemingly finding some sort of positive thought. Then, Luis heard Fox spout a flat out, ¡°No.¡± Luis: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call it National Front¡­ with your permission, President.¡± Fox didn¡¯t feel compelled to not act this way, but doing so still made him roll his eyes. That he didn¡¯t hide from Luis Heartez. After the initial stupefaction, Luis leaned his back on his chair and thought before repeating, ¡°National Front, National Front¡­ NF¡­ It seems somehow defying to the other 2. I see.¡± ¡°You have all the necessary rights to do that, no need to ask me. But, yes.¡± Luis nodded, blinking his eyes ceremoniously. Fox nodded in return before taking his leave. As Fox left, Luis followed the young man¡¯s back with his gaze. His face unreadable, and his eyes thoughtful. ¡­
This is the beginning of Volume 4 ¡ª Rave of Blood. Chapter 131 — Playing Polies Playing Polies Proteros, Supreme Court Justice building. Late noon of the same day. In the lavish, old, historical halls of the building of one of the oldest power branches in the nation. A woman walked through the building, entering corridors and gardens so luxurious it made people like L¨¢zaro Renter¨ªa seem poor. Lighting even under the plants'' pots, and decorations that''d make the last kings and queens in the SO salivate, the halls were still lackluster compared to her. She had red hair, azure eyes, white skin and natural rosy lips. A good indication that she was a T¨²acan redhead. She is also short, but wherever she walked, everyone looked up at her. ¡°Miss Valyer!¡± - ¡°Vanessa, good day!¡± - ¡°Miss, good seeing you here.¡± - ¡°Miss Valyer! What a wonderful day, eh? Hahaha!¡± - ¡°Miss, welcome back! Hahaha¡­¡± She ignored them all, only looking at them for a few seconds at most. But other than noticing her expressionless face, they weren¡¯t affected. Smiles and contented eyes continued raining on her as she headed to the high tribune. Vanessa Valyer, the Supreme Justice Minister, the ¡®ringleader¡¯ of the Supreme Court Ministers, and the most powerful woman in Lymoca, one way or another. She stepped into the wide room, enough for more than 100 people to stand with their arms spread. But only 13 seats were placed across the room, separated by a good margin, with booths to protect them, with glasses and individual lights. There¡¯s also communications panel and lighting systems in case they need a bit more for reading or there was a shutdown. Just as she lifted her double suitcase and left it on the desk, heavy and imposing. Vanessa Valyer looked at her desk, just in front of her chair, before sitting. She looked at her sides before sitting down like nothing happened, and she was just feeling lonely or abandoned. Then, she opened the letter after taking a mechanical folder with multiple glass separators that glowed as she touched them, confirming her identity. She read the letter cautiously, passing the glass separators with one hand as she moved the letter from one to another with the other hand. Previous letters like these were always a reason to tremble, but she was growing used to it over the years. Yet, few times did these arrive. After she finished reading it, she leaned her back on the chair, looking ahead of her with fully open eyes. Then, having made a decision, her call, she took a few books from her desk drawers and read them. She was fast, as if she wrote them herself every day, finding information that made her face satisfied, and cunning. Vanessa Valyer nodded to herself as she kept looking, searching for flaws and hidden jabs she had to revise. The Supreme Justice Minister could leave this to one of the 120,000 judicial branch employees, or a few hundred of them, and they wouldn¡¯t complain even without getting a 10 credits payment. But they were too unreliable for time, too busy being busy saying they were busy. Of course, the occasional escapades of criminals across the country never ceased. After a good 15 minutes later, with a brand-new note book, Vanessa Valyer checked the time before closing her books and returning them to their drawers. She also grabbed a small box from her double suitcase with a slit atop in the middle before sliding the letter in. As the sounds of flames echoed from within the little box, emitting no heat, thin smoke, or a louder noise, she grabbed her note book and opened a drawer. She placed the note book halfway through the wood from where it was pulled and slammed the drawer back in. The note book was slammed, with its fresh newness somewhat tarnished. She then stood up and walked to a small trash can and lifted it before throwing the note book below. Letting the trash can slam on it, she took her personal window out, extremely costly, and looked at the time. Past half a minute, she lifted the trash can again and picked the note book before returning to her seat. She grabbed a mantle and began cleaning it from the dirt and little bits of trash. Just then, the doors to the room opened and operated the sight of a dozen people walking in, followed by guards and attendants, who smiled at her. ¡°Miss Vanessa!¡± - ¡°Supreme Justice Minister.¡± - ¡°Supreme Justice!¡± Their greetings were boot licking and loud, as usual. They saw her cleaning a note book and wondered if there was work this time. She looked at them with a casual expression, but that only made them more intrigued. As they chatted and relaxed, the attendants, to each their minister, carefully asked and brought them their meal, drinks, and snacks for 30 minutes. They constantly glanced at the ringleader, waiting for her to speak to everyone as they ate, relaxed, and chatted. At last, Vanessa Valyer shook her head, flinging her hair at her sides to free her face and ears from it, and said after briefly presenting her note book before her face. ¡°It has come to my attention a particular nuisance. This one includes the massive disregard for our sovereignty. The Humane Key is at stake here, and the culprit, as you can imagine, thinks he is sitting above us.¡± Vanessa Valyer¡¯s gaze was firm yet compassionate, she spoke slowly, yet her tone was innately soft. She looked delicate, but she was the most ruthless one in maybe not only the judicial branch, but the executive, legislative; all 3 branches in Lymoca. ¡°What is it, Vane?¡± A brown man with short black, trimmed hair asked her. He looked quite ordinary, with a regular height to further complement such ordinariness. Vanessa Valyer looked at him with the same eyes, but they became a bit understanding before she continued. ¡°For almost a month, we¡¯ve known of the quirky nature behind the president¡¯s new alleged political party¡¯s president. A young man not even 19 yet was given the rule of such a political party, which currently holds a minority within the congress. How is that possible?¡± Her tone sounded firmer, and she went on, ¡°I have never abandoned that thought in my mind, so I thought about spending some free time studying it. However, as I ventured deeper into it, I became absorbed. This is not a move for popularity, at least not alone. The origins of this young man, and his past deeds, are clear but inconclusive, leaving me only with few options.¡± ¡°Here, in this book, there are many more possibilities, but that will be your task to research. There are 2 of the most important facts I hope are erroneous thinking from my Justice self. One is the possibility of this ¡®murder kid¡¯ being a spy sent from foreign powers that seek to wreak havoc in our country. The other¡­¡± Vanessa Valyer¡¯s eyes turned cold, really piercing. ¡°The current president is orchestrating a dictatorship where there is no one for the people!¡± ¡°Paws?¡± Vanessa Valyer looked at a young woman, one of the most accomplished at such a young age in the judicial branch and in the records of the Lys. The young woman in question had brown sand skin, long black hair, and big black eyes. Her regular height made her seem small in her seat, but not more than Vanessa, who was shorter. ¡°Yes, your Justice?¡± Jennifer Paws looked at the Supreme Justice Minister, awaiting her orders. Vanessa spoke with her eyes unchanged, ¡°You will further research about the subject of this wide investigation, you have seen how the Courts and Justice works, so lead ahead. Remember, bring to me every piece of information you find, to me directly, and first.¡± ¡°Yes, o¡¯Justice!¡± Jennifer wore a serious expression as she nodded, almost saluting. Vanessa Valyer nodded before addressing the rest of the ministers. Their new task had just begun. *** Plastics Recycler Factory. In one of its training sparring grounds. Fox and Nala Loba were at melee, facing each other as shins and forearms met, wearing specialized bandages as they went at each other. Their bodies were slow but precise. It seemed like they were tired, with their sweat everywhere and their bodies breathing harshly, but it had been an hour since they started the demonstration for the newcomers. They would soon graduate, and nothing like a representative captain and ¡®her lover¡¯ to pipe their spirits down. The showdown wasn¡¯t an amazing sight, but rather, a learning experience. From the beginning, Fox and Nala Loba¡¯s blows were all-out, with each hit making the audience cringe in their seats. But they continued for an hour, now sweating and breathing heavily, but not tired or injured. Ping! A noise marked their stop, allowing the two to relax and breathe relaxingly. As they did, Nala Loba looked at him, with Fox returning the gaze after looking down initially. Her eyes seemed still locked onto him, still in the sparring session, as if stuck. ¡°That was wonderful,¡± the leading instructor for this batch, representative captain Nauer, clapped and nodded, bringing their attention to him. The newcomers cheered a bit and clapped before falling silent, quite disciplined despite feeling overwhelmed yet inspired.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Captain Nala, may I speak with you? A curiosity picks at my mind,¡± Captain Nauer spoke, making his first 2 words cause a roll from Fox¡¯s eyes. He stepped back, still under Nala Loba¡¯s eyes, and stretched his bones, making them snap. Nala Loba¡¯s eyes changed, blinking before resting, becoming indifferent and cold at full motor. She turned to Captain Nauer and nodded before walking to him. Her pace seemed regular, but almost slow, and gave a strange sense of confidence. ¡°Aye, what is that?¡± Nala Loba stood before him, crossing her arms before his chest, a few inches away. The Captain nodded and turned to lean on a railing separating small sparring areas. He was accompanied by Nala Loba, with Fox hearing from the distance through the noise from the newcomers. ¡°I was thinking your team can meet up with mine to continue during the following months. I don¡¯t know, like a month. Until the next year?¡± He looked at her at the end of his words and smiled a bit. He added, ¡°Since you¡¯ll be missing one, going into the special tasks, and with the current climate, our teams might need this cooperation.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Nala Loba lifted her right leg, bending it to her thigh as she grabbed a thin bottle and drank fresh, cold water from it, throwing her head back. She was impossibly gracious, to say the least. Finishing her drink, she bent her leg again and kept it. ¡°But my members will be sent to accompany Fox. This is his first time dealing in matters, and he is a PSD special agent, but if he gets caught dealing with matters only SA do in his tour, it ruins PSD¡¯s exposition sooner. There will be a ¡®bodyguard¡¯ for him, so we¡¯d need more and more teams to accompany us. That is no place for special tasks, at least not to the peak of the global stability.¡± ¡°My team is also taking a rest from special, cooperative tasks.¡± She leaned backwards on the railing, folding her arms, and craning her neck as she faced him. Their faces were only separated by her bent arms and his as they looked at each other. ¡°The last time, we faced a hoog intervention, facing off for a bit. It wasn¡¯t bad for us, but the next time might. What¡¯s a little gold compared to the stability of the future?¡± Nala Loba shook her head a bit, keeping her thin eyes closed to caress her magnificent eyes as she shook her head. ¡°It won¡¯t do good to for teams. With how the situation unfolded a few weeks ago, it¡¯s to remain low.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Captain Nauer¡¯s eyes felt a bit pensive as he nodded, his chin on his arms on the railing. ¡°Since it¡¯s a break time, I suggest groups to keep training these kids until the next year, then. That Teon Butler spoke of is there too, you could take her off me, for once.¡± Seeing Captain Nauer form a large smile, Nala Loba smirked from the left corner of her mouth, thinking for a bit as she darted her eyes around the place before nodding. She returned her face to him, ¡°That can do. It¡¯s been a while since I spent so much time in HQ.¡± As Captain Nauer smiled at her words, Fox, standing farther away than before, patted his hands with his back facing them. His face, looking back at them over his shoulder, turned before he twisted his neck to feel some snaps and the pressure from it down his body. ¡°Haahh¡­¡± ¡°Hey there, loverboy¡­¡± Nol, alias Wheel, walked to Fox and leaned over a pillar that is used to train one¡¯s control over their force. Fox turned and leaned his ass on it as Nol nearly lied-stood on it. He patted Fox¡¯s arm with the back of his hand before gesturing, ¡°How many of these do you think will get to make a team with Teon?¡± ¡°Teon?¡± Fox repeated her name as he looked for her, finding her stretching relaxingly with a big buffed, slightly chubby guy expressionlessly bending her back with his arms pulling hers. Teon had a comfortable expression, although Fox could see sweating beads fall down his temple. Grinning, he expressed curiosity, ¡°What newbie team? With her capabilities, she should earn her status in an expert Green team. Why would she be in a newbie team?¡± Fox faced Nol, who looked a bit hesitant. Fox asked while wearing a casual expression, but Nol felt too eerie looking at it to respond right away. ¡°Is Nauer making her stay in one?¡± ¡°No, no, no.¡± Nol shook his head when he saw Fox¡¯s polycoria eyes changing to 6 impenetrable black pools in total. ¡°It¡¯s from Butler¡¯s hand, actually.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Fox exclaimed a bit. Nol explained after cocking his head, ¡°He actually put emphasis on her training. I think she might be¡­ a candidate to become his student. You know, that often means the old Butler is preparing to become the old Butler.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Fox narrowed his eyes and replied with little reaction. Nol looked at him curiously before stretching his neck. ¡°Huh? Is that all? No nervousness or jealousy from being taken away from you? At least feel contented for her, aye?¡± ¡°Oh, talking about the little ¡®nuisance princess¡¯,¡± Nol suddenly said as he looked past Fox and to a young woman with big black eyes and pitch black long hair. Fox smiled before turning his head, staring at Teon who walked to him at a quick pace, trying to hide her presence. ¡°Aooouh~!¡± Teon exclaimed before rushing to Fox upon being discovered. She hugged his neck dearly and rested, stabbed, her chin on his collarbone as she smiled her toothy teeth at his brotherly face. ¡®What is she gonna ask this time?¡¯ Fox looked down at her, and Teon looked up at him. She narrowed her eyes, employing her super powers to read his mind. ¡®Bet you don¡¯t know what I am going to ask of you. Hah! You don¡¯t even know I¡¯m going to.¡¯ ¡°Yo, Fox. Tonight is your night, go and conquer them left and right, up and down, in and out!¡± Teon cheered, actually making one¡¯s chest feel encouraged. Her grin was all full of bravery as she wished him luck, ¡°Never would I have imagined this. Hey, has the Ruvas contacted you? They took care of you once, you know?¡± ¡°Hmm, why? Did they contact you or something?¡± Fox asked downwards at the pig-headed young woman. She pouted before shaking her head, offering no word. Fox nodded slightly and pinched her sides, but she didn¡¯t retreat yet. He thought, ¡®Here it comes.¡¯ ¡®Here I go, all or nothing!¡¯ Teon thought to herself. She smiled, charming and cute, before saying in a coquettish tone, ¡°Yooo, brooo¡­ if you become a public servant, too¡­ can you give me a few things to start my career later on? I don¡¯t want to break my hands and sweat blood to get-¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Fox slapped the sides of her hips, making her feel like a thin, iron cable deep in her body from her nape to the middle of her vertebral column tingled nonstop. Right after, Fox smacked each butt cheek once before carrying her over his left shoulder. Walking past the training ground, Fox left Nol behind, and the newcomers made way for him as he went on. When he walked by the 2 of 3 representative captains, Fox was stared at by Captain Nauer and Nala Loba. The former frowned a bit, although it eased quickly, but he kept looking at this scene with no one in particular reflected in his eyes. Nala Loba, on the other hand, stood with her back straight and narrowed her eyes, slightly sinking her eyebrows with her body slightly sideways to see this. Her eyes slowly relaxed as she saw Fox leave. Fox walked to the reception, where another young woman was working, and stopped there. Him going into the HQ like before was¡­ almost too difficult, let alone walking out. He placed Teon down, who pouted silently. As she crossed her arms, before she remembered her strongest weapon against him and his vital point, Fox showed her a document. ¡°Eh? What this?¡± Teon frowned before taking off the blurry plastic around it. She found a few paper sheets still enveloped by a specialized plastic, perfectly readable this time. None of it mattered. Only the wide words imprinted as such to attract attention from the rest load of information below. It read: ¡®Adoption Form¡¯. ¡°Fox? This-¡± Teon looked up after reading them, tears threatening to spill from her lacrimals as Fox hugged her head, comically hugging her into his embrace. ¡°I¡¯m not too cynical to give you this for¡­ being considered ¡®highly¡¯ and almost graduating. But I really have nothing else, so take it as my gift for those matters.¡± ¡°What considered highly? That nitwit makes me go through the worst hardships while training¡­ although the other instructors always try to comfort me. Is that what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Teon leaned her left ear on his sternum and looked up at him. She looked too damn cute. Hit with such a critical strike, Fox rolled his eyes mentally and held her slender, femininely muscular arms, ¡°No¡­ but just keep working hard. You only needed honing to improve. Now, use experience to polish that thick head of yours. It¡¯s such a gem.¡± ¡°Heh heh,¡± Teon laughed dumbly, contented with herself. After some more hugging, Fox grabbed her shoulders and held her before his eyes like a doll, her head tumbling a bit. ¡°How does it feel to be a survivor now?¡± ¡°Just know that miss Teon Caolia will learn how to do business now.¡± She grinned, proudly announcing her new name, making Fox feel just as proud. Teon hugged his lower torso and leaned her other ear on his slightly muscular bod for full package comfort on both ears. ¡°What do you suggest I strike for in my future business empire?¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± Fox¡¯s eyes twinkled with the craftiness of a brother about to take advantage of his sister. ¡°Get some good food supplying, acquiring, and shipping lines first. How much do you have in your savings?¡± ¡°Like 30 million credits, why?¡± Teon¡¯s eyes sparkled. Would she finally get his help after teaching her all those boring stuff while she caved in his mega hotel¡¯s suite he said the Ruvas taught him? Teon was excited! ¡°Go fuck yourself, kindly.¡± Fox was speechless for a while before talking to his adopted sister that way. Teon smiled, feeling smug. Fox shook his head before starting giving her a few words and tips. He wanted to make sure she wouldn¡¯t be involved in messy paths. Although all he had to do was say which ones to ignore or not give importance to. Once he finished placing Teon¡¯s moneymaking mind in a good spot, cursing the Riverlye team for being so generous to give her their savings and belongings in their bequeaths, including Pheli¡¯s, Fox went to his judgment day¡¯s carriage. *** Proteros, an important night. Year 1,025, 11th month, 4th week, 1st day. Late evening. ¡°Fox,¡± Butler welcomed Fox into the backstage. It was a rather wide but still humble and small display. Fox wore a suit, much different to the others he always wears, but also differing from those everyone else in this circle would use. His sleeves were smaller but not tight, and his jacket seemed smaller, too, but it was comfy and didn¡¯t limit his movements. In fact, it felt nearly as good as a uniform, which he wore under his clothes. Fox looked at the oldie before saying, ¡°I came as soon as I could, an important matter at the HQ. It was so important you weren¡¯t notified, and it was resolved quickly, even though it was an important matter for a hoog-¡± ¡°Aye, I wasn¡¯t complaining. I would be mad, too.¡± Butler lifted his palm and closed his eyes in a slow and relaxed demeanor. Fox jolted his head, feeling a bit weirded, but he didn¡¯t form a train of thought about it. He nodded and looked at the spot where he¡¯ll be entering through in 33 seconds. Indeed, he arrived just in time. There was a big red curtain where all eyes and flashes would aim at him. And the image-advertiser, Lesly, the vice president, was just about to speak his name after charming the audience with her secretary. Even though Sona, the unmatched woman, was beside her, the crowd were charmed at first by their smiles and presence, let alone their words and enthusiasm. ¡­ Chapter 132 — Lonely Touring Lonely Touring ¡°With you¡­ Mr. Fox!¡± Lesly took a deep breath after laughing with the crowd, moving her hair behind her right ear, and announcing out of nowhere as she pointed to where Fox was waiting. There was a silence for half a second before, led by her enthusiasm, they cheered for him. Fox walked into the stage, with Lesly and Sona walking to him, smiling and hushing words to him before leaving the stage all for himself. They walked to the backstage, where Sona left and Lesly met with the president, who didn¡¯t show himself to Fox before but now stood beside Butler. She stood beside the president and fondled his shoulder with hers, nudging towards Fox, who took the podium and stood behind it. Fox stood at the podium, holding its closest corners to him after moving the flat rectangle glass, the microphone. He looked ahead for 2 seconds before lowering his gaze, speaking with a rather casual tone, ¡°Everyone usually looks at my eyes and think I¡¯m going to seize their souls. It¡¯s fine if there¡¯s silence.¡± Silence might have followed him suit, but many lips inadvertently grinned. Here or behind screens. There were 10 news anchors, with a particular man and woman, camera and reporter, standing just in front of Fox below the stage. Of course, there were also the people themselves, who, by the promise of seeing the unmatched women at the head of Lymoca, came to his first rally for the president¡¯s campaign. ¡°I am Fox, but my birth name is and will be Phesx Caolia, a survivor of Preut, but only one of many. Since the moment I stepped out of Preut, I¡¯ve had little contact with any pre-Preutians, as I have with Lys. I am a Ly now, but just as many of you consider yourselves ¡®T¨²acxes¡¯, ¡®Teros¡¯, ¡®Proses¡¯, ¡®Euses¡¯, ¡®Mapases¡¯, and the like, I am Preutian.¡± Clap, clap, clap¡­ cheers. A simple introduction; direct and nailing where everyone might think when seeing someone like him and him. The applause was a not so loud one, but it gave game to the beginning of his first rally. ¡°I am also not sure where I come from to take place here. Anyone else could¡¯ve done it,¡± Fox faces the people honestly, only glimpsing at the BLF news anchor, whose reporter¡¯s eyes look at him intently, almost like she was waiting so long for a dream like this. ¡°But those who could have taken this role stepped back for me, honor them if you wish to see the Lymoca someone like me has never heard or dreamt of. Only I can show you why I¡­ follow such a President seeking to lead you. Even then, it isn¡¯t something easily said, as you can tell by my past records.¡± Fox quieted the atmosphere, which was just livening up. Nothing like remembering the person before you is the killer of a thousand lives. It wasn¡¯t a general speaking, nor a president who went to war, as it hasn¡¯t been for hundreds of years. It was but a person alone, who was seen acting alone. It cooled their blood. ¡°I am not ashamed of my past, so if there¡¯s anything any of you would like to bring into my rallies, go ahead. For now, listen to me.¡± Fox moved the glass microphone before resuming, ¡°When I found the food, fabric for clothes, supplies, and conformity, and the medicine on those islands or platforms, I was enraged.¡± ¡°Even if it meant not much to me, I know what those things could do to the people, especially in a war. All of those things could have been free, and I know many think I¡¯m stupid to believe this, and that such expenditure cannot be afforded in Lymoca. You are wrong¡­¡± Fox let it trail off. ¡°Lymoca has a great neighbor, one many are jealous of and are glad they are not close to. It also has good relations with most of the planet. There is nothing stopping Lymoca from achieving greatness¡­¡± Fox¡¯s eyes become cold, ¡°Only ourselves.¡± ¡°For 12 years, Lymoca has no longer descended further from where it stood 12 years ago. It was a strange deception at first, many think, but now it¡¯s your turn to make it worth it. With the recent programs and last few reforms, the government has more opportunities to move without obstructions, but only with your help.¡± ¡°As long as the next government has the majority of the votes, as long as NF sets their next step firmly in the country, then those ideas of impossible realities will become the ¡®nowadays¡¯ of tomorrow.¡± Fox glanced at everyone, who seemed unable to think further than his words. ¡°I started my path, the one that has led me here, since I was 13,¡± Fox let his voice out. His soft, broken tone spread in the surroundings. ¡°I walked out of my home thinking I was going to be sent to Preut¡¯s borders, and that the older guys and gals would take the front to defend the land I lived in. I didn¡¯t care much about it then.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t stay there for a meager reason¡­ Just my hunch, if it can be called that,¡± Fox looked through the corners of his eyes, lifting his chin as he reminisced. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there in the massacre near my neighborhood, nor did I know about it until much later. I didn¡¯t know if my family was fine¡­ because I wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Returning to my home, a man was selectively grabbing my clothes, my family¡¯s things, food, and all our most valuable possessions, which were barely something. Now that I remember, I had a computer. Yes, not a ¡®screen¡¯, the old thing.¡± ¡°I never thought about my personal computer after returning to my home and seeing the man. My first¡­ ¡®kill¡¯. I could¡¯ve died many times, but he gave me too many chances to protect my life, so I ended his. But I was injured, and I wouldn¡¯t have made it for long with an infection spreading in my abdomen¡­¡± Fox continued, relating his story, or a tiny part of everything. Luis and Lesly looked at this. Butler seemed thoughtful, narrowing his eyes. This was the first time Fox talked about it with them, with anyone¡­ after Pheli. Even Teon only knew smallish things, which she wouldn¡¯t say to anyone else, bearing them as her little treasures. Butler looked at the side, where a hidden young woman laid in the shadows, with her back against part of the red curtain. She, too, knew nothing and was just hearing about it with the rest of them. The people were hearing Fox¡¯s story, for once, but only a very small, brief, and unimportant one, almost like a quick recapitulation of history books with added commentary. ¡°?¡± Luis felt a bell-like sound in his head before taking his WID out. A glacial, snow-like, heavenly window showed in his right hand after his hand went into his collarbone. He frowned after grabbing it, looking at Fox ahead of him. Lesly¡¯s breathtaking black eyes moved ever so slightly while staring at Fox, retelling and resuming the never-before-heard story. She uttered while still staring, grabbing Luis¡¯s wrist without looking, speaking aimlessly. ¡°I was going to say I can¡¯t believe it¡­ but¡­ I think I just rather not believe it. Don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Mhm, that might be so.¡± it was impossible to say the story wasn¡¯t¡­ grimdark at best. But Luis¡¯s eyes on Fox weren¡¯t like those of a pitying person, and more like a spectator who is only listening. He didn¡¯t notice it, except for Butler, but his eyes and attitude seemed to warp. Not his personality per se, or his mood; something more within his attitude, within those sharp, serious gray-black eyes. For starters, they seemed more keen to their owner, who always wore an image of silliness and not knowing what he was doing. Although it was worn within reason. ¡°But he doesn¡¯t need our pity¡­¡± Luis looked at Lesly, ¡°Anyone¡¯s pity.¡± ¡­. In Fox¡¯s suite, Mena and Teon massaged their feet as they watched the TV reveal Fox¡¯s image and¡­ story. Teon¡¯s eyes twinkled, seeming to understand bits and bits, while Mena was focused on his storytelling, if only to hear more. ¡­ In an office, at the now bustling special agent psychiatrist after Fox became the image everyone in the secret world knew about, Morena looked through her window at the distant city land. There, as she looked at the lighted presidential precinct, the large screen behind her showcased him and his voice on full volume. She smiled a bit whenever she heard a little bit of his quirky thoughts here and there. ¡­ Sargonde. Far from Proteros, in a mansion where a family of 3, with a casual half-family member, watched Fox¡¯s first rally in the country, with an extra little someone. Their living room was empty but filled with renown pizza boxes. ¡­ In a few houses, or directly in a pizzeria, still in Sargonde, Fox¡¯s image showed everywhere. Even old lady Roberta, bending and barely able to walk, watched while sitting beside her son, who had 3 girlfriends eating pizza with him, getting along just right. Similarly, in a farm, a pair of father and mother played with their children. Not child, children. ¡­ In the Blackflower Boutique, Fox¡¯s attendants and clerks watched, with Fabiola taking a break early with some tests results showing her exemplary self. They watched as their once possible issue to attract even more clients and go bigger sooner¡­ smoked away, turning into a beacon instead. ¡­ A man wearing an expensive suit mentally debating whether to hear the reasoning behind why a young man was telling his story, with so much power, even globally. An old doctor, alone and busy working, taking a small break for a few minutes, with a longing he can never recuperate again always tormenting his mind. Businesspeople who are hard at work after the events 3 weeks ago, working their asses to donate their quality food to the population these past few weeks, and silently supporting the government¡¯s ideals.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡­ A couple in the presidential main building, watching with all other public servants, and even the cabinet. A group of mechanics who looked at Fox¡¯s image and heard his story like most Ly were, judging and waiting. A father and son whose criminal life had become long gone, but their ¡®prison¡¯ became the main building. ¡­ In Proteros. A young lass, no longer sicken with love from the past, etching for the future she can hold, but wanting more like anyone would. Her rosy white skin matured, her long golden chestnut hair more beautiful and gentle than ever. Tall, with wisps of wisdom carried over her understanding eyebrows. She went from meeting equally talented people in a gala to stare at a small TV somewhere in the walls, feeling proud. ¡­ In another part of Lymoca, where people were wasting their money to buy tickets for a concert, wanting to buy even 10x the price of one, and even give their bodies, male or female. An utmost beauty with Dawn aesthetics had her legs massaged in her bedroom by a female attendant as she attentively listened. ¡­ In the Supreme Court Justice building, out of working hours, or at least that is how it is known in the judicial branch. In the high tribune, the Supreme Justice Minister sat alone in the dark, eating something at last. She drank a bit and continued eating, having forgotten to put something in her body to keep energy running. She looked at a screen after wanting to ignore it, but the words were louder than her constant munching or drinking noises inside her mouth. In the end, the redhead looked at the screen, becoming self-absorbed in it, forming an ugly expression. She once again forgot to eat. But not for long. Her hands moved on their own, grabbing as she bit and drank, but her eyes¡­ The azure never left the impenetrable black pools, sometimes 6, sometimes 7¡­ only a couple of times 8. Everyone was watching; now through his eyes. It was a mere night in the world, at least in the Moonblue supercontinent. But it felt different to him; it was like a calling. . . . The first rally meant the direction where National Front, Lymoca¡¯s avant-garde political party and movement, were headed to. The person leading it, NF¡¯s president, was the face of the campaign, but not the reasoning behind its creation. Although Fox seemed interesting, with the constant social media simply turning to him like ravenous dogs with a railing stopping them from reaching out, there was a lot to be desired from his rallies. Yet, he continued without making big announcements, requesting advertising from the president, or even going out there to distribute flyers to have more people attend. He simply published the dates in his tour and continued. At first, it was of little importance to attend. In Proteros, not even 300 people went, and all for the sake of the 2 unmatched women. It was so easy to just listen to it while doing house¡¯s daily activities, some work, and things unthinkable for the peaceful mind. But something the country hasn¡¯t seen, at least towards some success, like Fox is doing, was an attractive call. Luis tried to do it for his second term, and while he was re-elected, he was also ¡®silently¡¯ humiliated by the people back then. Fox repeated his ¡®method¡¯. While he wasn¡¯t a comical person, nor public person now, he was a brutally honest one. After his introduction and a bit of his story, showing a tiny iota more in every other state, he received some questioning. One time, a person, without public service or outside journalism, a civilian, asked him, ¡°What are your thoughts on the future of this country? With the reforms, especially the one supporting the guards. And what is Luis Heartez going to do if he is given our so-called power to him?!¡± To which Fox responded, ¡°Answering all of that at once¡ª the President does not believe in working a single solution. With the help of the people, I think it¡¯s obvious he¡¯d have the majority to not be stopped, but that¡¯s not where it ends. There are currently some powers in the government who use their authority wrongly, forgetting their place and violating Ly constitutions.¡± ¡°The President doesn¡¯t seek to control the government, but to return its might and sense of belonging to you. The people is National Front¡¯s focus, not just everyone in general, but those in specific needs that contemporary days shouldn¡¯t have allowed to happen anymore. Even more so with the Post Order Concession (POC).¡± ¡°The stolen supplies were only a once-in-a-lifetime that should never happen again, that the people cannot be tricked with again. And yet, others disagreed, because most of them are free and back to the streets. Yet, you still wonder why the prices haven¡¯t been lowered enough, yet only heard what anyone else has to say, but not those with truth.¡± It was a sort of slapping sense into the crowd that time, which was well above 3,000 people. By then, Fox had already spent some days visiting a few states. While he didn¡¯t change the state¡¯s overall thinking, let alone the world, Fox¡¯s words were easily transmitted, and the people who heard it with their very own eyes¡­ became hooked. Fox didn¡¯t notice this, too, at first. It wasn¡¯t until he began spending days by one after another state capital city in neighboring states to make up for the shortage of time, not wanting to spend more money in the campaign, that he started realizing¡­ People might really be coming to him just because he kept talking to them. It didn¡¯t seem anything important, as watching it from afar is just so much easier. But thousands of people formed up to see Fox, hear him, and¡­ perhaps learn something from it. And thus, on another occasion, Fox was questioned by the obvious reporter in cover from an opposing media, although such a thing is supposedly non-existent. ¡°You have killed the bread earners of multiple families! Your thirst for violence knows no boundaries! What will you say to the people who throw their lives because of this reform? It will be by the hundreds a day before people realize and revolt to your corruption!¡± ¡°I have nothing to say to people whom I do not know, nor do I have the right to talk to. Not because I did atrocities to their families and others say I¡¯m guilty, but because I, and National Front, won¡¯t fall behind on their word or let down the people. We are not fake, but if we are, it is to keep our calm when things like wasting food and medicine occur.¡± ¡°I have no regrets. My life was in danger, and if I wasn¡¯t available, killed instead, or delayed by the guards, trying to safely put them away, then the vice president¡¯s life would¡¯ve been in danger. She isn¡¯t untouchable, nor are the guards, and neither is the president. It was my decision, and I will never regret. I had respect for the guards I killed, but not the hundreds of special agents I massacred with my bare hands and some weapons. I did enjoy every nanosecond of it, and I will be there if it ever needs to be done.¡± Fox wasn¡¯t just the young man many thought of when thinking of the current¡¯s president¡¯s campaign. Hundreds and hundreds more of people moved as days passed, reading Fox¡¯s schedule, as his introduction became lengthier, and the people listened for longer. Instead of losing interest either in the crowd or the views. They only grew¡­ The weird-eyed humane monster was already a big emphasis on the daily lives of countless Lys. He spoke with such ease, and showed the bluntness no one really dares to. He established he didn¡¯t care about the ¡®rumors¡¯ of the OCs¡¯ involvements with previous governments, and doesn¡¯t care about his life¡¯s endangerment, making a number in the intrigue of any individual. Of course, being the Fox everyone in Ly knows about¡­ How could he be afraid? ¡­ A few days into the tour, Fox had Alea visit him first. She came when he was just in T¨²acan. Her appearance made his popularity within the ¡®land of redheads¡¯ more distinguished. It wasn¡¯t something new, neither here nor in any part of the world, but it showed Fox had the means to be relevant. At least when thinking of the people following him, which in turn follow the president. Lyan superseded her, staying with him for a couple of days before Nol arrived. The change was apparent in social media, which struck more and more in Lymoca, and began making its way outside its borders and waters. It was just guards, but Fox¡¯s guards? Intriguing. Usually, be it a first world country like ANS or Zyckevele, or even the beaten down Knight Assembly Association, their political runs are always kept to themselves. This was so for them, let alone for smaller and less impactful countries like the K tribe nations, Meztle Island, and those like Argopolas and Vevuesta. Lymoca¡¯s elections weren¡¯t important to a geopolitical level, always remaining neutral and out of any possible conflict, regardless of the time and the situation. While they always opted for peace and little to no circumstances led them to being heard, they were perhaps the most neutral and pacifist country since its foundation as a nation from a fallen empire, respected as such. Thus, who ruled there in such peaceful times mattered little. The only vital concern was that the current Lymoca retained its approaches to their southern neighbors. Before, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered, but after 12 years of good relations between the south and Lymoca, it did. Would other governments, alien to the president Luis Heartez¡¯s ideals, adhere to this reasonable principle, and continue relations with the south? They didn¡¯t before, even when hurricanes devastated the shores without end, why would they now? Thus, some solidarity was expected¡­ ¡°It was nice tonight, there were many people who shouted your name,¡± Nol said as Fox returned to the hotel presidential suite. Fox wasn¡¯t fazed when he saw Nol sitting his bum on the floor, checking his nails and appearing suave. ¡°Yeah? 3 or 4 times?¡± Fox said with the same face as when he entered. Nol smirked a bit before saying with a calm tone, ¡°I think it was 5, actually. Most were boys, and both girls doing so were underage, I think.¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± Fox dropped his suit on the bed and went to a sofa in the living room, where Nol was lazing around. Nol looked at the suit and agonized. ¡°Agh! ¡®Boss¡¯, please. Miss Goddess Beauty Lesly will kill me if she sees that precious, 12,000,000 credit piece thrown around like nothing.¡± ¡°You just made that number up,¡± Fox relaxed his eyes, dropping his eyelids as he threw a cushion to Nol¡¯s head. ¡°Also, why are you calling me boss even now? Also twice, who the fuck wears that much money around their bodies? It doesn¡¯t even resist fire. If this ¡®piece¡¯ costs more than 10,000 credits, I¡¯ll piss on it and gift it to the President.¡± ¡°Boss, you might end up increasing its price to 40,000. What if it duplicates?¡± Nol said. Obviously, he was teasing. Nol was hit on the head with another cushion. He almost dropped unconscious, as it was sent by Fox¡¯s left arm. Nol shut up and let Fox rest his eyes. ¡°Wait, underage? Why are those little people attending?¡± Fox sat up, wondrous. Nol looked at him with ¡®duh-ing¡¯ eyes. ¡°Fox, that¡¯s normal¡­ Fox, don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t notice¡­ There were more than 15,000 people tonight.¡± Fox looked down at Nol like he forgot Nol existed and had just reappeared, before relaxing back down. Nol fell pensive also, but he voiced his thoughts after a few minutes, when silence was so comfy Fox could almost fall half-asleep. ¡°Boss, you really are a mad dog, pissing on something and then wanting to gi- WHAT THE PUTAS?!¡± Nol was too talkative. Nol was sent a sofa by Fox¡¯s left arm, kindly. Regrettably, Nol dodged in time. The campaign budget had to pay a bill for the damages. Nol now knew what to report, and how to survive¡­ how not to accidentally die under Fox¡¯s leadership. ¡­ Chapter 133 — Screeching Gears Screeching Gears A couple of days later, Nol left Fox''s side. Currently, the government was employing a geopolitical event of sorts, where they''d cooperate with some southern countries in a naval practice. Neither of the participating countries had something bigger than a frigate, and only a few had submarines, not including Lymoca. All in all, it was a simple cooperation. It became even more notorious after the incident at the beginning of the month. It was a practice that usually happened after entering the SO, and in terms of peacefulness, as a means to show cooperation and support between neighboring countries to any other. It also served somewhat of a reminder to remain united. Of course, that didn¡¯t work well until the end of massive periods of war in the 5th century, with the Total Change War Period. Regardless, while people worried about naval practices and cooperation, Lymoca serving as a guest to their Ly Ocean and the Lyclan Sea with the Endessa, Carnage, and the Pyot Island, Meztle Island, and Argopolas nations, Fox continued the tour. He went ¡®alone¡¯ to Sargonde. He wasn¡¯t just by himself, as he had a team that were all paid to do their work, and had to be screened for professionalism, afraid of the opposition¡¯s plays. Furthermore, there were fewer NF¡¯s members than one would anticipate, further showing the importance Fox had in the future for this political party. Of course, neither Fox nor the party members minded it. Fox was paid, and they were contented as long as everything went and ended well. Moreover, the hired workers to prepare the stages, accommodate more and more space as Fox¡¯s tour gained popularity, and stuff, were rather respectful. Nobody really wanted to be faulty or careless when dealing with the Fox. The morning Fox prepared to meet with a little someone who has a bunch of concerts in this place, and some guest programs in the national network, he met a little someone. Just before leaving the hotel room he had just arrived to, showered and prepared for some free advertising from someone influential, ¡®she¡¯ stood in front of his door. ¡°Nala- Captain?¡± Fox widened his eyes at the surprise. He smiled after being taken by surprise by her again. Only she could sneak upon him while being right in front of him, even if there was a wall or a door in between. ¡°Excited to meet your previous client?¡± Nala Loba casually asked him, looking at him with her arms relaxed down her hips. She wore a suit, although a specially designed one. It was like Fox¡¯s in terms of colors, but it had a much broader aperture in the middle below her sternum. She wore a sky blue shirt underneath, buttoned with light blue colors. She had a hair addition, an ornament, simulating a long ponytail, but this one was too thin and more like an elongated lock of hair. Nala Loba looked at Fox and waited for a reply, patient and quiet. Fox blinked before speaking, his smile eased. ¡°I was just going there. Will Captain follow me?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Nala Loba tilted her head backwards, gesturing. Her move was every bit of freshness. Fox nodded, and so, they walked out of his hotel room and on their way out. Fox talked to her as they walked, ¡°How come you have come, Captain?¡± ¡°I happened to be the one coming, that¡¯s it.¡± Nala Loba walked and spoke, receiving a nod from Fox, who directly asked again. ¡°But isn¡¯t the naval cooperation happening these days? You must be missing that, leaving it to Akina or Nol, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an event. Nothing like that can beat the importance of my person. The only thing I want to put my attention to is the things that don¡¯t waste my time. I rather keep teaching you leadership than spend days at sea, or some shores.¡± She spoke in her natural voice. ¡°Mhm, did they offer you any pay when you first rejected it?¡± Fox nodded, thinking before inquiring, wanting to know the sum. But Nala Loba shook her head, blinking a bit slowly, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Huh? Then how?¡± Fox was a bit taken aback. Nala Loba turned her head to him, her eyes rapidly moving from his mouth to his eyes, ¡°I didn¡¯t respond and came here.¡± ¡°¡­ You took a flight?¡± Fox¡¯s speechlessness as he looked at her aloof expression didn¡¯t last long. Nala Loba nodded. Fox blinked and inquired again, ¡°Colmillo helped you?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Nala Loba exclaimed before staring ahead, where the elevator was waiting for them with its doors open, and completely empty. Fox nodded, pursed his lower lip up with a cocking motion of his head, and walked into the elevator with her. Once inside, she pressed a button, heading to the main, first floor. After the doors closed, they remained silent. The elevator was pretty basic regarding size, with only 2-people space between the two of them. They were quite high up in the hotel, so it would take a bit to reach the first floor. ¡°How is Selena looking like nowadays?¡± Nala Loba voiced. Fox looked at her. She spoke just as he was about to, feeling like she did it on purpose. After looking at her for long enough, he tilted his head with his eyes up, ¡°Not seen much of her, only a few images from recent contracts.¡± ¡°How many clothes did she have in those few images?¡± She asked. Fox blinked twice, letting silence prevail, before blurting out, ¡°She covered her groin while showing her bra.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nala Loba ¡®led¡¯ the ensuing silence. A few moments later, she turned her head to Fox, her hair lock swinging from repose to the side. ¡°She must be so pretty to even be noticed by you.¡± ¡°Her hair is wavy, that¡­ is something.¡± Fox hesitated for a moment before saying those words on the second half of his phrase. Nala Loba nodded a bit slowly again, moving her lips afterwards. ¡°So she is pretty, and on the right ways. Considering Sona, what motivates you to meet so many women of such caliber?¡± ¡°Caliber?¡± Fox asked, repeating the word. Nala Loba nodded a bit, staring ahead with her eyes showing a bit more coldness than usual. ¡°They are all those who you¡¯ve seen naked. Miss Sona? You were body-lovers. Miss Selena? Who knows?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox offered no comment, and the elevator died in silence. Yet, still 12 floors from the ground, Fox leaned a bit to the right and hushed his words. ¡°Wavy hair is something, but short¡­ is key.¡± He then returned to stand in good position in the elevator, looking like a straight halberd with fantastical curved blades at the sides, hooked and twisted additions. When they were still 3 floors from the ground, Fox muttered, ¡°I was never without a piece of cloth when Selena was indeed otherwise. Only with you, Miss Captain.¡± His words leaving her startled, Fox walked out of the elevator as soon as its doors opened. His back distanced more and more, so she shook her head a bit and went after him, catching up to look like his bodyguard. ¡°He¡¯s coming!¡± - ¡°Fox, Fox, Fox! Over here~, Fox!¡± - ¡°Fox, can you give us a wave? Fox, Fox!¡± - ¡°Fox! Hiii~! Who is-¡± - ¡°That¡¯s his girlfriend, no? Look at her, she looks so different.¡± - ¡°Miss! What is your name? Are you engaged or married to Fox? Miss!¡± - ¡°Fox, who is she, Mr. Fox!¡± There were dozens of cameras pointing at Fox when he stepped a few meters out of the elevator. If these people were expecting him to come out at this hour, they wouldn¡¯t have missed his image for more than half a second with the elevator coming down. Regardless, with the bright and cold morning surprising them, their cameras quickly aimed and shot. When they recognized Nala Loba, they went all-out to employ their family secret photo shooting arts, showering the just-peaceful lobby with camera flashes. On the other hand, Nala Loba didn¡¯t react, keeping a 2-step distance from him, staying behind with her resting expression. She looked insanely beautiful, unreachable, yet one just couldn¡¯t take their eyes off her. Fox gave the cameras a little wave just before stepping out, surprising Nala Loba as he opened the door and stood immobile in the middle. Such an action was noticed by the reporters, let alone Nala Loba, who momentarily stopped and looked down at his feet. But even after several seconds, Fox didn¡¯t back down, making her look up at his face. She blew air from her nostrils and accepted his gesture of opening the door for her, walking through the doorstep. When she was just stepping past Fox, he touched the side of her hand with his fingers into a passive hand holding. Their fingers traced each other before completing the hold, walking to a large car where Fox¡¯s team was awestruck, waiting for him, now them. Nala Loba softly held his hand back before entering the large car, its door opened by Fox, who went in right after her. Once inside, the ordinary people with their paperwork, devices, and just standing by on their seats looked at them, then at each other, in complete silence and wide-eyed.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Took my hand for points?¡± Nala Loba turned to face him and said after giving Fox¡¯s team a glance, retrieving her arm. Fox stared back at her and blinked, ¡°It¡¯s our cover to be involved together. I can¡¯t just start treating you coldly. That would waste time used before to form that image, no?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nala Loba remained silent and glared before leaning her back on her seat, crossing her arms with a silent huff and lowering her gaze. Fox blinked twice, somewhat pausedly, before hooking the left corner of his mouth a bit. On the other hand, Nala Loba¡¯s little head went back to that night, to the things, all of them, from that gala. She was suddenly busy with a flood of those memories, and a worried frown as she looked through the window. *** Proteros. In one of the beautiful protected natural zones in the state. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to consider Proteros as one of the most beautiful states in the world, and as a capital state, for that matter. What was once a ginormous jungle whose center was just a lake and wide clearing to allow a small nowadays city to be built in the past AO, had become the center of Lymoca¡¯s capital city. Now, it is one of the largest cities in the entire world. But everywhere around it was a beautiful piece of nature, one that the previous governments weren¡¯t allowed to touch, nor let other foreign companies lay a finger to a mere grain of dirt. It wasn¡¯t by the mere government, or some Lys alone who wanted to protect it. Within the Green Transformation, many associations were created around its values. It has been many decades since such associations decided to lend their helping hand to protect places like these, and they were pretty important since the peaceful times began. Although, as of late, they have been kind of ignored. Their influence was still strong, but it didn¡¯t seem as meaningful as it used to be even a decade ago. Luis stood with Butler on the side of a road, with a car parked behind them. They stared at a forest whose trees were ginormous, verdant green, and left dark shadows below. There was a bit of rain, with the morning in this zone gray and cold, easy to get sick. They stood before a long steep leading down into the forest, with its dirt turning darker as it continued to lightly rain. Luis looked at the peacefulness of nature, holding his umbrella, with Butler doing the same, although he only gazed ahead without darting his eyes around like Luis. ¡°?¡± Out of nowhere, Butler lowered his umbrella, pressing a button to let it retract into a sizeable stick before throwing it down the steep. As it rolled, and Luis frowned, eyeing Butler, the latter kept looking ahead and crossed his arms. ¡°If you keep looking ahead, President Luis, time keeps passing on.¡± ¡°Many live like this. Others feel restless, doing nothing. President, this is a nice place to seek calmness.¡± Butler looked at Luis, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t cave in that fortress anymore. It¡¯s your place to be around the nation, and that kid is showing you just how easy it is.¡± ¡°If you really want to have another 6 years, don¡¯t ask us, we won¡¯t aid. But we will remain with you if you do. This is the time.¡± Butler expressed before stepping backwards once, but he didn¡¯t leave. On the other hand, Luis stared ahead, a bit like Butler did. Behind him, Butler voiced before returning to the car, ¡°The rain will keep falling no matter the umbrella above your head, or a roof. Come back into the car to return to the presidential precinct as soon as you can, President.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis looked ahead still, his eyes calmer, or the calmest that they have ever been. At some point, he tsked and chuckled humorously. Knowing Butler could easily hear him, he muttered as he pressed a button, ¡°Don¡¯t even think of saying nonsense again. No one will ever touch the decision of the people.¡± There was a twinge of seriousness in his voice. After his umbrella retracted, he let go of it. But it didn¡¯t roll down the steep. Instead, it embedded into the dirt, aided by the wetness it had grown to acquire from the light rain, standing straight behind his left foot. *** Back to Sargonde, Fox arrived at a lavish hotel for super VIP members. Nala Loba followed behind him, looking as indifferent as cold as ever, with only the difference being the common eyes knowing about her as more and more pictures of her were uploaded to the semi-eternal internet. Fox wordlessly walked to an elevator with Nala, becoming the eye-grabber as he did. There were some people inside, but even if he wasn¡¯t there, they didn¡¯t dare stand near Nala Loba after she came close enough to them. Her eyes alone forced their breaths into whispers. After exiting the elevator now reeking of sweat and nervousness, Fox went to Selena¡¯s hotel room, casually knocking on the door. Selena opened it at once, wearing a folded, black bandeau and a pale green mini-skirt hugging her slender thighs tight. So much bright white skin showed, and her long jet-black hair looked luscious, maybe recently showered. Her pure black eyes narrowed in a smile, looking at Fox before she hugged above his shoulders and buried her head on his collarbone. Nala Loba looked at Selena¡¯s smooth hair with crossed arms, then the rest of the bountiful body assets, before analyzing the exposed skin. Then, she saw Fox¡¯s face as he awkwardly let Selena hug him, clearly not enjoying it, and not because she, Nala Loba, was just beside him. Nala Loba concentrated on Selena¡¯s hair again, seeing that it wasn¡¯t prepared with a wavy hairstyle, and was long, and looked to the side with narrowed eyes. Selena separated and smiled at Fox, looking up at him with closed lips. Nala Loba looked at Selena¡¯s height, once again looking at the side with narrowed eyes and her arms crossed. ¡°Ah? Is this your girl? How pretty¡­ ahem, beautiful.¡± Selena looked at Nala Loba and commented, lifting her hand out of appreciation. Nala Loba looked at her. Selena pressed her lips, feeling a pressure that wasn¡¯t there just now. Moreover, those eyes were so striking. ¡°She¡¯s Nala Loba, and my Captain,¡± Fox said. Nala Loba looked at him, lifting her left eyebrow, arms still crossed. Fox smiled, with Selena looking at him from her side eyes, also smiling before giggling. ¡°Come on in! We¡¯re leaving in 15 minutes, I want to show you what I think, okay? ¡®Captain¡¯ Nala Loba, please come in.¡± With that, as Nala Loba¡¯s eyes quickly darted between Fox and Selena, the former easily went into the latter¡¯s hotel room, propping Nala Loba to walk after them. ¡­ 30 minutes later, they were on the road to bring Selena to her first activity of the day. She had a busy one, as she had a break for a week to prepare for today. On the way there, Nala Loba sat beside Fox, letting Selena sit on another row of seats but still near them. Having facilitated their cooperation with just that little notion, things became smoother. Selena first went to a radio show to tease a bit of her new song, only humming a rhythm. Then, she went to a studio to film an ad for a show where the common people would come to find love. There were some hot scenes, but she was only walking in between as they happened, appearing charming and all-knowing. In this one, Nala Loba was bored. Very bored. After a few more little jobs, Fox brought Selena to his rally, which she made the thousands and thousands of people attending cheer like crazy. After all, they were all going to her concert afterwards. But when Nala Loba showed, and everyone remembered Fox was human, it also brought cheering, albeit nowhere as loud. However, it seemed to evoke something on the people, as if her ¡®re-existence¡¯ kindled the unknown within Fox¡¯s image. It wasn¡¯t so dark and bloody everywhere, but it was still so. Fox¡¯s speech was, as usual, a bit of a story lesson before the questioning came. Fox wasn¡¯t the least bit impatient when he heard repeated questions he answered in other states. The people weren¡¯t afraid of being repetitive, only that their ears were wrong, or that the people they seemed to believe were tricking them again. Whenever there was a commotion from a matter Fox also already explained in another state, he quickly explained it, giving a brief explanation that was the same as before, only shortened. With this, Fox brought Selena to her concert, still with time left, and with the sky obscuring. Selena was all too spirited, quite the contented young woman who had even more to give. Nala Loba was bored, but she never complained or made faces, only staring at the side or through the window and, of course, at Fox. After Selena¡¯s concert, of which a government public servant returned her to her hotel, with Selena winking goodbye to Fox, he and Nala Loba returned to their hotel. More like Fox¡¯s hotel, but since she was now accompanying him¡­ ¡­ Arriving at the hotel, Fox took his jacket off, about to throw it to some couch, when Nala Loba caught it. She said nothing, but Fox stopped in his tracks and turned his head to her, eyes a little widened. ¡°If you¡¯re going to take something off, do it properly. Don¡¯t just do things recklessly, brushing it off like it¡¯s nothing, and then ignore it. As a mature young man, you should know the risks of not caring¡­ If this gets uglier, all social media will be on you. The opposition, yes, but that is Lymoca¡¯s all media. Do you hear?¡± ¡°Hear¡­¡± Fox looked at Nala Loba like the aunty who is always the best and so sweet, suddenly shout sternly and reprimand him. After hearing his response, Nala Loba looked up at him and blinked, swinging her luscious, short golden blonde hair. Her uniquely seductive, feminine, and exotic cocoon hairstyle, freeing her face as her hairline showed, flew downwards; a new sight. Fox was baffled. After a couple of seconds, he gulped and stepped in front of her to show he understood. Nala Loba had already perfectly folded his jacket. When he stood before her, she placed the jacket on the couch carefully before looking back up at him. Fox had lifted his hands to his tie, but his fingers trembled, not deciding which spot to start with. Nala Loba¡¯s cold, indifferent eyes, fully opened and challenging him with a stare, looked up at his visage at this time. When seeing his fingers tremble, the gray, light blue in her eyes slightly darkened with her eyelids dropping a bit. They also turned soft but only ever so slightly¡­ Her hands were raised, reaching for his hands, but she only tapped them with her fingertips before pushing them down a bit. Then, she grabbed his tie, letting her fingers roam his collar, with Fox staring down but craning his neck to let her work it. She untied his tie, liberating his neck, before starting with his shirt; white, slightly adorned with some patterns, and very loose under the otherwise tight jacket. Hanging his tie over her shoulders behind her nape, she unbuttoned his shirt from the top to the bottom. Once it was off, revealing his PSD regular uniform tightly stuck to his skin, she took his shirt off, touching his chest and ribs with the fat of her palms to lower it from his shoulders. Nala Loba held his biceps when she had to ¡®pluck¡¯ his shirt from his hands, a bit bigger than previously measured, and without unbuttoning the wrists. Fox watched as she first placed his tie elsewhere on the couch before folding his shirt, being quick and unceremonious about it. Every movement of her fingers consumed in his eyes. Nala Loba turned from him, facing the couch as she placed his jacket at the bottom, his shirt in the middle, and his tie at the top. Meanwhile, Fox serenely glanced at her figure, more so when she slightly bent and placed half his suit on the couch¡¯s backrest. Then, she turned to him again to continue. ¡­ Chapter 134 — Honesty Honesty ¡°I¡­¡± Fox licked his lips, a bit out of breath, and opened his lips. But Nala Loba looked down without caring about him and brought her hands to his belt, sliding her fingers between it and his pelvis. Fox''s eyes went round. Nala Loba''s hair fell down as she hung her head. Her hands unbuckled his belt, freeing his waist bit by bit, sliding it out of his pants. Saying nothing more, Fox watched her take his belt off and roll before throwing it over her shoulder to the couch. She tilted her head to her left, wearing her natural resting expression before kneeling before him, looking up at him as she did. Fox felt his mind rumble a bit, and further as she unbuttoned his pants before lowering the zipper. He didn¡¯t have any undergarments because the uniform was enough for that, but while it ¡®hid¡¯ things better than a bathing suit, it wasn¡¯t much better than actual undergarments. Nala Loba didn¡¯t pay attention to it. She lowered his pants, making him feel the freshness of the temperature, colder these days, before lifting his feet. Fox obeyed, letting her take his pants off before she stood up and turned to the couch again to fold it. Nala Loba placed his folded pants on the armrest and his belt atop it. Then, she turned to him again, looking at his face, which was looking down. When she turned around, Fox looked at her face, guiltless. Nala Loba wordlessly went down again, this time only crouching as she took his shoes off, taking his socks with them afterwards, and stood up again. This time, she didn¡¯t turn around and instead faced him. Nala Loba made him hold his shoes as she bundled his socks before untying his shoes properly. Then, she stepped closer to him after leaving them beside the couch. Fox¡¯s breath elevated out of nowhere. His eyes followed her next target, his gloves, which she used both hands to take off him, slowly, and one after another. She first pinched the tip of his fingers and pulled the fabric, leaving a small gap past his nails. Then, she carefully massaged his hands, even the left one, which had many metal bone-like composition instead of organic. Although the metal became part of him, just not purely organic. She grabbed the hem of the gloves and slowly pulled. Nala Loba¡¯s thumbs and middle fingers pinched the gloves to pull, using her middle and ring fingers to push his skin out bit by bit. Like this, her head low at all times, Fox watched her forehead and golden blonde hair as she freed his hands from their confinements. Her eyes never ceased observing his hands. The left one was veiny a bit strangely. But his right hand was veiny in a rather grotesque way, and when she pushed his palm and spread her fingers on his backhand, they became more obvious and gruesome. After seeing these in both his hands, much more ¡®sterile¡¯ in his left hand, unlike the ¡®menacing¡¯ sight in his right hand, she looked up at him. Fox looked down at her eyes before she began massaging them again but cut off after a while. ¡°Bath¡­¡± Nala Loba kept her lips open as if wanting to say something but stopped. Then, she looked at the sofa, ¡°Couch. Oil. Rest.¡± With that, she left his suit on the sofa and brought his gloves away. Fox looked at his clothes and saw their neat order and had to nod in praise. But then, seeing her leave with his gloves caused his face to fall. Sighing, Fox walked to the room to grab change clothes to get out of the uniform, but then he heard the bathroom running with water. Blinking a few times on the spot, he walked there, already feeling what it was for. Nala Loba crouched before the large bathtub inside the bathroom, one of many¡­ She had pajamas on, an ordinary shirt and shorts without anything else. What short hair she had was tied to a bun behind her head, leaving some locks at her sides. She turned her head a bit, murmuring as she moved her hand in the water. ¡°It¡¯s hot already. Get in and keep your hands under. Clean yourself or not, but stay there 115 minutes before coming out.¡± Fox lowered his head, slightly frowned, and nodded. She stood up and left, her body swaying a bit as if dizzy, making her locks of hair dangle from one side to the other before leaving the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Fox blinked at the door before staring at the bathtub. He looked at the side out of reflex, where 3 large, thick, cotton towels made in Merula and Iztos from Dawn supercontinent laid before a mirror. The best of the best. Fox took his uniform off and entered the bathtub, feeling the hot water fresh and cold at first before the blatant high temperature was recognized by his body. It was a quick reaction from his body, more than any ordinary person would have, but that was normal. When he relaxed, lowering his waist and lower back inside it, it felt amazing and as if impurities were cleansed inside his body. But when he dropped in the bathtub until his neck, he started coughing and coughing. It was only a minute later he stopped coughing. Cocking his head, Fox proceeded to unwind, throwing his head backwards on the edge of the bathtub, breathing ever so at ease. Almost 2 hours later, he stepped out and cleaned himself without emotions passing his countenance. Then, he wrapped the only one dry around his waist and came out. Outside, he saw a change and a sleeping beauty. Or a resting one. The couch had a set of comfy, thin but long pieces of clothes and slippers. His suit was nowhere to be seen, while he left his uniform in the bathroom. Additionally, Nala Loba laid asleep in one of the large sofas, her head resting on the seat cushion. Fox grabbed the set of new clothes and went back to the bathroom. After dressing up, he looked at his uniform, deeply debating something. A minute later, he came out with a properly folded uniform in his hands, wearing a white and light blue pajamas. He left the uniform on the same couch before walking to Nala Loba and waited for her to sit up. After a minute, Fox tilted his head all the way to the left, looking down at Nala Loba, on his right. She wasn¡¯t resting, she was asleep. Fox looked down at her face before staring at her body. It was difficult to believe, but she wore a lace dress with a small floral embroidery around its hem. It was ¡®air force¡¯ blue color, and perfectly so, it contrasted her every feature perfectly. Fox crouched beside her, looking at her face up close. Similar to the gala, but even closer, and without pain in his body. His breathing seemed to have disappeared, but hers didn¡¯t. She laid on her back with her head turned to the left, facing Fox¡¯s direction. Fox stood back up and grabbed her shoulder, shaking it a bit, waking her up straightforwardly. Nala Loba lucidly opened her eyes, staring into his for a fraction of a second before sitting up. She didn¡¯t remain seated for a moment, standing up and pointing at the couch, ¡°There, I kept it warm. Now lay on it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked at her, speechless, before a smirk threatened to form at his lips. He avoided it at all costs, narrowing his eyes a bit instead. Nala Loba looked up at him when he didn¡¯t move, ¡®glaring¡¯ at him with her eyes trembling to further widen. Fox looked at the sofa before kneeling over it. Nala Loba moved behind him, grabbing an extra cushion from the couch where she saw his folded uniform, making her stop for a moment. Before he could lie on the sofa, she placed the cushion leaning against the armrest. ¡°Recline your head, and choose, face up or down first?¡± Fox stopped midway lying on his back. He blinked at her, who stood up after placing the cushion, and proceeded to lie down with his head on it. Nala Loba nodded before grabbing a bottle below the sofa. Fox¡¯s lower lip pressed upwards, ¡®Just how much does she like to hide things below furniture?¡¯ Nala Loba grabbed a bottle of oil, placing its contents on her palms before rubbing her hands, but mostly her fingers. Strangely, the oil seemed to dry up, sucked into her skin. But Fox was still too curious to bother about it. He reached downwards, trying to see if he could grab something, when Nala Loba widened her eyes in a glare and stopped him. If it wasn¡¯t his left arm, he might¡¯ve gotten a bleeding wrist with 5 attempts at proving he was depressed. Fox and Nala Loba looked at each other. Silent, slowly calming down, but both having conflicting desires. Now, more than ever, Fox wanted to forage and ransack her hideout. Nala Loba wanted to stop him, at all costs, no questions asked. ¡°Nooo!¡± In the end, Nala Loba accidentally used the greatest weapon she could have ever imagined, shutting her eyes and dragging her refusal as she yelled it like a mosquito. Fox¡¯s eyes widened, causing his arm to tremble in weakness. He was devastated. Nala Loba¡¯s eyes snapped open, recognizing an opportunity when she saw one, and dragged his filthy, evil arm back to his stomach.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Then, Nala Loba placed the bottle under the sofa, even moving it below a bit before looking back up, as if accommodating it. Then, she slapped her hands. Fox looked at her just like one would to the warrior who betrayed him and left him to die in the battlefield without finishing him off. But then, as she clapped, he saw her dry hands get wet, like her skin were sponges. Then, Nala Loba knelt beside the sofa, near his head, and her back straight. Fox¡¯s nostrils flared a bit, ¡°It still smells of you.¡± ¡°You smell more,¡± Nala Loba said, starting by massaging his left elbow. She¡¯d start with the left side first, as it was the least worrisome-looking, while the right side was much more concerning, and she¡¯d have to extend her ministrations. ¡°So, you¡¯ll override my smell eventually¡­ my scent.¡± Fox watched her correct herself and just felt she was a cute gem, a hidden one, but one nonetheless. As she finished massaging his elbow, she blinked strongly a few times before turning to him, ¡°Can you take it off? The pajamas are obstructing me.¡± Fox said nothing, even though he recognized the liquid¡¯s properties to work well and even easily penetrate fabric. A perfect item that can either be used to perform ¡®friendly¡¯ massages or turn any clothes transparent. Regardless, he half-sat up and took it off, revealing himself to her. Nala Loba¡¯s face didn¡¯t change as she nodded and pinched his pajamas shirt, placing it at his feet. Then, she resumed her actions, placing her hands all over his arm with her fingers spread. From his arm and shoulder to his forearm, wrist, and hands. His fingers were held gently by one hand while the other held and massaged his wrist or his backhand and palm. She was thorough. When she finished with his left arm, with Fox constantly fighting to keep his eyes open, her constant slapping hands helping him keep up to extract more oil, Nala Loba nudged her chin up at him. ¡°Turn around.¡± Fox blinked before doing so, letting his left arm smear the oil on the backrest as he turned around without making a sound from the left to the right. He didn¡¯t see her reaction, but it didn¡¯t matter, it felt good. ¡°Mmf¡­¡± Fox frowned, his face against the cushion as she began with his right elbow. He immediately felt pain in his hand, sparking like an epicenter before the pain spread everywhere around his arm and even to his chest. It was like a lightning bolt transmitting the pain. A few minutes later, Nala Loba drove her hands up, repeating the same she did to his left arm, only longer, and with her fingertips pressing stronger here or there, tracing lines and wiggling on his skin. Fox felt pain as well, though it diminished a bit. A bit later, Fox felt his forearm worked next. When it was his hand and fingers¡¯ turn, he moaned a little. It also hurt, but almost nothing compared to all the other places. Nala Loba spend an hour with his hand before finishing the massage. By then, Fox was¡­ sleeping. ¡­ Some time later, when Fox¡¯s melted brain realized he was sleeping, he woke up like his person was offended. He jolted up, lifting his face and collarbone from the cushion before looking to his right. ¡°¡­¡± Fox¡¯s polycoria eyes shrank their contents. Nala Loba slept, kneeling beside the couch with her head slammed-resting just below where his face was. A thought entered his head, ¡®Why didn¡¯t I wake up more delicately?¡¯ He peeked over the seats and saw her folded legs supporting her body as her fattened cheek nearly covered her right eye. It was perfect. After gazing for a delirious while, Fox looked at his right hand and noticed her dry hands holding his, forming a passive hand holding even with the awkward pose. Fox smoothly moved his hand out of her grasp before standing up. He walked behind her and lifted her into a princess position, grabbing her armpits. He looked down at her before walking to the bedroom without trying to be soft. She was already awake. Fox returned to the couch after leaving her on the bed and rested. A few hours later, he was woken up by Nala Loba, who threw his suit at him, clean and smelling good. He didn¡¯t recall having ordered or bringing a nice, natural laundry detergent. After he put it on, it reminded him of when he first laid on the couch. But there was no way this was her scent, right? There was no way she just held onto his clothes after he went back to the couch to rest. She didn¡¯t just hug his suit the rest of the time and delivered it to him after resting, right? When at the doorstep, preparing to leave and meet the reporters who wanted to take photos of them after a lascivious night together, they stopped to check on each other. Or rather, tomboy-outfit Nala Loba checked Fox¡¯s image with scrutinizing, focused and narrowed eyes. After her eyes went all over him from his shoulders to his shoes, Nala Loba looked up at him and slightly nodded, buttoning up to her shirt¡¯s collar for no reason, making Fox curiously frown. She went, ¡°Lydaor and then Lydnstel in a day, are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± plainly replied. Nala Loba blinked before asking, touching his collar for the umpteenth time, ¡°Are you not going to visit your foster family?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think so,¡± Fox flatly replied, looking down at her with only his eyes moving downwards. Nala Loba exclaimed, tilting her head up a bit, slightly lifting her chin. ¡°Mn.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± She grabbed his attention. Fox looked at her questioningly. Nala Loba hooked her index finger and motioned to her collar, ¡°Make me crash against you.¡± ¡°¡­ Alright,¡± Fox was a little cautious, but he still did. Fwiiieup- plck! Thud- rustle~! When he pulled her collar, breaking it with his right hand, it showed him how easy Nala Loba was there just to be grabbed and pulled and¡­ The sensation made his eyes widen, feeling the ecstasy of the power he could have over her¡­ just that simply. Fox wasn¡¯t alone, Nala Loba¡¯s eyes also widened to the sensation. Her gray, light blue contents¡­ change? For a split second, Fox could swear he saw her pupils dilate, and she could feel herself feeling differently. But it ended so early with their chests striking each other. Their clothes brushed each other, but not because of their bodies crashing onto one another with Nala Loba directing the pulling force to slam Fox¡¯s chest with her small breasts and the rest of her torso. He was still taller than her, of course, so she couldn¡¯t meet all his body volume. Regardless, the deed was achieved, and when their torsos touched, she grabbed his wrist like a desperate fella in a concert and ground against him in circular motions. Fox felt awkward¡­ to say the least. But she continued until her expression changed, smirking a bit. ¡°That will do,¡± she said before stopping violating Fox, the ¡®mass murderer¡¯. Fox looked down at her, tilting his head ever more exaggeratedly with his eyes glaring wider and wider. She exclaimed lightly, not caring a bit, ¡°Hmph. You wanted an image of being with a lover, no?¡± Fox prepared himself, but he was still helpless to her fake yet cute smile as she hugged his arm and rubbed her cheek on him, then stared ahead before bringing him to the elevator. His brain rebooted a couple hundred times before he blinked into a sober state. Then, with the elevator halfway down, and Nala Loba posing for the hidden camera, he asked her under his breath. ¡°You did know that whoever came to me to be my bodyguard at this time would remain until the end because of the naval cooperation, exercise¡ª whatever, and wouldn¡¯t have a relief until it ended, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Nala Loba replied curtly. Fox blinked at the anti-momentum response. He tried again, ¡°And you still came? Because I¡­ really thought you just wouldn¡¯t have come had it been a choice.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Nala Loba flatly replied. Fox looked at her, superficially hugging him, before letting it be. He adopted a cold yet attentive lover¡¯s role, rubbing his chin on her head every now and then. Because of his acting, he didn¡¯t notice each time she closed her eyes when he did that. ¡°Here I thought only certain people fake relationships or use their bodies between missions for relief,¡± Fox whispered, still a few floors left before the ground. Nala Loba waited until the doors opened to plainly say, ¡°I thought the cover of a committed relationship with a woman was easy for you.¡± Then, with Fox¡¯s eyebrows jumped, she brought him forth and out of the elevator. She opted for a smile that quickly left when getting ¡®shocked¡¯ by the dozens of reporters in the lobby. Flashes about to flood into them, Fox and Nala Loba walked to the exit, clinging to each other, unexpectedly caught being tender to each other. ¡­ Back in Proteros, just as Luis was drinking hot chocolate in the early morning, he checked his WID, where a piece of news made him widen his eyes. He turned his screen on while lowering his mug and searched for it, tapping on the desk before expanding an image to cover the entire screen. Fox walked forth with Nala Loba clung to him. His left hand in his pocket as he looked ahead, tall and unapproachable, with a cold and indifferent beauty smiling as she hugged his arm and seemed addicted to it, unable to let go of. Luis¡¯s lips were already smiling when he saw the look both of them had. Having interacted with them, especially Fox. He knew they were acting for the cameras. However, after hearing about their situation from Butler nonetheless, how could he not grow excited? What if it did work? What if was truly a success? In the image, Fox¡¯s always neat suit was disarranged, even if just a bit. There was an obvious change to his aura, and his image seemed more free, unrestrained but not as usual, or from the same things. One could even argue he and Nala Loba seemed a bit connected. On the other hand, with the smile of a young woman in love, Nala Loba¡¯s collar was broken, looking like she wore it after something happened to sleep. The way she wore it, prideful and to honor Fox, made all fathers who had at least a daughter exhale and shake their heads in terror. Luis smiled a lot more, looking like a man that won a lottery, or hooked the biggest fish. Maybe it did look more like the latter. After laughing uproariously, he watched another uploaded image of just a second or a few from the first, where Nala Loba¡¯s ¡®usual¡¯ face for the public appeared, still clinging hard to him, though. Later on, she was protected by Fox, instead of the other way as his bodyguard, when ¡®breaking through¡¯ the walls of reporters. Fox wore a steel-iron expression before getting into the car to head to the airport. To top it off, Fox and Nala were ¡®ambushed¡¯ so easily by reporters again, at the airport, serious and back to their usual personalities. This time with Nala Loba wearing another shirt. Yet, this one had 3 missing buttons. Luis looked at this with a smug face after laughing for a while, and when he did, he couldn¡¯t help spitting chocolate on the desk. Then, he laughed and slapped his chest in relief, feeling so contented and free. He really did seem like he won the lottery now. ¡­
Let It Rain''s note: So, as I was finishing this chapter, a cute little thing entered my ears. Nelly Furtado ¡ª Honesty. I felt it perfect. Chapter 135 — Is This The People? Is This The People? More days passed. Fox''s tour continued, and his rallies only grew larger and larger. From state to state, he went from Proteros to the west, covering every state before doing the same with the east. This left only one state remaining for the last 28th day of the month, Lymaospas¨®. In this early morning, where the moon was as bright as ever with the sky still somewhat dark, Fox sprung up to his feet and had been preparing to go out. With his uniform on, he walked out of the bathroom and returned to his ¡®room¡¯, a sofa. Nala Loba was in the living room, wearing full-on thighs and a skirt over her ¡®suit¡¯ bermudas. She wore the jacket, but with that change to her appearance, although comical¡­ it evoked interest. ¡°Ready? You¡¯re returning to Proteros after this, ¡®polie party president¡¯.¡± Nala Loba said, holding his tie up with her hand. Fox walked to her, wagged his tail, and mentally sat down in front of her. Nala Loba lifted her arms and reached around his neck to put it on him. Meanwhile, Fox spoke, ¡°I don¡¯t feel much, but I am ready. This one should take a while.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why it¡¯s scheduled 3 hours earlier on than any other. Also, the governor will attend, so give your best face and show me off a few times. You don¡¯t have to laugh, they¡¯ll do that part if you do it well.¡± Nala Loba said without an ounce of shame in her voice or on her visage. ¡°Mm,¡± Fox hummed a bit, looking down at her face as she finished putting his tie. Then, Nala Loba looked down at his body. After an awkward silence, she looked up. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you put your suit on?¡± ¡°You only noticed?¡± Fox asked, almost smiling. Nala Loba tilted her head a bit, ¡°Why did you come to me if you weren¡¯t dressed then?¡± ¡°You beckoned me. Do you only see my face? You never take a look at my body?¡± Fox questioned, feigning being offended. Nala Loba looked at him wordlessly, shaking her head. Fox wordlessly pulled his shirt up, showing his abs and pelvis, especially a good part of a V shape. She looked down immediately, not moving her head away. Only when Fox dropped his shirt did she looked back up at him with not a change in her expression or eyes. ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Fox and Nala Loba looked at each other in silence before she tilted her head all the way to the other side, ¡°What?¡± Fox blinked before blowing air from his nostrils, calm and prolonged. Nala Loba went to the bathroom but came out holding nothing. Then, she went to the bedroom and grabbed his suit before starting dressing him. Before, she was¡­ just okay at taking his suit off, just like anyone would to themselves. But now, after several days, Nala Loba was concise and quick, an expert in Fox-undressing. Naturally, learning first the reverse engineering, she was quick to learn how to dress him. In 2 short minutes, after placing his belt around his waist and clicking it as many times as it needed, she dressed Fox up and nodded at her work well done. Patting his shoulders, she lightly pulled his tie a few times before turning to the door, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡­ After a trip 1 hour into the heart of the state capital city of Lymaospas¨®, Fox commenced his rally with well over 30,000 people attending. The south had the least population concentration in each state, but they had the largest state in their ¡®group¡¯. Lymaospas¨® was the greatest contributor in natural resources to the entirety of Lymoca, a place that had been abandoned for decades and decades of government terms. For this rally, Fox was sent a few experts and people from Lymaospas¨® in the government, who were more than glad to have their birthstate gain the president¡¯s eye. Everyone knows he is to be disliked, but he did some programs that were put in motion and worked, although they had many difficulties, which started to be seen as politically targeted. Regardless, after the introduction and a bit of his story, telling the reincorporation he experienced to civilization as a Ly, finishing his abbreviated story, Fox let the people sent by Luis talk. They spoke of the history of Lymaospas¨®, of how it became the place where the tribes in the early AO fought for over 200 years to take control of, where countless warriors died and served as its fertilizer. Even when Proteros and what is nowadays Lydsetl, Lydn¨ªgo, Coalely, Pretetl, and T¨²acan were the centralized growth of a tribe made of tribes, Lymaospas¨® was like a mine of gold. It was so abundant that even the weakest, smallest tribes gave their lives to have a piece of. Naturally, through endless hardships of losses and defeats, the Ly tribes were finally victorious. Lymaospas¨® became a long-distance state that connected to the Lys through a route, which later on became the foundation to expand. But that was deep history, from the profound records of the world in this little part of it. It also became a source of most desire for the Dawn and Twilight supercontinents, and from the tribes north and south of nowadays Lymoca. But by then, Lys had the vision of an empire, whereas they would need a lot of naval power, and thus, their fleets were beginning to be known across the world. The people stopped their small history connotations and spoke to either the Lys of Lymaospas¨® or to their own people with care and courage, showing them a future was possible and concluding their part in the rally. Fox then took over. He stood behind the podium with Nala Loba just 3 meters behind him, looking at the sky as the crowd looked at her, glorifying her as a beauty goddess and the greatest tomboy in existence. Used to this notion, Nala Loba was unperturbed, while Fox started. ¡°To finish this reunion¡ª of people and nature,¡± Fox looked up to gesture with his polycoria eyes, a little bit of charm wasn¡¯t bad. ¡°Let me speak of the Lymaospas¨® that deserves to be seen in the future, that will no longer face the ignorant ¡®other side¡¯ of the government. It isn¡¯t a spoiled child, or an unloved one. It is its people, and Lymoca has always had it in its heart.¡± ¡°Be it when the Lylaco Empire fell, or much earlier on when the ¡®almost¡¯ civil wars broke out before the Sanctum Order, in the late Aforesanctum Order, its people always remained steady on their feet. It always welcomed the natural disasters and the invasions of anyone who thought they could settle their feet at least on our shores, on these resilient lands.¡± ¡°No matter what the case was, as long as the Lys, and its land, were unprotected¡ª the heart of the land with their blood falling their feet deep into it was backed by the people of Lymaospas¨®. It never once showed separatism, even when other states near it did.¡± ¡°More than 2,000 years of history, and Lymaospas¨® has always been Lys¡¯,¡± Fox paused a bit. The crowd cheered, but how could they not? This was a talk never before heard. Not this open, and definitively not in an event like this. After they eased down a bit, Fox continued. ¡°It will remain to be Lys¡¯.¡± The crowd cheered again, affected by the small pause and the reconfirmation of such simple wording, but Fox didn¡¯t stop this time. He didn¡¯t raise his voice, though, be it in emotion or volume. ¡°Next year, next elections¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter what the other side thinks. As long as National Front receives the majority of Lymoca, of its people! The south will never again be shown the blunt ignorance of the olies, and their piece of Lymoca will thrive to historic levels!¡± Nevertheless, the intonation and gestures, like rising a fist into the air, were more than enough to make up for the lack of superficial elevation in his speech. Fox had the crowd cheer, louder and longer than before, with more emotion and sensation than ever in his tour. For once, he felt found. Not as politics being his unearthed vocation, or desiring the love of the people in correspondence to his actions and accomplishments. It was in the heart they showed as they were¡­ just reminded where they came from, and why they shouldn''t feel excluded and ignored by their rulers; their own people. It was this hidden¡­ love that turned him a little silly on the spot. When the crowd calmed down, Fox also sobered up. He looked around the crowd. There were smiles, expectant and involuntary, all over the crowd, with so many excited faces. Nodding at them, he looked down and held some meaningless documents, tapping them on the podium. ¡°Let the questions begin.¡± Fox answered a few repeated questions, briefly explaining them with patience before finding an interesting topic from an honest guy wearing a fisher hat and thick, square glasses. ¡°Mr. Fox, ah- sorry, ahem. Fox, this is the last day of the tour you¡¯re running for the current president¡¯s campaign for his 2nd re-election, 3rd term. From your feet standing here before us, above our ground, did finding the ¡®truth¡¯ of a tiny portion of Lymoca¡¯s ugliness determine you to do this?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Fox looked at the man and fell a bit pensive, looking around at the tall trees a bit before back down at the man. ¡°I did. My time at Preut¡¯s civil war was more military than anything, but every refugee citizens I saw, including those near the military, were distraught. Most didn¡¯t believe they were still ignored like they were. After all, they were all human.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Paused silence permeated the area, except for Fox¡¯s voice. ¡°I saw many kids my age, or my age when everything started, recruited into the military. Most of them were voluntary, and I also found not a small part of them being younger than all that.¡± His words left a ghastly frown and understanding in their furrowing eyebrows. Fox didn¡¯t seek pity, so he followed with, ¡°Seeing the food there was already bad. I saw things like cannibalism as a simple possibility. Fabrics could make clothes and better spaces to avoid infections, plagues, and illnesses. As for medicine¡­¡± Fox¡¯s sudden quietness gained extra attention. Involuntarily so, he gained momentum. When he blinked and looked ahead after blinking, he looked striking. ¡°In this day, how can such things be so troublesome? The lack of medicine was half the killer of those soldiers who fought without any other alternative. Just because their leaders thought differently.¡± ¡°You?¡± Fox nodded at the man before pointing at another person. This was a slightly looking old man, probably between 110 and 120 years old and well taken care of. His voice was gasps and wheezes, ¡°Fox, are you preparing to take a post in the government? While you have a ¡®notorious¡¯ background and recent, past history¡ª have you considered it?¡± ¡°I¡­ will not,¡± Fox felt a bit curious answering that, dragging his ¡®I¡¯. He still said before slightly nodding at the old man. The old man licked and moved his old lips and pressed, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you want to try, Fox? If it¡¯s a question of property and support, you have it. Does the 30,000 people here not show it? Then how about the 500,000 who have been watching this?¡± Fox opened his eyes wide, his eyebrows jumping. There was some friendly-mocking cheering going on as he turned to look at someone. Nala Loba was looking at him already, which Fox didn¡¯t know since when. With a smile, he returned his face to the crowd and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think they are watching me, old man.¡± ¡°Hahahahaha¡­¡± The crowd couldn¡¯t help but laugh a bit. The old man smiled somewhat, restraining his mouth before shaking his head. ¡°While I do¡­ admit she is¡­ more than half the reason so many people are watching this live¡­¡± More laughing echoed, more friendly this time. The old man added, looking at Fox with some struggling, ¡°Everyone here, and watching from afar¡­ are listening to you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox blinked, therefore remaining silent for a while, looking at the old man. The latter smiled, giving the microphone back to a staff member before standing there with expectant, old eyes. After a while, Fox inadvertently smiled, having no choice but to speak in denial after looking at the ambiguously curious faces of the crowd. ¡°Humor them.¡± Just then, he heard Nala Loba¡¯s whisper, where only he could hear her. To the others, she looked like she moved her lips and her tongue inside her mouth. His head startled, jolting for an instance before spitting words from his already opened lips. ¡°I make no promises.¡± The crowd became loud and spirited when hearing just that, helplessly interrupting Fox. A bit later, he pressed on, clarifying it. ¡°Because I am not interested. But if there is a need for something as barbaric as that, it may or not happen. Not up to me.¡± CHEEEEEEEERS! The crowd only followed with some casual ¡®celebration¡¯ before the questioning resumed. While they were still calming down, the fuckers, Fox looked back at Nala Loba, who unnoticeably nodded at him. The questions continued for an hour and a half, with Fox giving some extensive answers and speaking a bit more in favor of Luis¡¯s plans and future programs for Lymaospas¨® alone. Adding the correlation of other programs with Lymaospas¨®¡¯s was the cherry at the top. ¡­ Walking out of the stage, and returning to the route to head back to their hotel, Fox walked and passed by a music band with drums, trumpets, and other smaller wind instruments, along a few string ones. He didn¡¯t know much about them, nor the music they played, but ever since he first nodded and tilted at one in another state, people like this always show up. He walked with Nala Loba to the parking lot after walking through the people without fear, something the other candidates around the country didn¡¯t do. Of course, they also didn¡¯t take their stage in open spaces, but small, private spaces in some restaurants or malls. Walking closer to the parking lot, the gates to it and the road just there, open, Fox felt Nala Loba tap her fingers on the fatness of his right hand, hugging his arm. Feeling the signal, he turned his head down at her, looking a bit ¡®needy¡¯ of her affection, but she looked up at him with her face resting. ¡°You were pretty nice this time. It was¡­ well, you seemed like a Ly.¡± She spoke, her eyes narrowing a little. Fox tilted his head, a bit surprised, and stopped walking. Nala Loba added, ¡°Many Lys don¡¯t even talk of their history, and when they do, they act like it¡¯s a distant tale.¡± ¡°Yes, you didn¡¯t seem like a Ly before. But it¡¯s your fault, always so¡­ lost in nowhere. But back there? You looked like a leader more than ever. I bet more than anytime you led a small team, or something a little bigger.¡± She kept hugging his arm. Fox looked down at her nose before asking, ¡°I never thought you so patriotic. Why do I see this side now?¡± Without noticing, Fox lifted his left hand and caressed her face with his fingertips, moving her golden blonde hair strands behind her ear and back to her sides. Nala Loba blinked, her eyes narrowing a bit more as she leaned her chin on his arm. He might have not noticed, but Nala Loba did. Her long, also golden blonde eyelashes fluttered with his every touch. But just then¡­ Wee woooo weeee wooooo weeeeeee wooooooo¡­! Out of nowhere, both their faces changed, turning to the open gates. The vehicles they heard, all driving here a bit too many than the usual, started sounding sirens everywhere. They increased in number every second. It was unnoticeable by eye and ear, but the two immediately reacted. Fox frowned, putting Nala Loba a bit behind him without having to push her back. He walked 2 steps forwards, when the sounds and yellow lights from afar began to be seen, obvious and fast-approaching. The crowd wasn¡¯t far from them. They noticed this and the sirens¡¯ sounds as the music band abruptly ceased. They walked over, watching as SPD trucks barged into the protected natural zone from the road. Not only that, but they blocked the exit and bolted out with their small submachine guns, all heading to Fox¡¯s direction. It was unknown who started it, probably more than one in the same second or various, but the crowd walked towards Fox¡¯s back. ¡°Stop! Phesx Caolia, you are under arrest under investigation for inhumane crimes against the State of Lymoca! Drop to the ground with your hands on your back!¡± The SPD police wore their specialized uniforms of obscure blue with light vests for direct confrontations with the organized crime, pointing their weapons at him as one of them spoke out. It was a man a few rows of state police officers and units away from him. Fox said absolutely nothing, nor did he move. Nala Loba even seemed calm, while the people behind Fox reasonably hesitated and stopped behind him. Fox looked at the SPD police and blinked. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Get to the ground or we¡¯ll shoot! You there, don¡¯t move any closer! You will be seen as colluding with a wanted criminal if you come any closer! Back off! Back off! Back off!!¡± The man shouted again, this time staring at the crowd, addressing them fiercely. Instead of listening, it served as the catalyst to resume their walking. The crowd stepped forth, with Nala Loba standing beside him as the flood of civilians looked at the SPD who came here out of nowhere, straight out without invitation. ¡°Why¡¯re you here?!¡± - ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing!¡± - ¡°This is a protected zone! You cannot come in with vehicles! Stop blocking the way! We¡¯ll denounce you!¡± - ¡°The governor is here! How dare you point your guns at her?! You will be behind bars for this, bastards!¡± The crowd continued quarreling with the stagnant SPD one-sided. The situation wasn¡¯t changing, and Fox looked at the man who liked to yell from behind lines and lines of SPD police without a word. Noticing their situation, the man in charge, who looked a lot like a state police captain, stepped out of his elements¡¯ lines and looked at the crowd with sweat around his face. ¡°Okay, okay! Listen here,¡± the police captain gestured a stop to the crowd with his hands, while his elements didn¡¯t lower their small submachine guns, before pointing at Fox. ¡°This man¡­ This kid has been investigated by the Supreme Court Justice. He¡¯s to attend a trial for his crimes.¡± The crowd frowned, listening with newly given attention. Some SPD elements walked over towards Fox, all motioning to surround him but still a few tens of meters away. ¡°You have no right to take action from the Supreme Court Justice¡¯s words. They have no jurisdiction to order any police force to capture a denounced civilian. You can¡¯t take anyone from here, not legally.¡± Nala Loba stepped up and said. Her voice elevated the tension and image of her being. Naturally, there were who knew how many cellphones recording everything that captured this. Fox looked at the man, who suddenly fell into thought. The state police captain stepped backwards and gave the crowd a few fleeting glances. When he returned to his elements¡¯ frontline, they advanced a little before kneeling, scaring the crowd in disbelief. ¡°This is our last warning!¡± The man shouted from his desired safe spot. ¡°Phesx Caolia, lie down and peacefully accept your crimes. You will be brought before the Supreme Court Justice to be judged accordingly. Yield to your own actions! We¡¯ll take you with us anyway!¡± Vroom vroom vroom vroom!! The road stormed off with engines again, this time suddenly and faster than the SPD vehicles. A few motorcycles went ahead of the rest, driving between the SPD vehicles¡¯ blockade. Some SPD elements at the back took their handguns out of their holsters, almost shooting but stopping when seeing the newcomers had helmets. Furthermore, they had the white-gray national guard outfit and colors. They also carried top-notch firearms. The motorcycles stopped somewhat in the middle of the blockade, their riders and passengers stepping away before walking towards the epicenter of the situation. They needed not to announce who they were with trucks, armored even, rushing here with the same number and lethality of weaponry that these motorcyclist national guard elements carried. A man walked ahead of the rest, announcing his intention with his rifle aiming low, following his swinging arm as he stomped towards the state police captain. ¡°Eh? You¡­ oh, haha! I didn¡¯t see you in the middle, ayayay!¡± The NG official paused beside the polie captain like he just saw the latter. Stopping with his upper body leaning forwards by inertia, he grabbed the captain¡¯s shoulder before wordlessly pointing at the gate with a smile. Only the captain could see his face through the visor. ¡°Hahaha, what a coincidence. I just came because some little boys were reporting trucks getting into protected natural zones.¡± ¡°We usually don¡¯t give those calls attention, but since a rally with the governor was just happening nearby, we checked it out. What are you doing here? Is the chief of police here? He came to an important event, I must greet him.¡± The NG official crossed his arms and dropped his face, ¡°He always requests backup everywhere to ensure Lymaospas¨®¡¯s criminal activity remains the lowest in the nation.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t only the captain, every SPD police officer, unit, and sergeant were taken aback. The other NG trucks arrived, showing their personnel walking out of them with ease, lazy even. The NG elements nudged their heads upwards at the police, some knowing each other, and the SPD looking at their top-notch military firearms nervously. Will they really do ¡®that¡¯? Even now? ¡­ Chapter 136 — Situation: SCJ Trial Situation: SCJ Trial ¡°This man must be brought to the Supreme Justice of our nation!¡± After sweating a load down his temples, the captain pointed a finger at Fox''s person and almost shouted. But he didn¡¯t dare to after turning to look at the NG official, whose NG elements were just getting comfy around them. Similarly, the crowd felt an expressive sense of relief with the national guard¡¯s arrival. ¡°What is going on here?¡± The NG official asked without taking his eyes off the captain. After a few seconds, a civilian hesitatingly moved to them, passing by the SPD police, who lowered their weapons and sulked away from the incoming NG elements. ¡°It¡¯s like this, s- sir.¡± The civilian, a tall, slightly chubby man, elaborated. He had very short black hair, brown skin, and his sweat was just drying. ¡°These people barged into the protected natural zone and aimed at everyone, even the governor!¡± ¡°!!¡± The captain threw deadly eyes at the civilian, forgetting he was under tight vigilance from the NG official. The latter nodded, not turning to face the civilian, ¡°Uhuh? What else?¡± ¡°They came for political party National Front¡¯s president. They wanted to persecute him politically!¡± The civilian felt the power as the captain retracted his intentions in the face pf the NG official. But when the captain heard those words, he frowned and pointed at the civilian, ¡°That is not true! How can you listen to someone like that? Just look at him! He¡¯s lying!¡± ¡°Back off!¡± The captain had just lifted his arm and pointed a finger at the civilian when the NG official kicked him away and took a pistol out. Indeed, it was a small pistol. Fox¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t change as he watched this. The NG official aimed at the captain, who laid on the ground holding his left ribs, unable to stand up after being kicked once. ¡°What the-?!¡± - ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± - ¡°Aaaagh!¡± Startled and alarmed cries and exclamations sounded. Some SPD police lifted their small submachine guns or handguns to respond, but they lowered them immediately after, with the national guards already aiming at them and the rest of their comrades. The captain¡¯s cries of pain were emitted shortly after, one after another. With the number of NGs here, it was already a little above them, and they had armored trucks. Let alone the weaponry and training. One just had to look at the NG official and the state police captain to see the difference. ¡°I will only say this once,¡± the NG official articulated, his hold on the small pistol as he aimed at the captain stable. The sky above everyone slowly turned obscurer, nearing the late evening. ¡°SPD has no jurisdiction to act without an official order, and even then, it is illegal to enter a protected natural zone. Both for the protection of nature and dangers of engaging in the forest and jungle areas. You have no training¡ª nor capability.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The captain slowly stood up after looking up at the NG official like he faced an AO warlord. ¡°H- he is still ordered to return to Proteros immediately, not leave the country, and not even the capital city.¡± ¡°¡­ Very well, he will go there.¡± The NG official continued aiming at the captain before dropping his stance. The captain weakly pointed at Fox, he was at least able to lift his arm. ¡°I will present him to you to send him off after ensuring he is safely-¡± ¡°He can go on his own.¡± Just as the NG official opened his lips and moved his chin, Nala Loba¡¯s voice sounded. The phone cameras were still on¡­ Heads turning to her, she added, ¡°But there is no public stipulation of your arrest order, or his order to return. As a matter of fact, you just came here without a notice even. Whether your words are true, the NF president is already on his way back to Proteros. The tour is over.¡± ¡°It¡¯s over?¡± The captain had a worried expression. Fox looked sharply at the captain, turning his head a bit. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The captain only seemed to grow from bad to worse. He nodded a bit, but then lifted his head and stared at the NG official without rest. ¡°That is fine, but there should be a notice soon. It must have been a network issue.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± The NG official laughed and stepped back. He turned his head left and right, looking at his NG elements who laughed with him, and some civilians, murmuring something about: ¡®network issue? In the government? With the IWS?¡¯ and kept laughing before the captain garnered enough courage to continue his words, selectively interrupted just now. ¡°My SPD is still worried that the news and the leaving party president might be implicated by his previous actions and occur the wrath of the civilians. We¡¯ll escort them.¡± The captain said, looking at Nala Loba as well, feeling his face washed down by water, but there were only cold, sudden, strong bursts of wind. ¡°You can chase all you want, nobody is escorting the NF president. Okay,¡± the NG official finally left the police captain with a lackadaisical attitude and walked to Fox. He actually adopted a slightly subservient disposition, saluting with his closed fingers swinging back and forth on the right side of his head. ¡°NF president, may the national guard accompany you on your trip? You must be tired, Lymaospas¨® might suffer a few slides here and there on some rural roads. Why don¡¯t we first bring you to your hotel so you can rest? We will go on our way to Reparta¡¯s intestate highway tomorrow. I¡¯d feel more at ease if we do it safely like this, sir.¡± ¡°No way! Official, Lymaospas¨®¡¯s airport works just fine at night-¡± The NG official had barely finished his words before the police captain engaged again. The former turned around with a slow motion, lifting his eyebrows after his visor to similarly interrupt back, ¡°But, captain! I worry the civilians might cause harm. And even if they don¡¯t, what if they feel too threatened? It¡¯s an airport, if something happens, that would leave Lymoca as an unreliable country to travel to.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The captain was left there on the spot. The NG official looked at Fox, who nodded and extended his hand to Nala Loba. ¡°Having some rest does sound good. We just spent 5 hours rallying in front of tens of thousands of people¡­ in person.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Your car should have been checked by now, we can leave anytime.¡± The NG official stared at the crowd of civs after that, ¡°Everything has been cleared! You will be able to leave in a minute! As soon as these vehicles cualquiera(random) return to the road¡­¡± Fox looked at the NG official¡¯s back before walking past the police captain. Not a single speck of doubt, guard, or vigilance towards the man, with Nala Loba in tow, holding his arm and pulled onwards. He could tell the NG official didn¡¯t fake his attitude just now, it wasn¡¯t from Luis¡¯s orders, or a mischievous desire to poke in the police forces¡¯ ego. Although it could have perfectly been so. Nevertheless, Fox didn¡¯t dwell on it. If he were to think about everything that seemed suspicious, he¡¯d have grown another brain and burst both of them by now, at the very least. Fox walked to the car, where the undercover White Blood driver nodded at him and Nala Loba. After stepping into the car, they were escorted by the NG armored trucks. No such notice was published yet. Only after around 15 minutes did a piece of news strike all of Lymoca. Fox, Phesx Caolia, had been investigated by the Supreme Court Justice, and will now face a trial in its high tribune for inhumane crimes! Anyone knew what those two words meant for a country with the Humane Key. Furthermore, it was written that he was ordered by the Supreme Court Justice to return to Proteros immediately. To follow that up, one would read that the SCJ listed the SPD of Lymaospas¨®¡¯s state capital city as the Supreme Court Justice¡¯s forces to enforce such a dictum. Moreover, he was not allowed to leave the country, Proteros state, or even the capital city upon his immediate return. The swiftness at which he had to act was remarked time and again, but Fox now knew they couldn¡¯t set a date. Otherwise, if their so-called ¡®notice of order¡¯ was ignored and the time ran out, what could the SCJ do but eat it up and do nothing about it? Nevertheless, this also showed they weren¡¯t precisely rash, and less so inexpert. Their meticulousness raised the standing in all sides about to defend against this movement. For whatever this investigation had happened, it surprised every civilian in Lymoca. Just as Fox was becoming a bit of an internet¡¯s notorious figure, barely a discussion between all ages with an interest for the political drama, this occurred. It put Fox on the spot, easy to turn up into anyone¡¯s feed, and even in the news while walking through the stress in the digital panels and screen ads. But that was just what the SCJ wanted. Just the same, Fox couldn¡¯t ignore this notice, not even Luis. The investigation under the judicial power was something to be concerned of, let alone one made by one of the Supreme Court Ministers, and furthermore under the direct assignation of the Supreme Justice Minister.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Just the investigation alone is enough to guarantee one cannot move to another country without it being reported to the nation¡¯s security the subject is moving to. But that it was inhumane crimes, that a trial has been put forth to judge him, and that it concerned the safety of the country¡¯s wellbeing, made it all worse. After all, the capabilities he demonstrated were out of the common knowledge even now. It was bad before, but imagination always ran free with possibilities, and the Lys were no exception. Thus, Fox was driven to his hotel, embarking on a slow, silent trip he ordered the White Blood to take. He didn¡¯t even bother with seniority, as he was just another firster, 1st Grade Red Blood special agent, and the driver was also a firster. Nala Loba, however, didn¡¯t pinpoint anything. From her previous interest shown in his image after ¡®showing¡¯ he was different unlike before, she had become sulky. She spent the trip back to the hotel supporting her hand here and there while leaning on the car or forward, all too silent. Moreover, when the trial¡¯s date was set, which could very well be the day it is announced, although it was illegal, since the SCJ has that power currently; Fox had to attend it. Not only as a person investigated by it and as a Ly, but as a special agent known throughout the world. His face might be known, and that he comes from a war-ridden nonexistent nation state now, without any worth mentioning details. But it was the capabilities of being able to kill hundreds of people, and presumably other special agents, in one single night without even hours passing that elevated his global impotence, however little. Basically, attend it or be chased by Lymoca again, and then, who knows what other countries might want to do to him in the process. ¡­ Arriving at the hotel, Fox sat on the couch and relaxed. Nala Loba didn¡¯t take his clothes off and just went to his bedroom to rest, taking her clothes off as she walked out of his sight. He spent about an hour just sitting there doing nothing before taking his tie off, directly breaking it. Just as he was unbuttoning his shirt¡¯s collar with his jacket still on, he heard movement from his bedroom, before Nala Loba sneaked behind him and walked to his front. She pushed him against the couch and took his jacket off, folding it before beginning her usual ¡®duties¡¯. Afterwards, with the dark of the night illuminating their room, she stared down at him before returning to his bedroom. Fox didn¡¯t realize until she motioned to walk away, but she only had her panties on, with a full-coverage brassiere, all light violet. The next day, he was driven to the interstate highway between Lymaospas¨® and Reparta. The police captain¡¯s irksomeness didn¡¯t come for nowhere, or from just having her goals thwarted. Reparta was the state connecting to Lymaospas¨® farthest from Proteros. After a day of driving through the main road, Fox finally entered Reparta, with the driver and his ¡®bodyguard¡¯ all silent. On their way there, they visited luxurious restaurants, ordered tons of fast food joints¡¯ biggest portions for the people in homeless services, and even visited museums. Thorough the following days on their way to Proteros, they went through the rest of the Reparta, Jaewim, and Coalely states before he was brought to the Proteros state by car at last. The journey there was spent like the first day after the notice was emitted; frugal and enjoying food and history from around the world or Lymoca through museums and landmarks. Of course, he also spent every night in a luxurious hotel, petitioning for the priciest room and spending 10 hours there before continuing. *** Proteros, a few minutes from the presidential precinct. Luis Heartez, the one and only president of Lymoca, was seen outside his large, enormous cave again. It had become a regular occurrence to see him in public. The first 10 days it happened was a bloody bath, where all time media thrashed and shat on him, his public image, and everything he stood for. Anyone foreign to social media or Lymoca¡¯s politics, even with the globalized political awareness, albeit small, would believe he was the reincarnation of evil. That he was a tyrant who could only remain in power¡­ because he was evil and liked killing babies in secret while starving and poisoning the rest of Lys to death through various means. It was all ¡®well¡¯ thought out. But it didn¡¯t seem to matter, as 2 weeks of relentless ¡®people¡¯ storming the Ly media with nonstop ¡®revealing information¡¯ didn¡¯t stop the president from keeping on coming out. He sat in a restaurant, one of luxury, but also of decent quality that went along with its looks. He was at a table near the balcony, giving them a sight of the early morning city with lights turning up and people coming out of their homes to commute. And, of course, he wasn¡¯t alone. Across him was Lesly Rivera, the one and only vice president. Even though she was beloved, she was Luis¡¯s ¡®servant¡¯. In the past, the social media targeting she suffered was reduced to being his slave and being overworked. Now, however, she had become his partner in crime, corrupted by his hobby of baby-killing and whateverelsenot. They were eating some light, honeyed, slimy pastry. With a small cup of tea at their sides, and the tea pot at the side. Luis smiled, thinking back to something as he responded to the conversation, ¡°The moment she dropped the tray, ah. I remember well, almost hit your forehead.¡± ¡°You could have killed me with that thick forehead of yours, Presi.¡± Lesly grinned, making Luis widen his eyes. ¡°I am your President! How dare you speak to me like that?!¡± ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Lesly threw her head back and opened her mouth wide, hovering her hand with the yummy slimy pastry in the air. Luis smiled strongly, feeling just great upon seeing her like that. When she recuperated and ate the mouthful from the fork, she smiled at him. ¡°Do you think she paired us since then?¡± ¡°Mm? Hu- what?¡± Luis was smirking and returning the napkin to his lap after cleaning himself, when he heard those words. His smiling, narrowed eyes focused on her again, seeing a wide-eyed beauty. Lesly trembled a bit, ¡°I w- was just sayin¡¯¡­¡± ¡°Oh, her big plans since before she departed? To have us govern the country and work together for its wellbeing? Maybe, she was the most amazing woman.¡± Luis said, dreamy eyed, shaking his head, and looking up. Lesly pressed her lips together after her eyes crazily darted everywhere. She then looked at him and nodded, ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Ah, well, I mean¡­¡± Luis noticed her behavior. With his job as a president for 12 years, how could he not read people? Lesly looked at him, a bit more calm, and eating to not say any single extra word again. Luis smacked his lips open, waited a little bit, and said with his left index finger pointing at her. ¡°You are now a most amazing woman, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lesly¡¯s face was first stunned, then slowly glad as she opened her mouth and lifted her eyebrows. Then, it became paralyzed again, before a blush emerged over her face. Once her face went from creamy white to crimson red, it regained life, and both looked at each other while holding their breath. ¡°Hahahaha¡­¡± - ¡°Hahaha!¡± Both laughed it off, opening their mouths wide and narrowing their eyes so much they didn¡¯t mind touching each other¡¯s feet by accident under the table. When they were calming down and cleaning their faces and the mess they made around their plates, an old waiter came to them. ¡°Ma¡¯am, sir. May I offer you anything else?¡± He added after bending a bit more beside Luis, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about cleanliness. It¡¯s all on the house. May I also bother you with perhaps a 50% discount?¡± ¡°Agh, let me tell you, old man.¡± Luis groaned before looking at the waiter, whose white mustache was quite likeable and bushy. ¡°Say something like that again and I will pay double, entiende(understand)?¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± The old man looked troubled, before widening his eyes a little. ¡°Should I ask again?¡± Luis and Lesly looked at the old man, grinning at his response. The old man took a few more orders for juice before leaving them both, murmuring something along the lines of ¡®what two lovebirds¡¯, and ¡®How can they¡­ no, how can he be so sweet?¡¯. After a little while, Luis exclaimed a whispered hum before taking his WID out. Lesly could only see blank white, heavenly transparent, so she asked him while drinking her orange juice. ¡°What is it now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s arrived to the city¡¯s outskirts,¡± Luis¡¯s face changed, turning serious. A rare sight, even now that it has started happening. She gulped strongly one last time before asking again, ¡°Did you have time to get it ready?¡± ¡°Me? Ah, yes. I had enough time to prepare, I checked everything well.¡± Luis looked at Lesly, seemingly looking for somewhere to extract or at least gain the motivation to build up strength from. She looked at him, waiting. ¡°I brought him to this kind of path.¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°It makes it sound so grim or¡­ ¡®predestined¡¯. I just knew what I was getting him into¡­ That sounds better.¡± ¡°And you are facing an enemy you didn¡¯t want to before, right?¡± Lesly added, finishing her juice before grabbing Luis¡¯s glass and drinking it down. Luis stared off at the floor, his head a bit down. He blinked and turned to her like he found a treasure in an impossible location and still couldn¡¯t believe it, ¡°In the end, yeah¡­¡± ¡°Hmf!¡± He blew from his nostrils with more strength than expected but in a good mood. ¡°And for him, of all people. Isn¡¯t that something?¡± ¡°Well, you had him accept something impossible, that was a beginning. But then again, he also worked his part well. Now that is where the difficult lies, but he accomplished it¡­ you did, too¡­¡± Lesly looked at him, returning the stare, albeit with other notions. She softly conveyed encouragement at first, before changing them to upfrontly challenging him. ¡°Luis, you have been President of a country for over a decade. Even the half a step into the coffin in the north hasn¡¯t been able to, and he is still barely halfway through that ¡®path¡¯ himself.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it time?¡± Lesly placed her hand on his backhand, of which he unknowingly extended across the table towards her just before. Luis¡¯s thoughts went wild, but her words straightened them up. ¡°Your time, these stupid, last 6 years, are what you have been working for. Be it unknowingly at first, and with intention after the District added you to their plans. Can¡¯t you stop being a ¡®learning president¡¯ and¡­ not wonder what others might do or think of you? I say it¡¯s been enough. You are no small person, you are my President, the Lymocan President¡­ Bring us back our honor¡­ remind us who we were¡ª to be.¡± ¡°Show her she didn¡¯t wait almost 12 years to see her husband appear timid and easygoing for his own sake, and his daughter. No bear momma gives birth to koala joey.¡± She gently stared into his sharp, gray-black eyes, rubbing her thumbs on his hand. Luis blinked a few times, pausedly, and opened them fully each time. He said nothing, but she heard what he had to say. Standing up, Luis gestured Lesly to follow him. She followed, standing to her feet and walking to his side. He presented his right hand across his abdomen to grab hers, which she looked at before staring at the back of his head. Quickening her steps a bit more, she hung her right hand forth and let him hold her fingers without pulling her hand. They walked to the balcony and stared as the first morning lights revealed the almighty, colorless gray sky with the sun soaring behind them. ¡°You were right¡­ this would indeed make me believe I can understand the world a little. Maybe hold it for a few instances.¡± Lesly murmured before looking at him. He returned her gaze, both soft. ¡­ Chapter 137 — Politics Never Rests Politics Never Rests In Proteros, a street a few hundreds of meters from the SCJ building. ¡°So, did you see it?¡± - ¡°Yeah, baby.¡± - ¡°Crazy, right? And we were just talking about him the day before it. Isn''t it creepy?¡± - ¡°I guess it was true, after all¡­¡± - ¡°When do you think there will be a trial?¡± - ¡°Dunno dude, I''m busy trying to keep my knees off the floor to get a job there to care about some random traitor and a suspicious president.¡± - ¡°That''s sooo crazy, o-my-heavens! Can you imagine?¡± - ¡°Yeaaah¡­ but now he kinda cute, though?¡± - ¡°Haha, yaaass~!¡± The people passed by the sidewalks, talking out loud bout the crazy things happening around them. This couldn¡¯t be helped. When did the SCJ ever become so noticeable? While it was known and a topic at every school, it was seemed as if it remained closed doors always. As a couple of a young man and woman, a pair of pals, some girly girls being girly as friends, and more, walked by from one side or the other, a redheaded woman ate a lonche. She ate it with tranquility, pacing each bite, and munching many times before passing it down. Her face was calm as she looked around her. She always did this. But now she knew this might very well be the last time she could, in peace. It was still early morning, but the gray sky brought some light down. As always, she looked around while munching, as if she didn¡¯t have a care in the world, and so at ease not even the world destroying itself would make her bat an eye. After passing another mouthful down, she took the last 3 bites from her lonche at once and wrapped the paper left behind. As she munched, she looked down at it, noticing it was all over and she had to return. She remained sitting there, looking at her surroundings, although she sat on her bench facing towards the building just a dozen meters away, with people walking in between, instead of the streets. She took her WID out and used it before relaxing, finishing her last munches from her large mouthful and passing it down. Then, she took her phone out and checked the time. Putting it back into her bag, she stared at her surroundings, turning her head left and right, wide. After 7 minutes, she stood up and walked to the SCJ building in the distant. It was so tall and mighty-looking even from this medium-long distance. Only when she looked at it did some life come to her eyes. Vanessa Valyer had just stood up, but some people around the same block, and others, and the capital city, and Proteros; received the same messages. ¡°The trial is today? Oh- holy shit, hahaha!¡± - ¡°Woah, that¡¯s¡­ that feels weird.¡± - ¡°Is he here then? He should have arrived, right?¡± - ¡°Maybe he met with the president or the ministers already?¡± - ¡°Woah! I wonder how this will unfold, so exciting!¡± - ¡°it¡¯s just another dude¡¯s trial for his crimes. Pipe it down, fangirl.¡± - ¡°You jealous babe~?¡± - ¡°Of course! You moron!¡± - ¡°Aww pouts.¡± Vanessa Valyer kept walking, unnoticed. But that changed when she was just 3 crossroads away from the SCJ building. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that¡­ the¡­ ah! The Supreme Justice Minister?¡± - ¡°Damn!¡± - ¡°That¡¯s the¡­ chief of the Court Ministers, right?¡± - ¡°Yup¡­ she¡¯s such a pretty woman!¡± - ¡°Tsk, careful¡­¡± - ¡°But she is¡­¡± Vanessa Valyer kept walking, ignoring the heads turning to her, the words of amazement, intrigue, praises, and eyes of idolizing girls and young women. After all, Vanessa Valyer was far away from her 70s, so far she seemed like an angel sprout from anywhere for the sake of the judicial branch. Without any incidents, she entered the building, silently greeted by the guards, with some people inside waving at her with all the joy and love they could muster from the bottom of their personas. Once she walked past them, their expressions changed, turning solemn. Going against the president, and for the good of the country, they felt they had changed and could lead Lymoca back to its right path. How could they not feel compelled to keep an image? Especially with their always direct, blunt, meticulous, and assertive ¡®chief¡¯, or ringleader. *** Capital city center. Still morning. Onwards to the Blackflower Boutique. Although the morning had progressed, and news of tonight¡¯s trial were everywhere in Proteros, quickly transmitting through the rest of the country via the blessed social media, it remained gray as Fox walked to his boutique. During this time, counting the gains from the last month, Fox earned 6,846,000 credits. It was mostly thanks to Colmillo, who increased her demand on Fox¡¯s bions, earning him 2,000,000 per month, 4,000,000 up to now. Then, the 123,000 twice from his personal profit, and 2.6 million from the bions sold to the PSD. Meanwhile, he didn¡¯t get any from the cooperative team assignations, but his boutique earned another 336,000 credits. Minus the mega suite¡¯s monthly cost, he had amassed 11,415,000 credits, and his boutique had 11,840,000 credits in reserves, assuming the other 2 floors weren¡¯t in the bag already. But as Fox walked to the boutique, the other 2 floors above were still like before. Just then, Fabiola was out, as this was the 6th day of the first month, and its first week, and she had vacations. The academy seemed to do well for her, but not the business. ¡°What is it?¡± Fox directly spoke out loud, grabbing her attention while she threw a trash bag. Even though she was all so high for her future and had a notorious status from birth, Fabiola still helped with some tasks, like these. ¡°Ah! Fox!¡± Fabiola looked up, surprised. She ran down the steps to him and stopped right in front of him, extending her hand with a little smile. Fox unhesitatingly shook her hand with his gloved one and asked her after seeing her lips. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing boss¡­¡± Fabiola lowered her head after calling him respectfully and looked directly at the ground. Fox frowned a bit, ¡°How did the negotiations go? How¡¯s the money to buy them off?¡± ¡°Ah, Fox, they¡­¡± Fabiola was first hesitant before remembering the things that happened, and that she was the ¡®semi-manager¡¯ of the Blackflower Boutique. She looked up at him, decisively saying, ¡°I was about to have a deal, when news of your investigation spread. Then, today, after their unnecessary delays, they cancelled out while we were having the last review of our matters. Saying stuff about not trusting such ¡®characters¡¯.¡± ¡°The news from your trial scared them off. They left just a few minutes ago¡­ I was calming down¡­ trying to.¡± Fabiola let out a silent sigh afterwards, closing her eyes in defeat. Fox looked at her, understanding flashing in his polycoria eyes before placing his hands on her shoulders. ¡°Eh?¡± She opened her eyes, looking at Fox with surprise, not expecting this. Fox asked her, almost like a big brother would, or just a brother that cares. ¡°How was your last week of exams?¡± ¡°Ah, big bro¡­ I did well, I think?¡± A proud glint went through her eyes before giggling, ¡°Alright, alright! I scored big time. I am top 3, proud?¡± She smiled to cheshire levels, making Fox shake his head with a grin from the left corner of his mouth before nodding, ¡°I¡¯m glad, now I won¡¯t be burdened for re-contracting you into your family-owned business¡­ or at least before I bought it from you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tease me, I still feel afflicted, okay? Pamper me! You¡¯ve been away for a month¡­¡± Fabiola wrapped her arms around his waist, lower waist, as she was a bit short compared to Fox. She didn¡¯t even notice she was hugging him directly, feeling too girly to care. Meanwhile, Fox let her have her moment. ¡°Okay, so.¡± Fox addressed her again after a few seconds. She realized with a blink of her eyes and stepped back, looking up at him intently. Fox continued from where he left it, ¡°I trust you were good with the negotiations. Last time should have been enough exposition for you to understand my wishes. So, let me show you another thing¡­ where are the floors¡¯ owners? Still up there?¡± ¡°Still up there,¡± Fabiola gestured with her left index finger up, looking at him, grievous. Fox nodded, saying nothing more as he walked to the stairs leading up. Fabiola turned, watching him go with her resting expression before her eyes suddenly went wide, realizing what was happening. She thought, ¡®Big bro is going bully mode?!¡¯ Fox entered the building¡¯s 3rd floor and knocked twice like a normal person would before barging in by breaking the door like a normal person with an inhuman left arm would, shooting it upwards. An old man, maybe in his 100s still, looked up, startled and nearly with a stopped heart. ¡°Wha- wha- wh- whaaa- what the hell is going on?!¡± He exasperatedly looked at Fox, who entered and stood 2 meters behind him, wearing a pair of inhuman eyes and a sharp frown. The old man was startled, half-paralyzed.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Step, step, step. ¡°I¡¯m the boutique¡¯s owner. The one you do not dare to make a deal with because of his immoral character.¡± Fox stepped to the old man and said, letting every word hang down by the old man¡¯s ears. The latter trembled intensely before shouting, ¡°Get back! You are a public figure, you really think you can do this without a care?! You¡¯ll see!¡± ¡°And so,¡± Fox ignored the old man¡¯s words, putting the latter¡¯s mental health in danger. Fox looked at the old man still, ¡°As a Preutian, freed from horrible war environments, suffering all these years of trauma and discrimination, I proudly repudiate people like you. I am also a person with documented mental disabilities. I am so vulnerable.¡± Fox arrived before the old man and looked down, letting the wise and proper elderly person look at his polycoria eyes up close. Fox¡¯s voice was a bit hoarse; crude, ¡°So, what is your deal, old man? Take it or leave it?¡± ¡°I- I¡­¡± The old man frowned, slowly getting used to eyes like those existing, but ever so uncomfortable by being looked at by them, let alone returning the stare. Fox asked without moving an inch from his body, not even his eyes. ¡°Where are your papers?¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± The old man scurried away, leaving to get a crooked folder from beneath the counter, where he kept the terms of the agreement. There was a lavish 4.3 million credits written as the amount he¡¯d receive. The old man turned to him, ¡°Should I also lower it? How muc-¡± ¡°No. Sign it, and I¡¯ll contentedly leave,¡± Fox crossed his arms and tilted his head a bit to the left. The old man widened his eyes before nodding, turning to the papers before signing them adequately. A few seconds later, Fox came out of the 3rd floor and went up to a floor, keeping them in his suit¡¯s jackets. A couple of minutes later, he came out of the 4th floor. He then came down. Fox reunited with Fabiola, who looked at him like she knew he did wrong, yet only feeling contented for him. She smiled unreservedly afterwards. Fox smirked at the little flower he was corrupting and gave her the documents; well taken care of. ¡°Fox!¡± She looked at them and grabbed onto them like prized spoils of battle. Fabiola looked up at him, smiling even more. Fox pinched her cheek, ¡°Careful, if others see you and want to marry you, you¡¯d have to drop out of college with a big belly.¡± Fabiola pouted, lowering the documents, but blushing with his antics. ¡°Big bro, come on!¡­ Lui- the President¡¯s reforms last year made the government support those naughty little students under certain circumstances. At most, I¡¯ll just bring more advertising to our boutique and expand my experience in life wider sooner instead of later, no?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox lifted his eyebrows, processing her boldness. Fabiola couldn¡¯t keep the act for even a second before him and fled, running up the stairs before stopping at the glass doors. She turned around to see Fox¡¯s snarky smile, so she stuck her tongue out and shut her eyes. Fox smirked warmly, just a bit. Fabiola then asked him loudly, ¡°Are you leaving!?¡± ¡°I have a date with justice!¡± Fox replied, nearly cracking. She seemed to think of something and fell silent, before nodding and shouting again, ¡°Then good luck! Thank you! And yes! I just learned what to do next time! Good luck, big brooo!¡± Fox left with a smile, keeping his suit on but wishing he could change clothes. If it wasn¡¯t for Nala Loba¡¯s warning and reminder, he would¡¯ve changed already, but then he would have to put it back on again for the high tribune. His image was already torn, he didn¡¯t want to tick himself off. ¡­ Taking a PVT to the HQ, Fox wore a large coat and the factory¡¯s cap, remaining undercover. Inside, he saw Mena, who seemed to know he was coming. She looked at him with wide eyes. Fox looked at her and winked his left eye before saying, ¡°Good seeing you again, Mena.¡± ¡°How¡¯s my baby deer Pamela doing?¡± She asked, softly stopping him at the double doors. Fox turned to her, ¡°Your doe is making money. I think she¡¯s a bit flirty, too.¡± ¡°Huh? And you take care of that?¡± Mena narrowed her eyes. Fox could see the overprotectiveness in her eyes, truly caring for her cousin. Fox suddenly felt like feeling jealous, but he couldn¡¯t. He grinned at Mena, ¡°Nah, but she knows I might replace her if there¡¯s drama or a hellish spawn taking form in her.¡± ¡°What words,¡± Mena blushed a bit before smiling, showing her canines. She walked to him after staring at the side, keeping a distance. ¡°I want you to know we wish you good luck, especially those you talk to, Foxies. The PSD supports you, and your decision.¡± ¡°Hm? What decision?¡± Fox nodded, ignoring her endearment call, but then asked with a clear visage. Mena parted her lips at once, but her instincts kicked in, only making her body open her mouth and pause. Her eyes slowly widened in realization. ¡°Dammit, they don¡¯t tell you anything. Even though it is of utmost important, and to you!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t tell me?¡± Fox smiled and hung his head, swaying his shoulders left and right like a child. Mena crossed her arms, looking at him like a sister whose baby brother betrayed her. Fox grinned from ear to ear before nodding a bit, winking his right eye at her. He turned and went through the doors, leaving Mena as she smiled, looking at his back, before returning to her desk task. First, Fox went to the doctor, E. Valle. It has been a while, and he wondered what his blood, skin tissue, hair, sperm, tears, and other forms of test products might have aided with the research. This time, with the doc¡¯s ambitions known to the District, he was allocated a good place, a laboratory. All for himself. The doc could hire workers and other researchers, but he didn¡¯t want to, either because of secrecy, selfishness, or haughtiness. Like thinking only he could resolve it. Regardless, Fox confidently entered the lab. The doc was resting somewhere, eating a large hamburger, closing his eyes to enjoy each bite. The doc looked up at him after a few consecutive bites and remained calm. Seeing this, Fox blinked before walking over, ¡°Not afraid it could be a big bad competitor coming to take a glimpse and catch you off guard?¡± ¡°The only ones who can enter through that door are Butler, representative Captains, and even the president.¡± The old man shrugged. Fox widened his eyes, a fake reaction. ¡°You modified the PSD¡¯s installed instruments?¡± Such a thing was amerciable, and very difficult. The doc, someone who could easily do it so that Fox could come in without sending off alarms, chewed with his mouth sometimes opening wide. Fox walked over and tapped a few things on a table before grabbing a chair to sit before the old doc, saying in an uncaring, lazy tone, ¡°How dare you, doc.¡± ¡°You came to see what results have I found?¡± The old doc said, eating a few times before asking Fox. Fox slowly nodded, ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s your break? Keep eating then, I still have 3 hours before I become an inhumane criminal with an extra inhumane treason charge.¡± ¡°Sigh,¡± the old doc sighed and shook his head. ¡°So much, and so many moving just to play to find the bad traitor among the internal affairs. I don¡¯t see how things like these still remain alive after so long, and they will still, in the future.¡± ¡°Well, you won¡¯t be alone, walking into a room full of enemies and people filled with schadenfreude. You got that covered, boy.¡± The old man said, finishing his hamburger bit by bit. Fox carelessly nodded at the old doc, supporting his body with his forearms on his thighs. ¡°Okay.¡± The old doc finished his meal, cleaned his hands brusquely with a towel after putting the wrapper away, and looked at Fox with wide eyes. ¡°Do you want to see what I have gotten? It¡¯s just a small part, but I am already in the process of mass-producing it.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Fox nodded. The old doc went away to grab a large suitcase. It was also pretty fat. He sat down before Fox again and lied it on his lap before opening it. The old doc was old, and his expressions showed a little struggle, but he still opened the lid with ease. Fox watched as small syringes, circular boxes, and even pills were revealed inside the suitcase. They were all gray, of a silvery, solid color tone. Fox looked up at the wrinkled face of the doc, who smiled and nodded a few times, lightly. ¡°Let me show you, can you help me?¡± The doc motioned. Fox nodded and grabbed the suitcase after the old man grabbed a small circular box out of it, placing the big thing beside his seat. Then, Fox saw the old man bring a scalpel from the side to his. ¡°We¡¯ll apply it the same way as with the others,¡± the old doc went on, ¡°First, on my skin. Then, you cut my skin open and treat me. Okay.¡± Fox nodded, waiting as the old man lifted his sleeves. He tilted his head, waiting for the doc to say what to do, when he didn¡¯t say anything. Fox looked at the doc¡¯s face, seeing some sweat, and then finally speak, ¡°Dislocate my left hand.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox lifted his eyebrows at a regular pace. After a second, he didn¡¯t give it any further thought and moved his hands. Moving far past the old doc¡¯s reflexes, he grabbed the hand by the thumb with his right and the wrist on the opposite side with his left hand. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The old man slightly cried out in pain before quickly moving his right hand. He opened the lid of the box on the table, trembling, and scooped a thin layer of solid silver. The old doc brought his unmoving hand to his chest and placed the silver cream below the thumb before covering it whole. Then, he circled his wrist before smearing some more at the center of his forearm. ¡°Aaahh¡­¡± The old doc sighed in relief and spread his legs, leaning backwards. His fingertips no longer having any trace of the silver cream. Fox frowned, ¡°Is the pain gone?¡± ¡°Nah, it doesn¡¯t have red properties. But it ¡®makes up¡¯ for the part you dislocated. It¡¯s like an instrument¡¯s fail countermeasures, like a part of my body extending to cover for the broken or damaged parts. However, it increases the pain all over one¡¯s body for several seconds. The increase is enormous, but it drops afterwards, and lasts for 3 minutes approximately with a portion of the increased pain, but the benefits remain until half a day! Hahaha!¡± ¡°!¡± Fox¡¯s eyebrows jumped. Such a thing would be sought after endlessly. Of course, it couldn¡¯t meet the public just now like it was nothing. It would first go to the PSD¡¯s pockets for its special agents. Nevertheless, it was a great invent. ¡°Now, my right forearm¡­ break it.¡± The old doc said as Fox looked at the doc¡¯s hand, which perfectly moved, but the doc grimaced hard when he pinched it strongly. Something like that would only make one frown without the silvery cream. Fox grabbed the old doc¡¯s forearm and looked at him to see if the oldie was sure about this. The doc had a mad scientist¡¯s face, so Fox mentally shrugged and puckered his lower lip, breaking the oldie¡¯s forearm. Immediately after, as the old man still had the effects from the previous treatment 2 minutes ago, and cried out silently, trembling, Fox scooped some silver. Fox poured it on the bone he broke, using his middle fingertip, leaving it in like solidifying pasta. He tried amending the bone, which worked, making Fox tilt his head to the right in wonderment. It wasn¡¯t healing, or fixing itself right away, but it would stay like this for half a day, and it only required tormenting pain for a few minutes after a shock of torture. ¡°Liquids don¡¯t wash it away, unless you use certain acids, of course. But it only disintegrates in the last couple of minutes of its product lifetime.¡± The doc moved his arm, showing it could move, and his fingers were fine, but he didn¡¯t move too fast. ¡°Any serious hit or reckless movement, for an injury like this, will worsen the injury as if it wasn¡¯t treated¡­ Other colorful medicine won¡¯t work in synergy, at least it won¡¯t be enhanced or deteriorated.¡± ¡­ Chapter 138 — Sharpening Ones Weapons Before Battle Sharpening One''s Weapons Before Battle ¡°I created it just 4 days ago, and I used the last bone marrow sample you left me for these.¡± The old doc spoke after 3 minutes went by again, reposing his right arm on the table. Fox watched attentively, curious and invested in this. It was ''developed'' using his body in some ways, after all. ¡°It doesn¡¯t accumulate, you know? The pain, or the time. That¡¯s a relief, because my greatest fears were that. That it wouldn¡¯t be without terrible secondary effects, but this much is enough. It¡¯s a funereal experience, but better than dying.¡± The doc explained, feeling a bit better. Fox went to pick some medicament and returned, treating the old man, experimenting treating a wound with this silver cream. The old doc sighed in relief, feeling a bit better, ¡°As I said, it gives a lot of pain at the beginning, but it takes away some of that pain later. It ¡®turns¡¯ it into something else. If there is a lot of pain, you will feel uncomfortable, just not tormenting.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not the most divine feature my creation has,¡± the doc smiled. ¡°It only gets triggered after it is placed on a wound. To a crease or cut wood? It only stays glued until it slides off. But on a small injury on a rat¡¯s body with its fur intact? Even the slightest cut would be identified. The silver substance is as if absorbed into wounds! But it only works for conditional injuries. A runny nose or a fever aren¡¯t in the product¡¯s list.¡± ¡°I have made a¡­ haha, wonderful medicine¡­¡± The doctor felt tired and closed his eyes. Fox felt that, if the doc hadn¡¯t eaten, he would¡¯ve fallen asleep just now. Not knowing what the doc went through, how many sleepless hours he had each day during this time, Fox nodded and grabbed the small circular box. ¡°It could be well-used in combat,¡± Fox nodded more. The doc¡¯s narrowed eyes turned to him. ¡°You mean¡­ the battlefield?¡± ¡°Yeah. It will always be good for any other situation, but this¡ª in the battlefield? That would be the nightmare for any enemy.¡± Fox looked at the thing a bit more before returning it to the table. He looked at the doc and asked, ¡°What did you name it?¡± ¡°Something very simple: silver.¡± The doc nodded a few times at a regular speed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t need more than that, neither did the others. Just that is fine¡­ Right, you can keep a batch, one small circular box, a package of pills, and 3 injections. The injections are for the organs, and to stop some situations, like spreading venom or poison to let green medicine work without time limits.¡± ¡°It can be used many times, and the needle is easy to clean. I will give you more whenever you want, but only you. The others, and only special agents, can buy them instead.¡± The old doctor clarified before placing his hands on his belly and dropping his eyelids to rest. ¡°What about their production? How many did you do with that bone marrow of mine?¡± Fox asked after grabbing new, fresh boxes and injections. The doc opened his eyes, but just a little. ¡°With bone marrow? Barely 400 units or so. I can make an injection, a package of pills, or a small circular box with each unit.¡± ¡°So¡­ would urine be the most sensical, easiest method to supply you the ¡®main ingredient¡¯ with?¡± Fox nodded, very slowly, and asked. The old doc smiled, slightly opening his eyes. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t want to dry you of your blood for this. I still need to find a way to make these without having to rely on your existence, or it¡¯ll be for naught.¡± ¡°You do you, doc,¡± Fox slapped his knee and nodded at the old man. The latter nodded, too, ¡°One usual amount of urine will give me about¡­ 600 to 800 units.¡± Fox jumped his eyebrows in reaction to that. He looked at the side, where a large, cylindrical instrument 5 meters tall and about 4 meters wide stood in a wall, tall and imposing. It looked like a capsule conformed of 2 doors that slide circularly around its perimeter to an open or close. ¡°But Fox, there is also a very easy way to make more units per day, and their supply effectivity will be much better than urine, although worse than blood. Sigh, if only people could produce bone marrow like saliva¡­¡± The doc said, but Fox had a bad premonition, and that was before the mad scientist¡¯s comment the old doc said. ¡°What¡­ are you talking about, doc?¡± Fox tentatively asked, looking at the doctor. The latter lifted his face, looking at Fox while moving his wounded limbs out of fascination from silver medicine. ¡°I¡¯m talking about sperm, Fox.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox said nothing. He had nothing to say, because nothing should be said. It wasn¡¯t necessary to say a single thing about it! ¡°Fox! I won¡¯t touch the material nor do anything weird with it, there are instruments to deal with these things! Look at that thing! It has thinned out the quantity of samples I had to work with. It¡¯s very good, although it needed a few modifications to properly work¡ª but that¡¯s not it! Do you not trust me?¡± The doc went on the defensive after they stared at each other, manly. ¡°¡­¡± Fox said nothing still, looked at the towering instrument, simply blinked before shaking his head. The doc added, ¡°I can hire some girls to do the moving for me, Fox.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not better,¡± Fox frowned and said. Doc frowned too, before lifting his head in realization. ¡°Oh, I see. But there¡¯s nothing weird they¡¯d do. The PSD females aren¡¯t that exotic and¡­ of peculiar lewd actions¡­¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Fox looked at the old man with drooped, unbothered eyes. The old man was taken aback. Thinking for a moment, he then jumped his eyebrows, lightly smacked his lips open, and cocked his head before nodding. The doc shook his head and added, still not giving up, ¡°All you have to do is kill your sperm with some air current or heating it up for a few moments. All I need is the proof of your DNA, not the productivity. The stakes are basically nonexistent, but I wouldn¡¯t use your body in this manner because of it.¡± ¡°Tell you what, I¡¯ll hire men instead,¡± the doc nodded upwards and said, convinced it would be enough. Fox lashed out with widened eyes and standing up. ¡°No! That¡¯s worse!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The doc was left speechless. A sudden, terrific realization surged, slowly making him feel even worse than with the females¡¯ situation. After a bit of a hassle to decide something, the doc and Fox came to a conclusion and Fox left the laboratory. ¡­ Fox was just planning to walk through some training grounds to see if Teon was around, when he found quite a few figures standing in the dirt and sand. One of them was his 2-weeks long ex-bodyguard, Nala Loba, and some of the team members, while the others were Captain Nauer and 1st Grade Teon¡­ in a frowning-upon situation. There was Teon, standing with 13 different 1st Grade special agents knocked down around her on the dirt. She kept her fists up, her shoulders locked, and her chest and rib area still ready to rotate and move with utmost agility, but only to strike deadly. She sweated, with a bleeding left nostril, which had dried up, although some dirt and sand grains smeared onto it, and it ran down her philtrum past her lips. Teon didn¡¯t have a serious hit on her face, and her nose was perfect, but her hair was disarranged and dirty. Furthermore, the watching special agents were stifled in a position, looking at this with their faces subjectively ineffectual and unreactive. Moreover, so was the case with Nala Loba and some of the team members, who looked at Teon¡¯s fight, now finished, as she faced Captain Nauer a few meters in front of her. ¡°Captain, huu¡­¡± Teon wheezed air into her lungs, having been hit on the torso, sides, head, and legs and arms so much. But she beat them all, 2 elite firster teams in Green Blood, all on her own. Teon breathed thinly before gathering enough air in her lungs, ¡°I have¡­ I¡¯ve done it!¡± ¡°Yes, you have,¡± Captain Nauer seemed a little distant, cold even. He didn¡¯t seem gentlemanly now, but his appearance was still in congruence with his status and attitude. Teon swayed from side to side a little, perhaps relaxing. ¡°I¡¯d like to enter a first¡­ 1st Grade team, now, please.¡± ¡°Really? See, how about this¡­¡± Captain Nauer, with his charisma, looked down and mildly neither accepted nor denied before lifting his head, challengingly staring at Teon. She frowned and kept her body steady once more, her eyes seeing a little blurry. She listens attentively. ¡°Satisfy me, and last as long as you can against me, right now, and I¡¯ll welcome you into my team. But if you aren¡¯t capable, then keep climbing your role like everyone else!¡± The Captain said, roaring his last few words, but the public hardly felt something about it. Teon was that powerful, after all. ¡°Yes, ple-¡­¡± Teon voiced, using the only breath she had accumulated. Captain Nauer lifted his eyebrows in askance. Teon narrowed her eyes a bit, turning sharper, and lowered her head just a bit. ¡°Please, allow me to have this chance.¡± Fox walked to Nala Loba and the team, who only pay him some attention as he whispers to Nol, ¡°What is this about? My sister getting picked on at school?¡± ¡°More like at work,¡± Nol commented. Fox looked at Teon, looking a bit pitiful as she practically turned to be the one asking for that option instead of being granted it. ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°So-¡± Fox wasn¡¯t going to stop her, as this was his Teon, and she was a big girl with deadly melee no one has matched, at least in the same level. If Teon grew to Nala Loba¡¯s current level, then it would be interesting to see how hurt Teon would get before Nala Loba wins, nothing more. Yet, just as he continued whispering, with Nala Loba crossing her arms in front of him, her back at an arm¡¯s reach, his polycoria eyes widened at the sight from Teon and Captain Nauer¡¯s ¡®spar¡¯. Teon stood, prepared and ready to get her beating, but endure as much as possible. Perhaps dodge most of the attacks, but land some off against the Captain to impress. Yet, Captain Nauer went over the speed one would think he¡¯d go to, as he made Fox alarmed, let alone Teon.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. She had just heard something and felt her skin lift its hairs on their end when she felt her left cheek suddenly pushed. Then, she went flying to the ground, her body almost as if she had broken her vertebral column. Just as she landed on the ground, her left eye closed, her right one shell-shocked wide-open, Captain Nauer kicked her up with the tip of his shoe. Teon was pinned upwards, her body arching as she was kicked in the solar plexus. Her mouth drew out saliva, all she had near her throat and in her mouth. Just as she was brought up into the air, Captain Nauer grabbed her separated legs like flailing balloons and held them together over his chest and shoulder. The rest of Teon¡¯s body above his head. As Fox felt his first heartbeat drop, he advanced forward, ignoring everything else. Nala Loba turned her eyes to their left corners, unbeknownst to him, and watched him in silence and coldly. Fox felt his first stomp on the dirt too slow and light, cursing his entire life as he dropped his torso, using his left hand to penetrate the ground with his fingers below the soft layer. Cursing he didn¡¯t have an entire body made of ultra Mintip, Fox impulsed himself forth, dashing to the most insane speed he had ever managed with his body alone. It far exceeded the situation in Preut¡¯s parliament after neutralizing the tank. Fox impulsed his body, just in time to catch up to Teon, who was several meters away before, but he was now right in front of. He caught her with all her body¡¯s inertia, sliding his legs as she was just about to get her entire body slammed in a free fall/slam by Captain Nauer¡¯s full-on throw strength. Crrgggrhhh~! Fox caught Teon¡¯s body and mitigated the inertia behind her body with the one he carried when he dashed over. His sliding body also halted at once, almost like he flew at will and halted, but only for 3 seconds before his back plummeted to the ground. ¡°Woaaah!¡± - ¡°Gaaasp¡­¡± - ¡°Uh oh¡­¡± - ¡°What ¡®uh oh¡¯?¡± - ¡°They are going to fight, aren¡¯t they?¡± - ¡°So what? Captain Nauer is a Captain, and a representative captain at that.¡± - ¡°But he is Fox¡­¡± - ¡°I¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± While the special agents commented, and Captain Nauer watched Fox mitigate his blow on Teon¡¯s body and self-esteem, Fox ignored all and bit his right wrist. He grabbed a brand-new silver syringe with his left hand, while his arm held Teon¡¯s head. ¡°Stay put, it will hurt a lot, but don¡¯t worry, and drink up.¡± Fox said to her, making half the voices surrounding them hush, staring at them instead. Teon could barely move, so she gulped and shakily nodded a bit. Fox brought his right wrist to her lips while placing the needle at both sides of her head, injecting while letting her eat his blood. Then, still drinking from his wrist, he leaned her against his right chest, sliding her body from his lap to his front, still with his bum on the ground. Teon coughed a little, but since Fox didn¡¯t say anything else, she grabbed his backhand with unknown strength and pushed his wrist deeper into her teeth to bite a few times. More blood poured from his wrist as the special agents frowned, including Captain Nauer, the last one to unfroze his visage. Teon recuperated some color, while Fox seemed a bit pale. He hugged Teon from behind, coiling his left arm to inject at her sternum. He then separated his right wrist from her lips, making her groan a bit, before opening his palm with his left nails to do the same. Knowing the drill, Teon drank his blood while Fox turned his head to Nala Loba and her team. He impassively uttered, as if he felt awkward to do anything else, ¡°Alea.¡± Alea felt her head ring, and before she knew it, she jolted out of the group and brushed some special agents aside. She went to them and knelt to check on Teon. She frowned and glanced at Fox repetitively when she understood what was going on¡­ and how. Fox stood up with ease, bringing Teon with him, who enjoyed his palm¡¯s blood with closed eyes. Looking at Alea, he said, ¡°Treat her already. Bring her to Mena so she can rest in my suite.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Alea accepted Teon¡¯s body in her arms after Fox gently threw her to her chest. She carried Teon like a princess whose barely open eyes looked at Fox¡¯s back, pouting for more blood like a baby. Alea sobered up and asked with a light frown, ¡°What do I tell her? Mena is a senior to even Nauer¡­¡± Indeed, what if someone of Mena¡¯s seniority saw this and felt¡­ the need to ¡®demand an answer¡¯? Fox had turned around to look at Captain Nauer, when he became still and turned his head to Alea. Those eyes weren¡¯t impassive anymore, or cold. Just feral. ¡°Then tell her I took care of it,¡± Fox impassively said before turning back to Captain Nauer. It was only after he did that that the crowd realized he wasn¡¯t just throwing ¡®sweet¡¯ glares at Captain Nauer, but about to face him off! And indeed, just as they realized, Fox casually walked to Captain Nauer with a semi-fast speed. Who the fuck would do that if they were afraid, or believed themselves not good enough to face something? Nobody. Captain Nauer crossed his arms and raised his chin, looking at Fox with his eyes downturned. Fox¡¯s face was rested, impassive and seemingly¡­ serious, bitchy? He looked up at Nauer as he stood on a higher level without a problem. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to go like that, treat a special agent that way.¡± Fox said, still coming close, and not hurrying his words with his pace. ¡°So you are also an instructor now? Businessman, special agent, political figure, and now an instructor in the Piya Sanctum District. You are everything, are you not, Fox?¡± Captain Nauer shook his head before swaying, leaning his head left and right to speak down to Fox. To Captain Nauer¡¯s cutting, frosty words, Fox looked at the former without¡­ anything, really. He nodded, just a few meters left in between. ¡°Right. My words like that are only tantrums, I agree.¡± Fox spoke those words lazily, almost without the vigor behind any person or even animal¡¯s word or cry. But then, he quietly said with a slight shake of his head, ¡°Teon is my sister. You hurt her like that when you shouldn¡¯t. Now fuck yourself and your words.¡± Stomp! Fox¡¯s eyes seemed to become oval-shaped at each impenetrable black pool. His feet kicked the ground, producing straight out alarm in Captain Nauer¡¯s eyes, but he was well experienced facing those like himself. Captain Nauer threw his torso backwards to avoid a strike, slowly releasing his crossed arms and preparing to kick upwards with all his might. It was unprecedented, but this opportunity to face this Fox up? He couldn¡¯t miss it. ¡°!¡± Fox threw his shoulders and head first, with his hands beside his shoulders. His legs slowly spread, still bent, and just as Captain Nauer prepared to draw his legs back to strike him, he sent his feet down. Kicking Captain Nauer¡¯s shins, Fox made the former¡¯s eyes widen, but before anyone could make a follow-up, Fox headbutted his sternum after his left arm jerked into his spine. His elbow pulled upwards with strength. ¡°Agh-!¡± A cry was cut off immediately. Captain Nauer shut his eyes before rapidly throwing his knees to Fox¡¯s chest, their bodies somewhat stuck in the same place. The representative captain falling down, while Fox lost all the force behind his dash. But now, once Fox defended his chest, Captain Nauer could enlarge their distance and assess this mad fox again. To the Captain¡¯s shock, Fox let him hit his chest, enduring the full-blown attacks. On the other hand, Fox¡¯s face barely changed. He threw his hands to Captain Nauer¡¯s waist to grab. The Captain tried to stop him, holding his arms, but he could only wobbly pull his right arm away. Fox kneed the Captain¡¯s legs apart, both falling on the ground with Fox on top. He impulsed his body to grab higher up at the sides of the Captain¡¯s ribs. The Captain tried to stand up, successful, and fend Fox off with his elbows, failing to do the latter. Fox received 3 elbows to the face, headbutting the last one before grabbing it with his left hand. Captain Nauer used both his arms, unaware Fox was waiting for this chance. Fox pulled, folding and releasing a full-spring kick with his right leg in half a second to Nauer¡¯s chin, hitting him squarely on the spot before he could react. Nauer felt dizzy for a second, but in that second, Fox slapped him with his left palm, followed by another right kick, this time with Fox¡¯s instep landing on Captain Nauer¡¯s left side. Feeling a pang in his heart, the Captain was sobered up with rage, but that was when Fox had just started. Fox squeezed a spot with his left index finger and thumb, breaking a rib apart so easily despite breath going off inside his body. Captain Nauer agonized and struck without a care, going all out on his blow to force Fox away, but Fox didn¡¯t move, receiving punch and slap, one after the other. With Fox¡¯s face, shoulders, and collarbone bleeding sudden, wide semicircular wounds displacing his skin off, his fists barraged the fuck out of Nauer¡¯s chest, not reaching for the face. Furthermore, he checked his left arm¡¯s strength, trying to break ribs and collarbone¡¯s sections little by little. Nauer¡¯s attacks were fast at first, before becoming slower and slower. Fox¡¯s attacks gained speed, terrifying the knowledge inside the special agents¡¯ minds, who remembered they were living people. ¡°I think¡­ that¡¯s enough,¡± Captain Nauer¡¯s mouth, nose, and jaw were bloody despite never being hit on the face other than that kick and slap before. His voice was dragged on, intermittently cut, and so grave it made one¡¯s nape sizzle and one¡¯s mind numb. Fox continued, though, never slowing or considering. Captain Nauer genuinely gave up, his arms and legs trembling along his neck, sprawled on the dirt, as the back of his head ¡®bounced¡¯ off the ground with every hit, a few times every second. On the other hand, Fox¡¯s arms were blurry, even his shoulders and parts of his torso. ¡°AAGH!¡± Captain Nauer suddenly roared, just as the special agents felt the need to stop the two¡­ to stop the maddened firster slowly killing a Captain¡­ a representative captain! The Captain¡¯s arms shot forth, hitting Fox¡¯s jugulars endlessly, his thumbs¡¯ prints carrying all the force and weight of his movements to strike Fox time and again. His eyes widened awfully, enraged and riled up at first, slowly turning confused as Fox was clearly affected harshly but remained unmoving, striking endlessly still, like a cobra self-besotting on prey. ¡°GrrrrAAW!¡± Fox suddenly felt it was enough pain and launched himself down, howling. Captain Nauer was prepared and kicked Fox back up, but Fox was only impulsed back and into the air for a moment, before using his left arm¡¯s weight to crash down again, just as Captain Nauer stood up. Captain Nauer¡¯s eyes widened, tired, a little bloody, and taken aback. Fox crushed both into the ground again, rolling off a bit away from the crowd before stopping. Fox half knelt, with Captain Nauer¡¯s neck in his arms, locked and tightening. Crushing noises teased to ring out hard and loud. Fox and Nauer looked at each other¡¯s eyes. One¡¯s pair was looking down without life behind them nor demonstrating they understood life. The other¡¯s up and hopeless but not giving up, only lacking the strength and favorability to do something. Naturally, Nauer was worse off, even as he tried digging his fingers into Fox¡¯s jugulars at the sides of his neck, making them twist and arch, no matter how he focused his strength and breath on them and his neck. Fox only put his breath on his neck, ensuring he had enough time to crack this neck between his arms and his front. ¡°Stop it at this instance!¡± Nala Loba cried out, cold and indifferent, yet not aloof, frowning and walking a few meters out of the crowd, but still tens of those between the two and her. Nauer seemed to gain motivation, while Fox became less reasonable. His polycoria eyes turned all into 6 dark, impenetrable black pools, adopting an elliptical, irregular shape for an instant¡¯s worth of time. With but a thought, he pried open his mouth with saliva coming out between the 4 corners of typical canines in one¡¯s mouth. ¡°¡­!?¡± But, to the representative captain¡¯s utter dismaying shock, growing terror, actual fangs, sharpened and elongated a bit out of Fox¡¯s teeth, each of them, showed; a growl was emitted from deep within. Fox opened his jaws. His sharpened, gone-ultra teeth revealed. Then, with his jugulars starting to bleed from Nauer¡¯s nails, he lunged his fangs downward while holding Nauer¡¯s head powerfully. His movement became blurred, mandibles wide-open. ¡°YOU WIN ALRIGHT!!¡± Nala Loba barked at the top of her lungs. Fox¡¯s head stopped, not even trembling, covering Nauer¡¯s face from the rest. ¡­ Chapter 139 — Overture Overture Nala Loba walked towards them, her face a little startled. Her head raging with the possibilities. She could hear 2 heartbeats, but who knew how long until one of them slowed down and it ended? While she walked to them, with his mouth wide open, Fox slowly retracted his head up. He looked down at Nauer and the row of fangs leaving bloody marks in a circular fashion. Fox stands up, with some blood dripping from his teeth as they went back to normal. He is calm and serene, but not quite impassive, looking different from normal. Meanwhile, Nala Loba walks over, her face relaxing upon seeing Nauer¡¯s shocked but recuperating state. She bent a little to check his state better. Other than the beating they gave to each other, things seemed fine. Fox, on the other hand, turned to her with his mouth and jaw less bloody than how he left Nauer. His shoulders were a bit low as he separated his elbow from his sides. Nala Loba saw his state and the strange trembling of his impenetrable black pools before staring at Nauer. She lifted her gray, light blue eyes to Fox again, becoming a little paralyzed before extending a hand to Nauer. ¡°Hhggrrwwf!¡± Fox strangely scoffed/growled before moving away. Only when Fox started moving to the exit did the crowd wake up. They looked at each other, trying to see if any of them had delirious eyes, but they were all fine. Furthermore, be it newbie or a Graded special agent, their breath was untouched and smooth-flowing. They stared at Fox¡¯s back again. Indeed, he had taken care of it. Fox ignored anyone and anything else until he came to the reception desk, where a pretty boy with T¨²acan aesthetics stood rooted to the spot. When he passed by the young man, the latter raised his voice, ¡°Mena said she would take Teon back to your place. That she already checked her and that she was fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox growled and turned back to the fella. His WID told him quickly that the redheaded was a seconder, 2nd Grade. Fox nodded his head before leaving with his resting face. It was impassive, but it also carried a notion of never being at ease or feeling emotions. ¡°How did it feel?¡± A smooth, feminine yet robotic voice sounded from above Fox, just as he walked past the HQ¡¯s entrance with his factory outfit. He stopped and looked to his right. Colmillo landed there, walking to him with slow steps. Her mask looked neat, and Fox even discerned it had improved a little. He looked at Colmillo and asked her, his voice natural once again, ¡°Is something the matter with you?¡± ¡°No,¡± her robotic, smoothing voice sounded. ¡°I¡¯m just checking you out. The trial is in 1 hour and 15, and I don¡¯t know if your body can heal that much. There¡¯s also a drug test, and that silver thing you used might be considered a drug by those ¡®overlords¡¯.¡± ¡°I will heal,¡± Fox shrugged. Colmillo shrugged too, ¡°Then¡ª your suit has been ruined.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Fox was baffled. Indeed, he had some playtime and got it bloody. Colmillo put her left hand on her hip and shook her head. ¡°I can help you, but can you give me a little discount if I buy more bions?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Fox readily agreed, not minding it one bit with his biggest business partner. Colmillo opened her ¡®fangs¡¯ and went for more. ¡°When you start making excellent bions, can you prioritize me? Also, don¡¯t sell those to PSD, they buy it at 15% its real price, don¡¯t let them fool you.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ How can you help me?¡± Fox turned to her and sold his soul to a lesser devil. Colmillo¡¯s mask hid her face, but Fox was sure she smiled. Colmillo hopped with little jumps off the ground to the exit of the factory¡¯s perimeter, bringing a car with a control remote, of which she only pushed a button. Then, she opened the door to reveal not a driver. ¡°Ah, one of those?¡± Fox exclaimed before opening the co-driver¡¯s seat. Colmillo said nothing and waited inside until he closed the door. Looking at her, Fox saw her just waiting. After some seconds of silence, her mask echoed, ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like being close to people¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox rolled his eyes. A few minutes later, he let the surprisingly shy Colmillo drive without a co-driver and took his clothes off in the back of the car. A black curtain with reflective properties to light covered him from all windows and gaps. She passed him an identical suit, only this one seemed heavier. Fox said nothing and just put it on, ensuring it was well-fitting. He saw Nala Loba put him on him a lot of times, after all. At last, 30 minutes later, Colmillo drove into the SCJ building, parking at the side. There was one thing certain from all of this which Fox didn¡¯t envision it would be so exaggerated¡­ There were easily a thousand people from news anchors all around the block, pushing and flashing shots everywhere, even though they used the ¡®government journalism¡¯ cameras that are as good without flash than those that need it. Fox finished putting his uniform on after Colmillo parked the car. Then, just as he exited and looked the same as always, still carrying some of the momentum he socially built on his tour for Luis¡¯s campaign, he heard a car door open. He looked at the driver¡¯s seat just as he passed by the car¡¯s front and countless reporters asked him even what kind of movie he¡¯d like to make. Fox watched¡­ Colmillo? She stepped out of the car, wearing a magnificent starry black, long toga dress with extra additions of the same covering her forearms and hand, leaving her fingers out. The thing is, she wasn¡¯t wearing a mask, other than her skin being shown. Colmillo had completely transformed. From a skin-tight suit with only wrists showing skin when wearing some outfits, to a gala beauty with unmatched charisma and dynamism. Colmillo had the palest white skin, small drooping breasts, standing out but properly hugged by her toga dress, and was slightly tall. Her hair was bright, dark chestnut, short, and extra smooth. Her eyes were water-clear, light brown. Her features were defined, sharp, and small; small especially on her facial features. As she showed herself, Colmillo looked at Fox with a resting, bitchy yet alluring, delicate expression. Without a doubt, Fox knew this was her natural expression. He stood there for 2 seconds, and after praising her beauty, he nudged his head at her towards the entrance. Colmillo didn¡¯t react but walked to him. Fox walked ahead of her, slowly, waiting for her to catch up. He didn¡¯t place his arm around her body, or even touch her, and just walked together after she sped up, side by side. ¡°I¡¯m Elega, not my assignation name, my real name. Just call me that when I¡¯m not at work¡­ with my mask.¡± Colmillo, Elega, slightly tilted her head to him. Her voice was so thin. Fox responded like he was being briefed on some procedures with his expression unchanged. ¡°I¡¯m not your bodyguard, just a coworker. Oh, and help me look beautiful.¡± Elega held his left arm at the elbow. The crowd, which had grown overly saturated after seeing another beauty appear by his side, shoot and flashed or silently took photos of them as they walked to the entrance. ¡°Wait- wa- wait, please. Who are you?¡± A guard at the entrance extended his palm, stopping Fox and Elega from going in. Nobody, not even his pal on the other side, felt he made sense. Fox felt like being humorous, ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know? Then, would you like me to tell you my story?¡± ¡°What- no- what¡¯s your identification?¡± The guard asked, trembling still before this guard-killer. Fox widened his eyes a bit, ¡°Identification? What is that? Sounds sophisticated¡­¡± ¡°I- how could you not- I¡­¡± The guard stuttered, unable to find something to say and keep following instructions. Fox touched his sternum, feeling so ¡®touched¡¯ and about to speak again when a person walked out of the building. ¡°May I trouble the guards to let the core member of this trial inside? Thank you,¡± Lesly Rivera peeked her head out, causing another avalanche of camerafolk turning to her and destroying anything that could be considered privacy. Her smile was charming, though, and her words remained soft and considerate. With such attitude and words, the guard looked back at her before lowering his head, nodding in shame as he stepped aside. He also only had a handgun at his side. Fox looked at Elega and blinked, shrugging before walking past the guard. Just as a flood of flashes was incoming, Fox brought Elega to his front and let them picture his bum instead. With his gentle gesture, and some awws from the crowd, they walked inside.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Lesly waited for them a little inside, welcoming them with a large main hall, bright and luxurious but still humble¡­ just a bit. Fox looked at Lesly, who looked at him like an aunty catching off a naughty kid, and even teased him. ¡°A new one? What happened to the other? Jeez, Fox. You¡¯ve changed. I thought you were different from those your age.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that, miss vice president whose life I saved,¡± Fox blinked and replied. Lesly puckered her lower lip out, saw his sincerity, and added. ¡°I¡¯m aware, alright? I was trying to put you at ease. Coming to court isn¡¯t that easy at first, let alone the high tribune of the nation. Now I see, it isn¡¯t needed. Let me get you to your booth for the testing and paperwork.¡± ¡°Okay, ma¡¯am, thanks.¡± Fox nodded and said before looking at Elega, who waited behind him like a servant. Lesly scrunched her nose, ¡°I don¡¯t like that. It would be fine if I was the boss, but nah.¡± Seeing Lesly so casual, Fox nodded, ¡°And what would you like to be called then?¡± ¡°Sigh,¡± Lesly looked up and released a light sigh, ¡°I¡¯d like to be called some few things, but just ¡®lady¡¯ will be fine, if you want to be formal.¡± ¡°Ma- Lady, you need a husband.¡± Fox said, no filters. Elega lifted her eyebrows behind him, but Lesly sighed again and responded, sounding rather agreeing. ¡°Don¡¯t I? Well, occupational hazards, I¡¯d say. Eh, how come you¡¯re in a good mood, chiquillo(brat)?¡± ¡°I am not in a good mood,¡± Fox shook his head and refused it, sounding convincing. Lesly mouthed an ¡®oh?¡¯ before Fox further stated, ¡°I¡¯m just a bit relaxed. I also don¡¯t have anything to feel pressured with.¡± ¡°What makes you feel so sure?¡± Lesly asked. Fox shrugged a bit. ¡°Even if neither the president nor PSD will go against legal procedures for me, I can always go mad. Dying now isn¡¯t different from falling in Preut.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what someone in the government should be thinking like. You¡¯re not a soldier,¡± Lesly crossed her arms and said with what Fox considered a¡­ pouty tone? Fox fell silent for a bit before lightly commenting, ¡°It does feel like I am, instead. But I am not just that. What I don¡¯t feel is being part of the government. I only sold myself to the campaign, nothing more.¡± ¡°And you did well in it, that¡¯s why nobody would let you go. Even the opposition would still try to follow you and spill your secrets.¡± Lesly looked side-eyed at him. Fox lifted one eyebrow, thinking dangerous things, ¡°Should I worry?¡± ¡°Only if you will feel too embarrassed with the lies they¡¯ll make up of you.¡± Lesly smiled and shook her head a little, moving her hair tied into a ponytail behind her shoulders. They walked until arriving at a door, to which Lesly left. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Fox gestured to Elega, who nodded and entered his after him. This ¡®booth¡¯ was a large room with many chairs, shelves with books he couldn¡¯t care to read the titles of, and some beverages to drink water or satiate one¡¯s need of feeling full. There were also some bubble gum. ¡°Looks more like a waiting room. Why does it look so old? Even the chandeliers seem 70-80 years old.¡± Elega commented after 2 minutes, with Fox grabbing some strong chocolate small candies and trying to find a fruit anywhere. But in this place where the budget seemed to have its funds vacuumed out of, it would be a surprise to even see a cockroach here, let alone fruit. ¡°Mhm, there aren¡¯t oranges anywhere.¡± Fox commented before lowering his gaze to Elega, who looked around, curious yet unenthusiastic. ¡°Why did you come with me? Besides the prize of my excellent quality bions reserved for you?¡± ¡°I want to selectively delve into the relationship between Lymoca¡¯s cooperative parties and PSD.¡± Elega laid it out clearly and swiftly, not erring in any of her pacing or wording. Fox¡¯s eyes twinkled, ¡°Alright, that makes sense. Now, something fun. Who do you like to want to appear here?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Elega turned around at once, albeit without a surprised or alarmed face, but a serene one. She was clearly not impacted by his words, his guess. Tu- trump. Before they could continue, the doors opened to reveal Butler and some other infiltrated special agents. Fox nodded at them, before some workers who seemed to come from the ordinary world entered, unaware they were surrounded by SAs. ¡°Thank you, mister Egoaiz, we¡¯ll take it from here.¡± One of the workers, a chubby, regular height, man said after bowing to Butler. Butler didn¡¯t move, letting his amicable-looking eyes remain on Fox with his hands behind his lower back, ¡°No need for such formalities. Go ahead and do your job. Don¡¯t you trick us, eh? Hahahaha.¡± After Butler¡¯s hearty, warm laughter, the man who bowed smiled forcefully, although he hid it well. The man nodded and uttered before moving to Fox, ¡°Very well.¡± Smelling the building sweat on the worker and the others, Fox looked at them with his tall figure as they walked to him. Fox leaned against a counter on his shoulder level. The worker from before grabbed a box from another worker and presented it to Fox, but Fox only looked down at them. There was roughly half an hour before the trial commenced. Now that Fox entered the SCJ building, if any motive delayed his testing and the trial couldn¡¯t proceed in time, there would only be a single guilty, corrupt party that the people could point fingers at. Thus, the man sweated. He placed the box on the counter before showing Fox some papers in folders, grabbing them from a brief another worker carried. The man gulped after opening the box on the counter and commenced, ¡°Sir¡­ Fox, please use the instruments and use them at your discretion. These are the formularies, please read them. These are the documents you must sign before the trial. Please hurry, there is little time remaining before the trial¡¯s schedule begins.¡± Elega walked forth and took the documents from Fox¡¯s hand, reading them half a second each before throwing more than half away. Organizing those she didn¡¯t throw away, Elega returned them to Fox¡¯s hand, ¡°Only these are official, the others are alternatives, I suppose.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Fox said before reading them, grabbing the syringe in the box on the counter and directly placing it on his left jugular, taking blood from there. The workers widened their eyes, wondering if this was a suicidal attempt before facing justice. Butler was unreactive, but Elega¡¯s left eyebrow jumped, remaining high for a little while. After reading and giving a proof of his blood, Fox signed the documents Elega gave him after tossing the others away, now littering the floor. Shortly after, Butler accompanied the workers outside. The special agents gave Fox a look, which made him grin in realization. That blood of his wasn¡¯t going anywhere but to be used and then lost in the SCJ building. Indeed, the Supreme Court Ministers and Supreme Justice Minister were something, but not comparable to the Piya Sanctum District. ¡­ Half an hour later, Fox walked out of his booth, accompanied by Elega on his left. She hooked his left elbow again, walking with ease, and she even made Fox feel a bit relaxed. ¡°!¡± Stepping into the high tribune after walking a long corridor to it, only traversing half its length, Fox was a bit taken aback. He thought there would be some core members of opposition media¡¯s news anchors and the judicial branch inside. However, it wasn¡¯t that simple. There were indeed those news anchors he imagined would be there, but also a few independent ones, with one in particular; the BLF news anchor. Furthermore, there were some politicians in the ¡®stands¡¯. The room was long, adopting a rectangular dimension, with the sides having glass for the people sitting on both sides to see and hear. Some hearing devices were implanted on each section of the glass where a group of people sat. These would transmit whatever the main actors in the trial had to say. On one end, with a small podium a few meters before their open window, was a set of 12 seats behind a single seat. On the other were the entrance to the stands, the center, or the underground where the 13 people sitting before the podium had to walk through to get to their seats. Everyone was seated except for the 13 seats, with the only person that hadn¡¯t arrived being Fox. He walked with Elega to the center to enter the middle, where he separated after giving her left forearm a squeeze. Elega stood behind and watched him go for a while before walking to the side where ¡®Fox¡¯s side¡¯ was. There was a clear difference in both sides. On the left, Fox had the people who supposedly came to attend his trial with positive thoughts towards him. On the right, those whose thoughts towards him were negative. The left only had a couple of dozen people, but the right side had at least a hundred people, not including the news anchors¡¯ core members. As Fox finally appeared, everyone¡¯s heads turned to him. Fox slowly walked to the podium. It was like he was trying to teach the people in the room, and those transmitting through several channels, how to properly walk. One step after the other, one after the other¡­ A guard in the middle, sweating and gulping, walked forth when Fox neared the podium, presenting handcuffs to restrain him. Fox looked at the Mintip material before nodding at the guard. The guard felt relief, but he was still nervous as he put them around Fox¡¯s wrists. Afterwards, Fox walked to the podium, when he saw people nobody told him would be there. Luis and¡­ Armando Pe?a?! Even his wife was there. Fox stopped, looking at the cutie Yue whose body gave him a strange sensation. As Yue waved at him and jumped a little, not caring about the somberness of the situation, Fox tilted his head while looking at her abdomen. Yue stopped and blushed in realization after staring at him dumbly. She smiled shyly. Fox nodded a bit before looking at Luis, with Lesly behind his right. The president sat there like any other person. He sat straight and looked at Fox with a stern expression, yet peaceful. Fox darted his eyes away to the side and walked to the podium. For some reason, he felt a weight creep onto his shoulders, then to his back. He also felt like he was walking not uphill, but with the world tilted upwards. Each step further confirmed this sensation. When he arrived at the podium, and he had just placed his feet on its flooring for 3 seconds, the people on both sides stood up. Fox was looking down, feeling rested when hanging his head from his neck, although he appeared desolate and surrendering to the cameras and people on his right. Lifting his gaze, Fox¡¯s polycoria eyes locked onto the 13 people with a couple of dozen people surrounding them walk to the center on the other end of the room. Fox caught a glimpse of red hair with narrowed eyes before relaxing them, opening them to a full and returning to hang his head. They went down the stairs, heading to the 13 seats before him. He could feel their footsteps below him. After a minute, with the dozen attendants, more than the people standing on his left behind the glass, the 13 highest positions of the judicial branch appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes again. This time, while they were on the sides, and Fox a few steps below, they could only stare at their backs. The ministers turned to sit on their chairs. The 12 seats behind were much smaller than the one at the front, where the redheaded, notorious ¡®ringleader¡¯ stood beside it. At last, the Supreme Justice Minister turned and sat on her throne-like chair, followed by the other ministers, whose attendants kneeled on their four corners. ¡­ Chapter 140 — Phesx Caolia, Is It? Phesx Caolia, Is It? Flap, flutter. Tap, tap. The Supreme Justice Minister arranged the last small pile of papers and smacked them against her table before lifting her chin, placing her pen down. Her throne-like seat went farther to the sides from her arms by almost a meter, while its backrest was 2 meters tall. It was made of wood, and it had some stem-like patterns carved, forming wide and rich or thin fatness between the trails. The corners of her seat had coiling, thicker gold-brown color, different to the obscure brown elsewhere, although they seemed a little like horns. Everyone turned to Vanessa Valyer after these 10 minutes of arranging stuff. Nobody raised their voice more than necessary to whisper in both sides, and the attendants around the ministers remained quiet with their heads low and eyes closed. Although their heads weren¡¯t as low as hanging from their necks, unlike Fox, and his eyes were hard to catch a glimpse of, even from the sides. She looked at Fox, who kept his head low, and tilted it. Her tongue moved a bit before clenching her jaw as a gesture. She turned to her right and told an attendant, ¡°Results from the signed documents and blood tests of the criminal.¡± ¡°Your Justice, that would be the accused, not criminal.¡± Armando Pe?a stood from his seat and pressed a button below the glass, talking into a microphone. It wasn¡¯t connected to the hearing devices implemented in the glass windows. Vanessa Valyer looked at him from above, her eyes a little downturned, before nodding. She turned to her attendant again, who halted from following her instructions, and said, ¡°Bring me the documents of the person I told you about.¡± Fox looked at Armando, who slowly backtracked to his seat. Nobody was supposed to have any speaking power here except when indicated by the court. In this case, the 12 Supreme Court Ministers and the Supreme Justice Minister. Armando looked at Fox and gave him signals to feel at ease. But Fox kept staring at him. Armando tried to make Fox to stare ahead and not bring attention to him, but Fox kept staring at him under her Justice¡¯s eyes. Fox grinned at last and erased it before hanging his head again, not giving the cameras or those on his right the sight of his eyes, let alone those in front. It was but a little play to humor himself. Fox smirked again from the left corner of his mouth after a little while. He couldn¡¯t help himself. The attendant returned with the papers, to which Vanessa Valyer read a bit before addressing the people in the room, ¡°These are the documents of the¡­ accused. I will now read them, although there seems to be a few missing. But it is enough to proceed with this trial after the lecture.¡± ¡°¡­ The person before us is indeed the accused for this trial. He has attended the trial on time and has confirmed the veracity of this court, the trial, and the charges for what he is put in trial. Today, in the year 1,026, 1st month, 1st week, 6th day¡ª 10:00 PM, the trial will take place.¡± Vanessa Valyer lightly tapped her desk, with a clapping noise of wood emanating from her seat and desk. Everyone sat on their seats. None of the ministers recognized the president, and only some barely looked at them. One of them was a young woman, brown, and with an excited yet stern countenance. She seemed in a good and somber mood. Vanessa Valyer wrote a few things in the documents presented to her, then looked up at Fox, who kept his head low. She didn¡¯t frown and just stared at him for several seconds. The cameras caught this seemingly awkward moment, before she spoke out, ¡°To begin this court, I will take the accused¡¯s name and require the accused to sign it. It will be imprinted in paper, and this trial will begin. Is there any word from the accused¡¯s defense?¡± ¡°No, your Justice.¡± Armando Pe?a stood up again and pressed the button before sitting back down. Luis Heartez stood up and pressed the button after Armando. He spoke plainly, ¡°No.¡± ¡°This trial will now request the accused¡¯s identification via vocal confirmation.¡± The Supreme Justice Minister declared, looking intently at Fox. She rapidly moved her head down to rapidly trace and write something on a document before looking back up as Armando and Luis seemed busy checking something from a tablet. ¡°!¡± At the same instance Vanessa Valyer looked back up at Fox, Fox naturally slowly lifted his face. His eyelids were still closed, but he opened them before lifting his chin completely. Azure met impenetrable black, causing the former to shrink as her head jolted backwards. Her natural rosy lips inadvertently parted. At the same time, Fox looked at Vanessa Valyer with his natural expression for a while before asking, ¡°Whose name?¡± ¡°Yours,¡± Vanessa Valyer spouted without thinking, informal. Fox frowned a bit, seeming to mull over it. He quickly shook his head and shrugged a bit, ¡°Fox.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Supreme Court Ministers frowned at him, let alone the Supreme Justice Minister. She kept her eyebrows knitted and looked down at some documents before staring at him with upturned eyes, not lifting her head, ¡°This court requires your real name to begin this trial.¡± Fox looked down, his head tilted with his chin to his left shoulder. His polycoria eyes slightly narrowed without emotion behind them, he quickly shook his head a bit again, ¡°My real name? Or the one I was birthed with? I have a few, and some other mentions, too. Which is more proper?¡± ¡°That is not the accused¡¯s real name, if the accused doesn¡¯t¡­¡± The Supreme Justice Minister repeated, her cheeks becoming a bit forceful at the incredible situation. Luis and Armando unnoticeably nodded. With Fox buying time, any time, the attitude of the court, not just the ministers, towards Fox would be exposed, even if just lightly. ¡°I could use any name required, but I need to be aware of the name I am required to use. There is that one, but I don¡¯t use it since a long time. There¡¯s a need to evaluate the name the court seeks from me, and of which nationality. Because, there might be misconceptions if it isn¡¯t clearly stated. Is it from a Preutian perspective, or a Lymocan vantage? Can it be both? I also think it''s necessary even more, because¡­¡± Fox spoke within the Supreme Justice Minister¡¯s reminder. In other words, he didn¡¯t show the highest judicial branch position her due respect. Fox¡¯s voice articulated between her words, but he might as well have interrupted her directly. As Fox continued babbling, arguing with himself over the confusion in his name, which he clarified from the documents before not putting emphasis on, Vanessa Valyer¡¯s eyes turned solemn. Flipping some documents she grabbed from under her desk, she read and traced with her eyes, adorning a serious expression. Fox was still babbling, ¡°¡­ I do not intend to intrude, simply-¡± ¡°Phesx Caolia, Is that not your name?¡± Her voice through the glass microphone was particularly loud, more than anyone who has seen these sessions could imagine it to be. Fox stopped babbling, like a spell put on him. The left side of the glass was silent and somber like a rock, while the right barely had any idea of what was happening, but still recorded and watched. ¡°In the transition to become a Lymocan officially, through documentation, digital and physical, you signed with your name¡­ Phesx Caolia.¡± Vanessa Valyer read over the document her eyes were glued to after she stared at Fox firmly. ¡°That is truthful,¡± Fox responded, looking directly into her eyes, still with his natural face. His voice was soft and broken, contrasted by her earlier semi-yelling. Vanessa Valyer¡¯s eyebrows twitched a bit, her eyes changing its shine. Her lips curled at his wording. ¡°I did it together, and for, my mother, Rubena Caolia.¡± Fox added, looking a little to the left from the Supreme Justice Minister. But then, he lowered his head and frowned sharply. He stared up at the redhead ringleader, ¡°And yours?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± Silence prevailed after Fox¡¯s unnecessary question. Armando Pe?a stood up, ¡°Your Justice, it¡¯s courtesy from the accused. This is the defense¡¯s clarification in the accused¡¯s name.¡± Vanessa Valyer looked at Armando and nodded. She looked at Fox, who looked at her, defiantly. She accommodated her body on her seat, feeling smaller than ever, more than she already was with her short height compared to her chair. She looked left and right and blinked each time before looking at Fox, eyes downturned. ¡°Vanessa Valyer.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox nodded, lowering his head a bit to rest before stretching his neck, snapping some bones. The noise spread to the podium¡¯s small glass microphone. Luis Heartez nearly rolled his eyes, with Armando pinching the thin bridge of his nose. ¡°This trial has begun!¡± Vanessa Valyer looked at Fox, maybe for a little too much. She sobered up and looked at the timing, 10:01 PM, before tapping the command on her desk again and declaring.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. A few minutes later, with the Supreme Justice Minister waiting for the Supreme Court Ministers to debate, following procedure, she seemed awkward, facing Fox head-on. She no longer felt as enthusiastic to carry on this trial with such conditions, but it was ridiculous to change it now. At last, the Supreme Court Ministers seemed to have decided, with an attendant coming to speak to the Supreme Justice Minister¡¯s ear. She tapped her desk, giving out a light clapping noise, ¡°The court will proceed with the accorded ¡®2 way confrontation exposition¡¯, 2-w c-e, until the accused has answered all questions.¡± ¡°For this trial,¡± the Supreme Justice Minister suddenly added, making even the 12 behind her look at her, slightly taken aback. Armando frowned, curious and confused, while Fox stared at her like half an idiot. ¡°It is worth highlighting that this court, and the actors to question the accused, are not¡­¡± Her eyes shook a bit. She frowned and blinked before resuming, ¡°Will not exert their power with abuse. This is not a political engagement, as the judicial branch is without sides, and it will attend to this trial impartially.¡± ¡°I will begin,¡± Vanessa further declared, staring at Fox as if to convey something with her strict countenance. Although the Azure¡­ ¡°Before, you implied it was no longer necessary to follow a train of thought in terms of your name when it came to the distinction between your identification before and after becoming a Ly. Why is that?¡± Vanessa began. She seemed a little careful now. Quite intrigued in this answer. ¡°I recommend the accused to remain silent. This is not a question of importance to the trial,¡± Armando stood up and pressed the button. Fox nodded. Vanessa didn¡¯t even spare Armando attention this time, let alone recognition, and waited. ¡®What are you, judges or gossipmongers?¡¯ Fox looked at the redhead with upturned polycoria eyes. ¡®Fine. Since you want to know, and I am in the line, then why not let you know?¡¯ ¡°Preut was my natal home, where I lived my first¡­15 years I just consider that time, since my 13s, to be where I died¡­ ¡®Strictly¡¯ speaking, I died a few times.¡± Fox worded. This made the stands a bit noisy, especially from the right side. The left was rather lost in his words, as most of them knew a thing or two of Fox, or had known about him differently to the public, like the BFL. ¡°You were part of 2 Preut military camps, is that correct?¡± Vanessa asked, to which Fox mouthed a simple ¡®yes¡¯. She nodded and moved a few documents she peered into on her desk with her arm stretched, ¡°How did you become part of this fight?¡± ¡°After returning to my home, I went away with-¡± Fox commenced, but Vanessa interrupted him emotionlessly. ¡°I will require the specifications from the accused. This trial has been assembled as a national matter, there are only short breaks between several hours. Please be detailed, and patient.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox¡¯s shoulders tensed, but he relaxed his body and threw his vertebral column back along his neck. He parted his lips, becoming slightly dry. He looked around, not finding Nala Loba. He glanced at the left, at some PSD special agents, governmental important people, Elega aka Colmillo, and news anchors. ¡°I returned to my home before the massacre across the 3 districts could catch up to me.¡± Amidst the deafening silence, Fox ignored it, along with the Supreme Justice Minister¡¯s frown, and continued. ¡°I found a person in it, whom I had to kill to survive.¡± ¡°Was this person threatening you?¡± - ¡°No, but he was taking everything from my home, everything necessary to live¡­ in a war.¡± ¨C ¡°But was he threatening your life?¡± - ¡°No.¡± Vanessa frowned, she tentatively asked, studying Fox¡¯s face. ¡°Why d-¡­ How did this person come to die at your hands?¡± ¡°After struggling to best each other physically, and getting stabbed, I¡­ managed to break apart a bullet with another, blowing his br- head.¡± Fox¡¯s words only helped the silence from before to continue. Vanessa felt her breathing become a bit heavy, but she had to continue, ¡°What are the details of the successive events to this¡ª until the moment you grouped with others?¡± Fox hadn¡¯t gotten to explain that part when he was interrupted before, but he spoke of something like this briefly in the presidential campaign. Clearly, it was studied by the SCJ well. He opened his lips, ¡°I was in danger. The soldier¡¯s team or squad were coming to my house to check on him. I hid, killed them, and then went out to kill some more with the weapons I could find.¡± ¡°One of the small groups I killed had killed my aunt and uncle, as well as my cousin, who was almost raped, but¡­ died before it could happen.¡± Fox took a small breath, ¡°After burying her as best I could, I fled from the neighborhood and into the wilderness, where I had seen signs of battling days before. I then fell unconscious from the infection.¡± ¡°To further clarify this,¡± Vanessa interrupted. ¡°The person you found in your house was a male, adult soldier, and you killed him after engaging melee and getting stabbed? The subsequent soldiers you killed were also adults, at least 20-30 young men and women? And what sort of injury did you suffer?¡± ¡°Yes, my first kill was a male adult. The others were also preis, from the Prei district in Preut. My stabbing wounds were deep and¡­ mutilated in the inside. It wasn¡¯t until the next day, where I managed to wake up, that a doc- medic took care of that for me, using a skin partition.¡± Fox said. ¡°Skin partition? In Preut¡¯s 1,020?!¡± A Supreme Court Minister asked, disbelieving and even feeling insulted himself. Vanessa lifted her hand to indicate for any non-speaker to stop. Yet, Fox looked at the minister who spoke and scrunched his nose up under her eyes. ¡°Yes, I know, it¡¯s a shocker.¡± His voice as always, but openly mocking this time. ¡°After all, with all the medicament lost in the sea, who would have thought Preut would have something such as an under-basic skin partition with a model of 280-300 years ago? It was everything she had. My, my. If only that medicine, high technology and efficient, wasn¡¯t lost. I wonder how to feel about this when all of the responsible ones for it were let go of by you and your puny gang.¡± ¡°The person who aided and treated your infection? What is her name?¡± Vanessa loudly intervened, a forehead on her temple near the corner of her eye twitching a bit. ¡°I don¡¯t know her last name or names, but she was Sofia.¡± Fox replied Vanessa¡¯s inquiry. She frowned, ¡°Was?¡± ¡°She was killed by a combat tank that should have never belonged to Preut when the first encampment I was in was obliterated by an incursion from a Prei military force.¡± Fox nearly snapped at Vanessa, but he kept his impassiveness still. ¡°She was still in her new medical facility.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Vanessa fell silent for a bit, while the Minister who spoke just now, outrageous, looked down. Fox continued, ¡°After meeting her back then¡­ I met Paul¡­ In the encampment, I became part of a team after¡­ I killed him for Priscila¡¯s sake¡­ Paul died while I was still fighting for my life. Still¡­ no medicine or supplies to even try to save him¡­ I ran for¡­ many hours. I couldn¡¯t remember how or when I plummeted down, and then I kept going.¡± ¡°Mar¨ªa¡¯s team trained me to the level I could keep up with them, and even cooperate accordingly with other people, groups or parties, in combat. But what taught me¡­ sigh, most of the things I am known for today¡ª came from the battle for the Centralized Parliament.¡± ¡°After bidding Mar¨ªa and her team farewell, I went to look for my mother. I formed a team with others who wanted to do the same as me, but not everyone even managed to return alive¡­ I don¡¯t know for sure who did, but I saw some who found whom they were looking for¡­ My mother was the servant of other soldiers, and in my own house, again. On our way back¡­¡± Fox continued to narrate whatever he was asked from his records, be it from Preut, the things that happened there, or the occasional private question on his person. Fox didn¡¯t hide his sexuality, telling of his encounters at such a young age, and his psyche further deforming, also from a young age. After Preut¡¯s retelling was over, Fox was turned around by the Supreme Court Ministers, who asked him a series of questions that further followed up until today''s date. They weren¡¯t just prepared, they had formulated everything, even slowly building the exposition of Fox¡¯s terrible humanity. Or at least that was the idea, and it wasn¡¯t far from being successful at a great scale. ¡°Who were the Ruvas? Did they fund your machiavellian means and passions?¡± - ¡°No. I never specified that, and I will never say anything different!¡± ¡°After my mother died, I left school and the Ruvas. I had already found a place to stay¡­ it was very cheap, and just the pay from the refugee pensions was enough for the rent and¡­ some food. I was used to not¡­ having enough supplies. My time with the Ruvas didn¡¯t change that.¡± ¡°But when I exited the Ojazul school, I was approached by¡­ Riverlye.¡± Fox paused here for a moment. He looked at Armando, who has spoken out to avoid saying some things. Since there wasn¡¯t such a reminder this time, then it was no issue that he spoke up to that point. Sure enough, Vanessa intervened, asking with a frown. ¡°Did you meet Riverlye this quickly? Why is there no word from when Lymoca¡¯s current government recruited you? When did this happen?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a matter of¡­ ¡®national importance¡¯.¡± A voice sounded. Everyone turned to Luis Heartez, including the Supreme Justice Minister. Armando pressed the button, but the president had spoken while seated, just getting to his feet as they turned their heads. This offense wasn¡¯t signaled by Vanessa, who looked at Luis without much of a reaction. ¡°National importance, I see.¡± Vanessa articulated in a light tone. Luis nodded, ¡°Certain information from now on will be clarified by my and Fox¡¯s lawyer, Armando Pe?a. Anything that threatens the security of the nation will not be uttered in this court, with or without cameras.¡± Vanessa was about to say something, opening her mouth, but Luis looked up at her and joined his fingers with separated palms. ¡°I must remind the court it was the Supreme Court Justice that advocated for this to be transmitted live¡ª to the world. You must ensure this constitutional law in the nation, and even if it isn¡¯t, that leaving the nation vulnerable is what only a traitor would allow.¡± ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I have my job as the President of Lymoca. Even though I could, I am not allowed to entrust my attention in one sole matter. I trust the Supreme Court Justice won¡¯t be jealous of this.¡± Luis courteously nodded, ¡°Farewell.¡± He turned around and walked out of the high tribune, exiting the place with Lesly and Yue, leaving Armando Pe?a behind. The crowd looked at this a bit comically. Luis left, leaving Armando feeling both nervous and at ease. After meeting directly with the President and working with him, he couldn¡¯t help but feel apprehensive. It was nothing like the people or even Fox said it was. Regardless, he looked at Fox and nodded before turning to the Supreme Justice Minister, who no longer had such an understanding and impartial air around her figure. ¡°Fox¡¯s matters to his involvement with the government will remain classified¡­ gulp, in this court. Whatever specified, detailed, intricate information the court declares as required will be given following this notice.¡± ¡°Is it a decree?¡± Vanessa asked, looking down at the lonely lawyer, who only gulped more but kept his back straight. Yet, it was Fox¡¯s voice who answered, making her snap her head towards him. ¡°It¡¯s for Lymoca¡¯s safety.¡± ¡­ Chapter 141 — Intrusive Intrusive ¡°¡­¡± The Supreme Justice Minister looked down at Fox, standing up as some chatter commenced from the right and behind her. The left side of the glass window was also chattering, but much quieter. She declared before sitting up, after bringing all attention to herself. ¡°This trial will continue¡­ with the proposed procedures¡­ by the president. It has been enough time, and I now call upon a rest for 15 minutes.¡± Armando released a sigh of relief in his mind. The notion was thrown to the President¡¯s authority, but it was better than being targeted by the judicial branch in the future, although he was now with the President. The room had some movement, mostly from the right and the Supreme Court Ministers behind Vanessa. A few on the left exited the room, but most remained in place, with Elega looking at her phone intently, grinning from time to time. Armando wiped his sweat nonstop. The only ones that didn¡¯t move and should have were Fox and Vanessa. Fox remained at the podium, while Vanessa flipped through some documents and occasionally glanced at him. After a while, she felt a bit awkward, that she should maybe leave, but it seemed improper, and a third of break time was already over. Fortunately, Fox hung his head, resting but not appearing tired. Saving both an awkward, unwanted staring contest. Again, he gave an image of being surrendered, but now, after his detailed story, what he didn¡¯t speak of before, he also seemed afflicted. Up until Riverlye¡¯s appearance, his life was¡­ quite something. They couldn¡¯t even imagine what would come afterwards. It also didn¡¯t help to tone the situation down that many netizens crazily investigated and gathered some curious data, like a Forzt¡¯s connection with him. While the netizens bombarded each other with intrigue, demonstrating just how many people in Lymoca alone are awake at these hours, time slowly passed. Before the last minute went out, Fox lifted his head, gaining every single pair or single watching eye on him. He looked at the attendants around Vanessa¡¯s seat, all sitting like in AO¡¯s times where servants eating twice a day was a most luxurious lifestyle just below fighting for a noble or royalty. Vanessa looked at him as well, but she only noticed where he was staring after a little while. Just as she felt morally attacked by his polycoria eyes, people returned to the courtroom like a flood. Within a few seconds, the people sat at the stands again, and the Supreme Court Ministers, who arrived a little later, walked down the stairs before reuniting with the Supreme Justice Minister. ¡°We will continue with this trial. Now, as per requested before, continue explaining until you found out your target had become the vice president.¡± Vanessa tapped her desk and announced before facing Fox. Sitting back down, she breathed deeply in before Fox began. ¡°I accepted immediately. There, I learned a lagj¡¯s methods for¡­¡± Fox began speaking of what was already known in the secret world, and didn¡¯t really matter in the ordinary world. The tunnels Riverlye once had now belonged to PSD, or rather, the government. Fox spoke of the people he met in Riverlye, albeit not that much, mainly mentioning Layo, Teon, Jos¨¦, and Pheli. He tried not to focus too much on Pheli, but the ministers were bent on knowing the utmost limits of his relationship with her. He didn¡¯t have to spill everything out, but it felt like he did. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t questioned endlessly, only taking about an hour because of them before arriving at the matter of saving Lesly Rivera¡¯s life, who was no longer in the courtroom. ¡°I found miss Lesly in a tired state, but she still reacted and almost¡­ threw me a couple of cushions,¡± said Fox. His words left an awkward silence, propagated to the viewers, until he added, ¡°She had a sharp mind, and could have hit me in the head twice.¡± There were snickers and some incredulous reactions. The courtroom became a little noisy before the Supreme Justice Minister tapped her desk lightly. Another Supreme Court Minister stood up and questioned Fox, ¡°Now, describe everything that happened in your mass murder of the guards in the building!¡± ¡°¡­ At first, I only incapacitated them. I was rough, but I did only that. It wasn¡¯t until one of the guards killed each other that it changed¡­¡± Fox began explaining again, impassive from the minister¡¯s words. From how he started his way down the long, long stairs, to the moment the tragedy began. With his previous explanations of what happened before he arrived to the top of the building, everyone understood why only the stairs were available, and that there was an ambush outside if he wanted to jump. When Fox finished telling how he killed the last Artista and lost his arm, there was silence again for a bit. Fox frowned for half a moment. He wasn¡¯t asked how he still had a perfectly well-looking arm connected to his left side, nor did they ask more things that he thought they would before. Clearly, they were ¡®keeping¡¯ it for later. Fox gave Armando a look, who suckled his lips into his mouth and looked back at him with wide eyes. Armando nodded at Fox, indicating he realized too, but this was something that had to be traversed by Fox himself, nothing more. ¡°I¡¯d like to know the happenings from the moment you left the building¡¯s block to when you escaped before the information you supposedly gave to the authority was validated through the vice president. What happened before the national guard and police forces arrived?¡± ¡°I entered Riverlye¡¯s HQ expecting a fight, but it wasn¡¯t so, at first. While I was being betrayed by Riverlye first, and away, inside¡­¡± Fox retold some of the things he lived as he went into the HQ, to the moment he met with Pheli, and when he fled with her corpse in his arms. The people were stunned with these words about a lagj organization having more than 1 available, perfectly functioning cryobag. Fox stopped soon after, not saying how he met with the Forzts, who watched him deliver their lost daughter back to her old bedroom from when she was younger. From then on, it became a duel between the Supreme Court Ministers and Armando Pe?a, as they got closer to Fox¡¯s and his lifestyle in the Piya Sanctum District. ¡°When were you back to the government¡¯s secret project, then?¡± - ¡°The accused will not answer that question as it is invalidated by the agreed procedures!¡± ¡ª ¡°Why were you not selected to become a public figure immediately?¡± - ¡°The accused won¡¯t answer that question because it is a fault to the President¡¯s reminder of this court¡¯s responsibilities to the nation!¡± Over and over again, Armando stood up to intervene for Fox in the name of his defense, who listened to everything the lawyer had to say. It was his lawyer, after all. Fox slowly advanced, taking over 3 hours to talk about his work during the past year. There were another 3 breaks of 15 minutes, but none of what was happening could be considered boring. There were already many clips taken by the blessed internet, showing ridiculous but funnily enough entertaining edits. Nevertheless, with all the tense, repetitive, and continuous face off, the trial was reaching its final point, at least for this ¡®way¡¯ of the 2-w c-e. ¡°¡­ We have gone through all the questioning necessary for the interrogation of Phesx Caolia, alias Fox, public servant of the current government and the president of the political party National Front.¡± Vanessa gathered some documents and tapped their lower end against her desk and looked at Fox before Armando could say something, ¡°We will now begin the final step of this process. Phesx Caolia, you will be interrogated directly based on the facts you have dutifully shared with this court.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Fox tilted his head to the right and sent his eyes to the corner of the same. Vanessa nodded, not even bothering to wait for him to answer, writing on her desk and then extending a screen from below it. She passed the documents on the screen, digitalizing them before looking backwards at both sides of the ministers and finally back at Fox. ¡°This last step will be overseen by Supreme Court Minister Javier Laran and Supreme Court Minister Jennifer Paws, besides me, the Supreme Justice Minister Vanessa Valyer.¡± Vanessa announced. Fox nodded, though she didn¡¯t look, and untied a pile of documents. Both mentioned ministers walked to her and grabbed some documents before returning to their seat. ¡°It¡¯s been a¡­ long night so far, and it¡¯s nearly the first rays of the day. Let¡¯s wrap this up, so everyone can get to rest the following night, alright?¡± Vanessa Valyer did a pause as she wrote a few more things. She even smiled at the crowd before her, looking sympathetic. Even though it¡¯s already past 5 AM, and everyone had been awake since at least yesterday¡¯s late morning, the face of the judicial branch was inexhaustible. She wore an energetic expression. Not even casual, ordinary, or bored countenance. An energetic expression. Those who didn¡¯t watch these things, which is most of the Lys, with not a point of difference compared to the rest of the world; seemed to feel like being such a public servant was more than a different style of job.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Ah, your Justice, as a matter of fact¡ª I would like to advise postponing an over extended session for the first turn of the 2 ways. It is more beneficial to employ this process with-¡± Armando stood up when he heard the Supreme Justice Minister speak those words. He didn¡¯t dare to act right away, considering things, but decided to do so in the end anyhow. However, before he could continue, with the staff watching from the control room, Vanessa swung her extended sleeve and muted Armando¡¯s glass microphone. ¡°Dismissed.¡± Armando was taken aback, a little embarrassed. Fox looked to his left and watched this happen, frowning without a care to who might see it. He saw Elega turn to him, just staring at him with her water-clear light brown eyes, to which he shook his head imperceptibly. Elega shrugged a bit, staring ahead as Armando returned to his seat after giving the Supreme Justice Minister a frowning, confused look. Fox also looked at her, returning his face to the front. He spoke after a strange silence surfaced from this ¡®little event¡¯. ¡°I¡¯d like to finish this fast, too.¡± Fox¡¯s words took the attention from anywhere else to himself. Vanessa looked down at him before nodding, awkwardly stopping her head from coming back up. ¡°I¡­ will begin.¡± ¡°Just a reminder,¡± Vanessa narrowed her eyes, looking down, before adding, lifting her chin. Fox lifted his eyebrows for a bit. ¡°The Supreme Court Justice will not abuse their power, and shall this session be considered enough for the conclusion of half the process, it will be allowed.¡± ¡°Now, Mr. Caolia,¡± Vanessa seemed relaxed after saying that, although she didn¡¯t even look at Armando a second time. ¡°When you killed that comrade of yours for Priscila¡¯s sake, did you enjoy it?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Fox stared up at the Supreme Justice Minister with unchanging polycoria eyes. Vanessa adopted a stern expression, resting her forearms and elbows on the desk with her hands atop one another, ¡°Answer the question, Mr. Caolia, or Mr. Fox. When you planned and assassinated a soldier from the same encampment as yours, for the so-called ¡®safety¡¯ and ¡®sake¡¯ of a prostitute, did you enjoy it?¡± Fox inadvertently formed a grin, from ear to ear, although it lasted half a second, ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Would you still enjoy such an act?¡± Vanessa asked, lowering her gaze with her left hand lifting a pen between her index and middle fingers. Fox shrugged, slightly shaking his head, ¡°Specify?¡± ¡°Would you enjoy the murder of a person for threatening the livelihood of a prostitute?¡± Vanessa lifted her chin again and stared deeply into his eyes, almost as if berating him. Fox felt a bit weird, but he blinked, understanding. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. But I¡¯ll still do it, gladly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Vanessa frowned when she read through Fox¡¯s tone, and sure enough, a but came right in. Nevertheless, after hearing him, her expression helplessly calmed, and she looked at Fox¡¯s, momentary grin at the end with newfound compression. Her visage was a little curious in the eyes of anyone else, as Fox stood there, waiting for the next question, eyes fully set on the Supreme Justice Minister, well-behaved. Vanessa woke up and licked her lips inside her mouth before resuming. ¡°Is there a possibility you orchestrated the assault to your platoon when you moved to install defenses on that bridge?¡± She asked, to which he answered with a flat ¡®no¡¯. Vanessa looked down at her document and continued, ¡°Could it be possible that Paul¡¯s death was orchestrated by you when you saw the possibility of leading into a massacre where you could kill everyone?¡± ¡°No,¡± Fox replied, almost coldly. Vanessa seemed to dwell on it for a few seconds before asking again. ¡°Is there truly not a chance you wished for everyone with you to die, and more so someone close to you, as it is the case in the future, time and again?¡± ¡°It is not. It has never been. It will not,¡± Fox stared at the Supreme Justice Minister sharply, straight, and unmoving. His polycoria impenetrable black pools seemed dead, but the vessel holding them was more than alive. ¡°It seems you were very offended and hurt when these events happened. Did you expose your then encampment¡¯s information for any enemy to take it over?¡± Vanessa asked. Fox¡¯s previous stance smoked away, calmly answering, ¡°No, I did nothing of the sort. And many people died there¡­ Soldiers were fewer than the victims¡­¡± ¡°Did you enjoy killing hundreds in the battle for the Centralized Parliament?¡± Vanessa asked, and Fox nodded with a simple ¡®yes¡¯, his eyes a little bit lost. Vanessa continued, ¡°Did you have sexual encounters from an early age? Presumably starting between 13 and 14 years old?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Fox blinked a few times before responding, and a few more afterwards. Vanessa nodded, speaking with her head lowered, so much her hair covered her sides, and her smooth, flawless forehead hid the rest of her face to those in front, even when she was a few steps above them. ¡°Did you engage in forceful or dubious sexual activities where you were the perpetrator?¡± ¡°No,¡± Fox¡¯s voice turned a bit cold this time, straight out in the open. Vanessa followed suit, ¡°How about as a victim?¡± Fox blinked. He gulped softly before opening his lips, sounding his voice without coldness, ¡°No.¡± ¡°In a war, something like this could be considered quite lucky, even for the typical male soldier without significant aesthetics,¡± Vanessa commented, unnecessarily. Fox felt his breath quicken, and in a really bad way. Vanessa seemed to feel the gaze had changed, or the electricity behind those eyes in the brain, maybe everywhere else. But she asked after awakening from a brief stupor, ¡°When did that flock of hair turn white? According to this, it is a genetic¡­ phenomenon.¡± ¡°Around¡­ when I lost¡­¡± Fox shut his eyes for half a moment, opening them impassive yet imposingly half another moment after, ¡°When I suffered the betrayal of Riverlye.¡± Fox blinked many times when he spoke those last few words. Vanessa scrutinized his face with a serious expression and her left backhand supporting her whole chin. She looked down at her documents and up at him before resuming again, ¡°Did you want to leave Preut when the borders between Preut and Lymoca opened?¡± ¡°¡­ Not really,¡± Fox thought for a moment before replying. Vanessa asked; informally. ¡°Because of your mother? To search for her?¡± ¡°No, but I did go back for her intentionally.¡± Fox shook his head a bit. Vanessa breathed deeply in and reclined on her backrest before asking, ¡°Did you harbor any feelings to destroy, kill, rape, or abuse your learned skills when, before, or after leaving Preut?¡± ¡°No,¡± Fox rolled his eyes and answered. Vanessa immediately asked, out of nowhere, ¡°Did you assassinate the generals of the 3 encampments before looking for your mother?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The crowd, the livestream channels, and Fox himself were startled. His eyes looked up at Vanessa without suspicion or hostility, only impassiveness. ¡°Yes, I did. It only took me several days¡­ I was about 15 at that time.¡± ¡°This was after training under a special force¡¯s team, right?¡± Vanessa went on. Fox nodded and voiced ¡®yes¡¯, before she asked one last time. ¡°But none of them taught you how to evade any detection from these 3 generals and assassinate them without being found out.¡± ¡°Yes, but now it seems I wasn¡¯t that good, when everyone knows it¡­¡± Fox replied. Vanessa nodded, even wearing a little, thin smile before gathering her documents. ¡°My turn has concluded. Now, I will grant Jennifer Paws the use of her voice to proceed with this last step.¡± Now, it was laid out before the country. Fox was able to evade the detection of several generals¡¯ security and assassinate them without being traced or found in the slightest. News of such things at the moment were nothing, but now that the history behind it was exposed¡­ Just what kind of monster this Phesx Caolia, Fox, and who knew what else, was before Lymoca? ¡°Haaaee~,¡± Fox exhaled in a bit of a complaint as the ministers spoke with each other. Then, a young woman with brown skin and youthful intelligence passed documents by her desk¡¯s screen before staring at Fox with an excited, little smile. ¡°Thank you, your Justice.¡± ¡°Phesx Caolia, you said something about never letting those close to you die. Then, let¡¯s start with this. How did Pheli die in your arms? Pheli Forzt, the daughter of the Forzt¡¯s family head and one of the most influential Lys.¡± She went to attack without showing her claws, only her paws¡­ ¡°Riverlye had a few D/LM weapons in their storage. They grabbed some, and I was unable to save her.¡± Fox replied emptily, his eyes truly without focus now. Jennifer Paws¡¯ smile continued amidst the crowd¡¯s shock, her voice going half a pitch higher, ¡°And why would you not save her? Did you not wish to keep a woman with you? Or was the promise of a life together, something unknown, just not good enough for you? Perhaps you just let her die conveniently.¡± Fox didn¡¯t respond for a while, a long while, a very long while. Vanessa, who rested in her seat, sobered up at last and tilted her head after sitting straight. Her eyebrows knitted a bit. Jennifer Paws blinked, gulping as she was brutally ignored. Just as Vanessa was about to say something to Jennifer Paws¡­ ¡°I¡­ wanted her¡­ I¡­ wished nothing but to be with her,¡± his eyes were dropped and his eyelashes stagnant, yet seemingly fluttering. ¡°Planed to get somewhere¡­ after Riverlye¡¯s matter. And even go to her father so we could start to make money more easily.¡± ¡°A couple we knew, farmers, had a pregnancy before the assignation in that building. So, the matter came so smoothly¡ª we wanted to try that, too¡­¡± Fox slowly lifted his eyes. Not knowing why, he first looked up at the Supreme Justice Minister before staring at the young brown woman. ¡°When I heard the incoming danger, those vastly powerful weapons coming to me, to us, to her¡­ I moved my arm to push her, about to tackle her down¡­¡± The crowd listened attentively, even those to his right. Fox unnaturally lifted and lowered his chin, trembling while doing so, ¡°I motioned to my left arm, but it didn¡¯t move. It had been cut off¡­ She was shot a few times by these. All I avoided was her brain getting hit. I received bullets into my back. Each made me feel my vision was turning black¡­ but when I fell on her¡­ she was pale.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± The crowd silently stared, listened, thought; gulping sounds echoed from the ministers¡¯ seats. Vanessa looked at Fox with calm eyes. She analyzed him fully, eyes barely showing a twinkle, at most. ¡°Ahem, what were your first missions as a government¡¯s special agent?¡± Jennifer Paws spoke several seconds later. Fox looked up at her after almost feeling like sleeping, warm and cozy¡­ numb all over. ¡°¡­¡± But instead of acknowledging the minister, Fox stared at Armando, who seemed to debate with himself before thumbing up and nodding at him. Fox wordlessly returned his polycoria eyes to the minister, ¡°The first was in the ¡®fruit of nature¡¯¡­¡± The trial continued a little more. Fox was irked left and right, with every person known to the public appearing in their words, their filthy, uncaring lips and teeth. Their moving tongues like they were proud of knowing how to use it, not to degrade themselves, but others, and without even touching them. Fox saw their brains while gazing into their mouths from beginning to end. These people weren¡¯t any different from one another, like a hive mind. For the first time in his life, as the trial ended, and Vanessa Valyer of the judicial branch¡¯s highest position of the Supreme Court Justice, the Supreme Justice Minister, was announcing the process¡¯ end. Fox developed his first thoughts, and side, regarding the important matters of a country, his country, Lymoca; in politics. The Supreme Court Justice should change. It smelled bad. It treated them¡­ her¡­ as it should have¡­ never. ¡­ Chapter 142 — Dinner Dinner ¡°It is the 1,026th year 1st month, 1st week, 7th day¡ª at 7:12 AM. The court concludes the 1st half of the 2-w c-e, and it will now enter in recess until tomorrow at 11 PM.¡± Vanessa stood up and announced after the ministers spoke together once Javier Laran, the last to directly interrogate Fox, finished his part. Supreme Court Minister Javier Laran was rather an easy-going ride that Fox didn¡¯t expect, but it still brought information out from him, but it wasn¡¯t a surprise. It felt a little like a slap on the wrist after Jennifer Paws¡¯s ambiguous jabs at Fox¡¯s records. The people who came didn¡¯t really expect it would last until morning. They felt it was improper to leave after being invited and attending, so they stayed the entire night. The right had most of their people tired and sleepy. While the left was also like this, they at least paid good, respectful attention to the entire process. Fox remained at the podium, breathing deeply in, holding, and then out. He shook his head before giving the Supreme Justice Minister a look, then left for the center. Vanessa looked at him with a relaxing expression, a subtle one. It felt much different to that of the entire night, where it was a trial, now more like a public meeting. They walked out with him, meeting at the entrance. A guard following him walked up to Fox and freed him from the handcuffs, closing in on Fox more at ease, not as nervous as before. Fox checked his wrists. Even with the handcuffs, his right wrist healed almost like it was never pried open. ¡°Are you tired?¡± Elega came to him and asked, while Armando walked to Fox¡¯s front, didn¡¯t come too close to him nor extended his hand, and nodded at the young man. Fox nodded at Armando before the latter turned around. Then, he gazed at Elega and shook his head, ¡°About that, pretty girl. Can you bring me to my boutique?¡± ¡°Heh, alright.¡± Elega nodded upwards at him as Fox did a ¡®pu¡¯ sound afterward. She walked him out of the courtroom, this high tribune that placed such a strange schedule. Nothing would have happened if it was scheduled since the morning or even in the evening, but no. Fox saw only about 2 tenths from the reporters that were here before outside, but something told him this ¡®peace¡¯ wouldn¡¯t last if he stayed there. He and Elega went to her car and fled the place before any more reporters could come or surrounded them. Arriving at the Blackflower Boutique, Fox still wore his new suit, which he no longer felt was as slightly heavy as before. He also felt a quirky ¡®trembling¡¯ in his breathing. Before coming out, he looked at Elega and thanked her, ¡°I appreciate it. You tell me what else I can do for you.¡± ¡°Yes, indeed. Talking about favors and gifts, check your suit, Fox.¡± Said Elega. Fox tilted his head and nodded before getting out. Elega drove off as soon as he closed the door, dropping him before his boutique. Fox looked at his little business path becoming higher as there were already workers measuring and discussing their procedures to remodel the 3rd and 4th floors¡¯ exteriors. Taking a silent deep breath in and out, Fox entered his little shop. It had just opened not too long ago, with Pamela and Fabiola talking with most of the attendants around. There weren¡¯t many people who came to shop, so only one or two attendants moved around to help clients. As Fox entered, he looked at the place where static-like dull noises came from, and found a little screen sitting on a stool, probably the one he saw was bought a few minutes before the trial with his WID. It was bought in the boutique¡¯s name, after all. ¡°Fox!¡± Fabiola spotted him first. Everyone turned to him, staring at their big bad boss who had just walked out of the high tribune like he went there to chat and spend some time with big profile folk. ¡°You selected the new 2 clerks?¡± Fox received nods from Fabiola and Pamela. Fox looked at Fabiola, ¡°if I can still walk free around the country in a month, you can recuperate the boutique.¡± ¡°Boss! You won¡¯t be taken away, they won¡¯t dare!¡± An attendant valiantly spoke before timidly shutting up when Fox casually glanced at him. Fox spoke in general, ¡°It¡¯s not whether I am taken as a refugee or prove my innocence. If I am declared guilty, I can only run away, so just take care of the boutique for me. I¡¯ll see how to contact you to get my money.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fabiola was a little speechless, but she still nodded meekly. ¡°I will, big bro. Just don¡¯t give up, okay? That lawyer of yours is very good, he was quite funny and entertained.¡± ¡°He¡¯s married,¡± Fox spouted, almost like a warning. The boutique fell silent, even the couple of clients moving around paused. Fabiola took a deep breath and looked at her ¡®big bro¡¯ before saying, protruding her lower lip out. ¡°He can marry more than once in his life, no?¡± Fox smiled and warmly tousled Fabiola¡¯s hair, making her shut her eyes seemingly so tight they might as well meet her brains. After seeing her cute expression, Fox nodded at the others and gave Pamela a glance before walking to the storage backrooms. Once hidden from the public eyes, feeling like a cold night where all he had to do to feel warm is to pull the blanket a little higher, Fox took his jacket off. He put it on a table, kept the lights off, and took his phone out. He activated the flashlight with a couple of shakes and revised the jacket. ¡°!¡± Fox felt some familiarity before, but giving it a careful look now answered his doubts. This was a semi-empowered uniform armor suit, and most likely all its parts were the same. Fox got naked quickly and checked every piece of clothing. The collar was further semi-empowered, and the buttons. It was a fantastic work, but he knew things like these were only novelty in the times of change about 600 years ago. After checking the intricacies of this thing, Fox wanted to dismantle and study it. Whether Colmillo, Elega, intended to or not, this could very well give him a good bout of inspiration to start fabricating excellent quality bions. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t do that since he was still attending trial. In a couple of days at best, Fox might very well be declared guilty, with how this trial was conducted with the workload from his interrogation and confrontation. After feeding the public so much information in such a little time, and acting quick, who could or would stop them? Sighing, the young man remained bare for the sake of technology. The world wouldn¡¯t weep if he was indecent for a little longer. And thus, with whatever thought Fox could find in himself, barely able to form them and distract him, he spent the day¡¯s light hours in the storage backrooms. Before the boutique was on closing hours, Fox came out, checking everything once before leaving things to the clerks. The boutique¡¯s 3rd and 4th floor remodeling, decorative and infrastructural, would take about 2 weeks, so it was decided to open them next month. Fox went to his mega hotel, where he was received with even more gazes than usual, each more intense than he¡¯d ever received before. He couldn¡¯t find fault in them, one wasn¡¯t supposed to know the dark secrets of a person they know. The SCJ played to forced him to choose between reputation and dignity or being a liability for Luis Heartez and enemy of the State. With Fox¡¯s attitude throughout, the former occurred. He went to his suite, where he met Mena, welcoming him in with a nod, bringing a bottle of water and some snacks to his bedroom. Fox followed her and saw Teon super comfy with all the suite¡¯s cushion around her, on the bed, with his pajamas. Those were some that he bought to not just get a few suits from the store before. Teon looked at him, already eating some pizza, and widened her eyes. ¡°Brother!¡± Fox walked to her and caressed her head, checking for any extra injury. ¡°Teon¡­ Sister, do you know what your doing was?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Teon smirked at Fox humoring her with the form of addressing. She stopped acting girly and cute and replied with a downcast but determined expression, ¡°I know, yes. It was I being weak and not able to defend myself. I will grow strong and beat his ass¡­ then force him to meet up later one day.¡± ¡°I would hit you if it wasn¡¯t because you might turn into jelly if I do.¡± Fox pulled a strand of her pitch-black hair to berate her and sat down beside her, on a few cushions at once. ¡°No, it¡¯s not something as lame as ¡®not being strong enough¡¯. Instead, you weren¡¯t ruthless. If you had put yourself in a fight or die response, you would¡¯ve broken his leg even if it meant receiving a worse attack from Nauer out of rage.¡± ¡°Not everyone is as uncaring of their bodies as you are, bro.¡± Teon threw her arms to the side and became a lump of lazy, limp flesh on his bed¡­ atop the cushions. ¡°I don¡¯t have an ability to regenerate like you¡¯re some vampire or werewolf to the point even my blood helps others regenerate.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Yeah? Did Mena tell you what happened?¡± Fox caressed Teon¡¯s head again. Teon looked up at him with upturned eyes from the corners of her sockets. Fox titled his head, silently asking ¡®what¡¯. Teon pouted a little, her big black eyes darting around before spilling all the beans. ¡°It was Loba, brother. She came to your suite at night and checked on me. She gave more 2 pills of that new silver medicine.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox was taken aback. He continued caressing Teon¡¯s head, but he blinked and thought before absentmindedly asking, ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°Yeeeh¡­¡± Teon lazily answered before turning around and covering herself with the blanket. Fox blinked a few times before shaking her shoulder, gently. ¡°So you know of the state I left that stupid idiot for you? You embarrassed? Hey, I remember someone tempting me to steal them away from the love of their lives~!¡± ¡°Graaaawwll!¡± Teon turned around and bared her claws and fangs at Fox, but he struck her nose, harmlessly pinching it and wiggling it a bit until her bright pale face turned a bit red. Fox let go of her nose, with Teon defeatedly limping on her side again, this time ¡®abused¡¯ by her adoptive brother. ¡°At least your body is reacting healthily¡­ You made me think of things, so I guess I¡¯ll be busy in the future¡­ if I don¡¯t start running from country to country from tomorrow onwards or so.¡± Fox gently pinched her rosy skin and spoke, Mena watched TV at the side, smiling at times as they talked or frolicked like little grown idiots. ¡°¡­¡± Teon looked up at him, her big black eyes pensive. Afterwards, she threw her arms around Fox¡¯s shoulders and hugged him close. Fox let her, feeling something more underneath her skin. Teon hummed a bit after hugging him, and without letting go, she whispered into his left arm near his shoulder, pressing her mouth against it, spoiled. ¡°Don¡¯t think the breath in your body, affected and impacting your blood flow from the blows you endured from Nauer earlier, isn¡¯t noticeable, Fox. Your body also oozes of the pain you suffered. Your chest and neck haven¡¯t healed fully, and you¡¯ll need more skin partition cosmetics after showering to hide it well for longer.¡± ¡°You can afford to let your body suffer what anyone else would rather not, but that doesn¡¯t mean you have to give up on it, okay?¡± Teon looked up, demanding attention, ¡°Look at me, bro.¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± Fox exclaimed, looking ahead, paying no attention to her. Teon tsked, threatening to bury her teeth on his skin. ¡°Loooook at meeeeeeee!!¡± ¡°I shall not, sister. For a path of prohibited love will unfold upon us must I do, chance I may not!¡± Fox cupped her jaw and said, deepening his voice. Teon looked up at him, bothered. Before eating a chunk off his arm, she expressed, ¡°Since when are you so humoristic?¡± ¡°Grrr,¡± Teon didn¡¯t wait for his reply and opened her mouth, biting at his arm after lowering his jacket and sliding his shirt away. A few seconds later, her head unmoving, she complained while salivating his skin, ¡°Why did they have to build you an indestructible arm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not indestructible. If I find the meaning of life, it becomes paper thin and I weaken.¡± Fox looked down at the kitty baring her whiskers as she failed to penetrate deeper than a few millimeters into his skin. Teon let go and looked up at him, still bothered. ¡°Hehehehe- oink, hahahaha!¡± Teon smiled and giggled, uttering an embarrassing snort before laughing out loud. His attitude tickled her mood just the right way. Fox smiled at her face, feeling that little bit better he perhaps sought after the trial. ¡­ An hour later, Fox prepared to go, leaving Teon behind, who felt sleepy watching some drama, and talked to Mena before leaving. ¡°Can I require your assistance to do something for me?¡± ¡°What kind of adverse situation do you want to put me through?¡± Mena smiled at Fox. Fox casually replied, ¡°I¡¯d like to task you with bringing my urine to the doc.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mena blinked. This wasn¡¯t difficult, nor too weird. It was the situation that didn¡¯t fit, and would make anyone feel creeped out. She opened her lips, just to try something. ¡°What is my payment?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen the silver medicine, right? Doc would surely give you at least a small cream box, I¡¯m sure.¡± Fox blinked in response, corrupting Mena. Her eyes widened, and she looked at him like he is a lottery before smiling, ¡°Sure.¡± Mena went out after receiving a large cardboard box with a large recipient inside, containing the ¡®treasure¡¯. Naturally, even though Fox wasn¡¯t unwilling, he didn¡¯t feel like also ¡®donating¡¯ sperm. He went back to Teon and smooched her forehead, massaging her little head for a bit before leaving, with Mena just a few minutes from returning. Once the baby sister, older than him, was secured, Fox walked out. Not wanting to go to HQ, not wanting to be at home, and not wanting to be surrounded by people, Fox stayed outside and far from his Blackflower Boutique. With the beginning of the new year, it was still a bit cold in Lymoca during the day. During the night, it was cold. And now, the elections were reformed to take place much later on, and so would the presidential inauguration. Bing- ping¡­ Just as Fox wondered what 24/7 food joint or stand to spend part of the night at, he received a call from his cellphone. Not the gifted one, but the one from work. ¡°Fox, come to the restaurant. I¡¯ll give you an address, don¡¯t take more than 5 minutes.¡± Luis¡¯s voice sounded from his work phone, amusing but not surprising Fox. He wondered what could be happening as he checked the address, finding out it was a 20-minute walk. Looking around, Fox was about to test the durability of a suit like this, semi-empowered by nuclear power, when he found a motorcycle left in an alley. With a considerate tilt of his head, Fox walked to it. ¡­ Vrrrrrooooommmmm~~! ¡­ 3 minutes and a half later. A notorious local restaurant open at this hour, 8 PM, was alerted by the loud and continuous, never-stopping noise of a loud engine coming closer to it. Just as some frowned because of the constant exhaustion of the engine, it disappeared, leaving behind a trail of drifting whistles as a motorcycle zoomed in the distance. Fox rapidly identified Luis and 20 PSD special agents covering everything, even inside the restaurant in case the person sitting with Luis became mad or something, Fox drifted for 20 meters before coming to a stop. Without losing balance or control, Fox pedaled on the ground and brought the fiery hot wheels of the bike to the sidewalk, parking it before leaving the owner a message after finding their contact. Then, he went into the restaurant, of which the porcelain gateman looked at Fox in disbelief of what he was seeing, letting the young man in. Fox went to Luis and the redhead, ignoring the awed crowd who were already astounded when their president and the Supreme Justice Minister of the nation walked into this humble but known restaurant. They were respectful enough to not get their phones out and record them like everyone¡¯s lives depended on it, but some still took quick photos and short videos. Yet, watching Fox come here, that Phesx Caolia in the middle of a trial¡­ Now, it seemed like a friendly show of distinction between politics and daily life after a tense session was a bit more than that. The restaurant had a wide space outside, with ? still belonging to the interiors, and had warmly lit candles and lanterns to offer a great quality of illumination. The rest of the lights came from various light bulbs, hovering a few meters above everyone¡¯s heads in a decorative, soothing manner. Fox walked to the President, who looked stern, at him. But still welcomed him in silence. As he sat on the table, closer to Luis, Fox stared at the Supreme Justice Minister, who stared at him in¡­ a good mood? Positively? An emphatic glint to meet him in her eyes? Fox sat down, with the President immediately introducing each other, ¡°Fox, this is Vanessa Valyer, outside of the high tribune. Miss Valyer, this is Fox, my NF¡¯s president and talented ¡®super¡¯ bodyguard. You may just call him Fox.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet the young boy, now a man, who gave Lymoca many instances to gasp and feel fervor, positive or negative.¡± Vanessa never stared away from Fox, extending her hand after hearing Luis¡¯s courteous introduction. ¡°Uh¡­ we meet again y- your¡­ Justice,¡± said Fox, with a few complications towards the end. This form of address wasn¡¯t strange or weird, but the only experience Fox had dealing with high profile people were ¡®president¡¯ and ¡®vice president¡¯, at the highest. ¡°I suppose Vanessa will do,¡± Vanessa Valyer saw his momentary struggle to extend his hand, finally doing so but showing a gloved hand instead. She looked up at Fox but didn¡¯t say anything, only exchanging the gesture and nodding before turning to Luis. ¡°Miss Valyer was just telling me about the trial, Fox.¡± Luis interjected. Fox turned his head to him. Luis continued under Vanessa¡¯s reposing stance, ¡°It seems you left the ¡®good parts¡¯ out of the people¡¯s ears, I hope that doesn¡¯t end up becoming a problem for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it would matter, President. My relationship with the people is only as a proxy by yourself. Politics aren¡¯t my thing¡­¡± Fox scratched the back of his head with Luis looking at him. Vanessa turned to Fox and commented, ¡°It indeed seems that way. Although Fox has certain capabilities when it comes to one matter, having equal efficiency on some others seems unlikely.¡± ¡°Do not doubt this kid, ¡®your Justice¡¯. He was as you say a month ago. Now, look at him. Even his innocent, casual, and genuine expression is filed with treachery.¡± Luis pointed at Fox in a gesture. Vanessa laughed, slightly throwing her head back before bringing a wine glass to her mouth, but only filled with water. ¡°I do not have the accessibility to drink since I became the Supreme Justice Minister in the president¡¯s first legal term.¡± Vanessa looked at Fox staring at her and commented. Luis smirked with a tiny hook at his left corner, offering no words. ¡°Say, Fox. Is there a particular reason, beside seeking the punishment of the people responsible for the wastage of resources, why you stepped into the part of everyone¡¯s world everyone seems to know about but do not?¡± Vanessa added after their table fell into silence for 3 seconds. Fox grabbed an empty glass from the center of the table before facing her. He clinked glasses with hers with a hidden meaning. ¡°I don¡¯t. I became involved for those particular reasons alone¡­¡± Looking at Luis, who stared back at him with his back laid on the chair backrest and supporting his chin with his thumb and index and middle fingers, Fox uttered and returned his attention to Vanessa¡¯s face. ¡°As for staying, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve been tempted with offers I didn¡¯t know I had become trapped into and am now intrigued about.¡± ¡°Would you happen to be interested in the judicial branch?¡± Vanessa politely asked. Fox hadn¡¯t noticed before, but her non-Supreme Justice Minister voice was still a solid synergy of determined and firm yet charismatic. Nevertheless, Fox responded as a waiter sweated, pouring him water, ¡°Interest? I am interested, though I don¡¯t know in which direction.¡± ¡°Becoming a judge?¡± Fox sincerely wondered. He took sips from his water-wine glass. ¡°It does sound pleasant, fitting. It also intrigues me. Judges have to always advocate for fairness and law, but all I can do without betraying my heart is to strive with its every longing.¡± ¡­ Chapter 143 — Defense Defense ¡°Oh, Supreme Justice Minister, I request you do not try to bring Fox out of my circle.¡± Luis humorously interjected after a small stare off between Fox and Vanessa. Vanessa stared at Luis and smiled a bit, raising her eyebrows somewhat. ¡°My, it seems the president does indeed value this young man. But it makes me wonder, is it his capabilities as a public servant that will or might help you in the future, or his murdering ones?¡± ¡°He is a boy with all. There is no need to tag him as this or that. I believe he¡¯ll do well what he is meant to do.¡± Luis responded, shaking his head slowly, more like a gesture. Vanessa stayed silent before articulating with an arching eyebrow, ¡°Does the president think he can stay in more than one post at once? That¡¯s something only a decree can declare, but for how long?¡± ¡°That¡¯s one matter that I won¡¯t burden the Supreme Justice Minister with. Instead, since we¡¯ve come to speak freely, why don¡¯t we order now that we are all here? It¡¯s an appointment I didn¡¯t want to miss. Though, I¡¯d like to say¡ª however we do something isn¡¯t going to be public knowledge for everyone to put their hand or eye to. That will be left for later, when the people, who hold the true power, decide whether it¡¯s something they want or not.¡± Luis proactively said. ¡°That is my fault, let¡¯s eat then. Oh, before we begin, Fox,¡± Vanessa nodded, surprisingly taken a step back. Although only Fox seemed to feel surprise by it, and Luis kept a resilient face. She expressed, ¡°I want to say that, despite what you might have thought from last night to morning, and even to the second half of the process later on, the Supreme Court Justice does not want to target you. This job often comes with decisions and duties not to be undermined.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked at the redhead before staring at Luis. Luis simply looked at him with his chin grasped by his fingers still, legs spread sitting down. Fox looked back at the redhead and nodded, speaking a bit formally. ¡°I understand, Vanessa Valyer is doing her job alone.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Vanessa relaxed her back on the chair, seeming to feel better after hearing his response. She briefly glanced at Luis before asking Fox, ¡°What would you order? What things you like?¡± ¡°Meat and oranges,¡± Fox responded curtly. ¡­ Just slightly more than half an hour after their plates arrived, the trio ate and chatted comfortably. Luis drank a bit of wine, while Fox only took water and a few oranges beside his not-so-thin and large steak. Vanessa got a salad and some mashed potatoes, with Luis also getting a salad, but a warm soup to accompany the salad, not the other way around. ¡°¡­ I see it difficult that a positive result for this trial will come for you, but it might not be impossible. I¡¯m not sure if you can achieve that, president, National Front¡¯s president,¡± Vanessa cleaned her mouth and hands with her plate empty. She looked at them one by one, ¡°But I wish good luck for the innocent.¡± With that, Vanessa stood up and delicately placed her purse around her shoulder. Then, grabbing a briefcase on the floor beside the table with a crouching motion, she departed. Fox and Luis were left behind, looking at her back as she went into a black vehicle that just arrived. Afterwards, Fox and Luis looked at each other. Fox finished his glass of water and commented, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think she is going to be a hidden ally, as I had thought.¡± ¡°Fuuu,¡± Luis blew air out of his mouth with such strength that his lower lip ballooned out. He moved around in his seat for a while before waving his hand a little, throwing more needed fresh air to his face. ¡°If I had just one ally like her, I wouldn¡¯t have been eating shit all these 12 years.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked at the President while breathing through his nose and mouth. He had eaten 4 times more than the President and the Supreme Justice Minister added together, and that was only with the steak, ignoring the 4 oranges he wolfed down. They were just that good¡­ ¡°President?¡± Fox asked, looking more into the state Luis showed he was afflicted by this meeting. He was sweating now, but relaxed, and like his burdens had all disappeared in one go. This was, without a doubt, a situation that put great stress on the President¡¯s body. ¡°Eat more, this might be the last chance you have to do so.¡± The President said that, but Fox felt a bit unwilling to believe it. It seemed a bit drastic. Luis Heartez noticed this and gestured to Fox¡¯s plate before talking to him, ¡°Order something else, this place is good and not as snobbish as you¡¯d hate it. Who knows, even if you¡¯re free still tomorrow, they might change, and you won¡¯t get to eat their known dishes, so dig into something else.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Fox agreed, at last. Luis nodded and waited 2 minutes in silence before realizing Fox wouldn¡¯t call a waiter, so he did. Fox ordered something else, giving Luis inspiration to say a few more things. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good for you, Fox. Your now known participation in your assignations, especially with Riverlye, made the public show they¡¯re doubting you.¡± ¡°Even the ones who, let¡¯s say, went to the rallies and believed in it, following more into it as I continued the tour?¡± Fox rubbed his palms on his thighs, feeling comfortable, and asked with barely showing he cared. Luis nodded, ¡°They also doubt.¡± ¡°Then Armando has a tough play at hand,¡± Fox smirked from both corners of his mouth, a little weak overall. Luis shook his head in dismissal, eyes upturned, and chin dancing, before sitting straight and facing Fox. ¡°No matter the outcome, those 13 balls-eaters will grab you from within and pull you behind bars. There¡¯s no different saying in this, they got you the moment they started the investigation.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox kept quiet. The President seemed to know what was happening, and so did the SCJ anticipate the government would know. If anything, it was only Fox who was unaware of what everyone was doing. For the first time, Fox cared about being left out. Of course, this was accompanied by a different thought than being used and someone¡¯s strategic chess piece, which he came to terms when knowing about the President and PSD¡¯s connection. Fox didn¡¯t feel left out and annoyed because of it, irritated. No, instead, it was the fact he couldn¡¯t catch up. Everyone knew, except for him. Everyone had time to act, while he was busy playing politics. And everyone had their role clear, while Fox could only be exposed, little by little, bit by bit, until he was bare to the nation; to the world. ¡°It isn¡¯t that hard, it¡¯s just your luck to have such big obstacles when starting. Most just follow others, slowly getting the talks here and there to be known in the big circles of the parliaments and learn things until they start garnering vital experience.¡± Luis commented, feeling at ease. Fox listened, feeling like he should. Luis continued after a brief pause, ¡°You can try that, or at least a part of it. Depend off on someone and see how it goes. You have no official studies, but Sona says you can be used, and your cooperation is valuable.¡± ¡°Sona? Are her words taken that importantly by you, President?¡± Fox sincerely inquired, feeling a bit interested in the answer, if he was given it. Luis focused on Fox. Cleaning his hands with a table napkin, he looked at Fox with a slight turn of his head. ¡°Ah, kid. You¡¯re still in that zone. Don¡¯t mistreat or misread the procedures to your person after being investigated.¡± ¡°Yes, you are protecting yourself. President, could you just answer my question?¡± Fox nodded, interrupting as soon as the President paused. Luis looked at Fox and narrowed his eyes before speaking, slowly relaxing them throughout. ¡°You seem very patient about this, ever since I appointed you as my political party¡¯s president, and the situation with the wastage occurred.¡± ¡°Yes, my sister¡¯s insights are what I care about. Your relationship with her is meaningless, be it for getting you to grow attached to a building, an idea, a routine for self-satisfaction and understanding with someone to be with¡­ A simulated bond. She, by her own initiative, wanted to take advantage and test it, or else I wouldn¡¯t let her have¡­ such silly thoughts come into true.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand truly such thoughts, but I trust her. Her capabilities are one thing, but my trust on her person is more important. The only thing that keeps those still around me still around me.¡± Luis finished with his eyes closed, relaxing. Then, he looked at Fox again. ¡°I said ¡®depend off on someone¡¯, and you would probably speak about that now. So?¡± Luis offered no more words, clarification, or even an offer with more money. Fox looked at this and saw his next plate coming soon just several meters behind Luis. ¡°Of course I won¡¯t leave the President¡¯s side. Being a spy elsewhere is boring. Never my thing, if there¡¯s no promise of a killing.¡± Luis grinned, maybe satisfied or glad. He returned to his serious expression and spoke to Fox almost commandingly, ¡°There are still ways. Even with the looming doom of your freedom and stain to my image, some things can still be worked.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Mn,¡± Fox appeared to understand, at least in Luis¡¯s eyes. Fox lifted his arms and extended them, grabbing a large plate from a middle-aged fat lady who looked pitiful, trying to be calm when giving Fox his dishes. Luis lifted his left eyebrows. Fox had a double-order of salad, with another but smaller steak, mashed potatoes, and the same hot soup he asked but with chicken chunks inside. He rolled his eyes and shook his head a bit, but watched Fox eat everything¡­ with the salad earning a bothered face. ¡°After a hopeful conclusion, you won¡¯t be able to run away from politics.¡± Luis suddenly spouted, sounding like a warning to Fox. He looked at the President and said nothing, just finishing the ugly salad before starting to wolf the rest. Noticing something, Luis called another waiter and ordered a little something. Then, a few minutes later, a young maiden blushed, carrying some oranges to Luis, who then pointed at Fox. The young girl brought the oranges to Fox with tears already spilling out, but not out of fear. Once Fox gently took the oranges from her, she hugged his tall figure awkwardly¡­ for quite a bit. A wide-eyed Fox didn¡¯t know if to thank or curse his President. *** The next day, a few minutes before 11 PM. In the Supreme Court Justice building. Fox walked to the guard, the same as before, and walked to the podium after being handcuffed. There was a small difference, however. The courtroom didn¡¯t look the same as before. Beside the podium, on the right and left, there was an extra layer of glass below where the wall was. It had the design of a gate, which anyone could open and close, with a guard on each side. The 13 seats and podium, and even the stand, were the same. Only those glass gates were different. Once at the podium, Fox looked at the people on his left and blinked, before staring ahead. He then hung his head, like before. Soon after, Fox heard footsteps, and a couple of minutes later, he heard the noise of people entering the courtroom. Like before, the 13 ministers and their attendants walked into the courtroom, went down the stairs, and headed to their seats, emerging from underground. When Fox looked at a few faces without moving his head, he noticed something different. Almost everyone had bothered, long faces, with their footsteps ¡®wrong¡¯ and their ¡®servants¡¯ seeming a little down. A few almost barked some orders at the attendants, who hurriedly sat at the corners of every Supreme Court Minister seat. This was another difference. Fox looked up earlier than last time, while the Supreme Justice Minister was still writing something, and the courtroom had fallen in silence. Her attendants this time were standing, and they didn¡¯t keep their eyes close or heads a little low, like the rest. Seeming to notice his stare, Vanessa stopped and lifted her face after a couple jolts from her head. Fox blinked and frowned lightly before bringing his attention away. At least he didn¡¯t hang his head again. And this, too, Vanessa Valyer noticed. ¡°We will commence this trial¡¯s second half. Might the defense show themselves and carry out their procedure. Any waste of time or fake defense targeted to the accused will be stopped and the trial will follow on.¡± Vanessa darted her eyes left and right, with calmness, and announced. ¡°Your Justice, I am Mu?oz Estandarte. I will proceed to share a few words that, although this young man is a crim-¡± Immediately, a person stood up from the right. He spoke quickly and with such ¡®care¡¯ and ¡®selflessness¡¯ in his voice that it was impossible not to hear¡­ such insufferable, loud voice. But then, right at it to save the day, with Fox frowning at the idiot on his right, Armando Pe?a stood up for the first time tonight. ¡°Your Justice, Mu?oz Estandarte is not a defender of the accused. He has political reasons to speak of him. I request your Justice to stop this individual.¡± Armando¡¯s voice was clear and firmer than Mu?oz¡¯s. As the latter looked at the former with narrowed, offended eyes, Vanessa moved some folders on her desk and lazily said, ¡°Agreed.¡± Armando silently blew air and cocked his head before returning to his seat and to talk to a few people. Vanessa looked up at Fox for fleeting glimpses from time to time, waiting for Armando. At last, Fox¡¯s lawyer pressed the button, ¡°Your Justice, before I begin my free speech, I¡¯d like to convoke certain people to speak for the accused.¡± ¡°You may proceed, sigh¡­¡± Vanessa frowned, looking at Armando, easing her brows quickly after. She said those words followed by a soft sigh as she finished moving her things and untied a pile of documents. Armando replied politely, ¡°Thank you, your Justice.¡± Armando looked back and helped an old lady who seemed almost half-dressed for her coffin. Fox looked at her and smiled a bit, noticed by Vanessa, as the old lady nodded with narrowed eyes at Fox. She even mouthed with a trembling, old lady¡¯s voice, ¡°You boy, you¡¯ve grown. Such a young man now.¡± She was helped into the center of the courtroom¡¯s huge booth, taking a couple of minutes just to walk and sit on a chair that a guard from the entrance behind everything carried to the front. Another brought cushions, gaining an eyeful from the one carrying the chair, as it wasn¡¯t supposed to be so lavish for the speaking people. Another 3 minutes went by, with the old lady waiting for the guards to put the chair and the cushions just right. Armando helped her, taking another minute before, finally, the old lady was at ease and comfortable in the chair. Vanessa proceeded to take the old lady¡¯s information and reason for her being here. After Vanessa passed a paper sheet through her screen, she looked at the old lady again, ¡°So, ma¡¯am. You were the responsible citizen for housing Phesx Caolia and his then Riverlye associates before conducting a massacre in a religious building.¡± ¡°What massacre? What religious?¡± The old lady responded with a sharp, high pitch. Vanessa tried to speak, but the old lady interrupted her while shaking her head, ¡°I¡¯m talking of the-¡± ¡°Chtst¨¦ has always been looked for but still ignored by the army. There aren¡¯t nearly enough soldiers nor balls in them to stay in my state for long, hmph.¡± The old lady commenced, ¡°There was this stupid woman who came to my door and asked me if I could let them put their advertising on my house. It was the biggest and prettiest.¡± ¡°Of course I declined, one of my ex-husband¡¯s distant cousin¡¯s had all their children disappear into a convention for recently starting cultists like them. Never heard of them again. It¡¯s been over 40 years. I would have never let those bastards into my sidewalk again! I beat them whenever I could. And guess what, young lass? Since those fools came, people started taking and talking about drugs! Like this is a thousand years ago! What craziness!¡± ¡°Oooh, dear¡­ water¡­¡± The old lady looked at the glass on Fox¡¯s left, where Armando let the guard check a bottle of water and went into the center. He helped the old lady with the bottle, with her neck weakly moving, taking a tiny sip, one after another. She also took some breaks in between, seemingly tiring her throat just from drinking water. ¡°That will be enough, thank you, sweetie.¡± The old lady held Armando¡¯s hands, ¡°You¡¯ll be a great father, I know.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± Armando was flabbergasted. The old lady told him many sweet advices before the Supreme Justice Minister reminded them, ¡°This court demands the trial to be respected!¡± Armando nodded at the old lady before departing. Meanwhile, someone sitting beside Mu?oz Estandarte stood up, with someone pressing the button for him, ¡°Your Justice! This is a clear wastage of time! I require you to take this elder off the center!¡± Vanessa looked at the person for a brief second before staring at Fox. Then, she stared at the old lady and instructed, ¡°Ma¡¯am, continue your speech. Be swift.¡± ¡°Ooh, what repugnant malandro(miscreant)¡­¡± The old lady scoffed before resuming. The crowd stifled laughter, keeping the courtroom as demanded. ¡°This young man kindly offered me protection from that church. I gave him and the others some hot chocolate. I had just received goods from the delivery sweetie, whom I sent for more food for my new guests.¡± ¡°Oh, he loved it. I gave him 3 or 4 mugs every day. He would go crazy if I didn¡¯t prepare it at the same time from the day before with the flavor of hot chocolate from the kitchen, such good kids¡­¡± The old lady went on before Vanessa directly asked, ¡°Ma¡¯am. Were you scared? Did you feel threatened by Phesx Caolia and any of the people with him?¡± ¡°No, I did not.¡± The old lady responded in a casual tone. Vanessa asked one more time, ¡°Did you know he made you accomplice of the slaughter on the other side of the street?¡± ¡°Oh, he did not!¡± The old lady felt insulted a few times over in Fox¡¯s stead. She continued, ¡°This young man did the country a service. Even before saving the lovable vice president, his actions freed my entire community from new dangers and of another criminal lord trying to take over for delirious dreams of ownership. If only they weren¡¯t released by this judicial branch around my country. Hmph!¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, I will conclude your speech. Thank you for your time,¡± Vanessa nodded and tapped her desk. Armando wasn¡¯t allowed back in, but a guard brought her to the left side and helped her in for him. A minute later, after helping the tired old lady to her seat, Armando brought a woman to the glass gate and pressed the button, ¡°Your Justice, this will be my second and last spokesperson.¡± ¡°You may begin,¡± Vanessa briefly glanced at Armando and announced. The guards checked the new spokesperson, who was checked by a female guard, and went in. Walking near Fox, she stopped and asked him softly, ¡°How have you been, Fox?¡± ¡°Mmn,¡± Fox exclaimed softly. The person behind him nodded, understanding him better than most, and walked to the same chair, without the cushions this time. She sat and introduced herself with all eyes on her, and her beauty. ¡°My name is Morena. You have seen and heard my information from my patient, albeit limited. I am his therapist and I have dedicated more than 400 hours to my patient, since the incident in Sargonde.¡± ¡°I would like to clarify I will welcome any questioning throughout my speaking time, not at the end. No need to confront me with them at the end,¡± Mona temporarily concluded, properly sitting on the chair. She looked at Fox¡¯s back while the Supreme Court Ministers hushed between each other. ¡°I will take this questioning within miss Mona¡¯s speaking time,¡± Vanessa lifted her left hand and announced. The ministers behind her shut down immediately. Some looked at her, and she felt it, so she asked without looking back at them. ¡°Is anyone not in favor of me doing it?¡± ¡°Very well, we will begin,¡± Vanessa looked at Mona, who stared straight into her eyes in return. The Supreme Court Ministers sat properly on their seats, almost on command. ¡­ Chapter 144 — One Of The People One Of The People ¡°You may begin,¡± Vanessa declared before checking a document on her desk. Mona nodded before turning her head and gesturing towards Fox. ¡°Phesx Caolia, much better known and called Fox, the same person, is one of a kind. Regardless of how improbably these words always sound, he has shown it before in¡­ unethical, perhaps, manners. But that is only because he has sacrificed a lot of himself to this point.¡± ¡°Through the last few months, most of last year, he has spoken to me of his life and his current ongoing goals and objectives. He had none, none at all.¡± Mona looked at Fox with smiling, thin lips, wishing she could caress his hair endearingly. ¡°Right now, Fox has nothing going on after servicing his country. But it changed just a little over a month ago. He has become one of the most influential political parties¡¯ president.¡± She looked at the Supreme Justice Minister, smiling with her rows of teeth showing, deep dark brown eyes narrowing. ¡°He was the reason a district here in Proteros was cleaned of the ongoing expansion of the infamous illegal floor charge, which many people in this place refuses to see as a capital offense. Without him, Proteros would¡¯ve welcomed the unhappiness of more selective business in the capital, not just that district.¡± ¡°Are you saying he was the perpetrator of the hundreds of civilians¡¯ deaths?¡± Vanessa asked, frowning and tapping her pen on the front edge of her desk. Mona shook her wavy dull orange head, her eyes closed, before staring at the Supreme Justice Minister. ¡°Those weren¡¯t civilians. Maybe armed civilians, but all of their faces were known to the people from that district, and some were even targeted by those people in the past¡­ again.¡± ¡°¡­ People that this ¡®exotic¡¯ building here has let go of, unknowingly, every week.¡± Mona created a pause before saying those words. The courtroom fell into silence. Vanessa then breathed in and out before calmly asking, ¡°So you¡¯re saying the national guard, police forces, and even the army were mobilized just for this person¡¯s whims at all?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the details. All my works has been done with my client¡¯s approval and my confidentiality.¡± Mona said with a more relaxed expression. Vanessa frowned, ¡°And how do you know this information not even the Supreme Court Justice can revise?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure of the power your Justice says the Supreme Court Justice supposedly has, as none of it is written in our constitution, but the president himself contacted me after realizing me and Fox could work together for my client¡¯s benefits¡± Mona clarified at ease. ¡°So, in your words, is the accused a ¡®hero¡¯ fighting for justice that the authorities would otherwise not care about unless they are forced¡ª unless they see the ¡®enemy¡¯ grow weak and show vulnerability?¡± The Supreme Justice Minister smiled a little at the end of her words. Mona¡¯s right eyebrow arched upwards for a long while until the minister finished her words. She shook her head and calmly answered, placing one leg over the other, further at ease. ¡°I don¡¯t find reliable your Justice¡¯s words. Fox acted when his boutique was initially targeted, too. He isn¡¯t a man who moves around for the sake of honor or anyone¡¯s command. He¡­ is a mad foxie.¡± Fox tilted his head to the right in wonderment. Mona smiled, almost giggling. Vanessa commented immediately after seeing this, ¡°Miss Mona seems to evaluate Fox¡¯s acts as highly and to enjoy talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m speaking about my client,¡± Mona shook her head yet again, ¡°Not his record or what others think of him. As a therapist, my job is to exercise professional caring for my clients. As Fox¡¯s therapist, it is my duty to let him see me as his ally, not a repair kit trying to change him.¡± ¡°Haaaa¡­ You said the president met you after ¡®realizing¡¯ you were able to connect with Fox,¡± Vanessa sighed, holding an unprecedented irritation only she felt, and an observing Fox below secretly noticed. ¡°When did you meet the accused for the first time?¡± ¡°At the start of last year.¡± Mona was concise in her answer. Vanessa followed up without delay, ¡°What were the difficulties other psychiatrists, psychologists, or therapists faced that you were able to go through?¡± Mona blinked. She looked at Vanessa for a few extra seconds before slightly breathing sharply in, ¡°Fox didn¡¯t want a systematic schedule or process to hear him, only to receive similar responses. It isn¡¯t wrong to have more generalized methods, but¡­¡± Mona looked at Fox, then at some cameras from the left side, and a couple of the right, before compassionately speaking. ¡°I have noticed and¡­ further confirmed, as many other experienced fellow doctors in this or similar area of expertise, that the ¡®mental health help¡¯ institutions or regulations fall short of the ever-increasing and developing matter of mental illness in our human history.¡± ¡°We might have stronger bodies, at least from the perspective of the rumors of a weaker human race before the Third Order, our mentality has never been evolved at the same level. It might be seen by ¡®experts¡¯ as an issue for our next generations from when we aren¡¯t here anymore¡­ but it¡¯s a growing problem now. Fox sees that, differently, but the same.¡± ¡°During my time with him, these sightings have become more apparent, and I must say, my deficiency to connect with other patients has been¡­ put aside, so to speak.¡± Mona glanced around the sides, looking at everyone before her eyes ended on the Supreme Justice Minister. ¡°As of today, Fox has gone from the tragedies he suffered to¡­ work something in the name to¡ª not honor them, but¡­ make ¡®their rest¡¯ feel a sense of pride and belonging. This is even as his identity as a Ly, as you can see, is being questioned.¡± Mona concluded, remaining silent after those last few sharp words. ¡°What tragedies are those you speak of?¡± Vanessa calmly stared at the therapist after she finished, questioning once things seemed to settle down. Tension arose once again. ¡°The incidents of the 24th, the 11th month¡¯s 1st week¡¯s 7th day, your Justice. He lost the few people he relied on that day, and the¡­ love of his life.¡± Mona expressed. Her words left the crowd contemplating. To know the exact date, she cared for ¡®Fox/Phesx Caolia¡¯, alright. Vanessa stared at Mona, still with her calm face, before asking yet again as Mona¡¯s eyes¡¯ shaking calmed down. ¡°Are those the only tragedies?¡± ¡°From what I understand of my client,¡± Mona rubbed her left eye. It wasn¡¯t known if she was crying; it couldn¡¯t be seen clearly. She stared up at the Supreme Justice Minister again, ¡°The incident where too many good lives died without a need aren¡¯t going to limit his capabilities or cripple his heart. It¡¯s cruel, but what are the lives of unknowns compared to one¡¯s love, to which one would gladly die for instead?¡± ¡°But things don¡¯t work that way,¡± Mona shook her head, she was gentle and sorrowful, genuine. ¡°Ifs are for the loggerheads. Fox is a young man, not even 20, not even after his birthday soon. He has much to learn, yet he has already given the world much to think about, even if he¡¯s seen wrongly and as an evildoer now. It¡¯s him why Lymoca isn¡¯t in the dark anymore¡ª the world, even.¡± ¡°Fox has the potential to gain what many in Lymoca only thought of as a possibility. It¡¯s both because he is capable, and because he is unafraid to achieve it. In the future, I believe there will be something more to this, a ¡®third¡¯ reason, if you will it.¡± Mona shrugged a little, ambiguous. ¡°What is that?¡± Vanessa half-chuckled when she asked this. Mona formed a humorous grimace from the left corner of her mouth, ¡°He will have people and things he wants to see flourish and live on after him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The crowd exclaimed in unison, soft and low, but speaking a thousand words. Let alone Fox, who found himself becoming a little stunned, dazed. He almost looked back at Mona, his therapist who clearly felt for him more than he thought, but kept his attention to the front. However, Vanessa could see the slight change in his eyes, no matter how small. ¡°That was very empathic, miss Mona. I have to ask, and even though I¡¯m pinpointing this for the second time, I don¡¯t intend to target you, miss. Tell me, did he ever touch you?¡± Vanessa surprised the hell out of everyone. Fox even lifted his eyebrows until wrinkles formed all over his forehead. Mona was taken aback, but she breathed in and sighed. ¡°Your Justice, I feel offended. Fox and I¡¯s relationship is a matter of trust and developing into a well-deserved future, not of finding a couple. I feel you¡¯ve insulted my work and that of others!¡± Mona¡¯s voice turned up a couple of volumes, and her tone wasn¡¯t polite but remained proper. ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± A strange sensation arose. Fox felt the tension build higher and higher as Mona and Vanessa stared into each other¡¯s eyes; across the podium and aperture without the glass windows from the sides. Vanessa looked down, remaining calm but a little imposing. Mona returned the stare, patient but with tiny parts of her face twitching every now and then. ¡°Was there any romantic ¡®connection¡¯ between you two in your appointments?¡± - ¡°No, there isn¡¯t, and there won¡¯t be.¡± - ¡°Did he ever force himself on you?¡± - ¡°No, your Justice. Please do not make accusing questions without any valid information or record of those insinuations.¡± ¡°Did you ever to him?¡± - ¡°No, your Justice. My professionalism can be testified even by the distant relatives of the clients to choose me as their ally! I repeat, please refrain from-¡± ¡ª ¡°Ahem! Was there a moment any of you two hinted for a romantic meeting or relationship?¡± - ¡°I keep saying, your Justice, no such thing has, is, or will ever occur. This behavior is only adequate to the similarities of bigotry, your Justice. I suggest there¡¯s no more of this insulting attitude to my person.¡± Fox calmly scratched his nape as they went on about it, he was easily noticeable as the two halted and he raised both his arms in the air because of the handcuffs. The 2 guards at his sides and the 1 behind him nearly unholstered their handguns. Vanessa and Mona slowly relaxed.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. One was fast and concise, ending the questioning earlier than it might have regularly. The other was also concise, but she extended the questioning with her words, further aggravating and exposing the court¡¯s injustice to her person. It was a distinctive, niche cat and mouse playstyle. ¡°The court has decided to conclude miss Mona¡¯s speaking time, thank you for your time.¡± Vanessa looked down at her desk, not giving the Supreme Court Ministers even a glance before passing a paper sheet to her screen. Mona nodded and was about to walk to the left, when Vanessa lifted her face again and casually said, ¡°You seem successful in your career, miss. May I know if your office still has a few empty spots? I figure any interested people might want to try this miraculous aid you possess, with the ability to calm even a mass murderer of this nation.¡± ¡°¡­ I do, your Justice. My fair price is also renowned, I hope you, and anyone else here, can remember that.¡± Mona stopped and looked at the ground before firmly responding, once again looking up at the Supreme Justice Minister. ¡°Mister lawyer¡­ Armando Pe?a,¡± Vanessa ignored the courtroom afterwards, writing on some documents before calling out. Following that, she looked at the left side and flashed a smile, ¡°If that is all of your spokespeople, I will convo-¡± Baam- step, step, step, step, step, step¡­ The doors to the courtroom opened, sudden and loudly, with strength that the person walking in shouldn¡¯t have. The doors crashed against the walls from the inside, nearly making those inside jump. ¡®Why¡­? What an entry, heh¡­¡¯ Fox was the first to look back, as he had tilted his head just a few milliseconds before this happened. Many people walked around the SCJ rooms, so he thought this was just another. The shoes and pacing this person had, a single one, was pretty similar to any other, albeit familiar. When the person who ¡®opened¡¯ those doors entered, Fox nodded a few times, barely noticeable. It was Luis Heartez who came in without missing a beat. He was calm, serious, and handsome. Very handsome. Furthermore, that suit also seemed semi-empowered¡­ ¡°President? Sir, I will remind you there are regulations and procedures for entering and exiting a court-¡± Vanessa Valyer remained seated, while the left side stood up one after another, and only a third of the right side did. ¡°Aah~, to another hound with that bone¡­¡± Luis walked directly into the center, speaking lazily yet heavily from the entrance. He passed by the guards. What were they going to do? Prohibit him from entering a large booth where only the most dangerous person in the entire world as of date was inside? Were they worried about Fox? Or were they going to block the president? ¡°President Luis Heartez, you have no jurisdiction in this court, in the judicial branch, and in no matter, my Supreme Court Justice!¡± Vanessa stood up, at last, but only to increase her volume. ¡°The Supreme Court Justice has no jurisdiction to command the police forces of any part of the country! Yet, there was an order of more than a third of a state capital State Police Department force to apprehend ¡®the criminal¡¯ Fox. Furthermore, the army and national guard¡¯s leading official have both exposed their respective letters from the selfsame Supreme Court Justice to work with this order, as much!¡± Armando Pe?a exited the left side, nobody knew when, and practically shouted at the Supreme Justice Minister while pointing a finger at their 13 seats overall. There was silence, alright. Both sides stale in checkmate. The one to negate the other, with both having proof, one on live camera feed but the other just as real; will lose. ¡°¡­ 2 minutes, no more.¡± The Supreme Justice Minister sat down and acquiesced, although the Supreme Court Ministers behind her became noisy. She ignored them as the president arrived near the podium. Fox looked at Luis, who gestured with a jump of his eyebrows, ¡°Let me.¡± Fox said nothing and lowered his head to step aside and check a guard who was just moving the chair after Mona left; when Luis entered, and everyone became paralyzed. Fox chided the guard with a guttural exclamation, almost like wild animals communicating. He also nodded upwards at the guard. ¡°Kkrr krr, bring that back here.¡± The guard sweated and returned the chair to where it was. Fox kicked one of its legs and changed its angle to see both Luis and Vanessa before sitting down, slamming his butt to make a loud and unnecessary sound that spread throughout the courtroom. Luis looked back. Fox stood there with an innocent expression, and one of laziness. Those handcuffs made for nothing but show, as there were Courusel machinery metals that were good enough for any human being and corrosion, were like toys for the young man. ¡°Hmph.¡± After harrumphing in a good mood with a slight grin, Luis turned to the front, where the 13 powerful figures, currently more substantial and even powerful than him in his own country, sat. Just before he said something, an old Supreme Court Minister stood up and pointed at him. ¡°This is illegal! You cannot be here, showing up without an invitation, nor as part of the accused defense¡¯s stand. He even dared spread false information of the honorable Supreme Court Justice, misinforming the entire nation! All of Lymoca! Guards! Retrieve this insolent crim-¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Vanessa didn¡¯t even have to shout. She lifted her left palm and turned her head to the left, where the Supreme Court Minister stood with his arm still extended. When Vanessa lifted her hand, he didn¡¯t notice, but when she stared, everyone else looked at him with wide, warning eyes. The man retrieved his arm and slowly sat back down. His attendants had opened their eyes and now looked a bit afraid. Vanessa stared at the right side before focusing on the left, finally setting her eyes to the center, where Luis patiently waited. ¡°Now I will speak,¡± Luis ¡®declared¡¯ before looking at the left and right. Some knowns in his right received a flashing glimpse of his narrowed, couldn¡¯t be bothered eyes. He pointed a finger at Fox, making the latter almost feel the same energy which Luis was pointed at just now. ¡°Who is this young man? A murderer, an assassin, a mastermind of operations involving the delinquency of his country¡¯s suffering and losses. These are not questions but truths. What is this young man not? A traitor. Even when he was forced into a war of the unknown, even when he saw his endearing close ones die, he didn¡¯t have the notion of ¡®destroying, killing, and raping¡¯ as the people in this court are focused about.¡± Luis finished those words with his eyes back at the high seats; the Supreme Court Justice ministers. ¡°No¡­ and excuse me if you don¡¯t believe in me, I¡¯m not here to act as the president of this nation, because the president of this unique country does not have the right to focus on one sole person, group, or idea!¡± ¡°I¡¯m representing Fox here, with my words, as his employer. Look at him! Who is he, if not you!? Why is he here, if not because of the ¡®oh so high¡¯ globes in this country that have maintained their positions for more than 200 years!? What does he represent now? Where is his position within the country? Within our land!? Where should he be? When will he be shown the recognition of the people he¡¯s rescued and benefitted!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m one of them, I¡¯m his employer.¡± Luis breathed heavily, pretty much not a superficial reaction. Fox looked at the President with hardened, fully open eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t show it to him, for our differences, for our conflicting and even opposing circumstances. But he has gained my respect.¡± ¡°He has worked more than any of us, including me, in less than a year active under my ¡®employment¡¯. And this is even without failing the Lys short. Our people! His people! Our young man! This young man!¡± Luis momentarily paused, his face sweaty and seemingly reddening, before getting back to it. ¡°He can achieve what I can only dream in¡­ another 12 years¡ª in less than 12 months.¡± Luis humorously laughed to himself. ¡°He¡¯s been working in the dark and reproachable covert of everyone¡¯s eyes. Not for any other reason but because he wanted to. In all that time, he was conveniently paid for all these things he did for our country. This young man has had gone back into the forefront of a vast civil war, the worst in our human history in such a short period of time, all to find his mother.¡± ¡°What can a ¡®terrible¡¯ person like this do¡­ if the people¡¯s love is with him?¡± Luis¡¯s eyes felt a bit heavy and sore, which the cameras caught. Just at this moment, Vanessa calmly echoed after gulping. Her jaw, neck, and right hand impassive as her tone was smooth yet low, ¡°President, your time has concluded.¡± ¡°Not without these last few words¡­¡± Luis trailed those words off before facing the Supreme Justice Minister. ¡°He has shown you how to do it. Not the killing, no, no. Not the violence¡­ The heart to do it¡ª to do something and show you can change it if you just want to. And whoever wants to stop you just has to try and force you to, whereas you just have to face it. All I ask is you employ that, for the first time, for him¡ª to rescue this young man within this unwelcome licentiousness.¡± ¡°Presid-¡± Vanessa was rising her voice, when Luis stepped backwards while looking at the ministers and then turned around, ¡°Eso es cuanto, courtroom.¡± Luis departed after that, not returning, and checking his clock. Of course, all cameras moved to his back. He was busy, after all, and it was barely past 11:30 pm. The night was young, and the president too, but the country was not, and it needed so much caring¡­ ¡°We will now debate the discussion of this trial!¡± Vanessa lightly tapped her desk and stood from her seat after the president left, still with his presence and words lingering in the courtroom. She went to the Supreme Court Ministers, who formed an elongated circle behind her seat and discussed. Their voices were a little loud, giving the right side the notion to relax and do the same. Only the left side remained somber, and mostly quiet¡­ more peaceful and accommodating. Fox waited on his new chair, contented with the change for once. He stood before people in person and in front of the cameras for nearly 9 hours last time, after all. Now, Fox didn¡¯t have to wait for more than 15 minutes, as the ministers'' heated debate had finally reached a conclusion, it seemed. ¡°This courtroom has come to a conclusion,¡± Vanessa returned to her seat and started announcing the results. ¡°With the found evidence and information, clear and precise in this trial. In the interrogation of both confrontations of this 2-w c-e, and the necessities of the people of this country, and the justice for them. This courtroom has found the accused, Phesx Caolia, alias Fox, guilty of his inhumane crimes!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­!¡± The right side didn¡¯t respond with much to these shocking news, neither did the 13 ministers, but the left side shared glances as their side became cold and low in spirits. Who knew what the cameras were making the people watching from them think, but Fox was calm. Utterly and eerily calm. ¡°Phesx Caolia, alias Fox, do you accept this court¡¯s claim as true?¡± Vanessa looked at Fox with downturned eyes. Fox looked up, his gaze sharp, his 7 pools in his polycoria eyes focused. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°¡­May I take these off?¡± Fox¡¯s face immediately became innocent, and his eyes even gullible. Vanessa looked at them in silence before nodding at the guards around him. She then prepared to leave her seat with her documents, instructing her attendants to help her with some, and differentiating them. Crash! Just as she turned to walk behind her seat, Fox lifted his handcuffs, showing them to the attentive cameras, which were every single one of them, and jolted his arms down. His left hand flashed ultra before jolting his wrist downwards, breaking them apart. ¡°!¡± Vanessa looked back at Fox, fearing the worst. But he was just standing there, looking at her, and the 13 ministers, with the same face. The 3 guards had their handguns out, aiming at him, with the other 2 on the other side of the glass gates hurrying over to do the same. Fox proactively voiced in a positive, slightly loud voice, ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡­ Chapter 145 — This Is The People This Is The People 3 days later. In the morning. Presidential precinct. Luis, Roam, and Lesly stood in Luis''s office. They formed a little group as the sky was strangely gray. It had been 3 days since Fox was preemptively jailed, something no criminal in Lymoca ever gets to experience, and those who do are few and get out fast. For the sake of preparing matters, the SCJ has decided to hold the public sentence statement for Fox at the end of the month. On the night of the trial¡¯s 3rd day, just as its second sessions was commencing and the 13 seats hadn¡¯t arrived at the courtroom, and Fox was waiting for them to arrive, numerous news reporters rained Lymoca with news. But not only news, evidence, too. Be it independent or those aligned with the BLF, who has notoriously ¡®sided¡¯ with the current government, as they ¡®only show good things from them¡¯, as any other media claims it. Pieces of news never seen before came to light. It was an already known fact that the SCJ leaves so much to be desired. In other words, corrupted to the bone. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration when the number of a few things correlating with apprehending criminals and the ignorance of courts around the country were above a legendary 90% figure. But it was never really a talk. Sometimes, out of nowhere, the news of a person being convicted of a sudden crime with newfound evidence and the criteria of even a Supreme Court Minister towards someone with a celebrity status made heads tilt. It always left one wondering if there was almost something coming out to light, although most were¡­ ¡®just¡¯ aware and moved on the next second. But that night, without a doubt, countless news showed concrete and natural evidence of things. Nobody expected this, but seeing was believing this time, and it was becoming official as more and more people studied these pieces of evidence over the entire internet, live or through carefully edited and worked videos. Afterwards, not too long after the news were replaced, Lymoca¡¯s social media was overall ¡®taken¡¯ by the feed from the trial. First was the sassy, unstoppable, mighty old lady. She somehow evoked something in the hollow emptiness inside Lys¡¯ hearts, male and female alike, from any age. Similarly, she showed the Supreme Court Justice was another group of people they could talk back to, and reprimand. Armando wasn¡¯t a schemer, he didn¡¯t mean to have this happened, but it did anyhow. And then, when the beauty came to ¡®the stage¡¯, matching the Supreme Justice Minister¡¯s beauty and maturity, things got even more intriguing. Nevertheless, the lovely talk of the therapist on Fox¡¯s stead¡­ kinda made them feel as if this monstrous person they always hear about is indeed a human being, like them. Of course, that was a little broken when Fox broke the handcuffs towards the end of the live feed. Nevertheless, the back to back face-off between these two beauties brought the internet to become divided, including from other countries. The non-existent barrier language aided in the interaction across borders, but it didn¡¯t end there. While the Supreme Justice Minister¡¯s words were heavy and thought-provoking, the therapist¡¯s mindset and determination, not being afraid of talking back to such a high power in the country for a ¡®criminal¡¯, also evoked something in them. The old lady doing it could be considered an elderly being allowed to be sassy, but then? What about the much younger, beautiful therapist Mona? She wasn¡¯t the only person from her 20s to her 60s who still had a lot of mobility, and the will to think for their livelihood, families, loved ones¡­ and the land; their country. Lymoca¡¯s average of young people between 20 and 40 of the population is 35%, an incredibly young age, and it didn¡¯t seem like it would dwindle in the next years, especially after re-integrating Preut. With all this, even though Supreme Justice Minister Vanessa Valyer¡¯s quick interrogation was intense, it was Mona¡¯s consistent, paced, concise wording that made those couple of minutes a bit too difficult to follow. At least more than in the previous speech she gave. But the most views, to everyone¡¯s surprise, even to the few loyal supporters of the person himself, went to President Luis Heartez when he showed up and spoke for Fox. It was a never-before seen scene of him, not even when his daughter was almost threatened to lose her life in a movement near Preut when its civil war was just fresh. Nevertheless, that was it for the ¡®resisting¡¯ show the Lys saw for the first time. It wasn¡¯t just a declaration of ¡®resistance¡¯ against a corrupt, uncaring government with their fists raised and that was it. Lymoca saw the old lady, the therapist, an ¡®abandoned¡¯ lawyer, and the very President himself show up to speak in his favor, against the Supreme Court Justice! ¡­ But 3 days have passed, and no matter the call for support the president echoed with, there was no movement in the first. In the second, some people went to the capital of Proteros and spent a few hours in the noon and afternoon before leaving to somewhere. And then, in the morning of the 3rd day, just past 10 AM, after Luis¡¯s earlier morning meetings, a lot of people converged in the central square of the capital, but they didn¡¯t move. In this 1,026, 1st month, 2nd week, 4th day; the 2 most important people in the country, presumably, stood with Luis¡¯s presidential secretary, watching the crowd far away from his office. There was a ¡®river¡¯ of people filling the roads between 2 districts near the heart of the capital city. It was esteemed, according to the information flowing into them from Whites at play, that ¡®a few¡¯ hundreds of thousands were present. And as more information slowly poured in, Luis grasped his chin with his index, middle fingers and thumb, looking through the window, concerned. ¡°They are accumulating. It might be just fine to wait a little more, there¡¯s still time.¡± Lesly didn¡¯t want to, but she couldn¡¯t bear to see him in this way. She placed her hand on his shoulder, which he patted a few times before supporting the elbow whose hand held his chin. ¡°Any more information from their movement? Are more people coming, or going somewhere?¡± Luis turned his eyes to Roam, gluing on him to wait for an answer. Roam blinked, lightly smacking his lips open, but taking a little time to respond. ¡°We have just received the latest report, sir. Nothing yet.¡± Luis nodded. The 1-minute reports were coming in smoothly, but he considered lowering it to 50 seconds to see how it worked before downing it to 30 seconds. Luis returned his focus to the crowd of people several hundred meters away, still congregating between the districts. ¡°No more movement, a few thousand people are still moving from the east to join the rest. Some seem to communicate with their phones. Do we have permission to intrude in their communications?¡± A voice came from Roam¡¯s phone after a few tens of seconds. Roam looked at the president, but Luis shook his head. Roam nodded, while Lesly also focused on the people, stepping a little closer to the window, which Luis seemed ¡®afraid¡¯ to do. Lesly¡¯s breathtaking black eyes widened, trying to constrict her pupils to see better. Luis couldn¡¯t take it anymore and took his WID out of his left rib under his jacket. He pressed its interface a few times, and a youngish boy¡¯s voice sounded from it, albeit robotic and with some interference. ¡°Big Presi! Qu¨¦ tal? Do you need something?¡± Luis ignored the casualness the voice spoke to him with and just asked, feeling dull. ¡°Yes, check the people¡¯s movements as they come in, just their movement. Tell me if there¡¯s something strange, like everyone congregating at a spot after arriving or something similar.¡± ¡°Okay, understood boss!¡± The youngish boy replied. Luis ignored the casualness and form of address before thinking of something. ¡°Check what their traffic generally goes to, if to check their communication channels or social media, that will be it, nothing more nor intrusive. Is that alright?¡± Luis lowered his WID and checked the window, about to step up with Lesly¡¯s lead, but he stopped and looked down at his WID. ¡°Hey, bluebug, is that alright? Bluebug?¡± Luis frowned and stared at Roam, who frowned lightly. He thought for a few seconds before commanding Roam, ¡°Send word to the Whites, something seems-¡± But just then, Lesly tapped his wrist like crazy. He turned to her, a little scared. He felt a bit too tense lately, and the idea of someone attacking them and strangling Lesly entered his worried mind, even with the protection he now had for himself and everyone important. But he saw a safe and sound, thankfully, and joyous Lesly staring ahead, forming a rooftop with her hand in front of her breathtaking eyes. ¡°Look!¡± Lesly pointed at the window afterwards, and just at that moment, Luis¡¯s heard the youngish boy¡¯s voice again. ¡°Sir, they are moving¡­ moving to the presidential precinct! Some trucks arrived with a bunch of signs and blank posters! They are moving altogether!¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Luis deactivated his WID with a thought and looked up, stepping forth. Lesly smiled, looking at him from the side, while Roam looked at the distant, long street with unimaginable thoughts. ¡°They are¡­ they are moving¡­¡± Luis muttered, his mouth opening wider when seeing the tiny figures far away move a little tiny wee bit. Roam grinned, turning to his President, ¡°They are moving for you, sir.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Luis said that, but he was already grinning. Then, as he spoke further, his smile fully formed, increasing more and more. ¡°They are moving for lye.¡± *** Supreme Court Justice building. In an open hallway with a direct, large view to the outside. 6 days later. Vanessa Valyer looked at the endless crowd below. More were coming this way, and this was just at 8 AM. The city looked the same, with as much bustling as always from morning to night. But these people here were all relentless and moved the direction of the country to the Supreme Court Justice, just as it had thought things would soon be forgotten. It started with a meager congregation of a few, then a few thousands in the capital, mainly from Teros within the capital city, among few others. Many more protests like these took place around the country every year, most amounting to nothing but a weak or cancelled short walk. No one took notice, with only some mentions even from the people on the current government¡¯s ¡®side¡¯. But when the third day came, and a whooping few hundred thousand congregated, it became a clear warning. One that had appeared before, in the first 2 days, but wasn¡¯t noticed. How easy was it to reunite a few thousands in just a couple of days? But in the third day, there were hundreds of thousands!? These weren¡¯t just Teros anymore, but people from other states! That day, the few hundreds of thousands marched to circle the presidential precinct twice, showing a one-of-a-kind parade that the world hadn¡¯t seen¡­ since the Green Transformation. Were the people rising? They pretty much were. And on the next day, after glorifying the once repudiated presidential precinct, it was the march¡¯s turn to head to the Supreme Court Justice building. More people joined them at that point, emerging as almost half a million. Days passed, and after the SCJ peacefully welcomed the arrival of so many people encircling them, things changed amidst. What the people didn¡¯t know was a vital warning from the government to the police forces who received ¡®new letters¡¯ to mobilize and clear paths for the SCJ building. After the first time, the workers in the building had to walk through the crowds. After Vanessa Valyer was observed as she moved through countless people to enter the building, she didn¡¯t dare to do that again. The sensation and their silent stares while chanting were¡­ something. From then on, she took a semi-armored vehicle to slowly drive in and out of the building, slowing her and everyone else¡¯s progress when working. Forcing them to stay in the building for the past 2 days in the end. The government arranged for as many buildings available as possible and protection to these people, and even quality tents for them to continue protesting, camping around the presidential precinct. It was a curious mini-civil war of sorts, which the ¡®lye side¡¯, as even the president claimed in a quick interview when he was walking back into the precinct with Lesly. The president ensured them food and places for their daily needs, also ensuring they were clean and no incidents occurred. There were a few times where people wanted to give the larger crowd some medicine to enter reason, but the more than a million crowd was immobile. Nothing happened from these encounters. While the government ignored the SCJ needs, what imploded in every part of the planet was the number of protesters. It went from more than a million after the first day the SCJ building was encircled, to more than 5 million today. ¡­ Today, in the year 1,026, 1st month, 3rd week, 3rd day; with evening approaching, 2 days have passed since the SCJ workers took refuge inside the building. In front of the window at the top, the Supreme Justice Minister Vanessa Valyer stood and watched the people. Another large lump of people were walking towards them from afar¡­ and more from more than one direction. A person shouted from below, holding a speaker made of glass, looking more like a recipient, with a smallish mechanism in the middle, and with an open foundation on its lower end. ¡°You complain about not being able to work? Since when did you even care and work for us!? You serve the nation, the Lys! But nobody can claim you are with the people!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Vanessa lifted her gaze and stared at the sky. The threatening gray clouds of rain in the approaching evening were a little rosy with the setting sun somewhere. It looked like the entire Proteros City was covered by a rectangle of clouds, covering from the south to the north. ¡°We have laid our decision on true power¡ª that we are the ones to hold it.¡± A person walked to her from behind and stopped beside her, and tapped her right shoulder. Javier Laran, one of the Supreme Court Ministers, a brown man with short black, trimmed hair, slightly taller than her, and a good pal to the ringleader; stood beside her. ¡°Yeah, we do.¡± Vanessa Valyer said with conviction, crossing her arms and looking up at the floor. She seemed somewhat unwilling to look at those below, to acknowledge them. Seeing this, Javier Laran dropped his eyes. Vanessa turned her head a little and looked at him from the corner of her eyes for a few moments. She returned her chin to the sky and articulated, ¡°Sigh. I already wrote it. Pick it from my attendants. They don¡¯t know what¡¯s in the folder.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Javier Laran threw his head back a little and returned a ¡®thank you¡¯ down his throat. He smiled warmly and tapped her shoulder again before walking away, but was stopped by Vanessa. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Javier Laran stopped and looked at her. Vanessa lowered her chin to stare ahead, but still not at the people below, although the sight of the city did enter her field of vision on the underside. ¡°Do you think they should still be attendants? Our little helpers. Would they do better with other but similar roles to the current system?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Javier thought for a moment before asking, swinging the briefcase in his left hand a bit. Vanessa softly voiced, ¡°More freedom to do things on their own, where they can observe and listen¡­ and maybe evolve their jobs to not depend on us entirely?¡± ¡°Secretaries?¡± Javier lifted his left eyebrow. Vanessa smoothly spoke right after him, ¡°Something like that. Yes, it does sound similar. That wouldn¡¯t be far from my thoughts.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a nice proposal, but I don¡¯t think it will be accepted.¡± Javier Laran said, facing her with his other hand in his pants pocket. ¡°They might fear you, with some respect, Vane, but they will deny you as smiling and burlesque as they are with any other citizen looking for answers, where they should have not come to get them from.¡± Vanessa became quiet. Aware of the little distancing just happening after his words, albeit honest, Javier said nothing more and left with a nod. Vanessa continued to look ahead as the evening slowly bid the rosiness farewell. It looked so beautiful, reminding her of some historical importance to parts of Lymoca¡¯s records. ¡­ The people encircling the SCJ building kept on chanting and chatting as they got used to this. It was easier than anticipated, and with the government¡¯s aid, which they conveniently accepted as fast as possible, something they now feel glad about, they could rest and eat well these challenging days. But then, like some sort of plague striking fast and deadly, more and more people became quiet, with less and less protesters chanting or yelling at the building. The few pieces of trash they threw before avoiding an ugly image of their very historical patrimony a proof of their protest; necks were arched, and eyes narrowed. ¡°Oh my heave, oh my heaven!¡± - ¡°He is¡­ wait, he¡¯s out?¡± - ¡°Whataa¡­¡± - ¡°A su madre¡­¡± - ¡°Yo, this is real, no?¡± - ¡°Oh my heavens, we took him out! We took him out!¡± Little by little, more and more clamor emerged from the crowd, the few million people slowly became a notion of noise and festivity. A few hidden music bands, ready to sound the patriotic tones of Lymoca came out, with a little mastermind in his office a bit away from the SCJ building smiling in victory. *** Supreme Court Justice building. Contention area. At the same time after the people outside became loud and cheerful. In a cell. Obscure, with only dull gray brick walls and a small Mintip door with an elliptical top and a Courusel machinery glass as a small window above. There were no beds, only a bench made of thin, ordinary metal suspended to the wall with a chain here and there and connected to a rotating bar in the wall. Fox sat on the opposite side of the door, lazily laying his twisted back and relaxed arms down his thighs with spread legs. He wore the same suit as before. Guards revised him, but no one tried to take his clothes off, and he didn¡¯t change them at any given moment. It had been days of 1-time meals every day. It was a silly little issue, but he was being punished by none other than the guards here. As if the universal guard association just decided to be formed and join against him. It was comical. But Fox didn¡¯t feel comical. He¡­ felt nothing. Being in such isolation didn¡¯t differ from when he was a pre-teen, even when he was still going to school back in Preut. In this time, Fox thought a lot, for he only had time to waste. He heard the noises outside for quite a while, slightly different from the other days, and figured they were getting bored so they employed some music, too. Just then, Fox thought his ears were tricking him. He frowned, pushing thoughts he was comically debating in his head away while being watched from the lower corners of everywhere, and feeling small tendrils of nonexistent shadows coil around his limbs. The door opened. ¡°Na¡­¡± Fox frowned, looking at the figure overshadowed by the warm, strong orange lights behind her. Fox¡¯s polycoria eyes adapted almost immediately, defining Nala Loba¡¯s features with a new outfit on her body. She was accompanied by none, and the guards remained tens of meters away from his containment cell. Step, step, step, step, step, step¡­ She walked fast towards him, but unhurried. Fox slowly sat up, but Nala Loba stopped before his knees and tilted her head down at him before he could completely sit up. ¡°Are you so hopeless?¡± Her voice was soft. Fox tilted his head to the left, just a tad, and blinked. Before he knew it, with her right hand caressing his left cheeks, gently approaching him, and Fox lifting his right hand, which she caught with her left. Nala Loba kept his legs spread but lifted her knees, guiding them to the bench beside him to straddle his lap. Fox was stupidly amazed, but before he could know any of it again, Nala Loba let go of his hands and brought them to the hems of his jacket at the middle. Once again, her voice, this time whispering as her gray, light blue eyes narrowed and locked onto his face, sounded as she sat down on his lap. ¡°No more thoughts, no things to consider¡­ okay?¡± Nala Loba said. Fox sent his hands to her hips, staring at her narrowed eyes with his polycoria impenetrable black pools. With his hands squeezing their way to her firm, audacious butt cheeks, she delicately grabbed the back of his head and nape. Her head went down, and Fox tilted his upwards, ¡°Nala¡­¡± Her lips parted slightly, connecting with Fox¡¯s, parting even further with their eyes closing and melting. Glimpses of tongues and teeth baring forth flashed amidst their interlocked mouths. ¡­ Chapter 146 — Chief Secretary of Security Chief Secretary of Security Their lips separated, linked by the thin, few trails of saliva between their mouths and chins. Only they knew how long they went before deicing to look at each other''s faces up front. Fox looked at her, his 8 impenetrable black pools looking strangely cute. Fox was looking at those eyes once looking at him like another piece of quality meat sent to the slaughterhouse to become ham or sausages. Now, they were his. ¡°Nala, I lov-¡± Fox spoke straight out, but Nala put a finger on his lips. ¡°Shh. I love you. I said it first, and I¡¯m older. So listen to me more. Don¡¯t just run away, and stop hiding your sickness, alright?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox didn¡¯t know what to say. Nala blinked, ¡°Your doc told me. When I went to check for that new medicine. I was so¡­ struck, that I forgot to give some to Nauer, too.¡± ¡°I hope he suffered,¡± Fox tilted his head. Nala tilted hers in the opposite direction. ¡°You have nothing to be jealous of.¡± ¡°Shush, I am not. I just hope for that. Can¡¯t a man hope for something?¡± Fox placed his finger on her lips. Nala narrowed her eyes a bit more, almost as if sleepy. ¡°You are a man now? Even after all the times you could¡¯ve shown me that?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know if that was what you wanted.¡± Fox said, tilting his head in the same direction as hers. Nala nodded, straightening up, ¡°I didn¡¯t want that¡­¡± She pushed her body onto his, holding the back of his head with her forearms. ¡°I needed that¡ª you.¡± ¡°And you. You knew it was like that, I could see your gaze, feel your breathing when I fell asleep. Would a woman sleep in your bed if they¡¯re not asking you to let her accompany you?¡± Nala stood up from straddling him and stepped back twice, putting her hands on her hips. Fox stood up, a little taken aback by his hunger, ¡°Yes, I did. But I¡¯m damaged like that. Couldn¡¯t help myself.¡± Nala relaxed her posture. She looked at him with her natural expression, but Fox only felt endearing from it. She stepped back up to his front and placed her hands on his torso, where his lungs could be felt via breath. ¡°Yes¡­ you are hurt, damaged¡­ Doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s not a reason that you should¡¯ve used before, and it won¡¯t be. Again. Understood?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Fox blinked twice, startled. Nala tilted her head before locking hands behind his neck. She let her body fall, using him like a pillar, and tilted her head, waiting for a reply. Fox held her upper sides, ¡°No more bullshit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way to talk. Now, let¡¯s go. The President has something for you, again.¡± Nala leaned her body on his chest. ¡°Really? What now? Is he making me vice president? Don¡¯t tell me he likes me now?¡± Fox looked upturned, not even trying to hide the good mood he felt. Nala continued to lean from him with her elbows around his neck. ¡°No, and¡­ definitely no, but¡­ Something like that¡­¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± Nala suddenly stood up and tilted her head again. Fox looked at her in askance. She lightly uttered, ¡°You didn¡¯t say it back.¡± ¡°I was about to say it first, but you stopped me.¡± Fox defended himself, but she stopped him. This time by placing her forehead on his. Fox was flabbergasted. So this was Nala Loba no longer trying to hint and seduce him, when he¡¯s already on the bag? It was nice¡­ ¡°I love you,¡± Fox uttered with a straight face, blinked, and kissed the bridge of her nose with his. ¡°I didn¡¯t know if my hands would tremble had I gone out for you, and that night, at the gala¡­¡± Nala closed her eyes, hearing him all he wanted, every word he spoke. When he arrived at that point, she looked up, staring at him as usual, cold and indifferent. But indeed, there was now¡­ care in there. No longer hidden, masked, or doubtful. She spoke out first, almost in a hurry, ¡°It wasn¡¯t Nauer¡¯s, but But-¡­ Butler¡¯s.¡± ¡°Butler¡¯s?¡± Fox arched his eyebrows and tilted his head, curious. Nala blinked profusely before looking down, her hands on his nape. ¡°Yeah¡­ Those things don¡¯t matter now. The President has a word for you, and you better not miss it.¡± ¡°Is it that important?¡± Fox nodded but asked. Nala looked at him for a few seconds, seeming serene, before nodding. ¡°Very. More so for me. And also a bit unfair, but yes. You must accept. No matter what you think, got it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Saying nothing, Fox looked at¡­ at his woman. He took in all her features into his 8 polycoria pools in his eyes. He caressed her face with his right hand before spitting nonsense, ¡°Is our lifestyle going to be like this from now on? I thought all bossy wives were obnoxious and mindless. Why are you¡­ We¡­ Me¡­ Making me like this change so much?¡± ¡°At least appear excited. Not every beautiful woman takes the decisive step for her man.¡± Nala lifted her left knee slightly, leaning her head near his left jugular. ¡°Beat, beat. Beat, beat¡­¡± ¡°Well, we should go¡­ This outfit?¡± Fox caressed her golden blonde, cocoon styled hair. The feminine, exotic, and seductive hair he¡¯s always stared at was now held and gently tousled by his fingers. Nala lifted her face, surprising him with a half-asleep expression and drowsy eyes. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Oh, it was made for me. Colmillo said it¡¯d match with yours. It does¡­ it looks a bit¡­ wintery, but she convinced me with the first words¡­¡± Nala looked down at her outfit. It was like a thicker version of Fox¡¯s suit, with metallic dull green at the contours inside out. There was a ¡®hoodie¡¯ behind that looked like fur but was simply more fabric. ¡°Semi-empowered¡­¡± Fox looked down at it and nodded, darting his eyes left and right. Nala looked at his actions and commented, ¡°It might look thick, but it¡¯s not heating up at all. Although it can do that. It can also become as thin as your suit¡­ it¡¯s very fun to take off, too.¡± Hearing Nala speak her mind out, Fox slowly returned his face to hers, looking at the immeasurable beauty move her lips and blink at him with that face. Fox felt privileged. ¡°Bring me there. I¡¯d like to talk about this in a better place than my cell¡­ As you can see, bathrooms here were awkward.¡± Nala looked past him into the room, then around her before shrugging her shoulders. Fox blinked before helplessly smiling. Nala stopped him from stepping out, ¡°Here, put these on. A ¡®ceremony¡¯ for the SCJ¡¯s pardon. Let me bring you to the entrance.¡± Fox turned and saw a different type of handcuffs in Nala¡¯s hands. They were thicker and with a panel of a few tiny buttons as flat as the surface, meant were to be read with a special pencil, which were subsequently meant to inject drugs through blades. Not needles, blades; coated with a dormant venom depending on the subject. ¡°I am not being rescued out, but I expected that.¡± Commented Fox. Nala looked up at him and spoke in tranquility, ¡°You were, in a way. Come on. I want to show you there, beside me.¡± Nala grabbed his hand and walked him out of the cell. Fox looked at her back and grasped her hand back, letting her guide him like he¡¯s but a child. A few minutes later, Fox neared the entrance. There was a small increase in the volume outside, as sudden cheers and breathtaking stomps and claps went off. But they quickly calmed down, although many people outside wondered what was truly happening, giving Fox hints. When turning around the last corner to meet with a very long corridor as the entrance, Fox met a group there already, waiting for him. They weren¡¯t facing him, until the cheers of countless people outside went mad. Turning around, they looked at Fox. One of them was none other but the fearsomely respected Supreme Justice Minister Vanessa Valyer. She was accompanied by 5 Supreme Court Ministers, of which 2 were the last pair who interacted with him before he was sentenced as guilty. Namely, the Supreme Court Ministers Javier Laran and Jennifer Paws. ¡°Mr. Phesx Caolia¡ª Fox, it is our grace to announce: the Supreme Court Justice has re-thought and decided a different outcome of your trial¡¯s sentence. You¡¯re free now,¡± Vanessa Valyer spoke curtly before turning around. ¡°Please walk in front for your handcuffs to fall.¡± Fox saw a distinctive key for his handcuffs, with a head that looked a lot like the one Nala used to lock it around his hands and wrists in the first place. He walked forth, but continued walking instead of stopping near the other 6, heading into the outside. Vanessa tried to stop him, ¡°Wait, Phe- Fox! The release of your¡­¡± Nala followed behind him, not shy or apprehensive of appearing beside him. They were no longer a facade, what were they to be guarded up against now?If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. CHEEEEEEEEEERS! Fox looked at the crazed people outside, all carrying posts in their hands or holding tall signs showcasing images of evidence, a movement¡¯s words, and even humoristic cartoons. He frowned, welcoming the bright, strong lights here and there to bring light to everyone as night approached. Fox saw some music bands waiting within the crowd, and then, he looked down at his handcuffs. Fox turned his head back, observing Vanessa walk to him under everyone¡¯s eyes. She seemed afflicted, but after standing beside him, she somehow found a way to focus. The crowd frowned, becoming more silent than before. Fox looked at Vanessa and whispered before presenting her his wrists. ¡°This is an awkward birthday present, but I am not going to be petty, although I could.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Vanessa¡¯s eyes went wide open. She didn¡¯t need to ask. Her memory reminded her, just now, of the information she read about him, specifically that part. Vanessa eyes looked a bit downwards and pressed her lips before reaching out for his hands. She semi-whispered before grabbing his right thumb for precise motions. ¡°With your permission, I¡¯ll release you.¡± Fox darted his eyes down at his hands and Vanessa¡¯s face a couple of times as she rotated his hand, uncuffed him, and did the same with the other. She let the handcuffs drop to the ground, and then immediately looked up at Fox. He saw something in her, a desire to be protected. But it was very concealed, and not asking for aid. As for what? The sound. CHEEEEEERS~~! Fox smirked, but he did do something. He walked to her right just before the madfolk screamed and clapped, and the music bands went on the move. Nala rolled her eyes and stood on the poor woman¡¯s right, using their bodies to somehow mitigate that noise. Once it settled down, Fox faced the front, with Nala extending her hand to him. Fox looked at the endless sea of people here. Exchanging a quick glance with Nala, and his hand already having found its way to hers, he tried to picture the sight of these streets before this mad protest. It didn¡¯t even look like a city anymore. There might as well be an ocean, lava, dirt, diamonds, or Mintip below, and nobody would notice. Furthermore, although Fox knew he was the reason they were here, they themselves were the ones cheering to each other. Fox gave the first step forward, but while he was used to not eating well for weeks, let alone ¡®just¡¯ several days, his mental state in the cell these days was more impactful than he imagined. He¡¯d have to go check himself with not just the doctor, but his therapist, too. Fox¡¯s first step was somewhat shaky, and the people couldn¡¯t help but notice the difference between the Fox from earlier, even as recent as in the trial, to now. He looked somewhat pale. It was a little difficult to confirm without further analysis, but his body also looked a bit thinner. Nala walked forth quickly, holding his right-handed fingers without pulling, and guided him into the crowd. The people in their immediate surroundings quieted down. They stared at Nala first, how could they dare ignore her? But their eyes religiously found themselves focusing on Fox right after. Left behind, so to speak, Vanessa looked at Fox depart, not offering any other word than those he spouted before, which she thought were a banter. After remembering his birthday, she thought he was being gloomy. Now, she knew he wasn¡¯t. He was being¡­ humorously sincere. With a slight frown, she watched the ¡®young boy¡¯ walk through the crowd seamlessly, uninterrupted, with the eyes on him much different from when she dared to walk through them the first time. Suddenly, Vanessa, the Supreme Justice Minister herself, felt like she did not fit nor deserve. She turned and walked back into the building, not looking back. Nala guided Fox through the people, where even the music bands momentarily stopped and looked at his person, showing some respected as they took their hats off. Although that might be, or also be, because of Nala. Fox looked around, and around, and around. Suddenly, he felt glad he wasn¡¯t released during the day. He didn¡¯t know if he was born in the deep of the night before the morning, or at noon, or at night. But he felt a strange thing tonight¡­ there was an air that made him¡­ helped him breathe. It was shared, too. From them¡­ to him. Nala guided him to a small spot, where a truck waited for him. Seeing where they were heading, the people finally cleared a street. The fourth point of view was a marvelous sight. Even though they were strictly speaking undisciplined, they moved away from the street without hitting or tumbling someone else, everyone made space. She looked back at him, connecting her eyes to his. Fox felt so calm¡­ Heavy duty-burdened, even. Then, he caught a glimpse of an inconspicuous Colmillo sitting at the wheel. He grinned, feeling the upturn of countless eyes before blinking, then nodding at Nala. ¡°¡­¡± Nala went to open the door for him, her pacing slow, while Fox spun on the around a couple of times, slow and with scrutiny. He stopped, looking at both his sides while facing the path whence he came from, before speaking out loud ahead. ¡°Thank you¡­ I owe¡­ you people, this one.¡± Fox moved his lips, not bothering to wet their dryness, remembering Lesly¡¯s tips. ¡°I don¡¯t have too many words¡­ And if I did, I¡¯m too tired to speak them. I didn¡¯t¡­ never really expected something. But you gave me everything I needed.¡± Fox was sincere. Standing by the open door, ready to kick meters away anyone who wanted to be funny, Nala stared at her man, all besotted. Her guard all up, but besotted nonetheless. ¡°I promise to repay this back to you, everyone¡­ all.¡± Fox looked a bit downwards, nodding before turning around to reach out for Nala¡¯s hand. She helped him inside, tilting her head as he tiredly made his way into the seats. Nala ignored the crowd before going in, closing the door quickly and almost as if in a hurry. The truck slowly drove, with Fox feeling a surge of warmth spread over his body. Nala grabbed his jacket¡¯s hems and pulled him up to sit on the seat behind Colmillo. Fox¡¯s head swayed a bit before recognizing Colmillo¡¯s mask on the side and rear mirrors, ¡°Hey Colmillo¡­ your suits don¡¯t have absorption features, you know that?¡± It wasn¡¯t visible, but most likely, Colmillo lifted her right eyebrow when hearing those words. Nala blinked, accommodating his suit a little. Her nostrils opened and closed like a rabbit¡¯s before easing up. She delicately held his chin with her fingertips and gazed at his mouth. Her eyelids dropped a bit, followed by her low, usual voice, ¡°Let me see them¡­ taste them, too.¡± Nala hunched her back a little, being all mellow and clingy. Fox looked at her, his impenetrable black pools dancing, big and small, over and over again. He opened his lips, showing his ultra teeth. Nala looked at them, fascinated, and then, while passing through the crowd of countless people carefully sliding their hands on the windows, she licked his ultra teeth. Colmillo silently drove out of the massive group of people, and slowly drove to the presidential precinct as half the people surrounding the SCJ building went after them. It¡­ looked a bit like a march back, in triumph, to the presidential district. Other ¡®lumps¡¯ of people around the city, None of that mattered for Fox, who was catching up in all the kissing and dumb apologizing, vocal or physical, with Nala. To Colmillo, whatsoever, did matter, as she drove and even considerately slowed down some times. While it had nothing to do with her¡­ she had her fun leading the flock. ¡­ Arriving at the presidential precinct, Fox was further helped by Nala, who brought him through uniformed women and men into the main building and towards Luis¡¯s office. There were also some military uniforms around, giving Fox a sensation of¡­ strange comfort. With Preut''s experiences, he naturally didn¡¯t want anything to do with such things, but through these years, and knowing what kind of boss he was following. It only felt right they were finally showing up around¡­ and they were ¡®welcoming him back¡¯, so that also gained them some points. Fox stood before the President¡¯s office doors again, with Colmillo knocking on them while Nala held his arm over her shoulders. The doors were opened by Roam, who welcomed in with a gesture. Fox checked the boss, who stood in front of his desk with Lesly and the rest of his cabinet. Fox stopped. He looked at Nala, his nose in her right cheek as she darted her gray, light blue eyes at him. She looked too damn adorable and attractive at the same time. Then, he looked ahead, fearful. The last time he saw this scenery was when he became a political party¡¯s president. Seeing the look in the young man¡¯s face wasn¡¯t a surprise, but it still made the cabinet, specially Lesly and Sona, smile. Fox was brought before the President, who looked downwards at a Fox slightly bending his back, and nodded a bit before walking to his seat. Nala let go of his arm and stood beside him, supporting her hands on Luis¡¯s table as Fox did the same. He had to, to keep standing. Luis looked at this and gestured to Fox after a little small, ¡°Take a seat, you won¡¯t bleed honorably for refusing something so simple.¡± ¡°Then I refuse whatever charge you are to give me. Am I honorable now?¡± Fox looked deadly into the President¡¯s eyes. The people around glanced at this with a soft jolt of their heads and feeling strange. Luis¡¯s motions of his arms grabbing a pen and some papers from his desk drawers were halted. Then, he looked up while holding his chin with a hand. ¡°Would you dare?¡± Luis spoke in a grave tone, vibrating from his hand. Fox looked at the President for a few seconds before blowing from his nostrils, ¡°Of course not.¡± Luis smirked. He couldn¡¯t help but straighten up and look at the young man before him, studying his visage and remembering ¡®some¡¯ things. He placed the things on the desk and turned them to Fox¡¯s reading direction, although the latter was already going through them before he did. Luis snapped his fingers, almost like a quiet burst of air, and grabbed Fox¡¯s attention. Fox looked at Luis, who complained, ¡°Don¡¯t ruin the fun. Let me show you some people first.¡± ¡°This is Edgar Plomo, the General, Defense Secretary,¡± Luis gestured to a man who stepped forth and nodded at Fox, appearing solemn, but more than anything, cooperative. Fox nodded at the man who was ¡®second¡¯ in command of the army, below Luis, the Supreme Commander of the Ly forces. Edgar Plomo was a brown man, slightly old, and a little short. His black military hair and eyes were quite unextraordinary. ¡°This other great person in my cabinet, Fox, is Admiral, Admiral Secretary, Commander Valentino Peralta.¡± Luis pointed to another person. Valentino Peralta is a white, tall man, also slightly old, with balding gray and white hair. More gray than white. He stepped out of his spot and seriously nodded at Fox, which Fox also returned the gesture to. Fox also saw a young woman and man standing near Edgar Plomo, who seemed to be better regarded than others who also stood beside the slightly old man. ¡°What¡­ just what kind of thing did you prepare for me, President?¡± Fox looked at Luis, feeling more caged this time. But at the same time, ignoring the sensation of being captured with better food in the new, larger prison called duty; feeling intrigued. ¡°I am naming you my last trump card and ticket for the incoming elections,¡± Luis darted his eyes away, ¡°A very important failsafe. For the first time in Ly history, you, Phesx Caolia, Fox, will become the Chief Secretary of Security of the nation¡­ of my cabinet!¡± ¡­ Chapter 147 — Miros Miros ¡°What is this¡­ CSS you are giving me?¡± Fox looked at Luis for several seconds before asking. He didn''t know if to feel heavily burdened, but after some time, he didn''t feel any detachment or hate to being given another position. Luis leaned back on his chair, seeing Fox was already ? in the bag. ¡°Chief Secretary of Security? You will be responsible for considering the nation''s security, but you won''t have direct power to mobilize.¡± ¡°So, like¡­ an adviser?¡± Fox swayed his head a little. Nala looked at him, clearly knowing more than he did, and even covertly teasing with her eyes, though she looked cold and indifferent still. Luis intertwined his fingers and released them, ¡°No. You are now capable of making operations, like the time you pulled that off in your boutique¡¯s district.¡± Fox tilted his head out of nowhere with a rather strong force. Edgar Plomo stepped forth from his spot, ¡°The situation in that district was resolved quickly and efficiently, but it could have been much less bloody and disastrous for the civilians.¡± Fox looked at the General for a couple of seconds, his polycoria eyes twinkling slightly before uttering something. ¡°I do my own as I do, as I must. If it was your family in danger and you still tell me those would be your thoughts, I¡¯d respect it but still think it¡¯s stupid.¡± Everyone lifted an eyebrow, left or right, it didn¡¯t matter. Even the Defense Secretary lifted his eyebrows, too, though he didn¡¯t seem insulted. He was righteous, or feared bloodshed, perhaps, but not an idiot. Someone like Luis wouldn¡¯t put such useless people in his cabinet. On the contrary, the General seemed to fit Luis¡¯s hidden ideologies just the right way. ¡°Fox, Mr. Chief Secretary of Security, he is-¡± Luis gestured, talking in Edgar¡¯s sake, although the latter shook his hand low in a gesture. But Fox interrupted him, ¡°He¡¯s not my General, I am not his soldier. I¡¯m nobody¡¯s soldier.¡± ¡°What can I expect in¡­ in this new role you¡¯ve granted me?¡± Fox didn¡¯t pause for long before asking. Luis looked up at him, secretly contented, ¡°So you agree?¡± ¡°The CSS, as you call it, can formulate operations. Be it for the rescue of an individual or civilians, a capture or¡­ lethal activities of taking down targets, and the confrontation against the organized crime.¡± The Admiral, Valentino Peralta, stepped forth and explained a bit. Already having stepped out, and unhurried, Edgar Plomo also added, ¡°You can analyze the Lymocan forces when needed¡ª for an operation or to plan a new strategy. The latter would have to go through with the President¡¯s approval before it is presented to the congress. The former¡­ it¡¯s up to the President, as the Supreme Commander.¡± ¡°But you can only request¡ª no matter if it¡¯s a small operation, or one involving a city¡­ you have to rely on the approval or dismissal of others to mobilize any forces, and to continue investigating for a better option.¡± Luis added, looking at Fox seriously. Fox seemed to understand now, much better in general. He nodded a bit, and just as he looked down at the document again, the doors to Luis¡¯s hidden compartment bedroom opened, revealing an old, brown man walking in, staring directly at Fox. ¡°B-¡­ Egoaiz Prein,¡± Fox called out. Butler looked at him, then at Nala, before nodding. He walked over, with Luis standing up to greet him. The others didn¡¯t know Butler, but they¡¯ve seen him with the President many times, always leaving them wondering if this was the ¡®sponsor¡¯ of the country, an eerie possible secret. ¡°President, you¡¯ve teased the boy too much. It¡¯s my turn,¡± Butler helped Luis sit back down, acting subservient, but sincerely so. He then looked at Fox, flashing an amicable smile before pointing at the document. ¡°This isn¡¯t just for a position in the government again, kid.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still calling me a kid, boy, or something. What will make that stop?¡± Fox shook his head a bit, his face impassive, as always. Butler stopped and slightly protruded his lips. He signaled to the document again, ¡°This, boy. Complete it and you¡¯ll have that acknowledgement.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Fox read it again while Butler voiced, ¡°Everyone here knows the President has a secret project that can deal with both daily intelligence and secret organization intelligence. I am the head of the latter. While you still won¡¯t know much. Just know there is this power behind the President Luis Heartez who will follow him to the core of this nation¡¯s flourishing. Those who are here, including those who received anonymous messages, one way or another¡­¡± Butler paused to look around, being unclear to whom he referred to. Luis was focused on Fox reading the document, like he did not care of the people who were approached by who knew who. Yet, everyone felt apprehensive anyways. Butler then carried on. ¡°It does not matter what things have been said or thought, you are here for a reason. I am now, with the President¡¯s permission beforehand,¡± Butler looked at Luis with a gesture before returning his attention to the rest of the room. ¡°Presenting my Piya Sanctum District before you, direct subordinates below the President.¡± Clamor, hushes¡­ There was some commotion, but Fox remained impassive, let alone Nala, who might have known this would happen. Then, Butler looked at Fox, nodding at Nala after they exchanged a glance and she hung her head a little. Just as Fox wondered what it was about¡­ ¡°Like my rank, Fox, there is another one, which is of brutal importance. There has only been 2 in the history of the District, whose lives were lost in between several decades, bringing about the peace we now have today. Complete this first assignment given to you by the President¡¯s decree as the first Chief Secretary of Security, and you will become the third Raging Blood of Piya Sanctum District.¡± ¡°Ragi- wait, what decree?¡± Fox frowned a bit, before widening his eyes to look down at the document. It told of his new position, and the payment for accepting it as a hidden expert trained under utmost specialized means, all garbage. However, it was a good, one-time payment he couldn¡¯t refuse. With an honorary merit and recognition, besides a few benefits. But there was no assignment nor decree. Just as he wanted to grab the document, Luis smiled and pinched it with his left fingers. He slid something below the document¡¯s side, below. A small letter-sized paper slid out before placing it atop. Fox¡¯s eyes widened, and he read. A few seconds later, with his head tensed, he looked up at the President, then at Butler, before going back to the President. ¡°You want me to-¡± ¡°Proteros will be your first task,¡± Luis interrupted him with half a smirk from the left side of his mouth. ¡°You now count with I, the President, full support and assets of the country to plan the extermination of organized crime groups. Not of the people in them, the groups. Understood?¡± Fox tilted is head to the right, hanging it, with his eyes widened as much as possible. Luis chuckled, with Butler continuing where Luis left it, ¡°You will have a month to plan the cleansing, but half a month to start cleansing the capital city. Are you up for it, Fox?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Fox¡¯s eyes trembled when he heard this. He had just come out of ¡®jail¡¯, and he was just getting together with the beauty that smitten him the moment she appeared before him for the first few, several times in his life. Now, there was a country-wide mobilization to cleanse the dirt he once half-belonged to as an Artista in Riverlye? And in less than a month? Seeing his face, both sneaky leaders exchanged glanced with low eyebrows before Luis spoke out, ¡°Fox. This is a matter of utmost importance.¡± Luis stood up and accommodated his jacket, with Lesly hurrying over from the side to check his tie and collar, gaining his attention momentarily as she continued. He resumed, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving this to you only because you are capable and because you have the connection with people I do not. The results Mr. Ego has shown me are exactly what I need for a role like this.¡± ¡°You will cooperate with the navy, air forces, and the army. Similarly, the national guard, who will deal with the police forces in your stead, but the latter are still your concern. But you still need the brains and flexibility to work this out in due time. Let me present to you a little someone¡­ he is also the reason why some of your previous actions in Riverlye were caught.¡± Luis presented, gesturing his right arm to the doors Butler came from a couple of minutes ago. They opened again. Fox looked at them with narrowed, resentful eyes this time as they did¡­ Step, step, step, step¡­ A young boy with soft white skin, an exotic metallic, natural sapphire hair with black locks and sapphire eyes appeared between the doors. He was short, even for his age, and looked a little effeminate. He stepped in and watched everyone, astounded, before forming a wide smile, ¡°Hey, everyone!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked at the boy before staring at Luis, then at Butler. The latter tilted his head and lifted his eyebrows, ¡°What? How do you think others felt when you came around to the world¡¯s eyes.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Fox rolled his eyes, almost tripping from his hold on the desk, but picking himself up in time. He looked at the young boy before asking Luis without looking at him, ¡°What¡¯s with this one?¡± ¡°This is Miros, he¡­ actually aided in finishing the project of the ¡®baby¡¯ you¡¯ve been trying to repair all this long. Which was presented last International Vehicle Presentation in 1,020.¡± Luis grinned and explained, ¡°I happened to come into this information and asked Butler to bring him into the District. He was an orphan, but he has everywhere to go and continue studying now.¡± ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Miros¡­¡± Miros stepped up to Fox and half extended a hand before awkwardly dropping it. Clearly, he has also read something about Fox, which he felt like know anyone could nowadays. Of course, Miros wasn¡¯t supposed to, but with his capabilities¡­ ¡°Myertha¡­?¡± Fox frowned, ignoring the boy¡¯s gesture. Miros nodded before grimacing. ¡°Oh yeah, that thing. Y¡¯know, there were more things I wanted to do with it, but the guy sponsoring everything didn¡¯t want any of it. Anyway, I¡¯ve been having more fun this half a decade working for the government. Oh, yes, I¡¯m a Ly, in case you were wondering.¡± ¡°Can you repair a destroyed Myertha?¡± Fox blinked, not bothering about anything else, and just asked. Miros blinked, too, once. Then, he nodded, ¡°Of course! I can al-¡± ¡°Am I to plan all of this in 2-4 weeks?¡± Fox ignored Miros and turned to Luis, who was still engrossed in their first meeting. After also blinking, Luis nodded, ¡°He will aid you. Don¡¯t underestimate him. I have kept him hidden longer than you. You should understand that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox stared with an unfocused gaze and blinked a few times before nodding. ¡°Miros, you know where my boutique is?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Miros nodded. Fox returned the gesture, ¡°Then come at it tomorrow, we¡¯ll start working since then. Bring information of every land route, streets, railways, highways, freeways, rural roads; everything with you.¡± ¡°Oh, already have it!¡± Miros jolted on the spot, excited to announce it. Fox stopped just as he nodded to Luis again. He turned his head to Miros for a few seconds before adding, ¡°Every aerial route, too. Helitaxis, choppers, military aerial routes, trading ports, sea routes, and submarine trajectories of the organized crime known to date. The relationship of trading companies coming and going with supplies with the ports, and the possible involvements of authorities in these places.¡± ¡°I can also bring the previously known ports favored by each organized crime group up to date since 32 years ago, and the companies who have been seen forming some shady deals. Caught by the people with evidence but dismissed by the judges. Mn, there¡¯s also the representation of the communities where the OCs have either dominated over them, or brainwashed them into protecting them when the uniformed folk come after them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked at Luis, startled and speechless. Luis smirked, feeling victorious again. Fox shook his head a bit and pushed yet again, ¡°How about the routes these groups take to flee, and the people who aides them? From homeless to governors. Also, I want a detailed view of the various handling of these with ANS and the transportation of illegal merchandise and items. An estimation of their weaponry would also suffice.¡± Fox glanced at Edgar for a moment, ¡°Not from what it has been seen, but what one can deduce from gathered intelligence.¡± ¡°So?¡± Fox looked at Miros again and exclaimed. Miros thought for a moment, eyes widened. He then nodded, becoming excited. ¡°Sure! I can also check the places where they are recruiting more people and why there. Oh, I¡¯ll investigate the latest confrontations between the OCs!¡± Fox gave the President a look, which the latter replied by cocking his head with a smirk. Then, Fox looked at Butler, ¡°So, what¡¯s a Raging Blood?¡± ¡°We can talk a bit about this. Are you willing to spend some time with this old man at the top?¡± Butler replied. Fox arched an eyebrow before slowly nodding. He turned to Luis again, grabbing his pen and writing on the document and decree, ¡°Your first Chief Secretary of Security accepts his delegation, and thanks the President for his trust.¡± With that, Fox walked away but stopped, his posture somewhat stifled. Nala smirked from the left corner of her mouth a bit before going over, hugging him from behind before putting his left arm over her shoulders. Just then, Miros sounded, a bit anxious, ¡°What time should I go there?¡± ¡°When it opens,¡± Fox said, leaving as he passed by Colmillo, latching off the desk. Like he couldn¡¯t notice the way Colmillo¡¯s mask focused on Miros, and the aura of fangirling over him. He only hoped she knew to wait for such a fresh piece of meat, at least. ¡°I¡¯ll be there!¡± Miros exclaimed, saluting Fox seriously. Butler nodded at Luis before walking behind Fox and Nala. Immediately after, Luis was approached by his cabinet with all sorts of questions and doubts. Luis had to stand up and pacify them, ¡°I know, I know. I have also had my fair share of debate¡­ I can¡¯t stop here, and I will still need your aid when the time comes¡­¡± On the other hand, Colmillo walked to Miros, standing a few steps before the boy. She tousled his hair, as she always does, and Miros pouted after blushing a bit. ¡°Big sis, do you have more challenges for me?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll work together, there. I¡¯ll test you lots, then. You ready?¡± Colmillo¡¯s robotic, smooth and soothing voice sounded. Miros widened his eyes, ¡°Yes! Oh, stop it, I¡¯m so ticklish¡­¡± ¡­ Fox stopped with Nala near the elevator. She lifted her right hand to his face, cupping him lightly. Fox did the same with his, but she slapped his right wrist away. He complained, cutely so but emotionless so, ¡°Aww. Why that brutal?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like public display of affection.¡± She responded, letting go of his face, too. Fox blinked, ¡°I know, but you touched me first.¡± ¡°Tonight¡ª you can touch me all you ever wanted,¡± Nala said without batting an eye, eyes fully open. Fox bathed in those gray, light blue, before asking as he semi-gulped. ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°Can you?¡± Nala lifted her eyebrows and went back at him with that. Fox frowned, concentrated and focused. ¡°Will I?¡± ¡°Yes, I will let you all you want.¡± Nala¡¯s voice melted, and she caressed him again, passing her left fingertips through his black hair above his right ear. Fox gulped again, this time with his eyes locked silly onto her face. Then, out of nowhere, she spoke before pulling his cheek a bit. ¡°Don¡¯t be too pushy. He chides by balding parts of your head if you misbehave.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Fox frowned, curious and taken aback. Nala stepped aside and let him see Butler walking towards them. She held his right elbow and blew on his neck from a distance before walking away with half a spin, ¡°I¡¯ll wait in the car.¡± Fox gulped again, left behind by Nala, where he had to face Butler immediately. Butler nodded at him as they waited for the elevator. A couple of beautiful women looked at them when the elevator doors opened, blushing when looking at Butler, before interestingly staring at Fox. Once in the elevator, heading to the highest point. Fox and Butler remained silent. It was only the two of them. It was a bit silent, until Butler made a strange comment, ¡°Keep your head up, kid.¡± At last, they arrived at the rooftop, which only a tiny number of people in the entire building had access to, and walked around. Fox looked at the city night. In the distance, he could still see and hear some bustling around the SCJ building. He must have looked at it for long, for Butler walked to him and stood on his left. ¡°Gets one excited. Many don¡¯t feel it, and might not know about it unless something drastic occurs. When in times of uncertainty, any piece of news is as true as one¡¯s heart. Who knows what they will do when they see lies and the truth, independently of what they believe¡­ 5 million people. This is¡­¡± Butler was a bit breathless when he arrived at this point. ¡°Lye,¡± Fox complemented. His face remained natural. Butler looked at him, nodding a bit. He gestured to the edge. ¡°We are very high, and only folk like us could feel safe being here for an hour or more without equipment, but we don¡¯t fly just because of breath. Still, would you mind sitting? I find it more¡­ conveying when people speak like this. I learned that, too.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Fox felt a bit weird, but he still took the first step to the edge and sat down, his legs hanging down from it. Butler followed suit, groaning a bit as he sat down and rested, his backbones sounding and cracking in Fox¡¯s ears, who cocked his head in contemplation. ¡°Ask away,¡± Butler sat properly with a straight back, while Fox folded his left leg and supporting his left elbow on it. Fox thought for a bit before asking, frowning ever so slightly, ¡°What is that of the Raging Bloods?¡± ¡°They are a position similar to the Butler, only not necessary for its functions.¡± Butler commenced, following with a sigh. ¡°They were formed when the Green Transformation was just in its very first year. The President back then had the support of unique figures in the country, even dating back to the times of the Lylaco Empire. They weren¡¯t rich socially or monetarily, but in intelligence and mobilization.¡± ¡°Either way, during those times, the Raging Blood was that which was titled to become a sort of¡­ image.¡± Butler lifted his sight. His narrowing eyes showed reminiscence. Fox wondered if he¡¯d ever get to know of the District¡¯s records. After so many things have happened, and hinted, he couldn¡¯t help but become intrigued. It was also done with that means to an end. ¡°The difficulties of being¡­ a ¡®special agent¡¯ back then might have been lesser than now, but the validity and nature a special agent in Piya Sanctum District must bear to be titled Raging Blood has never changed.¡± Butler¡¯s words gained a lot of intrigue from Fox¡¯s part, alright. Then what? Fox wanted to ask but limited himself to listen. Butler continued at his pace, unhurried and with ease, ¡°The first one continued after the President back then finished his work. Things were complicated, as his successor was the beginning of the return of all corruption. The first Raging Blood died, falling into the sea, but he successfully kept Lymoca on its right path, albeit crooked and led into a helplessness without the promised restoration.¡± ¡°The second Raging Blood surged soon after that. He was younger, with more experience, and witnessed the development of the secret world. He had more chances to keep up with the times.¡± Butler looked at Fox with emotionless, firm eyes. ¡°He was betrayed by other secret organizations, either nearby or overseas, and all that was left was to hole up afterwards.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox was left with only silence to think. After a little while, he lifted both his legs and hugged them, placing only the heels of their feet on the edge, the rest hanging out. ¡°They were like the activist leader of the District, then? They had to have¡­ no ambition, only the gall to step up and do something? Attract attention to oneself, and subsequently to the District¡­ and to do that within the secret world, it had to be¡­ something. Am I right?¡± ¡°Mostly,¡± Butler lightly smacked his lips open and worded before adding, ¡°There are things that you missed, but don¡¯t ask. You will come to eventually know.¡± ¡°Then, what about the Butlers? What is the matter with them¡ª this role?¡± Fox rested the right side of his head on his arms. Butler nodded a bit, looking with upturned eyes at the sky again, nighttime and so dark. ¡°There¡¯s been many since almost 300 years ago. It¡¯s not like Raging Blood, who become such when proven worthy and don¡¯t stop even after death. They are more like presidents, if we are to compare, while Raging Bloods are either kings and queens or emperors or empresses.¡± ¡­ Chapter 148 — Like Moths… From The Flame? Like Moths¡­ From The Flame? ¡°Hmm.¡± Fox hummed, a bit sarcastic but humorous. ¡°Good kings and benevolent emperors, I presume.¡± ¡°Because all presidents in the world are immediately better than any of them when becoming one,¡± Butler rolled his eyes. Fox and Butler chuckled through their nostrils. Then, Butler shook his head. ¡°The last president, before President Luis Heartez, the District had direct contact with was the subsequent president after the Green Transformation. The world was still riveting in it, but the origin point had forgotten all about it.¡± ¡°That sounds shameful,¡± Fox hung his head a little, feeling his body falling off, but keeping his balance steady on the ledge. Butler didn¡¯t react, but he agreed with his following words. ¡°I know about shame. From the many Butlers throughout history, I am the only one who has shamed the District, even if it isn¡¯t to let the District loathe me, I failed it.¡± ¡°¡­ How so?¡± Fox asked after a small pause in the oldie¡¯s consideration. Butler didn¡¯t seem unready to talk, or he wouldn¡¯t have given this little monster this chance. ¡°There was a person who was beloved in the District. Not so much as someone who leads them, but someone they¡¯d like to support and¡­ follow, like we do to Luis now.¡± ¡°I¡­ let someone die, when we knew of the situation.¡± Butler looked ahead, but his eyes were unfocused. Fox picked up and darted his eyes down to the streets, his lips moving when thinking of something. ¡°Linda Zebel.¡± ¡°Ooh¡­¡± Butler sighed painfully. He looked down, almost as if his head tumbled. Fox saw this and contemplated before articulating, ¡°Linda Zebel. The current President of the Chamber of Deputies Benito Metelti¡¯s spouse, a woman of Lymoca¡¯s most importance during the second decade of the century. It is her sudden, ¡®accidental¡¯ death what brought the country pain when Preut was just entering its flames of torment and war¡­¡± Butler looked at Fox, who pouted and also stared ahead. ¡°That¡¯s not bad for a kid who doesn¡¯t care nor has much of a scholar¡¯s image.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never be some scholar. I¡¯ll die being the secret fear of hearts in the world. Otherwise, I will be too annoyed to die.¡± Fox threw off his chin and looked to the side, grimacing the corners of his lips and frowned a little. ¡°Heh, heh heh!¡± Butler chuckled. Then, silence befell them as they saw the bustling crowds around the SCJ building slightly diminish. Butler blinked a few time, seemingly thinking of something, and then, Fox spoke again. ¡°So, who¡¯s Nala to you, Butler?¡± ¡°You are not even a Raging Blood, but you¡¯re already facing me off like this? You think you are able, kid?¡± Butler twisted his eyebrows, facing ¡®the kid¡¯, insulted. Fox looked at Butler, all innocent. ¡°I¡¯m just asking! She has mentioned a bit of a connection between you, and it doesn¡¯t come from nowhere. I know nothing of her, only how old she is, and what she is capable of.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Butler shook his head, wishing to chide this kid. Fox wasn¡¯t getting a response, and he remembered Nala¡¯s warning, but he couldn¡¯t let go of such an opportunity. ¡°I get her name is Nala, but I know her family name is hers alone. So, what is her past?¡± ¡°Has she told you anything?¡± Butler asked, lifting an eyebrow. Fox shrugged and slightly shook his head, ¡°Just tiny bits from small facts here and there. But she knows everything about me, even the things I feel embarrassed about. And if I ask her, what if she just glares at me?¡± ¡°Piss off, kid! Since when are you so worried about a woman, hm? Stop bothering me with that.¡± Butler grabbed a chunk of Fox¡¯s hair, pulling and jerking a couple of times before letting go. A few strands rapidly flew away around Fox, who narrowed and frowned hard. It hurt. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again when I become a Raging Blood, then, not even the President will back you if you get cold feet, oldie.¡± Fox commented, his eyes narrowed a bit, now feeling calm. Butler narrowed his in disgust, ¡°Who do you think you are? The President wouldn¡¯t look at you even if you become the Raging Blood, and stop saying it so casually!¡± ¡°Ah, no? I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m more important now,¡± Fox cocked his head and bragged, entering a dangerous terrain. Butler narrowed his eyes more, mimicking the kid¡¯s gesture, ¡°Brat, you¡¯re deluded.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the Butler, I am the Chief Secretary of Security. I believe my task of today is more important than just more flowing information of the lagjs in the country.¡± Fox faced off Butler, this time for real. Butler¡­ pretty much agreed with this. Fox was meant to cleanse the capital of all organized crime. That was indeed something never before seen. ¡°Up to you kid, count your chickens well if you want. If she wanted to tell you, she should¡¯ve already.¡± Butler ignored the kid, showing he was the bigger man. Fox leaned back and swung his legs, looking upwards with wide eyes, ¡°Or she is punishing me for being impertinent in the ¡®what should have been¡¯ from an earlier date.¡± ¡°At least you know your place,¡± Butler also looked up, when Fox mentioned, ¡°Yes, I know her very well, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Oh, shit.¡¯ Fox didn¡¯t have time to flee. He didn¡¯t intend to use double-meaning, but his previous words compromised those he just spouted. As soon as he lifted his body, his knees impulsing him directly upwards, he felt a hand on his upper back, just below his nape. CRRRRKKGGHHH¡­ ¡°Wuaaaah!¡± Fox felt his body pushed forwards, into an abrupt fall. He rotated his body to the left, rapidly hooking his arm on the ledge, breaking it apart like a hot knife through butter with the concrete gaining a sudden crease. Fox¡¯s left arm swiped down into the ledge, holding onto a metal bar, which he dented, but found it wasn¡¯t necessary. Fox looked at Butler, who held his hair at the back of his head, keeping his body hovering in the air just below the ledge. Butler¡¯s face was smiling, very powerfully, from ear to ear. His eyes narrowed, and the glint in them was easygoing. ¡°Well? Did I scare you? Hohoho¡­¡± Fox lifted himself back up onto the ledge, facing upwards as his chest didn¡¯t even heave up and down, but a smirk from ear to ear formed on his lips. Butler frowned, ¡°What now?¡± ¡°I got a good idea to exterminate them!¡± Fox smiled, this time feeling unrestrained. Butler lifted an eyebrow and reminded him with a half-stern tone, ¡°The groups are your target, not the people.¡± ¡°I can do both,¡± Fox kept smiling, softly breathing his words out of his mouth in quick succession. Butler: ¡°¡­¡± . . . Back at the Blackflower Boutique. Fox was helped through the main floor entrance by Nala, who kept his right arm above her shoulders, and their left and right cheek close, respectively. ¡°Oh, bo- wwwoooaaaaah!¡± Fabiola, who was just coming out with her phone¡¯s flashlight on, smiling at Fox and about to hug the shit out of his neck, when she found the famous beauty helping him. Fox and Nala looked at her, wordless. ¡°Here, let me help you!¡± Fabiola went for a chair from the storage backrooms and returned quickly. Nala brought him to the chair before facing the cute lass, ¡°Bring me hot chocolate.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Fabiola tilted her head. Fox smirked big time before saying, ¡°Nothing. There¡¯s no hot chocolate nor machine for it. I never bought one.¡± Nala rolled her eyes a bit and grabbed Fabiola¡¯s left arm, muttering as she brought the girl back into the storage backrooms. ¡°If he isn¡¯t supervised, he¡¯ll starve without knowing. Hey, Fabiola right? I¡¯ll work here from time to time. Tomorrow, bring a few hot chocolate machines, choose the old-fashioned styles, and get the chocolate and milk yourself. Heard?¡± Fox grinned weakly as he heard them go. He let his body enter meditation by breathing a few times before standing up. He went to the computer room and grabbed a few blueprints as well as a large map of the capital city. All imprinted by the quality instruments. Fox had to wait for Miros to come tomorrow morning with more information, but the most pressing matter was the capital¡¯s cleansing. Of course, he could just get a detailed map of the capital city as the CSS. But that would have to wait until the next day, with the news of the president¡¯s decree and Fox¡¯s appointment becoming public news as he checked the map. The blueprints weren¡¯t of buildings or bions, but blank. Fox grabbed a few, thin markers. He glimpsed at the city and reminded himself of what he already knew before looking at other parts, districts and sections, of the city. It was enormous. His open palm was the size of the section Fox¡¯s boutique¡¯s district was in, not even a tenth of this city map. Fox shook his head, feeling the insane pressure of designing something like this. Now, he wondered what the military camps went through, and what went wrong with their plans, and how bad. Suddenly, Fox wanted to check the details of what happened then.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. But just as Fox became interested, feeling his focus on this drawn like a vacuum when he least expected it, he also recognized the time-consuming effort needed for just the city. Let alone the state, or the rest of the country. That was when Nala returned and tapped his right shoulder, crossing her arms and crouching until her chin touched her knees on his right. ¡°You¡¯re not doing this alone.¡± Nala looked at the map as well, frowning a bit. Fox muttered while tracing a few lines in a blank blueprint. ¡°I won¡¯t. Even if I do, I can¡¯t say no to my team leader.¡± ¡°Yesh, you can¡¯t.¡± Nala showed her canines before looking at his drawings. Fox was drawing curving lines, one below or atop the other, and not so much straight, almost crossing each other. Nala grabbed a corner of a part he stopped drawing on as he went to another and asked, ¡°What are these for?¡± ¡°Routes,¡± Fox replied, his eyes focused. His expression had her focus on him immediately, just as she would stare at him before, only she didn¡¯t hide it or shorten it like before. Fox formed those lines at the lower right and left corners, taking about ? of the blueprint. Fox constantly looked between the map and the blueprint in his hands before looking at Nala, ¡°Let me draw a draft first before we go home, yeah?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nala¡¯s eyes shone, focusing on his polycoria eyes distinctively before grabbing one of his hands and bringing it to her mouth. After kissing his backhand and the back of his fingers, she grabbed all the markers and nodded, ¡°Which one first?¡± ¡°Powerful green,¡± Fox softly looked at her. Nala gave him the marker before Fox held the blueprint and tilted his head, staring down at his nonsensical lines. He gave the map another look before drawing without returning his eyes to the blueprint. Nala¡¯s eyes twinkled after a while. The black, curving lines, deviating and nearly crossing each other, didn¡¯t follow any route in the city, not even aerial. In those routes, as Fox said, there might be many tall buildings and antennas, cables, tall streetlights, transformers, and an open street. But the green ones, which he drew from the lower centers¡¯ borders left and right sides curving to the center, they follow what could be principal roads and most transited routes of the public. ¡°Light silver-blue,¡± Fox extended his open fingers to Nala, who caressed them before putting a mark into them, tracing a smile on his face. Fox then drew more lines without any pattern. They either circled, zigzagged, randomly changed directions, or just drew dots. There was only 1 difference worth noting: none of the silver-blue colors neared the black lines, which the green had already crossed and followed in some parts. ¡°You can¡¯t use combat helicopters,¡± Nala titled her head and commented, wanting to know but not ask. Fox knowingly nodded and hummed after finishing. He looked between the map and his blueprint again while speaking to Nala, ¡°It¡¯s a pity. I¡¯m sure they would be fun to use. But it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll make notes and I may get to mobilize them in the future.¡± ¡°Hmmm, you treat this like a game where you unlock things.¡± Nala hummed and caressed his arm before supporting her chin on his shoulders and her intertwined fingers. Fox nodded, lightly bumping his head on her forehead, ¡°It¡¯s either that or I will beg the navy to bring their frigates inland.¡± Nala grinned. Then, she kissed his neck, hurrying him to finish this shit, ¡°But my baby doesn¡¯t beg. He cannot¡­ What will he do?¡± Fox¡¯s engines went full alert, code death and massive destruction were on. Her endearing word made things much worse, but his years of innately not caring for other people helped him pipe down. When he saw her narrowed, hazy gray, light blue eyes, he almost lost it again, though. ¡°I have dreamed of making my own combat helicopter sometime.¡± Fox babbled with an idiotic tone, but to Nala, it was ambitious. Still idiotic, but she could feel the steadfastness beneath his words. ¡°That would still take too long,¡± Nala commented, breathing on his neck and behind his ear. Fox¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I can only depend on getting in their good side for now. If only I had connections with a metal-industry ringleader in the country.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nala looked at his profile side intently yet calmly before kissing his temple. She didn¡¯t need any words. Special agents of the District couldn¡¯t help each other in their ordinary world¡¯s business. She hugged his neck and looked at the blueprint while Fox calculated. ¡°So, what are these for? Reveal to me your plans, Fox.¡± ¡°These are the beginning,¡± Fox pointed at the black lines. ¡°I will have the PSD SAs move towards the organized crime this way, hunting them one by one as we find them. While we do, after every large distance traveled, the army and national guard will cooperate and move behind us covertly. They¡¯ll slowly catch up as we force the bandits north of the city, keeping the streets safe.¡± ¡°From the air force, with as many drones and relief choppers I can get to waste gas in the air to force the criminals to move in directions so they cannot set selective or clandestine meetings. We¡¯ll know their moves, and where they are not moving. The PSD will make quick work of them.¡± ¡°How long would this take?¡± Nala frowned. Fox leaned his head on her temple. ¡°The city alone might take a month or 2 to cleanse, ensuring most of the city isn¡¯t crippled because of this.¡± ¡°And the state? Just Proteros.¡± Nala¡¯s frown deepened. Fox calculated. Proteros was one of the smallest states, territory wise. It had only a few cities beside the capital city, while the other smallest states had many more cities overall. Thus, in a way, Proteros was the smallest of them all. However, it was also the densest in the country in population, technology, and nature. ¡°A year perhaps, a little less with combat choppers.¡± Fox replied after a few seconds contemplating. Nala looked at him and raised her eyebrows, ¡°You had ideas on this before?¡± ¡°An operation? No. A massacre¡­ yes, I did.¡± Fox looked at Nala and finished his words. Nala nodded, then asked again, ¡°What about the other states?¡± ¡°With a successful first operation in the capital, the rest of Lymoca might take up to 2 years unless the army and air forces expand, so they can send more soldiers and vehicles to aid. Which I think they should,¡± Fox tilted his head. ¡°It¡¯s their nation¡¯s cleanse, after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ too slow.¡± Nala commented, easing her frown at last. Fox looked at her, open for options and all ears. Nala grabbed the black marker and tapped it where Fox commenced the first lines. ¡°You were careful and covert when cleaning your district, using all your capabilities to not be seen and targeted.¡± She painted a dot on the tip of his nose, ¡°But that was because you were alone. No matter your aim, a hundred criminals can land many bullets on you if they just see where you are. You¡¯re not alone anymore. Lymoca¡¯s military forces are with you, but even without the navy, PSD¡¯s special agents are at your command.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Fox inquired on, already onto what Nala was indicating. She looked at him directly, her eyes damn serious. ¡°Don¡¯t be careful and attentive. You can still be, but don¡¯t focus them for these operations. Go after them¡­ make them burn their soles on the streets.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox¡¯s polycoria eyes gently shook. For the first time, he was proactive as he took the marker off her hands and grabbed them instead. He drove his face into hers, tasting her lips and caressing her with his, soft and dedicated. Fox separated and watched her eyelids slowly open a few seconds later, with her lips and tongue drawing the trails of saliva in between, and her teeth biting them into her cavity. Enjoying the sight, Fox gave her the markers before grabbing another blueprint. Nala looked at him in askance with the markers in her hands. ¡°Give me timing and speed, you already gave me an idea.¡± Fox passed the blank blueprint to her, placing it on her crossed legs. She looked at him, eyes fully open and blinking. Fox cupped her face and pecked her lips, ¡°I¡¯m erasing them off the city in one day.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Nala¡¯s eyes widened. They were already shrinking when feeling his kisses, but now, they showed her inner commotion. She nodded before looking down at her blank blueprint and then at the city map. She used her knowledge to calculate the streets¡¯ time moving in regular speed while Fox continued drawing his first blueprint. Then, he drew on another, and another¡­ ¡­ 3 hours later, with Fabiola congratulating him for being free again and his ¡®promotion¡¯, leaving early on, asking no questions. Fox and Nala exited the boutique. They had drawn a ¡®draft¡¯. It had nothing concrete at all, but the basics of every little thinkable thing were there. Even things like the people¡¯s jobs being calculated and paid for the day, as well as supplies and a strict regulation of the people to remain in their homes, were planned. Pets and environment were also to be attended, but the main factor here was to keep the obvious danger as faraway from the citizens as possible. Walking into the mega hotel, Fox was like a beacon of the impeding sunrise. Everyone watched him, wondering how long they could stare at him until they looked elsewhere or went blind. There weren¡¯t many people in the streets in the deep of the night, but inside was different. It was dark and slightly lighted outside, but illuminated brightly and lively inside. The mega hotel had restaurants of high class, indoors pools, good places to have picnics, and cinemas. Fox thought for a while before looking at his woman, who immediately noticed and looked at him. A few minutes later, they were eating some quick-snack food at a corner, with the lights dimmed and their surroundings silent. People stared at them from time to time, briefly and non-intrusive. They enjoyed their late night meal, with the couple who were on this table moved to a better one. This was the so-called brand-new Chief Secretary of Security of the nation. Suddenly, they felt like they were feeding and witnessing the holder of so much power he could initiate a civil war, or at least they thought so. Something akin to the times of the AO, where an official could bring chaos and joy to any part of the kingdom or nation. After their meal, the serious, quiet couple left and boarded an elevator. They went immediately to Fox¡¯s suite, arriving at a lighted place, with a recuperated Teon and sweet Mena watching TV, specifically about a new cabinet role as a ¡®CSS¡¯ this, ¡®CSS¡¯ that¡­ ¡°You guys fucking now?¡± Teon looked at Fox and blinked. Mena nodded, backing her up. Fox could never hurt them, Teon just had to puppy eye him and he¡¯d be conceding in no time. However, looking at the wolf beside the wolf pup, they realized how wrong they were. ¡°Mena, Teon feels hungry. Bring her down and eat until the morning.¡± Nala looked at Mena and conveniently convinced the mature one from the two. Mena blinked before pulling Teon away, bringing the puppy out of the wolf den. After they exited his suite, Fox smiled at Nala. ¡°There¡¯s sound isolation. Additionally¡­30 people can jump in one half of the living room, and the other half wouldn¡¯t feel it.¡± ¡°I know, but I have to mark my territory. Mena knows, too. She¡¯ll bring back your ¡®little¡¯ sister soon.¡± Nala pinched his cheeks a bit. Fox lifted his eyebrows and mimicked her actions. As they employed this unknown mating ritual, the male had enough and carried the female to his bed. Nala kissed, bit, sucked, and lapped her tongue everywhere around his face and neck, scratching his shoulders, back, and arms while gently tousling his scalp with her nails. Before she knew it, her clothes were off, and she was thrown into a soft mattress. Nala¡¯s eyes widened before she fought him off, ending in a sideways position as they contentedly filled themselves, facing the contrary end of each other¡¯s heads, wolfing on each other¡­ ¡­ Chapter 149 — Stay In The Dark Stay In The Dark The next day, Fox woke up with Nala, who went to the bathroom to attend to herself while Fox picked the sheets. Just as he was grabbing the thin, soft sheet that endured their colossal face-off before a small 1-hour rest, Fox spotted a mark of blood. Just then, Nala came out of the bathroom and looked at him, as usual, before her eyes also went to that mark with Fox lowering it to look at her precious face. Nala looked up and down at the sheet before blushing, looking at Fox with slightly upturned eyes. Fox tilted his head to the left. There was no need for words. Fox wrapped the blanket in his forearms and winked at her, somehow warmly, ¡°I¡¯ll get it clean before anyone can see it.¡± ¡°Burn it, or you¡¯ll go down with it,¡± Nala proposed. Fox jumped his eyebrows, appearing so charismatic for an instant, before grinning. And then, out of nowhere, he began coughing. It was a bit at first, with a few glances exchanged, but it quickly turned into a coughing fit. ¡°Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!¡± While Fox descended into a coughing fit, Nala walked to him and used her shoulder to carry him. She just stood there, wrapping her arms around his waist and letting him have her right trapezius muscle as his chin pillow. After a little while, Fox wheezed a few extra coughs before it finally ended. He struggled to gulp, finding his mouth strangely dry. Nala separated from their gentle hold before looking at his mouth and neck. She flurried backwards and stepped on the edge of the wood of his bed before holding his face, her expression as natural as always before kissing him. Every now and then, Fox¡¯s throat gulped and gulped, continuing to find the sweetness of her mouth before gulping some more. A minute later, one that felt like half an eternity, their mouths separated. She looked down at him, supporting her arms on his shoulders. Fox looked up, softly hugging her waist. ¡°We¡¯re gonna be late,¡± Nala whispered to his face, her breath on his nose. Fox replied, ¡°I¡¯m the boss.¡± ¡°I said-¡± Nala endearingly pinched his left lobe, but Fox smirked and brought her to the shelves where he stores his clothes. ¡°I heard. Heard, Captain.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± Nala ignored her man and pulled many drawers as she kept her short, black, soft panty and full-coverage lilac bra on. Both looked dainty yet lacked some femininity. She looked at his clothes, curious and simply feeling the fabric of his stuff. While putting clothes there, Fox ignored the closets, leaving only shelves to store them. For a mega hotel, this was pretty uncommon. Nala watched him dress up, having been bare around her up until now. She stood a few meters away as he put some clothes on, no longer that suit from before. Once he was all up and neat, Nala walked to him and turned him around, her hands pressing here and there to feel him up. Fox looked down at her, just in time for her eyes to narrow dangerously and her chin to raise, ¡°What do I wear?¡± It wasn¡¯t a petition or just a simple question. It felt like a request. ¡­ After they dressed up and grabbed some of the edible breakfast Teon did, some eggs and white bread, Fox and Nala went to the Boutique. It was still pretty early, with the dark sky lighting one tiny bit by tiny bit. A minute after they went inside the boutique, Miros arrived. It was a bit too soon, as the boutique still needed about half an hour before it opened. Miros brought several cases with him, all heavy and with locks outside and perhaps traps inside if forcefully handled. Fox welcomed the kid himself, although the sapphire haired boy was probably just 15, not that younger than him. He nodded after seeing the quality of the cases. Fox gestured to be followed, saying, ¡°While I get through the information with Nala, you¡¯ll go ask the community ¡®leaders¡¯ about their thoughts on a situation of extreme emergency and importance.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Miros followed Fox inside, feeling a bit perplexed. Fox spoke again without turning his head, proceeding to one of the storage backrooms he emptied for this, ¡°You¡¯ll help later. Colmillo would have arrived by then. You¡¯ll join us with her, and then we¡¯ll start calling around.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already positioning the army and stuff?¡± Miros asked, feeling a bit better and intrigued. Fox nodded, showing the boy the backroom. Miros nodded, looking around before putting a despairing countenance, ¡°How long do I have to work in this little hell, boss?¡± ¡°Until it¡¯s over. The other floors are still the boutique¡¯s shopping facilities,¡± Fox replied before checking the boy put everything in order, more or less. Miros passed him some digital keys and passwords through WID before looking expectantly at Fox. Fox blinked and gave him a folded document from his rear pocket, ¡°These are the addresses of the people in this section. Once you do, come back and we¡¯ll get to do the planning. You¡¯ll have to show me what¡¯s so good about that head.¡± Fox pointed at Miros¡¯s glabella, when Miros looked down at the document and said, smiling and looking back at Fox. ¡°Boss, I already have one in my information, I¡¯ll just check it as I go.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked at Miros without saying a word, gaze expressionless. Miros blinked before looking down at the document again. He smiled and took it with his index fingers and thumbs, awkwardly smiling at Fox. ¡°Hahaa¡­ thanks boss. I¡¯ll get to do the task, with your permission.¡± Fox nodded and helped the fella out. Miros walked out with a positive face, looking forward to doing this little task. It was new, but not difficult. Meanwhile, Fox returned to the boutique and began discussing with Nala, this was just the first official day planning the operation. They took only one storage room for this, leaving the rest for the boutique as the attendants and clerks arrived just on time when it was opening. Fox and Nala had a lot of investigation to do. On Miros¡¯s end, he went from house to house, surprising the first few community spokespeople before they communicated with each other to talk about the boy doing that questionnaire. At first, Miros was a bit awkward, as he had to show he was from the government yet deny all activity to related to the forces or agency and transparency. Even then, he had many people still answer the questioning. A few didn¡¯t, but Miros had the charm any cute boy would have to the eyes of any. If a man opened the door, he would look at the fragile boy with a heart of guidance. If it was a woman, motherly instincts were weak to this kind of cutie boy. If it was a dude, some ritualistic meeting would follow, almost always ending in good terms. And if it was a girl, she¡¯d be smitten. There was no hope for those crazy young girls; and of course, some of the boys, too. This was only when things went right, but Miros traversed the day as instructed, with his last community spokesperson being a grandma who gave him cookies. What better way to end the day than with this? Just as the sun was threatening to hide in the evening, and Miros walked back to the boutique, he was met with a surprising eye candy standing just a couple of meters beside a fountain. The fountain was ¡®just¡¯ there, busy getting obscured by the fleeing sun while its small lights weren¡¯t lighting up yet. But the ebony standing there, looking at the setting sun leaving orange and gray clouds behind, was ¡®lighted up¡¯ before Miros¡¯s very own eyes. He stopped, not noticing she noticed him, awkwardly standing there in a slight distance. The girl had light ebony skin, thick, curly, and medium black hair, and gray eyes. She was tall, so she towered Miros, but not like Colmillo did, with slender muscles to back it, remaining quite effeminate. Only, this girl was much more girly than Colmillo, and thankfully, than Miros, who was besotted by her, apparent from his idiotic face. Her bosom was slightly large, though, and as Miros just noticed this from her floral dress, she spoke to him amidst crossing her arms like a lady. ¡°Ahem, I don¡¯t want to be one of those girls¡­ but if you stare at me some more, I might consider taking my burning spray out.¡± ¡°Oh, dear, no!¡± Miros reacted swiftly. He placed his hands forth, shaking them with no¡¯s, and salvaging his image and time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss. I didn¡¯t see you there and, well, you look very girly. I have to get to work with¡­ some big bros and big sis. Oh, and I truly feel bad for making you feel that way. Eh. Have a nice day.¡± ¡°Pfff¡­¡± The girl stifled a laughter. Miros stopped, marvelled by the sight. He didn¡¯t notice again, but she did, shying away from his gaze. ¡°Ah, sorry. It¡¯s just¡­ Your way of apologizing politely is so¡­ fleeting. You must be very busy, sorry, I won¡¯t take more of your time.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Why do you apologize? No, no. It¡¯s fine. All on me. That¡¯s what men do, you know?¡± Miros patted his chest, forgetting his duties for a bit. The girl looked up at his face before forming an amused smirk, ¡°Men? Ey, boy. You may call me miss, but you can¡¯t call yourself a man just yet.¡± Miros was baffled after she spoke, for her lips hooked into a wide, generous smile. Feeling his breathing getting heavier, Miros blushed, not realizing she was, too. He extended his hand, almost like he wanted to stab her, ¡°I¡¯m Miros, nice to meet you. I do have to go, but I¡¯d like to meet you more.¡± Miros blushed like a teenager, which he is, in love as he felt his face burning more intensely than the sun to this side of the world right now. How could he dare to say those words like nothing? The light ebony girl comfortably smiled and shook his hand after a few hesitations from her extended arm. ¡°I¡¯m Zees, nice to meet you, Man Miros.¡± ¡°Wow, you gave me your name? Haha! I¡¯ll meet you around again if I can. Good¡­night, Zees!¡± Miros smiled, shaking her hand contentedly before running away, not wanting to be left behind. Zees looked at the disappearing back of the young boy before easing her expression, looking elsewhere calmly with her hand falling to her side. ¡­ When Miros returned, Colmillo was just arriving in one of her cars. She wasn¡¯t wearing her mask, so she was Elega. Miros walked to her and greeted her excitedly before rushing into the boutique. He ignored his surroundings and went to the backroom, with the boutique already in the known. Meanwhile, the beauty Elega also walked into the boutique, gracing it even more, and followed the sapphireheaded boy. Fox and Nala had already gone through most of the information, with digital and physical notes taken everywhere. With the other 2¡¯s addition to the teamwork, Fox and Nala had time for some more chocolate. They had a lot of work, too, so it came in handy. Nala stood from being surrounded by many maps and blueprints, with completely filled notebooks piling near her right knee where she had sat cross-legged. She went to the computer room and brought back a large and small hot chocolate. The large went to Fox, while she gave Miros the small one. ¡°Drink up, no one¡¯s leaving until it¡¯s 3 AM.¡± Nala suddenly decided to make up a rule before going back to Fox¡¯s side, crossing her legs half a meter away from him. The evening continued, and night approached. One of many, where they¡¯d make a bit of history. ¡­ 3 days went by like this. The last day of the week, in which Fox had his birthday and was released from preemptive jail, Fox grabbed the documents ¡®his team¡¯ had studied and come up with to the President. He carried with him his huge ball sack to do this so soon after the task was just entrusted to him. He didn¡¯t do it alone. Although it was him who delivered everything, Nala, Miros, and Colmillo were just a step and a half behind him. The rest of Nala¡¯s team could come, but being a special agent didn¡¯t mean knowing everything. Freaks like Nala, Nauer, and Fox were few. For example, Teon was very powerful, and had such potential to grow, but she was barely learning business. The plan for the city was almost over, and it would need further back to back cooperation between Fox¡¯s planning team and Lymoca¡¯s forces. But that was for later. The most important part was to have the President understand what they wanted to do, and get the green light. Fox stood before Luis¡¯s desk, wearing his natural expression, with the other 3 behind him serious, except for Nala. She looked down and bit her lip, hiding her actions from the others¡¯ eyes as Luis went through the several screens from his desk and Fox¡¯s details. ¡°So, this is what you¡¯ve decided on?¡± Luis reclined on his chair and rubbed his forehead before asking Fox. Fox nodded, his hands behind his back. ¡°This is what I have in mind, yes. I recognize other possibilities, slower and much safer, but I want to go with this, President.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say that it¡¯s erroneous, but going with this¡­¡± Luis rubbed his eyes, a bit overwhelmed. He looked up, reclining on his chair again. ¡°It goes straight into¡­ what I¡¯ve been wanting to avoid. It will no longer be my presidency as a proper one in the Humane Key, even if Lymoca is such in appearance. That¡¯ll destroy everything and I won¡¯t have anything to go back with.¡± ¡°Other safe routes might or not be completed before the elections later this year, but mine will complete the necessary result in¡­ 2 to 6 weeks.¡± Fox simply replied. Luis looked at the screens again and pondered. He knew what those words meant. If the long run wasn¡¯t successful, and Luis wasn¡¯t elected for the third time in a row, then it¡¯ll be regressed along with everything else. If he accomplishes it earlier on and doesn¡¯t let the rival candidates use the prolonged, slow deterioration of the city and even the country to exterminate the organized crime, resulting in social stagnation. Then, Luis will instead have a greater factor to become the President again. Not only would he be the first president in Ly history to re-elect, he¡¯d also become the one and only to re-elect twice and thrice successively! ¡°President, it¡¯s your choice,¡± Fox extended his hand, grabbing a small screen, showing a miniature of the capital in its full detail, albeit in a green interface. ¡°You can either continue where you left it, following a notorious and acclaimed path, or just use the power at your disposal.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis looked at the capital¡¯s image, delving into his thoughts. After a while of narrowing his eyes, he eased his eyebrows and eyelids. Looking up at Fox, he set conditions left and right; stern, and as he stood up. ¡°This cannot be accepted nationwide. You will have to show exemplary results from the cleansing of Proteros City. Do that, and you¡¯ll have that operation spread throughout the country.¡± - ¡°Yes, President. I was expecting this much at least. I won¡¯t even need combat choppers.¡± ¡°Mn, good. Even though your target is the organized crime groups, you will prioritize the civilians¡¯ safety!¡± - ¡°It¡¯s already on the plan, President. I won¡¯t deviate from it.¡± ¡°I want an ensured, cooperative communication between all forces. There will be no tolerance for so-called ¡®war crimes¡¯ here, especially not from the Ly forces towards the Lys! Understood?¡± - ¡°With the PSD, all of that is guaranteed, President.¡± ¡°You will come with me to the press conference where I¡¯ll announce it.¡± Luis suddenly said. Fox was about to word a ¡®yes¡¯, when he stopped and jolted his head. The President looked at him sternly and nodded. Fox frowned and shook his head, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You have to show up more. Just having a role and being fought for by so many Lys in the name of emotional justice won¡¯t be the way you achieve their hearts, or votes for me. Although I rather like your dates nowadays, showing you feel and long for the same as any other, you are still under the sight of what you¡¯ve already suffered a defeat.¡± Luis stepped closer to Fox and said. ¡°Not only that, the people don¡¯t know you well. They know your face, your killing likeness, and what things you might not be afraid to make. You have to show you need forgiving as well. No, let me finish,¡± Luis quickly added before calmly continuing. ¡°I have pardoned you, and so has the Supreme Court Justice, but what about the people?¡± ¡°Those guards are still dead, their families may be with full pockets for the next few years, but they are grieving still. Want me to put an entire city in lockdown for a day of hell? Go through one yourself. Also, show them we aren¡¯t just coming after their lives, but the false organizations they gave their lives to without knowing. You¡¯ll meet with Emanuel and Rub¨¦n. You met Rub¨¦n in Coalely, you remember?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Fox looked elsewhere, as if into the distance. Luis ignored it and nodded, ¡°You will also ask for forgiveness for the murder of one of Lesly¡¯s secretaries from back when you saved her.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox tilted his head so much it became a motion to hang it to the side. Nala extended her left hand and pushed it back into position, with Luis holding himself from smiling, blinking profusely for a couple of seconds. ¡°Alright, I¡­ Will that be enough to have my operation followed, ¡®boss¡¯?¡± Fox pushed everything to the back of his head. He couldn¡¯t get distracted when he was this engrossed in machinating an operation for the first time in his fucking life. Luis blinked and threw his eyes to the side, narrowing them in annoyance. ¡°Miros can call me that because I won¡¯t give him a spot in my cabinet until he grows old enough to drink and find a fianc¨¦e. You, on the other, hand, don¡¯t call me that.¡± Fox exaggeratedly blinked and stretched a little, lifting his arms. ¡°You got it, Presi.¡± ¡°Neither that,¡± Luis almost barked at Fox. Fox rolled his eyes a little, cocking his head in an annoyed manner, and extended his hand. The documents would late on pass to the Ly forces. Luis looked at Fox¡¯s hand and shook it, before the latter departed with his team after a nod. While Fox had left, Luis stood rooted on the spot. His eyes went down, his heart beat, but not excitedly or for an unknown reason. He was afraid, but not of Fox or what the PSD was indirectly making him do. He grasped his chin and kept looking down. It was warm outside. The sensation caused Luis to want to end this before it becomes a little cold. His reasoning? He didn¡¯t want the young people in those organized crime groups to flee into their death by freezing in the wild. Luis didn¡¯t want to see this operation turn into a savage war where every little tactic mattered to weaken or defeat the enemy. The president knew what Fox was capable of, of course he knew. No matter how Luis wanted to tell himself that he shouldn¡¯t let that ¡®little devil¡¯ speak to his ears, in his heart, it didn¡¯t seem it like a wrong approach. Even more so, he relied on Fox with this enormous task, believing in him. . . . The days went by, and by, and by. Today was the year 1,026, 2nd month, 1st week, 2nd day. It was 1 day before the cleansing began. During the past several days, Fox and his planning team had become much more cooperative with the army, air force, and national guard. Also selectively informing police forces of the incoming event. For this, a vast investigation was employed. The majorly corrupted authority or force in the nation was the police, from the SPDs more than anything. With the army¡¯s intelligence, together with the police and national guard¡¯s intelligence and records, and even Miros¡¯s information and modified, small drones in the air, things went smoothly. But gathering intelligence was just that, and acting on it was where the real difficulty lied. After establishing communication with all these forces in the first few days, keeping it going after mutually connecting them with each other, all parties focused on solidifying their panoramic view of the city cleansing operation. Even the navy was added to their calls and discussions so they could learn what they did on land to get used to it when the coastal states¡¯ turn came, if successful. ¡­ Chapter 150 — One Step One Step Keeping the communication afterwards wasn''t difficult. It wasn''t obvious before, but the president ensured the navy and army were like cousins holding each other''s hands, intimate but awkward. The national guard, on the other hand, could be well represented in the same scheme as the little cousin both the older cousins didn''t bother with but cared for. The only situation to beware of was the police forces. Those had to be monitored, and with Miros¡¯s addition to Fox¡¯s planning team, it was actually easily achieved. Fox might have noticed Miros was more than a great, advanced technological expert during the first days, but he didn¡¯t know Miros had such grip on the matter of intelligence. No wonder the president was giving him such a short amount of time. Not only did Fox count with the support from the Ly forces, something that was limited still, but he had a little genius in the matters of spying and infiltrating networks and cybersecurity. Furthermore, as a kid who trained in Piya Sanctum District, Miros wasn¡¯t an ordinary civilian. He had breath, and he was a full-fledged special agent, but only as a 2nd Grade ranker, a seconder. And not one of the bests, for that matter. But it wasn¡¯t crucial. Miros¡¯s most advantageous use was from the distance, where he could manage his drones, safeguard intelligence networks, and alert of any major cybernetic attack. Colmillo helped a lot in this, complementing Nala and especially Miros during the planning and gathering intel phases of the operation. Fox mostly focused on reading their findings, curious, possibly useful, pieces of information, and solid results from research. As for sharing ideas, brainstorming in group, and drafting and re-drafting errors or improvements, that was done as a group in discussion. They only rested, outside of planning the operation and managing the received information, a few hours, not even a full third of a day. Colmillo rented a suite in the mega hotel, which Miros conveniently lived with her, but even the dirtiest mind knew nothing happened. Colmillo was well-behaved, and Miros an idiot. Day after day, when the last day of the 1st month arrived, the president posted a short video briefing the severe change about to occur. It was ominous and filled with incertitude. It was a simple, ¡®in 2 days, we¡¯ll talk¡¯ notice, but with the previous times he had to appear¡­ the Teros citizens already felt the need to worry. During that time, Fox went to the boutique to check the shop. Fabiola only had a few minutes of her big brother lately, but she was growing used to it. Besides, she was also a maturing young woman, and who knew of her suitors. The boutique opened with valiant, increased popularity. If Fox¡¯s ¡®calling upon¡¯ 5 millions Lys were enough to gain him the attention of the rest of the 11-story building and district, then the fact he became the first Chief Secretary of Security topped it all from before. It was a delusional understanding, crazy but powerful, at first. Then, as days passed, and there were no incidents, or relieving of such a post to such an inexperienced young man, or a dispute, Fox¡¯s position virtually solidified itself. There were already talks to buy the 5th floor, while the other remained quiet and watched. Those higher and higher up were apartments, as having business so high-up wouldn¡¯t be seen as advantageous, especially when each floor is independent of one another. On the other hand, those people living way above the 4th floor might be more willing to not live where the CSS¡¯s boutique was for a multitude of reasons. The new 2 floors were now available, with the quality and quantity of bundles as good as ever. Furthermore, now there were some dedicated spaces for niche merchandise. What¡¯s more, the prices were a little lower than one might think they would be. The boutique began attracting more clients because of this, making good use of their 4 floors to gobble up these clienteles. While it was still unknown how much would the boutique make at the end of the month, 1 million credits was the attendants, clerks, and the now managed with 15% of the boutique¡¯s profit directly to her pockets; estimate. Fabiola had done well in the boutique, and after getting along for the past few months, they talked a bit more to discuss Fabiola¡¯s payment and integration. Thus, Fabiola became the manager, while ¡®rumors¡¯ of more such posts maybe-maybe becoming available in a not so far but still far future whispering throughout the employees. Nevertheless, Fox was paid 15,000,000 credits as the Chief Secretary of Security, now at full display as he was this close of seeing the magic behind his work, and that of his team, in but less than 24 hours. Therefore, in the year 1,026, 2nd month, 1st week, 2nd day, Luis Heartez prepared a ceremony before making the big announcement. It started in the morning, with the announcement of a final initiative before elections: to return the festivities of the country so they could be full displayed. Nothing like giving food to a starving crowd, and now that the people felt a wisp of their power before, and their new ¡®oppressor¡¯ was just that previous target, they supported the initiative. It was unknown if it would be more than half the people supporting this, but just 30% immediately cheering for it in the first hour it is announced was enough. Which, according to the received intel in real time, might just be the case. Then, after the final initiative¡¯s announcement, in which it included the public festivities returning to all of Lymoca, Fox was put on the pedestal, a moving, ¡®you can hit me¡¯, one. ¡­ First, he met with the mother and children, fathers and grandparents of the guards he killed that night a year and a few months ago. The place Fox was to attend was immeasurably wide. The seats were a square area enough for more than 1,000 people to sit together, with their family or separate. Meanwhile, Fox¡¯s stage was only a few meters long and 2 meters wide. He wore a raven black, humble suit. The podium was tall, but just right for him. The microphone was a traditional one, and there were no banners, symbols, or words behind Fox. It was him¡­ one side with more than a thousand people, hundreds of families, and then him on the other side. ¡°¡­ I have once said I will make it up to you, Lys, for showing me you alone can make a powerful entity, like the Supreme Court Justice, bend its knee. It doesn¡¯t matter whether I included or if others thought I included that night in Sargonde or not¡ª know that I do now.¡± Fox addressed the families before him, silent and criticizing, although some couldn¡¯t help spilling tears. ¡°Not much is known of my person when it comes to my mental health, only that despite the things most of you still don¡¯t know about, I¡¯m as clear and understanding as you are. That makes me an honest person, since I could always fake these words and expressions instead.¡± Fox wore no emotion in his face, only his resting one. ¡°But I do know of loss. Mistakes and urgent tragedies are only this,¡± Fox swung his chin in the air, ending up skylarking. A gulping sound emerged from his throat. ¡°I lost more than someone then, too. Although it was an accident¡­ I never meant to kill any Ly who wasn¡¯t a lagj. Since the moment I participated in the fruit of nature¡¯s event, I aimed for neutralizing non-special agents.¡± ¡°I failed there, my rage and fear impulsed me¡ª I only took the step necessary to continue doing so until there were no more. I am in the wrong¡­ I apologize.¡± Fox looked ahead, focusing on his front. There was only silence, only pain. ¡°I can¡¯t honor them, nor can I reimburse you the pain or their lives. I will, however, fight for you now. It¡¯s okay if you want me to drop to the ground, but just wait until the worst has happened. I can compromise, and I mean to commit myself to this. It might not be my honest intention, but I will drag with me everything I did, and return it to you with the same intensity that I hurt you with, but using love instead.¡± ¡°And please,¡± Fox hurried as soon as he spoke those last few words, seeing a change in the people¡¯s expressions, and their sonorous, beating hearts. ¡°Don¡¯t clap or yell¡­ Make no noise. From my experience, when running from a massacre or watching those close to you fall in one, even hearing it from afar¡­ It can only be well-accompanied with silence¡­ Thank you for listening to my words.¡± Fox walked away from the podium with his chin a bit low, but his head still faced ahead. To his surprise, unexpected and leaving him stunned for a while, some people walked to him from the seats. Most were women, wives or mothers, with few men and other young people. Fox was encircled, but it was the mothers who led their ¡®encirclement¡¯. ¡°Fox, my child was Ignacio Plumez. He has curly hair and es morenito (a little brunet), did you see him?¡± - ¡°My¡­ my girl¡¯s name was Sofia, she always thought of others first, did you¡­¡± - ¡°How did my husband die? Sob, he might have been an idiot but, my husband¡­!¡± - ¡°Short and chubby, a thick ball of curly hair, did you see him? My husband?¡± Entrapped yet maintaining his composure, Fox felt some sneaky news anchors angling their lenses towards him, none from the independent media. But it didn¡¯t matter, for even if these people weren¡¯t convinced to go talk to him like this, Fox would¡¯ve welcomed it anyhow. It was cynical, indeed, but this also worked for him¡­ He never thought about the people he killed in that building. It was one thing for criminals and special agents, but just guards doing their job? The only ¡®sensible¡¯ reason Fox could attribute to an action like this was how he went on cooperative assignations with Nala¡¯s team. They targeted international ¡®thieves¡¯, other SAs.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Could he have felt alien to Lys then? Most likely¡­ but what about now? He changed. Before, he didn¡¯t bother thinking about it, nor them, any Ly. But now¡­ why did he wonder so much of the consequences? It was still not guilt, or duty; he wouldn¡¯t die ¡®for a country¡¯, but rather¡­ work for its people? Fox spent 2 hours like this, ¡®meeting¡¯ the people who wanted to hear it from him. No more systematical responses from living people with a job, or pity and hate-inducing notions from their surroundings. Just the person who hurt them the most letting them face him. He remained in that little corner of this space, his back against the wall. Fox even paid attention to a little girl whose only family, an elder brother, died in his hands. Her speech talking about her brother reminded Fox of someone immediately. It was something she wouldn¡¯t clarify, as the image of the person who initiated the massacre¡¯s misunderstanding flashed in his mind. But he let the girl touch his palm, taking his glove off and holding her little hand like she was a princess. It wasn¡¯t enough, but he could at least do that much. Wanting it or not, as Nala picked one of his suits, a humble suit for this occasion, cameras managed to capture or eternalize his image or breathing moments¡­ appearing¡­ kind. ¡­ Then, Fox met with the family of the man whose head he chopped in the building. Fox was just starting, and the deceased¡¯s family were ordinary businesspeople, but they were so much better than him at this game. He walked onto a wide stage where Roam, representing Luis, and the family of the man he beheaded sat in separate groups. Roam had a few secretaries/receptionists from the main building, while Fox stepped up alone. As soon as he entered the stage, and all sorts of attention went to them, the family stood up and shook hands with Fox. They each tried to bury their pinky fingernail in him, completely avoiding detection from the cameras or reporters¡¯ eyes. When the widow¡¯s turn came, she held his glove tenderly, but Fox could smell a poison rubbing into his skin through the glove. Other than reminding him to research good, daily use bion gloves for future situations like these, to a dangerous level, Fox experienced yet another ugly part of human nature, and the world in general. This event was much shorter, with the family members turning to talk a few words about the deceased husband, father, and uncle. There were no grandparents here, although Fox knew they existed. They semi-advertised their business before leaving the microphone, a luxurious one. When his turn came, the family wanted to see him start puking nonstop, until fainting., but he instead gave a 13-minute speech without sweating a bullet. He spoke of the man¡¯s efforts to work hard for Lymoca, and the vast tragedy that befell him as the consequence of a series of suspicious acts where ¡®one¡¯ had to act in the spur of the moment. Fox held some actual truth to his words. Riverlye wouldn¡¯t get him to kill the vice president and then a random secretary of hers. Silencing? But it wasn¡¯t the man who was suspected of betraying the current presidency, or else, with PSD in Luis¡¯s side and in charge of intel gathering, that man would have never arrived to that position. It was the man¡¯s family instead, whom the Riverlye wanted to send a little message, and that Luis didn¡¯t want to be in close terms with, neither one way nor another. Similarly, PSD¡¯s White Blood has information of this family having shady connections. They weren¡¯t the only ones¡­ ¡­ Next, Fox met with a guy whom he beat the shit out of some time ago, in that fateful alley where Fox had his first massacre; his first hunt. He was that young man, Rub¨¦n. His father, Emanuel, an ¡®ex-¡¯criminal lord of Coalely who stepped down out of safety and his son. According to Luis, and even media rumors, he did it for his country, too. Only Fox knew how fast the man¡¯s heart beat was when seeing him. Fox wondered, was the man was glad to have chosen this path? Emanuel wouldn¡¯t be targeted in less than 36 hours, as these events culminated around 5 PM, after all. At last, Luis addressed the citizens. ¡­ In the center of Proteros City, Lymoca¡¯s capital. In front of the presidential precinct¡¯s southern only gate. With the sun hiding as evening came, the president spoke in front of tens of thousands of citizens. The president stood on a stage almost 3 meters tall, so everyone could look at him, and he them. Behind him were from his left to the right, and from closest to farthest; Lesly, Roam, Fox, Egoaiz Prein, and the rest of his cabinet. ¡°Some weeks ago, you witnessed the capabilities of the ¡®agency¡¯ I have already tried to implement in the nation throughout the 25th.¡± Luis looked around at the few people who came and remained here to hear him. But that was just as well, the less people were in the streets¡­ ¡°Special agents, as we call them,¡± Luis spoke, not knowing the intricacies of what this would entail in the future. The actual future. ¡°They are the next generation of most valuable resources. This isn¡¯t just information taken from the entertainment media, but a truth that I have confirmed and come to respect for years now.¡± ¡°Infrastructure? That¡¯s right, not assassinating my political rivals, or stealing their secrets. I have sent the best of my cabinet to plan for the improvement of the interstate routes connecting the south to the center, but I couldn¡¯t do it choosing the ¡®wrong¡¯ public companies to do it. The very same who have created those roads you know, those residences you know¡ª which either disappeared after a couple of weeks of use or fell down!¡± ¡°Supplies? You have seen it yourselves¡­¡± Luis stared in a certain direction. Everyone knew what was in that direction after the happenings in the city last month. ¡°There, I admit I didn¡¯t expect such vile things. And now, I hope such absurdity will NEVER befall our country again!¡± ¡°You have also seen the social programs¡­ I hate those words after hearing them so many times from the opposition.¡± Luis shook his head, not noticing the clamor his previous statement just caused. It was small, but it was in response to him. ¡°Without a firm hand supervising the use of those tens of billions of credits, I wouldn¡¯t have the face to see you now, as there wouldn¡¯t be any.¡± ¡°This country was corrupt! And I alone was nothing against it!¡± Luis raised his voice¡­ more and more. ¡°But even though not all special agents move for their land, those I know do. And now¡­¡± Luis looked at the people. He knew he should stare at the cameras, as Lesly reminded him, but at this moment, he was in a state of his own world, and he only saw the flesh and blood that share history, origin, and life. ¡°I will show you what their fearsome, now truly lethal, protective side looks like.¡± ¡°By now, the government''s office should have posted an urgent notice. We will place a temporary martial law in the capital. There are instructions there!¡± Luis raised his voice as the tens of thousands before him felt restless. Nobody could blame them. His voice¡¯s volume sudden raise garnered attention before him and on the internet, as it propagated everywhere. ¡°Food, medicine, cloth, water, and a disposable radio have been prepared for every household. You will find yours in the stands at every community.¡± ¡°Follow your obligations as Lys in need and don¡¯t cause trouble for others. Support each other instead. As we speak, the Ly military forces are waiting in position. You will have until 5 AM of the week¡¯s 4th day to return to your home or find a building to hide in. Starting from that day and time onwards, the organized crime is formally recognized as a threat to the security of the people. Every criminal pertaining to those groups, or any other criminal association, might find themselves wanting to surrender yourself to the people: its authority, army, and special agents!¡± ¡°Know that you can, and you will become Lymoca¡¯s prisoner, not a ¡®pariah¡¯, and much less will your nationality be smeared. Those ¡®rules¡¯ from previous administrations were the germ that infected the last sane embers of our country. I hereby decree¡­ such anti-Humane regulations abolished!!¡± ¡°Every criminal who wishes to confess and surrender, do so for your safety! For the love of family! For the people hurt during these hundreds of years! For your blood!¡± - ¡°Lye!!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis suddenly stopped, his face back to its usual: silly. He didn¡¯t expect anyone to say anything, or follow his enthusiasm, let alone¡­ roar? He himself didn¡¯t know why he felt so empowered, at least emotionally. But he couldn¡¯t stop himself. Akin to contractions in one¡¯s torso when shaking before vomiting, Luis continued, awoken by another feverish cry from the crowd before him. ¡°Lye!!¡± ¡°The country has endured this impertinence extending outside our hands, our land, our borders.¡± Luis held the podium¡¯s corners hard, and slightly extended his neck, his sharp gray-black eyes charismatic. ¡°I ask of you to wait and see it for yourself¡­ Lymoca will be respected by both¡ª its sovereignty won¡¯t be tarnished by any foreign hand, nor its very¡ªown¡ªblood!!!¡± ¡°LYE!¡± - ¡°LYE!¡± - ¡°LYE!¡± CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!! CLAMOOOR! CHEEEEEERS! Luis breathed weakly, overexerting himself with shaky emotions. He looked at his side, looking for somewhere, or something. He found Fox¡¯s face, who turned to face him after feeling his gaze. Fox impassively looked at his President, who sweated with widened eyes. Shortly after, a group of people brought tables with documents on top. One was for Fox, and the other for Luis, although the latter also had to go through the former. Fox signed the documents on his side, with Luis signing his decree first. As this happened, an upheaval of emotions occurred nationwide, while everything spread to the rest of the world, faster than imaginable with such blessed social media. Fox stepped back, leaving the pen on the desk, feeling the hot breeze this evening not so unbearable anymore. Luis showed his signed decree with an impassive expression before a person carefully stored it in a top-quality folder and suitcase. Luis walked to Fox¡¯s table and signed it too before showing it to the crowd and cameras, and then turned his head back at Fox out of nowhere. Fox lifted his left eyebrow inquiringly. Luis returned his attention to the front, offering nothing more. Fox stepped forth, and when he neared Luis, the latter placed a hand on his left shoulder blade. CHEEEERS! Cheeeeers~~! Fox politely and then impassively smiled at the crowd. They looked so excited now. Who knows later? He wasn¡¯t like this before being recruited, and he knew many in Preut were similar to them, but here these were, enjoying it not even seeing a thing. Still, this was to be expected. ¡­ An opposition that never expected something like this, shaken to the core and not even knowing where to start. The current government¡¯s administration, which couldn¡¯t contain every feeling of pride and relief they felt when seeing these responses in public and online. A Supreme Court Justice that remained in the shadows. The lagjs who were eerily silent, and hoogs that never appeared in public¡­ And then, the organized crime groups, who would know later on; and once they did, they only had 2 choices. ¡°¡­¡± Fox grinned from the left corners of his lips. ¡®I have to see the calm after the storm.¡¯ ¡­ Chapter 151 — Fresh Air Fresh Air ANS, capital of the leaftree people. In a shop much similar to the Galapesos in Lymoca yet globally known. A blondie with creamy white skin and lake green eyes sat in a chair outside the drinks'' shop, waiting as she saw the night of the city with its sounds and shouts everywhere as per usual but the occasional calmness. The doors opened to her left, as she rested her arms atop the backrest, making her look that way. A black man came out of them, bald and pitch-black eyes. He was a tall, handsome young man. As he came out, he awkwardly brought a couple of beverages and some pastries in a bag in his arms and hands. The woman stood up, and although they were still considerably young, they were of the same 30-40 stage, somewhat similar to Luis Heartez. However, the woman looked slightly older. She stood up to help the black handsome fella, annoyingly expressing her ¡®dissatisfaction¡¯, ¡°Daddy didn¡¯t teach baby boy how to lift things with his own hands? Oww, ¡®emme help.¡± ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t say anything when you were stunned last time. This is how you repay me? Next time, I¡¯ll invite whoever embarrasses you again and let them interview me for 2 hours¡ª I have ammunition in storage facilities you don¡¯t know about.¡± The black young man said, smiling as she took the bag and her beverage. The blondie looked at him with narrowed eyes, but when she drank from her bottle, she relaxed, knowing it was more bantering. Besides, he picked her favorite again, so she¡¯d let it pass, or so she thought. ¡°What¡¯ya think of earlier?¡± She asked him after having a few sips from their drinks. The handsome fella gulped and frowned a bit, ¡°That martial law thing? To hell¡­ who knows what¡¯s happening in a country like that? It¡¯s gotta be so bad.¡± She jumped her eyebrows and drank a bit more, ¡°So far, you are the only one not to directly call them barbarians, and that we should¡¯ve done an intervention a hundred years ago or something.¡± ¡°Hell no, it¡¯s been too much work. What¡¯s a measly show of power or small conquest compared to the¡ª ¡®almighty plan¡¯? It¡¯ll be crazy if the government ever did decide to do that when being so close.¡± The handsome fella shook his head as they started walking on the sidewalk. ¡°Yeah, hey.¡± She nodded and grabbed her bread bun, enjoying the moderate crispy crust on top. ¡°The elder will take the re-elections seriously. You think he¡¯ll really want to stay there, at the very top?¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t eat in the streets,¡± the young man grabbed her bread and placed it back into the bag. She complained, ¡°I am hungry! I couldn¡¯t get out of that beautiful confinement zone for the entire day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s dirty,¡± the young man frowned and looked around with narrowed eyes. Some other people were eating, too, and so enjoying their food. The blondie grimaced, exerting force below her lower lip and looking elsewhere as she complained some more, ¡°Not many know how to make southern bread. This shop being built so near the capitol is a huge ground-heaven.¡± ¡°Yeah, well. Eat when you¡¯re inside somewhere,¡± the handsome fella said before continuing, leaving his slightly older comrade to cross her arms, hungry, albeit not thirsty. He then answered her, ¡°Maybe he will. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad show of prowess and ability to keep on with sudden surprises like that Luis. It¡¯s something that ¡®breaks¡¯ that small agreement, but not completely.¡± ¡°It¡¯s feasible,¡± he turned his head to her, eyebrows a little raised, ¡°with it, they won¡¯t think they can do anything they want like that. Oh, and the people on the other corners of the world will also know not to think this is a sign, or something. We can¡¯t let a thing slip by.¡± ¡°Mmn,¡± she didn¡¯t say anything but nodded, drinking some more. She dropped her previous complaints, and after a little while, she expressed, ¡°So you do ponder or at least think a thing or two about what happened. What would the others be thinking?¡± The young man was Laen Worfield, the ANS representative sent to congratulate Zyckevele¡¯s Lemyonova Morozov, the ¡®daughter of the world¡¯ for her genius and young age years ago. He was now senator, and still for long, but more if the current ANS president continues his presidency. Just a couple of hours ago, when everyone at work in the capitol thought the precinct would be emptied little by little, Luis Heartez¡¯s speech reached them. At first, it seemed only somewhat curious, but by the end of the speech, many found themselves frowning. This was just ANS, who knows what were other countries¡¯ reactions? Not to mention Zyckevele and Knight Assembly Association, but the Moonblue supercontinent¡¯s south¡¯s reactions were even more important. Everyone was put to work at it again, but just as they thought they¡¯d be trapped there until midnight, or worse, they were dismissed. But now, they had a tight schedule ahead of time, of course. ¡°By the way,¡± Laen smiled and looked at his comrade with a big smirk on the left side of his mouth, ¡°Those aren¡¯t ¡®southerner¡¯ sweet bread, they came from Twilight.¡± ¡°No, some came from Twilight during those wanna be conquests, but the Lys down south made their own version. Besides,¡± she grabbed her bitten bread still in the bag and showed it to him, its intricacies. ¡°When one bakes them right, they aren¡¯t flat, nor just filler, and the sweet taste everyone, I, love, is everywhere¡ª not just the crispy crust.¡± Laen Worfield rolled his eyes with a small smile from ear to ear and continued walking. They were heading to their homes, but nothing like comrades supporting each other with some humane, spending time company to feel a bit more motivated to keep the hassle ongoing. *** Lymoca. Onwards to the 4th day of the 2nd month¡¯s 1st week. From the night of the 2nd day, many still didn¡¯t know what was happening, but afterwards, there were many who woke up to ¡®terrible news¡¯ of the authoritarianism finally showing. The president was going to start with the capital, taking control of it and then spread his hands to become the president again and again, truly emerging as the tyrant, the cruel king of all. Naturally, ¡®the¡¯ people came out to the streets to start rebelling with their neighbors, only to find out the information they read was only a part truthful; the fact that the capital would experience a martial law. And that they were the minority. They also found their neighbors and even some patrolling cops to tell them the news from actual, verified sources, and transparency. The capital would experience a martial law, but only for a day, from 5 AM to the next day¡¯s. After that, with all the resources and tips provided to the people, the martial law will be lifted, and the people¡¯s life can return to normal. There were many prohibitions during that time, however, and warnings. While those who were incensed from hearing the larger side of the news still focused on those points to show their dissatisfaction and newfound hatred. But the rest of the civilians were calmer and more reasonable, worried but waiting to see what happened. This was everywhere, but in the capital itself, the people were moving in all places and streets in order and with peace. If there weren¡¯t so many national guard and army trucks around, it might not have been so. There were some instances of young troublemakers, which were immediately preemptively jailed. As an extra note, the SCJ building was surrounded by some vehicles, too. This martial law wasn¡¯t a joke, and from the morning of the 3rd day, the people began to focus in garnering their supplies and contacting their loved ones. They wanted to tell them everything was fine¡­ and that they hoped it will continue to be. The night of the 3rd day came, with little to no activity in the streets, and only lights turned on in the buildings, but that would change soon, and those who remained awake might be too afraid to keep them on. Slowly, the 3rd day was left behind, with Lymoca welcoming the 4th. During the 3rd day, from morning to night, the neighboring countries to the south expressed their views on this, while ANS and the rest of the world remained silent. Cors, Collan, Preato, Argopolas, and Mount Veneta publicly relayed their profuse concern but support, giving the president the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, Terka, Torka, and Cerka showed varying, disagreeing views and almost ¡®ordered¡¯ Lymoca to take these matters seriously, not to indulge in the caprice of one before the elections. Practically, giving to understand that the current president would lose his seat.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. This resonated strongly, be it in the south or in Lymoca, gaining quite a few sentences and nods from people. But compared to them, the positivity from Pyot Island, Meztle Island, Endesa, Carnge, and Melenon came like a bouquet of roses to a beaten girlfriend stuck with a toxic boyfriend, or vice versa. In a press conference before the 3rd day¡¯s night, Luis ignored the negativity, thanked the positivity from its neighbors and further discussed a future yearly event to participate in army and naval exercises. As for the rest, Luis welcomed their doubts. It was during the night of the 3rd day, where Luis couldn¡¯t sleep, that he felt the heaviness from his speech before, and that it reached the entire world. There were some light, brief discussions of what he did, even in Zyckevele¡¯s parliaments, and the Nation State of Safe Haven City. Lymoca was known everywhere. If not for their history of such civilized engineering and firm, public-aligned ideals from yore; it was their brutal conquest to the nowadays ¡®untouchable¡¯ ANS. While Luis had attended some business to deal with other countries¡¯ trading agreements, continuation, and even events to invite them or send delegates to, he didn¡¯t know¡­ Only now did the lingering importance of his country, which he¡¯s led for 12 years soon, in the rest of Resilient weighed down on him heavier than several mountains. ¡­ Thus, the time neared ever closer. While Luis remained awake, with Lesly, Roam, his sister, and a few more by his side, Fox stood on the tallest building in the south of the capital city. Wheeeesh, whoosh, whoosh, wheeeeesh~¡­ The night was strangely breezy. A bit fresh and cold, but still polluted. Fox stood atop a building and looked down at the night city, with many lights that were previously on off, and with some whispers in between. There were clearly some people who wanted to see what could happen. Time was coming closer to meeting the ¡®deadline¡¯, but the streets remained mostly empty, with the vehicles from the army and national guard remaining immobile. They were a bit smart, but dumb anyways. As Fox relaxed, with a new weapon hanging from his right shoulder beside his arm, and his left foot on an instrument from inside the building, a noise sounded gently behind his right. He didn¡¯t turn to watch Nala walk to him, wearing red paint and both inner and outer uniform for today. Fox did the same, not using his well-known suit. What was on his hand was what only the army had the luck to have. The D/LM, DM or LM, or just DLM. It was the Dust/Light Moon, the heaviest yet most penetrating assault rifle of the western supercontinent. It had an orange-brown underside, slightly obscure, and a nearly black green, that could be also blue or yellow, as its main color. It is a rifle assault as default, with an effect range of 780 meters and a feed system of 90 bullets in a slightly thick box magazine. The magazine has a distinctive function. It could hold more bullets due to its interiors, moving bullets whenever another one is being used without disrupting the immediate quick fire rate in case of need, but it could also get jammed. Although the probability was minimal, it could still happen, and for that, there were small ¡®sticks¡¯ camouflaged and attached to one of the magazine¡¯s sides. One could pull a stick out and arrange the insides by rubbing its side. It required one¡¯s accustomed mindset to employ the technique well. The funny thing, and one which the eastern supercontinents still don¡¯t know how it came to be, was that it could become a submachine gun. One has to activate its mechanical function and pull out its gunstock, extending it as well as rearranging the DLM. It is the reason why it is so heavy despite having not so much equipment added to it, always looking quite simple. The submachine mode also reveals a handle and a light, super digital, hologram-like sight, whose battery lasts 13 hours. It can only be recharged with a smallish Pugor battery. Its overall structure becomes slightly thicker, as if developing muscles. Its effective range is 350 meters, whereas it can unload all 90 bullets in a much faster speed, albeit not as fast as the SS, Solstice of the South, which is Twilight¡¯s developed firearm. One could switch its magazine mode, using only 30 and then wait a couple of seconds for it to immediately recharge automatically; but it was all depending on one¡¯s comfort. Fox could now use one, for free, with Nala, and some other District SAs being granted the same chance. Only the national guard couldn¡¯t use these, while the soldiers all had one. They all had to go through rigorous training just for the sake of holding the DLM, let alone its mastering. ¡°Hey, all monsters are in their den. Ready to move out when you give the order.¡± Nala murmured under her breath, letting only Fox hear him. ¡°How is Bluebug?¡± Fox asked, lifting his face a little as 4:59 AM finally hit. Nala nodded slowly, ¡°Anxious. The boy is waiting to do this right. He is only worried there might be some expert throwing cyberattacks when or before we do this. He¡¯s on high alert.¡± ¡°Criminal technology or foreign?¡± Fox asked again, his arms crossed as Nala stepped forth to stand beside him, rubbing her left shoulder on his side. ¡°The latter.¡± ¡°Mnn,¡± Fox made a ¡®pu¡¯ sound before humming. He looked at his woman, who looked up at him naturally. Leaning his head on hers, together, they turned to the city, with White Bloods hanging from the sides of the building, at the top. They didn¡¯t have an issue staying like that for hours, let alone half an hour by now. They were shadowed by the night, and even in light, they¡¯d be unseen. Soon, the time to act arrived. 5 AM of the 4th day. But Fox didn¡¯t give the order. Nala separated her head from his shoulder for a moment, looking up at him in askance. A few seconds was all she needed to know she didn¡¯t have to ask him what was going on, and returned her head to his arm, nuzzling a bit. In the presidential precinct, Luis looked at the enormous, thin TV screens depicting the southeast and southwest, wondering why there was nothing at all. The comms were open for him to hear, although only from the higher ups, meaning Fox was silent on purpose at these moments. Some other screens with people sitting before them checked the incoming comms from the rest. When Proteros welcomed 5:01 AM, Fox made another ¡®pu¡¯ sound, which Nala separated from his body with, and straightened her back. The strap on her back pulled her assault rifle, almost as if sticking it to her back. Fox did the same to his and pressed a small device¡¯s button with his right thumb, which he destroyed afterwards in a tight grip. Step! He placed strange covers for his fingers with what looked like solid and flexible transparent silver plastic, and stepped towards the edge. Before impulsing his body into the air, he crouched, grabbing something from under his ribs at his back, and kicked the rooftop. Nala and the other White Bloods followed, with many people on the ground rushing to the other side of the street with them, making no sound. Fox¡¯s right hand held onto a device, looking like a gun with its mouth spitting a rope, whose end was already embedded into the rooftop he just jumped from. Nala was the same, and the White Bloods had similar equipment attached to the sides of the building. Furthermore, they weren¡¯t the only ones in the city. The rope rapidly exited the gun, but it wasn¡¯t a free force. It was somewhat restrained, generating a thin stream of smoke at the muzzle. Unnoticeable in the night or day. It slowly halted their strong impulse as they headed to another, smaller building. Slowing their planning speed. When they neared it, they pulled the ropes from the building they jumped off from, with the other end retracting to let go of their hold. Meanwhile, Fox and the others used their fingers to search for a spot, with the tip of their shoes having the same gut bions, guts. Prr- sswuup! Swwuup! Fox¡¯s fingers hit a smooth wall, while others held onto a protruding structure or the sill of a window. His shoes also hit a smooth surface, while the others held onto one or stepped on a structure. Some also didn¡¯t get a good spot, but like him, they didn¡¯t just fall and cry to their deaths. Like cheetahs running in the wild, Fox lifted and lowered his limbs, impulsing himself as his fingertips and the tips of his shoes sucked the air between them and whichever surface. The non-unlucky ones immediately climbed, agilely getting to the rooftop while Fox and the others struggled still. Their guts kept sticking their bodies to the wall, climbing until finding a good stop to dash upwards. Fox wanted to use his ultra nails, but he did the same as everyone else until he arrived at the rooftop. When he did, the others were already jumping to the next building. Meanwhile, there were shouts and gunshots behind from the ground to higher floors behind him. ¡°Stop right there! You are under arrest!¡± - ¡°Why are you people here!? I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± - ¡°Baby, what¡¯s going on?¡± - ¡°You are a fucking recruiter, miserable fuck. To the ground! One way or another!¡± - ¡°What? You can¡¯t bring me awa-¡± Bang bang, trrr trrrr rrr¡­ The martial law had started. Just as many people suspected and were fearful about, whether it was themselves or their immediate neighbors, soldiers and/or the national guard rushed into certain houses or apartments. After some talks, either one of two things happened. Gunshots descended, scaring the living hell of others, or there was silence, followed by a slamming door quickly after. The time has come, and it wasn¡¯t simple for anyone. Any building that had people that the army or national guards were looking for were raided simply and selectively, with utmost precision. It wouldn¡¯t be known to others, but the residences which some chose to not remain in were ignored, known with the PSD intelligence and Miros¡¯s sneaky, further detailed methods. The arrested were brought to the police, ready to take them all to specifically prepared facilities to pre-emptively jail them all. They weren¡¯t that many, but not a small quantity neither. Additionally, they were supervised by drones, which they didn¡¯t know if it was that ¡®unknown¡¯ agency or the government guarding against possible corruption. Things started. Proteros south became noisy, with many vehicles seemingly appearing out of nowhere, driving into the streets and leaving off some soldiers or national guard elements with the police. After the arresting, the vehicles who dropped people returned and brought them away, just in time to encircle and raid a building or space. After some time, when the soldiers and national guard left, arresting or after killing presumably criminals, some people wanted to come out. Few actually did, getting arrested by the patrolling police elements. Those who didn¡¯t but started feeling better that nothing happened to them, and everything seemed to end soon, were ruthlessly awoken sober from thinking they lived a perfect world all along. ¡°Come out and surrender! You have 15 seconds to sound your mind! Lymoca¡¯s army will enter in that time and bring you down!¡± - ¡°Step out and surrender, you have 15 seconds! Dare you fucking stay like that and we¡¯ll put you to the ground! A ver perros, what is your choice!?¡± Incredibly rough, uncaring shouting was followed by an eerie silence after a series of arresting or killing in the buildings. Some buildings were unfortunately the focus of these actual raids, with more than a few dozen military elements preparing to enter in no time. When the people, innocent civilians, thought they were safe and barely heard this shouting in the distance or nearby, they paused. Thus, unfortunately for the Lys, most of them had to hear a gunfight that lasted approximately between a minute and 10 minutes, with some vehicles rushing into the distance. But the latter weren¡¯t military vehicles fleeing. Instead, they were chasing those the Ly forces saw fleeing from the distance, or received a report from a drone or a scout. It was all a synergized, conjunct operation with possible cases well-thought-out. And this had just started. ¡­ Chapter 152 — The City… Is Cleansed! The City¡­ Is Cleansed! The rear was busy with the army and national guard moving about, but the ''front'' was rapidly advanced by the PSD. While the rear became noisy, the front also caused some noise, slowly spreading from the east to the west, and advancing as quickly s possibly to the north. The PSD members saw some people outside, which Whites arrested before finding out most of them were criminals. Thus, with a few warning shots after arriving at every district, the rest were up to be killed or injured with gunshots. This wasn¡¯t just Fox or a limited area of operation, but the entire city. PSD SAs moved everywhere. Fox¡¯s possible ascension to the Raging Blood was no secret, and the District all knew what was at stake for the country. This brought unprecedented thrive for the Piya Sanctum District special agents! Fox was one of many moving to the front. He supervised everything happening around him, and more with Miros¡¯s drones relaying all crucial reports to him. The SAs used WID to exchange information in such combat-ready zones, and through fast mobilizations. Bang! Bang! Bang! Fox kneeled on a rooftop, unseen by the group of criminals who received calls of their fellow bandits south from here and planned to escape beforehand. Who could have known that the martial law thing was actually real!? After shooting 3 in the back, breaking apart their bodies and leaving a hole in the middle, with not an untouched organ and a missing vertebral column, Fox checked his sides. Nala had just landed after ¡®clearing¡¯ a part of the city where criminals were hurled and wanted to face the government, not knowing they were meeting the PSD first. Thus, they were rapidly killed, but this slowed her down a few seconds. After an hour, hundreds of PSD agents were everywhere on the rooftops, through the buildings, the streets, and hiding in the houses, firing from the windows, corners, large letters. Anything. It was still a dark sky above everyone, and the operation wasn¡¯t even an hour old, so the criminals weren¡¯t so sure they had to flee, believing they could hide. That was at least so for most of them, who heard gunshots and bodies plummet right after before they were seen and directly massacred. Nala nodded at Fox, the team members following after her and landing on the rooftop a second later. They joined the fray, and specifically their zone, 15 minutes after the operation began. Fox tilted his head before continuing, kicking the ledge with the gun shooting rope and hooking at the cement, landing on a window¡¯s sill before climbing upwards to continue the race to the north. ¡­ The purge continued. Fox didn¡¯t have to command at all. The enemy, the target, was only the organized crime, not something that compared to the secret world, so to speak. In just 3 hours, a fifth of the city was checked by Ly forces alike, with aerial vehicles checking for any criminal activity, and scaring them from taking any route near them. With this, as planned, the criminals were forced to a narrowed, stretched path. The city was empty, nothing at all moved, except the organized crime and Ly forces. All sorts of young, old, and male and female were targeted and shot down. The best of it? They didn¡¯t even know who was after them. They were aware of that ¡®agency¡¯, but the efficiency it had was far too supernatural. No matter how they looked back while fleeing, those who took cars turning into beehives after a few seconds, they couldn¡¯t see who shot. Moreover, anyone who turned their heads was a definitive dead criminal. It was like one of the special agents chasing them waited for someone to look back to kill them, ruthless and quirky, but efficient. The criminals were forced to flee one street, one block, after another. Their backs exposed, swiftly massacred by one or 2 shots, never 3. The PSDs could make tiny errors, causing someone to not die or be detained with ease, but they would not ¡®have fun¡¯ while working. Even Fox didn¡¯t play around when he was performing his tasks, he had his fun and fill of blood, but he didn¡¯t play with the targets or irregularities. Let alone these Whites, Greens, and Reds overall. The PSD had many Green, White, and Red Bloods, but not as many 1st Grade as 2nd or 3rd Grade special agents. Reds were the ones who had the most free time, followed by Whites. On the other hand, many Greens are stationed in Lymaospas¨®. Regardless, not everyone was a firster, so PSD spread those they could operate with throughout Lymoca. All colors merged in the line of the advancing PSD, forcing all those criminals, which weren¡¯t that many, to the north. And at this moment, with the PSD chasing down criminals, and the Ly forces not too far behind, the organized crime responsible for Proteros City¡¯s ¡®businesses¡¯ went on its highest alert. At the north of the city, far from the HQ of the Yopbartes gang, the organized crime group that has Proteros, Pretetl, and most of T¨²acan as ¡®its¡¯ territory. Their HQ is at Pretetl, in one of its abandoned rural zones up north towards the center. Years ago, with the successful ¡®entry¡¯ into the capital city after their movements in the Proteros state, the gang leader wanted to slowly move the HQ into the capital. It was a risky, dumb move, but it could happen after gaining experience around Proteros¡­ and knowing its corruption levels. At this moment, however, in one of the mansion ¡®safe houses¡¯ within the capital under the Yopbartes gang, the leader and his direct subordinates were sweating and afflicted. The news from the south of the city brought them imminent despair. ¡°What do you know now?¡± Their boss, a fellow who always sweats, now even more sweaty, nodded upwards at his subordinates and asked. One of them stepped forth, a man with slightly dark brown skin, dark brown hair, charming black eyes, and of regular height. The leader lifted an eyebrow and expectantly nodded upwards again, ¡°Lt San?¡± ¡°Commander, they are getting massacred, it isn¡¯t anything we thought, not even the worst!¡± Lieutenant San explained, showing distress in his expression. ¡°I saw some videos they took before someone got hit or something. Even when we are fighting back, we don¡¯t know where they are. If they really come here¡­ they¡¯re trying to erase us from the city!¡± ¡°No mames!¡± The leader, Commander, punched a table on his rear without a second thought. With wide eyes, he looked at the other 2 and exclaimed, demanding something from them. ¡°Rey, Chavito! Speak, perros pendejos! They are trying to take us out! Don¡¯t let them, you dogs!¡± ¡°Commander.¡± The guy called ¡®Rey¡¯ was a white, bald short man with lots of wrinkles in his forehead when he raised his eyebrows, looking distressed. He seemed afraid to speak, and his eyes were fidgety. ¡°We have to move, the entire army is upon us! We can¡¯t even move that much anymore, and if they cut¡­ if they surround the city, we¡¯re over!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Commander barked in fury before looking at the remaining lieutenant who gulped but didn¡¯t seem afraid. If anything, he was hesitant until now. ¡°Commander, we do need to leave¡­ There are no allies amongst ¡®thieves¡¯. If we are forced out of our territory, we¡¯ll step right into the others¡¯ hands, and we¡¯ll all get killed. With our strength, we would get sandwiched at most.¡± Chavito, who just spoke, was a very tall, brown man with military hair of the same color as his skin, and muscular. He looked at Commander, who was a brown, bald man with small black eyes and tall. He was brawny, though a little thick, and right now looked like he went for a couple of swims, yet his clothes remained half dry. ¡°Nah, listen,¡± Commander spoke and shook his head with newfound calmness. ¡°We have always put those putas down. We¡¯ve touched hands with every one of them! We didn¡¯t lose completely to none of them! This is the government, but so what?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t we killed hundreds of their whore soldiers over the years? Haven¡¯t we infiltrated and made contacts with the shitty polies? We use everything we have. Since they want a day to finish us up and out of their little house, we¡¯ll stand for a month! We¡¯ll see if this puto president can continue his little games of a fucking martial law. Send my voice, now¡­¡± ¡­ It began as a bloody morning, and the sound of helicopters, drones, and warnings from whichever: the army, NG, or police; the population holed in their houses, too afraid to even stand up. From morning to noon, and from noon to the afternoon. 10 hours have passed since the start of the operation. At this time, Luis received numerous letters from the neighbors down south, exclaiming their surprise and to know if they Lymoca was alright. There was an internet block in the city, but not Proteros. Any news anchor could fly up a helicopter and try to get a good sight of what was happening. Because, today and further, only the Ly forces¡¯ aerial vehicles were allowed in the capital city¡¯s aerial space. The news anchors could rapidly close in, still far from the city, and use their fanciest cameras, but very few would gain something out of it.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. With the desire to gain money from it, they of course send it to the neighbors. They didn¡¯t even have to ¡®sell¡¯ it, as they were already paid to pass it on. Furthermore, asking for money in this case was just abusing one¡¯s leverage and playing it risk with the head of state of a nation. Moreover, just the combat choppers overseeing the outskirts of the capital city were enough to scare these news anchors, let alone when they came flying towards them. Luis responded to them. The negative ones were, again, ignored. The ¡®neutral¡¯ were given a short and understandable response. On the other hand, the letters from the positive parties towards Lymoca were not only addressed, but he called them to show he was alright, and that the city was in no danger. The situation continued, and the city was only some hours from being freed, with the PSD members being caught up by the other Ly forces, slowing down in their chase. Fox waited on a rooftop ahead of the hundreds of agents hanging from the sides or on the rooftops of buildings a few streets behind him. The number of criminals were almost 2,000 now, all running to the north with shaky shoulders, folded arms, limp hands, and wobbly heads. ¡°Come on, little rata! Hurry, hurry! You¡¯re getting slower!¡± - ¡°Hey, youuuu! That one! Why are you running!? You can just kneel and surrender, you know!?¡± - ¡°Who¡¯s tired? Who wants a drink? Come and stop for iiiit~!¡± - ¡°They¡¯re still running! My heavens, are they all the future Raging Blood¡¯s bastardly sons and daughters? Such genes!¡± - ¡°Hahahahahaha¡­¡± - ¡°Hahaha! Guys, help. The representative is looking at me¡­¡± The Greens, Whites, and Reds were having fun while watching the criminals go. They had become so slow that they literally had to stop for half an hour or something. Besides, the PSD shouldn¡¯t continue without the other Ly forces. It wasn¡¯t a merit campaign, and they needed those good points for the others. ¡°Motherfucker! Run, run, RUUUUNNN!¡± - ¡°Why are you running now? EH!? Why are you just running!?¡± - ¡°Don¡¯t you have a fucking gun there!?¡± - ¡°Too putas afraid to use it, motherfuckers!?¡± - ¡°Don¡¯t run, malcriado! Bastardos hijos de perra(bastardly sons of a bitch)!¡± - ¡°I hit him! Hahaha, I hit him!¡± - ¡°Me too, me too! Let me, hey!¡± - ¡°Hahaha, run, little shit!¡± - ¡°Ruuun!¡± That being said, while the SAs were just resting and waiting for Fox to give the order to resume, bored and aiming at the criminals¡¯ backs from afar, the citizens of the capital had something to say. Seeing the situation, with the criminals¡¯ slow ¡®march¡¯, and the special agents who have been killing them remaining behind, they became emboldened. One threw some garbage, another stones, others tough or sharp ceramics. Then, when one used a whole regular-sized trash bin to knock a criminal on the streets, the rest followed. A hurl of strikes became mandatory, turning this fleeing march into the walk of shame of hundreds of criminals. Those to the front realized fast and joined the community event. The PSD were taken aback, not expecting this, and had to slowly advance to protect the citizens in case the criminal scum grew balls against those without triggers to pull. The sight of thousands and thousands of hidden, resting special agents coming to light and walking through the rooftops, strangely leaping from one building to another, and sliding through their sides appeared everywhere. Instead of looking strange, it felt a bit¡­ serious. Just watching dozens of people easily move through buildings like spiders through a room¡¯s corners mollified the citizens who were no longer in reach to throw shit at the bandits. However, there had to be limits, and whenever something that shouldn¡¯t have happened occurred¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Fox emotionlessly watched a young man get struck with a heavy clothes iron to the head. Blood and organ matter existed from his nostrils. He pointed to the window where he calculated it came from, with some drones above the PSD SAs, and ordered Miros, ¡°Mark that one. Manslaughter.¡± ¡°Got it, boss!¡± Miros responded. He might not be affected by it, but he felt it. Nala unconcernedly leaped through the buildings, when she suddenly snapped and aimed her LM and fired. Bang! A criminal who had just turned around was shot in the head, about to lift a rifle. It fired off a little before another SA aimed and broke it apart, blasting both parts to the sides with another DLM. The evening sky welcomed more and more darkness as some criminals were left behind, with nobody supporting each other, only keeping the group alive for better survival. Now, those who thought about splitting thanked their sluggishness for impeding them from doing so earlier. The criminals continued fleeing¡­ but those slightly more to the north were already hopeless. ¡­ Commander was picking his stuff, getting everything ready with the room dark and lonely. It suddenly opened, showing Lt San, who checked for his boss before nodding. ¡°Ready, Commander Don. We¡¯re leaving in the bikes in no time, with nobody ahead. We can leave, let¡¯s hurry! Before they send someone after us!¡± Commander paused, nodded, and continued packing before leaving with Lt San to meet with the others. They had tried everything. Getting their remaining people guarding around their future-to-be HQ to arm themselves, something no longer possible. To contacting their contacts, which ended up as a failure. When they managed to get to someone, all they got in response is ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ and ¡®I can¡¯t do anything¡¯. They had to leave, there was nothing else from them in this hell of a city. Wishing every gas conduct could just explode the city to bits, Commander Don left with his Lts. ¡­ 4 hours later, entering the deep of the night. Fox stood atop the last rooftop in sight, with special agents stacking everywhere to his sides, resting at last. Nala and the team were on the same rooftop, and Colmillo with them. Of the firsters who participated in this operation, about half of them were breathless by now, with the other half remaining stable and up for more. Not everyone was at the level Nala¡¯s elite team was, and even the elite team Nauer leads had half its members wheezing for air and sweating so heavy it was humiliating. Not one of them in particular, though. Teon. Nauer looked at Teon, who seemed relaxed and even a bit¡­ bored? He observed and analyzed her, but she really didn¡¯t have the same nature as Fox. Looking at Fox, Nauer noticed the differences so obviously. With Fox, it was like he was seeing another body. Not so ¡®not human¡¯, but rather¡­ ¡®another type of human¡¯. And not necessarily in differences like ethnicity, but¡­ from the very inside, like his bone structure, skin, and even blood were different. Still the same, human, but different. Nauer wouldn¡¯t beg for forgiveness to Teon, much less show ¡®his place¡¯ by bossing Teon even when she was so meek and efficient. That wasn¡¯t the way a leader was, and not even Nala or Fox would do those if something as unnecessary as what Nauer did to Teon occurred. Setting his gaze on her again, Nauer nodded a few times, causing her to feel it and dart her eyes around before eyeing him, befuddled. He saw her outlined body. Arms, legs, slender muscles on those parts, shoulders, ribs, hips, pelvis¡­ It all matched the humanness he was used to. Thinking it was right, Nauer casually walked to her, voicing, ¡°Hey, you¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± On the other hand, Fox looked around, watching as the combat choppers followed the criminal scum, and the army exited the city, passing by the outskirts as the people living in it cheered to the top of their lungs. This¡­ was the first time Fox saw people genuinely cheer on the forces of an army. He saw it himself, in person, so he heard the heart coming out of their throats as they yelled and thanked them. He could also ¡®see¡¯ the waves of their sounds as some extended their arms out, just wanting to touch some of the walking patrolling soldiers or national guard elements. The sight was brand-new, even if not unimaginable nor unique in the history of humanity. Thus, Fox could see their strong, budding emotions. ¡°It¡¯s completed¡­ 4 hours before the time limit.¡± Nala stepped forth and stood beside him. Fox said nothing, still looking around. She glanced at him by slightly tilting her chin to the left, eyeing him with the corners of her eye sockets. ¡°What is it?¡± Fox grinned. She already knew, but the cheeky woman just had to ask him. He lifted his right hand and grasped her chin, his touch was gentle and warm. Nala was imperturbable to him, though. Looking at her wonderful eyes, he mouthed, ¡°I just liked doing this. Nothing more.¡± ¡°Nothing, eh?¡± Nala¡¯s eyes narrowed, her left eyebrow raised. She closed her lips to his arm, quickly kissing his uniform before staring ahead. She was seen, but there was no way in hell anyone dared to look a second longer. ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± Fox then lifted his left arm in a slow motion, holding another, similar smallish device from before. A simple box with a thin button. The eyes of the special agents moved to him, all firsters became focused, looking at the source of their achievement. Then, he pressed it before turning it into smithereens. ¡°WUUEEEEH¡­¡± - ¡°RRAAAAAA¡­¡± CHEEEEERS¡­ CHEERS¡­ CHEERS¡­~! It was the first time in more than 200 years that the Piya Sanctum District was no longer a hidden nest of rats observing the land they lived in massacred slowly by the people governing it. They had finally acted, shown themselves¡­ They were now here for their homeland. Fox looked down at his left thumb, his eyes were on the burning marks that burnt through his gloves. That little thing was mighty enough so that nothing wrong could be done to the highest command¡¯s orders. Although there were more options in case there was miscommunication. ¡°Hey!¡± Fox exclaimed dotingly, turning his head to Nala, who kidnapped his left hand and observed his thumb¡¯s yolk up close. Her widened gray, light blue eyes fully opened before she side-looked at him with narrowed eyes. Nala traced Fox¡¯s thumb on her lips before letting go of it. Then, he just stared at her as she faced the night sky and the beautiful nature below it. ¡­ In the presidential precinct. Luis, Roam, and his entire cabinet were celebrating the news. The small, encased bulb that has been lightless for about 20 hours had finally been lighted! Luis had to write a public statement, but the celebration was just starting! Just as Roam became the beacon for some to praise their president endlessly, knowing he didn¡¯t respond well to those, and Butler smirked before looking through the window as if he could see something else. Luis and Lesly were unknowingly drawn to each other. While Luis was still a complex relationship status in his cabinet despite their trust and actual belief in what he¡¯s doing and wants to achieve, as he grinned in contented exuberance, Lesly hugged a few women. And as they turned to watch the rest of the celebration, with Luis looking around at his desk, and Lesly with no more shoulders to hug, their eye sockets aligned with the most comfortable silence. It was just like a force field ushering silence everywhere from above around them, despite the dozen others in the room. Lesly stepped to him like a skipping child, only she did jump in her steps a little, arriving before him before both could realize. Fortunately, there was no awkward, sudden realization that¡¯d make both want to crush their glabella with a fork, a plastic fork. Lesly¡¯s hands moved to his jaw, and Luis stood there like a fool with no motion. Their chins bumped into each other, both sets of lips meeting meat, and their noses breathing in, long and soothingly, before breathing out hard and again a bit hard in. It was their waltz of the least important kind, but it felt like the best celebration they had. The others¡¯ mood couldn¡¯t compare to this. They separated soon after, but not as if electricity crashed between them. No, instead, they were more like magnets that were forcefully pulled away by the hands of confusing serendipity. ¡­ Chapter 153 — Proteros… We Can Do It! Proteros¡­ We Can Do It! In the residences of the capital city where people were awake all night, unable to sleep until they saw that, as promised, the martial law would be lifted at 5 AM. They still didn''t dare to come out, even as the radios proportioned by the government, the army and NG, notified with the news of the threat being cleansed off the city. A few hours later, around 7 AM, people began to step out of their houses. 1 hour might be not too early but not enough time yet, so they waited around 2 hours before coming out. As they did, they found many nurses, doctors, and even surgeons standing at the stands of their communities. The Lymocan authorities could have done this, but dealing with the situation, anyone could figure this approach to welcome the citizens back to their ordinary lives would be better. It didn¡¯t take a 12 years old as president to figure this out. The people walked out afraid, hesitating in case something happened to them, but seeing those stands made them excited. Without thinking, they ran to the hospital usual employees and asked a ton of things. While answering them, the volunteers constantly reminded the citizens to grab a portion of each. Food, water, medicine, cloth, and a small letter of apology¡­ from the president himself! Furthermore, those who worried about their every day¡¯s work were the first to notice something, around 9 AM, where most communities had picked their supplies and the stands giving them went away. The internet returned, and their credits were replenished with 2 days¡¯ worth of their daily wage. All directly from the government. ¡°Oh my heaven! Thank you so much!¡± - ¡°It¡¯s nothing, ma¡¯am, come along and take your rations.¡± - ¡°Is everything over then? Do we get to live like¡­ usual now?¡± - ¡°Yes, sir. Haha, we did win. There is no more organized crime in the city, the president will give a press conference soon that¡­¡± - ¡°Oh, you¡¯re such angels!¡± - ¡°It¡¯s nothing, ma¡¯am. The soldiers and national guard elements did everything, really.¡± The hospital workers were being as sincere as they could. Being called in the middle of the night, while the martial law was still exerting its curfew, they were a bit terrified. But before 4 AM, from the south to the north of the city, more than half the medics, assistants, and high-profile surgeons attended the call. With such a mobilization, if the other lesser half didn¡¯t react in kind, and it was noticeable, that would just be humiliating in many forms. With the taken measures, not much footage of the stands were taken, if only by the people receiving supplies and others who wanted to make a quick buck to some news reporters. It could be seen that the hospital workers delivered those goods for their concern of the people, and that even the letter the president presumably wrote was something they ensured everyone took. Regardless, while many of these letters were exposed in social media as soon as the internet returned, and Proteros City returned to the online socialization of the Lymocan internet, the president prepared for a big announcement. ¡­ It was just past 12 AM, when a few million people watched the transmission begin from different platforms. He was in his office still, with Roam just leaving as Lesly decided to step towards him. Circling around his chair, she helped him with his suit and tie from behind, letting her hands and wrists graze his shoulders and neck from time to time. As Luis felt his tie well-accommodated and checked twice, he held her right wrist and triggered a weird silence for a few seconds. Luis then spoke, ¡°Lesly, about yesterday, I¡­¡± ¡°No, look. It just happened. And it was as simple as just talking with a cold one with some pals, look,¡± Lesly lifted Luis¡¯s chin, revealing his neck as she lowered her head. She pecked his lips with hers, looking at his astounded yet non-fleeing eyes, inadvertently licking her lips. ¡°See? Nothing to think about, just normal.¡± Lesly said before lowering her head again, pecking his lips, although a few unnoticeable milliseconds longer. Their lips¡¯ skin dragged each other a bit when she pulled back up. She remained calm. ¡°Were you saying?¡± ¡°I was¡­ going to say, hey, I don¡¯t¡­ mind.¡± Luis said with eyes wide open. Lesly blinked, pulling her lower lip into her mouth to nibble a loose piece of hardened skin. She nodded a few times, convincingly expressing, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Just like that.¡± ¡°And if¡­ you do¡­ think about doing something¡­ like I am.¡± Luis focused his every bit of attention on reading her every expression as he continued. ¡°Then do know I would¡­ most like that, too.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Lesly absentmindedly uttered. Her eyes widened a bit, focusing after losing some light, and barking as she held his face gently, unbeknownst to only her. ¡°I mean, no. Eh¡­ yes! There are so many things going on, and who knows how hefty the rest of the year will be? There¡¯s got to be something that those lunatics will put up with, at the very least. Nobody knows what would happen in the world. It¡¯s better if we concentrate first. Then, when we¡¯re like¡­ 3 years into the next term, we can focus on¡­ other things.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis looked at Lesly run her mouth nonstop. When she finished, her eyes were fidgety, glancing around his office and back at him nonstop. Luis gulped before agreeing, ¡°You''re right, Lesly. There¡¯s no need to rush anything now, and I don¡¯t want to just throw something at the pot and hope the potion will be perfect. But I do want you to know that¡­ I do this knowing my little wife will be glad to see I am¡­ true to my emotions even after she left me.¡± ¡°Oh, Luis¡­¡± Lesly held his head more gently, softly gazing down at his face. She darted her breathtaking black eyes left and right before saying, ¡°T- the rest of the year might be really heavy. But with Fox¡¯s help now, we might just do well. I have a few things in mind. Even if Fox grants us enough votes, I think we need some more ¡®elite¡¯ power. Then, we could¡­ think about ourselves once we¡¯ve finished with these things and you¡¯re president again.¡± ¡°Yeah, that sounds pretty good.¡± Luis nodded, still with his head held backwards and looking up at Lesly. She looked at his sharp gray-black eyes before nodding with her tongue licking her lips a bit more. Her eyes changed to his mouth. ¡°Just normal, right?¡± She said nothing more nor waited for him to say anything else and lowered her head again. This time, their lips moved, and some saliva was exchanged, stationed near their lips and teeth. ¡­ Luis walked to a storage precinct within the presidential precinct. He wore a nice suit, but one that he took inspiration from Fox. It was very proper and lavish, but it also radiated humbleness. While he felt a bit weird, it reminded him of those his deceased wife used to buy him all the time when he first started the ¡®recruitment¡¯ for entering the world of politics, becoming an official polie. He stepped into the back of the precinct, went through the backdoor, and walked before the rows and rows of news reporters who were all too unhappy not being able to flash him with photos nonstop. Only advanced, no-flash cameras were allowed to take pictures. ¡°Hello, everyone,¡± Luis stood before a simple, wooden podium that was easy to move. The glass microphone had a murky, swamp green color, quite new in the microphone glass ¡®world¡¯. Nobody responded to his greeting, including BLF news anchor. ¡°I will be quick with the introduction before letting some of my cabinet members detail the success during the last 30 hours.¡± Luis nodded and continued, ¡°First, let me speak of the results. The capital city has been cleansed of the organized crime infiltrated from the north to the south. The floor charge and connections with some¡­ high-profile members in the city made this a bit more possible.¡± It was all the PSD intelligence¡¯s work, but if he could sow discontent between those connections and the organized crime, with the District¡¯s eyes everywhere, the ¡®political purge¡¯ could begin later on earlier than anticipated. There was already a good trend of finishing tasks before time. ¡°The situation was confirmed successful 3 hours before the estimated time. There were no civilians hurt, except for the criminals, of which more than a thousand perished during the cleansing period. There was no violation of the Humane Key, and all reports of incidents or denouncing come from people who suffered an accident in their home, or who were refused more than one ration of supplies for their household for having more people.¡± ¡°As it happens¡ª some citizens invited the homeless who didn¡¯t listen to the public warnings the days before. First, I want to clarify that these reports will be taken seriously, as they should all have been formulated, and that I am contented to know that Lys helped Lys without merit for rewards or fame. These people denounced but didn¡¯t demand a reward or remuneration.¡± ¡°Second, there were incidents where civilians struck the armed civilians, the criminals. Some deaths were caused during these events. Know that these will be attended and judged accordingly, and that the judges in charge will know they are working for the people still. There is no difference between law. Blood is our greatest judge, and to deny the truth or a dignified sentence is to deny one¡¯s blood.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Third,¡± Luis spoke at a regular pace and explained without a hurry. ¡°The streets weren¡¯t damaged, and there were criminals who were arrested during the chase to expel them from the city. The Yopbartes gang, the responsible party for the organized crime in the region, has been banished from the capital, and soon, Proteros.¡± ¡°Fourth, with what I just spoke about, I want to announce this to the rest of the country. We¡­¡± Luis looked deep into the camera he¡¯s been ignoring so far, with the news reporters ready to take his words in digital or physical. As usual, he was going to use an apologetic tone to his voice, but¡­ Luis blinked before standing with his back straight, and looking at the news reporters like he was reminding them they were here for him, and he was there to notify the people; calm. ¡°I have given the order¡ª opened the doors to exterminate the hidden threat of the organized crime across the nation.¡± Luis¡¯s words stunned the news reporters. ¡°We¡¯ve been studying this possibility since the first term¡¯s second half, and we¡¯ve prepared enough. We have the equipment and skill to go after this operation. Finally¡­ we¡¯ll rid Lymoca of this needless pain.¡± ¡°President, do you-¡± A news reporter stood up and shouted, but her voice was too small at the center of the rows. Luis immediately looked at her and lifted his chin for a moment, gesturing with his hands, ¡°Please wait until you have seen the details of the operation. This is transmitting to the entire world, and not a bit is false. It will also answer multiple questions. I promise you, we¡¯ll stay for at least 2 hours with me answering as much as my mental capacities can allow. You can even chase me if I am faulty to my word.¡± Some laughter echoed from the seats in front of the stage. It was a minority compared to the vast press conference ¡®room¡¯, but it was also new, and so well managed by Luis Heartez. The president nodded at the news reporters before gesturing with his left hand extending backwards, ¡°Please welcome the General, Defense Secretary, Secretary of Security, vice president Lesly Rivera, and Chief Secretary of Security.¡± The people came walking in that order, with Lesly bringing Fox from the back like an aunt. The outfit he wore was as the usual, with Lesly being the most formal and good-looking. The other woman in Luis¡¯s cabinet present was the Secretary of Security, who was the national guard¡¯s director for now, and oversees the police force and judicial branch¡¯s power. The General Edgar Plomo took the podium first and looked at the others while saying, ¡°I want to thank everyone standing behind me for the glorious advance towards a Lymoca out of the hands of organized crime.¡± He looked at the camera before awkwardly looking away, finding comfort in the news reporters. ¡°Like many, I suffered from young as I watched 2 of my sisters have their lives taken from them, refusing to become something they are not. Even then, I do not wish the death of so many young people who were only wrong in thinking this was a path towards a lifestyle.¡± ¡°Thank you everyone for coming, I am Lymoca¡¯s military forces, General Edgar Plomo, commander of the army. I will explain the processes in an open, public-divulgation format. My section here will be about the cooperation between all forces to bring this operation to a formal success.¡± ¡°My comrade, the Secretary of Security, will explain the methods of the police force and the arrested criminals'' well-being, as well as their future in the preemptive prisons for a severe process. The honorable, vice president Lesly Rivera will speak to you the results from the treatment to the citizens and the following procedures where everyone, including criminals and the Ly forces, will record their experience through polls.¡± ¡°Lastly, the recently arisen Chief Secretary of Security will explain the methods and warnings for the Lys in the upcoming events to bring this cleansing to the rest of the country. Lymoca has already started mobilizing the navy to secure all the ports, and the national guard to protect the airports. I hope we show you how well-secured we¡¯re keeping our trade routes in this conference. You may ask us questions after we finish explaining. Thank you, I will begin¡­¡± The General began explaining, with Luis standing a couple of meters behind, not giving the news reporters any attention to their calls or signs. When the General finished, he answered some questions, mostly controversial and of unnecessary value, as it is with whoever the opposition¡¯s news wants to target next in Luis¡¯s government. When the Secretary of Security¡¯s turn came, she revealed the thought-out process for the criminals, which was pretty doable, and more careful than most in Lymoca would have thought. Furthermore, there were many mentions of rewarding when revealing details on the crime world, whatever they knew. Whoever brought out things not known before would receive even more pleasing rewards as organized crime prisoners. Safety was a basic reward for all volunteers. Many reporters doubted all her words when her section finished, but they were replied more or less in the same manner, concise and to listen well to what they just heard. Then, Lesly Rivera¡¯s turn came. Compared to the other 2, she was treated rather fairly, but not even she was saved from the attempts to strike at her credibility and bring embarrassing facts about her from what ¡®the people¡¯ think of her. She was pretty much let off easily. However, her explanation of the social programs to bring every participant party, even the sheltered civilians, to transparent their psyche after such events; was well received. Lesly had a positive mindset towards this and invited as many as possible with a smile that nobody could refute. She left the podium to Fox, who walked forth with an impassive expression. Receiving Lesly¡¯s wink of encouragement, he took the podium and faced the news reporters. He looked at everyone before blasting word after word without pausing. Some news reporters begged him to slow down, but Fox went on, ruthless and petty. When he finished, the first person to lift her hand, with a fella beside her who didn¡¯t match her beauty and aura, was from BLF. She had milk, pale white skin, long black hair, and big, intense eyes. This was the one and only hot damn shortie from the BLF that Fox once met when he was just a teenager. Years have passed, but she only grew more attractive; alluring. Her drooping breasts and supple bottom drew even the air to look at her figure, and it would be the air¡¯s honor to do so. The man beside her had also grown a little. He had darkish brown skin, black eyes and short hair. His height was pretty much average. They were Angelina and Eduardo. Despite the years, it seemed like Angelina was too fond of Eduardo to replace him, even as BLF grew and took independent news reporters in social media and gave them a net home. Angelina smiled and began with not a question, ¡°Fox, do you know who I am? I once saw you coming up the hill with your mother in a wheelchair. I was the first person lucky enough to record you with my partner in crime over here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox knew, yes, but he put a little act. He looked at Angelina as if he was seeing a memory in person, and she added, ¡°You¡¯ve grown so much since then. I could even have said to record the step you took to become Lymocan. A Ly. A couple of years later, you¡¯re practically directing the national security of an entire country. Congratulations.¡± ¡°I do remember you, miss Angelina.¡± Fox lowered his head, whose face was just about to smile. When he lifted it again, he was recomposed. Angelina nodded and finally uttered, ¡°I¡¯m Angelina from BLF, I come here with my cameraman, Eduardo. CSS, my question is, did you participate in the operation?¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Fox answered without needing to look back at the President. Angelina nodded and commented before giving the attendant to pick up the microphone attention, ¡°Congratulations! I know your mother would be extremely proud. I can¡¯t wait to see Lymoca anew!¡± ¡°Chief Secretary of Security, I¡¯d like to ask, how long would¡­¡± And so, Fox began answering some questions. He received more than Lesly, who had answered the most so far, but that was because any question from an opposition news anchor would be thrown away and Fox would select another reporter immediately after. Some lame bootlickers demanded he answered the other reporters first, to which Fox treated them like he did to the opposition media and continued until no one dared to lift a questioning word again. Angelina lightened the atmosphere, but he was still a ¡®killer with license¡¯ among the ordinary people. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it? Alright, an applause for these people who have orchestrated a historical record and operation throughout Lymoca. Who knows, maybe even the world.¡± Luis smiled before nodding at the clapping reporters and choosing one. ¡°You over there.¡± ¡°President, I have an important question, what will you do if something wrong occurs? Or if the opposition only throws news that will put the operation to ¡®free Lymoca from organized crime¡¯ at risk? Thank you,¡± the reporter sat down after speaking, unlike Angelina. But that was fine, this reporter was just a man, while Angelina was a hot damn shortie. ¡°Yes, in fact.¡± Luis looked behind, and the screen that the others used to show the graphics, images, and results of certain things showed a new piece of information. ¡°As you can see, this is a schedule. From now on, I¡¯ll make a press conference every morning¡ª around early morning. I will hold a meeting with some of my cabinet, and hold security meetings every day first, from now on. Every day of the week, I will show the results from the nationwide operation until its completion.¡± ¡°This will be a difficult journey, but more than anything because of its variables. Lymoca does not accept war, so any aid from a foreign nation is thanked, but¡­ no thanks. Lys¡¯ business is Lymoca only. With this, you¡¯ll see the truth, and that there is no error that will occur.¡± Luis faced everyone before nodding at the reporter who asked, preparing to signal another. . . . The 5th day of the 2nd month¡¯s week came to its late evening, where Fox left earlier on, excusing himself with the vice president. Even if he was bothered, putting an image was everything. As he walked around the presidential precinct, noticed by various news anchors which he ignored and was in turn only watched from afar, too afraid to do otherwise, Nala appeared. She wore a maxi dress with an opening on the lower legs area, to show her shoes and cute smooth black socks. ¡°Are you a model now? That¡¯s a strange type of business.¡± Fox teased. Nala stepped to his right and walked beside him, matching his steps. Her head faced him with fully open eyes, saying nothing in the absolute. At last, she blinked and tilted her head slightly to the front. ¡°Baby, I¡¯ve been asked when do we make a baby. So many reporters were intent to know this yes or yes. I said that after getting married, if he has the balls.¡± Fox grabbed her waist, pulling her to him. She felt her body ¡®forced¡¯ to stick to his, with her head swaying a little, looking at his taller self. He looked down at her, breathing on her face. Nala slightly gulped a few times before saying with an innocent expression, ¡°They all laughed, what about you? What¡¯s your reaction?¡± ¡­ Chapter 154 — Stop! No, Safety… We Wont Stop Stop! No, Safety¡­ We Won''t Stop ¡°If you''re alright with this, then we can start trying for one after marrying.¡± Fox nodded and caressed the back of Nala''s head. She looked left and right at his eyes before nodding a bit, her expression unchanging. Nala wrinkled her nose, pouting her mouth before muttering under her breath, looking at the side. ¡°Not like you ever denied reserving your assets in the bank account diligently. Mn, you are such a cherished client.¡± ¡°Hmf, hm.¡± Fox smirked from the left corner of his mouth, setting his eyes on her cocoon golden blonde hair. Nala turned to him, wearing casual, clueless eyes as she looked at Fox at him with askance. He rubbed his forehead on the side of her head, ¡°And when would you propose we marry?¡± ¡°Well, you still have to go get your Raging Blood ceremony with Butler and the president¡¯s presence. Right, there must be the lover or all lovers you have, or there is the ¡®legend¡¯ that you won¡¯t remain Raging Blood until your death.¡± Nala comfortably held his arm before jolting stiff. ¡°Hmf~, how so?¡± Fox really had no idea how important Raging Blood was at the top of the people¡¯s hearts in Piya Sanctum District. Nala looked up at him, her ear resting comfortably on his arm, all sound vacuumed out. ¡°It is said you will be dishonored. Mm, not exactly, but you ceasing to be the Raging Blood without dying¡­ That is humiliating just from an outsider¡¯s point of view. Now imagine what else it means yourself.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± Fox said, unconcerned. As for his lovers? He only had Nala Loba in his life, his dear little life. Fox grabbed her waist a little more caringly and pulled her to his side, letting her lean on him, doing all the work to walk for both. Their next destination was none other than Piya Sanctum District Headquarters. The ceremony had to be held soon, and while Luis would take a little longer to arrive, Fox should be there. He knew little to nothing about a Raging Blood, but he understood its intricacies from Butler¡¯s words. . . . An hour later. Piya Sanctum District HQ. Fox had Red Blood painting on his body, standing on the training grounds with a wide multitude. Before, they might¡¯ve picked a place of nature in Proteros, but it was busy being fought with the army and national guard destroying the remnants of the Yopbartes gang in Proteros. His torso was mostly bare, with only a white bandage around his chest and solar plexus and 2 white ribbons 5.5 inches wide with of a crude-looking yet most defined surface. They dropped from his shoulders to his chest, crossing just below his collarbone at the sternum. In his left chest was the image of a pale golden circle, with what seemed almost like an eye, but wasn¡¯t. It was just the ¡®hole¡¯ to his heart; where the lye of this ceremony was focused on. Fox stood behind a row of steps leading to the top of an altar 15 meters tall. People could see him from the sides at the extremes, but he ignored them, and they only looked in his direction out of fascination. Even as it was so sudden, the Butler deemed it fit. Fox will be their Raging Blood. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Fox blew some air out before taking the first step of the staircase with his left sole. No matter how he thought about it, he was jumping from one important, leading ladder to another. From politics to a high position in the secret world. He didn¡¯t even know what the other hoog secret organizations would think of this, only that they might feel pressured or even threatened. But¡­ maybe also disdainful? After all, with all the previous Raging Bloods¡¯ ends¡­ But, of course, Fox wasn¡¯t like that. Honorable. Fox neared the top, with the people he knew just around. Teon stood beside Nauer in his team, looking at him as he stepped higher and higher. Nala¡¯s team were on another side, looking at him like looking at a monster. There was an obvious glint of pride in their eyes. The 3rd Raging Blood was born from their team, although Nala wasn¡¯t there. Fox continued stepping up, finding Butler and the President at the very front, watching from the other extreme of the training grounds. Luis blinked and smirked hard from ear to ear when seeing Fox like this. At first, Luis pondered if Fox looked ridiculous, but then, he felt such thoughts were wrong. As Luis stood in the open, to all those special agents working with him, with his government, for the same dream of Lymoca, he wasn¡¯t their focus of attention after Fox stepped atop the altar. ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked down, to his left, where Nala sat with her previous dress but now smeared a silver glossing on her left breast side, up and down her sternum, and at her abdomen. She looked up when feeling his gaze. Both locked eyes before Fox proceeded with the ceremony, looking at the ceiling ahead from where he stood. Everything grew silent, and before he knew it, a silent whistle emanated from somewhere around the ceiling. Fox slowly brought his folded arms in front of his solar plexus, grasping his right wrist with his left hand, when he saw a silvery blur rush towards him from the hidden corners of his polycoria eyes. ¡®A Silverplated Eagle!¡¯ Fox was aware of the ceremony, but this was the second time in his life he saw a Silverplated Eagle up close, in person¡­ and this time, for him. Criii! The eagle echoed with a brief shriek before clawing at Fox¡¯s left wrist. It stopped, bumping into Fox, letting him feel its actually tough feathers on his body, opening tiny, thin cuts on his skin, barely threatening to bleed him. The Silverplated Eagle retracted, looking at his body as if trying to sober up from a harsh hit, while Fox felt he was being analyzed by the eagle instead. But this was no magic, only extensive training and¡­ the wisdom and instincts of the animal world. The Silverplated Eagle looked at Fox¡¯s face for a few seconds, extending its wingspan that was double his stature, and he was tall. This was, perhaps, one of the oldest, still healthy and powerful Silverplated Eagles to exist in history. And Fox only had one suspect in mind that might have trained this old fella, older than Fox himself. Crrrii! The eagle suddenly cried again, but this time, it lifted is left talon and kept its wings. Fox steeled his resolve and saw the talon strike his left chest, stabbing those wounds into his skin. He moved not, winced not, and remained expressionless even as the eagle pushed its talons thrice into his chest, hooking beneath his skin. Phla- crk crlk crkla¡­ The talons came out of his body, bringing blood out, with some skin breaking apart in the process. The eagle then cleaned its talons like grooming its feathers, letting the rest of its leg trickle with some blood on his wrist. The Silverplated Eagle remained there for several more seconds, opening and closing its beak while staring at Fox with one or both its eyes. It even closed the one he adverted from his face, and Fox saw the one looking at him shrink and expand, marveling him. As a departure gesture, the eagle slightly raised the part of its wings nearest to its body, changing its head appearance. It looked like a strange, harmless, thick-furry animal now. Fox studied the wonderful animal before it jolted its head down and up, returning to normal. The Silverplated Eagle kicked Fox¡¯s left arm down, flying away and disappearing somewhere in the ceiling with a blur. There had to be a corner where it rested, or a tunnel. These Silverplated Eagles were so agile, after all. Flying up a tunnel was no issue with some momentum and their wings kept, let alone down a tight excavated gap. ¡°Lyeeeee!¡± An extended, rough calling emerged from Fox¡¯s surroundings. They brought Fox¡¯s attention to the people below, who cheered and shouted with their hearts out. There was only one thing they wanted after returning to the ¡®outside¡¯ world and witnessing the return of the Raging Blood in their generation. Fox looked down at Nala, whose face had been looking up at him all this time like his first cult worshiper. He stepped down his first few steps, causing the crowd to slowly calm down. Not all special agents were here, especially with the incoming nationwide operation the entire District would help participate in. The firsters had rested, and the seconders and thirders were exhilarated to join. The SAs here were the firsters, but not everyone, who went to the operation to free the capital city, and some other Captains who weren¡¯t present then but now will. Fox helped Nala up and held her with his left arm. He looked into the ceiling while Nala gazed at his left chest. In her eyes were both, pride and longing. She looked up at his chin just as he looked down. Just her being here with him showed their relationship to everyone, these stares into each other¡¯s eyes was the cream at the top, simply fulfilling. Fox leaned his forehead on her for some seconds before looking at Luis, who nodded after a short exchange. With this, and the night approaching¡­ the time to move again arrived. Fox couldn¡¯t help but feel excited to command again¡­ such a force and movement like this.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. *** Lymoca. 6th day of the 2nd month¡¯s 1st week. Near 1 AM. In the open nature of Proteros. There was information of Yopbartes gang sightings here for the past 20 months. After White Blood performed thorough investigations in said places, criminal organization bases and camps were found. They were just tents and some campfire, with a few kitchenwares and improvised ovens with rough iron and even processed wood. The former was understandable, but the latter? Such things in the middle of Proteros¡¯ woods everywhere? It was difficult to obtain through ordinary means for criminals, or supposedly so, and dangerous. For this, instead of spreading the PSD SAs, the operation, Fox and the other forces¡¯ counsel, decided to send the special forces. It was their territory, so to speak, after all. Although General Edgar Plomo wanted to try surrounding the targets and force them to kneel, he knew it wasn¡¯t feasible, and that it was just putting the natural zones in Proteros in further danger. ¡°Hey.¡± In the not so tall grass by a hillside, slightly over a dozen hidden, camouflaged special forces soldiers laid prone in waiting. When the time neared and neared, and they received no signs or notices, some soldiers carefully whispered among each other. ¡°They said nothing about how it was gonna be. Anyone has guesses?¡± ¡°Only the highest command knows, shush. If she hasn¡¯t said anything, it¡¯s because we don¡¯t need to know.¡± - ¡°What if she gets killed? Or her hands explode and her tongue is shot?¡± - ¡°Then we open our minds and connect through our mythical blood.¡± - ¡°Aaaah, yes.¡± ¡°Boys, tighten your inner scrotum.¡± A soldier looked back at them from the front at this moment, calling out in a whisper. Although the others were still in a good mood to giggle and grope each other out of their boredom, they threw all playfulness away and tensed up. ¡­ In Lydfe, one of the largest states sharing borders with ANS. A dozen military vehicles, separated from an even larger convoy, fast yet silent through the deep of the night, approached an empty zone with hills, a couple of small ravines, and some lakes, with a nearby lagoon. The leading vehicle, as armored and fearsome with a mini-antenna, inconspicuous and tough-looking beside a turret with remote control from within, opened comms and conveyed a middle-aged man¡¯s words. ¡°Attention, kids. Everyone is in their position.¡± The convoy¡¯s soldiers became stern when hearing this. The Pvt.1st Class, Corporal, Sergeants, and Staff Sergeants looked at their team and squads with dead seriousness. ¡°As expected, we will get a bumpy ride, but that¡¯ll only light up our way. You¡¯ll know what it¡¯s happening to them when it comes. When it does, remember your training, then remember you¡¯re not alone. Not here, not in every house of this nation.¡± ¡°Hua!¡± The soldiers called out, most unheard by the Chief Warrant Officer leading them, but their direct superiors did nod, grin, and/or looked at them with duty in their eyes. ¡­ In Lydua, one of the most benefitted states with borders to the sea and ANS, allowing a more direct approach to deliver merchandise to ANS and wasting less fuel, while enriching the trade routes in those states. There might be hundreds of years since the ultra modernism arrived at Resilient with the SO and its POC, Post Order Concession, but trucks and railways were still a ginormous means to move supplies and people. Lydua had one of the most important ports in Lymoca, with the influx of goods from the Sierra Caliente criminal organization group being naturally attracted to it. This was only in the east. In the west, it is the Himperyia state for the Lyclan Cartel, and Lyem¨¦ state for the Guerramar cartel. These two were also the most influential and powerful organized crime groups in Lymoca. Regardless, here in Lydua, the navy worked with the national guard and army on the ground while staying in the sea. It wasn¡¯t clear yet, but there were a couple of mobilizations not even the news reporters were aware of, even with their freedom to look around, although unable to record. In the sky, there were support-focused helicopters, so high and with strangely their sound and signal virtually nonexistent. At the sea, dozens of frigates spread, forming a blockade, but still outside the detection of any military equipment that wasn¡¯t up to the current times. Furthermore, earlier on, while every frigate has a helipad for 2 combat helicopters, each frigate was accompanied by 2 light support helicopters from the ports. These were built to focus on long travel distances before needing refuel, unlike the combat choppers, and even other support helicopters. In one of those frigates, the commander of the task group sent to Lydua alone, its commodore, looked at the time and waited. The combat helicopters¡¯ crews of every frigate were ready and sweating. Also waiting for the very instance they ¡®see¡¯, and the order falls in their ears. Gazing into the seemingly endless ocean was a calming effect to this commodore. It helped him now more than ever. He was an old man in his 100s, soon to retire and depart from this life. A couple of decades ago, when he was still a commander in charge of a single vessel, he might¡¯ve retired by now, but the recent several years when the president increased the neutralization of OCs chains kept him alive. His heart bled in thrill, knowing they could act as soon as they detected anything suspicious. Like this, the navy has made great work decommissioning illegals products and apprehending OCs bandits, or ¡®pirates¡¯. Now, he didn¡¯t want to retire, but he knew his limits. The commodore rather looked for candidates to guide. He has been giving them aid whenever needed and instructed, no longer forced to ¡®select¡¯ newcomers and just give them high positions. Just a few more months and he would retire, resting with a heavy heart as he counted the rest of his days, hoping the president would get another light bulb in his head and make another program. This time re-including veterans somewhere, for something, to further help in the navy, army, or even the air forces. Yet, when he was just hoping for the future before even falling into boredom, this opportunity presented before hm. Why not serve the country for real? With something that matters? Beep. The commodore snapped his head to look at a light that just beeped. A green light flashed from a cone-shaped glass encasing a small device, paralyzing him for a second, a second too long in his heart. The commodore lunged his left hand and grabbed a thumb-sized device, passing it to his right hand to press it on his ear, hearing the message. ¡°That was fast, commodore.¡± A voice responded before clearing his throat, ¡°3 coins thrown into the air, glide and flight, pure empty. Eagles unto force of blood.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The commodore heard a beep before a consuming silence filled his right ear. He dropped the device, leaving it hanging still attached to the panel, and walked to the communications¡¯ panel with its team wide-eyed. He nodded at them, and then, he gave the order. ¡°Eagles unto force of blood.¡± - ¡°Lye.¡± - ¡°Lye.¡± - ¡°Lye.¡± - ¡°Lye¡­¡± The commodore was already feeling excited with the numbing of his body. When he heard their low, continuous call, he felt his body tremble. And then, he felt the ocean was trembling. ¡­ A few seconds earlier. Several kilometers away, flying slow and at ease. Ly warplanes continuously circled the designated area, smoothly gliding at times with their thrusters and using fuel at others. They showed ample discipline and mastery. Then, at last, each of them received a report, ¡°Red notice. Hijos de la chingada, you¡¯re free to proceed.¡± All warplanes stopped frolicking. The pilots looked for each other¡¯s group of 3, and formed as pre-arranged. They all headed in the same direction after positioning correctly. Not one of them advancing a meter out of a perfect line, even if not straightforward, with some behind and others a little farther ahead, and others below and some more above the rest: to Lydua. As they overflew the frigates for a couple of hundred meters, the frigates¡¯ combat choppers flew high and rushed to the shores as well. The light support choppers advanced faster, but still slower than the warplanes. Meanwhile, inland, all over Lydua alone, hundreds of military and national guard armored vehicles waited to hear it¡­ ¡­ In other states, for example, Lydfe. Just as a convoy was onwards to their position, the soldiers in their armored vehicles heard it. BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM BOOM- PF PF PF- TAH TAH TAH TAH TAH! Weeee! Weeeeeee! Weeeeee! Explosions rang everywhere, no more than 200 meters from where the convoy was moving, with the sounds of things being launched from above followed suit. Immediately after, metal-like heavy objects fell to the ground, followed by the sound of sirens and energy charging up. No soldier could see what was happening, unless they sat at the driver and co-driver seat. But just as the soldiers grabbed their firearms and regulated their breathing, their Chief Warrant Officer¡¯s voice echoed again. ¡°Heard that? Its translation is¡ª ¡®we¡¯re¡¯ too fucking late!¡± ¡°But that also means¡ª get the fuck ready! Even if we¡¯re holing in our trucks, we¡¯re getting IN THERE!¡± - ¡°Hua!¡± - ¡°Hua!¡± - ¡°Hua!¡± - ¡°Hua!¡± The soldiers responded to their highest command. They knew the sounds of those things. First, explosions. Rockets to disrupt or strike vehicles and armories. The accuracy had to be excellent, or they wouldn¡¯t launch them. It was said the air forces were ¡®the quiet ones¡¯ from the Ly forces, besides their notorious army, but this was the first time the army experienced air forces¡¯ support. The second was the drop of heavy incursion tools. These were extremely heavy and circular, with countless angles added to it. It begins charging the moment it falls, sounding with sirens as soon as it does, before emanating a tremendous light source to blind the nearby targets. Then, its intensity is lowered enough to still expose them, but not blind anyone looking at it anymore. ¡°Go! A por esos cabrones!(Get those fuckers!)¡± Soldiers yelled to their comrades after a bumpy ride everywhere, having to stand up a little to not beat their asses purple before engaging the bandits. The moment they stopped, doors opened fast, but soldiers bravely rushed out and distributed firepower with their beloved renegades. Ta ta ta-trrr rrrr rrr¡­ bang bang bang bang bang! ¡­ In Proteros, the special forces only watched the warplanes fly over before dropping the incursion balls of blinding light, rapidly charging as special forces stood up as swift as dogs before charging into the woods. Like hound and horses, they moved together with their small unit expertly led by their direct superior, facing a few or a surprising number of bandits, but neither managed to startle them nor make any of their steps hesitate. Trrr rrrrr rrrrrrrr rrrrr rrrrrrr rrrrr rrrr rrrrr¡­ Bang bang bang bang bang bang!- Boom! The special forces were louder acting than any soldiers. Lymoca had no tanks, with their best being artillery, and even mobile rocket launching trucks. However, they were lethal, not needing a much higher firepower. Besides, this was their country, and they would not destroy it just to kill those who, by now, have become traitors in the nation. They didn¡¯t listen. Now, they were faced with the truth. Grenades, rocket launchers, heavy machine guns with the intensity of DLM, and large pistols crashed the sounds of even the flying bandits before they were taken down. Their actions were clearly louder than words. As hours passed, and the morning arrived. With the surprise of Lymoca¡¯s sudden cruel offensive operation on the organized crime groups gained attention. But even though it didn¡¯t seem like much, Luis was prepared for this obstacle in geopolitics. He would face it as Lymoca¡¯s president, not as Luis Heartez, or just a patriotic Ly. ¡­ Chapter 155 — Year Of Change Year Of Change In the morning of the last day of the first week. Proteros, presidential precinct. Luis sat at his desktop, looking at the various screens on the opposite wall reveal the images of various countries going through their election campaigns. The entire world was experiencing a worldwide election, not for some sort of supreme power, but that of their nation. Altogether, in a single year. Usually, most happened in the first month, further confirmed in the first week of the second month. Only for certain circumstances that the public alone could understand and spiritually ¡®allow¡¯ would these be delayed even one or two months in the end. Lymoca had always followed this trend, until the previous reforms changed it, moving the day the elections started and the results were known more towards the end of the year. In this year, it also seemed like many thought of similar things, but Lymoca did so randomly, leaving little to no time to do something like they did. The president has been opportunistic in this matter, too. Regardless, it seemed like this year, only a few countries followed the previous trend, with their results soon showing in the following weeks. Some of those who did were Zyckevele, KAA, Merula, and the EPA Commonwealth. The rest of the globe, however, were taking similar delays. With the ¡®global¡¯ phenomenon happening, the population of a country couldn¡¯t just say no when it happened everywhere else. Although there could be someone or a country whose civilians manifested for this matter, but they, too, were taken by surprise. Most of the south of the Moonblue supercontinent were showing results in the 2nd and further weeks of the second month. But one that would take a little longer, especially because of their almost 1 billion population, was ANS. Currently, with all the previous campaigns finished for the other countries in Moonblue, ANS was still amidst its debates transmitted worldwide. At this time, Luis watched one of these, quite early, transmitted live in the morning, but still a substantial piece of news that the world couldn¡¯t miss. Luis watched, having finished all the meetings and preparing for the daily press conference, all still in the morning. In one of the screens, unlike the others showing news and the support of some news anchors towards some candidates in their respective countries, he saw the ANS candidates for presidency. Unlike Lymoca, which had political parties that mattered, and others that scrapped the votes of those who don¡¯t care or want to know nothing of politics and throw their votes to the small ones. ANS had a much more centralized method, so to speak. It allowed any politician to postulate. Of course, for this matter, the civilians must make 2 elections every time. One was to vote for those who wish to run for president; these must be voted by the population. They must receive a certain percentage of votes to be granted the opportunity. Usually, no more than 10 people dare to do this. After all, it was an immensely competitive yet also venomous struggle. The pre-election votes not only showed the overall popularity of a possible candidate, of which the candidates could increase the support from the people however they deemed fit, but it also exposed them. Anyone who started low but seemed started doing better might just be found out to have verified evidence on something nasty, or straight out crooked. It was a year when the nastiness of the political world were shown the easiest, although it was more of an ANS art than anything. In this election, besides the current president running for his charge again, ANS welcomed more than 30 individuals trying to run for president. In the end, 8 people were voted above the percentage. Of the 8, 3 were women, with another 4 males besides the current president. In the debate, everyone was arranged randomly in half a circle, a little close to each other. A middle-aged finished speaking with the best smile she could form, kindhearted. The announcer thanked her before looking at the current president, ¡°Now, the moment everyone has been waiting for. Mr. President Gant Comfor, how are you doing tonight?¡± ¡°About time,¡± an old man with white skin and the only white hair remaining at the sides and back of his head responded in a humorously bad mood. He had brown eyes and a stern face, but he seemed at ease, and more so with the commentary just now. ¡°Hahaha,¡± the announcer smiled before moving some papers on his desktop. He looked up at the president and continued smiling. His small eyes flashing a little crafty, ¡°Sir, the world has seen strange changes in these times of the global term 1,020 - 1,026. What do you have to say about this, Mr. President? Do you think this will bring worse situations to the world? To our country?¡± ¡°Tell you what, before answering you professionally, I¡¯ll start with this. If the world is in trouble, ANS won¡¯t.¡± Gant Comfor said, not expressing many gestures, but leaving it clear and loud enough. The announcer pressed his lips together and cocked his head a few times. ¡°This term has been a wild goose. Since the moments we checked in with the presidents¡¯ elections, we had the Preut Civil War, the Disastrous War since 1,021¡¯s 11th month.¡± Gant Comfor gained nods from the announcer. ¡°It lasted too long, you know why? Lymoca didn¡¯t face the problem as expected. Their neighbor suffered, but they did nothing. So much suffering¡­¡± ¡°Are you saying they could have finished it earlier on?¡± The announcer caught on quickly, grabbing the foot. Gant Comfor nodded, moving his old lips while gulping a little. ¡°With just their military, no matter if the pariahs united for this matter, they could¡¯ve strategically surrounded those rebels and be done with it.¡± ¡°In our lifetime,¡± Gant Comfor looked at the ceiling and opened his palms, also facing it, ¡°Heaven''s forbid, the Disastrous War ended in 1,025. But if they had just done a little intelligence and waited the right moment, this would have ended in the 1,022, easily. No centralized parliament¡¯s dispute.¡± ¡°Sir, you say this about Preut and Lymoca so much, and I can¡¯t help noticing the care you show for this matter.¡± The announcer nodded and spoke, with Gant Comfor¡¯s nod and ¡®that¡¯s right¡¯ before continuing, ¡°Do you have anything to say about this? We know it was a tough and brave stance you showed that time. What can you tell us you didn¡¯t dare, until now?¡± The announcer was charismatic, putting it in Gant Comfor¡¯s plate. The ANS president seemed thoughtful and even debating in his mind whether to speak or not. After a few seconds of building silence, he lifted his chin and cocked his head to the right. ¡°It¡¯s simple, Varus. Lymoca was not up to the task. ANS takes over, imprisons the perpetrators, and frees Preut. We would even let Lys and pariahs have talks if they wanted to return to the past, or continue their separation.¡± ¡°Help in the primary reason this tragedy occurred. Indeed, Mr. President. You think of everything for everyone.¡± The announcer wore a neutral expression when he said this. Gant Comfor nodded, adding, ¡°Instead, you have an actual kid go around and assassinate those so-called generals. Isn¡¯t that the most absurd thing?¡± ¡°Yes, indeed. And actually, Mr. President, I¡¯d like to talk about you about that, of the matters leading to nowadays Lymoca.¡± The announcer became excited and spoke quickly. Gant Comfor nodded with a smile, lifting a palm, ¡°Calm down, young man. Go on and spill it, but slower, I am so old and need to hear everything better.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, I apologize, Mr. President.¡± The announcer commented before clearing his throat. ¡°There has been this lagj discovery, and now, with a sensational kid emerging from the shadows to become a brand-new, most important role in our southern neighbor¡¯s administration, the Chief Secretary of Security. What can you tell us of these things? Because, it appears to me so bizarre!¡± ¡°Mn, yes, well¡­ sigh.¡± Gant Comfor rapidly gulped and took half a second to put life in his semi frozen visage. ¡°There are things in the world of this Sanctum Order that need explaining. Either from one country or many. But fret not, when the time is ripe, it will happen. It won¡¯t be catastrophic as the Lymocan government has irresponsibly shown it, and surely not with unreliable people like an 18-year-old.¡± ¡°Going with all of this, I¡¯d like to ask now¡­ Isn¡¯t it strange that Lymoca entered into a war-like state, where they are now struggling with their organized crime? Of which, 87 to 90% are from Lymoca selfsame. When they ignored Preut, but even have news of warplanes overflying the cities and wilderness with explosions and loud noises?¡± ¡°It¡¯s horrible,¡± Gant Comfor shook his head, ¡°Horrifying. There could never be something worse than a leader who doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing. People¡¯s lives are in danger because of it!¡± ¡°And let me tell you, there is something I can tell the president of Lymoca right now, and is important, for him and his country. Let us help you, let me show you the way. I can send tens of thousands of soldiers who will know what to do and how. They will have access to better equipment, better suited tools, and won¡¯t harm a single civilian in that land!¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ thoughtful, Mr. President, but please refrain from over-campaign propositions like the other candidates here did, thank you.¡± The announcer immediately spoke after the president did, showing some heavy imploring. ¡°But this is important!¡± Gant Comfor looked at the announcer and grabbed the sides of the tall stand before him. The announcer slowly blinked, ¡°I know, Mr. President, but rules are rules¡­ Lastly, I¡¯d like to ask you this, before finishing this section. Mr. President, what do you think of the ¡®term¡¯ that the world is starting to use yet again to describe us? It is ¡®Leaftree¡¯.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not fair. There is no point in a conversation with people who know and use this word where they know what they¡¯re doing. And let me tell you, they like it. I do not accept it! Anyone who does is a person of poor mental capacity who does not appreciate the world ANS has created with its peace.¡± Gant Comfor commented, but he was far from over. ¡°It¡¯s a remembrance to the historic poverty that we have apologized for, and within reason. Everyone thinks back to that name when we mention it, be it in class or in public. It¡¯s a slur for us, now. Besides, it comes from the State of Estuar, who are the reason why the coalition was called that way, even after we fled.¡± ¡°So it isn¡¯t only a slur for us, but an insult to them whenever it¡¯s mentioned. It¡¯s my valid opinion, regardless how people think it through.¡± Gant Comfor said before finishing his part. The announcer nodded with a serious expression, noticing the president¡¯s slightly relaxing tension. ¡°Well, Mr. President, it¡¯s been almost 8 minutes and a half of your 10, the rest is yours to speak freely.¡± The announcer declared with a knife-hand gesture to Gant Comfor before the latter nodded, he started by shooting evidence bullets left and right to every present candidate. ¡°¡­¡± Luis looked at the side and didn¡¯t even feel the bother to shake his head. He wore an ugly expression, which only remarked how handsome he was. At last, he shook his head a little and stood up, preparing his folder with some documents whose content he passed into physical from his desk screen before going out. 7 minutes later, he walked into a storage precinct from the back to meet with the rows and rows of news reporters again. This time, there weren¡¯t many, with most of the news anchors sending 1 person at best, and all other news anchors sending a person as well. ¡°Good morning,¡± Luis met them with a polite smile. The clock at 9:10 AM showed he was late. ¡°Sorry for the delay, I was watching¡­ the ANS presidential debate. I have to say, I found some strange, random information from looking at it. So, I decided to begin the introduction this morning with this¡­¡± ¡°Lymoca is not an old ranch that one can walk in and out to take a look, much less to talk about it like¡­ they own it. It¡¯s our country, and it has to be respected. We must be respected. It¡¯s a sovereignty nobody, not even ourselves, are allowed to blemish nor can touch.¡± Luis spoke seriously. ¡°If there is any foreign entity that does not respect our country, and us, then that person is not important to us in turn, and we can disassociate from the unnecessary. As for ourselves, it is written in the constitution, and in the very blood that flows in us¡­ We do not spare any hearsay. We do not weaken our country, our people. Those who do¡­ will meet their ends as deserved.¡± ¡°Ahem,¡± Luis cleared his throat and became quick-witted, ¡°Now, let me begin with the reports from last night¡¯s assault on the criminal organization groups. The Secretary of Security will¡­¡± ¡­ After the press conference ending at noon, much simpler and faster than yesterday, Luis walked out and on to the main building in a good mood. Luis didn¡¯t know why, and he really couldn¡¯t find the reason, but he liked coming out of those press conferences. Just as he walked the wide open space with hidden White Bloods, stationed Green Bloods nearby, and Red Bloods also hidden, Luis was approached by a sudden Fox. ¡°Fox?¡± Luis frowned, looking at a face that wasn¡¯t Lesly, or at least Roam or Butler. Fox nodded, wearing a random suit. He walked beside the president, whose mood was now a little ruined, but still above the 90% mark of being contented. ¡°You said you wanted to meet me, and I also have some ideas I¡¯d like to give to the President. I wrote them on paper this time, as asked.¡± Fox cocked his head, unfocusing his gaze. Being made to do such things wasn¡¯t to his liking, but he wouldn¡¯t have been able to communicate with the other Ly forces otherwise. ¡°Yes, Fox. I called you, but we could''ve met at night.¡± Luis frowned a bit. Fox nodded, ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t want to waste the nighttime here. I waited until the press conference was ready. I have to get back to supervise and command your operation.¡± ¡°I get that, but why not at night-¡­ oh, I see.¡± Luis understood Fox being busy as the CSS, but when he turned his head to look at the young man, virile and with a life before him, Luis saw himself and almost smiled. Then, he thought of something and casually spoke, ¡°But I believe you can only¡­ only hope for luck to try for a child, Fox. Are you desperate?¡± ¡°Not something the President has to worry about,¡± Fox let out a slightly cold but definitely alienating comment. Luis wryly twitched his lips before nodding. ¡°Fine. It wasn¡¯t my place. Let me see what is it, then.¡± Fox brought out a few thin folders and a pen to the president. Luis nearly rolled his eyes when seeing the pen. Then, he read the folders one by one. After every page, Luis became more and more surprised, understanding the intricacies of fewer things each time. The glances he gave to Fox changed a bit, seeing him in a different manner; another light. His steps slowed down so he could read through at a reduced speed and even double read at times. When he was finished, he shook his head a little and turned his face to Fox. ¡°Are these from everything you gathered from just 8 hours or so of the results?¡± Luis asked Fox, who nodded and watched Luis grab the pen, slowly taking its lid off. Luis gave Fox another elongated glance before looking down at the folders, signing them each where he was supposed to before giving them back to Fox. ¡°Take a co-¡± Luis uttered, but Fox interrupted him. ¡°Yes, a copy and then give Roam the real ones, while I get the copies. Used to it, pretty simple, and make sense. Got it, President.¡± Luis gave Fox an empty stare with slightly narrowed eyes before shaking his head with a smile. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d have a kid like you be so¡­ well, you adapt quickly.¡± ¡°Preut taught me to,¡± Fox looked ahead and commented, matching the President¡¯s steps, albeit not the movement of his legs. ¡°But I don¡¯t deny my difference and evolution, my better self. Even in Preut, where my fellow ¡®super¡¯ stamina and resilient Preutians come from, I beat everyone else even before learning Emer¡¯s art.¡± ¡°Preut¡­ yeah, it¡¯s strange. Only those coming from the Disastrous War¡­ Preut Civil War have shown signs of ¡®over human¡¯ capabilities. It¡¯s good these didn¡¯t move to ANS. As any other Ly, they are tough and respectable workers, with such creative minds.¡± Luis nodded before exhaling softly. He seemed to be glad of something. ¡°If Preutians are so respected, why am I a thorn in your eyes, President?¡± Fox asked without putting attention to the President¡¯s comment, or feelings from it. Luis smirked, he cocked his head a bit but then became a little serious, ¡°Some things, which you¡¯ll learn in the future, and I hope in not such bizarre ways¡­ Well, you cannot control.¡± ¡°Does the President have anything to say about the integration of Preut to Lymoca? It¡¯s not been a full year since then. I assure you. Anyone by the time I left wanted to kneel before the idea of becoming a Ly and being protected. It won¡¯t change much 3 years later. It was possible because you showed the virtues of Lymoca, what you promised and showed, that helped them decide rapidly. If they remain like that is another matter. Maybe they are still not your people, after all¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case!¡± Luis replied with a severe tone, shaking his head. Fox didn¡¯t react, simply wording after Luis didn¡¯t add anything. ¡°That never depends on words.¡± ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Luis let out a tiny sigh and lowered his head. He lifted it almost immediately back up, but he frowned. Fox kept his head ahead and walking forth, changing the subject with the President, ¡°I am still busy. One thing I wanted to ask, President, can I start¡­ owning some land? I want to build farms and then many, many restaurants.¡± ¡°Yeah, you can do that. You¡¯ll have to wait for the situation to settle down and the territory to be screened a few times by PSD after the organized crime is expelled.¡± Luis¡¯s eyebrows jumped when he stopped there. ¡°Now that I think about it, how has the Raging Blood preceded over his role? Do you bring honor to your position?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a fine benefit, yes.¡± Fox responded. ¡°I have access to information, and I can run an evaluation, search, or investigation from anyone I want. Unfortunately, Butler says I¡¯m too old, and the representative captains voted against letting me act on my own. Grefang was fine, but even Loba? I am helpless, President.¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s right. You shouldn¡¯t have that much power.¡± Luis crossed his arms and stepped forwards a bit quicker. Fox saw Luis¡¯s face turn back to him from the front and lifted his right eyebrow. ¡°Why? Just because I¡¯m young? Or because power is tempting? I have an evolved-¡± ¡°You are young, you don¡¯t deserve such power. You make everyone jealous. So shush and take it up the ass if you don¡¯t like it, just endure it.¡± Luis barked, interrupting his most-important CSS. As an extra, he turned his head to the front, ¡°I won¡¯t speak up for you. Get to work, Fox!¡± Luis walked forth, ignoring Fox, who stopped and hung his head to the right. Watching the President run from some of his questions, he narrowed his eyes a bit. At last, he shook his head and turned, when he sensed a White Blood walk out of hiding. Fox let him, with his senses causing him no alarm, ¡°What you want?¡± ¡°Raging Blood,¡± the White half knelt as he greeted Fox. Fox nodded, and the special agent spoke, ¡°Many firsters know about your extreme condition from our Captains. Even if it is 30 years, or less now. Every beat from the 3rd to the 1st Grade counts on you, Raging Blood.¡± ¡°Your thoughts are appreciated,¡± Fox blinked before expressing. The White remained half knelt, and so, Fox waited. He didn¡¯t waste more than a couple of seconds, ¡°S- sir¡­ There is this knowledge passed from my father to me, which was passed from his father to him¡­ It comes from our ancestors. Mine are from a direct descent of the times when the AO wasn¡¯t even started and everything around the world was a primitive settlement¡­¡± Fox cocked his head before confidently beckoning the White. The latter stood up and whispered into Fox¡¯s right ear, making him widen his eyes towards the end of the whispering. Fox frowned, his polycoria eyes trembled, and his eyebrows danced, while his lips moved a bit. The White then left, bowing deeply to the Raging Blood. Fox left, hurrying to his mega hotel. ¡­ Chapter 156 — Movement… And Outside Movement Movement¡­ And Outside Movement A clear sky, nearly in the afternoon. At a random place outside any city, somewhere near a dirt road passing through a village. The trees were tall, but this was no Proteros. It was calm, but there was also the eeriness from being far from a city that isn''t always there, but it is here. Just as the wind blew a little, strange sounds far from nature in the middle of almost nowhere emerged, roaring and cracking from and in the skies. Just a few seconds later, no more, 3 warplanes rushed into view, moving through the sky and nearing the village, meaning they flew low on purpose. Following their movement, everything suddenly turned chaotic, with strikes that weren¡¯t even seen, and the warplanes becoming enormous above one¡¯s head. An instant later, dirt and smoke blew into the skies, the ground at the sides deafening with countless splinters from houses that were torn to rubble to their foundation. The warplanes continued flying, circling away from the village to make another pass. On a long street, with poor infrastructure, and what seemed like a school or an enormous parking garage of an open space on the side, and houses on the other. The street was strangely empty. Almost not a single vehicle parked on either side, which was rare for a street like this. Some delinquents walked to the only vehicle on the street, throwing it gas and lighting it on fire. It was a slow burn, which slowly spread everywhere and caused a tremendous smoke to rise into the air. It wasn¡¯t much, but from something much smaller than a house, it seemed like a lot. Then, various images of trucks and other vehicles, even grouped motorcycles, passed by the screen before Luis nodded at the person handling the computer. ¡°Thanks, that will be all. Thank you everyone for coming again today, let¡¯s go have our meal.¡± Luis stepped away from the large screen behind him and bid the news reporters farewell. It was the 2nd day of the month¡¯s 2nd week. 3 days since the Ly forces¡¯ operation on the organized crime groups began. Luis presented the third report on the situation, with the full 3rd day¡¯s report being prepared for tomorrow. As he left, the news reporter bid him farewell. It wasn¡¯t an enthusiastic farewell, at least not from everyone, but it was one. Luis left feeling relaxed and in a good mood again, like everything he did for those press conferences was just right, what he should do. As for the images just now, they weren¡¯t something to be scared of. Before showing them those images, Luis showed them videos of actual footage taken by some people. Among them, those who were bandits. There were few videos like this that ran all over the media. There was one of Ly warplanes overflying a OC camp by mistake before circling around it to scout it. This happened many times during these few days, where the Ly air forces hunted for these hideouts. More often than not, these warplane groups only fly and scout, never striking unless necessary. There might be a fuel deposit nearby, and they are almost always located within nature, so it was very dangerous to attack right away. It was more efficient to scout, report, and then let a land unit take care of it. As for the air strike, it was indeed from Ly warplanes, but not towards a village. They would also not fly that low when attacking like they were warplanes at the start of the SO. It was an open area of a OC base, where they were far enough from any tree or bush, probably cut down to make the 1-story houses. These were just edited and mixed together to make the video, which made all of the world gasp at Lymoca¡¯s true tyranny and inhumanity finally being exposed. This video spread in Lymoca media since the first hours of the 9th day, giving ample time for the Lymocan government to investigate the matter. Now, Luis exposed it, as well as indirectly slapped the heck out of every news anchor that acted like the rest; most from the opposition. As for the video of the truck being light on fire, the ones responsible were shown beforehand, where the perpetrators were caught and displayed in the press conference. They were call people of some public servants in the LV and NSH polie parties, which, of course, the ones they were connected to denied having any connection to their doings. They also didn¡¯t seem worried about someone spilling the beans, and within reason. After all, who was enemies and who was friends with the Supreme Court Justice? They could just say they interpret the law as not able to punish those ¡®peacefully manifesting¡¯ against the government. After all, they did clear an entire street for their little ¡®project¡¯. As for the images of all sorts of vehicles burning on streets¡­ Those weren¡¯t from Lymoca. Not only from other countries, from the south, for example. But they were also from a few years ago, a decade, and even in the past 1-2 centuries. The vehicles¡¯ models proved it even more easily. It was a blatant disrespect to¡­ human intelligence, really. Furthermore, many Lys bought it. Once the images the president showed were elaborated and proof was shown, it would infuriate the Lys who were taken by surprise like idiots. More food for the president, in a way. It was still noon, so he could get a meal with Lesly. Smiling to himself, Luis walked to the car parked for him at the back, where he told a White Blood where to go. *** NSH building, somewhere around the center of Proteros City. Nearing 12 AM. NSH president Galan Piador, a white man with black, unserious eyes, long hair, and slender and lazy. He was in a call with somebody, of which they seemed important. Galan Piador nodded and gulped with fully open eyes before saying, ¡°Yes, yes. I understand. Thank you. Oh no, please. Yeah¡­ I understand. Will do, will do. Haha. We¡¯ll see the news, won¡¯t we? Hahaha¡­ Ah, yes, I promise. It will be done correctly.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± Dropping the phone on the table, Galan puckered his lips and retracted them, cleaning the sweat from his temples with his sleeves before grabbing a thick bottle and drinking a third of its water. He breathed in and out a few times and sat straight, checking the time a few times while hearing the voices outside, waiting for him, but also making him feel calmer every few seconds. ¡°Siiigh.¡± At last, Galan relaxed enough. He accommodated his sleeves and grabbed his jacket while standing up, putting it around his shoulders before closing his eyes. A few more relaxing breaths later, he walked to the glass doors, exited the room, and went to find the others. ¡°President Galan!¡± Someone saw him before turning around the corner to meet with the circle of NSH and LV, both united to see this problem, but only for the moment. Galan walked to Mu?oz Estandarte, who stood with some of his party¡¯s people. Antonia Carla, the one who was the candidate for this next term from LV, stood close to Mu?oz. She was a brown middle-aged woman, who for some reason decided to have a strange, even ugly hairstyle. Her long brown hair looked like flat clay at the sides of her forehead and everywhere else. She was short and fat, but her smile showed how determined she was to get this president seat for her party. Galan gave her a quick look before staring at Mu?oz, showing how weird it felt to choose her. Mu?oz ignored the look and asked Galan, ¡°What happened? You were taking long in that call, I almost thought we had another damn sea issue.¡± Galan gulped, guttural sounds emerging below his head towards the back of his chin before flatly speaking, ¡°This is really important. I think we finally have the chance. Bring your close ones, and the¡­ you know which to work this out. You understand me?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Mu?oz frowned, seeming a little scared before bravery emerged from his black eyes. He looked around before beckoning some other people from his party, and then gave them a stern face, making them walk to him with a serious expression. Galan did the same, but he was calmer and somewhat more ¡®used¡¯ to¡® this. A few people came to his side, with Loma Jenta being one of them. He looked at Mu?oz, who seemed a bit worried, and felt a slight sense of superiority. Then, they walked to a different room, leaving the others behind to socialize or anything else. Once in the other room, they sat with Mu?oz and Galan sitting at both extremes of a long, elliptical table. ¡°Okay, I received a call from the secure line, you all know what it means, so don¡¯t ask questions.¡± Galan commenced, ¡°We¡¯ll contact them now. They may be losing, but they¡¯re people still. And as it has been said, they are mostly Lys, too. I got word of a strategy.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Everyone politely heard Galan but didn¡¯t really know. Only when he mentioned ¡®strategy¡¯ did their eyes pop open. Something like this could only mean one thing: it was something big! ¡°Call your contacts, tell them the exact same thing¡­¡± Galan remembered those words like a creed. He relayed them to these people, showing determination in his face, and the glints of a leader, or wanting to be one, through his gestures and eyes. Mu?oz didn¡¯t mind. Instead, he was still worried about something like this, but there was no way this could be missed on. At last, Galan finished, with everyone nodding in accordance. ¡°Ok, that¡¯s that.¡± Galan thinly smiled from ear to ear. He looked at everyone before setting his gaze on Mu?oz and Antonia Carla. ¡°Now that we¡¯re here, I think we can prepare something in advance. We all know the president is coming hard in these elections, unlike before.¡± ¡°He first had our help, then a promise. That promise¡­ is our major threat now. I say we band together, but not as a union, or allied political parties, just under the table. We have to support each other. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll bring some of the insignificant parties to support NSH. You should do that with yours, too.¡± Gala gestured to Mu?oz. At first, Mu?oz frowned. Even though things were at stake, with the huge opportunity presented with Luis¡¯s mad operation against the organized crime groups, they only had to play their cards just right. But when he heard the matter of only supporting each other, and sharing the smaller polies without fighting for them like before, his expression all eased up. ¡°I will postulate for the presidency in my National Scholars of Honor,¡± Galan said, using full names and all with what seemed to be honor. Mu?oz darted his eyes to the left before standing up. ¡°This person will be my Lymoca Vanguard¡¯s representative, then.¡± ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Galan, hahahaha.¡± Antonia Clara leaned over after Mu?oz made her stand up, squeezing her shoulders by her arms. Galan smiled before proposing, dancing his eyebrows a bit, trying to be all charming, and not failing. ¡°Miss Carla, I do not intend to offend you, but you will need help. My face is very well known, and women should support each other.¡± He looked at 2 people from his sides before staring at Antonia again, ¡°These will help you in my NSH¡¯s stead. This is Loma Junta, and this is Tania Diaz.¡± Loma Junta smiled and walked to Antonia, her white skin and chestnut bright hair known to all, besides her beauty, as long as her face was nowhere near enough anybody¡¯s eyes. And as long as she wasn¡¯t in her crazy ¡®mode¡¯ like in the parliament. Tania Diaz, another senator from NSH parliament party, was a middle-aged white woman with black hair and eyes. She was tall, and as Antonia looked at her, she thought, ¡®Oh, so the crazy one and the yelling champion are my helpers? How grateful I am.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m so very glad to have you with me, ahahahaha!¡± Antonia said before laughing, throwing her head a little backwards. The other women smiled and laughed a bit, too. Mu?oz and Galan looked at this and smiled, knowing they would end up hitting it off well with each other. ¡°Oh my heaven! Quickly! Look on the news! We were too busy hearing about it to tell you!¡± A person suddenly ran into their room, making everyone frown. The person didn¡¯t read the room, went in, and turned the TV on. Everyone focused on the TV out of curiosity, planning to throw this young man out the moment it ended, but¡­ ¡°¡­ As you can see, both parties are still taking cover. It isn¡¯t an exercise, much less a simulation. Only 3 of the northern side are still alive, the 2 who were still alive¡­ I¡¯m afraid have died bleeding. Oh heavens¡­¡± A news interface showed in the screen, with what seemed a broad gunfight, still ongoing with blurry spots. The news female announcer covered her mouth as the corners of her eyes wrinkled, her psyche clearly in shambles. Her partner, a male announcer, had an ugly expression as he watched the unblurred version and had seen the twitching bodies who are no longer moving in another screen. This made the people in the room to widen their eyes as the angle zoomed in. Then, they looked at each other, feeling fantastic and a strong feeling of schadenfreude. *** Deep in the night, at just 4 AM. Presidential precinct. Fox rushed back to the city, already having verified the liberation of Proteros after the first screening. The rest of Lymoca was still a tough work in progress, but it was there. He arrived in one of Colmillo¡¯s cars, which he unfortunately had to drive. Taking his uniform off while to the main building, showing his inner uniform before walking into a bathroom, he came out with a decent suit from an ¡®emergency suit¡¯ kit. Then, he went to Luis¡¯s office, knocking once before opening the door to see Lesly, Roam, and Butler in front of the President¡¯s desk. Fox walked forward, taking his working gloves off and putting his not too costly gloves to deal with ordinary people, storing the others under his shirt against his inner uniform. Luis loudly spoke as he did, ¡°I apologize for calling you this late, Chief Secretary of Security.¡± ¡°I see this is something unusual¡­ is it the incident at the border?¡± Fox stopped beside Lesly, at the corner of the desk, and spoke. Luis nodded, closing his eyes. Fox frowned a bit, ¡°What exactly happened? There¡¯s no way what media says is what happened.¡± ¡°Yes, I already investigated. But 17 dead ANS border soldiers and 12 of ours, only injured, correlate that Lymoca ambushed and assassinated them from feeling haughty after ¡®their comrades¡¯ killed bandits.¡± Luis spoke while shaking his head, sounding grave. Fox cocked his head a bit, ¡°So they are mad.¡± ¡°Fox,¡± Luis nodded a little before leaning over on his chair. Fox didn¡¯t see the usual ¡®I hate you because I can¡¯ glare, maybe because of the first screening revealing all organized crime was swept clean from Proteros. ¡°What do you need? You just took me away from the process.¡± ¡°Yes, I do have a need of you. You see,¡± Luis stood up and walked around, standing before Fox and placing his hands on his shoulders, ¡°I need you to accompany me to a meeting held between both countries in a few days. I spoke with ANS¡¯s president an hour ago.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Fox softly threw his head back and smoothly shook Luis¡¯s hands off his shoulders, throwing them backwards for a moment. Luis stood there but didn¡¯t feel awkward, ¡°Ego will oversee things with 1 or 2 other representative captains¡ª they¡¯ll do your job in the District. The Secretary of Security will be slightly burdened with yours, so she and Roam will help you there.¡± ¡°Those are your jobs¡¯ needs being met, now, Fox.¡± Luis walked to his hidden room and took a suitcase made of black fabric from behind the doors. He walked back to Fox and gave it to him, sighing before saying, ¡°What I need is for you to prepare and then accompany me to that meeting. There will be a private and a public section.¡± ¡°This,¡± Luis pointed at the suitcase hanging from Fox¡¯s hand, ¡°Is for the public one. I need you to¡­ snake through the private one how you know. I¡¯ll need your special agent¡¯s mindset and¡­ predation for this matter.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ will Lesly come?¡± Fox weighed the suitcase, rapidly getting the idea of what was inside. Luis shook his head, throwing Lesly a serious pair of eyes, ¡°She will stay here for another matter, one that is more pressing than this border issue. At least internally.¡± Fox looked at Lesly and nodded at her. Then, he looked at Luis and agreed before turning around to leave, ¡°I want to bring Loba with me. Tell me when my WID is ready. I want to know everything happening in my operation before departing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Luis, Roam, and Lesly looked at the closing doors in silence. They were used to Fox, but it was still quite something; how he dealt with things, whether they were heavy or not. Roam shook his head, commenting, ¡°He hasn¡¯t really changed, eh?¡± ¡°Nope, but that-¡± Luis shook his head a bit. Just as he was about to say something, he stopped. His smiling face fell under Lesly¡¯s narrowing eyes and slightly curling corners of her lips. Luis then expressed ruefully, ¡°That¡¯s how he¡¯s loved anyways.¡± ¡°Hehehehe,¡± Lesly burst in giggles, unable to contain her belly from breakdancing. Butler grinned, limiting himself to stare and observe. He could see Fox¡¯s evolution from just several months ago. A year ago, and 2 weeks less to be exact, he was just heading to his first assignation. Now, he was heavy loaded with his second operation, and this one was nationwide. But¡­ at the same time¡­ a trace of worry flashed past his eyes. It was, without a doubt, the brightness of every Raging Blood in the District what made them virtually unstoppable. But when the raging blood dies, the others¡¯ blood flow subsides. And it was indeed the largest and consecutive, greatest moments of a Raging Blood what brought them to their early bitter end. One was allowed to be worried then. ¡­Later that night, as morning approached, more news reached Fox first before the President was also notified. Organized criminal groups were no longer regrouping at the ¡®capital base¡¯ of their territory. They were now heading towards the same point, Jaewim. Every organized crime group was mobilizing their bandits to Jaewim. Even the Guerramar Cartel used their ANS routes to get there, avoiding Proteros at all costs, which is where the Ly forces were the most concentrated in order to clean the capital, successfully doing so in 3 days. The only OC group that didn¡¯t flee was the Lyclan Cartel, but this one would have to either meet the moving Ly forces head on or pass by their greatest rival¡¯s, Guerramar Cartel, territory first. The important thing here to consider was that all 5 OCs were moving towards the same point. They gave up on every attempt to fight and kill soldiers and whatever came with them, even ignoring the civilians, of which they had taken entire villages and recently built buildings in the rural areas ¡®hostage¡¯. They were amassing¡­ but Lymoca couldn¡¯t do anything. This was the great opportunity to quickly take the OCs down in every state with fewer conflicts. Of course, they were also uniting for whatever reason, but this wasn¡¯t something Fox could care about, and Luis didn¡¯t have the time or chance to anyhow. Besides¡­ if they amassed¡­ wouldn¡¯t that be easier? Luis thought so too, although in a much different view than Fox. Regardless, Fox was ¡®in charge¡¯ here, and not even Edgar Plomo¡¯s softheartedness meddled in between an opportunity like this and mercy. Now, there were these many problems. For starters, Lesly had to focus on the internal matters, with Luis getting busy with the country¡¯s sudden dilemmas; the press conference and the sudden burst of geopolitics crashing into his chest. Then, the situation at the border tensed things up, and no matter what actually happened, Lymoca ¡®had¡¯ to have lost that skirmish. But the main issue Luis faced was to let the world see the truth. That by itself was already tough. And now, there were the 5 OCs who were now all becoming best buddies and joining against the government. The Yopbartes gang, Coalition Party Syndicate; aka CPS, Sierra Caliente, Guerramar Cartel, and the Lyclan Cartel. Even then, there was something going on in the Lyclan Cartel. Their leader, a young man who has nothing of the fearsomeness the other OCs do, while they had not the ¡®proactiveness¡¯ the Lyclan Cartel had, remained tranquil. The Lyclan Cartel didn¡¯t become nervous of the situation, hurrying to one side or the other, and definitely didn¡¯t try stealing ships to flee. ¡­ Chapter 157 — Communication Is Of The Essence Communication Is Of The Essence Himperyia state''s rural zone, Lyclan Cartel reunion. Deep in the night of the 5th day of the month''s second week. This was atop a large hill. It wasn''t too tall, but it had a sharply flat surface at the top that made it easy to build a few things amidst the trees and hide from view. Although not from the recently flying warplanes and the high altitude choppers. A bunch of people wearing all kinds of hot weather, simple clothing made half a circle before a young man sitting in a sun chair and a small rectangular table in front. ¡°How have you been?¡± The young man sighed. He was white, slender, with smooth, jet-black hair, and predatory eyes of the same. He remained sitting, while those before him, more than a dozen, looked at him patiently, although some seemed worried. ¡°If you have anything to say first, before I speak, do it frankly. Make it short and brief,¡± he said. ¡°Rafas, we just barely started bringing some crops from those fucking new programs after all these years. Now we can¡¯t. Those who were willing before now make me want to look for them.¡± - ¡°Rafas, we just can¡¯t keep¡­ going like this. We either move or we have to¡­ deliver ourselves. What am I gonna do with my little boy?¡± More and more complaints sounded, soft and brief, but very personal, most of them. After they had their talk, the young man, ¡®Rafas¡¯, looked decisively at them, staring with his predatory eyes while placing his hands together. They waited for him to say something, to give an order. These men, and some women, all of which used to be brainless killers doing all sorts of unspeakable things just because they could, undergoing dangers to the north and east from other OCs and the government. In less than 30 years, they suddenly became people that even civilians could depend on. This didn¡¯t mean they were ¡®good¡¯ OCs, but at least those the population would prefer to fall into the hands of one if worse comes to worst. ¡°Each of you have learned to command 1,000 of the people I have sent with you, and some more coming your way every now and then. All of you know what to do for a better life, even in these circumstances. I won¡¯t say much, only¡­ what do you want?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nobody responded. They weren¡¯t sure how. They didn¡¯t know what to truly expect. All they could think of was to wait for Rafas to give a dictum. They trusted him. ¡°You have learnt how to cultivate, even though we¡­ I couldn¡¯t give you enough time to see to that. And of those many, you only have a few hundred who can fight, which you don¡¯t force. All of these things, I taught you because I didn¡¯t want everyone to go in the same way every other hopeless idiot goes in the organized crime. I just¡­ didn¡¯t think it would come in my time, much less this soon.¡± The young man spoke with some pauses, his chest was heavy. ¡°How has the front been? Are we still being pushed from every side?¡± He asked after rubbing his forehead, feeling an even more significant weight press down on the back of his head. ¡°Yes, the shores are full of marinos. All our source of income from there, most of everything, gone. As for the north and east, they started closing in since a few hours ago. They took all of Guerramar Cartel¡¯s territory in less than a fucking quarter of a day!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve shown enough resistance, and we hid our people within civilization well¡­ The civilians also help us a little, even if just by remaining silent¡­¡± Rafas paused, making everyone even more pressingly silent to hear his decision. He looked at them with his chin a little low, ¡°Use the contact and tell the¡­ president Luis Heartez we wish a peaceful negotiation.¡± Everyone remained silent, but a budding of uncertainty spread. The young man saw this clearly, waiting for it to show before adding, ¡°But only with our conditions. We must be treated especially. Have our own ¡®backyard¡¯ and able to meet our families, which are innocent, every week at least thrice. We¡­ will also accept a probable conscription, as long as the payment goes to them, and they are protected, too. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The crowd became tense. They felt a little glad, but they couldn¡¯t help feeling awful for themselves, too. Even though this made it for those they cared about, whom their leader right here encouraged them to look for a person they¡¯d want to procreate, as his words indicated. They were also selling themselves as¡­ what? Mercenaries? Contractors, if they feel as fancy as those politicians who think ¡®don¡¯t tell - don¡¯t matter¡¯? ¡°Are you okay with that or not?¡± Rafas echoed once he heard the silence continue. They nodded, but one of them questioned, ¡°What are we gonna do if it isn¡¯t accepted? The others are joining elsewhere and might cause trouble. They should have already captured villages and farms.¡± ¡°I know that, but we aren¡¯t going with them, and anyone who fled our territory to do so out of fear should have made that clear already.¡± The young man stood up. ¡°They are going to one sole point, while we are here, where even Ly soldiers know the public doesn¡¯t vehemently hate us since a decade ago, or so¡­ We have a chance.¡± ¡°What if¡­they make it?¡± Someone asked again. Rafas looked left and right at the crowd before him before shaking his head. ¡°You really think we ever faced the army? We only saw trucks, controlled turrets, and our intelligence being stolen like a taco at a beach by a bored seagull.¡± ¡°No, we have no idea what they are capable of!¡± Rafas held his head and semi shouted, looking exasperated, if a bit. ¡°You yourself said it, and you all know it. They are moving towards a single place in Jaewim, but do you think that¡¯s good? I was contacted by Commander Don, Rat¨®n Poder, General Monte, y el pinche Casito(and that bastard Casito) in the 3rd.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell us!? We could have chosen something! Those Guerramar might¡¯ve even let us pass with them! Even if we had to give some of our weapons and vehicles-¡± A person felt indignant, so she shouted. Rafas looked at her with coldly narrowed eyes, ¡°And our families, too? Don¡¯t we know how much they like women and children alike? Weapons is one thing, but they¡¯d demand comfort, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Silence prevailed yet again. Rafas took a sudden sharp breath in and went after exhaling, ¡°Do you think Luis Heartez, the coward, would make use of the army of Lymoca, that even though it¡¯s weak in the world, has the ability to rail us down?¡± They kept their mouths shut and shook their heads. Rafas nodded in return. ¡°And you think joining everyone in Jaewim will be worth the sacrifice? You may think you can go back to ¡®how it was before¡¯, but your conscience will eat you away before you could have reached there. And¡­ do you really think Lymoca doesn¡¯t have enough numbers to take us all at the same time?¡± ¡°On the contrary, they are worried cleaning the entire country, and they showed that weird thingy everywhere in Proteros¡¯s skies. They are only worried about cleaning us all. But even then¡­ with everyone packed together. Sure, that would make them stronger, united¡­ but¡ª wouldn¡¯t that leave everyone so close together in one sole point?¡± ¡°But do you think Luis Heartez would have wanted that? Even Edgar Plomo, that idiot who lets so many of your people practically come back because of our reputation alone, giving us ample resources to keep going¡ª wouldn¡¯t be so passive. But he doesn¡¯t have the guts to do this either. It¡¯s that monster the president hired, everything changed since he¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The crowd finally understood, and when the truth was given to them, or unfolded from the confines of their minds, they felt its whole weight. Suddenly, young man Rafas felt the weight fall a little from his shoulders, but he didn¡¯t feel contented. He took it back on his body. ¡°Now, as I said¡­ contact them¡­ This is our chance, but it is also our one and only. You know what to do¡­ and prepare all of your families, just in case.¡± The meeting came to an end. The young man turned around and weakly returned to his chair. He seldom shows this image of his. He was of a weak-looking body build, but he was healthy, and he never had bodyguards, though he would be better with some. This was the leader of one of the 2 strongest and most influential organized crime groups in Lymoca. *** In the morning. Proteros. Fox¡¯s suite. With the morning hue on her back, and the noises of the TV from the living room, Nala squatted on the bed. Eyes closed, she felt the tremendous pressure from wordless sensations. Her legs were folded, of course, but also widely spread like a crab. With her back bent, that fabulous, most exquisite and unbreakable back slightly leaning forward, her hands grabbed Fox¡¯s as he lied below her. Nala slowly lifted her eyelids, trembling as her expression changed, like a person about to sneeze.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Instead, she felt her entire body shudder, no longer belonging to her. Nala didn¡¯t feel it, but her mouth, nose, and eyes arched and twitched as Fox¡¯s blurry image made the sound and brutal scent floating between each other return to her senses. She was helpless atop him, letting him do just whatever he wanted, like usual. ¡­ An hour and a little more later. Fox lied on the bed, this time no longer moving like an inhumane sex machine. Nala rested her head on his collarbone and chin. Her hair was wet, but it smelled so good. She also enjoyed his scent, resting the tip of her nose on his light brown skin, letting her see how her hand caressing his abdomen contrasted with her goldish-pale white skin. ¡°Um, almost forgot, we must leave. Why aren¡¯t we flying in the early morning? It¡¯s almost noon¡­ Ah~, not complaining, Foxie.¡± Nala softly murmured. Her words were vibrations coursing this body, first the top before the bottom as he lied as her pillow. ¡°We are having the private one first. Then, we- well, I¡¯ll meet with the ANS press conference with Luis¡­ He might be eaten alive, so pick a few hostages and trace a route to grab them all. But beware of their hoog.¡± Fox said, enjoying her hand on him. ¡°Okay,¡± Nala nodded meekly, but her voice was as usual, indifferent and cold. They weren¡¯t joking, although it would be probably best if it didn¡¯t come to that. ¡°You take care of the president. The others will make time to let you escape. Sigh, let¡¯s hope something like that won¡¯t spark any conflict.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Fox let the scent of her wet hair run into his nostrils. It was simply great. Nala closed her eyes. Her eyelids twitched with such sensations behind her head. She opened them while feeling soothing still, ¡°We both train the same art. How come you are always the only one getting tired in the end?¡± ¡°My fault, I was born this way¡­ I think¡­ kinda.¡± Fox stimmed his head a little to the left and right before feeling like grabbing the skin of her nape. Nala¡¯s eyebrows twitched, but she only grew a pink hue at the tip of her nose. ¡°Ouchie¡­¡± ¡°Come on, we need to get up. I wanted to bring you, and I didn¡¯t have to ask to do it¡­ not directly, at last.¡± Fox said, slightly sitting up. He tried bragging to his woman, but she grinned and went, ¡°Oh, right. I¡¯m your trophy with legs¡­ But, do you mind waiting a bit? I can¡¯t move with ease in case something happens.¡± She looked up at him, enjoying the sight of his neck and under chin, ¡°Or else, I would only be your trophy, no legs.¡± Fox stupidly smirked. He lied back down, letting her accommodate her head and upper torso on him better, treating him like a comfy body pillow. She leaned on her left side and brought his hands to her breasts before closing her eyes. Her fingertips traced the veins and bones on them. His left hand was smoother, with his right hand much worse off in aspect. But she softly traced them for the umpteenth time, exhaling softly as she freely let herself go on him. ¡°Aaah¡­¡± A careless, sweet sigh reverberated on Fox''s stomach. ¡­ 25 minutes later. Fox arrived with Nala, taking a big helicopter to fly to the heart of ANS. Luis sat before them, finding the quietness despite the 3 sets of rotors and the 6 auxiliary ones. There were special forces with Green Bloods and only 2 Red Bloods beside Fox and Nala. More importantly than that, the President was accompanied by the Raging Blood. ¡°We¡¯ll arrive in 8 hours. Buckle up,¡± a voice sounded from their headsets. Fox and Nala were fine, although Luis seemed a bit irritated. Fox didn¡¯t need to ask to know what he was thinking. 8 hours at such a super speed, to go from the capital to the heart of ANS, that was something. Fox jolted a little at this time. He rummaged below his clothes and took his WID out. It had been upgraded by Miros and the District. It was no longer the same as before, but it also didn¡¯t look like Luis¡¯s. His was of a bloody, transparent ethereal touch. ¡°What is it?¡± Luis slightly called out. The channel was for their booth only, which was one of four, not counting the pilot cabin. Fox did something to the WID, spoke into it without comms on, and then activated them to look at Luis. ¡°It¡¯s the Lyclan Cartel,¡± Fox¡¯s words startled Luis, he wondered what happened. Fox didn¡¯t keep the suspense longer than a second, ¡°Their leader, Carlos Medena, aka Rafas, has proposed a¡­ qualitative set of conditions for a negotiation table.¡± ¡°What? Really!?¡± Luis was astounded. Even Nala looked at Fox, although her expression changed as much as a tree did from one day to another through natural growth. ¡°General will take care of that,¡± Fox mentioned. Luis smirked ruefully, ¡°Now you speak for me?¡± Fox smiled hard from the left corner of his mouth, ¡°This wasn¡¯t that important. I expected it anyway. I convinced the General to slow their advances down towards them. Guerramar was rushed, and screening is happening all around the country as we speak. Of course, it¡¯s mostly because they aren¡¯t in a living hell that they don¡¯t all have delusions of grandeur.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Luis fell a little silent before reacting. He added, ¡°I guess it isn¡¯t easy to think simple things will work as needed sometimes.¡± ¡°I also doubted it, President. I have more experience dealing with SAs or the less organized crime world.¡± Fox confessed without being a confession. He looked at Luis expressionless before the latter shook his head, feeling unbelievable. ¡°At least let me know in another time!¡± ¡°If I did, it might have been different. I also don¡¯t want to talk about Jaewim. Everything is ready, and if the President really dares to back down, I¡¯ll be disappointed!¡± Fox feigned not hearing well, shouting as Luis frowned a bit in return. ¡°Yes, but-¡± Luis wanted to say something, but Fox interrupted, ¡°When the battle for the Centralized Parliament happened, many refugees inside it were raped and raped to death by criminal scum and paramilitaries. They also stole war equipment from some military camps and stole them¡ª if it wasn¡¯t for all camps uniting to take them down, they would¡¯ve learned how to use them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis was speechless. There were so many things he couldn¡¯t understand of these processes, even when Butler began mentoring him. It could only be a little every day because of his busy schedules, but it was a start. Yet, he was worse than a 19-year-old little genius. ¡°I also learned from this experience, President.¡± Fox added, making Luis look at him again. Nala lifted her right eyebrow at Fox, who went on, ¡°I had some people who were supposed to be professionals accidentally delay the shipment of supplies for 2 days. The other supplies couldn¡¯t slow down just because of it due to the contingencies I made for such situations.¡± ¡°Still, it made me realize I have to plan for everything. Like right now, I am trying for several routes¡­ Even though we can¡¯t confirm ANS¡¯s hoogs, we are ready for anything.¡± Fox paused for a moment. ¡°But we were lucky Guerramar didn¡¯t put up a fight. Else, a few or, I don¡¯t know, hundred or thousand soldiers might have gotten splashed in some wilderness land. Empty and dry at this time of the year.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis felt prickled at his heart, and brain; for his smarts. While it was evident he held genuine concern for all Lys, what about those he sent to their deaths for a cause? His face fell, and he looked afflicted, but he was still the Lymocan president, even if not as beloved as such. ¡°I thank you for-¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need-¡± Fox interrupted Luis, who wanted to have the final say, but Nala interrupted Fox, who interrupted Luis and wanted to have the final few words himself. She said to him, placing her hands on his forearm, ¡°Stop fighting. Keep that raging inside for now, and braze it for others. I want to see it displayed before those leafless folk.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox sat up obediently like an admonished dog. Luis was baffled without realizing. Nala then gave Luis a brief glance, as if showing: ¡®did you see that? Hmph¡¯, before staring at the thick metal doors closed tight to the sides. ¡®Beaten by a young man¡­ saved by a young woman. What kind of president still am I? Tsk¡ª hehe.¡¯ Luis thought, smiling a bit before relaxing. He felt like it was fine. After all¡­ Beep, beep. ¡°CSS, President Luis Heartez, I have an incoming call. May you respond?¡± The same voice from before echoed, startling them. Only another country could require this much authorization level. Fox looked at Luis, who noticed his glance and nodded. Fox stood up and walked to a communication device at the center where the emergency handles and pillar were. Grabbing a radio from a technological panel with closed compartments after his right thumb was read, Fox pressed the aloud button with his thumb being scanned again. A voice with a slightly differed accent sounded, ¡°This is the Aggregated Nation States¡¯ air force department. Who am I speaking to? President Luis?¡± ¡°CSS Fox, speak.¡± Fox spoke curtly. There was a moment of silence, perhaps because his voice was being read by the IWS programs, something any SA knows to avoid doing even if they were to die or get caught. The voice spoke again after 12 seconds, ¡°Chief Secretary-¡± ¡°Get to the point,¡± Fox barked at a low volume, making the personnel and those on the other side awkwardly silent, before the personnel, including Luis, smirked. Nala grinned a little with her arms crossed, staring at the incoming afternoon on the right, small slit-like windows at the top of the metal doors. ¡°Gulp, ahh. The helicopter you are flying meets our conditions. Please take the route designated to your location, it has been cleared, and the environment has been revised. Slower your speed a couple of tens per hour, thank you.¡± The voice sounded again, and Fox listened with calm but didn¡¯t bother replying. He pressed a button to open a compartment, showing the cabin with an angle behind the pilot and co-pilots¡¯ seats. A co-pilot checked a panel on his lap before looking back and giving a thumbs up, ¡°CSS, those words are true. We will arrive in 6 hours with our current speed. And from 6:30 to 7 hours after slowing down because of the winds ahead.¡± Fox nodded and closed the technological panel¡¯s compartment. He sighed a little into the radio and agreed, ¡°We¡¯ll take the route. Make more space in case there¡¯s a bird or sudden burst. We want to have this cleared as soon as possible. One thing, you forgot ¡®Heartez¡¯ before. Thank you.¡± Fox hung the communication. He activated his headset¡¯s channel to the cabin and the rest of the helicopter before speaking; loud. ¡°Speed up 50 k¡¯s per hour. Why not surprise our neighbor with a friendly, sooner visit?¡± ¡°Hua!¡± - ¡°Lyee~!¡± The special forces cried out, followed by the SAs, who nodded in approval. Fox returned to his seat, while a smiling Luis looked at him like greedy eyes would to a shiny ball made of gold. ¡°I see you can get all patriotic now, eh?¡± Luis called out loud, not caring about the things from before. Fox smiled. Then, he darted his eyes a little to the sides before replying, ¡°Don¡¯t make me fight again.¡± ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Luis cracked up, opening his mouth wide, throwing his head back, and all. Fox inadvertently smiled, looking at the side and avoiding Nala¡¯s side, who gave him eyes that melt him. ¡®So, does this feel like having a father? Ayayayay¡­¡¯ Seeing his smile, Nala narrowed her eyes, feeling¡­ actually very sweet inside her chest. ¡­ Chapter 158 — A Royal Building A ''Royal'' Building ANS, capital. In a large room with dim lights. A large screen hung behind a white, middle-aged man. It showed a moving image, and from it, the map of Lymoca. The man had short black hair and a regular height. He explained with a strict attitude to the selected members of the congress. This man was not just anyone, but the senate president, Heyn Poetswalt, who was a little more liked for his decent handsomeness. Yet, he hasn''t been the senate president for decades just because of that, or because he had a good enough skill. ¡°¡­And here, now, we¡¯ve gotten to this point. Remember all the times I told you that they got way too good information, because I doubt even our intelligence could have gotten it in 3 years, let alone in¡­ what, 3-4 weeks?¡± Heyn pressed his hands in the air forwards, putting emphasis on the screen again. ¡°Take a look at this, what do you see?¡± Heyn spoke before stepping aside, looking at the screen himself. The screen showed Lymoca, once Proteros was all-out facing the OCs, that from every border it had, be it the sea, ANS, or Endesa, their units placed moved inwards. Meanwhile, the units positioned inside, harvesting disorder everywhere in the bandits¡¯ camps and clandestine labs were struck, maiming strong defensive points and decimating a quick regrouping. As this happened, the OCs had no chance to do a single thing, forced to back down with the Ly forces advancing from their borders inwards, not slowing nor stopping once. Then, the OCs were distinguished with several arrows moving towards Jaewim state, with Guerramar Cartel¡¯s trajectory showing they forced a long and quick turn below the ¡®cleavage¡¯ separating ANS and Lymoca. ¡°It¡¯s like they are invading themselves!¡± A voice sounded. Some heads turned to the source, including Heyn¡¯s. Laen Worfield felt weird as he felt their gazes. He gulped and accommodated in his seat. The senate president lifted his left eyebrow and stared in silence before asking. ¡°Laen, something you¡¯d like to add?¡± The senate president had spoken, so Laen had to say something. He leaned forward with his blondie comrade looking at him beside him, uninterested. ¡°Yes, sir. I¡­ see that the method seems like the Ly forces just invaded their own land. But according to the info, the real one, not their media¡ª they destroyed only some free space.¡± ¡°Go on,¡± the president pressed on. Laen nodded, sitting straight. ¡°They obviously have at least 250,000 soldier, and with their rather recent national guard¡­ about 400 to 500 thousand elements. They could have done more, but although we don¡¯t know it, maybe they left some behind to secure the ¡®freed¡¯ areas. That¡¯s¡­ how their military calls it.¡± ¡°Nothing but different words for the same means,¡± Heyn said while walking around, showing the supplying routes the Ly forces used, including the warplanes¡¯ scouting. Laen Worfield was still caught in those words, when the senate president continued, ¡°I was briefed by actual military experts. They don¡¯t even know how to hide their trails.¡± ¡°This is SO, and Lymoca hasn¡¯t fought in over 600 years.¡± Heyn said with some schadenfreude, but he was still surprised when more than half the ¡®class¡¯ room laughed. He lifted his eyebrows and spoke upright, ¡°That¡¯s an honor. The ¡®greatest¡¯ second one in the world has lasted less than 300 years. Guess since when there is peace?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± The entire room fell silent. Who didn¡¯t know that? Apparently, them, because the senate president had to remind them. Heyn walked around everyone, putting the screen with dimmer bright. ¡°Lymoca has every military force under the standards that other countries weaker than ANS have, but why would ANS have stopped more than half a millennium ago if it that was the case? They may be obsolete in war, not knowing this SO requires super-protective anti-foreign satellites, and have a young person in their administration. But they are still that Lymoca that stopped the unstoppable. Our Aggregated Nation States.¡± ¡°Now-¡± Beep beep, beep beep, beep beep. The large room became noisy with the same ringtone. Everyone took their phones out and looked at the emergency notification. Laen Worfield did just the same. His eyes widened looking at the contents, when Heyn¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°What are you waiting for? Sigh, what is this?¡± Everyone stood up, picking their bags and minds up, giving Lymoca¡¯s map another glance before retreating. Laen was about to leave, when he caught Heyn giving him a glance. He turned to the blondie, who was hurrying away wearing a red skirt and long black tights, ¡°Asla, wait!¡± ¡°Just you, Laen.¡± Heyn softly called out. Laen was taken aback, but he noticed Asla didn¡¯t stop or wait for him. Frowning, he turned to Heyn. ¡°Sir?¡± Placing his hand on Laen¡¯s shoulder, Heyn spoke with his head low. ¡°You know I¡¯ve been in this position for long¡­¡± ¡®Oh heaven¡­ is it happening?¡¯ Laen wasn¡¯t too young anymore. Even though he was still amongst the youngest¡¯s oldest in his generation, he couldn¡¯t afford to wait any longer. Besides, he had always been a rising star, even if nothing exotic or bright as the likes of Jennifer Paws, Clara Metelti, and much less Lemyonova Morozov. ¡°I want you to know, Laen, should you fix yourself in wanting things starting from now on, because you will need support.¡± Said Heyn. Laen blinked a couple times, feeling disappointed. Heyn patted his shoulder a few times, ¡°You will need a lot of it. For the next, upcoming year, you must at least become the spokespeople.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been too idle, youngster.¡± Heyn saw Laen¡¯s eyes widen. He smirked, ¡°What? You think you can become the senate president tomorrow morning? Not even the next term, brat, that¡¯s mine. If you really want to, then do better. This isn¡¯t a nice path to the top.¡± ¡°Sir, I¡­¡± Laen ran out of words before he even began shooting them. Heyn shook his head, as strict as always. ¡°You have a good record, even if you still think showing your thoughts out there matters. Honor or not, keep that to yourself. You help no one showing you think differently.¡± ¡°I understand!¡± Laen¡¯s eyes flashed with understanding, ¡°I won¡¯t fail you, sir. I will learn. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± ¡°You better, or the next big thing will be that Garalf Stient.¡± Heyn shook his head and ¡®warned¡¯. But Laen¡¯s eyes said everything, widening and shrinking a bit. With an obnoxious tone, he swayed his head. ¡°No, no, no, sir! How can you say those things? It¡¯s not right. I- I won¡¯t let that happen!¡± ¡°And prepare dirty games, you won¡¯t get to any peak or top without them. Let go of those puritanic tendencies!¡± Heyn pushed the young man, making him trip forth. ¡°And get ready to receive the Lymocan entourage, their CSS is coming with that president. Aish~.¡± Laen looked at Heyn while walking away, feeling apprehensive. He went after Asla, not wasting any more time. It was one thing to speak badly of important people, but to have a powerful individual right before you, whom bad things are only said within circles and groups¡­ There was tension in the air, even before they came down from the sky. ¡­ 15 minutes later. After flying over the rural zone onwards to ANS capital, the Lymoca chopper finally flew over the capital. Even if Fox wanted to, they wouldn¡¯t be allowed to continue with their high velocity above the citizens. Chuf, chuf, chuf- chuff chuff~~! The helicopter still flew at a high speed, surprising the citizens who only knew a thing or two of Lymoca¡¯s situation, and/or knew there would be such a meeting between their countries. Fox watched as the helicopter ceased flying onwards, slowing down as it continued raging forth by inertia until it came to a semi halt near a distinguished precinct: the Lymocan embassy. Fox opened a door. The large helicopter had a small aperture as the news reporters everywhere caught sight of him. Fox ignored them, though. He looked below, where the ambassador waited for them to come down, frowning and old. The helicopter landed safe and slow. Fox stepped out before it fully landed, followed by Nala. The President¡¯s bodyguard escort behind him as he stepped down after Nala. Fox walked to the ambassador, and then past him before entering the embassy. He walked everywhere and immediately felt like in home¡­ or at least a similar sensation. Nala did seem to like it a lot. There were banners with the Silverplated Eagle here and there, all small, except the one in the landing zone, and another in the patio. The largest was atop the embassy. Fox walked into the main hall when Luis was just stepping into it. He walked to him with Nala beside him, walking a step behind Fox. Fox notified, ¡°President, the place is empty and ready to be used as a hotel. Shall we go to the big capitol?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Alright,¡± Luis looked around, maybe wishing he could stay here the first few hours, but it was already night. He took a short, sharp breath into his cheeks before blinking. ¡°There is a small convoy waiting for us outside. Everything¡¯s ready, so let¡¯s just follow their instructions.¡± ¡°Mn.¡± Fox could see the nervousness and uncertainty in Luis¡¯s state. He didn¡¯t push and accepted, bringing Nala outside as the news reporters moved fast, catching the lovebirds walking to the gate. Then, the cameras moved to Luis, one of the most handsome presidents in the Sanctum Order¡¯s history. Fox went directly to a car and opened the door while Luis walked to it, with the Bloods already hidden within the special forces bodyguards. Fox and Nala went to the front after Luis was secured inside the limousine. The driver was an ANS intelligence officer who sweated the entire way as he drove to the capitol. ¡­ Arriving at the sets of long, small, seemingly endless staircase before every relaxing, flat surface, Fox stepped out and waited for Luis and his entourage. Then, they went inside. Nala stood beside and a step behind him, looking every bit like his bodyguard still. They went through the doors, welcomed by a group of uniformed people, who checked everyone. Nala threw her natural eyes to a male who wanted to check her, making him sweat and tumble backwards until a woman stepped up. Then, they proceeded after Luis was cleared. Fox walked first into a meeting room, as large as the presidential precinct¡¯s reception area. There were golden, honey walls and chandeliers everywhere, with squeaky clean floors and tables so clean they might have even lost volume with the intense wiping. ¡°Welcome,¡± a voice sounded after Luis entered the room. Turning his attention to him. Fox looked around and noticed 2 sets of tables and chairs separated by at least 20 meters. The voice came from a white old man with only white hair around the sides and back of his head. He had brown eyes, and a stern gaze, but the attitude he showed when heads turned to him was of being at ease. This was none other but the ANS current president. Luis looked at the president for a few seconds before smiling, walking to the table. ¡°President Gant Comfor, what a first meeting after I wasn¡¯t allowed to go out of home. It¡¯s good to see not many things have changed between both our nations.¡± Gant nodded with his eyes closed, hands intertwined on the table. He waited until Luis sat before him on the other side of the table after being startled by the bodyguards, who almost stopped Luis. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? You wanted to touch a president? Get out of here!¡± The bodyguards seemed awkward before they stepped to the other end of the room. Luis was surprised when he saw this. Looking back at Gant¡¯s face, he saw the old man discontent. Luis politely smiled at him before glaring at the special forces. They stepped aside, including the SAs. Then, Luis continued politely smiling at Gant, who suddenly shifted his tone after nodding at Luis¡¯s gesture. ¡°Don¡¯t think this is time to play, president Luis.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis was taken aback, still calm. Gant continued, ¡°The matter between our borders took lives away, my ANS¡¯s lives away. We¡­ will face this truthfully. No little tricks or ¡®old friends¡¯ catching up. This is the real world of politics, and lives were taken, kid.¡± ¡°Mr. President, I wasn¡¯t expecting a circus when I came here.¡± Luis¡¯s words made Gant stop and look up at the still a young man before him. ¡°If you expected for me to conduct one, I¡¯ll do the same¡­ Let¡¯s respect each other, as it is well needed and practiced. Especially between our ¡®sister¡¯ countries. No need to dishonor that.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± Gant humorously scoffed before reading his opened folder¡¯s documents. Luis did the same, taking some from his empowered suit. ¡­ An hour later, the two presidents were still conversing. Not even debating or raising their voice like at the beginning. They read, then lifted their heads to constantly look down and up to exchange a multitude of words. Then, they simply talked to each other like old pals discussing the game last night, barely parting their eyes from each other¡¯s figure. It seemed tense at times. Fox looked at them from afar, sitting at the other set of tables and chairs with a lazy position and his left leg above the table. A person walked to him, giving the presidents a stare before looking down at him, just a couple of steps from his chair. ¡°They are going to keep at it for another 4 hours, more or less. I thought Heartez would have become tired by now. How bad is your Ly media lying and shit?¡± The woman¡¯s words made Fox look up at her with a bothered but calm face. The blondie kept looking at him without trembling, but she also avoided looking at his eyes directly, which he obviously noticed. Extending her hand, she took another step to him, letting her breath out. ¡°Asla Veyson. Senator. Nice meeting the ¡®legendary¡¯ Fox, now Chief Secretary of Security. It¡¯s a long journey you¡¯ve had.¡± Fox looked at the side, making Asla follow his gaze to see Nala turn her head to Laen Worfield, who just approached the former. ¡°Hello, my name is Laen. I am a senator. You must be the CCS¡¯s girlfriend, isn¡¯t it? Good seeing you here, a pleasure, really.¡± Laen extended his hand after speaking low to Nala. ¡°¡­¡± Nala turned her head to Laen, not even seeing his extended hand. Laen looked up, his head still low. Immediately, he stepped backwards, falling on a chair that nearly tumbled with his butt against the backrest corner. Nala kicked the middle of the seat¡¯s front edge, keeping the chair steady, but also breaking some bits apart. Laen sweated, looking up only to see Nala¡¯s impassive, cold and indifferent eyes and serenity. But then, Nala kicked the front left leg of the chair before stomping on its front, sending the chair sliding through a couple of meters before crashing against the table. Asla Veyson looked with widened eyes before returning to Fox. Fox gave Nala another look before she crossed her arms and slowly walked to him. He looked at Asla again, who was wide-eyed, and whose body trembled and recoiled a little when she saw his eyes directly. Fox stood up, lazily shaking her hand with his gloved hand before letting go and saying, ¡°I am not legendary. I¡¯m sure I would have to gain a death sentence for that. Like medals¡ª like in your country. As for the President. Well, he is one, and for 12 years, unlike yours, no?¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± Asla trembled a little. Fox cocked his head to the side and added, ¡°Veyson? Quite the fitting name for a worker of just another of the hundreds of senators in the upper chamber. Indeed, a country built upon the lives of others, and their history, now upon each other, too.¡± Fox looked up around a little, ¡°Huh. Isn¡¯t this place where you cut off the second and last other leaftree in the world?¡± ¡°Mister Fox-¡± Asla slowly recomposed her bearings. She spoke, but Fox interrupted, his left palm moving no¡¯s at waist level. ¡°I don¡¯t expect to try or be attempted to anything. This place is too shiny and makes any shoe squeak when walking. I will be taking my leave and return after¡­ those 3 or 4 hours. And¡­ you don¡¯t want to know what she would do to girls. That Laen guy had it so easy¡­ I think she was leaving him to me.¡± ¡°¡­gulp.¡± Asla looked at Fox a few notches more seriously before turning her head, giving him a little nod before walking past him. Nala was just 2 meters behind her, her eyes almost materializing daggers stabbing in her back. Nala walked to Fox¡¯s side, brushing his shoulder and chest a little before asking in a low volume. ¡°How did I do? Are you proud of me?¡± ¡°Hmph~,¡± Fox humorously blew air from his nostrils and half-rolled his eyes. Nala smirked and released her arms. ¡°Are we moving out? Their talks are boring.¡± ¡°Yes. You did well,¡± Fox commenced. ¡°You didn¡¯t harm anyone¡­ physically, or visibly mentally. And yes, let¡¯s go look around. The air is uglier, but I saw some trees around.¡± Nala smirked. Fox grabbed her arm, letting her hook around his elbow before walking away. The other special forces and SAs unworriedly looked at this. Gant and Luis gave them a look as they exited the meeting room. ¡°Those are so fiery,¡± Gant commented. Luis returned his attention to the old man, smiling without worries and reading his documents. ¡°If they aren¡¯t, they¡¯d be boring.¡± ¡°And they call us boring, hah hah!¡± Gant cracked up a little, sounding rough and deep because of his age. Luis shook his head, changing to yet another paper sheet after just finishing clearing up the issues of a few. ¡°It¡¯s what we gotta have, I suppose.¡± ¡°Still, Heartez. If one cannot make use of the rabid dog, then it¡¯s the most natural thing to get away from it, or take it down. If it¡¯s allowed to stay near, it¡¯ll incense a bad bark, then a killing bite.¡± Gant commented. Just this little comment took away all of Luis¡¯s attention from the table. He looked up, visibly irked. If Fox was present, he would be able to see Luis emanated ¡®you can¡¯t say that in front of me¡¯ signs for him. Indeed, for him. Luis stated, almost in a wide smile as he spoke. ¡°Comfor. Dogs are dogs, and so are people just people. But you are right about something. When something isn¡¯t viable, it shouldn¡¯t be used.¡± ¡°If you look here,¡± Luis pointed at several pieces of his next document. ¡°The board soldiers in your border are a force to reckon, or so do some deputies in your congress say. However, the training they receive is about 2 to 4 months, 6 months if counting when they are promoted high enough to require more.¡± ¡°Then, their equipment is a bit too high for them, just not top-notch, which at least makes some sense. Moreover, looking at the obvious signs of your ANS border soldiers entering Lymoca territory to banter isn¡¯t new, and this time, it was done under the influence, as at least 1 corpse showed in the autopsy¡­ These are hard to get lately.¡± ¡°Look at this, these are the obvious results from DLM being used properly, while the border soldiers your congress considers so highly has little more than ¡®adequate¡¯ training¡­ But under what circumstances? There¡¯s no war period, not before and not now, nor in the future.¡± Luis¡¯s face became serious, sharp, and proactive. ¡°¡­¡± Gant had a slightly annoyed expression. He became a bit bothered, too. He looked at Luis with upturned eyes, not really going for a rebuttal, or anything. All of those things¡­ were true. Has he been slacking off? Was he that old? ¡°Ah, I just remembered a nice¡­ ¡®concept¡¯.¡± Luis relaxed his shoulders and looked up, reminiscing of something. Gant lifted his right eyebrow. Luis looked back down at the former and said with a slightly blatant smile from ear to ear. ¡°Beware of the dog that¡¯s rabid, or any animal. But the more astute an animal is, the more it makes you think maybe they can resist¡­ part of it, and keep the ferociousness of its disease. Imagine a mad fox.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gant was left speechless. He cleared his throat after a few seconds and continued reading. Their political duel behind closed doors continued¡­ ¡­ Fox and Nala walked through the wide, long hallways of the capitol. There was still some gold and honeyed, glossing walls, floor, and ceiling, but it was to a much¡­ less overly showy fashion. Just as they were walking to a balcony, Fox stopped in front of a guard who looked perfectly the same as any other. Fox looked at a young man in his 35s with his side eyes first before slowly turning. Nala stepped back twice, letting him have more fun. He was the Raging Blood and could do whatever he wanted. Although she just invented that up in her little head. ¡­ Chapter 159 — Leslys Tales (1) Lesly''s Tales (1) ¡°Just keep walking, Fox¡­¡± The young man whispered with a rough, guttural voice. He looked at Fox with upturned eyes, but Fox just stared back and didn''t respond. Smiling at the young man for a moment, Fox parted his lips just a little, ¡°I don''t know which one you are from. It''s the first time I meet¡­ another hoog special agent.¡± ¡°!¡± Fox suddenly swiped his left foot right and left, not moving it in any direction, and blew at the young man¡¯s face. The latter jolted, tensing up and unnaturally twitching his right arm, of which blood dripped soon after. ¡°Am I that scary?¡± Fox asked, impassive. He did not show a smile or a frown, much less an emotion. Looking down at the young man¡¯s attire and attitude, Fox returned his eyes to the face before walking away after some words. ¡°Feels like your hoog has been watching.¡± Fox ignored the young man and returned to Nala, leaving the scene behind. After a few seconds, the young man¡¯s whole face heavily sweated as he accommodated something in his right sleeve with his left hand. After he did, he relaxed in relief, with some more blood tricking down. Fox and Nala walked to a balcony, at last, with guards about a dozen meters from it, with long yellow curtains tied to the sides. The outside was pretty dark, and the balcony faced what seemed like a forest, but it was just a small park area within the capitol¡¯s perimeter. ¡°Heh, look at it.¡± Fox rested his wrists on the parapet, with Nala walking to it, gently resting her palms on it. The hidden fella wrapped in one of the yellow curtains sweated, but he acted quickly and was already working on it. This was an impossible surprise, but one of good value, so he couldn¡¯t let go of it! ¡°It does look nice,¡± Nala softly replied. She breathed in and out relaxingly with her eyes closed, chin slightly lifted, before finally looking down at her man, her eyes drawn up and down his profile figure. Fox blinked, looking at her without little pretenses. He smiled a little before side stepping as close to her as possible. ¡°The tree is big, but¡­¡± Fox looked at the strangely tall, thick tree. It was almost like around Proteros City. This one big tree didn¡¯t even seem to resemblance its surroundings. In Proteros, no matter where one looked, everything fitted. Here, there was this tree that stood out on its own, but more because of its distinction to the rest of the green and leaves, even in the dark. ¡°It feels¡­¡± Fox narrowed his eyes a bit. Nala looked at him and cocked her head towards him, ¡°Is it transgenic?¡± ¡°Most likely. It¡¯s what¡­ less than 100 years old? I¡¯m not sure, it¡¯s just not real, not natural.¡± Fox commented, looking at it while leaning his head on hers. Nala grabbed his right forearm, fondling it and slowly sliding her hands around it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t compare to Lymoca, then.¡± She grinned after saying those words. Fox looked at her, tilting his head before smiling, actually softly. ¡°Yes, nothing compares to my Lymoca. Mn, this isn¡¯t a bad place, but I really want to return already. Surely, the President will clear the misunderstanding soon, and we¡¯ll all be contented.¡± Nala first smiled a little, just a bit, even after he finished speaking. She grabbed his arm and accommodated his suit, pulled his tie a little to test it, and looked up. ¡°Yes, we should return soon. The ¡®kids¡¯ might get too bored. What if they start doing weird things? I do miss Lymoca already, how can it be so easy to grow ¡®nation¡¯ sick this quickly?¡± ¡°Hm hm,¡± Fox hummed some chuckles a bit. ¡°You make it sound like we do have children, or if ¡®those¡¯ are even related. Ah, but the ¡®big sis¡¯ is indeed educating the ¡®lil bro¡¯. Only he seems busy wanting to see someone else, ah¡­¡± Fox shook and moved his head with light motions before looking up. He seemed tired, at least mentally, and whatnot. Nala smirked, maybe a little victorious, before bringing his head to face her slightly down. Her hand on his cheek, her eyes seemed to twinkle and ripple in the dark. ¡°Then, we don¡¯t have much to return to Lymoca other than our job, it seems.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Fox blinked, answering without much interaction. Nala blinked too before tilting her head towards his shoulder, ¡°What do you have to say about that?¡± ¡°Well, the ¡®kid¡¯ is a bit of a genius. Maybe something can be thought out of it¡­ I¡¯ll slave him until there¡¯s a way to have that going. But first, I would wish to have a little someone as a little somebody.¡± Said Fox, but Nala narrowed her eyes with smiles. ¡°Why? Is that important?¡± ¡°No, but I want mine to have a big, unique word connecting her to me no matter what civilization, costume, language, or reality is there¡­ It might be a little difficult on the last one, but it should be understood still.¡± Fox placed his hand on her upper back and caressed her a little. She also wore a suit, so it looked like nothing more nor less than a simple gesture. Nala, who has experienced his new techniques, trembled a little and involuntarily shook her head. ¡°You¡­ ah, you never told me where you learned those things¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject. Besides, I¡¯m the big boss, what shouldn¡¯t I know?¡± Fox fought to keep the matters where it was important. Nala lowered her eyelids in a bother, ¡°Someone tipped you off.¡± ¡°Woman, you initiated it. Don¡¯t step back and run, or I will feel myself forced to grab you by the hair and¡­ well, caress you.¡± Fox placed his hands on her shoulders while Nala looked at him with the same eyes, if only seductive in the camera¡¯s blind angle. ¡°I see¡­ after returning? Once the OCs are¡­¡± Nala revealed her fully open eyes and proposed, trailing off on purpose. Fox tilted his head again, a lot this time. ¡°How about after those are gone and I begin developing the new chain to start expanding my little enterprise?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nala smirked smugly, about to jab at his fake cockiness, but she found herself unable to. This wasn¡¯t pretense, at least not that part. She nodded, placing her palms atop his hands. ¡°You said it yourself. Wait ¡®till the noise has quelled down, and we can start¡­ that kind of life.¡± ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± Nala blinked innocently before stepping backwards twice, slow and with obvious intentions. ¡°I think that yellow curtain to my right looks just fine to use as an escapade tool. It should be doable doing it in another country.¡± Fox didn¡¯t stop her, watching as Nala continued walking backwards with slightly faster steps while the curtain moved a bit sluggish. A person¡¯s footsteps as they clung to the wall and tried to use the curtain to not be seen sounded, making him grin. At last, Nala turned and just grabbed the lower end of the curtain. Some guards ignored the news reporter with a VIP pass and looked at the couple in the balcony instead. They stepped out of their posts but stopped, wanting to ask but not daring to as Nala pulled the curtain to the balcony and returned to Fox. ¡°Ready?¡± Nala asked him, flashing a mischievous glint in her eyes before turning, her back facing the parapet. Fox followed her, facing her as she slowly leaned backwards. Fox placed his hand on her sternum, bending over with her as they fell from the wall. ¡°!¡± The guards were shell shocked. They couldn¡¯t react for a whole minute before one of them recomposed and rushed to the balcony, ¡°There¡¯s an emergency! Two guests have fallen from 20 meters high, send specialized medics now!¡± The others followed, but when the first guard arrived at the parapet, he was stunned to not see anyone with their blood darkening the already obscure grass. Instead, the curtain fluttered in the peaceful breeze of the night with no one in sight, like a gift reminder. ¡°Cancel that¡­¡± - ¡°What ¡®that¡¯?!¡± - ¡°Cancel everything¡­ the guests¡­ just went for a walk?¡± - ¡°Huh!?¡± The guards looked at each other before returning to their posts. Wasn¡¯t this like a movie? Either way, they didn¡¯t notice one of them was missing for a few minutes. *** Lymoca. State capital city of Jaewim state. In a famous news anchor building. 5:05 AM. ¡°I bet you can¡¯t believe it,¡± a female news reporter talked to the camera zoomed into her face. As it zoomed back out, a table with a few figures sitting around it with her showed. ¡°This is your very first morning Lymocan news, and in this special debate zone, guess who¡¯s here? Indeed, the beloved vice president Lesly Rivera!¡± ¡°Thank you for having me,¡± claps sounded as Lesly modestly clapped too. She looked at the news reporter and smiled sweetly before looking at the other people sitting around the table. ¡°I apologize to all of you, I know there were more, maybe other, things you wanted to discuss. I am grateful you let me participate.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The 5 people besides Lesly and the female news reporter were 2 old men and 3 middle-aged women. They shook their heads like it was no problem, although they still looked a bit uncomfortable. Lesly smiled and looked at the news reporter, but she only stared back. ¡°It¡¯s especially meaningful for me, because I have here the representative of the civilized community of Jaewim. To you is one of the people I¡¯d like to speak the most, and I also hope to reach you beyond a call or a promise. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Lesly tried leading the table. ¡°Well¡­¡± An old man seemed a bit awkward, taken aback. He cleared his throat and accommodated in his seat a little better. ¡°Indeed! Of course, it is. I have been wondering if there were ever any help coming. Jaewim has only seen this brutal, organized crime mobilization once in its life, and it¡¯s the worst ever. It was also caused by your government.¡± ¡°This is an important matter,¡± Lesly leaned over and nodded, almost holding the old man¡¯s hand. ¡°The government isn¡¯t abandoning Jaewim, there¡¯s nothing that would ever let us let that happen. Not to Jaewim and not to any other tiny place in Lymoca, and that includes Preut now.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Preut the Guerramar Cartel¡¯s newest target-¡± A middle-aged woman spoke out, but Lesly cut in with a smooth set of words. ¡°All organized crime groups moved the moment the military commenced their nationwide operation, and they realized there was nothing they could do. But that¡¯s too much of unimportant matters. Instead, mister, could you please speak of the situation within Jaewim? What are the civilians concerns? And according to what you¡¯ve heard from them, what do they need the most?¡± The program continued until 6:30 AM. Lesly let the people she wanted to hear the most from talk the longest, while basically confronting the others, and even leading whenever the female news reporter wanted to take back her role. Lesly was unstoppable, pretty much. Exiting the building, she ate some sweet bread pieces with coffee before checking matters with Roam and the Secretary of Security for a while. Then, at 8:00 AM, she took a flight to Lydhua, the northernmost state in Lymoca. She had gone to Jaewim to show she was not afraid, but only she knew the few reports the Bloods gave her during these few hours. Jaewim was well protected, letting the OCs reunite in a wide circle as they became more and more bandits. The army alone formed a barricade that denied them any route to civilization, forcing them to remain in a forest with many clearings in between. The population in Jaewim was secured in this way, and it also reminded them they weren¡¯t alone. But Lesly was. Luis was elsewhere solving a matter with the ANS border incident, while she was out there doing the job she took several long nights just to plan. She could have opted for not receiving any reports and let her mind rest at ease, but she didn¡¯t. Lesly made the Bloods and Ly intelligence tell her everything. She wasn¡¯t someone to be sheltered. Luis never did it, nor did she to him. Lesly couldn¡¯t afford to grow soft and vulnerable now. Who would be beside him if not her? To this, it could be seen she was possessive and haughty, but she had all qualities to be so. Besides, Roam was neither a woman nor was he interested in the handsome President. In short, he was no Lesly Rivera. Arriving to Lydhua fast and safe, Lesly was brought to another news anchor, well-known in the industry, and more so because of being in Lymoca¡¯s longest gulf, which was all too important. After all, only the Ly Ocean has the 3 biggest gulfs in the planet. With the Bloods protecting her, Lesly entered another program at 9:10 AM, which she used to debate with all the fishing communities¡¯ leaders who just happened to gather in Lydhua¡¯s state capital city. She spoke of her admiration for fishing, not as a hobby, but within industrial means. Deep in the rich waters of the Ly Ocean and the Lyclan Sea, besides the many small, unique species living underwater, there was a bountiful quantity of cherished product. Furthermore, after so many centuries, the modus operandi has been enhanced and the preservation and yield remained stable yet grew each decade. Fishing was indispensable. Food was necessary for survival, and food could be a delicacy. Without these, there are other means, but only the unworthy would think of using a part of one¡¯s opportunities to reach out for that greatness. Nevertheless, like before, there were experts who either wanted one thing or the other, not just limited to wanting to reel the fishing communities to their opposing side, despite their neutrality claims. But even then Lesly dealt with them amicably, albeit challengingly. At 10:40 AM, the program finished, and Lesly went back to Proteros to rest and revise her notes and planning. At 01:20 PM, more than half an hour after she returned to the capital and rested in Luis¡¯s office, moving around and resting her bum on his desk, ANS initiated a press conference. With the moment having arrived, she threw her things aside and watched the TV¡­ ¡­ ANS prepared a podium in a closed conference room; one of many they use. It was empty, with Luis and Fox standing far behind it and Nala like a bodyguard behind Fox. A person walked to the podium from the side, an old man: Gant Comfor. He stood behind it and looked at the news reporters before beginning, ¡°A few days ago, everyone witnessed a most disgusting incident. It came as a surprise, and we, ANS, were angry for it. Enraged.¡± ¡°We wanted answers, to have all those lives repaid! Because they didn¡¯t even die in their side of their homeland, we felt even more insulted. But maybe that is also why we wanted to know what the other side thought, with no deaths from their part.¡± ¡°I have to say¡­ I feel indignant.¡± Gant looked up for a few seconds before continuing. ¡°This matter was a mistake. I¡¯m here to announce to you about the talks we had with not just Lymoca¡¯s people, but their very president as well.¡± ¡°It is no secret that the Lymocan president hurried from Proteros to see me with the intention of clarifying this matter. Which is why I cannot afford to discredit the other party. I listened to him,¡± Gant gestured back to Luis, who looked at him with a small nod. Gant continued, ¡°He¡¯s no evil person, neither am I. Those soldiers weren¡¯t morons, neither theirs nor ours. It is a negligence from our administration for allowing the consumption of extracurricular products.¡± ¡°I responded kindly to president Heartez¡¯s desire to attend this matter, and he has been truthful. I know what you¡¯re thinking: are we bending our knee?¡± Gant closed his eyes, eyebrows lowered tightly. ¡°In the history of our countries, since the moments where our nations were born, we¡¯ve always had our differences.¡± ¡°Since then, we have also dared to become¡­ neighbors. Maybe not allies, but we did serve together for the increasing population in our countries and its riches. We welcomed the exile of royalty and nobility faster than anyone else in any other part of the world. It isn¡¯t for nothing we are now very well known as¡­¡± Gant glanced briefly at Luis, ¡°Sister nations.¡± ¡°Today, we decide where we put this matter. And let me tell you, even if ANS ever thinks ¡®something¡¯ should happen, which I will not condone, it won¡¯t be while I¡¯m still alive that this beautiful sisterhood between nations is broken apart.¡± Cheers! There were a few cheers from some audiences, but many reporters asked out loud, although they couldn¡¯t be heard loud enough. Gant nodded before turning to Luis, who slowly walked to the podium. ¡°ANS and Lymoca has agreed on a few new terms to continue our secure and boring border patrolling life. I¡¯ll let president Heartez explain it to you.¡± Gant walked away and met with Luis, shaking hands and placing a hand on his shoulder, nodding strongly to each other before Luis took the podium. ¡°I am honored to be here, able to explain to you our deepest condolences. No life lost, Ly, ANS, south of this wonderful supercontinent, or the others, is worth being fought over for naught.¡± With that considerably caring introduction from his heart, Luis continued, ¡°At this moment, my country is facing a change. But I had to come here and ensure our relationship¡­¡± Luis¡¯s speech wasn¡¯t any different from what one would have thought it would be. Diplomatic, yes. But it also had the concerns of many, or even the future of the Moonblue supercontinent. After briefly addressing the future tumor the OCs will be, Luis began informing the new changes to their border laws to ensure nothing like this ever happens again, and that if it does, it will be lessened. Then, once the Lymocan president gave his speech and gained the applause from both reporters and ANS personnel, he let the podium to Fox. Nala stood a few steps behind him, staring at him most of the time. The rest was spent analyzing their surroundings; the front with her eyes and the back with her hearing and smelling senses more attentive. Fox explained a little of what the situation in Lymoca was truly like, and what were the focal points the military focused on. Fox was concise and brief, answering many questions before the reporters had the notion to ask them. Little by little, half an hour passed, with Fox revealing as much as ¡®the book¡¯ said it could be revealed before taking his leave. He also gained a wide applause when he gave them his back and walked away, holding Nala¡¯s waist. In Luis¡¯s office, Lesly smiled with crossed arms. With this, Luis showed the relationship with ANS as Lymoca was the same as always, and that they weren¡¯t breaking apart, even with his ¡®measly¡¯ situation with the OCs in between. Furthermore, with Gant¡¯s words, it was further confirmed that the leaders of both nations wished to continue cooperating, and deemed each other¡¯s help as essential at worse¡­ and historical. Feeling a lot better, she went back to her project and prepared for tonight. She had programs from 7 PM to 1 AM, after all. And this was only for the night. *** At night. Luis and his entourage returned to the embassy after a small celebration reunion between both parties. The ambassador also joined in, now returning with them, a bit drunk. Luis frowned at the ambassador as he was carried into the embassy by his guards. Luis went inside afterwards, accompanied by his bodyguards. On the other hand, Fox slowly walked with Nala towards the embassy, no one had the guts or capabilities to hurry them. It was night again, and the temperature so far up north was already cold every night. Hooking his left arm, Nala let Fox guide their steps, crossing the streets time and again. They were silent, they enjoyed it. The dim lights every now and then were pleasant. From time to time, their heads leaned on each other, rubbing a bit before separating, time and again¡­ Back inside the embassy, Luis looked for his bedroom to sleep after letting the special forces and some Bloods rest. Other Bloods who remained in the embassy the night before would now accompany him to guard his room. Luis liked the atmosphere in the embassy, much differing to ANS outside, but not because ANS was bad. Instead¡­ at first, he wanted to stay another 3 days or so, but after being reminded of home, he wanted to return and see Lesly again¡­ Even though the days ahead were meant to be very busy. He had to see her. Luis went to sleep with his clothes on, face first, all so he could hurry and enter the chopper 5 minutes after waking up and washing his face. ¡­ Chapter 160 — Leslys Tales (2) Lesly''s Tales (2) The next day, at just 3 AM deep into the night, Luis woke up to the sound of the chopper, as requested. He stood up and washed his face when a special forces soldier came looking for him before going downstairs. Then, with Fox and Nala waiting for the President, everyone boarded the chopper back into the skies. On their way to Lymoca. Meanwhile, Lesly was in Luis¡¯s bedroom. After the programs, she felt like taking a little advantage and slept in his hidden bedroom. The face she had when she smelled his scent all over his bed¡­ Regardless, she spent a few hours sleeping in there before waking up at 4:40 AM. Lesly took a quick, refreshing shower and wore the same clothes she slept with, different to the last outfit she used in the last program last night. She was brought to a news anchor in Proteros. The day had just commenced, and this time, in a large debate that could last for hours, she brought a load of information to show who was the brighter person before the people of Lymoca. There, at just 5:20 AM, she debated for 2 hours. They brought up many different situations and issues to the extreme, but Lesly replied with equal extremism. Tit for tat, the ¡®experts¡¯ around the table then went for facts, saying hundreds of millions this, billions that. They used facts and numbers, names, as well as agencies to explain what happened, when, and even the motives behind any circumstance. Lesly commenced each answer with denying the motive and revealing the actual one, which always seemed more plausible. Then, she revealed the actual thing that happened, which has naturally nothing to do with what was told. Then, Lesly elaborated on the things that happened. Whatever the ¡®experts¡¯ brought out, she seemed to have it in her suitcase. When they least expect it, Lesly brings out a piece of information anyone can check either via internet or going to the governmental agencies for transparency. People they backed, they said did better and the president ruined it, and even themselves were exposed with actual numbers, names, and evidence that backed her. It was a blood- diplomatic -bath. By the time it all ended, Lesly went for breakfast while snacking a bun with a smile. She had another program at 9 AM, which she spent half an hour chatting about some small things and her experience in Luis¡¯s government before she went to welcome Luis back. The helicopter had returned to Lymoca half an hour ago, and would return to Proteros in no time. Lesly watched the chopper enter the city from afar before becoming a most Luis-worthy aerial vehicle that descended half a hundred meters before her. Fox and Nala jumped down before it did, with its rotors still going full motor. At last, Lesly saw Luis with his entourage and smiled. She just couldn¡¯t help herself. A few minutes later, they went into the presidential district while Fox went to his boutique. ¡­ At the boutique, Fox saw Fabiola walking around, tranquil and attentive, as she carried a digital board to type with a thin pen. She was careful to move around the clientele and attendants, while the clerks were busy and 1 or 2 other attendants in the computer room. ¡°Hey,¡± Fox walked before her and made her look up with big eyes. She went to hug Nala tight before squeezing his hand. While it felt like he was cherished less, Fox felt more comfortable. With the introductions done, Fox walked to the first main floor and looked around. ¡°How has it been? Have the numbers doubled by now? It¡¯s been 2 weeks, almost entirely.¡± Fox asked. Fabiola nodded her head like a chicken pecking on rice with widened eyes. ¡°More than doubled. Big bro, you¡¯ll see when the month ends, it¡¯s going to be crazy. I¡¯m already screening another 24 employees and 4 clerks for the next 4 floors.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget t-¡± Fox nodded and started speaking, but the lass interrupted him. ¡°I will have other attendants who will be paid the tips or extra money tidying the boutique. They will clean and some will be replacements if one gets sick and bla, bla. I know, big bro.¡± ¡°Mn, you are allowed to keep studying in that academy, my bad.¡± Fox tousled her hair before adding, ¡°I¡¯ll be here all day if you want to catch up.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Fabiola looked surprised to hear that. She pondered for a moment before feeling a little sweet. She smiled, showing her canines, ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°But don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know you¡¯re just going to waste time here and then leave to do what adults do.¡± Fabiola pouted as they went to the storage backrooms. Fox defended himself, ¡°Don¡¯t talk like you¡¯re 7. We aren¡¯t¡­ specifically. I and Nala are planning the next step outside the boutique.¡± ¡°Wah! Really!? Wait!¡± Fabiola was astounded. She looked at them like a beloved niece hearing her uncle did well with his wife. But a face of piteousness with tears threatening to spill showed next, ¡°You aren¡¯t leaving us behind, are you, big brother Fox? Your money to keep expanding¡­¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Fox frowned and playfully knocked her small head. ¡°I¡¯m about to gain millions every month from our boutique, I¡¯m not giving it away.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right,¡± Fabiola felt at ease, then like she lost an opportunity. Fox shook his head a little while Nala just blinked. Fabiola looked at her and asked, all smiles. ¡°Miss Caolia, will you help big bro with his planning? I¡¯d like to help, too. I may not own a steel factory, a car factory, and an infrastructure agency, but I am good at what I can¡­¡± Fox shook his head watching the two walk to the deepest storage. Fabiola wasn¡¯t as simple as before, when she just occasionally came during weekdays and helped in weekends. She even had time to search for Nala¡¯s mini-enterprise and became her fan. With the tight hug Nala let Fabiola give her, it was pretty clear Nala not only didn¡¯t mind, but she must also want to aid this little lass. ¡°You can come,¡± Nala smirked and brought Fabiola into the room, ignoring Fox while knowingly swaying those hips a bit. Fox could never remain human before such extra thick, tight heart-shaped butt. *** After catching up with Luis, briefing him the details of what he already knew by his WID, Lesly hugged him farewell before going to another program. She went to Lyekes, where she had a 1 hour and 30 minutes long special where she answered the questions from the public and then gave each of those answers a detailed verification process. Lesly studied well, so even if she got something wrong at first, she¡¯d immediately correct it. Regardless, while she did this, Luis worked his part and even scheduled a flight to Lydfe. On the other hand, Lesly went to her suite in a hotel. She didn¡¯t know what she¡¯d do if she went to his bed again, even though she would be alone. If she slept while sniffing hard in her sleep and was caught, it would be embarrassing to see Luis, too forbidden. Later at night, while Luis flew to Lydfe at 6 PM, soon arriving in an hour, Lesly went to a different kind of program. Tonight, there was a renown ¡®celebrity night¡¯ where many influential people would attend. One of them being social media, others like news reporters, and even old-renown actors and singers. Of course, there was another thing: politicians. Lesly Rivera was just another such type of people in the program this time. At 11 PM, she arrived after making some more preparations. Namely, studying and checking the profiles of many people she doesn¡¯t interact or has contact with, whom she at least speaks once a year. ¡­ Lesly walked around with an elegant, obscure purple satin dress, and a purse attached to her side. It wasn¡¯t a tight lock, just enough to not fall off when walking past people. It would still need one to grab it so it won¡¯t be taken away, and it had to be lightweight. Lesly was a charming sight all the time, anywhere. She smiled and met many people that would never face her personally otherwise. While the celebrities were an important asset every now and then, Lesly didn¡¯t intend to recruit any of them, as it was pretty foolish. Walking around, she suddenly found herself meeting a chubby man, rather known and some might say even respected. Lesly looked at the man in mild surprise before walking to him, fearless. ¡°Mr. Estandarte, I didn¡¯t see you before. Hello.¡± ¡°The Lesly Rivera in person,¡± Mu?oz Estandarte smiled, rising his glass before taking a sip, also taking his hat off before leaving it against his chest. ¡°I couldn¡¯t properly greet ¡®the other¡¯ side when the trial happened. I always felt sorry for that. I¡¯m glad I can see you now. I¡¯ve seen you have been busy lately?¡± Lesly smiled like the word charm was invented because of her, ¡°I¡¯d like to think no politics can define the people we are. But yes, I have a lot of work to do.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°What are you interested in? It¡¯s rare to see a¡­ National Front so out in the open.¡± Said Mu?oz. Lesly moved a little, letting the music reach to them, with her shoulders back and forth and her chest a little left and right. ¡°I¡¯d like to talk about a lot of things¡ª my party and president¡¯s stead.¡± ¡°Not going to try tricking me, eh?¡± Mu?oz smiled after his small eyes widened and his eyebrows jumped. Lesly shrugged a little, looking delicate, ¡°As I said, we are people. Should politics define us, we¡¯ll just be like little kids clawing at each other, waiting to see who backs away first.¡± ¡°So you want to enter the big ones?¡± Mu?oz smiled. Lesly nodded with a semi open smile, ¡°Can you put a word for me? I know your weight isn¡¯t only on your belly, Mr. Estandarte, hahaha¡­¡± Mu?oz cracked up, narrowing his eyes from the big smile. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, but I won¡¯t promise anything. My body is my sanctuary, you know? I¡¯m aware it doesn¡¯t look that nice when I say it, but I have more pending matters¡­ I even lost weight out of stress.¡± Lesly grinned before waving at the side. Mu?oz turned to see a beauty wave at her with a rejoicing smile. Then, Lesly smiled in a good nature, ¡°If you can really do that, I¡¯ll be really glad. I won¡¯t take something for free. Since I want to have this opportunity to talk in the news, you can get as much dialogue with National Front¡¯s deputies and senators.¡± ¡°Just behave yourself, please. Our people happen to be incorruptible!¡± Lesly winked at Mu?oz, who blinked at her and laughed, looking at the fine figure from behind. Lesly¡¯s smile slowly disappeared. She got tired of seeing the dishonesty in those eyes. The beauty she waved at winked before walking away. Lesly smiled before walking elsewhere, intent to find more food to collect and mingle a bit. She had to take many photos where her quiet, casual beauty was seen more. That¡¯s usually reserved for one person, but she had to sacrifice her ideals for a night. Up until 2 AM, Lesly even accompanied some girl groups to drink and exchanged a few more smiling words with Mu?oz during her stay in the program. Lesly also got to participate in some games while she was at it. From successfully identifying old musicians and songs, unique to Lymoca¡¯s culture, to historical curiosities. Because of her status, some of those query games had their difficulty increased up a couple of notches. Even then, she took those queries and answered like a champ. ¡­ By the end of the program, with all people coming out in groups, alone, and some drunk, limping and seeming wasted. Lesly walked alone to the parking lot with her legs a little limply, when Mu?oz talked to her from the side, and frankly so. ¡°Miss vice president,¡± he smiled a little and kept his distance, ¡°I have talked with some conductors. There¡¯s been some agreements, and everyone would like to welcome the very well-known vice president, but only her. I believe the encounters other political parties will have with National Front will benefit everyone, but I have something more to say.¡± ¡°?¡± Lesly lifted her eyebrows and looked at Mu?oz in silence. The latter gulped down and moved his lips before going, ¡°If you ever feel the need to look for suitable replacements as the vice president, or your charge changes, which means it would be below your worth. 30 million a year are waiting for you in my Lymoca¡¯s Vanguard.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Big political party electoral campaigns only receive about 25 to 50-something million credits. To want to give 30 million a year to her was¡­ something too much, to say the least. Lesly stopped and looked at Mu?oz, mouth closed. Mu?oz nodded comprehensively, ¡°It¡¯s not just your worth, vice president Lesly. It¡¯s what you¡¯ll represent.¡± With that, Mu?oz walked away, leaving a thinking Lesly behind. . . . Days continued rolling. 3 days later, early noon. In just 3 days, the nation seemed to accept the idea of the OCs getting exterminated. More than anything, the Lys let go of their misguided impression that they were getting attacked instead. Lesly continued appearing everywhere in TV and social media, becoming a well-known figure that nobody minded remembering. Her eloquence was also deeply imprinted in the national chain. Every news anchor showed her with love wherever she went. Lesly met more and more community leaders, who were also more proactive to appear wherever in their states with the trend. There were still rocky moments, but it wasn¡¯t a complication. She couldn¡¯t meet Luis that often, as he also traveled, but her images from the night program spread wild, especially those with Mu?oz. She was generating a clear image of what the government has been doing. Even with all the supposed evolution from times prior, there were still far too many people who coil be manipulated so easily. Just something in social media and feeling just like ¡®they¡¯ wanted them to feel. For no reason, simply because they could. The more Lesly talked, and the more Luis had his morning press conferences and went to other states in the second half of the day, the more the people listened and thought. Even when Lesly received backlash from a headstrong denial, a little proof-showing and a small elaboration were more than enough to give her the peace to calmly tell of the true happenings. Luis, on the other hand, went to the Lymaospas¨®, Himperyia, and Jaewim states. Even though he met with the governors and some senators who were free still, as his last initiative was being studied still, Luis didn¡¯t meet the Lyclan Cartel¡¯s Rafas, Fox did. While Fox had been at the Blackflower Boutique and didn¡¯t return to the operations¡¯ HQ, he did review the happenings. There was also nothing he could help with. Now, all was a matter of time, and he wasn¡¯t the General to truly have a saying worth noticing after the planning. ¡­ In Himperyia, after flying for an hour, Fox landed alone. Meaning, without Nala. He walked to a building in the state capital city. He waited inside a big room for 42 minutes before the door to his large room opened. Outside, Fox could hear the sound of many cars moving about, all heavy enough to be considered armored vehicles. Fox was eating some peanuts and reading his WID, when the soldiers brought a young man before him. This young man was much older than Fox, and the leader of the Lyclan Cartel. Fox looked sideways before getting off the table. In this large room, there were only 2 chairs and a small, low table between them. He walked to the table as the young man looked at him with widened eyes. His hands were handcuffed, as well as fore and afore his elbows, keeping his arms stiff yet ¡®safer¡¯ for everyone. ¡°Take those off, and bring me the pen and notebook,¡± Fox ordered the soldiers before seeing them out, indicating Rafas to sit at the table. Closing the door, Fox returned to see the young man rub where the 3 sets of handcuffs held him tight. ¡°Carlos Medena, el ¡®Rafas¡¯,¡± Fox sat on the opposite side with lazy polycoria eyes. Rafas looked shaken when directly facing those eyes, looking away for a few seconds. Fox placed the notebook and pen on the table and spun them before sliding them to the young man. ¡°I had my conditions laid out¡­¡± Rafas said, looking down with sweat trickling down his face. Fox tilted his head a little to the right, ¡°I have read and heard them. But I have mine.¡± ¡°What are your conditions?¡± Rafas frowned and tried looking up, trying to get rid of his fear of those inhumane eyes. Couldn¡¯t he be warned that the worst nightmare would be the one meeting him? ¡°Convince me,¡± Fox impassively replied. He opened the notebook¡¯s cover and pushed it to lightly hit the young man¡¯s torso. Rafas looked up with severe intentions. He was still fidgety about those eyes, but he had to see this through! ¡°What is that exactly?¡± ¡°You either convince me or I grow bored. Then, the military will have everything in their hands to take care of you, your people, their ¡®people¡¯, and the confiscated goods will remain as evidence.¡± Fox replied, unhurried. The young man frowned, feeling low. ¡°Even their families?¡± Fox tapped the blank notebook, ¡°Your conditions are fine, your attitude right now isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Do you really have the authority to accept in¡­ I don¡¯t know. The general or president¡¯s behalf?¡± Rafas questioned, almost imploring. Fox rolled his eyes without feeling stressed or annoyed, just slightly. ¡°The President does back me, and General Edgar would rather see this happen.¡± ¡°Now, it¡¯s only you who isn¡¯t.¡± Fox jabbed again. The young man looked around for a second before writing his name and his situation. Just as he was about to proceed, he stopped and asked without lifting his chin. ¡°What things should I write?¡± Fox, who was just staring off to the side, looked at the young man and uttered, ¡°Everything you ever came across during these years under your handling. Not a bit or half-truths. You can try keeping things to yourself, and those people will only be those people, and you go into a cell full of big, strong men to hold you.¡± Rafas doubted no more, simply shaking his head a little as he wrote. After some time, he no longer shook his head and just wrote, filling quite a few dozen pages from the notebook. Even Fox was surprised. What kind of memory is that? Because peeking into it, there were even details of things that happened before the young man as a spectator, not from something that marked him. *** Later that night, in Proteros¡¯s airport after flying here from Lyem¨¦ state. Just as Lesly Rivera moved to the indicated vehicle, the White Blood waiting for her, Mu?oz appeared before her. ¡°Mu?oz?¡± Lesly smiled and lifted her phone, although she was already warned about Mu?oz being there, and then walking to her. Mu?oz walked to her with a slightly serious expression. He took his hat off and spoke to her rather sincerely, with a little extra underneath. ¡°Lesly, is there any thought you have given to my proposal? You know, it¡¯s the same for NSH, but I¡¯d like your help in party. We are¡­ lacking talent.¡± ¡°Mu?oz, you know me and you understand my dedication. I believe you wouldn¡¯t double the annual salary if you didn¡¯t know I would not betray those I¡¯m working with. I never intended for such acts. But I understand my worth now thanks to you, and I will do my best to honor and respect-¡± Lesly explained, calm and collected, with the occasional smile. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so sorry Lesly, I have to pick this up.¡± Mu?oz interrupted her and walked away with a slightly slouching back, taking his phone out and waiting for someone to answer his quick call. Lesly looked down before walking to the empty taxi that rapidly unlocked the door for her. Only Lesly Rivera knew how smug Lesly Rivera felt. Mu?oz did dial someone. A few waiting moments later, Galan¡¯s voice sounded from it, ¡°Estandarte, hey, did something happen now? Again? Hey, if not¡­ That Lesly, why are you giving her so many chances? It¡¯s going to look better for NF!¡± ¡°I was trying to recruit her. I wasn¡¯t able to do anything. But Galan, the look in her eyes. She wanted that money for herself. I bet she thought about how much else she could wring from us. But I can¡¯t. I¡¯ll have to let her go.¡± Mu?oz shook his head and pressed his lips hard. ¡°Hey, can you help me with some reporters? Just the usual, you know. Ll¨²evela(shower her) with those questions de mierda wherever she goes?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ yes, yeah. You do you, Mu?oz.¡± Galan replied before hanging up, causing Mu?oz to frown a bit, but he already expected it. They were just aiding each other under the table. Too much help would be obvious and counterproductive for both of their political parties. ¡­ Chapter 161 — Leslys Tales (3) Lesly''s Tales (3) The next day. At Lydpert state, coming out of a news anchor''s building after finishing a program. Lesly wore a tight black skirt down to above her knees and an obscure gray jacket to accompany it. Some lower buttons were pressed together, giving her a fashionable, elegant style that became even more notorious with her disciplined hair tied in a ponytail. Just as she walked into the parking lot with her usual bodyguards attentive, she was ''surprised'' to see Galan Piador sitting on his car''s hood. ¡°Galan Piador?¡± Lesly blurted out in askance. Galan looked up, his long black hair slightly fluttered as he stood up a little from the hood, his appearance slender and lazy. ¡°Lesly. I didn¡¯t know you were going out already. My car broke and I¡­ know nothing about those things.¡± ¡°Aah, yeah. I know that feeling¡­ Have you called a tow truck already?¡± Lesly inquired with slightly furrowing eyebrows after sharing the pain. Galan nodded a bit, ¡°It¡¯ll get here a bit late, though. Can you bring me to the main avenue? That¡¯s where I¡¯ll get a good PTV, at least.¡± ¡°Well, I can have my chauffeur take a look into your car¡­¡± Lesly blinked and stared at him before proposing with a little smile. Galan jumped his eyebrows, ¡°Oh no, actually. There were a few parts that were stolen. Small ones but important, so unless you want to donate yours¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­ Party president Galan, you have to be more prepared for such cases,¡± Lesly blinked before beckoning him. ¡°The airport is that way, so it¡¯ll be on my route. Come on.¡± ¡°Thank you so much. I couldn¡¯t help but notice you are approachable, not like the president.¡± Galan breathed in relief and skipped over to walk with her. Lesly just smiled. Once in the car, as Lesly nudged her chin in the air towards the driver, who moved the car out of the parking lot, Galan relaxed and seemed in a good mood. Lesly looked at him and wondered, lifting her eyebrows, ¡°You were really worried, huh?¡± ¡°Of course. At these times, every movement is important. I can¡¯t afford to make a mistake like this, but I still screwed things up. Well, unless it was one of your inside jobs, trying to move around until you caught one of NSH or LV and make them lose their heads, huh?¡± Galan said, sitting opposite of her with his arms spread atop the backrest. ¡°Hahaha,¡± Lesly smiled big time. ¡°Galan Piador, if my National Front ever resorted to acting like that, we would¡¯ve become the country¡¯s worst losers of all time.¡± ¡°Right, right. You are no losers, especially after winning the presidency twice. And I must add, maybe even a third.¡± Galan said, giving his best visage to the vice president. Lesly relaxed her back and nape on the seat. She turned to him, asking, ¡°You believe in us now?¡± ¡°I believe in all good,¡± Galan said while turning to face her, his unserious black eyes exchanging stares with her breathtaking black ones. Lesly smiled a little, thinly, but smiled still. She turned her head to the front when she was about to smile for real. Galan looked at this with newfound emotion, unexpected. His head began to think of countless ¡®something¡¯ things for the future before easing down. He seemed to remember something as he snapped his fingers from his left hand and looked at Lesly again to his left. This time focused. ¡°I almost forgot, you just came from 5 hours of a program in Lymaospas¨®. My! You really move around fast, vice president.¡± He shook his head and praised with fewer words. Lesly smiled from having a recomposed expression, ¡°I only do what I must to keep this game up and in play for my side. Nothing you wouldn¡¯t do, Galan.¡± ¡°Haa, no,¡± Galan shook his head and smiled appreciatively. ¡°I wish I could say that, but I can¡¯t. And I meant it. 5 hours? And they were all intense. I had never seen someone speak for so long with so much fervor. Who cannot want to see your projects go on then?¡± ¡°You saw it all?¡± Lesly disbelieved it. She lifted her eyebrows and turned her head to him, not realizing he was closer. Their faces half a forearm away from each other. ¡°Well, I only saw 2 hours of that lengthy attention-absorbing program. Not continuously, but only when I had time. It was really early, too. It surprised me that it would last that long. Your co-hosts were just as supportive as your viewers, I¡¯m telling you.¡± Galan doubled down. Smiling, Lesly shook her head a little, facing the front before leaning her head on the sofa and looked at Galan with more concentration. ¡°You wake up so early now, Mr. Galan?¡± ¡°I do what I can. Every member of the current government¡¯s administration wakes up early, from what the daily press conferences speaks of. If I don¡¯t ¡®step up¡¯ my complicated game, how can I compare?¡± Galan smiled, leaning with support from his left arm, still atop the backrest. Lesly smiled at him for 3 seconds before commenting, seemingly unnecessary, but well-welcomed, ¡°One cannot just do that. The diet to keep it going and not affect one¡¯s body is substantial, but¡­ exercising for stamina is also important. Do you also do that, too?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Galan¡¯s eyes contents shrunk a little. He couldn¡¯t believe there was such an opportunity that could be gained in this way, and like this one. He closed his face slightly more on hers, nearly breathing on her skin as he muttered. ¡°That got me thinning though, your programs, and more so the Lymaospas¨®-5-hours-long paradise. I felt jealous, so I wondered¡­ Wouldn¡¯t you like to appear in some more? I know a few people in the right places to apply for some scheduling.¡± ¡°Really!?¡± Lesly sat up on her seat, leaving a startled Galan still leaning on the sofa. She smiled brightly, showing her sudden joy. Galan had to sit up slowly, nodding as he went, ¡°They would also be the most notable from each state. Although I also have thought about going to some of the best ones¡ª you know, in the capital.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ll do that for me? I¡¯m afraid I already gave Mu?oz benefits to his party and unknowingly to yours before, and this is politics, not a club. So, what would you be after with this in mind?¡± Lesly was sweet at first but then became guarded. However, what should have been a calculative Lesly became a semi-playful tone with her arms crossed. Galan smirked, ¡°Of course, I understand. My wants are simple. Nothing insulting for neither of our intellect and persona. I just wish to accompany you in those programs and debate against or with you, however you want to put it. We don¡¯t have to do it always, only when you feel like it¡¯s given and fortuitous. I just want to show you it¡¯s not just your side that learns.¡± ¡°You show me yours first, eh?¡± Lesly grinned and commented, leaning her right elbow on the backrest. Galan¡¯s head jolted a bit, confused. ¡°Huh?¡± - ¡°Ah?¡± - ¡°Aaah?¡± - ¡°Huh?¡± - ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°Puchi¡­¡± After their display, which no one saw coming, they both laughed. Lesly even covered her hand and shut her eyes, appearing far too sweet. When the laughter ceased, they looked at each other for a little more before the car stopped and the driver called out, ¡°Miss, we have arrived at the main avenue.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave then. Good seeing you, miss Rivera. I¡¯ll check tomorrow for the great days to come,¡± Galan said after stepping out and standing on the sidewalk. Lesly smiled at him, looking with an upturned head, ¡°Sure hope so. Contact me as soon as you can!¡± The car then moved out, with Lesly returning to her seat, feeling her heart bouncing slightly from how tense her body have been at these moments, and even more so to hide it. Lesly felt her attention grabbed somewhere as she looked at the back of the driver¡¯s seat. It had something sticking outwards, probably pushed into it from the other side. She looked up at the driver before casually asking, ¡°You were ready to act if he made a move?¡± The special agent looked at her through the rear mirror. ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am. I have orders from¡­ ¡®the top¡¯ to not let anyone touch you¡­ without your heart giving out, if that was the case.¡± ¡°How considerate,¡± Lesly jeered. Then, she thought to how obvious it looked after Galan left, ¡°Did you let me know on purpose?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am¡­¡± The special agent said, his eyes fidgety between the front and Lesly¡¯s eyes looking at him without giving him a break. Lesly narrowed her eyes before speaking, letting him sigh in relief as he didn¡¯t want to be part of any drama. ¡°Hmm, I see. Thank you.¡± *** Later that night, close to midnight. Jaewim. The organized crime groups of bandits who banded together after the government threatened to eradicate them, and so easily at that, had taken 4 villages and 2 plots of farming land. They had some new women with them, who could teach them how to work things out. After all, the fleeing bandits didn¡¯t even have time to steal provisions, forced to hasten their speed to arrive here.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. At this moment, it was night, and the OCs were having another small discussion in how to divide the food and water. Water wasn¡¯t problem. Since this place was a bit far from the nearest city, they were established near a substantial body of water. As for food, it was difficult. Most crops were just planted, with some being harvested a month before or so, with the former products obviously sold to the government or other public institutes and estate. Thus, while the women couldn¡¯t all teach them to farm, with them as hostages, the fathers and sons even guided them with detailed information. Tonight was just another night. They were about 7,000 people here, but the food they had stored before the cleansing was running short, and they had to solve it before people hunger sprouted. Each OC had at least 10,000 armed men ready to fight. This was the epitome of the organized crime in Lymoca after more than 200 solid years, and outside help. Even though they presumably have less than 1% of Lymoca¡¯s population within their overall OCs, only those many were actually capable and able to fight and ¡®do the stuff¡¯. Furthermore, most people in the OCs had or wanted to keep their daily lives. As soon as they missed their beloved, they would want to go back for who knew how long. Right now, there were only those miserable 7,000 armed men and women in the OCs¡¯ camp. The leaders expected a lesser number, from 20-40,000 people, but not even half showed to the camp, and this was for the readied people who became part of the OCs¡¯ combat forces. With the Yopbartes gang¡¯s losses, and hearing about the Lyclan Cartel¡¯s surrender, they confirmed at least 20-25,000 people would be with them, but not even half of that number showed up. With just these 7,000, the bandits couldn¡¯t dare to face even a state police force overall, knowing of all the incoming dangers after proceeding; let alone the government directly. Then again, as soon as these people realized there was a shortage of even food, with no money being delivered to their pockets, much less where to use it, it became a ticking bomb. As soon as they got hungry, they would start losing all their strength with the deserters. In a small cabin, far from any other building and light, the leaders of the 4 OCs debated with guards outside. There was Commander, the leader of the Yopbartes gang. Then, ¡®Rat¨®n¡¯, a brown middle-aged man, almost bald, and of regular height. He was all buffed up, too. Rat¨®n once united all the smaller OCs in Lymoca in his younger days. He was no Rafas, only a bloodthirsty youngster who bloodily united all the small fly into the Coalition Party Syndicate, now one of the 5 OCs. Another was the Sierra Caliente¡¯s leader, ¡®General¡¯. He was a light brown middle-aged man with short afro hair, thick eyebrows, and also of regular height. He seemed the most serious, and also had a military knowledge none of the other leaders had. The General was looked up to the most in the cabin, and for this matter. Then, the Guerramar Cartel¡¯s leader, ¡®Casito¡¯. He was a bronzed-white middle-aged man with messy black hair, innocent-looking eyes, and was tall. He was a little chubby, too. If no one knew his face for ignoring clear and important warning notices, they wouldn¡¯t know he was the bloodiest and most sinister OC leader in Lymoca. He was also known for obtaining the most product from ANS, which he sometimes ¡®shared¡¯ with the other OCs, all except the Lyclan Cartel. Yet, during the last half a decade, it was the Guerramar Cartel that has suffered more when against it, not soldiers. ¡°Casito, anything from your contacts?¡± General looked at the slightly chubby man and inquired, stressed with his sweating-like skin, albeit not as much as Commander. Casito shook his head with crossed arms, ¡°Nah, no. Nothing. I did try before I was forced to move, and they said ¡®yes, yes¡¯. But nothing now.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t get to us anymore. Does Lymoca know we had exterior communications?¡± General frowned, but he wasn¡¯t really asking them, only making some free space for his mind to clear. Then, he looked at Commander and Rat¨®n, ¡°What are the strategists¡¯ take on this? Have they said anything?¡± ¡°Yeah, to just give them 4 days before they receive more intel from north. Just to wait, literally. They want you to help devise something here, with us, because they don¡¯t know the terrain as they thought they did.¡± Rat¨®n answered, as Commander didn¡¯t bother speaking. ¡°Good¡­ then, we¡¯ll see how many more co-¡± General nodded, feeling somewhat at ease as he rubbed his nose, but a person suddenly shouted from outside. ¡°General! There¡¯s a problem! There¡¯s a problem!! The villagers are all gone! The farmers are also missing!¡± The leaders came out, the General had a furious frown on his face, making the sweaty young man kneeling on the grass terrified. General shouted with a bark, ¡°What the fuck happened!?¡± ¡°Some lieutenants wanted to check why there were 2 hours without the guards saying anything back to report, when we found it was empty, gulp, and the guards put there all fucking dead!¡± The General heard those words and couldn¡¯t help walking forward to lift the young man by the collar. ¡°How the fuck does more than a hundred people escape the sight of 7,000!? Are you telling me this is what happened!?¡± The General¡¯s face contorted in anger. The young man was helpless, and he could only mutter with a timid boy¡¯s voice, ¡°I didn¡¯t know, I was just sent here, Ge-¡± Whiiistlee¡­ Before the young man could continue speaking, whistling noises echoed from above. Before them was an emptied farm that the Yopbartes gang took over, letting their members rest in it and patrol a little, although that was purely miscellaneous honors. ¡°Those are¡­ flying explosives!¡± The General unknowingly let go of the young man as he watched the lighted up farm¡¯s sky litter with falling objects after smallish contrails trailed off in the distance. There were hundreds of small, cylindrical objects, and a tiny burst of something similar to air was expelled from its corners and sides, moving them¡­ towards the houses. Boom boom boom boom boom boom¡­ An endless rain of explosions rang afterwards. The leaders and the cabin were far from the farm¡¯s residences, but they still observed the massive hell of explosions descending unto the buildings. Exploding on the rooftops and walls first before striking the insides, making a horrendous sight for anyone watching, even those who flew past in the warplanes. ¡°Where did he go!?¡± Before the leaders noticed, they were 1 less. They turned around to see General¡¯s back as he ran past them and fled into the dark, mostly in the direction where his Sierra Caliente resided. ¡°No, no¡ª why me!? Why, again!? AAAGH!¡± Commander¡¯s arms were no longer crossed as he almost knelt, wanting to just limp on the ground and let the explosions take him. But with the leaders around him, those thoughts vanished as soon as they formed. Cccgghh. Some radios sounded before the voices of their subordinates ran through, alerted and desperate as gunshots and explosions sounded from the other sides. ¡°Commander Don!! There are hundreds of soldiers here, we were taken by surprise, more than half are being killed, they are to- most- most are¡­ killed-¡­ most!¡± - ¡°Rat¨®n, chingada madre! They are massacring us. Puta perra madre!!¡± - ¡°Boss please! Boss! They¡¯re killing us, we need to run! They destroyed everything! We will take what is left and regroup elsewhere. Just tell us where, boss Casito!!¡± The night descended, and so did death in the forms of not even missiles or ammunition, just prepared explosives within small, cylindrical compartments. There was only 1 passing, but it was followed by the incursion from special forces, decimating the fleeing, stunned, and fighting bandits equally. Not one was to be left alive. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just the army and air force here. Who could hide hundreds of people from plain sight even in the night where light was abundant in the surroundings but special agents? Now, it was time to massacre them. ¡­ A couple of kilometers away. Near a road, Fox checked the last person was helped into the military truck before taking his fake special forces mask off. He revealed his ¡®bloody¡¯ painting from his face to the rest of his clothes, although he also had it on his skin, which Nala put all over him. He looked exactly at her, who nodded; Akina, Nol, Lyan, Alea, Colmillo, and Miros behind her. ¡°Whenever you say, Cap.¡± Fox said to her, picking his DLM and showing the pivots attached to the sides of his wrist and around his arm from his elbow to his shoulder. The comets were atop and below his forearm, ready to be used after taking the fake special forces uniform off. The others did as well, but Nala looked at him and said with narrowed eyes, ¡°It¡¯s your command, your word, Raging Blood.¡± Fox looked at her in silence before blinking. He nodded and went into position to dash forward. His legs slightly spread and knees a little bent. The rifle up but its butt below his armpit. Feeling his woman making him proud like this, Fox twisted the tip of his shoe at the front on the ground before stomping forwards with the other. Nala¡¯s team followed behind him. Fox didn¡¯t lose himself and speed up, although he did enjoy the sensation. It has been so long since he went with an army into a forest. This time, he was the only one putting others in danger, and even punishing them. Not just because of their atrocities in the last decades of Ly history. It is also for the future of Lymoca, whose families will no longer be tormented to know they had been born in a state where OC liked to show up a lot, and hurt the most. Not only that, of course, but also because these people dared to join such a known, tumorous, self-destroying ¡®group¡¯ for either money or superficial, nonexistent fame. Most of those who stayed simply liked it, but only because they did not live long to confront life with death and death with life, spending their days targeting the weak and whatnot. Now, all of them got to understand what the struggles and fear others went through meant and felt like. But it was too late. Too much time had been giving for these people to redeem themselves, starting by turning themselves in, but they refused that, and for long enough. With the information from Rafas, Fox had the green light from the President, and thus, the massacre commenced. Returning into the forests, Fox saw hundreds of people flee in a direction away from them. All of them were the bandits who belonged to a criminal force that lasted for far too long. They were also mostly armed. Even if the actual special forces around couldn¡¯t identify this, they knew everyone else here was a bandit. Fox crouched after stopping out of nowhere. The team followed his movements and aimed, firing away as soon as he did. Fox aimed selectively at those farther away, trying not to kill those in the first lines before him. The team did the same, giving the enemy a false sense of being safe yet also scaring them with the DLM firing away somewhat near them. Fox felt just¡­ right. A little like home, and he definitely enjoyed this. The firing flashes were like warm spits of mother nature reminding him what he was at least good for. What he did so well. The only difference between him and these bandits was¡­ who he targeted. Just as they left some people they accidentally shoot in some limbs or torso, even legs or groin, walking up to them and shooting a flare for soldiers to come over and arrest them, Fox stopped and became alerted. Movement from the bushes and leaves in some trees far away caught his attention, with Nala finally noticing this too. The team didn¡¯t right away, but they trusted their leaders. ¡­ Chapter 162 — Leslys Tales (4) Lesly''s Tales (4) From a couple hundreds of meters on the other side of the fleeing bandits, people in strangely plated-like uniforms rushed out of their hiding spots. Some from the trees, others from bushes, and others simply running with full speed into a more open area with less congestion of trees. They rushed at the bandits, some actually wielding some thin shields with numerous, irregular-shaped yet conic separations by thin metallic bars. Their shields were as large as half a torso, nothing bigger. Yet, as they received some firepower from a remaining portion of 50 bandits, the shields protected them from the bullets. A few rushed up with thin yet tough-looking batons. Some neon light flashed on a side of their contours, flashing silvery glows and turning into a strong red whenever they hit someone or something. When blood spattered on them, the small tubes where neon lights glowed from, the touched sections remained red-silvery throughout. But the rest, with similar looking shields on their backs, pulled out some submachine guns from their lower back sides and fired away. Each of them barraging a bandit¡¯s body until they no longer exaggeratedly twitched on the ground, lifting dust and downing eyebrows. Those corpses had foul appearances, with none of them looking aesthetically human from whichever part they were more targeted. The other SAs had been uncaring, but they were very focused in killing their target anyhow. Fox quickened his footsteps towards them, keeping his rifle somewhat low but still easy to lift and start firing. It was still on assault rifle mode, but this was the DLM, not any other gun, so when he walked over, the others finished their opponents and paused. While those barraged with bullets suffered to death, those who were beaten to a pulp had it much worse. Their heads were broken into in 3 sections, leaving some parts of the cranium remaining, and hair. Their chests caved with some thrusting attacks, and their limbs all shattered and scrambled, but still hanging from their torsos. A person from the other SAs looked at him, who was wielding a shield and baton, while the others backed away. He was an old white man, very tall and muscular, with a gray mustache and a small goatee. He had small, strict eyes, and smiled when he saw Fox¡¯s face from up closer. ¡°Who are you?¡± Fox asked, tranquil. The old man jumped his eyebrows, almost dancing, before replying. ¡°I¡¯m a Paladin¡­ from the Tri Fortress Shield. I came here to join the Piya Sanctum District. The organized crime should have left this nation sooner. It was boring to do it alone.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Fox asked again, this time in a more whispering tune. The old man narrowed his eyes, but Fox looked around and said before narrowing his and motioning to move deeper into the forest. ¡°You can follow, we can let you do that. But no more butchering. Follow that.¡± Dash! Fox then rushed into the distance, moving through trees and leaving behind the half-startled group from TFS. The old man looked back at a middle-aged man and a young woman not far from the former. The middle-aged man was also white, with shiny black eyes and an elegant yet exotic jet-black hair. The young woman was pretty but not beautiful, so to speak. She was white, blonde, with light blue eyes, and of regular height. Yet, the middle-aged man was taller than the old man. Her hair reached down to her shoulders, and she had a delicate nose. She looked unable to easily mash those bodies with just a baton not even made of Mintip, at least not fully, but she did. ¡°What now? Do we do as ¡®the¡¯ Fox said and follow¡­ or do we continue our playground?¡± The old man looked back at his people again. The man shrugged his shoulders and lifted his palms a bit, not wishing to speak. But someone behind him did want to say things. ¡°He¡¯s just another firster from PSD, he can owe us something, but we¡¯ll never owe anything to someone like that.¡± A tanned young man with steep, short black hair, a square face and tall, with muscles but slender, commented. A young woman with creamy white skin and a unique pale white with black eyes, very tall and very muscular, deepened her frown. She was already not liking what she saw, but hearing those words triggered her. ¡°Antonio, more words like that will get a reconciliation with PSD after so long down the utter gutter!¡± She barked, slowly, word by word, and with increasing disgusted vehemence. The old man chuckled, with the young woman from earlier stepping up to say, ¡°We follow and exchange experience with the District¡¯s agents. That¡¯s the only way to achieve our goal.¡± The middle-aged man with exotic hair stepped forth, backing her and standing a step before her. ¡°Paladin Kenia is right. The words of young and ambitious can only lead to our mistake for the second time, and that cannot happen.¡± ¡°Heh, well said,¡± the old man nodded before staring at the tanned young man from before. ¡°Anything to say, kiddo?¡± ¡°No, Paladin Ozak.¡± Antonio dropped his head and lowly muttered. The white haired young woman from before looked at this and dropped her attitude, but she felt disgusted that he had to be demolished by 2 Paladins to understand his mistake. ¡°Onwards,¡± Ozak said, his baton on his shoulder. ¡°Time to make amends.¡± ¡­ Several hours later, still in the forest. After the bandits were attacked, more than 2,000 died, with no casualties from Ly forces. It wasn¡¯t fully explained, but the White Bloods used their excellent intelligence methods to communicate the larger panorama of things to the army. The air forces only helped with support helicopters, proportioning quick sightings and thermal readings at times. They also put whatever small fire nearly expanded to the trees while still at night. Like this, the bandits were hunted one by one, while Fox also helped and even intercepted some other groups of bandits that were incoming to the known place for OCs to gather. This was known, of course, but the day couldn¡¯t be postponed anymore, or it would really just be a wastage. It wasn¡¯t only Fox and Nala¡¯s team, together with some TFS members and even influential leading figures in their hoog secret organization. After all, while PSD and even the still unknown Scarlet Houndhood have leading roles at the top, the TFS is ¡®ruled¡¯ by the numerous Paladins. With the morning lights, the world was gray wherever the trees didn¡¯t keep everything dark. Fox met another group of bandits, confused and moving to the place they didn¡¯t know was already turned into charcoal material. They were 20 bandits moving in a strange circular formation, with only those at the outer perimeter looking around with their guns. At least they knew to be afraid, but they didn¡¯t know they were facing special agents. Even atop the trees, through the leaves, every special agent could ¡®perfectly see¡¯ the bandits as they walked. Fox¡¯s gaze was focused on them. When he more or less confirmed they didn¡¯t have a communication device, even of morse code, he aimed his DLM. The team did the same, with the TFS people somewhat used to it, but still not in sync. They aimed a second later, when Nala¡¯s team were already engaging. Ta rarara rarararara rarararara¡­! Whoosh, whoosh¡­ ¡°¡­!¡± The DLMs fired away, killing 5 bandits with not a chance to know how they died, even with the sound of raging fire from the submachine gun mode, and hitting the legs of another 5. Just then, the TFS moved out, engaging with the bandits and rapidly killing 3 at melee as Fox frowned and rushed down as well. Those bandits were grabbed from their arms or legs and hit on the head and torso, their noses exploding blood out of their nostrils as they continued beating them. So far, the TFS were rather nice, although they did this once or twice to the bandits amidst any confrontation. This time, though, they directly acted how they wanted. ¡°Stop!!¡± Fox shouted, taking the strap of his DLM out and grabbing the top with his left hand. Dropping it on the grass, Fox walked to Ozak, a tanned young man, and a black young woman. They paused and looked at him, but Ozak stepped forth this time. ¡°¡­?¡± Fox slowly darted his eyes to Ozak, who pressed his lips and didn¡¯t back away or show signs of not wanting to fight. Ozak was a little surprised as well. Fox gave one last warning, walking past Ozak¡¯s side towards the young duo. ¡°I told you to not do this. You do this all the way here. Seems you think I was asking.¡± ¡°!¡± Fox¡¯s eyelids widened. He darted his polycoria eyeballs to the left as he stepped backwards and jolted his right shoulder even more to the back. He lifted his left forearm, letting meet Ozak¡¯s baton, but sliding it without a direct hit. Before Ozak could change his body motions to gain the advantage, Fox grabbed the baton and squeezed lightly! Craccss- putt- swish, pam! The baton broke apart, destroyed by Fox¡¯s left-hand squeeze. He didn¡¯t stop there even as the other TFS SAs stared at PSD SAs, putting their guards up, now becoming shocked. Fox struck Ozak¡¯s collarbone with his spread right thumb and index finger, but breath fortified it. Then, he stood on his left leg and leaned backwards, still holding onto another remaining section of the baton before kicking Ozak in the sternum.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Bang! Bang! Just as a short ebony with long curly chestnut hair dashed up in the air towards Fox to strike him, Akina quickly aimed her small pistol and shot her in the abdomen, where the former had placed her shield. Akina continued rushing over while crouching as Fox kicked the old man a few meters away, meeting the short ebony young woman who clutched her abdomen. Those small pistol¡¯s shots were easy to jolt awake anyone unprepared. Akina rushed to her, with the ebony taking another baton out and keeping her shield protecting her abdomen. Although it shielded more because of her short stature, when a young brunet white man came to help her, swinging his dual batons at Akina as well. Akina didn¡¯t step back, lifting her open palms to welcome one of the woman¡¯s baton¡¯s, ¡®sliding¡¯ it away like a parry. Right after, she grabbed the other arm and tossed the woman backwards with a slight turn, bending her body. She swirled to her left and met the man¡¯s batons in the air, blocking them with her wrist and palm without suffering damage, other than red spots that slowly cleared away on her milky white skin. The other woman returned quickly and joined the man to continuously hit her. After deflecting their attacks a few times, Akina jumped strangely in the air, lifting her waist to her neck level and somehow grabbing her small pistol. She fired 2 at the short ebony and 4 at the man, pushing them backwards. Then, she twisted her body rightwards and rolled to the side, coming back up with 2 thin steel swords in her hands. ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± The duo looked at each other after also getting back up, knowingly. They drank up some saliva before going back to melee, this time with Akina smiling a little as her chest heaved up and down and her eyes shone. At the same time, Fox walked to the old man with the others facing the TFS. They were more, many more. But the District was not afraid, even if the TFS quadrupled them instead. The middle-aged man with exotic jet-black hair and the young woman who spoke to remain friendly to PSD intercepted Fox, dashing quickly towards him with shield and baton pushed forth. That was when Nala, ready and fast, rushed to them, jumping over Fox¡¯s right shoulder before he made a move himself. Both Paladins widened their eyes and shrunk their contents. Nala kicked the woman¡¯s shield away, with the latter lunging her baton at Nala¡¯s shin. At the same time, Nala simulated a fist to the man¡¯s face, but a medium pistol appeared in her hand instead. Bang! Thud- bang- clank- crassh! The man used breath to agilely move his hands up, covering his face with his shield up against his face. He closed his eyes tight before being blown backwards, his feet flailing in the air and feeling dizzy like never before. The woman¡¯s eyes contents hardened. A burst of breath was poured into her body and sent by inertia to her baton, striking Nala¡¯s shin. She was hit hard, but nothing broke at all, and instead, she surprised the woman, who widened her eyes and lifted her shield, prepared. ¡°Agh!¡± However, after firing at the middle-aged man¡¯s shield, Nala saw through it and aimed at the weakest point. The shield absorbed some of the impact, as it was like Fox¡¯s pivots, made to give time for defending against bullets when breaking through. But there was only so much it could absorb compared to the firepower of a medium pistol. The bullet hit her left chest, below her shoulder, but missed the heart by a wild margin. Nala then landed on the ground, stretching her right shin backwards and supporting her body with her left leg alone, folded as she watched Fox and prepared to continue. As did they. Fox walked to the old man with faster steps. Ozak¡¯s hard frown lessened and his eyes slightly opened. Looking at Fox, he became more serious than old. Ozak quickly aimed a small pistol, but Fox swung his folded left arm, easily deducting where he was aiming, even with faints after the first couple, and neared Ozak. ¡°What in the¡­¡± Ozak¡¯s eyes widened, muttering as he gave up injuring Fox, much less trying to kill him. But Fox wasn¡¯t going to wait. With his right arm, he grabbed Ozak by the collar and pushed him against a tree, further followed by his left palm hitting his neck straight in the apple. Farther behind them, Colmillo stood beside Miros, who looked and paled at the tremendous blows and ruthlessness PSD had towards TFS, and vice versa. It was just the District SAs were still good even with more than 2 TFS ganging up on them all at once. Some even faced 5, getting hit badly but returning the favor just as good. Suddenly, 2 people came towards them, targeting Miros, who seemed too weak to directly join. They were TFS agents who couldn¡¯t deal a significative blow to others like Alea and Lyan, even after ganging up on them as a group, at least not rapidly. It was a woman and a male. Colmillo threw a load of bions to the man, trapping him just as he jumped to avoid other traps she had set. The man widened his eyes in realization before repeating it, but this time in pain before falling unconscious as electric shocks, up to 4 meters long, curled around him and struck his body to charcoal. Other items hurt his joints and even banged against his head, leaving him badly injured. This left the woman alone to act, but she wasn¡¯t afraid. She looked at Colmillo and furrowed her brows into her glabella, sending flying bions that separated and shot small needles. Miros dodged, leaving his computer closed and against his chest, deflecting a pair, with Colmillo dodging faster. She was much faster than Miros, enough to hear and watch those needles bounce off from the corners of her eyes. That TFS woman had done it. Colmillo stomped forth, leaving Miros behind with a bunch of bions encircling him and more around it. Knowing what this meant, Miros stopped and pouted, his jaw widening behind his closed lips while his skin numbed. Meanwhile, Colmillo met the TFS special agent. She bumped against her, so harsh the grass beneath their feet twirled away from the impact. Colmillo¡¯s face behind that mask was sure to be contorted in rage, while the woman before her gritted her teeth, realizing Colmillo was just as if not stronger than those others! Colmillo quickly lowered her right hand, leaving an opening, but the other party was also someone of great status. Colmillo was a firster, 1st Grade, and the TFS agent a Knight. The Knight sent her right hand to catch Colmillo¡¯s wrist, but the latter already accomplished her objective. A circular void bion appeared in her palm, held by her fingers around its contour. It glowed a bright yellow light in the form of lines within the circle before sending a small, piercing force to the Knight¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Ah!¡± She recoiled in pain and from the bion¡¯s force, enough for Colmillo to follow-up. Colmillo moved forward, sending elbow and knuckles to meet the woman¡¯s torso and face stomp after stomp, beating the living hell out of her. Miros watched with frozen eyes and admiration in them. Colmillo punched the woman hard in the abdomen, lifting her body in the air with the knees just above her shoulders. Colmillo suddenly stopped and straightened her legs with strength, letting a brown pencil-like bion fall from her tight, right sleeve. She grabbed bion, her right leg straightened backwards, and squeezed it tight before it elongated to 3 meters with the tip made of Mintip. Without hesitation, Colmillo took advantage of the woman¡¯s body in the air and stabbed upwards, penetrating her abdomen along a slight jump. Then, Colmillo forced the Knight¡¯s body down, leaning the bion to the ground as they both fell, impaling the Knight with the bion penetrating 2 meters into it. Colmillo extended her legs, folded her knees, and stared at the Knight face to face. The Knight¡¯s lips coughed some blood that fell right back onto her face, a reprisal from the impact of the circular bion¡¯s previous activation. Colmillo was definitely furrowing those eyebrows with the thirst for blood. She stood up, leaving the impaling bion in the woman¡¯s abdomen before pulling her large pistol out, shocking the living hell out of the woman. Aiming quickly, just half a second after Colmillo took her toy out, a loud noise sounded from the far front, making her pause in her act of execution; knowingly. Colmillo and everyone else looked in Fox¡¯s direction just in time to see some raw splinters and tree bark flying around as a tree broke in half, more so near the base. Nala was just facing off the middle-aged man and the young woman. Her right leg limping a bit and her left shoulder with her uniform showing she¡¯s been hit hard many times, with some cracks and signs of leaving bruises behind that weren¡¯t visible from her uniform. She kicked the duo on the necks and then their chests after twirling once in the air, jumping up before landing somewhere near Fox, showing off a couple of comets to guard Fox. THUMP! The tree fell right onto an open path between other trees, saving anyone the trouble to look up to avoid getting smacked down to a pulp. Fox calmly walked to the old man even as it happened. Ozak struggled to breathe, but it didn¡¯t compare to the pain around his neck. ¡°Not even¡­ patience for the el¡­derly?¡± Ozak wheezed those words out, backing up, dragging his body with the only arm he could fold and retract without breaking. Fox remained impassive. Even with the tree falling to the ground, he looked at Ozak with his polycoria eyes. His 7 impenetrable black pools blinked a couple of times before bending over to grab the old man up. Lifting Ozak with his right hand Fox broke the only arm Ozak could use for safety. Then, he cocked his head and looked at the old man. Ozak looked at Fox in defeat. Never would he expect a non-gut bion to be able of reflecting a small pistol¡¯s shots like nothing, much less to grant such tremendous raw force. Furthermore, it didn¡¯t feel like a bion at all, but merely the extension of this young man¡¯s body. Ozak frowned, or did his best to do so, when Fox finally spoke. ¡°One would think that¡­ for all the time the elderly keep sending the young to perish, there wouldn¡¯t be any of this nonsense¡­ Not even thousands of years of human civilization change that. Not because it¡¯s not enough, rather¡­ I think we just feel too comfortable.¡± Fox dropped the old man, turning to face the other TFS and PSD SAs, feeling a bit surprised with a few blinks from his polycoria eyes. He walked to them, blowing a little through his nostrils as he set his eyes on the middle-aged man and young woman who fought Nala. ¡°It¡¯s not wrong to opt for what works instead of going ahead for what is new. But not differentiating progress from new horrors is like I realizing I know reality better off from hallucinations than most people in the world¡ª and how many billions are we?¡± Fox looked at those two before shaking his head. Then, in one swift motion, he dropped to the ground. His left palm impulsed him onwards, directly towards the man and young woman. They weren¡¯t prepared for such speed and sudden momentum. They only saw Paladin Ozak suffer from surprises before, leading to such a one-sided outcome in favor of this young man called Fox¡­ POM! PUM! Fox didn¡¯t waste time, palming the young woman¡¯s solar plexus and kicking the man¡¯s chin. They were forced backwards, except the man only backtracked a dozen meters from the sheer impact and pain, while the young woman tumbled down to the ground with brusque force. Her body was dragged through the ground for over a meter. Fox used his right hand to strike the woman, or she would¡¯ve at least lost mobility for a year without high-end technological medicine. ¡°Piya Sanctum District isn¡¯t a place to group and have fun however you want. If you want to amend your mistakes, your hoog¡¯s errors, bend the knee first!¡± Fox said before turning to Nala. He gave her a soft, swift look after spouting those words of viciousness. With this, the PSD and TFS faced each other t last, more officially so, after a long hiatus of relations, which had just gotten worse from a silent, long neutrality. But were they the only hoogs in the forest? ¡­ Chapter 163 — Leslys Tales (5) Lesly''s Tales (5) Proteros, SCJ building. A little later in the same morning. Vanessa Valyer had just entered the high tribune and sat on her desk, when a letter swaying left and right fell on her desk to her left. Her eyes shook, and she looked up quickly out of instinct. She saw nothing, however, and gulped while still looking up, when a voice sounded before her to the left. ¡°You really need to better your game. Your money can only be gained if you try more, have you prepared anything yet?¡± Vanessa snapped her head low and towards the voice, seeing a man with a full body uniform outlining his muscles and face shape, but hiding his hair in what seemed a forced baldness. The uniform was red and black, more black than red, and the red was of a life-like, bright bloodiness. There were unusual, unfinished traces of what could be spirals or just circles made by the red color, with the black just being there like a background, yet also contributing to its eeriness. ¡°I have worked something-¡± Vanessa took a few deep breaths before the man interrupted her, ¡°No need to report. Your actions are the best results. Do well, as we watch well. Take a look into it, and do good. It¡¯s not being right what we need, but to win over the other side.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Vanessa stopped herself from muttering a ¡®yes¡¯ and nodding, not wanting to appear so weak again. After all, compared to the first time she was surprised and approached like this, she had been so judgmental and confrontational. Yet, she was like mice for the last couple of years. ¡°¡­ Hmm,¡± the man hummed before walking away like he just worked here, passing through the door she just came from, slow and confident. Vanessa didn¡¯t bother rushing out to ask the guards or anyone in the security room if they saw something. It had made her feel stupid back then, and it won¡¯t happen again. A few seconds after the man left, Vanessa recomposed her breath and reached for the letter. As she grabbed it, she realized her hands were trembling. She closed her eyes and tried relaxing, when something made her frown and then flinch, slightly shaking her head as if doubtful. It was just her mind doing nobody¡¯s business, but that eventually made Vanessa calm down. ¡°Haa¡­¡± With one simple breath going out, Vanessa opened the letter, finding a cheap windows. It was thin and transparent gray, clearly only for a few videos at best. She took it out and watched it while using one hand to grab a small screen under her desktop, pulling it up. She checked the thumbnails and frowned, already seeing it must be about a battlefield. Wondering if something big happened in Jaewim, Vanessa placed the window on the screen, letting its information flow into it before it played the videos one by one. Her white face flashed with the numerous sparkles from the footage, with her azure eyes reflecting everything happening in the screen. From a dull, silent night in the hotness of Lymoca¡¯s early year, to the initial bombardment and incursion of Ly soldiers into the OCs camp. But there were also the massacres occurring here or there and even far, far away from where Fox was stalking a group of bandits. The footage was disordered here, showing some of the corpses left so disgusting it made Vanessa¡¯s hidden defenses activate, her face becoming expressionless. It was gruesome and horrible, but the footage also showed other ¡®people¡¯. Most likely, SAs of a similar level. The rest were small snippets of footage from those new people in the forests bashing others to mangled, mashed, holed, and simply unrecognizable lifeless corpses. After the footage ended, she looked into the distance, her blurry sight landing on the wall on the opposite side of the tribune. She wasn¡¯t specifically thinking on what to do now. Regardless, after a few minutes, she backtracked on her chair and pulled drawers before taking notebooks and other thick books out. It was time to study. And just as Vanessa was a couple of hours into it, the door to the tribune opened. The Supreme Court Ministers entered the room, relaxed and unworried of anything else. Their lives were well, and the troubles of Lymoca didn¡¯t haunt them. Even with the operation against the OCs, the CMDC ensured the trading routes, national or international, remained wholly unaffected in the country. Even though it did scare some; it also came from the preparations of the government. Everyone sat down and conversed, having their chats through their communications devices. Otherwise, with the distance between each seat, and the protective glass, it would be difficult to even see each other¡¯s expression. Seeing the Supreme Justice Minister engrossed in some work, they felt exited about a new project, and left her to focus. It wouldn¡¯t be polite to interrupt her, and they didn¡¯t actually want to annoy her just because of curiosity. After 20 minutes of luncheon, Vanessa lifted her face and relaxed, reclining on her chair. And 2 minutes later, she sat straight before lifting a document she just hand-wrote. ¡°I have received an important donation from a generous civilian. There is something that must be discussed, and quickly. We will all put our effort into this, so grab as many meals as you can from home, we¡¯re staying here until this can be resolved legally, and for the country.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± The 12 Supreme Court Ministers fell silent for a second. Then, with food still in their mouths or hands, they took their ¡®legal instruments¡¯ and prepared for the lecture. *** Lydsetl state, Just a couple of hundreds of kilometers to the west of the capital. A few days later. It had been 4 days since the OCs zone turned into a living hell for bandits, and they fled for their lives. Lesly was just exiting a program at 9 AM, wearing a brown toga dress with some transparent places in the right regions of her body to show an exotic sight of beauty without lewdness. Her collarbone, around her elbows, and sternum were slightly visible through. However, she walked out of the building with a confused, pensive frown in her visage. This time, Galan Piador didn¡¯t come, but the program went as usual. She showed her views and corrected the ¡®misunderstandings¡¯, lies and blemish, others had towards her and the current government¡¯s movement. There was just one strangeness to all of this in the program. There was a lady who kept interrupting her, although to no avail. But this lady also said things that had nothing to do with the program or debating topic. Insinuating her relationship with her coworkers, especially Luis, and even drawing the Chief Secretary of Security, as Lesly calls Fox. Furthermore, the other people around the table weren¡¯t saying a thing. Although they did complement some of her views and helped her words transmit to more people, Lesly saw some pity in their twitching eyebrows and the flashes across their eyes. Now, walking out of there with half her head cleared up, Lesly went to her car, where the White Blood waited for her outside. She nodded at him and was about to move around to the passenger row of seats, when the agent commented, ¡°Ma¡¯am, with the experience I have, from working or seeing others fall in the criminal world, I can offer you words now.¡± Lesly stopped her footsteps and looked at him, her expression serious yet calm. The agent nodded in understanding before continuing, ¡°Seeing how that Galan behaved yesterday, and his attitude in the last few programs after refusing another meal with him in the morning, his fidgety attitude wasn¡¯t nothing. And with the recent ¡®looks¡¯ around your car with his own eyes or through other people when leaving, I¡¯d say he is already finishing his scheme to throw you out.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lesly wasn¡¯t dumb, but she didn¡¯t think that ahead. She breathed for a few times, patiently thinking about it and considering her chauffeur¡¯s words while looking around before staring at him gain. ¡°You¡¯re saying he¡¯s betraying me now? Even though we have 2 other days before our little tour ends? I even hinted at seeing each other later on outside of work, and¡­¡± The agent nodded, noticing Lesly was getting the hang of it, even if she remained doubtful. It was also understanding, she had achieved her purpose already, but she wanted to show what else she could surmount to. ¡°Ma¡¯am, as I¡¯ve said. These are the signs of it just happening. You¡¯re not suspecting him now, while he¡¯s moving. You don¡¯t even wonder when, while it¡¯s already happening. The next is to take you by surprise.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lesly looked at the agent again and nodded. ¡°Thank you. I appreciate it¡­ I¡¯m hungry, come. Let¡¯s go to a Galapesos before the airport.¡± The agent nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed for previously wasting almost 4 times the price of a beverage at the airport than if it was at the city or even a forgotten town. They went into the car for a drink to the Galapesos and drank it on their way to their airport. ¡­ 2 days later, Lesly was returning to Proteros at midday after another rough day with the media. It seemed like she had slowly returned to that limbo where everyone not truly independent or ¡®for the people¡¯ hated her to the bones like she murdered their ancestors. After the day at Lydsetl, Lesly¡¯s programs were awful. People found the exact time and reserved airport zone when she landed, the hotel she stayed for just an hour or so, and the restaurants she was going to be at. Reporters and ¡®citizens¡¯ endorsing the well-being of the city and that of the OCs¡¯ ¡®innocent criminal people¡¯ whose humane was denied on the massacres across Lymoca. Today, it became even worse, with the news anchors¡¯ building surrounded by the reporters of all others, shoving her around a little and even trying to touch her, which one of her Blood bodyguard protected her from.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Now, as she moved to another news anchor¡¯s building with no bodyguard around her as there weren¡¯t reporters everywhere, Lesly received a call. It was from Galan Piador. ¡°Galan?¡± Lesly asked out loud without worrying of someone hearing her, walking into the building¡¯s perimeter. Galan¡¯s voice sounded from the other end, ¡°Lesly, yes, how have you been¡ª look. I have given this tour thing a thought. Sorry for not showing earlier, I was having important encounters with some people.¡± Lesly narrowed her eyes slightly. Galan continued, ¡°I won¡¯t participate with you anymore, there are so many things to do that I cannot split up, you know? Hahaha. Well, that¡¯s my decision, I¡¯m going for something more worthwhile my time, you see? There¡¯s still that program in a few minutes you can show up to, but I won¡¯t be able to help you more, or extend our deal. Good luck.¡± ¡®Tsk, why so hurried?¡¯ Lesly kept her phone after Galan hung up. Her face remained calm even though she sneered in her mind. She shook her head a little, arranging her hair around her shoulders, and looked ahead. The gates opened, so Lesly stepped forth. Immediately, reporters walked into her view from the sides, hidden and silent, and came out of some parked cars, which she was not given access to. It was supposedly full, although it looked pretty available right now, with more than half the spots free. ¡°Miss, miss! What were you talking about with Galan!?¡± - ¡°Vice president, do you have any relationship with Galan?¡± - ¡°What¡¯s this to say of the single vice president of our nation? Does she move around?¡± - ¡°What are the vice president¡¯s intentions? Going after all the males in power who seem lonely, and those who don¡¯t, is it moral?¡± Lesly walked forth, nothing more, nothing else. Her pace was regular and unstoppable. She made some reporters, clearly attempting to stop her, blocking her way to bombard and shout at her, rapidly backtrack in their steps. Her mere walking made those stumble backwards, almost falling if not for others grabbing them in time. This was unfortunately not recorded, with everyone too busy recording the same, serious, known to be hardworking features. Some of the reporters said a few things, with one of them gaining a snap from Lesly¡¯s head, who glared at the reporter, slightly stopping, before resuming her walk. When she continued walking, a male reporter moved his left hand to the lower hem of her bright gray coat, yet his hand aimed at her bottom. Lesly frowned, feeling someone moving her jacket. Just a touch or slight pull would be insulting enough, but it didn¡¯t feel like it would be one. Before she was groped, unbeknownst to her and less than half the cameras aiming at her, she turned around and gripped the reporter¡¯s wrist, twisting it hard without a second thought. ¡°Ah!¡± The reporter frowned and flinched a bit, before realizing the vice president turned and gripped his wrist, stepping backwards with an extra loud cry. But he wasn¡¯t the only one. More specifically, Lesly Rivera herself realized what just transpired. Not only was this a bait, she was also almost groped. Thus, her grip on the man became vicious, with some twisting, leading to the man¡¯s exaggerated cry. Lesly¡¯s lowered chin and fixated eyes on the male reporter were cold. She stepped in front of him, pointing with her right index finger as her lowered voice became so firm, unlike ever before. ¡°You think you can just attempt to touch me and I will feel sorry for hurting you?¡± Slap! Lesly directly slapped the man¡¯s face, making him jolt his neck backwards, eating it into his body. ¡°Don¡¯t think this will be over with just one slap to your face. If that¡¯s what you were waiting for, a moment just like this, you¡¯ll receive something better.¡± With that, Lesly turned around and pushed a camera lens away. The person holding the camera wasn¡¯t prepared, nor expecting that. The camera fell to the floor, helplessly shattering as Lesly continued walking forward, past the encirclement of reporters. The reporters didn¡¯t back the man caught red ¡®handed¡¯. After some silence, though, they moved out and chased Lesly¡¯s back. She was walking at the same standard pace, however. The cameras and reporters slowed down but seemed agitated, walking behind her with urgent cries and callings, making it seem like Lesly was running away. But she simply continued, not looking back at them again, while the reporters didn¡¯t feel like telling her to stop or do something to stop her. Even then, anyone who could take a few moments of their day to carefully look at the distance traveled and the time to do so would notice it wasn¡¯t a quick pace. But how many would offer such care for someone they didn¡¯t know? Lesly entered the building and was guided to the floor where the program would take place. She was checked for her appearance for a little too long, when she was finally given the green light to step into the stage. ¡°And look who do we have here! Our special guest has finally decided to show herself, hahaha¡­¡± A female news reporter remarked just before Lesly stepped into the cameras¡¯ sight. Smiling and waving at the cameras, Lesly¡¯s thin lips seemed comfortable. She sat at the table and greeted everyone, who nodded at her in return. With this strange, slightly awkward beginning, just before Lesly started with something, anything, the same woman from before smiled and gestured to the large screen behind Lesly. Her short blonde hair and strange, ¡®perfect¡¯ white teeth smiled with sheer strength. ¡°But first, let us see what just happened!¡± After the woman¡¯s words, the screen showed the recent events of Lesly¡¯s incident. Then, it focused on only 3 images slideshowing. Lesly grabbing and twisting a reporter¡¯s wrist for ¡®no reason¡¯, slapping the same person, and then fleeing away. Lesly¡¯s eyes drooped, slightly. The woman frowned in pity, looking at her, ¡°My, Lesly! What are these actions for? The vice president shouldn¡¯t act like that! Why did you harm this civilian just like this? I¡¯m sure you are more than prepared to meet the people who want to convey to you their problems. Why would you do such reckless actions?¡± ¡°Ugh, who talks like that?¡± Lesly lowered her face and pinched her forehead for a moment. With the woman wearing an awkward expression, Lesly sat up and looked up at the main camera before turning to the woman. ¡°Maybe you just like being grabbed¡­¡± ¡°Ah, haha- what¡­?¡± ¡°So, let¡¯s not talk about you.¡± Lesly smiled, so charming, as usual. She faced the main camera, turning her head no matter how many times it changed as she spoke. ¡°Whoever has a daughter won¡¯t want her to become the pleasure of another person to objectify, so I¡¯m sure I would have gotten into a brawl with that imbecile had he successfully touched me.¡± ¡°I would repeat my actions if it happens again, and again. I don¡¯t let my bodyguards follow me this time, and what happens? You actually invite people to violate me!¡± Lesly exclaimed, still with a smiling expression, putting everyone at the table uncomfortable. ¡°So, are you going to listen and talk, or should I try slapping you too, in case you want to humiliate me for not letting myself be groped. Is that how it works, you, the opposition? What, ¡®to let yourself be molested is to be with the people, you wouldn¡¯t understand¡¯, now? Don¡¯t grow quiet on me now, I suddenly feel intrigued about this. So serious!¡± Lesly frowned seriously, looking adorable and still charming. She nodded a few times, as if to reaffirm her interest in this ¡®matter¡¯. The table grew more silent, more awkward. An old man among them, who was the producer, said with his fingers supporting a side of his head, ¡°Maybe- Lesly, I think I would like to invite you out of the set-¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Lesly firmly stated. She smiled and looked at the producer, flashed a look to the woman with now an ugly, resting expression, and stared at the camera. Her breathtaking black eyes shining and dulling with incredible charm. ¡°Today, I will talk of the opposition. Oh, I dare you stop me, guys, and I¡¯ll sue you of being silly. Now, the party of Lymoca¡¯s Vanguard has used only about 3 million credits of their 58 million in their rallies and preparations, even though they claimed their budget ran out before the campaign was over¡­¡± *** A few hours later, with her driver bringing her for a few loops around the city, Lesly returned to the feeling of having all cameras ready to hurl insults at her. At last, she went to the presidential precinct. Earlier today¡¯s morning, she received a notification that Luis might be there at night, so she wanted to see if that was the case. Step, step, step, step. Walking through the hallways, Lesly checked her WID, which would be evolved soon, like Luis¡¯s and Fox¡¯s. She was just about to turn for the presidential office¡¯s doors, swinging her head around with some relaxing, upbeat music, when they opened. Lesly didn¡¯t notice and bumped into a chest, with a variety of scents and feeling to it. A manly chest. A scent she well remembered, and it wasn¡¯t to her liking just because it was manly, making her instincts prop up. A feeling she slightly knew but treasured so many times until it felt she¡¯s been experiencing it for thousands of repetitions. Stepping back one and a half steps, Lesly looked up, her eyes already shining upon seeing the clothes and shape of the torso. Her breathtaking eyes became breathless themselves when they reflected Luis¡¯s countenance in their blackness. ¡°Welcome back,¡± Luis greeted her and grabbed her left wrist, keeping her from further stepping away. Then, he asked, making her face grow pink from her neck to her forehead and ears. ¡°Any chance you might know why my bed smells a bit of you?¡± ¡®Ah, he recognizes my scent? So well?¡¯ Lesly thought before innocently drawing her hair behind her left ear, smiling at him with her canines showing, ¡°You returned from a 2-states flight? I bet you¡¯re tired.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ You know, I heard and saw what happened today,¡± Luis didn¡¯t push and asked, looking directly at her, his eyes ever so slightly below his eye-level to look into hers, losing himself in them. ¡°In fact, I have seen it all, since and before it began. Your journey, I mean.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lesly¡¯s eyes turned breathless with his words. Luis nodded, ¡°Mhm, I have seen enough.¡± ¡°Do¡­ you trust¡­ I am¡­ okay?¡± Lesly had trouble speaking about it, words slowly leaving her mouth after the atmosphere turned a bit solemn, but good-natured solemn. Luis lifted his hand, grabbing her left one and pulling her to stand just 1 step from him. ¡°If I couldn¡¯t believe in you, would my wife have ¡®chosen¡¯ you so long ago? Would you be standing before me twice in a row as my beloved vice president? You know, I need more skill than relationship advantages in my role, and I¡¯m dead serious about it.¡± ¡°Yes, I know all about it¡­ you¡­¡± Lesly murmured. Then, she smiled, teasing with her charming, breathtaking eyes, ¡°Chose me? So, we still into that topic?¡± ¡°Ey, I trust my wife¡¯s decision, and¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but think about it all these days. I agree with it, so much, Lesly.¡± Luis turned a bit serious, looking down at those breathtaking black eyes sincerely. Lesly blushed a bit more, even her nose showed a reddened tip. ¡°But¡­ your wife? Would she have really thought out of something like¡­ this happening? From so long ago?¡± ¡°I would know my wife, of course,¡± Luis barked in a good mood, making Lesly curl her lips up at him. ¡°She had the most amazing heart. And she knew how to read them, perfectly at that, Lesly. But she wasn¡¯t clairvoyant. Her¡­ ¡®plans¡¯ weren¡¯t about ¡®what if¡¯¡­¡± ¡°Oooh¡­¡± Lesly lowered her gaze, becoming so meek and shy¡­ Luis wanted to grab a bite, but she lifted her chin up and said, blabbing on, and clearly in a great mood. ¡°And I believe you, Luis, but if this is as you say, then what? You¡¯re saying you¡¯re too good for both of us? Huh? You¡¯re telling me you would have gladly taken us both at the same time, or wha-¡± ¡°Mmf¡­¡± Luis shut her up with his lips, sealing her mouth with a quick peck, slightly intrusive. As they separated, and Lesly threw a cute ¡®You!¡¯ yelp at him, Luis turned around and closed the door, holing back in his office. ¡°You dare hide in front of me? Aaagh. We¡¯ll meet again, Heartez, I know you can hear me!¡± ¡°Nope! This is my encouragement. Any further will be spoiling you¡­¡± Luis¡¯s muffled voice came from within. Lesly smirked, feeling so great. She harrumphed cutely before walking away, knowing she could do great things, and only she could stop herself, or Luis. Indeed, as Luis fled to his desk, he touched his WID, turning the ultra soundproof of his office back on while still walking to his desk with a stupid smile on his face. ¡­ Chapter 164 — Leslys Tales (6) Lesly''s Tales (6) ANS, presidential chamber. ¡°¡­Yes, sir. The investigating special agents confirmed it, and it''s been many days since the attack. It''s most likely they''ve been felled during the¡­¡± Gant Comfor listened to the old-fashioned telephone wired to the floor. He nodded a few more times before directly hanging up after saying, ¡°I see.¡± Gant¡¯s eyes were darkened, his chin low, and his mood deteriorating. Beside him, a young man with creamy bronzed skin, and black-brown, short afro hair stood in front of his desk. Despite the easiest aesthetical differences to spot on him from Gant Comfor, he is Earl Comfor, the president¡¯s son. Quite a son he is. Born in a rich family in both politics and wealth, and so, influence; ambition irradiates from even his eyes at any time and mood of the day. He was known for many things, Earl Comfor. Being like his father in certain aspects that brought him to a presidency at such an age, and with the voting already putting him in a better position, was not any of them. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. GC will take care of their own. So, what will we do now, father? I think we just have the right chance to see so that the hood starts shaking some letters of domestic abuse in the air.¡± Earl Comfor spoke, smiling towards the end of his words. Gant looked up with upturned eyes, but then lifted his chin and straightened his back, ideas twinkling in that brain of his. He nodded after a little while before staring at his son, ¡°Earl, the other telephone.¡± Earl Comfor looked a little annoyed. He darted his eyes upwards before remembering what to do. He turned and went to another shelf, putting his hand and a password on a glass box with a red telephone inside. Bringing it to the presidential desk for his father, Gant then used it and marked with some tapping of both his hands¡¯ fingertips before grabbing the phone. ¡°Principal? I figured there should be some reminders of what this supercontinent is¡­¡± *** Lymoca, the day after Luis¡¯s subtle declaration reached Lesly¡¯s heart, wantonly encouraging her. In the senate chamber, after a long and arduous session of the opposition, LV, NSH, and smaller political parties, denying the smooth process of the last initiative from the president. Just as most have left, and only the senate¡¯s presidency remained in their seats before the rest of the senate. ¡°Have you heard of the new coalition?¡± - ¡°The heavens~. Could it be because of Lesly¡¯s previous doings?¡± - ¡°Well, she did ¡®move around¡¯, you know what I¡¯m saying?¡± - ¡°It¡¯s not because of that, can¡¯t be¡­ Are they scared of National Front?¡± - ¡°That¡¯s even less likely~!¡± Tap, tap, step, tap, tap, tap. Passing by the gossiping people, Lesly walked to the senate¡¯s presidency stage, wearing sunglasses and a slightly wild hairstyle. She didn¡¯t hurry, using every step to let her presence be known, especially with the constant tapping of her heels on the floor and the occasional semi loud step. ¡°Miss Rivera, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± Omar Preon, the senate president, rolled his eyes with a rueful smile before facing the demoness. Lesly smiled at the senate president¡¯s acceptance of her arrival. Omar Preon, a brown, bald, tall middle-aged man still in the prime of his lifetime. He had been senate president twice in his life, with the first time when he was in his last years as a young man. Now, after a couple of decades, he was once again the senate president, also as a neutral party within the parliament. ¡°Would the senate president like to accompany me for a meal? There are things worth discussing.¡± Lesly smiled a little, showing her puppy eyes. She didn¡¯t even need to look charming with Omar, who rubbed his left temple while supporting his head with his elbow on the desk. ¡°You know what¡­ My wife is mad at me as of late, and I don¡¯t know why. We can have that meal, no politics involved. Just help me get into the mind of you females.¡± Omar said before piling some documents and binders. He put them in a briefcase and left it for an attendant before looking at Lesly. ¡°Shall we?¡± ¡°Mn!¡± Lesly nodded with a strong vigor, turning around to slowly walk whence she came from. Omar followed half a minute later, with his senate president robes off, and wearing a simple shirt over a casual jacket. ¡­ 15 minutes later, they sat in a known restaurant not too luxurious nor away from the senate. They ate some delicious soup, and there was a beefsteak with steam still coming out of it. It had some warm lettuce with spices on and hot potatoes on top, small but smelling to go crazy for. ¡°Mmmn! Didn¡¯t know they were adding sweet onion now, and with such long strips, yum yum¡­¡± Lesly¡¯s slightly crunching noise echoed from her mouth. She clearly enjoyed the new addition to her soup. Omar couldn¡¯t stop nodding, seeing there was no limit to such wonderful food. Although he asked for different additions to his. A few spoons later, and drinking her bottle of fruit juice, Lesly rapidly patted her chest in a quick motion and shut her eyes before burping a little. Omar scoffed a little, fluttering his lips like a horse with an involuntary chuckle. His attention was grabbed. Lesly¡¯s black eyes shone craftily. ¡°Omar, are you having problems with your wife, did you have a little fight, or are you not paying attention to what she has been telling you?¡± Her words were cautious yet obvious. Omar stopped a spoonful of yummy soup from falling into his salivating cheeks. He took it anyways and gulped. ¡°What do you mean?¡± He asked. Lesly curled the left corner of her mouth a lot, but the right corner of the same a little, and arched her right eyebrow. ¡°Uh~, I don¡¯t know. I think there have been many women who see the TV, social media, and even porn when bored, just wanting to find something that is interesting.¡± Omar nearly choked in the last spoonful of his soup. He looked at Lesly, clutching his neck for a while before grabbing a disposable napkin at the side on the table. Lesly continued, ruthless. ¡°Lately, there¡¯s been many talks about something. Will the army go ballistic mad, ANS entertainment mode on us? Will the prices finally go up, conveniently forgetting the CMDC? Or¡­ is there anything going on in the current government like¡­ a movement?¡± ¡°Okay, I see where this is going,¡± Omar finished cleaning his face and neck before staring at Lesly with a slightly bothered, knowing glint. Lesly shook her head before drinking the full bowl to finish her soup. ¡°Not really sure you do. After all, you¡¯ve failed to understand even your wife. What more a little girl like me.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Omar supported his chin on his left palm. Lesly sat up and leaned forwards, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault your wife likes to watch what can be important, and discerns what is well enough. No wonder you are neutral. If you dared join any political party, she would¡¯ve left you.¡± ¡°That ¡®list¡¯ also includes your NF in it,¡± Omar lazily said, drooping his eyelids without a care. Lesly smiled, showing her canines and lifting her index finger, swinging it left and right all around, ¡°Yes! But from before. I don¡¯t know what she has told you, or screamed, but even if my intentions were obvious, I¡¯m glad I reached the right people.¡± Omar narrowed his eyes, letting Lesly continue yet again, ¡°National Front has always been good, even if Defending Our Honor wasn¡¯t remotely adequate. Here and now, Mr. Preon, we got the best people working, not working for themselves. And I know you understand that. Anyway, ¡®no politics¡¯ you said. So, before leaving, is there anything you¡¯d like to remind me about?¡± ¡°¡­ Your father would be so proud of you,¡± Omar remained silent with his eyes still narrowed for a bit before finally relaxing. Lesly smiled in response, asking with a slightly high-pitched tone. ¡°Really? How so? Oh heavens, men are really intent on praising me lately.¡± ¡°Hahaha,¡± Omar cracked up, especially how a father would do, or at least an uncle with an exemplary skill as a fatherly figure. ¡°And your mother mad. What is it about that man that makes you follow him? Handsome? Sweet-talking? Or is he changing into a real man at last?¡± ¡°Hey! Careful with what you say!¡± Lesly lifted her chin and drooped her eyelids, making Omar lift his eyebrows with the risen volume of her voice. Omar silently conveyed with ¡®so that¡¯s how it is, huh?¡¯, with his expression before Lesly¡¯s face went crimson, hurrying to explain. ¡°That man has qualities everyone else can have, but he acts on them. His dreams and longings are beyond his family and a nice, good life. He also understood his wife well.¡± ¡°Tsk,¡± Omar expressed his discontent, but Lesly heartlessly continued. ¡°He is incredibly handsome, but so are many others. Do you see me chasing their tails? And oh¡­ he¡¯s a dork. What sweet-talking? He¡¯s barely talking like that to me¡­ jealous? Hm~. As for changing into a real man, he just stopped being¡­ decisive, I believe. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying he¡¯s back at what¡­ being a good lover?¡± Omar asked with narrowed eyes. Lesly widened hers, ¡°No! It¡¯s¡­ not like that. Ahem, the thing is¡­ If you¡¯re curious about the President, you will know and see, but only if you really want to.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Lesly smiled teasingly after hinting at something someone like Omar would easily and blatantly catch upon, annoying him to death. Then, she narrowed her eyes as much as Omar, as if she¡¯s had time to know the extent to which his eyes can narrow for half her lifetime. ¡°Or else? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re really okay going back to the previous administrations after being with a severely limited, different and caring president?¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Omar sat with a straight back and inclined his head with his chin pointing at his left shoulder. Lesly hid her lips into her mouth, sucking on them as a silly stance of defiance. Both have said and accorded to no politics anymore, the conversation topic it was drawn to it yet again, this time without thinking. ¡°Let your mind rest, senate president. Pillow it.¡± Lesly smiled and slowly stood up. Omar looked up at her before also standing up. He extended his hand to Lesly as cordially as one would, but Lesly slapped his palm away so delicately she couldn¡¯t have even hurt a fly. Then, she hugged him below the armpits and leaned the left side of her forehead on his chest. Omar might be a buffy and stern middle-aged man, but he was kind, too. His hands rested on her shoulder blades, making her remember the young, young days of her life. Then, before he could say any fatherly part of his, as he had to learn early on in his life, Lesly looked up and showed him a paper between her right thumb and index finger. ¡°Huh, what¡¯s this?¡± Omar calmly asked, not noticing Lesly was already fleeing, smoothly leaving his embrace. ¡°Meet you tomorrow at this hour in this place and wearing the indicated suit.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Omar watched the little girl leave with a trusted adult, unnecessarily screeching the tires before driving with a proper pace and control. Reading the info on the paper, and the little, crooked heart which reminded him, a soft smile melted into his stern, natural expression. ¡­ The next day was recess for the senate, which had been discussing the initiatives still, not even talking about one reform in specific. With this, Omar Preon took a break to go to the place Lesly wanted him to. Arriving at the place, still at noon, Omar saw Lesly sitting with a beautiful, long A-line dress, black with red edges. She bent her back a little, supporting her chin on her backhand, looking a bit bored with her elegant picked up hair and earrings. She spotted Omar just as he checked in and talked to a nice young man in the reception. Lesly went for Omar and brought him to her small table before ordering their jars. This was a tea restaurant. The previous restaurant was easily accessible and known to anyone in Lymoca, especially because it was close to the center, and it was impossible to miss. It was bustling and a little noisy back then, nothing compared to this tea house-style restaurant. It was elegant, sophisticated, and quite luxurious. One could only enter with a reservation, of course, but the cost of it was greater than a jar or a few appetizers. Sitting at her small table, Lesly was all smiles and contented. They chatted about the numerous things going on in Lymoca¡¯s actual growing up situation and other modernisms, comparing them to when Lesly was a little brat. ¡°Ehehe, I really can only be like my old self with you as well,¡± Lesly sat with one leg above the other, nibbling her teeth on her inner cheeks. Omar laughed, picking his sleeves before noticing her wording, ¡°Someone else does?¡± ¡°Mmm, maybe, sometimes?¡± Lesly teased with a smile, drinking from her small cup of tea a bit more. Omar shook his head, but he also felt a little gladdened. The little girl might just be close to knowing where to set her sights, even if it was a little¡­ ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Lesly¡¯s perception startled Omar, who saved himself rather smoothly, ¡°Just that my wife would like to see you, soon. You already compromised your pact by coming to me, now, don¡¯t you dare not go and visit her, eh?¡± ¡°Gnaaaah~,¡± Lesly opened her mouth wide and voiced strangely. They didn¡¯t bother about the other clients, and the personnel didn¡¯t dare say something to them or express it for an issue as small as this. Lesly looked down with her lips sucked in before looking at Omar with upturned, breathtaking black eyes, ¡°So, you made peace with your wife?¡± ¡°Sigh, yes¡­¡± Omar acquiesced, unwillingly. Lesly narrowed her eyes, mimicking him. She asked again, ¡°Was I right?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Omar directly replied, surprising her a little. Lesly smiled in silence before showing him her phone. Omar blinked and frowned a bit as Lesly spoke a little over the video footage playing on her phone. ¡°I am postulating for this role¡­ because I believe in justice and the power of sincerity! I will give my everything and all to support this country!¡± - ¡°Although I long for the position everyone here longs for, I will not deny my rival has such strong qualities. If he surpasses me, I have nothing to say.¡± ¡°My desire to become the senate president will benefit everyone, for my rule over this chamber and my respect for it are enormous! Priceless! Boundless!¡± - ¡°On this term, I will become the best president, never losing myself from corruption and the destruction from the poor-minded!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they something?¡± Lesly voiced after showing the footage of 2 videos with the same theme but different dates. She looked at Omar, ¡°The first is before you became senate president for the first time, and it wasn¡¯t much different the term after that, was it? They also barely ¡®proposed¡¯ the idea after thinking for decades to let neutral parties work in the parliament, did they not say that?¡± ¡°But those proposals were all from the Honorable One, Linda Zebel, who was ignored in her younger days, too. You benefitted from her, even with these rat methods. I remember you bought me 10 cakes of all my favorite flavors in variations that day, and forced me to understand patience back then. I always had a devourer¡¯s teeth¡­¡± ¡°Lesly-¡± Omar spoke, feeling a bit restless and even guilty. Linda Zebel¡¯s attempts to reform the senate from within were indeed always ignored, even after he became the senate president. But Lesly didn¡¯t let him speak in his defense, outright interrupting him cleverly. ¡°The second one is from the 1,008-1,014 term, where these people, 2 women, ¡®fought¡¯ for the senate presidency. Had it not been for the still alive Linda Zebel then, their braindead scheme to have 2 senate presidents for the first time in Lymoca would have succeeded, becoming, oh, the global laughingstock.¡± Lesly criticized, harshly. ¡°Is there something in common from these people? Among a few others from the beginning of this term, where you became the senate president again when more than the majority in that term finally remembered neutral positions¡¯ importance?¡± Lesly sharply questioned. ¡°¡­Those four are in prison for undeniable corruption.¡± Omar softly facepalmed, rubbing his eyebrows with the yolks of his fingers. Lesly lowered her phone, keeping it in her bag. ¡°Yes, imprisoned.¡± She cocked her head, sounding a little vicious with their plates of steaming steaks and chicken all eaten away. ¡°Well, at least they¡¯re leaving better than the average ¡®poor-minded¡¯ with a salary of 7,000 credits per month in a cell. Where is Linda Zebel now? Right, at least they are alive.¡± ¡°You know what happened, and you dare stay like that after becoming the senate president again?¡± Lesly¡¯s eyes became watery, simulating a larger appearance as she teared when articulating the following words, ¡°Well, I have a dare for you. Now that you saw the differences from governments then and now, and seen NF¡¯s works and the President¡¯s alignment to the people. Postulate for the senate presidency again, see what happens. I dare you take a side, old man.¡± Lesly spent no more time in her seat, standing up and turning to leave in a jiffy. She didn¡¯t look back and left with a straight back, cruelly forgetting his existence. Or at least it felt just that way. She looked the same but even more¡­ decisive and hurt than when she was still a teenager. Omar didn¡¯t stand up to stop her, or even rose his voice. All he did was lower his head and think, falling into a pondering silence that didn¡¯t cease even when the sound of her car drifted away, far away again. *** 2 days later. Proteros governmental building. Lower chamber. Luis continued his tour around Lymoca. While he didn¡¯t ¡®stay¡¯ with the governors, of which most, so as to not say more than 90% of the country, were from LV or NSH, he did request the information of each state. While recompiling that information in silence to read and further bring it back to Proteros, he met with other localities, and even community spokespeople. Not community leaders, like Lesly did, or at least he did not look for them specifically as he did with the former. Meanwhile, Lesly planned her next move, while the massacre at Jaewim was coming to an end, but more issues surfaced, with the remaining organized crime groups¡¯ bandits rising in different parts of the country. This was quite new and unexpected, but it was just a matter of time. After all, the army and national guard were already patrolling the cities and towns, with SAs around villages. Whenever an incursion seemed imminent, another massacre would unfold. The Ly forces always victorious, of course. Even then, these brand new resurging OC small groups were no more than a few hundred, with those up to several hundred hunted down by the District and army special forces. Fox was busy, but so was he having fun. Other sightings of TFS were seen, but they were gone long before any District White Blood¡¯s scouting reached the place of¡­ not even a massacre, just butchering. ¡­ Now, Lesly walked into the governmental building, one of many for the lower and upper chamber in Proteros, to find a certain couple. Clara and Sebasti¨¢n. Lesly didn¡¯t stop at anyone to know any directions or ask where her targets were. More than anything, even if she needed the information, as casual as it could be, she wouldn¡¯t just announce out loud whom she was interested on. Walking by with her formal skirt and white coat. Her thighs were slightly revealed, and they were so nice, as usual. Even when being conservative about her image, those thick sticks still forced the poor fabric just enough to show glimpses of creamy white skin above her knee, enchanting half the surrounding turning heads and gulping throats. The elegant white coat was a rare commodity on her, though. Lesly walked into one of the dinning halls. She immediately saw a few dozen inside, mostly civil servants working in the beautiful and honorable paperwork field. Senator Sebasti¨¢n Lara and his deputy, Clara Metelti, were sitting in a medium lunch table, alone, with others taking other tables. Lesly made a bit of noise opening those doors, revealing an open smile while gazing only in the lovable ¡®uncle-niece¡¯ duo¡¯s direction. The duo looked at her while still having a bite with their heads down, with the others also looking at Lesly with knowing glints in their eyes. Not caring one bit of how desperate she looked, smiling even more as a result, Lesly walked to them. Sebasti¨¢n was as usual, a handsome middle-aged man. White, with natural gray hair, unusually tall, and natural gray eyes. Be it his physical appearance or his politics skills, he was a hidden gem in Lymoca, and an old wine. Clara Metelti hasn¡¯t only not changed and has matured her previously-a-young beauty, she had also become more popular in the chamber of deputies, and not because her daddy ¡®worked¡¯ there, too. She is a white blondie, tall and owning a pair of sparkling green eyes. Her hair always tied in a ponytail with a fringe at either sides of her forehead. She was a pure, young maiden, crafty, and showing signs of her mother¡¯s ¡®you can¡¯t stop me¡¯ nature. Clara Metelti is also the youngest member in the chamber of deputies in the entire history of Lymoca. She has been chosen twice by the people in a row as a neutral deputy, from Luis¡¯s first term to this one, and most likely the next. A genius of great caliber. She was slender and looked so delicate she could break by holding her arms or shoulders. However, according to the rumors, together with the president¡¯s daughter, the took classes to become self-defense practitioners since 1,020. Still, she was older than Fox by a few years. ¡­ Chapter 165 — Leslys Tales (7) Lesly''s Tales (7) Lesly Rivera sat with the duo, with the latter halting their food intake, looking at her with some reservation. It was no dark, deep little secret that the National Front was in need of heavy support. But who believed in a recently created political party directed by a 19-year-old, who was also responsible for the massacres against OCs nowadays, and who knows if performing some himself? Only half the neutral congress members wanted to remain neutral, living well, being paid well, and given the respect that maybe 2 decades ago wouldn¡¯t exist, as it was the case with the first neutral senate president. However, the other half were looking around, darting their eyes left and right and raising an eyebrow to perform a ritual of ¡®come get me¡¯. Lesly wouldn¡¯t ignore those, but she wouldn¡¯t personally hunt them herself. That could be saved for later when a number, large, small, or average, joined the NF¡¯s cause¡­ if they did. For the fishes she considered crucial, like it was the senate president and the 2 before her, Lesly came out to play. Looking back at them, Lesly smiled, showing an interest glint play in her eyes as Sebasti¨¢n Lara slowly munched his food to an end. He posed his elbow on the table and leaned a little with his other hand pressing on his knee, ¡°Vice president Lesly Rivera, if you must say something, go ahead. We aren¡¯t impolite people, we can hear you. Just don¡¯t expect us to meet you with similar eagerness¡­ to this.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m glad! No embarrassing feelings, then?¡± Lesly rotated her head a bit and straightened her back, looking gladdened. Sebasti¨¢n and Clara exchanged a little frown without moving their heads before nodding at her. Lesly smiled and waved at the cook in the kitchen area. Then, she looked back down at them and extended her arms forth, resting them on the table with her fingers calmly fidgeting with each other. ¡°You didn¡¯t really think I¡¯ll come knocking just like that, correct? I don¡¯t even have a briefcase, am I supposed to rope you in you with the power of the heavens? Belief?¡± After those words, Lesly smiled, her gaze directed past them. Looking back, they saw the cook of the cafeteria himself bring a tray to their table. Lesly pouted a little, but she felt obviously grateful. She looked at the cook and voiced with a slightly berating tone, ¡°Ooh, many thanks. This wasn¡¯t what I meant, but thank you very much. You¡¯re giving me time to catch up with knowns.¡± ¡°No problem for the vice president, please enjoy,¡± the cook left the tray on Lesly¡¯s spot before stepping back. Lesly nodded, looking down at the food before setting her eyes on the cook, ¡°Thanks, don. But if you keep this up, I¡¯ll interpret it as a cry f or help and might just steal you to the presidential precinct.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± the cook stopped and motioned with his head, coming closer to the table before uttering as he looked around, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bear parting with this depressing atmosphere every day. I may lose myself in this place, why would I want to go to the well-reputed presidential precinct?¡± ¡°Hmm~,¡± Lesly smiled thinly before the cook went away. Then, Lesly enjoyed her lasagna and her orange at the side, already peeled around its center to help with the process. She had a few bites, which was meant to be just one bite, of which she couldn¡¯t help herself. ¡°Oh my, these have gotten delicious. What do you two do, eating fried fish and fries so much?¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t stop eating now,¡± Lesly said, grabbing another mouthful with a fork and looking at Clara, ¡°While I ¡®threatened¡¯ to bring that cook away from this pigsty, I¡¯m rather inclined to steal you away from the congress.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ll make such a fine asset in the executive branch, Clara.¡± Lesly paused to continue eating. Sebasti¨¢n intervened at this moment, ¡°I¡¯m sure she would, vice president. But I¡¯m not sure that it would be soon. Little Clara is also too young now, although she could have a go in the term of the 1,032.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Lesly lifted her head for a moment and asked in a simple tone. Sebasti¨¢n replied in the same manner, ¡°For safety.¡± ¡°Oh, you know we wouldn¡¯t disappear people. No, not us.¡± Lesly turned serious out of nowhere and looked at Sebasti¨¢n, throwing a steeled glare that made him sweat a little out of the sensation. He felt as if he accidentally yet purposely said something bad. ¡°Although if we really wanted to, we could disappear anyone wanting to stop us from bringing Clara away from the congress,¡± Lesly softened her countenance after staring at Clara again. Clara lifted her eyebrows for a moment, her sparkling green eyes irradiating charming beauty for a moment. ¡°You would do that? Anyone?¡± ¡°There are¡­ strange circumstances to disappear certain people. For example¡­¡± Lesly stopped and inclined her head, her eyes upturned towards the ceiling. ¡°Someone could disappear, only to stay in someone¡¯s bedroom or office, should they caringly ask.¡± ¡°Lesly!¡± The young maiden exclaimed with widened, incredulous eyes. Especially when she saw Lesly dart her eyes ever so obviously between the young maiden and the handsome middle-aged man her father¡¯s age. Clara admonished the vice president with her glare, status no longer withstanding this reunion. ¡°What now?¡± Lesly thinly smiled at Clara before slowly looking at them. Sebasti¨¢n Lara wore a calm expression, but there were some beads of sweat down his temples. Out of nowhere, Lesly felt her right foot kicked. She looked at Clara, who lowered her head and semi-covered her mouth, transmitting Lesly a message only she could read from her lips¡¯ movements. Lesly smiled and stood up, the young maiden wanted to properly greet her. They haven¡¯t met in informal business for so long, after all. Clara stood up formally, accommodating her jacket and long business skirt before walking up, when Lesly had already arrived before her and hugged her shoulders. Clara¡¯s sparkling green eyes widened, but warmly so. In no time, she lowered her eyelids and hugged Lesly back. After a couple of seconds, she couldn¡¯t help commenting, ¡°You¡¯re doing just good, Lesly. Do you really need this much effort and the support gained from it?¡± ¡°Look who¡¯s talking. Jennifer Paws has a more amazing job, but the world compares you to the Lemyonova big genius. Are you what, the Meteltis¡¯ destined little genius? You are doing great.¡± Lesly then slightly separated, looking at Clara¡¯s sweetened face and slightly pink cheeks. ¡°Who can blame you for having daddy issues without having daddy issues with that stallion ¡®mentoring¡¯ you?¡± ¡°He- Lesly~~!¡± Clara widened her eyes and further. Lesly threw her head back and laughed uproariously, making Sebasti¨¢n smirk, but Clara blushed even harder. Sitting back down at the lunch table, they continued eating and chatted with ease. The incertitude from earlier erased. ¡°¡­Did you hear about the results coming out soon? The south is getting their change so rapidly. Oh, and ANS are already on their way to define their president. Many say it will still be Comfor, even though he is already so old¡­¡± Clara found a spot to speak about this. ¡°Indeed, nom nom¡­¡± Lesly nodded before bringing the last mouthful of lasagna to her lips and then finished her orange. Se stood up and winked at Clara before looking and seriously saying to the duo, ¡°Let¡¯s meet more the next month. I have a date tonight, so you guys go ahead and do whatever you do in full moons filled with passion and love like these.¡± ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Both felt stupefied at the vice president¡¯s casualness. They watched her leave with her elegant white coat stained with lasagna and orange juice. She ate almost like an animal, and with people from the opposing polies around, fearless. ¡°Don¡¯t you say a single thing about this, okay? It¡¯s one thing that we are seen with Lesly, but another if we are the ones to mention it.¡± Clara looked at Sebasti¨¢n and spoke like she was the mentor here. Before Sebasti¨¢n said something in his defense, anything, she added, ¡°Or I¡¯ll hug you in public again.¡± ¡°Oh, please. Don¡¯t!¡± Sebasti¨¢n widened his eyes. He cleaned his mouth as he shook his head before detailing his torment. ¡°You have no idea what a long sermon that bought me from your father last time. Besides, why would I? Who do you take me for, Little Clara? I also can¡¯t say no to the still-probable future vice president of the nation for the third time in a row.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me little!¡± Clara blushed at the repeated mentions of endearing, but that also showcased the difference between their status in more than the upper and lower chambers in the congress. ¡°Oh, but I understand. You are watching out for our image. You don¡¯t want to let the rest think we¡¯re siding with someone. It¡¯s true, we have no reason to be part of it. Neutrality is just fine, but I also want to hang out with her more.¡± ¡°Also¡­¡± Clara leaned her body away and cocked her head, looking at Sebasti¨¢n, who patiently heard her out, with a pair of crafty eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re afraid of the president of the Chamber of Deputies? Is being a senator for naught? You participate in the upper chamber!¡± ¡°I do, but he¡¯s a president of the parliament of the lower chamber!¡± Sebasti¨¢n widened his eyes in a glare and wiped his mouth again out of habit. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s a father! He is allowed about his sweet little girl for all the world cares. He¡¯s also been the president of the senate and Chamber of Deputies for decades¡­¡± ¡°Tsk,¡± Clara crossed her arms and pouted with a slight frown, extremely adorable. ¡°What now? Was I just a puppy experiment when nobody wanted to get close to me? Too afraid of my two last names, then, of being the next tragic accident?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sebasti¨¢n stopped doing anything he was onto and looked down at her, facing ahead. His countenance turned serious and contemplating before softly speaking, patting the upper back of her head a little. ¡°You are no experiment, and those were just the people who were afraid, who were most of them, and those who respected you. There was no NF then, not even Defending Our Home-whatever. Lesly was in the same situation as you.¡± Sebasti¨¢n was but the smartest, handsomest man Clara knew alive. She looked up at him and released her arms, almost tearing up, but showing a resolve he helped her forge himself. ¡°I do¡­ I do. I want to hang out with her, catch up, and maybe¡­ ¡®talk¡¯¡­ But I also want to hear her out¡­ Is it wrong I want to give her¡­ and him¡­ the- no, a chance?¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Of course not,¡± Sebasti¨¢n barked out, softly. He patted her head a few more times before retracting his hand. ¡°We can hear them, sure.¡± With that, Clara became pensive, and Sebasti¨¢n avoided speaking of her father. But then, before they stood up to leave the cafeteria, she hugged him while still sitting before fleeing. ¡­ Lesly went to the presidential precinct directly after the day was coming to its end. She simply walked in Luis¡¯s office and saw him in, staring at the window with the bright moonlight descending into his office. She walked to Luis without saying a word, standing beside him as their backs were darkened, with their eyes seeing each other¡¯s fronts perfectly. After a little exchange of eyes and smiles, they looked at the moon above. It was big, as always, during the last day of the month. *** 5 days passed by quickly. Lesly kept meeting the duo at least once every day, mostly in the evenings when the work was over, or when the night shift/session hadn¡¯t initiated yet. They talked and conversed, getting to know each other again or newly; those were simple encounters. Lesly didn¡¯t talk about politics, other than the history of those in Lymoca, and a little abroad. Today, they were meeting at a local restaurant where tacos, tortas, burritos, and pozole were sold, and very good at that. Proteros was so many times safer after it was liberated, leading to these many local restaurants opening as soon as they had the chance. Being slightly at night, with no work in the parliament for either of the chambers, Lesly walked to the table already taken by them. It was a little empty, but that was because Proteros¡¯ jobless people rate dramatically decreased during the past couple of weeks. Furthermore, the number of people opening business in just the capital city increased. These weren¡¯t simple online shops or services for shipping products, but restaurants, shops of all kinds, from food and candy to electronics and small pets¡¯ refuges. Thus, the number of people around in certain hours of the day were a little less. After all, Proteros was still one of the most populated cities in the world, even if it couldn¡¯t compare to the broken Ziaca Nation from hundreds of years ago. It was still an hour or so before the people walked out of their jobs and flooded the streets. Police in the city hasn¡¯t diminished, but it also didn¡¯t increase exponentially. Now, the police counted with more intelligence instruments to gather information, not appearing too ¡®watchful¡¯, and those overseeing the transit were no longer part of the police, neither were they from the NG now. While police elements remained nearby in case of anything, they didn¡¯t have the jurisdiction to act and stop vehicles. Now, that job is left to the community wherever some streets or the roads nearest to the settlements were in Proteros state. Walking to their table, Lesly heard the TV hanging on a corner nearby talk of the things that have been made known to the global population. ¡°Terka, the last southern country¡¯s president from the south of the Moonblue supercontinent, has been confirmed just this afternoon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Isa. Antonio R. The new Ters¡¯ president of a nation, Terka, is just starting his first speech as the president of Terka. In a few moments, we¡¯ll hear about the future that this country will face in the next term¡­¡± The voices from the news anchor faded into the back as Lesly sat at the table. Sebasti¨¢n and Clara greeted her. Sebasti¨¢n gave her a polite nod, while Clara smiled big time at her. Lesly returned the bright smile to the two, ¡°Things are getting so interesting now, no? Let¡¯s eat. I can¡¯t believe they don¡¯t serve more of all of these in the congress¡¯ cafeteria. So inhumane¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t think about it. It was noticeable, but it didn¡¯t occur to me before. I remember something about ¡®going after¡¯ the menus of other countries. To think we hardly had any of this food for the past years¡­ I guess I was brainwashed indeed.¡± Sebasti¨¢n Lara commented before calling a waitress to take their order. The chubby, nice lady walked to them and started taking their orders, starting with the handsome congressman. Meanwhile, the congressmaiden and the vice president chatted of womanly stuff. ¡°How has it been with you two, hm?¡± Lesly teased, holding Clara¡¯s fingers in between hers. Clara smiled with a blush, ¡°Stop it! I almost want you to speak of politics now. Won¡¯t you stop?¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be like that. Don¡¯t forget who was a ¡®little sister¡¯, and called me her ¡®big sister¡¯. I haven¡¯t~.¡± Lesly smiled brightly. Clara blushed a bit more, radiantly smiling. But she then rolled her eyes, ¡°More like a cousin, anyway.¡± ¡°Oh, come on. I don¡¯t want to start spreading rumors of a little baby sis being clingy to her big sister until she left.¡± Lesly smiled, this time warmly. Clara¡¯s blush continued. She looked down before murmuring, ¡°Yeah, exactly. Before you left.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was Lesly¡¯s eyes turn to drop. She thought for a few moments before lifting her chin to stare at Clara intently, holding her hands and squeezing them. Clara returned the stare before the waitress softly coughed at the side, grabbing their attention. Their hands separated, with Clara taking her order before Lesly. The latter looked at the former with a bright twinkle flashing in her breathtaking black eyes. ¡­ Half an hour later, with their food arriving round 20 minutes after they ordered, and each eating their plate as soon as it arrived before them. They would¡¯ve waited for each other to eat if it wasn¡¯t because of the rich sight and scent coming from it. Thus, the young maiden was allowed to eat her tacos and torta ahogada, getting her chin and cheeks all filthy, not to mention her hands. Every bite was a reminder of her childhood, at least when both her parents showed her what love and warmth was¡­ Sebasti¨¢n cleaned Clara¡¯s little face time and again with a napkin, and then two, and then three. At last, his plate arrived, letting him eat his burritos and a few tacos right away. Finally, Lesly had her pozole and quesadillas ready. They ate with tranquility, chatting in between, and causing the occasional laughter in the place. As they were finished with their food, the TV turned to real-time footage again. ¡°There you have it, the Ters of Terka are prepared, and their new president is walking to the podium. Look at everyone clapping! We can see our ambassador with a big smile over there, yes sir! Hahaha¡­¡± The TV showed a multitude of people, perhaps about 2 to 4 million, at least in sight, in front of a 10 meters tall stage. One of the few seconds of an angle showed the Ly ambassador looking up, clapping furtively at the notion with a little smile. ¡°So, how have you two considered being together?¡± Lesly asked before slurping her bottle of juice from a straw. She filled her cheeks and looked at the two of them, who seemed to go back to the first time they ate together, kinda. Paralyzed and giving each other eyes, Sebasti¨¢n and Clara didn¡¯t speak before the latter spoke while waving air to her face. ¡°What are you talking about? Sebas and I¡¯s relationship is of the kindest, friendly, and oozing mutual respect.¡± ¡°Uhuh,¡± Lesly gulped down her beverage before uttering without a care. She then leaned over and spoke plainly, ¡°It¡¯s not just you two who have an ¡®illegal¡¯ relationship. There¡¯s really nothing about that, in fact. You know, even I do¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± - ¡°!!¡± Clara needed a moment to realize what Lesly was speaking about, while Sebasti¨¢n tried not to show it, but couldn¡¯t hold it in the end. He shot a shocked, unexpected expression at Lesly. Lesly smiled at them, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. My rumors aren¡¯t as unknown as yours.¡± ¡°What-¡± Clara spoke out gain, while Sebasti¨¢n was too ashamed to say anything, even to apparent innocent in Lesly¡¯s, or anyone else¡¯s, eyes. Lesly stopped Clara, swinging her palm in the air between them, ¡°It¡¯s not a secret, as I said. There¡¯s just not confirmation, and we¡¯re too busy to bother with whether there is something happening or not¡­ for now.¡± ¡°You two don¡¯t have that,¡± Lesly smiled before checking her empty bottle, swaying it quickly. She looked at them with a semi serious expression. ¡°You can be together at any time. All you have to do is choose when to face that situation¡­ It¡¯s better than being forced from circumstances.¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s not talk about these matters unnecessarily,¡± Lesly cleaned her mouth and fingers before pushing her plates away. ¡°Now, we shall address the situation with my National Front¡¯s dire need of people, what¡¯s more coming from the talented.¡± ¡°Ahem,¡± Sebasti¨¢n coughed, recomposing himself to get into work-mode. ¡°So, this is where we¡¯re finally getting into¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t force you now, but I will let you consider.¡± Lesly looked at both while Clara also recomposed with her blush gone and drinking from her beverage. ¡°It¡¯s not only senators and deputies I¡¯d like to reach. And it¡¯s not only to win that I wish for your cooperation. You have heard so many things of my President, and his cabinet, including me. But you never stopped to have a talk with us, not even in the parliament, when NF invites others to debate further discussions for the future. Maybe because everyone thinks it will disappear in this year¡¯s elections.¡± ¡°But you also recognize that isn¡¯t feasible. Who hasn¡¯t moved the people for a march or two? But how big have they been for the past hundreds of years? It¡¯s been tedious and inefficient, really.¡± Lesly fattened her cheek and slightly tilted her head to the left. ¡°More than anything, they¡¯ve been fake.¡± Lesly paused for a moment before picking her purse, placing it on her lap. ¡°They are also paid, and for show. But were those millions not too long ago also for show? They were, but for what? All you can know is more than you let yourselves.¡± ¡°Well then, I will go. Clara Metelti, it was good seeing you again, really.¡± Lesly extended her hand to Clara, who lifted hers a bit dazed, shaking it casually. Then, Lesly looked at Sebasti¨¢n. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m begging you, but I won¡¯t do it twice. We¡¯ll see each at another time. I have enough preparation to go hunting for others. Have a good night.¡± Once again, but differently this time, with other thoughts and a slightly wild imagination, both stared at Lesly¡¯s back as she left. This time, she was clean. They looked at each other before falling silent. Clara looked down, with her lips pouting outwards. Sebasti¨¢n grasped his chin with his palm, supporting it with his elbow on the table. Their attention, and that of the few clienteles and even the owner, were grabbed by the TV. The owner even raised the volume for all to hear. ¡°¡­ With this, I have to say the truth, because I¡­ am unafraid!¡­¡± The new Terka president, a brown, short, balding man with the only remaining hair at his sides, and a little fat; spoke to his people in international TV. ¡°The situation ¡®above¡¯ has worsened! There¡¯s been countless thousands of deaths. Their people suffer hunger in the affected areas, and their ammunition is blowing off to their own flesh and blood! Don¡¯t they care so much of their blood? Why is it staining their ground like filth now, then?!¡± ¡°I am¡­ formally¡­ accusing this young¡ª impertinent man from sacrificing the blood of his people, the values of his country and its enviable history, of tyranny!¡± ¡°I invite all my other fellow countries to show the same desire for the peace that should have never been taken away. First Preut, now this!? It¡¯s not acceptable. You are the bandit, Luis Heartez, the criminal here, the thief! You shall not steal the presidency of your country, nor of any other for that matter, ever again!¡± ¡°And why have the Lys not done anything? How dare you let such a tyrant live above you!? This is on you, too! Every moment you let that imbecile remain on top, you will continue kneeling for the power of tyranny!¡± ¡­ Chapter 166 — Leslys Tales (8) Lesly''s Tales (8) The international TV became a surprise for every involved party, essentially the Moonblue supercontinent. A brand-new president accused another of so many things, even reclaiming to the people of another country for doing nothing to stop said president. What''s more, this was before the voting in Lymoca, which would pull votes one side or the other. This was¡­ a bit too much! It left the Lys feeling awkward. What was that man saying about them? Why was it their fault they choose a president? Moreover, what did it matter to Terka, a country that always kept its distance from Lymoca, unlike Endesa, Carnage, and even Cors? Those were only some of the countries with relations with Lymoca. Every country had an embassy of Lymoca in their capital city, including the tiny Safe Haven City. Naturally, when this news was just transmitted, they flooded to every little corner of the world, even if not in the same gravity to Lymoca, or even the south. More than anything, the Lys had one thing to say in response: Who the fuck you think you are to tell us what, when, and how!? As for the president¡¯s reaction¡­ what reaction? It might be a bit racist, but it¡¯s not humane for a person to bark back at such a dog. Regardless of the differences between Lys, has the history of the world not shown that nowadays Lymoca isn¡¯t a place where one¡¯s feet can step down unto with malice, thinking they could ever leave it? Even if Luis was at the same social step he was in the beginning of his second term, or even the first half overall, no Ly would nod and think that Terka¡¯s president was legitimate. Not even a person of status. Who dares to speak of their country like that!? As for the following events, after Terka¡¯s president spoke of Lymoca, he continued a little more, explaining his future prospects with the geopolitics in the current world. Mentioning a few things more, he then left the stage with the Ters in Terka feeling a little out of place themselves. What more of the Ly ambassador, who no longer clapped, and didn¡¯t even seem to feel like one in the country, or welcomed, where he has lived for almost half a decade in peace and learned to love it. ¡­ A day later, Lesly walked into the SCJ building. She wore a slightly more serious expression than she would have wanted to show before. It wasn¡¯t on purpose. The situation with Terka was something, but it has been just a day, and NF has been pointed fingers in any place of the parliaments. It was only the same kind of harassment, but with the opposition showing a much more abundant exertion into it. But things weren¡¯t so simple. Word arrived from the shadows; the opposition was only distracting them in the parliament, doing things in the background. They weren¡¯t so important, but it was something to take notice of. For starters, the presidents of Lymoca¡¯s Vanguard and National Scholars of Honor formed the coalition, the NCR, formally known as the National Civilian Resistance. This was time ago, back when Lesly was barely starting her hunt to form her ¡®political army¡¯, going for Omar Preon. Now, they have had enough time to properly group themselves. There was movement from the NCR coalition, starting with their congressfolk speaking for the OCs like it was always the army and NG are the ones violating their humane for centuries. That was mostly whatever, but people were being moved en masse. Lesly couldn¡¯t use a few days to go under the radar of the attentive, scaredy cats of the opposition. She had to move, and thus, she came to the SCJ building after the news from Terka just yesterday, to make matters worse. Lesly drew heads to follow her every move in the building, not specifically because of her beauty. This time, she wore a formal outfit, helped by Sona Heartez. Long gray-blue skirt, with a murky green jacket, and a purse of the same color, bubbly with a wrinkly pattern. She walked straight into someone¡¯s office, a Supreme Court Minister¡¯s private office, Jennifer Paws¡¯s. ¡°¡­!¡± Jennifer was just writing down something, with a couple of thick books on her desktop, which stood on a higher step 1.3 meters above the floor, with other desktops to her sides on lower steps. It was a quirky, all-so-highly design. She lifted her head to look at the person entering her office, not knowing if it was an attendant or the¡­ ¡°Ah, vice president¡­¡± Jennifer calmly closed her books and covered her documents. Her young woman¡¯s, slightly sweet voice sounded, causing a smile to form on Lesly¡¯s lips. She didn¡¯t walk ahead, which might have let her at least catch a glimpse of what books Jennifer was reading. Regardless, after Jennifer covered her stuff, Lesly walked forward, with the Supreme Court Minister standing up and arranging her clothes before stepping down. Jennifer didn¡¯t wear her ¡®Supreme¡¯ coat as she came down the steps a little awkwardly, walking down the small staircase attached to the wall, before extending her hand to Lesly. ¡°Supreme Court Minister Paws,¡± Lesly shook the pretty brown sand brunette¡¯s hand. Then, with a moment of silence between the two, she smiled and said, ¡°Are we in the same level?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we? We Lys are always the same, no matter what, Lesly Rivera.¡± Jennifer Paws said after blinking. Her eyebrows knitted delicately, as if she couldn¡¯t understand what other answer there would be. Lesly¡¯s breathtaking black eyes glinted with unknown traces, ¡°Indeed, a little monster worthy of the high standards a Ly in your position should have. But are you really you?¡± ¡°Vice president,¡± Jennifer smiled and narrowed her eyes with ease a bit. ¡°I received your notice, and the rushing request today. So, today, I¡¯m glad to have you here. But you didn¡¯t come here to be my new spiritual guide, did you?¡± ¡°Spiritual? I¡¯m not qualified. Guide? That¡¯s a bit too much considering the differences, enormous at that, in our fields of expertise. Wanna talk?¡± Lesly humorously spoke before gesturing her hand to the desk on one of the first steps in the room. Jennifer blushed a bit. Her dimples caved in her cheeks, and her head lowered. She nodded meekly before grabbing one of the 3 chairs below the desk to sit beside Lesly, the vice president of Lymoca, and for 2 times in a row. ¡°What would you like to talk about, vice president?¡± Jennifer Paws sat properly, placing her joined hands above her knee. Lesly sat with her legs together on the side before patting Jennifer¡¯s wrists. ¡°If you keep calling me that, I¡¯ll feel unwelcome. ¡®Lesly¡¯ would be just right.¡± ¡°Alright! Sure, of course, ma¡¯am, hehehe.¡± Jennifer¡¯s eyes widened, and her lips parted when she heard those words. Quickly processing them, she smiled and blushed a little before greeting Lesly with her hands cupped in the air. ¡°Lesly, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± Lesly smiled, but not as brightly as Jennifer Paws. Accommodating her hair, Lesly cupped Jennifer¡¯s hands, ¡°You know everyone recognizes you as one of the most amazing young people in the world, yes? Neither I nor the President think differently¡ª we just didn¡¯t dare step any close to here. We never gave you recognition, did we? But you have it. You always had.¡± ¡°If only there weren¡¯t restrictions on the celebrations, we could make a long list to celebrate the talented young fellows in the country. You would be one of those to lead not only this generation, but throughout Lymoca¡¯s history, too.¡± Lesly¡¯s words made the younger woman¡¯s eyes shine and dart from side to side. ¡°Really? Together with Clara Metelti?¡± Jennifer felt a little excited, slightly imagining it. Lesly nodded. Jennifer smiled before looking at her intently, ¡°You too, Lesly?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lesly jolted her head backwards before sending her eyes upturned with a tilt of her head. ¡°Now that you mention it, yeah, right. I should also be there. Oh? Luis would be, too¡­ But that might also include Fox.¡± ¡°Do you fear him also, miss vice president?¡± Jennifer frowned a little, asking with a small voice. Lesly looked at her reaction and tilted her head in wonderment. ¡°Why are you so afraid of him?¡± Lesly cupped her hands again. Jennifer leaned her head to the side and bit her lower lip, pulling some skin off without pain. ¡°It¡¯s not that I hate him or that he has done something to us. But he is, you know, and we¡­ did¡­ those things to him¡­¡± ¡°Fox isn¡¯t a bad boy¡­ well, he is,¡± Lesly smiled and explained. Seeing Jennifer look at her with widened eyes, she hurriedly added, ¡°Not in that way! Phew¡­ Fox is but another person, another Ly. We are all just people. I assure you, even if you yell at him to eat shit, you¡¯d be just like a supermodel walking past him, brushing your shoulder with him, yet getting all ignored.¡± ¡°Hehe, really?¡± Jennifer frowned curiously, almost laughing with an adorable, twisted smile. Lesly nodded, ¡°Yes. He¡¯s done more protecting than anything. He even saved my life first thing after seeing me. You wanna know a secret? I think he¡¯s¡­ kind!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Jennifer felt it was ridiculous. How could that be a secret? Can something like that be important? Regardless, she threw it to the back of her head and commented, ¡°Vanessa seems to think differently from me and the other Supreme Court Ministers too, you know? She usually allows the others to badmouth anyone, but she rolls her eyes whenever they talk about him. Now that I think about it, he¡¯s strangely kind acute, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Lesly narrowed her eyes. For something like this, it was impossible for Jennifer Paws to ¡®slip up¡¯. At best, it was something the Supreme Justice Minister didn¡¯t mind others knowing. A distraction, or a sort of message? That would be left for later, as something caught Lesly¡¯s attention, making her lower her chin and lift her right eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you like him now?¡± ¡°Bwaaaah~! Nah!¡± Jennifer shut her eyes tight, shaking her hands in crisscrossed motions in and out. ¡°I just think he surely could be much different to what others talk about. There must be a reason why Vanessa doesn¡¯t fear him. I have seen her get scared with cars nearly driving into the same sidewalk as hers several meters away, so.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Mn, okay. Enough about that. Do you want to know something I found fascinating before coming here?¡± Lesly tapped Jennifer¡¯s wrist a few times in a row. Jennifer blinked before asking, ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°Is it.¡± Lesly corrected her. ¡°You worked so hard at first, didn¡¯t you? You were seen with luck, but nobody helped you get so high. Even Vanessa knew nothing about you, and she¡¯s the only one who spends time with you the most, right?¡± ¡°Y- yeah¡­¡± Jennifer blinked, feeling weird Lesly knew so much, even though it seemed so little. Because it meant a lot to her. Lesly smiled thinly, ¡°Then let me tell you what I went through to start and then arrive where I am today, and where I¡¯m going ¡®later¡¯.¡± ¡°Oooh¡­¡± Feeling an incoming storytelling, Jennifer widened her eyes and readied her ears. What¡¯s more, it came from a woman like Lesly Rivera. What else could she ask for? ¡­ Days passed. 3 days later. Lesly visited Jennifer, as usual. During this time, Jennifer Paws kept her door opened for the first time in her life, waiting for Lesly, letting many civil workers know the interiors of the strangely built room. But today was a bit different, which Jennifer could somewhat discern. Lesly checked the time after chatting for nearly 3 hours, exchanging their experiences. After all, their age difference went a bit over a decade, there was much where exchanging experiences could mean something and be beneficial to the other. ¡°Look at the time, I have to leave soon, Jenny.¡± Lesly breathed out and caressed the younger woman¡¯s cheek, making her smile softly. Jennifer, or Jenny, then grimaced with her lips. ¡°Will you no longer attend our little meetings, then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, but I have something for you,¡± Lesly said with a smile before walking to the door. She gave Jenny another look with teasing eyes, making Jenny feel a bit more confused, before opening the door. On the doorstep was a massive beauty with massive features. She looked into the room with a light smile, already flashing numerous thoughts in her stubborn eyes. Creamy brown skin, smooth chestnut hair, and gray-black eyes. She was the tall, large-assets lover Fox once had, Sona Heartez. Lesly grabbed her hand and brought her to Jenny, who blinked at the newcomer to their secret girly den. ¡°Be careful with this specimen, she¡¯s my greatest tool to bring my every day to a most recognizable mess, even with Luis¡¯s mistakes in his first term. Oh, but be careful of debating with her, she won¡¯t let it be unless her heart feels it¡¯s right. Just don¡¯t fall in love, okay? She¡¯s aiming for a husband and all those things.¡± ¡°Hi~!¡± Sona put her lovely smile on and charmed the innocent Jennifer, shaking her hands, who pouted, trying to hide a greeting little smile. Sona looked at Lesly and winked, ¡°You can leave her to me, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll wring her dry and she¡¯ll reveal us all the dirty secrets in the judicial branch.¡± ¡°Oh, come on, stop teasing me, you big bad sisters.¡± Jenny cutely reclaimed before offering Sona a seat. Then, she faced Lesly, ¡°I am also looking for a husband, vice president, you should behave more appropriately. Not Fox, or someone like him. I¡¯d only like someone like the president¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t touch that!¡± Lesly gave Jenny a playful slap on her shoulder, making the latter look at her with realizing, puckish eyes. Lesly smirked, ¡°Hide those cute lips of yours, or I¡¯ll command Sona to really wring you out.¡± ¡°Ey?¡± Jenny felt confused. Sona was also taken aback, but she narrowed her eyes and eyed the innocent deer before her. Lesly smiled big time before waving it off, heading to the exit, ¡°This is my stop, Jenny. Don¡¯t be shy with Sona. She¡¯s my greatest partner when I need help and think things through without bothering others. Feel free to use her to check on yourself. You¡¯re just young after all, while it might be noble, if it is, to work for the country¡ª you are young only once.¡± ¡°Mn!¡± Jenny nodded, waving little goodbyes with her hand to Lesly before watching her disappear. She then turned to Sona and pouted. Sona lifted an eyebrow, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t try replacing your star in your heart. My place is here.¡± Sona cutely poked Jennifer Paw¡¯s glabella. Then, Sona took a bunch of books. She wore her usual formal, strict uniform, which always loses some seriousness with her bulging chest, but her collection of spiritual and emotional ¡®guidance¡¯ took and gave her more authenticity. Jenny looked with widened eyes, astounded and intrigued. Looking up at Sona, she saw a blatant smile on those deliciously beautiful lips and mature face. ¡­ Outside, Lesly walked through the hallway, having just exited Jennifer Paws¡¯s office. Walking a little ahead, she suddenly set her eyes on the brown man with black, short-trimmed hair. A little taller than her short stature. Lesly looked at him with what seemed like a ¡®teasing¡¯ glint in her eyes before spitting a few words to make his eyebrows jump and remain up there. ¡°Hey, won¡¯t you wait your turn?¡± Javier Laran was stunned. He didn¡¯t even hear her heels behind him, even though she walked with such notable power in every step. It continued for a while before he sighed, turning around. Thinking a bit, he decided it might be better to keep this out of Vanessa¡¯s knowledge for now. ¡­ The same afternoon, in the lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies. Lesly walked with uncaring casualness. She held a briefcase in her hand as she moved directly into the assembly, which was just unoccupied. Lesly was immediately spotted by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Benito Metelti. She smiled, walking past some people, even those of mild interest to her. Arriving at the presidency¡¯s stands, Lesly placed her chin on the edge of his desk and looked up with puppy eyes. ¡°Have you heard of me going around, reaching my hands into your daughter¡¯s head and¡­ ahem, Sebasti¨¢n Lara.¡± Said Lesly, nearly slipping up unnecessary information. But looking at Benito, she felt it was unnecessary, those green, dull eyes were those of a father, not of the President of the Chamber of Deputies. ¡°Is that so? How did you convince her? Oh, wait. You didn¡¯t, miss Rivera. You are about to, though.¡± Benito Metelti said with some small glasses nearly hanging from off the tip of his nose. He was a white man with already growing, white hair. He did have a thick, curly white beard. He was a tall person, and other than his intellectual qualities, he is known for being compassionate. ¡°Am I? Good to know, here I was growing all white despite being a middle-aged person still. Phew, phew, uncle.¡± Lesly said, thinly smiling from ear to ear. Benito shook his head, moving papers on his desk, waiting for her to try her best to do that to him, too. Lesly didn¡¯t waste more time showing her charm, ¡°Hey, care to support me and my National Front from now on? It¡¯s time, oldie. Even that old man might be thinking wildly about it. Make an example, you know how much he admires you.¡± ¡°And you know how jealous it makes me to remember who got you first, you bratty chick. Yet, you still went to him first, letting half the congress know about it. I also know that as soon as I answer, you¡¯ll leave my old bones here to rot in my second house.¡± Benito dropped his papers but didn¡¯t move his fingers away from pinching them in place. ¡°Then you should know this is important now. Uncle, we are going all out. It¡¯s time to show them,¡± Lesly said, showering him with deadly serious, still breathtaking black eyes. Benito looked at this daughterly figure. He sighed, 3 parts soft and 7 parts heavy. He took her left hand and cupped it after letting go of his papers. ¡°You be careful out there. Hear me?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Lesly shook her head, returning the gesture, covering one of his hands with her right hand. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. You won¡¯t need to of any of us in the near future. Nothing like that will ever happen again.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Benito felt trapped in those eyes. He saw things that weren¡¯t there. Although this lass was very hardworking and outright clever since he knew of her, nothing to do with her learning, but her nature instead, she was never much of a fighting type of lass. He was even a little scared from looking at her; of those eyes. ¡°You still need to protect yourself,¡± Benito playfully looked left and right, as if afraid someone would hear. This was his playfulness, but he hid it well even now, making Lesly all serious. Benito solemnly echoed, ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone you want to bring the president to bed.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lesly was slightly taken away, so she just looked at this fatherly figure like the day just turned gray, and her mind was erased. Benito felt awkward, ¡°Ahem. I just wanted to let you know you have my support. Besides, your¡­ she would¡¯ve loved to learn about this, if she didn¡¯t when she still worked with you.¡± ¡°Thanks uncle¡­ I also know she would¡¯ve loved to see this old, sexy stuff all over your face.¡± Lesly smiled, pinching the white beard a bit. Benito fell silent, looking down and appearing a little silly. ¡°Well, are you going to invite me to at least tea or a meal?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah? Uhuh, well. So, what¡¯dya say?¡± Lesly nodded like a chicken pecking on a bit of rice, looking up at him with big eyes. Benito soundlessly sighed, delicately rubbed his lacrimals, and finally replied. ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°Good. Thank you. Goodbye~!¡± Without a moment of hesitation, Lesly picked herself up, bringing her chin off the desk and turning to walk away. Benito watched, shaking his head and grimacing with small pouts here and there, always changing and moving. ¡­ Lesly walked towards the exit, smiling like the sweetest girl in the world. But she was a grown woman, the vice president of the most well-related nation abroad. Who else could say they have an embassy in most countries? Let alone in all of them. She had no time to feel contented, much less giddy. That is why, when she happened to see an important back from afar with white hair above, her breathtaking black eyes widened. And so, she rushed to that back, calling out a little when passing by a group of neutral deputies who were just coming out of a small meeting, it seemed. ¡°Wait, Senator! Please? Please! Senator Feks, please! I will continue to chase you, sir!¡­¡± Her pupils contracted, hurrying to the person who slowed down and eventually stopped, with her feet bringing her just a few meters behind him. Lesly called out before the old man turned around, looking at her without intention, ¡°Senator Gracial Feks! A word!¡± She didn¡¯t request, opting for a direct approach. Her slightly disheveled hair and sweat might not be a good image for this approach, however. But she didn¡¯t care and went for it. The senator, Gracial Feks, sent his black almond eyes like an eagle would to prey, sharp and secretly predatory. He is a white old man with white hair all over his head. A tall, elderly man with a small goatee. ¡°I have been meaning to meet-¡± Lesly spoke softly, shaking her head, all gesturing to her hard work on the situation, and what it meant to her. But Gracial Feks interrupted her. ¡°Is there a reason why you, someone like you, would be yelling at me from the end of the hallway? Do you see not that this is a place of respect?¡± Gracial Feks bent his back, looking at Lesly with upturned eyes so obnoxiously. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re conscious of where you are, are you now?¡± Aggressively nodding his head, he persevered before turning around, ¡°Well, look. I¡¯d be glad to see what that mouth can do to talk of important business. Not sure if it can say anything that is out of what is already flowing around everywhere one looks, and to link all of that with the president of the nation no less. I simply don¡¯t fathom, won¡¯t even try, to see where a scandal like this goes. It¡¯s a matter of time, I believe. Now, if you really have something to say, woman, go to the pair you already investigated. They will brief your spouting for me, and I¡¯ll be grateful to them, being grateful to you for helping. I have things to do, excuse me!¡± He left in the same manner she approached him, even using the same tone in his voice. Lesly was left behind, looking with wide eyes, a pale face, growing slightly breathless, and visibly unwell. The sweat on her temples and forehead continued to run down, tickling amidst her long black hair as she gulped down with difficulty. ¡­ Chapter 167 — Leslys Tales (9—Last Part) Lesly''s Tales (9¡ªLast Part) Lesly slowly walked out of the building. Her hair was combed again, looking disciplined and neat, fixed and elegant, tied into a ponytail. Her head was a little low, and she carried her briefcase absent-minded. However, just as she stepped into open view, she lifted her head. Lesly¡¯s breathtaking black eyes looked into the distance, but her sight was on the matter of her ''job'' here. She huffed a sharp breath out, deeply breathed in and arranged her clothes, and then turned around to go back into the building. This time, she carried with her a notorious pace in her footsteps and moving legs. Lesly Rivera was on the game again, never out of it. As soon as she returned inside, she looked for a young woman, whom she found after just 2 minutes of walking and looking around without asking anyone. Her luck was with her, or maybe just her decisiveness bearing fruit. A young woman with pale moon skin, red hair, and green light eyes was spotted just about a dozen meters from Lesly. Her eyes widened, and she snaked through the crowd, this time calm and with a stable pace. She was tall, had a freckled face, and was from T¨²acan. The ¡®land of redheads¡¯. Step, step, step¡­ Lesly arrived just behind her and pulled her sleeve a little. She wasn¡¯t forceful but soft; wasn¡¯t quick but slow. Yet, the young woman still felt her body almost pulled backwards. She looked back with wide eyes, only to find the vice president staring at her with a calm gaze. ¡°Nayeli Saf?¡± Lesly smiled and tilted her head. Nayeli nodded, lifting her little hand after nodding, a bit dizzy. ¡°Hi¡­¡± ¡°Mind if we talk somewhere?¡± Lesly gestured her head towards an empty resting room. Nayeli looked at the room like she was discovering a new invention before returning her eyes to the vice president to slowly nod like a chicken pecking on rice. Lesly smiled before bringing themselves to the room. Once sitting down, she went right to the point, somewhat. Lesly commenced, ¡°Nayeli, while many don¡¯t put you in their eyes, or at least to the level of Lemyonova and similar, if the world had its eyes on you, they would see you as a person of importance for the matters of the country in the future. Not different to an Omar, most likely. But only if you were to show off and study more, right?¡± ¡°I guess so, vice presi. But, why do you say so? What are you trying to say? If I may ask¡­¡± Nayeli smiled a little, but she wasn¡¯t in this place just because she was a woman who looked pretty and knew how to talk. With a behaved attitude, she waited for Lesly¡¯s reply. ¡°I presume you know your ¡®boss¡¯ doesn¡¯t grant you the best opportunities to conduct further studies? I heard you even have to speak about the books, records, and information you read to him, which are limited to some themes, and with certain authors banned, and even request him to let you read something else. Am I wrong?¡± Lesly finished with a blink from a raised eyebrow. ¡°Oh, no! Vice presi, Mr. Feks doesn¡¯t treat me bad, he¡¯s being careful and surely wants to test my patience and dedication.¡± Nayeli lifted her hands, shaking them to defend Gracial Feks. Lesly smiled, understanding. She leaned over and held Nayeli¡¯s hands, cupping them between hers. ¡°Do you think I wasn¡¯t tested for the same? I was taught many things that made my attitude enough to endure the president in his first term, with all those people you know are annoying whispering on his shoulders. But, Nayeli, and you can call me Lesly, the struggles and challenges I went through never included being told what to, and what not to want to understand.¡± Lesly tilted her head a little. ¡°What kind of person, not just a woman, and even animal, can evolve with their eyes, mind, and hands limited? Don¡¯t you want to read more things? Are you a person with ambition or at least aspirations, or a person¡¯s worker?¡± Lesly spoke gently, like an older sister. ¡°¡­¡± Nayeli looked at Lesly, falling silent and maybe recognizing the things she heard. Lesly¡¯s voice attracted her attention just a few seconds later, ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to go ahead and leave your mentor. I know you respect him, but you are just like a little idiot in a toxic relationship. We are grownups. We don¡¯t do that, do we? You don¡¯t have to convince him. To deal with people like him¡­¡± Lesly paused for a moment, her expression was unreadable despite the apparent slight frustration. ¡°You have to show them you¡¯re one with a voice, not to be commended left and right even to ask if you can take a shit. That nobody¡¯s words can change your image.¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­ vi- miss Lesly, please¡­¡± Nayeli giggled upon hearing Lesly¡¯s crude words. Lesly smiled, feeling the connection linking their little minds. ¡°You know, Nayeli, we are somewhat similar. I tell this to many other girls, so excuse me. But with you, well, you know I was adopted twice, right? I know your parents wanted you to have a great future in the political world even as you were a child, showing all those amazing results nobody, not even in Lymoca, talk about.¡± Nayeli blushed a bit, surprised and¡­ a little proud. Lesly saw it but didn¡¯t let it change her words, ¡°Feks might have been your mentor for long, but it¡¯s time you show you have learned, and now, you must leave your second nest.¡± ¡°Miss Lesly¡­¡± Nayeli profusely blushed. To think someone would so easily see the importance she had in her heart for Gracial Feks; just like a father. Lesly smiled knowingly, ¡°Yeah, I know that feeling too¡­ about twice already, hehe.¡± ¡°Look, I would like to chat more with you these following days. And don¡¯t think wrongly of me. There¡¯s a reason I went to look for Clara and Sebasti¨¢n first. After all, which older sister wouldn¡¯t visit her little sister first? And with a wooer nonetheless.¡± Lesly stood up from her seat, looking at Nayeli with a caring pair of eyes. ¡°Just give it a thought. You don¡¯t have to report to me. Be daring and read something, anything you¡¯d like. Just remember who is the government.¡± Lesly winked. Then, she walked away after Nayeli stood up, shaking hands with her. When Lesly was leaving, Nayeli stepped out of the resting room, seeing her leaving back before looking in the opposite direction, where a wild Clara Metelti seemed to chase someone quick and flustered. ¡­ Lesly walked for another 5 minutes before finding Nayeli Saf¡¯s partner under Feks¡¯s tutelage, so to speak. Aaron Mades. Aaron Mades was a brown man, with really short hair and thick eyebrows, and short. He is a man of honor, with amazing intellectual, even though he was asocial, and he had a herculean body, so to speak. Quite the sight anywhere he went, and not unpopular with the ladies. ¡°Aaron?¡± Lesly walked to stop on his side, briefly tapping his right shoulder. Aaron turned to her, not even showing surprise in his expression or eyes, clearly expecting this. Lesly went to the point, taking a thick pile of documents from her briefcase. Extending them to him, she spoke with narrowed eyes, ¡°Take these, read them, then see what you think.¡± With that, Lesly turned around and walked away, not bothering with anything else. Aaron shouted, holding the documents after giving them a brief glance, ¡°Should I keep them to myself!?¡± ¡°I told you to read them, so read them!¡± Lesly shouted back. Aaron looked at the vice president, a little lost. It was usually him who sought to shorten the conversations as much as possible, and enjoyed whenever a chat was brief and concise. While he felt thankful the vice president had ¡®insight¡¯, he also felt weird. Nevertheless, he turned to his office to check those things. ¡°Leeeeslyyy!¡± Just as Lesly was heading to the exit, intending to strike while her momentum was still building up, and go to the SCJ building, she heard a sweet voice call out to her, delicate and girly. Turning around, she saw a sweaty but not sweaty Clara Metelti trotting towards her. Lesly smiled, realizing those trainings as a self-defense practitioner did well to this delicate weakling once upon a time. At the same time, with her hand on her hip, Lesly thought of something that made her blush, too. Scheduling a meeting with her driver in her mind, to start training her stamina and endurance over all, Lesly smiled at her ¡®little sister¡¯. ¡°What is it? You could have called me. I have a WID and a phone, are you dumb now? Big baby thing?¡± Lesly thinly smiled from ear to ear. Clara stopped before her, slightly out of breath. With upturned eyes and a lowered chin, she spoke with a pout, ¡°I¡¯ve been chasing you since a few blocks away since I saw your car. I let Sebas keep mine for me to run¡­ Okay, yes, I think I¡¯m dumb.¡± Clara brought her palm to her forehead, slamming it there for a few seconds before continuing, ¡°Anyway. I wanted to talk to you about¡­ well, what you¡¯ve been proposing. I know your NF, president, or you aren¡¯t looking for subordinates. Since you want more support, and we are included, so important for you to come looking for us, I was thinking about hearing you more.¡± ¡°Be more clear,¡± Lesly smilingly said, her backhand on her hip. ¡°Do you want to start deliberating? Negotiations? All of the former? Hm?¡± ¡°I, ah¡­ yes.¡± Clara blushed more than when she was running. Lesly looked at his little sister, pensive and taking her time. ¡°Tell me something first, okay? Are you on this path because you want to? Or is it a family thing? Your parents are your parents, and I also had a fortuitous path in politics. You¡¯re the one working to break her ass here, just like your parents did. But is that what you wanted?¡± ¡°Maybe I was revengeful at you at first for leaving and wanted to surpass you and those¡­ silly things. But with some mentoring after nights of frustration, short sleep, and you know, the usual stuff¡­ I want this.¡± Clara thought, bringing her eyes upturned to the corners of her eyes before looking at her, feeling decisive. ¡°I could do anything else, and I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll exceed. As long as it is something I like, but¡­ I want this.¡± ¡°Okay, I was just getting out, so tell Sebas to meet us at this¡­ restaurant.¡± Lesly wrote something on a paper after nodding at Clara¡¯s elaboration, satisfied and convinced, although it was supposed to be her convincing them. ¡°Right, I forgot. I¡¯ll call him now.¡± ¡°Hehehe,¡± Clara Metelti giggled, watching her ¡®older sister¡¯ call Sebasti¨¢n Lara. A few minutes later, she went into Lesly¡¯s car, in which Lesly ¡®notified¡¯ of a new training schedule to her driver. The driver was startled, but he still shrugged before turning the car on. This left Clara wondering what kind of driver her ¡®older sister¡¯ had. ¡­ A few minutes more, later on, the trio were in a restaurant, in a booth with some walls covering them. The only exit only showed a wall from the hallway. This time, the driver stood outside their booth to watch that nobody placed a microphone or recording device near them. The car was guarded by other special agents, even Sebasti¨¢n¡¯s. Lesly showed them a few documents of what was known overall, but the media concealed. Not just with other information, or contradicting, false notes, but also paying so that the web shows anything else except those other news. Somewhat like buying the search tools in browsers, but since that was impossible because of the IWS, they could only conceal it by impulsing others up. All this information wasn¡¯t confidential, at least for public servants. For the public, it might be different. Furthermore, these covered the details of projects that were cancelled: how, the procedures that it could have had, like the employees, hiring requirements, and payment. It was all there. But there were also information of debated projects and works that were not approved yet, and those the president and his cabinet were considering. But even with a balanced congress, it would take time to achieve its agreement. It was obvious what Lesly wanted to show them. They might be neutral, but neutrality is boring, besides cowardly. Anyone grows bored, and inspired. ¡­ After their elongated 3-hour meeting, eating to their fill and a bit more, with some alcohol, the trio bid farewell. Lesly went to her car, bidding the 2 idiots a knowing, thin smile. Sebasti¨¢n gave Clara his jacket, even though it wasn¡¯t even cold, and she had hers.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. But all Clara did was smile and not say no to him. Then, remembering the ¡®subtle¡¯ advices Lesley gave them, and the experiences she shared with them from her almost-relationship with Luis, he brought Clara to his car and prepared to go for a little date in sightseeing somewhere. ¡­ The next day, Lesly walked into the SCJ building, directly into the evil den of snakes and hyenas. She walked without stop, through all, and by. When walking past Jennifer Paws¡¯s office, she briefly greeted Jenny and Sona, still not stopping. At last, she arrived at the SCJ¡¯s assembly, where they congregate to either talk, debate, or just spend lunchtime, or all time in there. Their congress atrium. It was filled with a small, empty circle in the middle, with booths ever 1.5 meters beside each other on each step surrounding the center, each resembling more a cubicle. The steps were about 20 cm tall and 5 meters wide, with more than a dozen in the congress atrium. This was enough for about 150 people to fit in, most in the cubicles, and others at the topmost step, where there are no cubicles but a desktop expanding over the entire circular room. The people in the cubicles could communicate with others using similar devices shown in the trial against Fox¡¯s ¡®inhumane¡¯ crimes, and in their ¡®Supreme¡¯ hall. The others had to use the desktop¡¯s electronics to do so, and the person in the middle would be equipped with an ear bion that brings their voice to every cubicle and the back, topmost of the room. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that the vice president?¡± - ¡°You¡¯re right. What could she be doing now? Jennifer isn¡¯t here, almost never.¡± - ¡°Think she¡¯s going for another? Which of us fit her ¡®criteria¡¯?¡± - ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Lesly ignored the words of a few who were distracted enough, outside cubicles, and eating their fill, which wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. There were cleaning tools in the cubicles, but they were meant only for the small pace in each one, not for outdoors. Lesly walked to a particular cubicle, one owned by one of the 12 Supreme Court Ministers: Javier Laran. Javier only noticed when she was 3 meters away, walking around another cubicle, and heading to his. He was just taking a big lonche out of one of his bags, not expecting anyone to bother him, at least until he finished. Seeing the vice president, and not being dumb or petty, he unlocked his booth¡¯s entrance but didn¡¯t store back his food. ¡°Thank you,¡± Lesly said, stepping into his cubicle before pulling a chair from under a desk. Lesly sat before him, smiling as she placed her briefcase on her lap. ¡°It¡¯s good to finally meet someone like you outside of working hours, in a working environment. Don¡¯t mind me and keep eating, I will just give you a few things and see how you react. Just like a psyche test. They used to do these to the judicial branch nearly 300 years ago. Crazy, right?¡± ¡°Ah, uhm¡­¡± Javier lifted his lonche, feeling a bit awkward. The feeling slightly went away after the first bite, followed by a few more as Lesly took some documents, half-open folders, and photos from her briefcase with a notorious set of movements. She was letting anyone outside notice, letting them think whatever they wanted. ¡°See this? These are the works of your Supreme Justice Minister. Quite the genius,¡± Lesly lifted her eyebrows. Her face progressively changed as she showed the next few documents, after Vanessa Valyer¡¯s academy records. ¡°But why is it that her focus and aspirations changed overnight? As soon as she entered the judicial branch, she¡­ went for money.¡± Lesly showed the focus of Vanessa during her first 3 years in the judicial branch. Then, her finger trailed unto more recent years, with her lips moving in unison. ¡°Why is there such a blatant change in her ethos after a few months since she became the Supreme Judicial Minister? It was already bad in the first term of the President, where he was too bossed around to have any thought form in that muddled head of his. But in this term, it has been you who have been all out against the executive branch. It¡¯s a lot, don¡¯t you think?¡± Javier frowned, his mouth full and unable to reply to either defend Vanessa or the judicial branch, because the more Lesly spoke, the less he found coverage to say something that made sense. ¡°I have a small guess, and I also have something to say.¡± Lesly showed a pile of photos enlarged to page-size in her right hand, and a thin pile of documents in her left hand. With a smile, she continued, ¡°First, let¡¯s check what the thousands of words in one sole motion can explain.¡± Lesly showed the pictures first, showing Vanessa at random times of the day outside the SCJ building. Lunching, walking, taking a break; all of her leisure time was spent outside the building, unlike most people here. Then, a few images showed just when Vanessa looked strangely at the sides, or with her mouth clearly in movement, but the direction she was looking was obstructed by something, always. A streetlight, a passing row of vehicles, a few people with unusually thick clothes. It didn¡¯t matter if this was up close or from hundreds to even thousands of meters away, with the latter being rather tricky. There always seemed to be something to cover what Vanessa was looking at¡­ or talking to. ¡°So many images, but only these many were taken in the course of more than 6 years. How strange, no?¡± Lesly commented, putting each photo in her briefcase¡¯s safe paper crushing machine, after letting Javier take a clear, scrutinizing look at each. Javier Laran¡¯s eyes widened, shocked and confused. He didn¡¯t know what to believe, but he knew what he was feeling. He looked at Lesly as if wanting to know, requesting her to tell him, what to do. Lesly amplified her smile, saying nothing but starting with the documents. ¡°Look, these many people have formally shown up at the prosecutor offices across Lymoca. More than ten million per region had decided to show their dissatisfaction with the judicial branch.¡± Lesly gave him the documents. They were only a few pages, so she gave him one by one, letting him read twice and even check the names and delegations were right according to the system before another one. ¡°And guess what? As you can see, it¡¯s only from the first 2 months of the year, not even 3. Add to that this started a couple of weeks after the year began. Just imagine by the end of the year.¡± Lesly ambiguously said before giving the entire pile to Javier, surprising him, as he was about to give her the ones he had on his desk, letting her crush them, but Lesly stood up and closed her briefcase. ¡°Have fun looking at the rest of those things, you may laugh out of hysteria. I know I would,¡± Lesly walked to his cubicle entrance and turned around. ¡°Oh, as for the warning. Just this: she is Lymocan, with Ly heart¡ª Lye; and her abilities can still be used for its benefit. But only if she adheres to the notion of being in the wrong. If not, she can defend herself¡­ against the people.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lesly walked out, leaving with the same pace and attitude as before. Javier was left pensive, then slowly sweating, with his clothes seemingly becoming too rough and annoying. He looked at the documents for about 2 hours, ignoring all signs of life outside his cubicle. Luckily, he wasn¡¯t called or visited by another SCM, so he had all the time to confirm, search on the internet, and in the records of the SCJ over and over. At last, when he finished, he had cold sweat over his entire back and even his buttocks. There was even some information hidden from any record or public! Javier Laran felt this was too much, but that, thankfully, Lesly¡¯s sources didn¡¯t know this¡­ unless? Without wasting any more time, Javier picked his phone and thought for a long, long while as he sweated before deciding to text Vanessa¡­ ¡­ Lesly Rivera had just started the day. A few hours later, when evening was approaching, she returned to the parliament. First, she found Aaron Mades, whom she gave some more info, a lot more, and this time in both physical and digital. Like an addict, he accepted it. Then, briefly meeting with Nayeli, whom she spent some time with before, under everyone¡¯s eyes in the cafeteria, Lesly found Gracial Feks in a resting room for senators. It was a little silly to differentiate senators from deputies like this, but one was allowed to bring ¡®their¡¯ deputies, as long as they remained civil¡­ Also, there were 100 senators and 300 deputies, it was a vastly different amount. Lesly knocked on the door before entering, surprising the few senators around, one of them a brown, tall, fat woman with nice black hair and eyes. She looked at the powerful woman who has once refused every proposal of ¡®help¡¯ in president Luis Heartez¡¯s first term like a plague. Lesly ignored her and went to Gracial Feks, her pace slow, yet unstoppable. Slam. Feks looked up at her, a bit startled, in a vulnerable state that any old man might find himself at such an age. Lesly gave him no time other than to open his slightly wrinkled mouth. Slamming the table, she put her other on the back of her hip and looked down at the old man. ¡°You¡¯ve been a senator for how many decades? In fact, how many decades do you have left? Don¡¯t tell me you wanted to try it next term? The presidential seat at the senate. You saw there was opportunity in any side you could take, so you might as well go for it? NF has no place for neutral imbeciles like you, forgive me for insulting you directly whilst you only did so indirectly. I am a bad example¡ª but one for old-fashioned people like you, who thrive in the poor Lymoca since a couple of centuries ago.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the perfect example for the rest, and ¡®what is that then?¡¯ you might ask? It¡¯s simple, the people, the new generation, the incoming generations, and you are the dying politics brought to this country in the same way the traitors of yore once made this nation fall once already. National Front won¡¯t let this happen.¡± Lesly paused and looked at the nice-looking tall, fat woman at the side. ¡°And if that means we would have to say not a possible future senate president, then it¡¯s so easy. But we won¡¯t let the executive branch become tarnished again by the hands of those you also deem high. Hear or not, news or my mouth, put your old butt wherever you want, but you better stop believing you can reign and win with us at the side, ignoring you, in our worst¡­ or yours.¡± ¡°And just like the President once told off to the one and only Mu?oz Estandarte and the legacy of his Father, Mr. Estandarte, who at least had dignity someone like you trades for power and fame.¡± Lesly closed her face further into Feks, calmly uttering each word, growing authoritative. ¡°You will respect me, learn to do it if you don¡¯t seem capable. You won¡¯t rise your voice into my face with the words of others again, unless you¡¯re ready for whatever will come next. There won¡¯t be another time you forget your place, my place, and the country, too. That, as not even the start.¡± Saying nothing more, Lesly turned around and ignored everyone, slightly but still slamming the door close on her way out. Walking out of the parliament in a hurry, Lesly checked her phone, looking down at it. She went through her scheduled list, from her new daily workout to the meal with Nayeli, and now this. Looking at the darkening, reddened sky with a pink hue in the west, she saw the time and current hour before breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh, I made it in time.¡± Lesly exhaled out and softly uttered before walking down the steps to her car parked in front, with her driver/coach waiting inside. She entered the car and didn¡¯t even have to say where before the White Blood drove to the presidential district. Meanwhile, a piece of news was delivered everywhere. ¡ª¡°Luis Heartez, president of Lymoca, is being convoked to the supreme tribune for the interrogation and questioning of his acts against the Ly people. In accordance, as well, Phesx Caolia, aka Fox, will be subject to president Luis Heartez¡¯s questioning over his unknown allegiance and dubious loyalty after the massacring of the Lys in the wild. President Luis Heartez will also be required to specify the integrant members of the operation for transparency and as a demand from the Supreme Court Justice, of the judicial branch, for the people¡¯s respect and humane valorizing.¡±¡ª ¡­ Less than 10 minutes later, Lesly was in the presidential precinct¡¯s main building, walking through the corridor and about to turn to enter the presidential office. ¡°I made it, sigh.¡± Lesly sat on Luis¡¯s desk after smoothly opening the doors as he read a large document with a Lymoca map on it, changing every few minutes, with twinkling lights here and there. Luis nodded, not bringing his gaze away from it. Lesly cocked her head and looked down, smiling a little before shaking her head. Her hand brought his chin off the technological paper, making him see her. ¡°Ah, you must have been troubled. Hey, I got out of my tour just yesterday, we can have more time to see if¡­¡± Luis proposed, making Lesly suckle her lips in and lick them before biting them. She nodded, but then shook her head, ¡°That I understand. But first, you need to relax. Are you even prepared for the trial? Fox got it okay, and he still lost it. Dirty or honest, the trial was lost.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about it, I have¡­ belief.¡± Luis grabbed her hand and placed it on his shoulder, looking up at Lesly proactively. Lesly smiled before lowering her head closer to him, ¡°Then, you need to have something in consideration. You see, I know it¡¯s been a long time, but shouldn¡¯t it be time for you to get back into form? You can¡¯t keep coming out of here looking half emaciated.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Luis was a bit confused. Lesly straightened her back and said as she turned around and slowly moved her legs onward, crossing the other time and again. ¡°I¡¯m saying that¡­ You should get back to a good form, unless you don¡¯t care about catching up with me? I have scheduled daily workouts, after all¡­ What if I leave you behind?¡± ¡°Gulp!¡± Luis looked at her departing figure before she disappeared. Then, his eyes widened, her words carrying him to the times he was with his deceased wife. Luis took his WID out. Connecting it to someone, Luis heard shooting from the other side. It seemed intense, but he didn¡¯t care after a mere frown and blatantly asked. ¡°Fox! When you return, do you know any good endurance training and anything good for that!?¡± ¡°What the fucking fuck!?¡± Fox sounded confused from the other end. After a few seconds, with the shooting dying down, he answered. ¡°Agh, I guess I do. I¡¯ll show you after your trial, don¡¯t bother me now!¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t talk like that to me! We don¡¯t even have a positive relationship!¡± Luis barked back with a frown, but then expressed with relaxed eyebrows, ¡°Thank you, I will be waiting.¡± Fox: ¡°¡­¡± ¡­ Chapter 168 — Deferment Deferment In the year 1,026, 3rd month, 2nd week, 3rd day. Deep in the night; same time as Proteros. Moonblue supercontinent, south. Terka''s palace. In a meeting in a gold-like hall with an extensive red carpet and dull brown ornaments hanging from the ceiling. A brown, short middle-aged man, balding, with only hair at his sides, and a little fat, walked to and fro in the hexagonal room. Its only extra corners were as small as 1 meter. This was a quirky yet enormous, marvelous building overall, with exotic rooms everywhere. But even this did not compare to the main chambers and main study, which the nobles of the Kingdom of the Valus built before the Lylaco Empire conquered the north of the southern Moonblue supercontinent. There were people in the room with this man, and an extra young man standing at the side with his arms behind his back. The rest were mature men, with a few women, mostly young. A person in military uniform with a descriptive medal of his rank above his left chest stepped up, holding his coat to his chest. ¡°President, the special forces have been installed between the police, and the armament is ready. What do you desire to do with this? Isn¡¯t there a pact? Breaking it would mean-¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not that.¡± The president of Terka replied, stopping moving around to bark at his general before looking at a slender man. ¡°Is there nothing from the Lymocan president still?¡± ¡°No, Mr. president.¡± The man replied, showing courtesy and respect. This was still the first 100 days of the new president¡¯s term. Everyone felt respectful towards the man who gave them their roles, as expected, even with the few exceptions of changes at the last hour. ¡°Really? Not even a letter? A small show of understanding, uh¡­ a hint?¡± The president, already annoyed, started growing irked. The same person nodded again before shaking his head, lamenting. ¡°No, Mr. president. Everything is silent. Their daily press conferences are just about the situation in the civil war. There¡¯s nothing about¡­ responding to u- to you, Mr. president.¡± ¡°What the crap do they think they are? That Luis, does he not know I can decrease his country¡¯s influence in the south with a swing of my sleeve? Who has more metals for sale in the south besides Cors but us? That damned, selfish man!¡± The Ters president complained, putting on an ugly expression. ¡°It should be as your excellency has been saying before,¡± the young man at the side, with his arms behind his back, leaned forth where he stood and commented. The president looked at him, ¡°What is it, Martin?¡± ¡°Before, you spoke of teaching the Lys a lesson for not listening to your advice, which anyone should have attended, but not even their opposition raised a voice, too busy playing the victims. Well then, why not do it? What starts as a joke or banter often ends up becoming reality¡­ if the situation arises to it.¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± The president seemed to think about it, narrowing his eyes. When the old man, general, saw this, he stepped forth again with another slender old man. ¡°Mr. P-¡­ your excellency, please do not do this! It¡¯s not reasonable to attempt this, not since the Sanctum Order returned to normalcy. More than a thousand years! It¡¯s not-¡± ¡°Silence, general.¡± The president nearly barked, but he spoke calmly. The general jolted his neck backwards and seemed taken aback, helpless. The president felt apprehensive because of this and looked at the other old man. ¡°You, what do you think of this?¡± ¡°If it is what I think¡­ your excellency is proposing, then these are my thoughts. It¡¯s not necessary, at all. Nobody in the world would act like this¡ª it didn¡¯t happen when Zyckevele was being formed nor afterwards, let alone towards Lymoca.¡± The slender old man gulped before continuing, ¡°Especially when considering our history, and theirs with the entirety of Moonblue.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The Ters president lifted his eyebrows, exclaiming. The slender old man didn¡¯t know if this meant that the president was interested or uncaring, but he carried on. ¡°They partially defeated the Kingdom of the Valus and the Avica Kingdom, taking territory, but even when their empire fell, their nation supported our independence. If the Corsel Empire or ANS had designs towards us, they declined to act because of that. Even making ANS send envoys to us back then.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t forget their protection towards the south, even if they thought we were their garden.¡± The slender old man took a step forth and folded his arms behind his back, lifting his chin, feeling more confident, more than a mere young man. ¡°Even before the Leafless Tree Coalition arrived in the 4th century, the numerous naval assaults from the tribes in the north were terrible damage to the south.¡± ¡°The Lylaco Empire protected us from them, not only from land, but through waters as well, as they also advanced north after conquering some of the south. Even if they were like that, conquerors to us, they also protected every corner of our beaches and shores, even our cliffs facing the sea, and there is enough story of that in any southern Moonblue country history books for that matter.¡± ¡°Even with the tribes in the north defeated time after time, we had Twilight, Dawn, and the disputed 3-lands of nowadays EPA Commonwealth eyeing us after the SO began. They protected us from them, bringing a lot of peace we would have lost, even before the Green Transformation. We have all history with and as Lys. Many northerners in the south of Moonblue are Ly blood, too. More than 70% are entirely from the Lylaco Empire.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say ¡®pure lye¡¯ or ¡®pure Lys¡¯, but that¡¯s insulting for all parties. Thus, I recommend not taking action, your excellency.¡± The slender old man thought for a moment before adding, ¡°If I recall correctly, your excellency comes from a lineage where your father¡¯s family are Lymocan by blood, and your mother¡¯s family are half Ly, and even still have people in Lymoca.¡± ¡°Is¡­ that so?¡± The Ters president narrowed his eyes again, looking around at his cabinet. However, something told the slender old man that the president wasn¡¯t interested about all the important facts of the mini-lesson he just gave, not the good ones he wanted to convey at least. The general gave the slender old man a thankful glare and nod before staring at the president, waiting for him to enter reason, but¡­ The Terkan president caressed his chin before gesturing to point at the young man, Martin. ¡°But I still want to show them a lesson. What you said, Martin.¡± ¡°Sir-¡± The slender old man¡¯s face fell, so it was the general who stepped forth, but he was waved off by the president. The slender old man woke up to this and stepped forth. Yet, the president began ¡®speaking¡¯ his desires. For good or bad, they were ambitious, grabbing onto the present cabinet¡¯s hearts. His fingers hooked, like grabbing onto something upwards midair at his chest. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be seen as the president who was ignored, time and again, by a salient national leader for that matter!¡± The president looked at the slender old man, ¡°Start an operation. There is no place in this country for terrorists, pirates, and criminals like the Lys who put their own people in such precarious danger. Terka will cut off relations with this monstrous country, who was once great, now falling to depravity again! I will show this political entity what it means to be in the Sanctum Order!¡± ¡°This is for both of you,¡± the Ters president glared at the general and the other old, slender man. ¡°If you want to keep your jobs, then you will do your jobs!¡± ¡°General.¡± The president looked at the old man with his coat still against his chest. ¡°You will do this next, and prepare it well¡ª it¡¯s not a joke anymore¡­ Understood!?¡± ¡°Y-¡­ yes, y-¡­ Mr. president.¡± The general hesitated for a couple of seconds, briefly glancing in the young man¡¯s direction, who wore a serious expression, before feeling calm enough to acquiesce. Hearing the addressing form, the president scoffed, and Martin remained serious. *** Several hours later, in the early morning, at 5:35 am. Proteros City, SCJ building, surrounded by more than 20,000 people, of which a small portion belonged to news anchors teams. This time, the SCJ was readied, applying for the national guard and the SPD to procure the installation of security. They did well. Even though Luis wasn¡¯t hated or disliked as much as before, and he wasn¡¯t the new ¡®green president¡¯, he was rather¡­ thought about since the campaigns started until now, and most likely until the elections finally started. Of course, the president allowed it this time. After all, many important people would come, and the public might be divided in how to view some of them. From politicians like Omar Preon, Benito Metelti, senator Ol¡¯ Pak, to influential figures even in politics like Luciana Becerra, founder of the Cielo Ca¨ªdo de Miel company, and L¨¢zaro Renter¨ªa, founder of the Bread Poeta company. ¡­ Thus, as Fox walked through the corridors where he was once preemptively jailed, with Lesly guiding him through, both feeling at ease, they saw the numerous few news reporters take photos of them, especially of Fox. Even though he was cleared already, with the ¡®unorthodox¡¯ method he was exonerated, he was still a suspect of¡­ anything. ¡°How is the President doing?¡± Fox asked, using an ordinary suit, of a humble style as always, and accommodating his sleeves. Nala didn¡¯t come with him this time, so she didn¡¯t dress him, and he was far too lazy to do it himself until now, before presenting himself to the supreme trial.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. It was a quirky name, but it was legit. When someone of such high caliber was judged by also the 13 Supreme Ministers of the Supreme Court Justice. The one he was judged in was for high-intensity crimes, so to speak, while the ¡®supreme¡¯ was meant for high political charges. ¡°What, you think I spent the night with him?¡± Lesly replied, a slightly teasing, silly expression on her face. Fox rolled his, thinking about giving a comment on that matter, but ending up not doing so. ¡°I am just asking. He seemed really¡­ motivated.¡± ¡°Really? What makes you think so?¡± Lesly frowned a little in curiosity, flinging her chin to stare at him while inclining her head. Fox shrugged a bit, ¡°Let¡¯s just say he doesn¡¯t feel like getting preemptively jailed. Hm, doesn¡¯t he also have a daughter? He has things to live and thrive for, not like me back then.¡± ¡°Oww.¡± Lesly had somehow grown weak to self-hating little Foxy. She hugged his neck and brought his head to her shoulder, letting him smell her perfume. Ruffling her fingers though his black hair, she spoke calmly and soothingly, ¡°You have many things to live for, even before grabbing that little lass and not letting her go, hear me?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Fox was confused. But hearing her words, he frowned and jolted his head, only to be pulled against her shoulder again. ¡°What little lass? You¡¯re just several years older than Nala.¡± ¡°How sweet¡­ or bastardly?¡± Lesly smiled, turning his head to make him look up at her face. ¡°Did you call me young or your woman old?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fox looked at the vice president wordlessly. She smirked even further, letting go of him with some laughter. Lesly accommodated his collar after messing it up, finally entering the supreme courtroom, with just a minute before 5:40 AM, when everything would start. ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± They were stared at as soon as they went in. One of the ¡®primary factors¡¯ in this new, more overwhelming trial, had arrived; Fox. Fear of him still existed in those outside the government¡¯s influence, but with the recent events, they were now with the excuse to show their discontent and ¡®hatred¡¯ in front of the cameras. ¡°Murderer!¡± - ¡°Traitor!¡± - ¡°You will be net, Fox! You will rot just after your dear, equally traitorous president is half dead in a cell!¡± - ¡°How dare you return here, animal!¡± ¡°So, that comment on his daughter, do you prefer girls to boys? Better have daughters than sons?¡± Lesly murmured to him as they walked to the seats on the left. On the right were the people who were definitely not going to just observe, and will name themselves against the president, in the SCJ¡¯s favor to secure the population¡¯s humane, and so on. ¡°Why are you asking this?¡± Fox didn¡¯t frown with the hurl of insults, but Lesly¡¯s question made him sink his eyebrows, even if just a little. Lesly shrugged a little, leaning her face to his ear, ¡°Just a curious point. It¡¯s something that it¡¯s either not discussed enough, or too shortly.¡± ¡°Fine, girls.¡± Fox rolled his eyes. He didn¡¯t think of it much, but afterwards, he felt he sold something of him, but he didn¡¯t know what. To top it off, Lesly smiled big time before leaving him to sit nearer to the glass, leaving him to sit beside Nala. Fox went to his seat, with Nala flashing him a smile with cold and indifferent eyes before focusing on the trial, with Luis at the center. Fox placed his left palm on her right backhand, which notably rested between their thighs. The trial was slowly started, with Vanessa Valyer no longer looking around the left or right, or the entrance, every minute or so. In fact, she looked calmer, although Fox felt her eyes dart to her corners every now and then, as if to check he didn¡¯t leave. This courtroom was vastly bigger than the previous trial with all Supreme Court Ministers and the Supreme Justice Minister. Both sides were a little longer, but more than anything, their stands were wider, with higher elevation on every row behind one another. The center was 3 times unnecessarily bigger, with the Supreme Ministers¡¯ seats, being more majestic and further distanced between each other. The Supreme Justice Minister¡¯s seat had a long cone, sharp, with powerful strokes carved, adding to its beauty and majesty. ¡°This trial will now commence,¡± Vanessa Valyer declared. The already silent atmosphere became heavy, with both sides gulping and widening their eyes to take every little thing about to happen now. After passing some papers through a large screen, which a person moved in a control room, descending to and then ascending from her seat and bigger desktop, Vanessa Valyer looked at the documents while addressing Luis Heartez. ¡°The accused has 5 charges, all against the Humane Key, and his role to protect the people of Lymoca. The first charge¡ª you have failed the people of Lymoca to protect them from daily criminal activity due to connections with the organized crime and their profit, shared to you for personal benefit.¡± ¡°The second charge,¡± Vanessa Valyer wasn¡¯t stopping even as the opposition nodded their heads and agreed in low voices, or the left stands slightly frowned and shook their heads. ¡°You have failed to differentiate between civil security and military intervention between your own country, dragging its turmoil as a result. This resulted in tremendous collateral damages, which only the civilians in the country pay for.¡± ¡°The third charge¡ª you have deliberately ordered the massacres, and allowed more massacring to occur within the people of Lymoca, sacrificing many lives for unknown reasons. First at a district in Proteros City, then in the entire country. Hence, this is a hegemony, tyrannical act, which is unacceptable.¡± ¡°The fourth charge¡ª you have protected and still offer protection to one of the responsible ones for causing these massacres,¡± Vanessa quickly looked at Fox, unnoticed by anyone but him, and maybe Nala, but she wasn¡¯t paying attention to her. ¡°You refuse to disclose the information of these people, and their delicate and detailed information despite the screams and wails from your people.¡± ¡°The fifth charge¡ª you have raised a hand to the humane, violating the intellectual privacy and social standards of the people, making them worry, fret for their business, fear for their lives, and bring an incredible state where the income entering Lymoca were reduced in the greatest score in hundreds of years. This, as a means to encourage the support you would receive for falsely accusing those being massacred, shoving this guilt to them instead of you, and also for monetary purposes. Hence, you are also suspect of wasting the supplies that might¡¯ve saved Preut in its most intense state of war.¡± ¡°Woah¡­¡± There were some uncontrollable exclamations going on in the left stands. If the first four charges were slicing wounds on their face, openly cutting open and bleeding the president and his cabinet for his word, for the work they¡¯ve done together. The last, fifth charge unleashed blatant discontent. Even Fox frowned. ¡°¡­!¡± When Vanessa saw that frown, her right-handed fingers tweaked, uncomfortable, but it was minimal. Yet, Fox noticed. After pressing her lips together, Vanessa looked down at the president. ¡°This trial won¡¯t proceed with the same arrangements as the trial with Mr. Caolia before. There is evidence for this trial, proportioned by both anonymous civilians and people from the Ly army, which has seen the terror your rule has caused.¡± ¡°The evidence will be shown first, followed by the further declarations of the people who will become spokespeople against you for these charges, sued unto you by the people themselves.¡± Vanessa said, but these words gained further acclamation from the left stands, frowning harder. Fox once again received some fleeting glances from Vanessa, who was seen by everyone left, right, and at the center by the cameras. But only he seemed to easily notice this, with others thought she was looking sideways to simulate taking her time, or letting the rest of the room acclimatize. ¡°Now-¡± Vanessa ignored the glares of the rest and didn¡¯t let Luis spoke, who shook his head at the mention of the people going against him for this matter, when everything and everyone around Lymoca could testify the contrary. But then, Luis stopped and took his WID out in plain sight. Nobody, not even military live footage recording devices, could see through its blurriness and blankness. His face changed as he read through it, with Vanessa Valyer frowning hard on this. ¡°What is this? Why- what is that object in your hands? Put it away!¡± Vanessa Valyer frowned harder when Luis didn¡¯t seem to listen to him. The opposition were confused, marveled at the thing in Luis¡¯s hands, which looked like a window, but was obviously more advanced, perhaps military. Some wanted to immediately ask their contacts inside, low status, to get them one. Luis made signs to Vanessa, whose frown became confused. Seeing him point at his glass microphone, she pressed a button and nodded, custom and procedure, to give Luis the permission to speak. ¡°There has been a drastic altercation with a matter of utmost importance to the country, I request the Supreme Justice to postpone this trial.¡± Luis spoke with a deadly serious expression, grabbing the edges of the podium. Vanessa looked at him with downturned eyes and a straight back. ¡°What is this altercation?¡± She asked, not giving any confirmation or denial right away. Luis looked with upturned eyes, his posture humble, ¡°Terka has¡­ forcibly expelled and banned our embassy within their territory. There are¡­ they have been harmed during their expulsion from Terka.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± - ¡°How could- what is going on?¡± - ¡°They must have been disgusted of Lymoca¡¯s actions!¡± - ¡°Haha! President Luis Heartez, it seems you really are good with new records. You just made Lymoca lost its first embassy in the entire history of the world! Hahahaha!¡± - ¡°Say goodbye to your ¡®third¡¯ consecutive term, traitorous president! Traitorous president!¡± ¡°Silence!!¡± Vanessa shouted out loud, whose face changed when processing Luis¡¯s words, who looked at her still, and slammed her table. The opposition recoiled their necks with a jump and looked at the Supreme Justice Minister, who sternly wrinkled her nose before receding her facial features, staring at Luis. ¡°If this is true, then you ought to attend the nation¡¯s needs.¡± Her demeanor changed, from a prosecutor to a Ly. Fox grinned hard from the left corner of his mouth, and just in time, Vanessa looked at him out of ¡®custom¡¯. She was a little startled seeing this reaction from him, even feeling¡­ good? ¡°Thank you. It is. This won¡¯t be cancelled, nor the elections, no matter what¡­ happens.¡± Luis said with a heavy face. No one noticed, except some in the left stand. He nodded and went to a guard, who opened screen after screen of glass to lead him outside, even using some hurry to do so. Vanessa also unknowingly frowned at his words, though. The words the president gave weren¡¯t a small thing, and it was awfully confusing from how impactful they were. The entire courtroom, which should¡¯ve gone deafeningly loud with something like this, fell silent like never before. Vanessa remained in her seat, looking into the void, seemingly questioning the unknown. Then, she looked in Fox¡¯s direction, where she saw him looking at her, who then tilted his head for a few moments, staring at her, unreadable, before standing up to follow the rest of Luis¡¯s people. ¡°¡­¡± Vanessa lowered her head. Her eyes blinked, twinkling with an uncertain resolve, indecisive, and whatnot. She turned to Javier Laran, who looked at her, feeling tense, with his fingers grasping and rubbing across his chin. She seemed to silently¡­ uncaringly cry for something¡­ ¡­ Walking into the corridor, Fox went after Luis, who was with his people and they calling his cabinet to have them ¡®present¡¯ in calls as he spoke. Then, when Fox arrived to walk abreast him, Luis stared at him with a hardened stare, which also showered him with¡­ his feeling of dependence. In the group, with Nala and Lesly walking to Fox¡¯s left, behind the two guys, and the others surrounding them, they felt in a good mood. Lesly smiled, looking at Nala with a big smile, startling ¡®the little lass¡¯ a bit before staring at their guys¡¯ backs again. Nala lifted her right eyebrow, but she still ended up smiling so thinly and secretly at Fox¡¯s back. He had grown up, ah? ¡­
This is the end of Volume 4 ¡ª Rave of Blood. Chapter 169 — Serendipity Is Broken Serendipity Is Broken Terka, 5:22 AM. Lymoca''s embassy in the Terkan capital. Clamor¡­ clamor¡­ clamor¡­ The embassy had cozy lights, a warm and enjoyable temperature, and exuded a fuzzy commodity. Notwithstanding, this did not deafen the sounds from outside, which were like the sounds of a multitude of people moving about, making a ruckus outside the embassy. This was quite brand-new. In the Sanctum Order, there were really no such things like this. It was rare in general, let alone for Lymoca, which has been the friendly image in every country¡¯s eye, even if not an apple. From the doors leading to the outside, the front exit, an old man walked in, tall and slender, with bountiful stark white hair around his head. It was short and well combed to the side, somewhat elevated to give him a proper and approachable image, and had brown skin. This was the ambassador of Lymoca in Terka, Victor. As the old man, ambassador, walked back into the main hall, where even kids were already woken up and having breakfast before school in the middle of the weekday, everyone looked at him. There were attendants, public servants in charge of maintaining the embassy¡¯s daily workload, their families, but no security. Even though the south of Moonblue supercontinent wasn¡¯t a paradise, there was no reason to fear being assaulted by criminals. People could be tremendously disgusting, but even those without a purpose in life wouldn¡¯t bring down others with them just because they were leaving. The situation was somewhat similar. After all, despite the fear for mental illness, it was ordinary people who did the worst in humanity. ¡°Something happened?¡± A man asked, eating at the dinner table, sitting beside a couple of kids at the corner. The ambassador walked in and shook his head, walking over to sit beside his wife, a tall, redheaded old lady with a yellow dress and a brown collar around her neck. She was wrinkled, like her husband, but they looked proper and fitting together. The yellow dress was from one of Lymoca¡¯s T¨²acan vibrant colors, while the brown collar was from Terka, or rather, the Ters culture. They were sitting beside their children, who were barely 5-6 years old, eating with gusto a mix of Ters and Lys¡¯ cuisine. ¡°There are some people doing a commotion outside. They are like 200, I don¡¯t know what brought them here.¡± The ambassador spoke after giving his children a few playful moments, kissing his wife¡¯s cheek, and eating a bit. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be because of their president¡¯s words?¡± Another man asked, feeling it was obvious. But the old man shook his head again, speaking as he enjoyed his plate with a mix of cultures in his soup. He was unable to properly eat and speak. ¡°I know this, but if that was the case, they wouldn¡¯t have taken so long only to act out of nowhere, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Another man nodded. A middle-aged woman with a carmine red cape dress and an extra mantle like ribbon crossing from her right shoulder to her lower left side added, ¡°For something like this, it has to be one political party preparing something. We can give this information to the government as a tip.¡± ¡°Or maybe we shouldn¡¯t,¡± said the old man. Everyone looked at him. Noticing their confusion and silent questioning, he looked up and placed his wrists on the edge. ¡°Why would the opposition do this? We have no open good relations with Terka¡¯s new president. Instead of treating us like always, they decided to alienate us and bring us away from Terka? Doesn¡¯t add up.¡± ¡°But if that¡¯s true, then what? Would the government do this to us? Impossible. It might just be a show of ¡®self power¡¯. It could be happening in other embassies. It¡¯s just not discussed.¡± The woman said, frowning in disbelief. ¡°Whatever might be the case, let¡¯s eat. We can worry about that later. The kids should stay today,¡± the ambassador said, drinking more spoonfuls. Another woman asked, feeling it was a bit too much, ¡°Should that really be necessary? They might take us for weak-minded.¡± ¡°I will remain weak as long as my kids can grow up.¡± The old man looked up at the woman, who was startled before softening. She nodded and kept attending her little girl on her lap, not even 2 years old, helping her eat some applesauce after eating a cooked egg. ¡°Yaaaayyy.¡± - ¡°Really? Good!¡± - ¡°Ehehe, no school today!¡± - ¡°Noooo¡­¡± ¡­ Time passed. The ruckus continued, until it suddenly didn¡¯t, but the people in the embassy were too engrossed in their breakfast to notice. Everyone went to wash their dishes before returning with either a bottle of juice or milk, with the former being for adults and some kids. ¡°Has¡­ something happened since the trial was announced?¡± The old man asked the others in the table after some minutes of simple blending before getting to work. The kids were having fun of their own. Very few times do they get free days from school during weekdays, so they were in a good mood. ¡°No, so far. There are only speculations. It should start in a couple of minutes, we can watch it here, let the kids get to know the business, haha.¡± A person said, followed by another who shook their head, ¡°Oh no. Mine wants to do a banana liquor industry when growing up, no politics, or geopolitics, mm mm.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± The table laughed a bit, softly and amicable after years of knowing each other. Even the little girl¡¯s mom traveled for 3 months to return from her pregnancy, wanting her baby to be born in Lymoca before it was too late. She took a long road from Lymoca to Terka afterwards, with the president even granting her some guards just in case. She stopped in every possible good enough hotel for her baby girl for a few days before resuming their trip. Today, they were only a few months from possibly being sent elsewhere, changed to a charge in Lymoca, or maybe stay in Terka. But that would be a bit too much. After all, who wouldn¡¯t miss their homeland? Whichever someone was from? ¡°I will miss this place. Even though we¡¯ve done good work. I¡¯m old. I¡¯d like to go back and rest a little, at least from other places, haha. These kids should return to their daily lives in Lymoca.¡± The old man looked at his kids with tenderness in his eyes. ¡°Yeah, I think-¡± ¡­vrrrr¡­ Vrrrrr- VRRRRROOOOOOOMM¡­ Their conversation slowly paused, their eyebrows furrowed, and their heads turned to the front entrance. A murmuring-like sound that wasn¡¯t there before was now there, rapidly becoming a little louder, before suddenly exploding with a thundering engine. This was also when they finally realized there was no longer any ruckus outside. VRRROOO- CRAAASHH!! ¡°!!!¡± The old man stood up in fear and shock. Nobody was prepared to be assaulted, they only had walls and a railing keeping everyone from thinking this was a small mansion or the like. They were simple people, and with their families. ¡°Everyone go to the patio. The pilots should be awake already, I¡¯ll call them to quickly come here through the backd-¡± The old man sweated, his eyes wholly widened, and his hands trembled. But he still gestured to the others and his wife, loudly yelling at them as they nodded before he finished and moved themselves and the kids away from the tables. Slam! Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp¡­ ¡°Everyone get down!¡± But they were interrupted, with the old man looking back, slow and trembling, at a bunch of armored and armed specialized police forces. The police forces rushed into the hall, and the old man felt so threatened he felt an impulse to stop them. ¡°No! You can¡¯t do this! You aren¡¯t allowed here! What are you doing? What are you doing!?¡± The old man raised and spread his arms, stopping the first 2 police elements, who quickly exchanged a glance before one of them grabbed his shoulder. Under the old man¡¯s shock at the tight grip on his body, his eyes further shook as his vision changed, with the police element slamming him to the floor. Immediately after, the old man¡¯s body was dragged further to their rear by the same police element, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and forcibly sliding him on the floor. ¡°Aaah!¡± - ¡°Victor!¡± - ¡°Stop it! Don¡¯t touch me!¡± - ¡°What- what are you doing? Please stop¡­¡± The ambassador¡¯s wife was shell-shocked, with the kids not knowing what was happening. They only saw the old man everyone respected despite how funny he always seemed being thrown around like a figurine. The police went to every person, with some police elements grabbing the kids after parting their firearms backwards, hanging from their shoulders. That was when the kids began crying, filling the embassy with growing terror as the women cried out loud, and the men were fidgety. Everyone, even the attendants, of which some are from Terka themselves, were grabbed and forced to the outside under a couple of minutes. The woman¡¯s baby girl was the first to cry, who seemed like her head was about to explode, with tears streaming down and grabbing anything but swatting everything away with her tiny hands. Her mother was desperate, until she was slapped unconscious. The men were incensed, but the old man, who was being dragged out with his legs limping, acted first as he pushed the police elements from his surroundings. He tried heading to where the mother and baby girl were being unnecessarily shown to each other but growing further apart. ¡°What the hell do you think you are doing? Ingrates! Bastards! Miscreants! Leave this woman and her baby for once! Nobody is fighting you, let them go!¡± The old man pushed shoulders away left and right, ignoring the hands tightly clutching his clothes and trying to pull him backwards. He became like an animal escaping their clutches, not caring about his fur or feathers becoming ruined along his skin, which he did feel injuries forming from.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Take them away already! O les damos a quemarropa!¡± A person among the police elements shouted, scaring the living out of the embassy worker¡¯s bodies. It initiated, and just as the old man was raising his hands to the baby girl who recognized him and raised hers to him, his head was hit on the back with someone¡¯s elbow. The baby didn¡¯t process it immediately, suddenly not finding where the old funny guy went to, before returning to crying out loud as she was brought to someone¡¯s rough, tough chest. She only saw uniformed backs and felt arms hold her tightly, uncomfortably. The other people were bashed away as well. Women were pulled by their hair, slapped on the faces or butt, while men were punched and choked, some until falling unconscious. Even the woman who was going after her baby was elbowed in the jaw, nearly losing consciousness right away, but she kept lunging for her baby. ¡°Victor? Victor!!¡± She noticed him on the floor, facing downwards, this time not getting back up, or helped to his feet. However, she had her baby to worry about. So, with a few bloodstains on her face, and her head all dizzy, she hurried to her baby, whom she could no longer see. She thought she was fast and hurried, but anyone looking at her from the side would see a limp, slow, weird-faced woman move left and right with her arms extended onwards. Unfortunately, or not, there was no one in the vicinity. The embassy¡¯s workers didn¡¯t even notice where they were being led to, until they were close enough to see the monstrous vehicle. Just at the embassy¡¯s entrance, a humongous 4 meters wide, 6 meters tall vehicle, full of metal armor and protected wheels, had ridden onto the sidewalk and several meters into the embassy. The walls tumbled at the sides, even leaving a gap of 2 meters to its sides. Its main lights were off, but the auxiliary, smaller ones around them were on, giving enough light to light everything, with the lights of the embassy cut off after the assault began. One by one, the beaten down and unconscious people were brought into the monstrous vehicle, still crying out loud, beaten to a timid behavior, or remaining a bit fidgety. The police forces seemed to forget about the old man, who remained immobile. Yet, he was clearly stepped on by large, heavy boots with some auxiliary designs for moving through dirt or mud marked everywhere on the back of his shirt and pants. ¡°Falta uno, ese! Go get him first!¡± A voice sounded from inside the vehicle before a couple of police elements went down to pick the ¡®dramatic¡¯ old man up. When they grabbed his arms and pulled, he was limp. The police elements took some radio devices, as thin as phones, before a few police cars drove over. The police elements shoved the old man in one of them, with the other serving as its escort. Vrrrrrrrrroooooooooommmm! The enormous vehicle left afterwards, having no issue driving on the street, although it took the entire street to do so. It was a little slow, too, with some police cars emptying the road ahead beforehand. ¡°¡­¡± Atop an out-of-service streetlight a few hundred meters away, a person hidden by the darkness in his immediate surroundings, with white paint on his face and clothes under a hoodie, observed everything. *** Proteros, presidential precinct. 6:05 AM. The cabinet finally reunited after a few minutes, now walking through the corridors to reach the presidential office. Fox and Luis walked abreast each other, leading the others as Luis already caught up with them. Entering the office, there was only one thing worrying them. ¡°Hear me first,¡± Luis sat at his desk, with everyone else surrounding it. Grabbing his cheeks with his thumb and fingers, he looked up before beginning, ¡°I received more information while coming here. Our sources in Terka had to be cautious after Terka¡¯s intelligence went on to bombard anything that might have caught this on camera. They were on high alert.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Someone asked. Everyone was here, including the Defense Secretary and Admiral Secretary. Luis closed his eyes, his free hand trembling, ¡°They not only forcibly expelled everyone from Terka. They also beat everyone and brought the kids away, roughly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± His cabinet drew a sharp breath of air into their lungs. Someone asked again, ¡°Everyone?¡± ¡°Yes, they did that to everyone. Men, women¡­ they slapped and suffocated them unconscious. But there¡¯s another thing¡­¡± Luis said, sitting straight with his 10 fingertips tapping on his desk, fidgety. Everyone looked at him, conveying the same expression of ¡®what is it?¡¯. ¡°The ambassador, Victor, was sent to the hospital immediately after he was struck from behind. There are no more news from this, other than the ambassador was then rushed to the airport.¡± Luis¡¯s voice contained a noticeable rage in his throat, through his flaring nostrils as he spoke, and in his sharp, gray-black eyes. ¡°Rushed to the hospital? Rushed to the airport? How brainless do they think everyone is?¡± Fox suddenly spoke at this moment, on his left. He looked impassively at the president, who looked at him, startled, before gesturing Fox to continue. ¡°He¡¯s dead. They¡¯ve killed your man.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur¡­ The others looked at each other and discussed in low voices, while Luis¡¯s breathing became heavier. The meaning of all of this, from nowhere, seemingly from just a bad night where the world decided to be cruel to their Lys¡­ What was this even for!? ¡°Even if-¡± Luis shook his head after weighing everything put before him. He was just a president finishing his term, second term for that matter, first consecutive term. But then, Roam walked to the TV, tapped a circular part of the screen, and turned the TV on. ¡°Sir, please¡­ take a look at this¡­¡± Roam¡¯s voice trembled. Luis was about to stand up to see, when everyone before him stepped away, letting him watch the TV as Roam increased the volume. ¡°There has been a confirmation from Terka,¡± a redheaded news reporter commented after a small pause, where her aqueous, light cyan eyes widened, and its contents constricted. She opened her little mouth but stopped, before opening it wide along her eyes, fearful. ¡°The Terkan president, more well-known in Terka as To?o R, has reaffirmed the expulsion of the Ly embassy from Terkan territory. Furthermore, gulp¡­ Terka¡­ the Ters of Terka¡­ Terka has declared a state of war on our country, Lymoca¡­¡± ¡°!!!¡± The cabinet was incredulous. Luis stood up at once, his eyes hardened. Only Nala and Fox¡¯s eyebrows jumped, their eyes and visages remaining as natural as always. Everyone went deadly silent, with Sona¡¯s face showing fear, too, before concern as she looked at her brother¡¯s face. Lesly was pale, aghast, and more incredulous than before. Did they ¡®made it¡¯? Was worldwide peace finally broken like this? They weren¡¯t the only ones. Lys, who were all intrigued by the trial, were slapped with the news that the country had suffered an ¡®altercation¡¯ Terka. That itself was overwhelming enough. Now, not only was there such a confirmation, the Terkan president even declared war on their country! First, the president¡¯s sudden trial. Then, their embassy is¡­ offended? Expelled? And now, their country was at war!? All of a sudden, unexplainable news after news dazed the Lys! This was a rotund slap to their faces as the origin of Humane Key, peace, and the Green Transformation. But they, Lymoca, weren¡¯t the only ones processing this information. Twilight, Dawn, south of the Moonblue supercontinent, and especially ANS, were covering this news. ¡°It has been confirmed, Terka has declared war on Lymoca¡­¡± - ¡°This early morning, while most of us were just starting our day, in the south, Terka and Lymoca have entered into a state of war¡­¡± - ¡°Terka has declared war on Lymoca. After Preut¡¯s civil war, it was already a fearsome fact to think that wars would return to our world, but even then, it does not compare to 2 countries declaring war on each other!¡± ¡°After hundreds of years of peace, there is war in the world. From Lymoca, no more. What does this say to the world? The place where an eternal peace was created, an origin of utmost envy that caused a grand finding that spread throughout the world, is now also the place of another ¡®grand¡¯ finding. But maybe not in the same form nor grace as it once did. What does this say to the rest of the world, when even this historic location has gone from a savior to its breaker, opening the gates towards doom?¡± ¡°We need¡­ to take this lightly¡­¡± Luis¡¯s voice echoed. Everyone looked at the screen and gulped, their eyes engrossed yet lost, looking at the images and the words deflating their nation¡¯s pride and honor. But their President¡¯s words returned them their sobriety. ¡°No, you were kidding,¡± Fox spoke in a lackadaisical tone. Eyes turned to him again, of which he still didn¡¯t care. He looked at Luis, looking down like an elderly would to a foolish teenager. ¡°You got your people injured, one surely is dead, and now you were declared war upon. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t do anything at all, or drastic. But not if you choose weakness for no reason. You don¡¯t have the full right to speak in your country this time, do you? You are talking about giving your butt, when I¡¯m already hearing noise in the streets.¡± ¡°What do you supp-¡± Luis shook his head and lifted his shoulders, his eyes slightly widened. Fox interrupted, ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to do anything. I¡¯m telling you to not act like a coward, a spineless imbecile who will let anything happen to their people for the sake of peace. It has already been broken. You can still maintain it by sacrificing your country¡¯s public servants, along yourself and this cabinet, and surrender to Terka. Or not. Which is what I¡¯m saying¡ª or not.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis became wordless. He understood Fox¡¯s words, but he still looked at his cabinet, who for sure didn¡¯t want anything of this kind to happen to them or their country. However, there was something behind their eyes, in their hearts, fuming and set ablaze. ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± General Edgar stepped forth, wearing his jacket, wearing no headgear. He looked at the president as everyone¡¯s eyes convoked to him, making him sweat a bit. ¡°President Heartez, I assure you this is no good. Whilst the response of the people is of utmost importance, their safety is first.¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t talk like that in a matter like this,¡± Fox interrupted yet again. Everyone looked at him, with only the General frowning, yet still listening. Fox looked at the General, inspecting his face up and down. ¡°Well, ¡®forgive¡¯ me for my bluntness, I know it¡¯s rude and sudden. But I was in Preut, for a couple of years¡ª its worst years.¡± ¡°It¡¯s for thoughts and mouths like yours that all those inside it suffered for even a month, don¡¯t even speak of the 5 years of civil war. The moment that¡­ mix of natural disaster struck Preut should have been the moment an intelligent, Humane, disaster-relief prepared force like the army and navy should have stepped in and rescued everyone, even the imbeciles who caused several million to perish.¡± The Admiral Secretary gave the Defense Secretary a look with a strict expression, not saying a thing, but his eyes showing disagreement, even if it was light. Fox continued, as always. ¡°So, no,¡± Fox gave the General a stare like no one else would dare. Then, he returned his gaze to the president. ¡°You have dreams for the country, which is, I believe, globally laughable in times like these. But one of those dreams, which is shared among hundreds of millions of Lys, is close to being finished.¡± ¡°Now, you¡¯ve been insulted, offended, taken advantage of, and grappled in fear by ¡®what would happen if I do something the north won¡¯t like¡¯. So, do you want to ¡®keep your people safe¡¯, or protect them? It happened once, it will happen twice. Maybe not with others, but this comes from a brand-new president, as foolish as the braindead I took down with my own preteen¡¯s hands when I had the chance.¡± Fox stood in front of Luis¡¯s desk and lowered his back, facing the President face to face with his palms heavy on his desk. ¡°In short, do you move, or do you let your people suffer? It won¡¯t be anything like in Preut, but they will still suffer. Even years after you lose this seat.¡± ¡­
This is the beginning of Volume 5 ¡ª Zemblanity. Chapter 170 — Lymocas Decision Lymoca''s Decision ¡°This needs further deliberation.¡± Luis stated. Fox tilted his head to the left and nodded a little before stepping aside, giving Luis vision towards the rest of his cabinet. Luis''s tone was severe, and his eyes narrowed a little from being fully widened with the previous news. Just then, a person from his cabinet walked to the front and slightly leaned over his desk, hands on its surface. ¡°President, if we go with a ¡®moving¡¯ plan, we¡¯ll have no other choice but to let go of one of our goals, of the long-term section.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Luis sharply and understandingly stated. The person nodded before adding, ¡°But even if we do nothing, we¡¯ll already have lost it. This declaration of war, no matter how I think about it, they will never see us again as ¡®the better option¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis closed his eyes momentarily, feeling the heaviness of the situation even more. He even realized it was a miracle he wasn¡¯t losing his head already, forced to sit down and calm down as he was once made to in his first term. Thinking of that, he looked at Lesly. Lesly looked at him in a deadly serious expression, similar to back then, but she didn¡¯t have breathtaking black eyes that made him feel diminished. She looked at him with trust, with her confidence put on him. Luis imperceptibly nodded, looking at his cabinet before standing up to walk around it, sitting on its edge. ¡°I want this to move further,¡± Luis¡¯s proactively made his stance clear. The cabinet drew a breath of air though their nostrils, silent. He looked at his cabinet and gestured to himself and them as he spoke, ¡°The entire world is watching now. Some will see this as our fault, some others will not. The clear thing here is what we will do, nothing else matters. Nothing ever did in the past, post or pre-Green Transformation, even pre-Sanctum Order.¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t mean all of our talked plans are out. I¡¯m still rooting for them, even if we cannot bring these talks for the future to others, and even if I never expected to lead the paved road myself.¡± Luis looked at them, asking them to see him, too. ¡°Hell, next term was supposed to be when we changed the political ¡®laws¡¯ in Lymoca, getting rid of the nefariousness plaguing it all these centuries.¡± ¡°Where you would help me mentor those who come before us, where I laid the foundation, and others followed it, regardless of which party or Key. It had to be that strong, and we are only starting. More than anything, thanks to him!¡± Luis pointed at Fox, but only momentarily, not letting a single person take too much importance in his heated, low-volume speech. ¡°And trust me, I am not taking them away. I am Luis Heartez, but it¡¯s only with you that I¡¯m the President. Through my life, never did I imagine¡­ leading this new future of Lymoca, as the world watches, just like it happened in the 8th century.¡± Luis¡¯s eyes resurfaced with hope. ¡°But now, and it might sound ridiculous, but we¡¯re at the same level. Not because I am as incredible, or even because, together, we have the same opportunities and achievements they did back then. We¡­ are far behind those times¡­ We also- I also, want to bring this differently, an approach that¡­ I believe loathes our past and would be loathed by it back.¡± Luis frowned with concern. ¡°I can¡¯t be like others, especially not as good as him, and you are too limited by me, and the current Ly politics. And that is the reason why this could work¡ª because we are not enough to be like the past, but we have different chances, and live in different conditions. I want to make use of it to achieve things accordingly, not disrespecting our history, even when I¡¯m directly going against it.¡± ¡°Let me take the full responsibility. But let me tell you, and then show you, why I¡¯m confident we can deal with this. Not just for this cabinet here, but Lymoca, every Lymocan, the Lys.¡± President Luis Heartez had his cabinet staring at him with locked eyes. ¡°Endesa, Carnage¡ª the Pyot and Meztle Islands!¡± Luis expressed, raising his voice as his tone turned passionate, ¡°They will become scared, I¡¯m sure, even when they are the most beloved allies we¡¯ve had for centuries and centuries. They¡¯ve seen all of Lymoca since the Lylaco Empire helped them form even before the Leafless Tree Coalition went on the move.¡± ¡°But I know we can talk to them, and they will listen. It¡¯s the same with the rest of the south, at least those who aren¡¯t touched by ANS since those hundreds of years ago.¡± Luis narrowed his eyes like an eagle, making them frown and react. ¡°I will tell you about these things later. Things that I have seen even from my first term,¡± said Luis before staring at the TV again, then back at his cabinet. ¡°Terka has expelled our embassy. That alone wouldn¡¯t have mattered. But they beat our people, hurt them, just because they could. Independently if there was a¡­ casualty. This is enough for Lymoca, and too far for any nation. Nobody targets our people, whether they are a global power, weaker than us, or at our level¡ª like Terka.¡± ¡°If you want to convince me, stop me now, give me your arguments. Tell me that, even if this regains integrity but brings harm to our reputation, even if it makes things shake for a while after recuperating our sovereignty¡ª that this is the wrong thing to do!¡± Luis stood up, straightened his back, and looked at his cabinet, patiently waiting for their words. But nobody raised a mere iota of a whimper. With the atmosphere of cordial, tacit agreement between each member of the cabinet, a person stepped to his front. ¡°President, what do you expect to happen to Terka¡­ if we actually¡­ win?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Luis blinked twice at the woman with a serene pace, ¡°I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t want it to return it as Ly territory, even if it becomes a strange commodity in the world map.¡± ¡°!¡± Clamor, murmur, mumble¡­ The cabinet grew disrupted at the President¡¯s words. Luis was a little startled by their reactions, although he expected it. He lifted his left palm after crossing his arms. It remained on his right forearm, he just flicked his wrist. They didn¡¯t react, so Luis elevated it to just above his shoulder. ¡°¡­¡± The cabinet and their secretaries quieted down and looked at Luis, not knowing why but showing subservience now. Luis looked at them as if this was how they were meant to react, not realizing about how absurd and comical everything looked. One man raises his hand, and the people quiets down? Was this the Aforesanctum Order? A nobility meeting? ¡°¡­¡± - ¡°¡­¡± Only Fox and Nala seemed to see through it, exchanging a quick glance among the crowd with their narrowed eyes at ease before focusing back on the debate. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to become a ¡®great¡¯ conqueror, only to lose ¡®ownership¡¯ or my image for the null thought of gaining territory.¡± Luis looked at his cabinet with slightly sunken eyebrows. ¡°But I do mean to say, if there is a chance, an opportunity, we can start there. It will also be a means to prove that the south has no need to rely on others to become a country, stable and alive.¡± ¡°I know what you might be thinking, Cors. But Cors is an exception, they cut their beards off when seeing us getting shaved by a foreign coalition,¡± Luis slightly scoffed with this comment. The others listened, knowing well what he meant. Cors was always rich, and more so when Cors material and Mintip was discovered first in their territory and in the world for the first time. Things that added up one after another to keep nowadays Cors strong. ¡°You haven¡¯t known about this because it¡¯s of utmost importance, and I was planning on working to reduce the foreign influence from under the tables of each country after dealing with the organized crime.¡± Luis stopped and sighed a bit, his head always up. ¡°As you can see, that¡¯s no longer available. Step closer to me if you still wish to¡­ to¡­ follow me.¡± Luis struggled to get those words out, not wanting to appear cynical, self-centered, or selfish, but¡­ was there any other way to put it? He was taking all responsibility, and he was also the one dragging them all into it, like pulling their strings into a mass of endlessly spinning turbulence. Step, step, step, step, step, step, step¡­ Step, step. Luis¡¯s eyes widened, and his pupils dilated. After a second, maybe a little more than that, but in decimals, none beyond 1.99 seconds, everyone stepped forth and surrounded him like he was the most popular high school girl. He saw Lesly be one of the first, with Roam, Admiral Secretary, Sona, and some others following her speed. But after all of them gave their hearts out for him, he heard 2 most distinctive footsteps. He looked back, to his left, where Fox and Nala walked forth, standing just behind the first line of followers around Luis. He looked at them with shaky eyes, widened eyelids and relaxed eyebrows, and they at him with silent understanding before nodding ever so slightly. ¡°Gulp. Now, let me tell you about what I meant with ANS¡¯s hands reaching down south. But first,¡± Luis turned to Butler after getting Fox and Nala¡¯s subtle confirmation. Butler wouldn¡¯t say no at a time like this, which Luis knew after knowing Egoaiz Prein for almost 9 years. ¡°This is the reason I told you I¡¯m confident in being successful. I¡­ have never told anyone about a ¡®secret agency¡¯, or a specialized lagj organization that works for the government. As the internet has it.¡± Butler stepped up, standing behind Luis with his arms resting on his sides, his amicable nature improving Luis¡¯s image from his crazy talks. ¡°It¡¯s not for any other reason that I respect where this power comes from,¡± Luis¡¯s words made them slightly frown again, curious and confused. Luis laid it out for them, ¡°You¡¯ve heard of lagj secret organizations from the ¡®secret world¡¯, but have you thought of a higher standard? I present to you what has been working for the benefits of Lymoca for longer than even your parents, whereas even your grandparents might have never known of them despite working together.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The crowd was even more confused, but so were they excited, feeling their blood boil and their skin numb at the possibilities, and then¡­This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°I present to you one of Lymoca¡¯s hoog secret organizations¡ª Piya Sanctum District¡­¡± *** ANS, capital city. President¡¯s office, in the main hall. 7 AM, while Proteros was just a little later. Today was the day the president of ANS was announced, where Gant Comfor not-so-overwhelming but superior vote count destroyed his adversaries and was shown to the world. A matter of utmost importance to the global powers and small nations of the world. But it was already half-taken away by the news of Terka¡¯s actions; first with the expulsion of Lymoca¡¯s embassy, and then their declaration of war on Lymoca. The pretext? Besides all the unruly titles and accusations, it was that Terka would rather focus on the world¡¯s proactivity, future, and stability, away from a power that was ¡®returning¡¯ to its ¡®dark past¡¯. ¡°What bullshit!¡± Gant Comfor berated, swinging a folder with documents from Terka, directly reporting to ANS. His face was enraged, and his chest heaved up and down, making the few members of his ¡®future-to-be¡¯ cabinet standing awkwardly before him. ¡°Do these people think I gave them the order to do this? That they could act on their own just because of mutual benefits between our countries!?¡± Gant Comfor berated some more, growing louder. Instead of appearing like an old man, he was full of vigor, and this had nothing to do with drugs or colored medicine, it was all his natural efforts. ¡°Why the hell did they do this? Hmm?¡± Gant Comfor asked nobody before looking up at his cabinet. They noticed his eyes, but he spoke faster than they seemed to think, which further irritated him. ¡°Does nobody have a mouth to word? Or did you just forget how to use it? It was clearly functioning well when you were sucking up to me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take me wrong, I don¡¯t doubt your abilities, but if skill was all it took, ANS would have had encased what we needed, revetting them already.¡± Gant Comfor looked at them like easy pickings, making some of them feel like back in their younger days, or like never before. ¡°Long lost causes, like this Terka, would have long become their own superpower in that south.¡± Gant spat here and there, cleaning his desk with a napkin as he continued. When he finished, he took a few deep breaths to relax. Then, he commented, ¡°They don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for them. Act in our name? They can act on their own. Immediately send a dispatch, no, just a digital letter. This is their bidding, so they will deal with it themselves. Heng! They will be lucky if Lymoca just ignores their chicanery.¡± ¡°Then,¡± a fairly young-looking man in his 50s stepped on the spot and looked at the president, his eyes sparkling. He had shaven, military red hair, pure black eyes, and was white. ¡°If Lymoca dares to act, can we move to protect Terka?¡± ¡°Dares to act? Protect Terka?¡± With upturned eyes, Gant Comfor looked at the military official, scoffing. He added, ¡°Do you think Lymoca has the capabilities to act? Or, do you think we can, I would allow, for ANS to mobilize just to protect a foreign country? No, you are young and stupid, you were never told of the magic worked during the Green Transformation after the Total Change War period, also known as the Great Haul.¡± The military official seemed taken aback, making Gant think: ¡®what if this one idiot doesn¡¯t even know what I¡¯m talking about?¡¯, before shaking his head. He went on, turning the atmosphere tenser for the others in the room with each new word, ¡°You think the world just grew tired after the 1st century¡¯s Great Revolution? Or the subsequent Smeared Century of the 2nd century? That the Grand Warring period of the 2nd century is how it is officially known to honor the ¡®achievements¡¯ from nations that persist until today? Not because of shame?¡± ¡°There is no talk of Lymoca waging war against Terka, that ¡®To?o¡¯ idiot only wants to show Lymoca they control nothing if the south really puts themselves to the notion. But while efficient, his personal kinks got him way out of the picture for ANS. They might be the first to be encased now.¡± Gant Comfor stood up, becoming calmer as he spoke, and his people couldn¡¯t help but differentiate his growth and maturity from others, or any other person his age for that matter. ¡°¡­ No, even though this will teach Lymoca they have no way to the north or the south, like they once did before falling, scaring them from repeating the past. Terka has dared to act on their own, which is unacceptable. And BRING ME EARL!¡± Gant Comfor suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs. ¡°!¡± The people were startled but quickly set in motion, but Gant didn¡¯t see it, so he ordered again, ¡°BRING ME EARL! I SAID, BRING ME EARL!¡± *** Lymoca, 9 AM. At the daily press conference in Lymoca, from president Luis Heartez. ¡°I apologize. This delay was necessary. I and my cabinet, especially the security members of the cabinet, with the others, too, had a tense meeting. As you can see, the matter with certain newly arisen situations are taken seriously.¡± Luis stood before his podium and talked to the news anchors and reporters. ¡°I want to talk about one thing first, the last initiative I have put forth in this term.¡± Luis tapped his fingertips on the sides of the podium, taking his time and strangely draining the incertitude of the people sitting before him. Unlike before, it was all full, like the first press conference, but with even a few more tens of reporters onsite. ¡°The progressive works towards it being talked out has improved recently, and I want to thank all parties who are willing to not let others tell us when and what not to celebrate, much less why. I won¡¯t speak much of it, it does not correspond to me, but I really wish for this to go through. Nobody can tell us to do things we don¡¯t want to, no matter the why¡¯s.¡± Luis spent a full half a minute looking ahead. He spoke after deeply breathing in and slowly breathing out. The atmosphere tensed a bit, with his sharp gray-black eyes showing a relentless light like life. ¡°The organized crime in Lymoca has been deteriorated to the levels where everyone in every city can finally go out at night and resume local festivities. There won¡¯t be more military vehicles patrolling your communities, but the national guard will be at half a minute¡¯s notice. Expect many SPD, PAB, and PPO units near you, patrolling the streets.¡± ¡°First and foremost, there has been an inside cleansing to the police forces in Lymoca. Many people who were connected to the organized crime have been arrested or neutralized in the worst cases. With this, I will also show you the politicians who were directly involved in organized crime matters, caught by the government¡¯s intelligence, and the arrested youths from the cleansing operation.¡± Luis declared, about to turn to the large screen behind him to his side. A female reporter lifted her hand before an attendant gave her a microphone. ¡°President Luis Heartez, does this mean you weren¡¯t just massacring criminals in the wild, but arresting them, too?¡± ¡°First,¡± Luis looked at the news reporter from an independent anchor ask with the words of the media, not of an investigator, for a few seconds before answering. ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®the wild¡¯. That is where people lived, you know? It¡¯s rural areas. To answer your question, of course! We took as many prisoners as possible, but the organized crime had a brainwashed force of youths willing to die for¡­ no reason. No homeland, no family, no purpose¡ª just their illusory ideas of belonging to a major force in the country. Thank you for asking.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± The reporters felt a little silly before sitting back down, giving the microphone back to the attendant. Then, another person lifted his hand, this time a brown, slightly old man, perhaps in his 80s to 90s. Luis gestured to the old man before an attendant gave him a microphone. ¡°President Luis Heartez, one simple question. Is that how you called this operation? The ¡®cleansing operation¡¯?¡± The old man asked. Luis nodded and calmly answered, ¡°It is. If you wonder why it doesn¡¯t have a more unique name, the answer is as simple: it doesn¡¯t need one.¡± As Luis answered these questions and then explained the daily activity of the Ly forces against the OCs. There were 2 particular places in the world that were focused on knowing what he had to say, more than in the east or the rest of the Moonblue supercontinent. Terka and ANS. Gant Comfor watched with his cabinet and the congress in an enormous room in the major capitol. In Terka, To?o R. watched in a meeting hall, with a large screen, and sitting from a table with his cabinet, including some military officials. While Gant was checking on the daily press conference almost every few days a week, only using this time to have everyone ready in case something unexpected occurred, as they weren¡¯t one of the most powerful nations for nothing. In Terka, To?o R. was fuming in silence, flinching in his seat from Luis blatantly ¡®ignoring him¡¯ and Terka, talking about his domestic affairs instead. But finally, the time came, and the squinted eyes from pure, hidden rage in To?o¡¯s eyes relaxed a bit, letting him feel fresh all over his body. ¡­ Luis looked at the camera and then slightly above his nose level, lifting his chin to whiffle out of his nostrils. Then, his sharp gaze was maintained in the main camera, the one meant for his social media and the livestreaming features directly from the government. ¡°Earlier on, everyone was notified of the news that Terka expelled our embassy from their territory. Well, that wasn¡¯t all. Let me tell you everything. And yes, I will¡­ ¡®talk¡¯ of this declaration of war, which only half-broke the peace that the world agreed to maintain¡ª no matter what. At least once upon a time.¡± ¡°When our fellow countryfolk were ¡®moved¡¯ out of the embassy, it was through the force of a specialized police, which ensured our Lys and even some Terkans suffered abuse of power from them. All of them were beaten, with the exception of the children 3 years old or younger. Women were beaten unconscious, while men were choked until they stopped moving.¡± ¡°Here, in this footage, a compilation of events happening before and after the Terkan police forces entered shows what happened¡­ They were censored for the sake of our fellow countryfolk.¡± Luis showed a video with half when there were Terkans protesting, and then cut to when an enormous, high-end military vehicle crushed the embassy¡¯s entrance and walls, nearly crashing into the building before backing away. But he didn¡¯t stop there and continued talking. ¡°They were thrown with force, they were humiliated, and there was an incident¡­¡± The other half of the screen was illuminated, showing how people were forced out, with a mother trying to find her baby until she could barely move on her own. Of course, there was also the strike the old man near that baby suffered from the back of his head, by an elbow nonetheless. When these images surface, Luis spoke the following words. ¡°Victor Javier V. P. He was the ambassador I appointed there 5 years ago, with half his wife¡¯s family being Ters, not uniquely to Terka. He¡­ was murdered in this exploit¡ª this assault on the Lymocan embassy in Terka, left on the broken sidewalk like he wasn¡¯t a living being!¡± In Terka, To?o¡¯s eyes widened. He knew what this meant, especially after declaring war without previous notice. He looked at his cabinet, but none knew about this, stunned. When he looked at the young man Martin, the latter winked and nodded at him. To?o R. suddenly felt stupid yet with a strange feeling taking root inside his sternum, spreading to through his chest and extremities¡­ ¡°!!!¡± Lymoca, in and of itself, was shell-shocked. Struck silly with this news. Yet, Luis had but started. ¡°In this plot! Terka violated Lymoca¡¯s Humane Key! They have stained the geopolitical image of 2 countries, and the supercontinent! We have been violated, they have killed one of our own. For no reason! With no motives! Only the words of a mere president without even 30 days in office. One of our own has been murdered! Our sovereignty purged and bashed to debris in their territory.¡± ¡°They dared to do this outside our homeland¡ª they dared to face the weak with firearms and brutal force. We will show them what we do with those petty criminals, now with the power of our entire nation because!¡­ We are lye! We do not let anybody slight us!! As Lys, they have murdered one of our own for sport! As Lys, we will seek answers directly from the people who harmed us! We DO NOT tolerate any crime against our people nor our nation! The Terka government has until the next week to apologize for their crimes and violations!!¡± ¡­