Chapter Twenty-Two: The Second
Back in the underground network of tunnels, dozens of ard Evolvers scoured the place in search of treasures.
However, no matter how thoroughly they searched, nothing could be found within the tunnels, leaving them sowhat at a loss.
A dium-built man clad in a black uniform with a purple star on his shoulder stood within a large stone chamber in the hive.
With his back turned to the Evolvers, he began to inspect the chamber. Then, he asked in a calm tone: "You’re saying soone must have sneaked in during the chaos and looted these tunnels?"
"Yes, General." An Evolver from behind responded, his body trembling slightly.
The room fell silent as everyone waited for the General to speak.
At the back of these waiting Evolvers was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.
Ryan was currently having an internal breakdown when a certain thought crossed his mind.
’Ah, man! So that Night Star had been telling the truth?’
Ryan felt incredibly stupid right now. It was as though you were the security guard of a household, yet a thief had snuck in and stolen sothing. Not only had you failed to do your duties properly, but you had even escorted him out while smiling and throwing complints his way.
Who wouldn’t feel utterly ashad?
’That little... the next ti we et, I’m going to teach him a good lesson.’
Ryan subconsciously clenched his fists tightly, his heartbeat accelerating unknowingly.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew against his face as the General appeared before him in a blink. His speed was utterly monstrous.
Ryan imdiately composed himself and perford the standard military salute.
"Ryan, correct?" The General asked in a calm tone.
Ryan nodded and replied truthfully: "Yes, General!"
The General nodded and smiled faintly. "Tell , who’s the culprit?"
Ryan wore a surprised expression filled with confusion. "General... I’m sorry, but I don’t understand."
The General patted him on the shoulder, saying: "You don’t need to hide it. Approximately ten seconds ago, your heartbeat accelerated and the wind around your hands compressed, signifying a clenching of the fists. Your mind was obviously distracted, for there was a gap in the flow of wind around your face. This ans you had your mouth partially open, with your breathing becoming slightly shallower. We could’ve attributed it to you being anxious if only one or two signs had appeared, but with all these combined as proof, do you still wish to lie to your superior officer, Ryan?"
Ryan remained silent, shock filling his heart. Young Evolvers might think Evolution was all about brute combat power, enhanced hearing or sight, and maybe speed, but they were all wrong.
The stronger an Evolver grew, the more advanced his understanding and control over his Evolution Path beca.
Take the General, for example. He was a Sound and Speed Path Evolver. A naive Evolver might think he could only hear over greater distances and perhaps cover a kilotre in a second, but that was utterly a misconception.
The General had reached a state where he had ford a domain around himself. Not the physical kind, but one on the ntal level. He might look still, but his mind was constantly interpreting the movent of the wind, searching for anomalies.
He had entirely used the flow of the wind to judge Ryan’s behaviour without even turning his head. This was soone who had cultivated his path to near perfection.
Soone like the General could probably go on living normally even if he were blindfolded. Assassinating soone like him was also wishful thinking; an assassin would only be inviting his own death.
Ryan hadn’t expected a montary lapse in thought and action to actually draw the General’s attention.
Although he only felt a belly full of anger when thinking about Night Star, he hadn’t harboured any malicious intentions. After all, the law stated it clearly: treasures belonged to those who found them.
So, he was incredibly conflicted. Who knew if the General had bad intentions towards the person who had looted this place? But if he didn’t speak, others might think that person was his accomplice.
Just as he finally ca to a conclusion and opened his mouth to deny it once more, an Evolver suddenly rushed into the chamber.
"General, we discovered an unaffiliated individual running deeper into the Grey Lands. He was clad in a purple Power Suit and wouldn’t stop no matter what we said." The Evolver reported.
The General glanced at Ryan for a mont before suddenly appearing back at his previous location.
All the nearby Evolvers subconsciously let out sighs of relief before becoming tense once more after rembering the General’s frightening hearing.
The General ignored them and instead turned to the reporting Evolver, asking: "Did you open fire?"
"Y-yes." The Evolver stuttered. Noticing his behaviour was inappropriate, he took a breath and continued: "But his Power Suit seed to be crafted from strange materials, as it behaved very strangely."
The General raised an eyebrow. "How strange?"
"It released a field that ’corrupted’ our AI systems, allowing him to take control of the drones and chs pursuing him." The Evolver reported, a look of horror flashing past his eyes.
The room fell silent, with only the sounds of breathing to be heard.
Right now, even Ryan was confused. Wasn’t it supposed to have been one person who had already boarded the ship? Or was he mistaken?
This ti, he wasn’t foolish enough to reveal his emotions and rely let the thought pass through his mind... nothing more.
The General threw Ryan a glance and smiled. Then he waved at the Evolver. "Since he got away, then leave him be."
The General paused, causing everyone to beco confused. Hadn’t the General wanted to identify the person who had taken the treasures? Or had they misunderstood his intentions?
It seed they had underestimated the General’s character. He was already powerful, so what could catch his interest in such a low-level Beast Haven? Perhaps he had simply been annoyed that soone had stolen treasures right under his nose.
However, these Evolvers had concluded too early, for the next mont, the General withdrew sothing from his pocket, glanced at it, and made a statent that shook everyone.
The General glanced at a broken tallic collar in his hand that emitted a blue glow. Then, he returned it to his pocket and said:
"Since the first got away, leave him be for now. He can’t escape my grasp anyway. With that settled, we should return to discussing the second."
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