Hearing those words from Dosh, Cain and his teammates nodded. The man, who stood before them, began to speak, his voice booming like thunder.
"Listen up. Before everyone goes to the border, you will regroup with Oliver’s group in the barracks. After that..."
Upon ntioning that na, Cain’s brow furrowed in displeasure. His nails unconsciously dug into his palms, causing the skin to turn white as a sheet.
All the talk General Dosh had prepared was not entering his ears. He remained silent, keeping up his neutral expression, yet his blood started to boil. The rage he had been holding back since yesterday began to swell in his chest.
"That’s it. Are there any questions you want to ask?"
A while later, Dosh’s loud voice snapped Cain out of his daze. The boy raised his gaze and locked eyes with the man, then shook his head.
Dosh shifted his attention sideways, checking for the other team’s reaction. Cain followed his gaze and watched Senior Luna shake her head firmly.
The boy looked straight ahead, facing Dosh, who exhaled deeply. He could see traces of dark circles under the General’s eyes; it looked like he had been having trouble sleeping for the past few days.
It wasn’t that Cain didn’t understand the man’s feelings, unlike Senior Luna, who likely had several experiences exploring the outside world.
But it was a different matter, because Cain’s group had only one.
And in that first mission, he and his comrades had to face hordes of bloodthirsty machines targeting every living thing in sight. Moreover, after fighting a giant monster and Cain falling into a month-long coma, all of it had begun to gnaw at his overall consciousness.
Although Cain often addressed Dosh in a less-than-polite manner, it didn’t an he hated him. On the contrary, he respected the man for his unique approach to interacting with his students; for so reason, Cain felt comfortable with his teachings.
After Dosh finished speaking, he turned to his assistant. With a few adjustnts to the terminal in her hand, the entrance gate of the training facility hissed open, revealing two Humvees waiting for them.
"Go. Your seniors will guide you later."
Cain and the other cadets tapped their left chests and shouted a synchronized response.
"As you command!"
Their voices were so loud and uniform that they vibrated against Cain’s eardrums, making his eyebrows twitch.
’Damn it, Abel, don’t be too enthusiastic! You’ll run out of energy before we even start!’
Cain and Senior Luna, as the respective leaders of their groups, exchanged glances. Then, Cain spoke up.
"Senior, I’ll take the front vehicle."
Seeing the silver-haired girl nod, Cain peeked over his right shoulder. Behind him, his four comrades stared back, their eyes radiating a burning passion and readiness to follow his lead.
"Let’s go, everyone. Oh, almost forgot—Peter, sorry, but you’ll have to sit in the truck behind."
"Understood."
Cain nodded and took his first steps toward the first vehicle. As he opened the front door, he t a man in his twenties holding the steering wheel. They both parted their lips to offer a polite greeting.
"I’ll be in your care, Senior."
The boy bowed his head slightly. The driver nodded and replied.
"Leave it to ."
Cain climbed into the front seat, followed by his four comrades. After seeing that everyone was on board, the driver checked the rearview mirror above the dashboard. Then, he imdiately floored the gas pedal, letting the engine roar loudly and fiercely.
Cain’s body swayed as the G-force suddenly pulled him back. The boy stared at the driver, who scratched his cheek in embarrassnt.
"My apologies."
Cain narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.
His black eyes drifted to the window, but his new katana caught his attention. The weapon had black color on the sheath and white on the hilt.
Unlike in his first mission, where he carried a mass-produced katana with heat-infusion technology, this ti he brought an authentic katana as a gift from the Winterfell family.
His hand gripped the black scabbard tightly. He murmured in his heart, ’I’m counting on you, partner,’ speaking as if the object possessed a consciousness of its own.
Cain turned his attention to the window, witnessing the tropolis landscape—an image ford of fragile illusions, easily shattered by a single small disturbance from the outside world.
The vehicle sped along the asphalt roads, passing through several districts until, a few minutes later, it stopped right in front of a thick gate.
This was the boundary between a rigid world of obedience and a loose world of freedom—a freedom far from being liberated from the fear, demands, and pressures of a dying world.
A loud rumbling echoed as the steel gate in front opened. Both vehicles entered, passing through the massive open maw.
Cain still had to travel for a couple of minutes until they finally stopped near the edge of the military base, which also rged with the Eastern Gate, the fortress that bordered the outside world.
Cain turned to the driver as he opened the side door.
"Thanks for the ride."
"Don’t mind it. It’s my job after all."
He jumped out of the car and closed the door with a loud thud. One by one, his comrades exited. Beside them, Luna’s squad had also touched down on the ground, waiting for the arrival of the seniors.
The boy looked around, seeing a vast plain with a straight asphalt road leading toward the gate.
On each side of the road, there were pieces of massive weaponry—based on the information he had gathered, those were machine guns capable of firing thousands of rounds per second.
As if weapons equaling his height weren’t enough, beside the machines were towers capable of launching missiles with a 360-degree range, equipped with auto-aim.
While he was surveying the area, a deep voice that made Cain’s expression harden reached his ears.
"You’ve arrived."
The grey-haired boy turned and ca face-to-face with the crimson-haired boy. The contact was brief, as the senior imdiately shifted his attention to Senior Luna.
"Luna, I’m glad you could join us in this mission."
The senior stepped closer, his expression soft and full of affection. Unfortunately, Senior Luna only nodded before speaking.
"I’m just following orders."
Her voice was quiet and cold, like a mid-winter chill that pierced to the bone. The exchange between the two caused Cain to lose his composure, and he spurted a burst of saliva into the air.
"Pfft~"
’So sad.’
Even with his god-like reflexes, Cain failed to cover his mouth in ti. All eyes turned toward him—especially those of the crimson-haired senior. His blue eyes flashed with a sharp glint, as if he wanted to rip Cain’s lips off.
The two stared at each other for a mont until a soft female voice broke the tension.
"They’ve arrived, Oliver. Let’s head to the portal."
Senior Helena joined them. Behind her were three others, including the foxy-looking boy and the crazy girl who was currently winking at Cain. Cain shifted his gaze and accidentally made eye contact with the foxy senior, who was glaring intensely at Louise.
Aware of the situation, Cain coughed to clear his throat.
"Senior Helena, please lead us there."
A silence lingered over the place. Helena’s eyes widened in shock, as did the other cadets present. Ignoring their stares, Cain narrowed his eyes and spoke again.
"Why is everyone quiet? We’re on a mission, right? If the departure ti is still a long way off, then..."
"No. Follow ."
The crimson-haired boy cut Cain off. He glared at Cain for a few seconds before turning around to leave. Not wanting to waste ti, Cain imdiately followed, as did Senior Luna’s team, rging into a large group behind Cain.
The senior led Cain to a nearby cube-shaped building. Its pitch-black iron walls looked as smooth as marble. The senior typed sothing into the device at the entrance. Cain, not wanting to miss the chance, activated his ability.
’Scan Protocol.’
His black pupils turned blue as he peered deep into the data until he found the building’s access code.
’016439. I’ll rember that!’
The hissing sound of the door opening reached his ears. Cain watched as the building’s door recessed, and the seniors stepped inside with the rest of the group.
The interior was quite spacious, filled with neon lines spreading like roots connected to a large, circular device. The crimson-haired senior walked forward to activate the access codes and the coordinates they would cross.
Once again, Cain’s eyes glowed blue, stealing all the vital data, including the access codes and coordinates.
Suddenly, the room fell silent. Shortly after, a humming sound from the portal device drew Cain’s attention. Beneath him, the neon lines pulsated as if they were alive.
In the center of the steel ring, a clump of energy appeared, distorting the fabric of space around it. It tore and twisted into a gaping black hole.
"Follow ."
The senior entered first, followed by his comrades. Then Cain followed in their footsteps, along with the remaining cadets, disappearing as the wormhole swallowed them.
Cain felt a strange sensation, as if his body were under intense pressure for a mont before gaining freedom. The sharp sll of tal made his nose twitch.
"Welco to the Eastern Border."
The senior’s voice led him to see the surrounding area. It was filled with soldiers moving about within a vast, magnificent-looking room.
’We’ve arrived.’
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