Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty-Two: The Second

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Second

Back in the underground network of tunnels, dozens of armed Evolvers scoured the place in search of treasures.

However, no matter how thoroughly they searched, nothing could be found within the tunnels, leaving them somewhat at a loss.

A medium-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 someone 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 something. Not only had you failed to do your duties properly, but you had even escorted him out while smiling and throwing compliments his way.

Who wouldn’t feel utterly ashamed?

’That little... the next time we meet, 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 immediately composed himself and performed 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 me, 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 means 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 became.

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 kilometre in a second, but that was utterly a misconception.

The General had reached a state where he had formed a domain around himself. Not the physical kind, but one on the mental level. He might look still, but his mind was constantly interpreting the movement 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 someone who had cultivated his path to near perfection.

Someone like the General could probably go on living normally even if he were blindfolded. Assassinating someone like him was also wishful thinking; an assassin would only be inviting his own death.

Ryan hadn’t expected a momentary 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 came 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 moment before suddenly appearing back at his previous location.

All the nearby Evolvers subconsciously let out sighs of relief before becoming tense once more after remembering 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 seemed 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 mechs 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? 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

This time, he wasn’t foolish enough to reveal his emotions and merely 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 become confused. Hadn’t the General wanted to identify the person who had taken the treasures? Or had they misunderstood his intentions?

It seemed 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 someone had stolen treasures right under his nose.

However, these Evolvers had concluded too early, for the next moment, the General withdrew something from his pocket, glanced at it, and made a statement that shook everyone.

The General glanced at a broken metallic 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."