After getting out of the dark and narrow streets, Zion found himself in front of a broad street, packed with civilians leading straight toward the neon lights in the distance.
"Uriel, can you order a cab to my location?" he asked, glancing at the hover cars soaring past.
[Affirmative,] Uriel responded after a few seconds of silence. [The nearest cab will be here in seven minutes.]
"Good," Zion muttered, nodding slightly.
He took a moment to look around while he waited.
Both sides of the street were lined with micro-unit blocks, long rows of cheap one-room apartments built as tightly as possible. The buildings weren't tall, only three or four floors each, but every window he could see was lit or occupied.
'Overpopulation,' Zion thought, shaking his head softly. 'Places like this always end up the same.'
Groups of people moved past him in a hurry, most of them looking tired, worn down, or simply uninterested in anything outside their own problems.
'At least they're better than those robbers from earlier,' he thought. 'Most people here are actually trying to survive.'
His gaze shifted back to the alley he'd just left, a neutral expression on his face.
'Though I'm sure they had their reasons… pulling a weapon on someone is a choice. And choices have consequences.'
Zion let out a quiet breath and turned his attention back to the street.
A few moments later, a yellow hover-cab descended to the curb, with its door already sliding open.
Zion stepped inside, and the cab lifted off immediately, merging into the flow of hover traffic above the street.
Within minutes, the enormous skyscraper of the Mercenary Guild came into view, its exterior lined with bright neon strips and covered in constantly changing holographic banners and advertisements.
'This is it,' Zion thought, staring at the colossal building with a smile. 'It's been a long time since I've visited one of these.'
As the cab slowly hovered closer to the ground, the doors slid open, revealing the bustling streets around.
After the cab door closed behind him, Zion took a few steps toward the entrance—only for Uriel's voice to suddenly echo through his mind.
[Notable concentration of low-tier nanosuit signatures in the area,] the AI mentioned. [Readings indicate the crowd is mostly composed of F- to E-rank suit users.]
'Nothing unusual there,' he thought, smiling slightly. 'It is one of the most important and high-profile buildings on the planet, after all.'
Zion moved with the crowd, weaving between several smaller groups lingering outside, before he could finally see one of the entrances to the building.
Two massive scanner gates stood at the front doors, each emitting a soft red glow as mercenaries passed through one at a time.
Beside the scanners stood several security guards, each carrying different types of guns and wearing special armor.
'Right,' he thought, clenching his fist slightly. 'I'm going to need a valid identity before I reach that scanner. Uriel, can you make one?'
He'd be arrested in seconds if he tried to pass through the scanners without one, and if that happened… it wouldn't be long before the Sovereignty heard about it.
[Affirmative,] Uriel replied, much to Zion's relief. [Though the limit is low-level scanners. Any military checkpoints and such would be able to figure it out in seconds.]
'That's fine,' Zion thought. 'I only need something that works right here.'
[Understood. Generating basic profile now…]
Zion slipped back into the line, matching the slow shuffle toward the scanners. Several mercenaries ahead of him chatted loudly about their missions, their excitement filling the air. Others stood silently, hands in their pockets, waiting for the scanner to clear the next person.
He kept his eyes forward as the line moved, conversations and scanner beeps blending into background noise.
Just a few spots before it was his turn, Uriel finally spoke again.
[Fake identity profile prepared. You can pass through the scanners safely now.]
'Good job,' Zion thought, stepping forward with the rest of the line.
Less than a minute later, the person in front of him cleared the gate and walked inside.
Zion stepped into the scanner as the red light swept over his body. For a moment, the machine hummed—then the glow shifted from red to green.
"Go," one of the guards said without even looking at him.
Zion gave a slight nod and walked through the gate, merging into the flow of mercenaries entering the lobby.
The change in atmosphere was immediate.
The moment he stepped inside the lobby, bright holographic screens filled his view, updating mission listings, rankings, team requests, and general announcements in real time. Below them, long lines of mercenaries waited for their turn.
'Just like I remembered,' Zion thought, nodding to himself.
He scanned the lobby quickly until his eyes landed on a separate counter along the right side of the hall. A floating sign above it read: "Accommodation & Registration."
'That's it,' he thought. 'I think I'll stay on Daresk to train and actually get some good rest for my body.'
'After that, I'll go on a few missions to earn money for my evolution to the next rank.'
Zion made his way toward the counter, slipping between a few mercenaries arguing over mission rewards. The clerk behind the desk looked exhausted, tapping through forms with mechanical precision as each person stepped forward.
When it was finally Zion's turn, the clerk lifted his head. "Welcome. Are you here to register or book a suite?"
"Suite," Zion replied. "For two weeks."
"We have several available. Standard mercenary rooms with reinforced walls and sound dampening." The clerk gestured to a holographic list, each showing a room and price per day.
"That works."
"I will need your ID and permission to charge the bill to your account."
Zion gave a nod and held out his wrist.
It didn't take long before the fake profile flashed across the clerk's display. Finally, the scan stopped while the clerk nodded.
"Verified. Room 3217. Elevator on your left."
Zion accepted the digital key, slipping it into his interface.
'Nice,' he thought. 'Now I can finally focus on my own skills.'