Rico stepped into the tent with murky eyes, his eye bags swollen. He hadn't slept all night.
He called Zappardi and Merthyl to wake up.
In a heavy voice, Rico explained that he had found the nearest broadcaster's position from their location, using sonar that picked up radio signals. Like it or not, they had to move away from that area and avoid contact with other teams.
The conclusion: they had to isolate themselves for a while.
"The broadcasters are the main key to this world," Rico said, bandaging the wound on his left hand. "They have access to all the city's CCTVs. The only way to remain unseen is to hide in a place isolated from radio waves."
Merthyl looked at the wound worriedly.
"You should treat it first," she said.
Rico smiled faintly. "This wound doesn't hurt. But if I bandage it, it will actually cause me pain. And if anyone disagrees with my decision..."
He paused, his voice dropping,
"...I will eliminate that person."
No one answered. Zappardi and Merthyl only exchanged glances, then agreed to rest for a while.
They began preparing their equipment. There was still a little instant food left from yesterday's minimarket, and bandages and medicines were sufficient. Rico prepared a simple explosive, asking Merthyl to dampen the sound of the explosion with her power, while Zappardi stood guard outside.
A small explosion echoed. The wall behind the tent opened.
"This is the way," Rico said.
The two of them entered a narrow crevice leading to an old tunnel—a former lava mining site that had been closed for years.
The air inside was damp and smelled of iron. The floor was full of gravel and sand; a single misstep could be fatal. Puddles of water gleamed, a sign that the new buoyant force was still active down there.
As they walked, Rico asked without turning,
"Merthyl... do you know about someone often called Zappardi?"
Merthyl was a little surprised. "You mean Lewis?"
"Yes. I feel... I've known him. Do you know anything?"
Merthyl stared at the darkness in front of them. "Maybe it's just your imagination."
She paused for a moment before adding, "I also don't know why Zappardi is like that. But if anyone tries to disturb our existence, I won't hesitate to kill them."
Their footsteps echoed for a long time. They had been walking for forty minutes but still hadn't reached the end.
"I'm disoriented," Rico finally said. "Let's continue first. Maybe we'll reach it soon."
However, when the flashlight beam hit the hard wall in front, the path was blocked.
Rico wanted to explode it but finally held back. Not long after, Zappardi's voice was heard calling from outside. The two of them went out and decided to return to the surface.
Nothing seemed unusual outside. They agreed to continue their journey, this time looking for additional resources before returning to the tunnel.
Night fell. Rico grilled some meat as usual, while Zappardi was already asleep.
When everything was silent, Rico returned to his workbench, tapping on metal.
The sound disturbed Merthyl's sleep, but Rico didn't stop. He kept working, his eyes vacant, his mind somewhere else.
Elsewhere, a ringing sound broke the silence.
For the past few days, a hooded figure had often been seen around the city. He was indeed skilled at hiding himself, but he had been exposed several times. His lime-green hair glowed, his glasses large and conspicuous. He crept through the alleys, and now his target was clearly the broadcaster's building.
The city system's voice echoed:
"Notification. Bounty open. Whoever captures this subject alive will be greatly rewarded."
The man's face was displayed on all city screens.
Large teams began to move: Dracer, Magnima, Duodecim.
And dozens of other small teams joined the hunt.
Chaos erupted around the shopping center. The sound of people screaming mixed with the roar of weapons.
Among the crowd, someone ran a small, thin body, with steel chains wrapped around his legs.
Some people tried to help, thinking he was just a lost child. But the child turned, looking at them with empty red eyes.
An unpleasant smell spread through the jacket he wore. People moved away.
He walked up the mall stairs unhurriedly, as if the world around him didn't matter.
The guards aimed their pistols.
"Hey, stop right there!"
The child drew a thin sword.
"Slash."
The pistol casings fell, split in two.
The remaining six guards drew tasers, attacking simultaneously.
But in one swing of the sword, all of them fell unconscious.
The child calmly walked towards the mall's roof.
He opened the door with his blood-stained hand.
There, a man dressed entirely in black was waiting for him, with large glasses and messy hair.
He turned around before that looked over The situation, caused he in Paranoid
He ask a Childisly to stop
But the next action of the kid is very unspeakenable for some a reason
The child drawn a sword slowly walk next-to the intruder
The child stopped.
"I've confirmed it," he said coldly, "He's that blue-haired man."