With the urgent situation chasing after him, Cain dashed towards the meeting area in the middle of the city where the rest of his comrades were waiting. His feet pounded on the hard, empty streets; the scenery around him blurred until he saw the open area.
He witnessed the other teammates gathering in a small circle in the city center. One of them, Abel, who was aware of Cain's arrival, waved his hand high.
Cain kept forcing his heavy legs to run until he stopped a few meters in front of the others. Both his hands were on his knees, trying to prevent his upper body from collapsing.
The gray-haired boy was panting; every breath in his lungs felt like it was burning.
"Cain, are you alright?"
Abel approached and stood beside him while gently patting Cain's back. Peter and Louise followed, except for Rika, who crossed both her arms over her chest as she stood right in front of Cain.
Cain puffed out his chest before exhaling in one go.
"Huff, I'm fine, I apologize for being late."
"No, it's alright, don't worry about it."
"Y-Yes, thank goodness the leader is okay."
The words spilled from Abel's mouth, and Louise's consideration somehow turned into knives that sliced his eardrums. Both people had good intentions, but it had the opposite effect on the current Cain.
Cain was not only a cadet but also a leader who shouldered the responsibility of leading his team, completing the mission, and bringing them home safely.
A leader must stick to his own words, yet this incident made him realize his immaturity, prompting his teammates to worry about him.
All but not for the other two, Rika and Peter, who had not opened their mouths since his arrival.
He took a deep breath, then slowly straightened his posture to face his members. Cain's body tensed, seeing the hidden expression from Rika's helmet visor, which was covered by shadow.
Beside him, Peter just pointed to the smartwatch in his hand, as if giving a reprimand to keep the promise that had been agreed upon.
"I am truly sorry, Rika, Peter, Abel and Louise. As a leader, this is purely my fault and I am prepared to accept any punishment when we return later."
The other four were silent as they heard the sentence coming from their leader's mouth. They exchanged glances, and finally, everyone turned to the red-haired girl, who was still mute as if suppressing something inside.
A few seconds passed in a choking silence until it broke when Rika let out a long sigh and lowered her arms.
"I'm holding onto those words. Make no mistake, leader Cain!"
Cain gave a wry smile. He turned to his teammates and nodded.
"Yes, I promise, vice-leader, Rika."
The two stared at each other, witnessing their own reflections in those pupils, which reflected a deep and strong determination.
As the atmosphere in the team eased, Rika raised her right hand to draw the others' attention.
"May I report our status."
Cain turned to the right, watching Abel nod deeply. He turned to Rika and opened his mouth.
"Go ahead!"
"Alright, Abel and I concluded that the area we explored was a luxurious residential complex, judging by the tall building structures and the suite rooms inside."
Rika began to recount their search. The discovery of ruins that were once mansions, a park with a dry fountain, and barren land. Not only that, but they also faced several common-rank virus beasts and were able to handle them quickly.
"That concludes my report."
"Thank you, Rika."
Rika nodded, and as Cain wanted to open his mouth to inform them about the condition in the north, Peter was quicker to raise his hand as he exchanged glances with Louise.
"We would like to report. The area we explored was a indutrial area. We encountered some virus beasts but we were able to overcome them easily. And there is an intact abandoned research facility."
Peter stopped, and he glanced at Louise to give her a chance to speak in front of her comrades.
"U-Um, Mr. Peter and I tried to look inside and found an empty underground vault equipped with strong defense system, as robust as bunker-class."
"That is our report, thank you."
Peter closed their presentation. Beside him, Louise patted her chest in relief for being able to express her thoughts without stammering.
"Alright, good job everyone."
Cain nodded, feeling a little satisfied with his group's performance. However, the overflowing joy burst like a popped balloon, replaced by a dark emotion that gnawed at the color on his face.
His skull suddenly throbbed, making the boy grit his teeth while closing his eyes. The boy's consciousness jolted as if an invisible force was sucking it.
Cain opened his eyes, gasping at a familiar scene as he stood in a dark space devoid of substance.
'This!? Ugh!?'
The throb repeated, then a flickering light emerged, which turned into a monitor that lit up in front of him, showing a blurred image.
'Is this my memory?'
On the screen, a blurred image of an underground room, with a rusty wall and dust, appeared. Although the space was dim, Cain could still clearly see the tiny details once in a while.
Then the image suddenly went blank, showing a large, sterile room and two teenagers standing in a gigantic, glowing tube.
'This scene? I've seen it?'
When Cain sought an answer about the image that appeared in his head, everything went black. His consciousness was swallowed whole, only to be vomited back into his original body, which had been silent for quite a while.
"Cain, are you alright?"
The voice from Abel pulled him back to the surface. Cain turned to the side, smiled faintly, then cleared his throat while summarizing all the events he had experienced.
"The northern area is a red zone."
His voice was calm, but it carried a large wave that crashed into the cadet's calm expressions. Their pupils shrank, gapping like a goldfish seeking air, struggling to form words.
"That place has been occupied by a swarm of virus beasts. And the reason I was late earlier was…"
"W-Wait a minute!?"
Rika cut the conversation short, her right hand almost reaching out to his arm. Cain wrinkled his eyebrows when he saw the girl's pale face from behind her helmet.
"What is it?"
"No, you just said a swarm. Eh? You're lying, aren't you?"
Not only Rika, but Abel, Peter, and Louise also gazed straight at Cain. A deafening silence descended on the group, creating a heavy pressure that pressed down on their bodies and slowly choked their necks.
Seconds passed as they waited for their leader's answer. Hoping this was all just a dream because it was not listed in the documents about the mission at all.
However, reality was indeed a nightmare. Cain shook his head, his black eyes sharp, emitting a profound aura that made the other four swallow hard.
"I'm not kidding! In the northern area, there is a swarm of common-rank virus beasts numbering about fifty, and there are also four lower-rank ones."
Cain's statement thundered, like lightning striking the ears of the other cadets. Then the calmness in their expressions collapsed, revealing stiff faces unprepared for the worst-case scenario.
"Before coming here, I tried to reduce their numbers by hunting the virus beasts in small groups that were separated from the main horde."
"S-So the reason you were late was?"
Abel asked, his voice slightly trembling with raised eyebrows. Cain nodded slowly, then turned to the others.
"No, that was my own fault for not paying attention to the time. Forget about that, I want to know what your opinion is about the horde?"
"Opinion? What do you mean?"
Abel asked, his head tilted to the side. But, unlike him, Abel, the other three had a twisted expression on their faces as if they knew what was in Cain's head.
"No, no way. You must be crazy, right?"
"Leader, I know how strong you are, but this time our opponent has numbers. Even with your own strength, it's impossible to do."
"Rika, and Mr. Peter are right. Leader, this is a bad idea."
Hearing the strong rejection from his team, Cain had no choice but to wrinkle his lips and let out a disappointed sigh. He nodded and opened his mouth.
"Alright, for now, let's take a break first. Louise, you said the facility in the eastern area has a military bunker-class underground vault, right?"
"Y-Yes."
Louise flinched; she blinked several times, feeling surprised by the sudden question from her leader.
"Okay, we will return to the car for a moment to rest and eat. Next, we will go to the facility that Peter found."
"Good."
The other four answered simultaneously, although their heads were perplexed as to why Cain was so inclined to check the abandoned facility.
The boy in question shifted his gaze to the east. The vague memory that appeared in his head showed a scene in which two teenagers, their faces blurred. They fell into an underground facility, where they awakened new powers.
'I hope the memories can be trusted.'