Chapter Two: Departure

"Because you lost contact earlier, the settlement entrusted me to investigate and search for you. Since you’re still alive, that’s the best news possible. Now, gather your things and prepare to return to the settlement. The electromagnetic storm is about to hit—you all know what that means.” As he spoke, Faren glanced at a wall lamp not far away, as though to confirm his words. The lamp, which had been casting a gentle light, suddenly began to flicker rapidly before returning to normal a moment later. Witnessing this, many people's expressions changed, the girl’s among them. After a moment’s hesitation, the girl finally spoke up.

“You said you were sent by the settlement to find us. Do you have any proof?”

Clever and decisive, with a touch of naivety—quite impressive for her age.

Faren inwardly approved of her question. He took a data cube from his pocket and tossed it to her. She caught it, opened it, and a string of code floated up. The girl, evidently skilled in data handling, tapped lightly on the code with her fingertips, and the lines vanished, replaced by a stream of information. Faren had no idea what was written, but it was clear the girl and her companions now felt much more at ease. They exchanged glances, and the three men lowered their weapons. The girl stepped out from the crowd, stopping three meters before Faren—a distance that, in the apocalypse, already signified goodwill.

She bowed respectfully before Faren. “Thank you very much for your help… Doctor…”

“No need for thanks. I only did what I had to,” Faren replied, smiling gently.

Only then did the girl notice the small black cat perched on Faren’s shoulder. He reached up to gently stroke its head before lowering his hand.

“If there’s nothing else, we should leave immediately.”

No one objected. In this wasteland, danger lurked everywhere. Surviving one ordeal didn’t guarantee continued luck, so they quickly packed up, brought their gravely wounded captain, and left the dreadful darkness behind.

Just as the records detailed, their last report was interrupted by a horde of zombies. Normally, well-armed fighters like them wouldn’t have been troubled, but just as they were about to eliminate the zombies, an energy-leech appeared. Taking advantage of the chaos, it killed one of their companions—the leg Faren found among the wreckage was all that remained of the unfortunate soul.

When they saw the energy-leech, the team tensed instantly. Their mission had begun because reports indicated an energy-leech was nearby, but they hadn’t expected more than one. Seizing the opportunity while the fighters were distracted, the creatures surrounded them.

With no transport and escape impossible, their captain made a snap decision to lead them into the tunnels, hoping to use the terrain to defend against the energy-leeches. But they failed. Nearly half their group was lost before they evaded pursuit and hid in this tiny warehouse.

That was all they could manage. The storm had knocked out remote communications, and even if they could make contact, there was little help to be had. They were the settlement’s strongest fighters—if they couldn’t solve the problem, no one could.

Had Faren not appeared, their only choices would have been to risk surviving the electromagnetic storm after the rain, or to break out of the tunnels and gamble on outrunning the energy-leeches—neither option offered even a one percent chance of survival.

The tunnel was silent.

They slowed their steps as much as possible, yet their footfalls still echoed, heightening their nerves. The thought that energy-leeches might still be lurking in the darkness, waiting to hunt them, made their anxiety worse. They raised their guns at every possible hiding spot, ready to fire at the slightest movement.

But soon they realized their caution was unnecessary.

Turning a corner, the exit loomed ahead. Yet, all of them, the girl included, instinctively slowed their pace. Even their captain, a third-tier ability user, stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

Corpses lay everywhere.

Twisted, deformed bodies sprawled across the floor. They resembled humans, but weren’t. Their forms barely retained humanity, their skin an unnatural dark brown. Razor-sharp claws extended from their gnarled fingers. Their heads looked as if human jaws had been grotesquely stretched, mutated into something monstrous—their fanged, snowy teeth glinted coldly in the sterile light.

These were energy-leeches, among the most feared monsters of the wasteland. Yet now, they were pitiable corpses. Wounds split their bodies open; bones and viscera spilled from within. But the most horrifying aspect was not their injuries, but the manner of their deaths.

They had died in excruciating agony.

Painful deaths were not uncommon in the apocalypse, but there were two kinds—pain inflicted for the sake of killing, and killing done for the sake of pain. Judging by the marks of struggle on these corpses, it was clearly the latter. If anyone had wondered how Faren walked in alive through the energy-leeches’ encirclement, the answer was now obvious.

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… Eight corpses in total. Looks like all the energy-leeches that hunted us are here…”

“He did this alone? How? Even with all of us together, killing just one would be a challenge…”

A sudden thud cut off their whispers. Another black shape dropped from above, startling everyone. They raised their guns, then sighed in relief and lowered their weapons. Their captain glanced at the mangled body and quickly averted his eyes.

“Alright… Looks like we missed one…”

With the threat eliminated, the fighters encountered no further obstacles. The downpour slowed them, but they reached the settlement before nightfall.

“We’re back! We’re back!” Staring at the bright, welcoming lights in the distance, the survivors could not contain their joy and excitement. Having faced death and returned, all they wanted was to collapse into the comfort of their own beds and sleep—it was the only thing on their minds.

“And so, my task ends here.”

Just as they were reveling in relief, a soft voice drifted over, instantly silencing the group. Turning, they saw the dark figure standing not far away, like a ghost. No one knew what to say. After a moment, their captain hesitantly stepped forward.

“Thank you for your help. But are you sure you won’t come with us? I don’t know what reward they might have promised, but you saved us from the energy-leeches and destroyed those monsters. I believe you deserve much more than you’ve received. And…”

He spoke with great respect. It was only natural—perhaps his subordinates didn’t grasp Faren’s strength, but the captain understood. They had faced a group of second-tier energy-leeches, including a fourth-tier leader. That was why he and his team had been so thoroughly suppressed. In the network zone, one’s tier determined power and status. The captain himself was third-tier, but under such pressure, could only muster his lowest strength. For Faren to dispatch such creatures so easily meant he likely possessed at least fifth-tier abilities.

A fifth-tier powerhouse was someone they could never afford to offend.

“There’s no need.”

Faren raised a hand to stop him.

“Though I accepted the commission, I received no payment, nor do I intend to accept any. So, we part ways here.”

With that, he nodded to the group and turned to leave.

“Wait, you—!” The girl tried to call after him, taking a few hurried steps, but the captain blocked her path.

“Captain, why stop me? And why didn’t you ask him to stay? You saw his strength—if we could keep someone like him in our town, wouldn’t we be safer?”

She was clearly surprised. She had hoped to persuade the young man to stay once they returned. She had never seen him before, so he was likely a mercenary. In her eyes, if the settlement was willing to pay the price, retaining such a strong ally could only be an advantage. But she hadn’t expected him to leave without a word, or her respected captain to stop her from intervening.

He shook his head. “Don’t try to involve yourself with him, Beth. He’s not someone you can approach. He isn’t from our world, and he won’t agree to stay in a place like this. Even if he did, it would only bring us disaster.”

“But…” Beth bit her lip, casting a complex glance at the receding figure. Suddenly, as if making up her mind, she called out loudly:

“My name is Beth! Remember my name! I swear, we’ll meet again!”