Chapter Forty: Catching Cicadas

“What did you say? They’re leaving the Node Zone?”

Carter could hardly believe his ears when he heard his subordinate’s report. He shot to his feet, his already unpleasant features now darkening further, like a hyena perpetually one step away from going berserk. His subordinate, meanwhile, stood before him, barely daring to breathe.

Though the Wildlands Alliance had never directly caused Faylen trouble before, this didn’t mean Carter had given up on settling the score. He’d been sending men to tail the young man, hoping to gather firsthand information—partly out of caution, but also out of curiosity about what secrets Faylen might harbor. Carter considered himself a good judge of the “Vulture”—a cowardly, self-serving type. While Faylen operated alone, he was one of the Seven Giants of District Nine. This wasn’t the world before the “Great Cataclysm,” where anyone could make a name for themselves. To be a celebrity now meant real power. The “Vulture,” with his character, would never have dared to provoke such a figure unless Faylen possessed something so desirable that even the “Vulture” would risk everything to seize it.

But in the end, the “Vulture” was killed.

Carter hadn’t managed to obtain any useful intelligence. Although his men had kept up the pursuit, Faylen had vanished into the Node, and there was nothing to be gained there—it was Blackstone Group’s forbidden ground, not a place just anyone could enter. Carter had no choice but to instruct his men to wait patiently. Part of him hoped Faylen would perish inside, but at the same time he was uneasy. Honestly, Carter had never considered directly challenging a member of the Seven Giants—unless not for a strange rule he’d heard about from his subordinates.

Within District Nine, the Seven Giants never interfere in each other’s affairs.

That meant if one of them got into trouble, they had to handle it themselves, without implicating District Nine. Even if one of the Seven Giants was killed, no one would avenge them; whoever defeated them would simply take their place.

Carter wasn’t a fool. Once he learned of this rule, he immediately saw through the “Vulture’s” intentions. Compared to the other, more formidable Giants, the “Doctor”—always a lone wolf—was the easiest target. No one knew what abilities he possessed, but even the strongest fighter can be brought down by sheer numbers. If Carter had known this before, perhaps he too would have considered overwhelming the “Doctor” with a tide of men.

That damned bastard...

Carter clenched his jaw as he realized the “Vulture’s” scheme. Clearly, the “Vulture” had wanted not only whatever treasure the “Doctor” possessed, but also to kill him and take his place. If he succeeded in becoming one of the Seven Giants, the majority of the Wildlands Alliance might rally behind him instead, and in the end, Carter himself could be cast aside. Damn it!

Now, Carter felt as if he himself was following in the “Vulture’s” footsteps. Reason told him he should stop; after all, his adversary was one of the Seven Giants, not someone a mere wildlander like himself could handle lightly. But his ambitions refused to let go, tempting him like a devil whispering in his ear. If he could kill the “Doctor” and become one of the Seven Giants, then the Wildlands Alliance would truly become his own domain. Not only that, but he would inherit the Doctor’s abilities—whatever they were, they had to be formidable. What the “Vulture” failed to accomplish didn’t mean Carter would fail too; after all, the “Vulture’s” powers were purely auxiliary, while his were combative. He also had more men than the “Vulture.” The “Doctor” could slaughter dozens, sure, but could he stand against hundreds? While logic suggested that even a super-powered being couldn’t withstand a sufficient number of attackers, the Doctor’s abilities remained a mystery. Was this the time to take such a gamble?

This thought grew stronger than ever when Carter learned that Faylen and a few companions had left the Core Zone and returned to the outskirts. Inside the Core, even with the noninterference rule, no one dared make a move. But now, with Faylen and a few women heading into the wilds—wasn’t this the perfect chance? Keep your distance, use RPGs and rocket launchers, and if necessary, grenade launchers—just don’t let him get close... That should work, right? Yes, that should do it...

If the “Vulture” could have heard Carter’s inner calculations, he would have grabbed Carter’s hand in tears—comrade, great minds think alike!

Now, learning that Faylen’s group had reached the edge of the outer city, Carter hesitated for a moment, but finally made his decision.

No matter what, I’ll bet everything on this!

He didn’t know why the “Doctor” had ventured to the outskirts—maybe he was heading back to District Nine. If so, they wouldn’t have time to set up an ambush on the wilds; it was vast, after all. The intel said Faylen was traveling with a few women—if they were just planning to fool around somewhere in the wilderness, then Carter would be left with nothing but empty hands.

“Send the second, third, and fifth squads after him. Do whatever it takes to keep him from escaping. Use every means necessary. We’re moving out immediately!”

With that, Carter bit down hard and gave his orders. Without a backward glance, he strode from the tent, leapt into a modified off-road vehicle, and slammed his foot on the accelerator. The engine roared, and the car shot off down the road toward the outskirts. Behind him, a convoy of armed vehicles followed in close formation, speeding toward the edge of the district.

But none of their movements escaped certain watchful eyes.

“Report, sir. The Wildlands Alliance is on the move.”

“Leave them be.”

Standing on the balcony, watching the convoy disappear into the distance, the “Emperor” sneered and waved dismissively.

“These wild dogs have outlived their usefulness. With a greater enemy on the horizon, keeping them around would only invite chaos. If they want to run off on their own, I couldn’t be happier... All right, continue the preparations. Those fools won’t fall for it so easily!”

“Yes, sir.”

At the old man’s command, the man in black turned away and left. The old man turned back, gazing into the void before him, an expression of satisfaction and confidence spreading across his face.

“Those idiots are practically begging for death...”

At the same time, Faylen received a report from Corona.

“Commander... a large group is approaching rapidly—they’re using vehicles... There are about two hundred of them, likely armed with both light and heavy weapons...”

“Excellent.”

Hearing Corona’s report, Faylen smiled faintly. He stepped over to Corona and Eluca, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. Before the girls could react, the world spun around them—and in an instant, they felt themselves being lifted through the air. When they regained their senses, they found they were no longer on the street, but inside a nearby ruin. This looked like it had once been a bedroom; though most of the furniture was rotted and decayed, it was still just possible to tell that it had once belonged to a girl.

Of course, none of that was important now.

“Commander?” Eluca turned to look at Faylen in surprise. But before she could say anything more, Faylen winked at her with a mischievous smile, then raised a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence. Obediently, Eluca closed her mouth, and together with Corona, carefully observed the street outside through a hole in the wall.

Soon enough, with a series of roaring engines, dozens of armed off-road vehicles came barreling down the street from the far side, stampeding like a herd of wild cattle.

Where were they?

Carter, staring at the empty street, was seething. He had planned to launch a lightning-fast surprise attack on Faylen, but to his astonishment, the group that should have been there had vanished without a trace.

“You idiot! Where’s the person I told you to keep an eye on?!”

Furious, Carter opened the comm channel and berated his subordinate—the man wasn’t much of a fighter, but he was a master of tracking and surveillance. And yet, he’d managed to lose the target?

“Did he notice something and run off?”

“I don’t know, boss,” came the confused reply. “He was there just a moment ago, and then suddenly he was gone. I have no idea what happened!!”

Vanished without a trace? Carter’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be...

“Boom, boom, boom...!!”

At that very moment, a series of violent tremors shook the ground. Rounding the corner ahead, a giant metal monster rolled ponderously over the wreckage of abandoned cars, emerging from the far side of the street. And then, a tank appeared.

Staring at the massive steel behemoth before him, Carter was utterly stupefied.

What the hell was this supposed to be?