A/N: For those who read chapters 488-490 yesterday, they got messed up lol. I guess the solar eclipse made a mess in the WN Servers too KEK. There was a bug and it uploaded chapters in advance lol and it also messed the arrangement up in the process.
Speaking of which, my vacation got ruined cuz I had to upload more chaps. REWARD THIS POOR AUTHOR WITH VOTES PLS.
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Georgan City, Ten Years Ago
"No, don't—"
"Oh hush love, trust me," Juni said, placing a dainty finger on her boyfriend's lips. "I can do this."
At this time, a certain couple was staring at each other at their table in a high-end restaurant, whispering. It was their anniversary, and the man had reserved a table weeks prior.
From other people's perspective, they were just being sweet, but if they looked closer, they'd see that the man's eyebrows were furrowed, uncomfortable, at whatever the woman was telling him.
After a while, the woman stood up, and the man could only watch in worry as she approached the target.
Gill's hands formed a fist under the table, before settling very close to the gun he always had in his waist. He was prepared to shoot if needed, consequence be damned.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were having a date—increasingly rare now that he had begun to get deployed in far away places—but he coincidentally saw someone from a wanted notice not long ago.
This wanted notice wasn't public because the authorities worried he would flee too far to be found.
But here they were, eating at the same restaurant.
Was he lucky or unlucky?
Now his girlfriend was even approaching the criminal and he couldn't stop her unless they made a scene!
He had told her about the dangerous man in their midst. He was trying to warn her and tell her to be careful. She lightly gasped when he told her, and for a moment he thought she was scared.
"You gave me a tracking device before," she had said. "We can use this."
She had always loved spy movies since they were kids. Years later, after entering the industry, she would also make a ton of them.
So when Gill found he could procure a few gadgets in his position—though they were mostly outdated models they could take home—he gifted her a few.
To think she always brought them with her, and it still helped him out…
When she came back to him a few minutes later, her beautiful face was adorned with a smug smile.
She then handed him the tracker and smirked. "You're welcome."
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Altera Village, Present
The group was set to leave by dawn the next day. The spies had already been killed at this time, and they had gathered as much information from them as they could.
Gill made sure that she had everything she needed on her trip. He filled her space with medicines, gauze, and other first-aid kits. He also asked sister-in-law for some paralysis bombs.
He might not love her that way anymore, but—as someone he had been close to his entire life—she was an integral part of who he was. He wouldn't want her in danger in any way.
Cassandra was seething somewhere, but she didn't stop him. First, the women of Xeno were raised to accept whatever their husbands wanted, so she actually had a more accepting attitude toward this.
She idolized Olga and her mother and their independence and pride, but men's promiscuity was an indisputable fact in her world and it was a concept that had been open to her since childhood.
When she had walked out on him before because of jealousy—back when Juni confessed to him on stage—it was a very brave move for her and something she didn't know was in her. But she was just so angry at the time that she forgot the decorum she had been raised with.
Altera must've already affected her deeply since then.
Anyway, although she felt a bit insecure, she at least knew where Gill's heart was at the moment, and that was more than enough.
Along with Juni on this trip was Drake, who was still blushing, and was assigned to lead the team working within the Fargo territory walls.
His ginger suitor Jona also came with them. Yen (his other suitor) also wanted to come, but the research her team was assigned to was at its peak at the moment. Finally, there was also the young Amos.
Drake was chosen because he was strong among the guards who could participate in the war, especially after awakening his element: electricity, a very aggressive element.
Speaking of which—Yen, who was working on the electrical works department in the research center—would never miss a day in reminding him how fit they were to be together.
Anyway, Drake was really reluctant to part with Altera but who told him to be a loyal guard. Also, he wanted to see how much his element could be used in battle with humans.
Contrary to what people thought, electricity wasn't actually that powerful. Xeno Monsters had thick skin and a lot of them had insulating properties—probably to adapt to the extreme weather here—and therefore his ability had limited effects because he was still weak.
Similarly, other elements had to be used well in order to cause a lot of damage. Specifically, the still had to find weak spots every time.
Against humans though, this was very different. He couldn't test it out to Alterans, but he definitely didn't have much to worry about to enemies who wanted to attack their home.
Amos, on the other hand, wanted to be away from his bloodsucking family, even for just a bit. Also, he had always wanted to be a soldier. He took this 'mission' with open arms.
And as for how the woman-shy Drake would handle a bombshell like Juni—and Jona at the same time—that was his problem. Perhaps it was why his suitor insisted on going with them and even the other one, Yen, agreed to it.
"It's guarding him together," Luis commented on the side and he cackled with Mao and the others.
This earned them a look from Drake, but knowing his weakness, they found no intimidating power in it at all.
However, they all tingled a bit. The level difference was high so it didn't really hurt as much—it was just like a little static electricity passed through them. However, it did make their hair stand out.
Luis, Turbo, and a few other victims looked at Drake, who had long turned away and pretended nothing happened.
Darn it! No fair!