No one even spoke about the possibility of rescuing Marcus, Claire, and Liana. Everyone knew that the truth they had heard a few minutes ago was scarier than the disappearance of three people.
Red-Eyed Stalkers... were made from humans.
The command room was still submerged in silence. Gareth stood behind the desk. The Federation’s report was still repeating in everyone’s minds like a nightmare.
"So what now? Do we wait?" Cassian slammed his hands on the table.
His voice grew louder.
"How long? Until we find their bodies? Until they turn into those things?"
The air in the room grew heavier. All the words spoken until that moment suddenly took on new meaning.
Lian stared quietly at the screen. His mind was constantly putting together puzzle pieces. Monster corpses were being collected. The people of the southern city had disappeared.
No bodies remained. Red-Eyed Stalkers were made from humans. And other monsters avoided the Stalker’s corpse.
The child’s voice they had heard in the southern sector. And the mist had specifically taken only three people.
Finally, he understood what the truth was.
"So the goal was never to kill people." He said quietly.
Everyone turned toward him.
"Now we understand why the bodies were being collected." He added.
The room fell into silence. This was a simple word, but it seemed scarier than many explanations.
They had different theories. They always wondered why those monsters collected the bodies.
First they thought the monsters were eating people. There were even theories that the monsters were just collecting the bodies like a collection.
Even the possibility of an Undead monster being there, using the bodies to turn them into other undead, was among their theories.
But since they had found no signs of undead, they had also set that theory aside.
But now, they had finally found the truth. And the truth was more unbelievable than anything they had imagined.
"Those Stalkers are not just random creatures made by combining monsters and humans. When we faced one of them, the system classified them as monsters."
"So Red-Eyed Stalkers are really monsters. So we are facing a creature that has the ability to create real monsters."
"And if Stalkers are made from humans and other monsters, then someone had to take those humans."
"Someone had to work on them. Someone had to perform experiments... And since the number of these Stalkers does not seem large, I think making them is a time-consuming process."
Claire appeared in everyone’s minds. Marcus, Liana. The three who were now missing.
"Are you saying they might still be alive?" Selina said in a weak voice.
"Yes. I doubt they could be turned into Stalkers within a few hours. So they should at least be safe for now, or in the early stages of transformation."
No one said anything, because everyone understood what he meant. This was a small hope, and also an answer to Cassian’s question.
But how true it really was... no one knew.
Lian looked at the screen. The Stalker’s image was still there. That tall creature, those red eyes, that unnatural body.
"Naturally, we know that the Stalkers are not the main commander. They are just soldiers. The final product. The result of the experiment. And what made them..." His gaze fell on the image of the unknown white-eyed creature.
"Is still there."
"Right. Based on all the information and theories we have, the creator of these monsters must be that unknown white-eyed creature." Gareth nodded.
Lian was now curious to know what that white-eyed creature was. What kind of creature could have such intelligence that it could both create monsters and devise a plan against him?
And more importantly, how could it create a completely new race of monsters by combining humans and monsters? What kind of power was that?
"So we wait?" Cassian suddenly clenched his fist.
This time, his voice was no longer angry. It was helpless.
"Just sit and watch? Marcus is out there. Claire is out there. Liana is out there. And every minute that passes might be too late."
"If they are really in the early stages of turning into those things, we need to save them now. If not, it might be too late!"
Gareth finally spoke.
"No operation to save them will be carried out until tomorrow noon."
"The Federation will send a special team. Awakened who have gone through two evolutions, and several who have gone through three evolutions."
The room fell silent for a few moments. These people were practically powerhouses, and with such a team, the success of this mission was certain.
"Tomorrow. For this task, it’s already too late. They should have been here from the beginning instead of sending us to such a hell!" Selina said angrily.
Gareth said nothing. He just remained silent, and that silence was enough to show he had no answer.
Lian laughed quietly. A short, cold laugh. Everyone turned toward him.
"The government isn’t sending all that force for those three people. They want that unknown creature. The creature that managed to make monsters from humans... Right?" He then said coldly.
All eyes turned to Gareth. The commander was silent for a few seconds and again said nothing.
"The order came from the government and cannot be changed. Rina, please escort them to the exit."
Cassian and Selina stared at Gareth with obvious anger, but in the end, they said nothing, and Rina led them to the exit.
Midnight.
The base had fallen into silence. Cassian sat on his bed, holding his sword, his gaze fixed on the blade.
Marcus.
Claire.
Liana.
His group members. The people he was supposed to protect. He slowly stood up. He had made his decision.
On the other side of the base...
Selina sat on Liana’s empty bed. She had been staring at that bed for hours.
At the pillow, at the blanket, at her belongings. Finally, she stood up. She too had made her decision.
A few minutes later.
At the southern entrance of the base, two shadows came out of the darkness. And at that moment, they stopped.
Cassian. Selina. They both saw each other. They stared at each other. A few seconds of silence formed between them.
Then they said at the same time.
"You too?"
Selina sighed, and Cassian gave a bitter laugh.
"They are my group members."
"Liana might be annoying, but she is still my family." Selina fixed her gaze on the distant city walls.
Cassian said nothing and nodded.
"I thought you would do something this stupid." Suddenly, a voice came from the darkness.
Both immediately turned around, and they saw Lian coming out of the shadows. His hands were in his pockets, and his face was completely calm.
"You want to come too?" Selina frowned.
Lian thought for a moment and said nothing.
"You don’t need to come. If it weren’t for your help, we probably would have disappeared in that mist too." She thought for a moment.
Cassian nodded.
"Right. With the talent you have, you have a bright future ahead. You don’t need to risk yourself for us."
"A level seven." Lian looked at Selina, then at Cassian.
"And a level fifteen... Are you going to conquer the city center?"
They had no answer.
"You won’t even reach there. You’ll just add two more names to the missing list."
Selina clenched her teeth, because he was right.
Cassian also said nothing, because he knew this himself. But still, he did not step back. He was not completely empty-handed either. He had brought a few trump cards with him.
A few escape talismans that should help them escape once they found those three.
Lian sighed. These fools just wanted to cause more trouble and were completely unaware of it.
On the first day he had seen Cassian and Selina, he thought they were both mature and smart... But now he realized he was wrong.
Neither of them was patient. Of course, he had to understand them too. If something happened to those three, these two would definitely become depressed, and their entire future might be ruined because of that depression.
"Stubborn idiots..." And before either could react...
The first hit. Cassian did not even have time to draw his sword.
His body went limp and fell to the ground.
The second hit. Selina only had time to move her eyes, and then darkness swallowed everything.
No fight, no resistance. Absolute power difference.
Both lay unconscious on the ground.
Lian looked at them for a moment, then raised his head. The city could be seen in the distance.
The city center.
Where all paths led. Where the answers to all questions probably were.
Where Marcus, Claire, and Liana probably were.
A cold wind blew.
"You’re not going anywhere, ut don’t worry, I will go there... To the city center."