"I see... " Red stood up and stretched himself as if he wasn't electrocuted by two hundred thousand volts all at once. "So, we're being targeted by all the other blocks, right?"
They nodded simultaneously.
"Let's go with Blond's plan. I think it will be far more advantageous since they'll be coming at us. It will save us time hunting them and getting their flags." Red continued. This time, he was feeling confident about it.
Red then grabbed the key from Blond and unlocked the padlock to the chained door.
"Wait? What are you doing? They might be waiting outside as we speak!" Blond warned him but Red just loosely smiled at him.
"I'll just get my taser and then I'll close the door again. Still, pouring water all over the concrete and electrocuting it was really effective. I should do that again next time." Red said.
The group finally knew why the attackers fainted in a split second: they were electrocuted by Red after he purposefully dropped his bottled water and taser together. Of course, Blond knew about it right from the start. After all, he was the one who picked Red up before electricity touched him.
"What do we do now? Do we just head out and run all the way there?" Scar asked once again. It seemed like he had a lot of questions in his mind.
"No, we send a scout before we head out. We should eat something while waiting for that scout." Blond said.
"E-eh?!" Cat couldn't understand what Blond just implied. More like, she didn't want to understand it.
"Wait, we're going to eat while Cat risks her life? No way, I'd rather go with her even if I'm not suited for the role." Curl returned.
"What do you mean Cat? Silly." Red chuckled. "Gadge finally finished repairing the drone I swatted, now we're going to send it down for a test-drive. We'd also check the best course to take while heading to the southwesternmost part of the Inside. That way, we could get there safely."
"Wait, how is that possible? It's not like the drone came with remote control." Freckles stood up as her gaze landed on Gadge. She was demanding an explanation with her eyes.
Gadge then held up a black remote control for everyone to see. "Jokes on you, Freckles. The LeXoR-450 actually came with its remote control. It was actually a given since the Corporation was lazy enough to not remove them. I'm guessing they just connected the drones via wireless and had their technicians do all the controlling in the Asterisk. They don't need to come down here and control the drones, they just need to watch on their computer screen and control the drones using their keyboards."
"And how are you supposed to watch the camera feeds while that drone hovers all over the place? Don't tell me the remote control has some sort of screen on it?" Freckles continued.
"As a matter of fact, yes there is." Gadge neared Freckles and showed her the remote so she could inspect it closer.
"I don't know, this is way too convenient." Freckles shrugged as she went back to her corner and started fiddling around her first-aid kit.
"It is very convenient... but that's the only choice we have. It's not like we can send Cat outside willy-nilly. She might be capable but we can't underestimate anything in this mock battle." Red backed Gadge up.
Gadge figured out that that was the signal to send the drone out of their safe-house and he didn't waste time doing so. Few seconds passed and by then, the drone was out, surveying the Inside as Gadge controlled it.
The rest of them watched the feed on the small four-by-two-inches screen display, huddling like penguins on a snowstorm.
"Seems like we're in for trouble." Red clicked his tongue as the camera panned towards a bunch of workers heading to their 'unsafe house'. Unsurprisingly, there was already a crowd of workers gathered outside the worn-down building.
"I guess it's up to Cat to find us a way out." Red flashed a smile towards the timid girl.
"I... I already f-found one." Cat responded.
But before she could resume speaking, Red cut her off. "I know, you scouted this place before we headed back here last night, right? No wonder you were late when we had our scheduled meet-up"
Cat's eyes widened. How did he know? Even though I hid it from, everyone... how could Red know about it? Cat said to herself as she sheepishly smiled and nodded at Red. Because of Red's recognition, her spirit was lifted amidst the trouble they were in at that moment.
"Let's get some food in our stomach, and then we'll head out. I'll leave Cat on the lead." Red announced as he got up and headed to the next room where they cook all their food. Freckles and Scar followed him this time, fearing that someone might ambush Red during his stay there. It's not like they were worried about Red, they were actually concerned for the 'ambushers' since they might not live to see another day if they decide to attack Red.
"This is nerve-wracking." Scar repeatedly sighed, helping Red cut some vegetables from there stock of food that Blond gathered for them.
"I know... " Freckles exhaled a lungful of air. It was undoubtedly true that they don't have a fighting chance against the other workers if not for Red; and every time they get into a sticky situation, that factuality is like a slap on the face.
"Don't dwell on it too much, Freckles. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. It's just that, Scar and I are more on the physical side rather than on the intellectual plane of existence Blond and Gadge are in." Red chuckled at his witty statement.
"I guess you're right." Freckles's lips parted as she smiled. "Red, are you seriously a mind-reader?"
"Maybe," Red now went on to chopping a chicken and opening a few canned goods. "I mean, your face says it all. Your expressions were giving away your thoughts, you know."
"Oh."
"Red, I'm done with this one." Scar proudly lifted a plate, showing off the carrots he cut into squares.
"Put it down before they... see, I told you." Red shook his head as pieces of carrots fell onto the floor. Scar couldn't help but repeatedly sigh as he started cutting another carrot from the pile.
.....
"This is getting out of hand." Not once did Jarxen take his eyes off the screen as the announcement to all the block owners was announced. Jarxen suspected the announcement to be a hoax but to his incredulity, the announcement was already implemented. The fact that it didn't even go through him already spoke out for itself.
Long story short, Head Cipher wants Red to be eliminated from the mock battle.
The announcement was short and simple— get rid of Red, if possible, the whole Block-16, and any block who helped achieve it would be awarded a safe spot in the upcoming Runners Survivors. The block owners didn't waste a single moment as they rushed to the control centers of the LeXoR-450 drones. They then sent a few handwritten letters for their respective blocks in hopes that they'll have the chance to win.
That explains why every block knew about it whilst Block-16 was left in the dark. After all, Jarxen was still in the middle of his consternation as to whether he should warn his block or not. In the end, he chose the latter option in hopes that his block could overcome it themselves.
After all, he already caused unnecessary attention to himself when he saved Julia from her spontaneous arrest, making up his mind that doing more than that would just cause Head Cipher to suspect him even more.
Adding to that, it was Head Cipher's verdict so he couldn't easily oppose it. Whether he tells his block or not, it didn't really matter since there was nothing he could do to halt the final decision.
"Remember last year?" Someone spoke beside him.
It was Fujimoto, adjusting his round-brimmed glasses, his eyes not averting from the live stream on the large screen.
"You mean, that time with the humanoid ambush? Or the time when all my workers were involved in the landmine incident? Honestly, I stopped keeping count of my workers' death and now there's another batch dying before my eyes." Jarxen was filled with rage as he spoke. It's as if he's about to punch someone straight to the emergency room with the expression he was wearing.
"Well, you're not exactly right... but what I'm talking about is, that time when a certain block was targeted."
"You mean, Director Monteur's block? The one that got targeted at first but in the end, they all finished the Runners Survivors?"
Fujimoto nodded.
"If you're telling me that my workers would meet the same end, then I hope for the best for Head Cipher. Although, it's still highly unlikely since we've got a lot more workers this time of the year. Moreover, all of them were targeting my block. What are the chances?" Jarxen tried to make light of the matter but the more he pondered about it, the more he realized that there's no escaping their untimely deaths.
"They're a lot stronger than you think, Jarxen. Don't underestimate them." Fujimoto assured him. "Especially that redhead who calls himself Red? That kid sure knows a lot more than you expect. I know because I had the same look on my face when I was investigating the Nexus Corporation." Fujimoto smiled.
Jarxen whirled his head so fast that he felt his neck almost snap. It was the first time Fujimoto spoke about his past and shocked him to his core.
"Wait, you were part of the Resistance?!" Jarxen exclaimed.