When leaving the academy, Ethan knew he had forgotten to ask for one more favor.
A ship.
Civilization was far from the academy because it was built inside one of the last remaining forests on earth. The academy did this so that the students would not have time for any other things but just focus on the classes.
So they needed a ship to fly to the city because it would save them a lot of time.
Ethan, Noah, Ileus, and Layla stood in front of the academy's oval metal structure.
They have changed their clothing to casual wear.
Ethan had black pants and a black hoodie with his long hair neatly tied into a ponytail.
The others also had hoodies on but in different colors.
It looked odd for all of them to dress like this, but they had to if they wanted to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
Noah came up with this idea when they were going through the mission details.
Ileus and Ethan didn't know much about the city, so they depended on the two homies on the team.
"Noah, I bet your brain didn't think this part of the mission." Ethan said as he gazed at the towering trees that loomed over them.
"Yeah, you just went straight to the action part because it was the fun part." Layla titled her head and faces Noah.
"Cut me some crap, will you? I'm human. I forget about things. " Noah said.
When going through the plans, he didn't put leaving the forest into consideration.
He was more concerned with saving Helen.
The atmosphere in the group is pretty heated now.
Ethan saw this and said, "We don't have to argue over this. Let's just walk. "
"Let's just use the map on our phones," Layla suggested.
But Ethan had already told the system to scan the areas, and the system provided a route they would follow, but it would look strange if he knew the forest well, so he brought out his phone and played along.
Layla stayed close to Ethan as they hiked through the forest, while Ileus and Noah stayed at their front.
"just the new girl, yet already acting like she knew best," Noah mumbled to Ileus as he stole a gaze at the two behind him.
He expected a response from Ileus, but none came. He looked over the latter's ears and found black pods in both ears, preventing him from hearing anything.
"I guess I'll be the only one walking alone."
Ileus had his ear blocked because, as a vampire, his ears were more sensitive than anyone here. The constant noise of the animals in the forest wasn't making it easy for his ears.
Ethan put both his hands inside his pocket as he shuffled past, in between trees.
A fog covered their part, as they went further. Melted snow moistens the branches of the trees, making some drops hit them from time to time.
The group breathed out misty clouds due to the chill they felt. It felt like they were camping in the wild.
"Guys, I don't think we will make it to the city if we continue like this!" Ethan said.
"Any suggestions?" Noah said.
"We need to run."
After running for some hours without taking a rest, the group finally entered the city.
Immediately after they reached the city, they took the air train.
After riding for some time, they dropped in front of the neighborhood where Helen and her mother lived.
They didn't encounter anyone on their way because no houses were built in the area. Sometime later, they saw the old rusted metal building.
Ethan approached the door. He didn't knock. He just walked in straight because he knew no one would be at home. Mrs. Rose was hospitalized. Helen kidnapped, leaving the house lonely and alone.
"They took it far," Noah said as he looked around the house.
The sofa chairs were turned upside down, the TV was broken, the table divided into two, and the pictures on the wall were all scattered, except for one.
The scene didn't affect the others the way it did with Ethan. He stayed here for a night, so he knew what the place looked like before this.
Ethan squatted down and picked the only picture left.
He turned it to the front. A man in a blue military uniform stood in the background with other military men.
The man had strong jawlines, a deep set of eyes, and a square face.
Ethan figured this must be Helen's father because of the feint resemblance. He dusted the picture and kept it on his storage ring, but he brought it out again.
He noticed handwriting on the picture.
SOMEONE SAVE ME, PLEASE.
Ethan placed the picture back in his storage ring and sat on the floor.
His consciousness always told him,
It was his fault.
"Ethan, I know what you're thinking, but it's not your fault." Layla sat beside him.
"Kai did all this because of me, so technically, it is my fault."
"I can help, Ethan. I have a few connections. "
Ethan stared at her. "No need for that." Ethan flashed a cold, deadly smile. "I want to repay them myself."
"That smile looked deadly. Whoever did this is in big trouble, "Layla thought as she watched Ethan, who still had his smile on.
The group arranged the house, at least what was left of it, and left.
Their next stop was the hospital.
----
Ethan gently opened the door and walked in.
Mrs. Rose lay on the hospital bed with a white bandage tied like a bandana on her head.
Her body was covered with a white blanket, revealing only her hands and face.
Ethan noticed the outline of the veins in her hands. He knew she had lost weight and, because of that, her face had become a bit sunken.
He stared at the machine that still showed she was still kicking. He pulled a chair on the side and sat.
"I'm the reason you're in this condition, but I promise I will save your daughter and bring her safely back to you."
"Rowena, I need a high-level healing pill."
"That would be 100 points."
"Just take it."
He still had a few points after leveling up.
Instead of the usual blue pill, a red pill appeared on Ethan's hand.
"Hack the camera." Ethan looked at the camera on the ceiling.
"Hacked."
Ethan pushed the pills into Mrs. Rose's mouth and placed her husband's photo beside her before working out.
Mrs. Rose's hands twitched slightly before her eyes opened. Her gaze first went to the picture by her side. She did not know how it got there, but she placed it close to her heart.
Noah rested his back on the wall while Ileus and Layla sat on a bench with some other elderly people who, probably, wanted to check their old bones.
When Ethan walked out, Ileus and Layla stood up. While Noah approach him.
"I just got some info about where they are keeping Helen."
******
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