In the heart of the Newford, within the grandeur of the Awakened Hall, a two-story, pristinely kept corridor bustles with rushing figures.
The hall's ceiling stretches far above, dwarfing the individuals within, giving it the uncanny semblance of an unfinished warehouse. One might think that an extra floor could conserve space and break the vast expanse of the ceiling.
Two men exit a conference room into this echoing space. One is lean and tall, the other shorter and stockier. They share a mutual sigh, slumping onto the floor without a second thought.
"Klye... why do they assign us these impossible tasks?"
The stocky man grumbles, his nose wrinkling like a crumpled sheet of paper.
"We're not combat-type awakeneds. Sometimes I even doubt if I'm an awakened at all... Klye? Klye?! Thanks god. I hope you heard the mission briefing."
Klye, the one addressed, is far from attentive to his companion's grievances. His gaze roams the sea of employees strolling by in their uniform, not missing the curves accentuated by the black office suits on some particularly attractive newcomers.
"Klye..."
"Shhh! I get it!"
Klye interrupts, his azure eyes sparkling with mischief. He idly observes the identification card on his partner's chest, reading, "Investigation Manager: Des - If Uncontrollable, return to Awakened Hall 2nd floor". Meanwhile, his hand hangs nonchalantly over his knee.
"All I care about is how much they're paying us... oh, the value of spores should be higher now. I checked, hidden spores fetch the highest market price. It will goes higher. We should stock some."
Des shakes his head in disbelief, his forehead creasing like a crumpled map then.
"Oh god! Aren't you afraid of dying? Overusing your abilities can cause you to lose control."
In his hands, Des held a report, jabbing his finger at a particular number.
"225 awakeneds, 225! All to be reviewed in 3 days. We must have offended the Hall somewhere. They're trying to get rid of us... You saw the crime scene photos, right? Those people's heads were smashed, bits scattered everywhere. Not a single bullet were found. I think they're lying, it couldn't have been a controlled weapon."
Klye shakes his head, suddenly sitting upright, his gaze fixed on Des with an alarming intensity. For a full minute, he doesn't blink.
"Klye...did you—"
"Look at me."
"Huh?"
*Snap*
Before Des can finish, Klye snaps his fingers in front of his face. Des's eyes go blank for a moment, then return to calm, his expression blank.
Klye raises an eyebrow, deftly unbuckling the watch from Des's wrist and rummaging through his pocket to find his wallet. Counting the cash inside, he finds six 50-pound notes and two 5-pound notes. After a moment of hesitation...not so long, he drew one of the 5-pound notes out.
Then stuffed it back into the wallet.
"You know, the stores in Newford wouldn't even take notes this large not too long ago."
Still, Des stands like a soulless shell. Klye returns the wallet, continuing his one-sided conversation.
"This is your deposit of medical fee. It's not enough, but once the mission is over, there'll be more. Then I'll collect the rest from you. You see, this is why they chose us. It's a sin to pass up an opportunity to earn money. It's even worse than premarital sex..."
After straightening Des's card, Klye rubs his histemples and sighs, facing the still-frozen figure. His words continue to flow, drawing curious glances from passing employees. It's not surprising, given his deep azure eyes that seem to pull people in, like they might drown if they stared too long.
"You know, this task is indeed quite difficult. So, I want to discuss something with you in advance. Don't say I didn't warn you, but if, if we meet an uncontrolled one, I'm going to sell you out and run. Any objections?"
As he speaks, he closes one eye, nodding his head in satisfaction.
"Good, If you don't respond in 5 seconds, I'll take that as a yes."
The air seems to solidify for those 5 seconds, but there's no response.
"Well, thank you. It's a pleasure to work with you."
Klye says, shaking Des's hand vigorously, before snapping his fingers in front of him once more.
"Uh...what just happened?" Des asks, regaining his consciousness.
"Nothing much. Do you feel anxious anymore? Any feelings of dizziness or nausea?"
"Dizziness...nausea...What are you talking, mate?"
Des looks puzzled for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Quit the bullshit haha, Klye. Why would I feel sick? Now, didn't we get a job?"
Then, with a kind of exhilaration, he picked up the sheet of paper, his eyes scanning the information line by line. As he read, the gleam in his eyes grew even brighter.
"Alright, Don, Enoch, Felix," he announced, a spark of excitement in his voice.
"Hey, we got a Duke here..."
He nodded, brimming with energy like a ready overflowing fountain of youth.
"Cool, no worries, bro. We can handle this," he reassured.
"This is the first time someone has pulled a gun in the city, even fired a shot, and managed to evade the 'Sky Eyes' . Must be a pretty slick Awakened with hiding abilities. If he gets away, Newford will have to change its rules for him. But I'm guessing the lab on the third floor will have a new specimen to dissect soon, don't you think?"
Des stepped past his partner, tipping his nose in the air.
Kyle, his partner, followed suit, a silent chuckle escaping his mouth.
"Oh, right? What's your ability? Mine is..."
*****
Meanwhile, Zed tugged at the iron chain, a satisfying clink echoing in the silence.
He looked at the ash of 「Hidden spore」, just sighed.
"Not worth, definitely not worth..."
But there is no time for him to thought about it. He nodded and turning to Lucy, his voice carrying a soft tone.
"You should head back. Be careful when you're out and about. Adrian and Coco have been assigned a sudden task, so we'll have to cancel the meeting this week. I've left some money for you. Go to the snack street and get something to eat. I will be back soon. And... I don't think they will give you a hard time."
Lucy give him an intense look, her foot nervously scraping against the floor. In a voice barely above a whisper, she asked:
"You really won't take me with you?"
Zed smiled, his gaze firm and gentle.
"It's too dangerous out there right now. One day, I promise, when I can truly protect you, we'll go out together. Plus, this time, I'm not just running away. I get some things to manage outside the city."
"Okay, just... be careful," Lucy conceded, her voice a mix of resignation and concern.
Without another word, Zed kick-started the motorbike. Chain on his shoulder. With a roar of the engine, he sped off, leaving a trail of dust behind as he disappeared through a gap in the southern wall.
That same night, the whole of Newford Shelter was locked down. All the Awakened who had entered the city in the past two days were taken to the Awakened Hall for interrogation, but nothing substantial was uncovered.
Although this operation didn't net any definite suspects, it served as a wake-up call to the entire Awakened world, its echoes reaching far into other cities. A month after the Awakened went berserk, it proved that the Awakened, as entities stronger than ordinary human, should also be subject to the law.
As for Zed, the start of it all, he was in the ruins south of the city, hunting for his treasure beast.