Nathan's eyes opened wide, he had expected many things, but not that the young woman in front of him would present herself as part of the central government.
Many questions popped into his mind, but most of all he wondered what government agents were doing in this part of the outskirts. The orange-haired young man approached them and patted Lynn lightly on the head.
"What do you think you're doing?! We're infiltrators... Infiltrators" the young man spelled out.
Lynn simply tucked her badge back into her pocket and turned her head gently, her cheeks puffed out.
"I don't care, if someone is in danger, I'll help them"
The young man patted his face wearily.
"Fine... help them. But don't reveal our identities"
As they argued, the third person with them approached and frowned at Nathan.
The young woman had short white hair and her eyes pierced him like swords. Nathan just remained silent, waiting for the duo to stop arguing.
A moment later, the young woman looked at him again and put a finger to her lips tenderly.
"Keep it a secret. Will you?"
Nathan didn't know what to say, so he just nodded slightly, to which the young woman smiled brightly.
"Good! So... see you!"
The young woman turned to her companions, spoke to them and they left the alley, but not before giving him accusing looks, making it clear to him that he had better not say anything or he would get into trouble.
In any case, Nathan had no intention of telling anyone. He didn't want any trouble and he didn't want anyone to be interested in him, so the more incognito he could be the better.
As he watched them leave, Nathan sighed and looked at the unconscious man at his feet. He had received an electric shock strong enough to render his essence useless, so he probably wouldn't wake up for a while.
Nathan simply left the alley and walked in the opposite direction of the bar, as far away from it as possible.
***
On the roof of an old, weathered building in the middle of the outskirts, the orange-haired young man and the white-haired young woman looked at the outskirts with disgust.
"This was the target of the search" the young man said.
The young woman nodded and turned her head to look at Lynn, who was typing her report on a laptop away from them.
"Did she notice?" the young woman asked.
The young man stood in silence for a few seconds, watching his teammate.
"I doubt it"
The young white-haired girl nodded silently.
"So... what do we do?"
They both stood in silence for a while in thought before the young man spoke.
"Let's keep an eye on him, it depends on what his intentions are, we'll act one way or another..."
The young woman smiled and licked her lips.
"Well... the bounty on his head is quite juicy"
The young man rolled his eyes in annoyance but said nothing; it was true that the price on Nathan's head was quite high. It was pure luck and coincidence that he was found on the outskirts of the city.
Suddenly, Lynn approached them with a smile.
"Finish the report... let's get something to eat here"
The young man sighed.
"We're on the outskirts... there are no restaurants here"
Lynn shook her head.
"No, no. You're thinking all wrong, Gril. There are restaurants, just not the ones you're used to"
'That's why I don't want to eat in this disgusting place' Gril thought but said nothing.
Lynn looked at the young white-haired girl and reached over to hold her shoulders.
"And you, Tana. You're so dry, you should smile more"
Tana looked at her indifferently.
"We're working, not on holiday"
Lynn stared at her for a few seconds, smiling, before sighing sadly.
"You should make the most of the little moments, we never know when we're going to die"
They were both surprised, the sentence Lynn had just said didn't match her attitude at all. They both looked at each other and nodded slightly.
In addition to their mission, they would follow the strange, masked person... and if possible, kill him and get the bounty on his head.
***
Away from the three young agents, Nathan walked quietly through the streets of the outskirts. After seven years, the people had not changed, hunger and misery were the norm, no help came from the government and there was no interest in it.
Nathan had lived in ignorance for many years when he lived with his family, he always had to eat, and he lived in an environment where wealthy people were the norm.
It was impossible for him to imagine someone starving to death. At least that was the case for several years before he himself felt the sensation of not having anything to eat.
Nathan sighed and pushed these thoughts out of his mind. Then he remembered the three government agents and frowned.
'Why would there be agents in the outskirts?'
He couldn't think of anything interesting enough to get the government's attention. But whatever it was, he understood that something was happening here, or at least it was about to.
He looked in the direction of the bar and where he had met the three young men. Nathan sighed again and took out his phone.
'While I wait for my skin mask to be ready... I'd better keep an eye on them'
He dialed Dilliard's number and explained what had happened. The man simply told him to be careful and not to mess with them, whenever someone from the government and someone from Khan got together, it only meant trouble.
Nathan nodded at the man's words and then hung up. He had no intention of looking for them either, he would just keep an eye out for them if he saw them again.
In any case, there wasn't much he could do while he waited a few days. So, the best way to pass the time was to find out about the strange happenings on the outskirts of town.