The payment one received for being a doctor wasn't the only advantage Liam had. There was something even more crucial that his profession provided—something that anyone aiming to rise high in the world needed: connections.
The current King of Tarus, the son of the previous ruler, was competent and tenacious, as any good king should be. However, he wouldn't have become king if not for the privilege of his bloodline paving the way.
Rising through the ranks of the military required courage, respect, leadership skills, and foresight. But even a soldier possessing all these qualities needed a superior who recognized, nurtured, and awakened them.
A regular doctor in District Seventeen could never go on a demon hunt unnoticed without knowing the right people.
Connections were crucial for such endeavors, and over the past year, Liam had built quite a few. The most significant ones he made since becoming a fully-fledged doctor in District Seventeen.
Liam wasn't one to boast, but he was acutely aware that he was a highly competent doctor and an even better surgeon. Ironically, he established the most important connections while saving lives, when people were at their most vulnerable.
It was perhaps this vulnerability that allowed Liam to forge some valuable relationships. Not everyone felt indebted to him; many were simply grateful that he was just doing his job. However, some realized that his exceptional skills had likely saved their lives, when they might have died under the care of another. These were the people who offered Liam more than just gratitude: they offered a favor.
And Liam was about to call in one of those favors.
He made his way through the quiet city, his footsteps echoing on the deserted streets. The city slept, but the threat beyond the walls kept Liam from finding peace. He kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, focusing on the wall that loomed like a dark shadow on the horizon.
Beyond this section of the wall lay the outer district, the place Liam planned to infiltrate tonight.
He turned into a narrow alley, passing darkened shop windows and abandoned buildings. He stayed alert, scanning the surroundings for any missed surveillance cameras. He had memorized their positions carefully; one wrong move could expose him.
His mission had to remain secret for many reasons. Not only was it strictly forbidden to leave the city without authorization, as it could endanger everyone, but a doctor was also not a soldier. No, no sane soldier would undertake something as reckless as a demon hunt by himself either.
His identity had to stay hidden if he wanted to avoid prison.
He moved quickly and quietly, avoiding the areas covered by cameras, and melted into the shadows.
Underneath his regular clothes, he felt the weight of the items in his oversized backpack, nearly as big as he was. The sight might have seemed ridiculous if he weren't so serious and focused. But the oversized backpack was necessary to transport his equipment through the city.
He walked along, clinging to the wall, following it counterclockwise until he reached a small gate that connected Tarus to the outside world, slightly ajar.
This was no main gate but a more secluded one, used for urgent military operations. Yet, even a small gate was strictly guarded. Liam glanced up. High above on the wall, he could faintly hear voices near the silhouettes of modern siege weapons.
But down by the gate, there was currently no one... except a lone maintenance worker performing his usual nightly inspection. It was no coincidence that Liam knew this man.
He was one of the first people whose life Liam had saved. The man had been severely injured by a Class Two demon during a breach, nearly losing his life. Liam had saved him, and the man had been so grateful that he promised Liam a favor.
A good and honest doctor would never have called in such a favor. It would have been highly unprofessional.
Though Liam was determined to be a good doctor, that didn't necessarily mean he was always honest. He had told the maintenance worker that he needed to get into the outer district because his sick cousin was there and had no way to come into the city. The least he could do, Liam explained, was to bring him some supplies to help him cope with the harsh conditions.
It had taken some convincing, but the worker had eventually agreed to his request, under the condition that everything be kept secret and quick, which suited Liam just fine.
Leaving a gate open with the possibility of demons lurking on the other side was probably one of the dumbest ideas a person could come up with—right after the idea of owning a dog instead of a cat.
"Honestly, who likes dogs more than cats?" Liam mused, already looking forward to seeing his own pet again.
But if the gate stayed open just a few seconds longer, say five seconds, that would be enough time for a single person to slip through without any demon causing trouble. After all, the automated weapons and soldiers' attention were directed outward as well.
The worker checked the gate mechanisms, noted a few things on a clipboard, and then nodded in satisfaction. Liam held his breath as the man slowly turned away from the gate, indicating his inspection was complete and that the gate was ready to be closed.
A few moments later, it would normally close. But tonight, the worker was an ally.
As planned, the gate stayed open a bit longer. Now was the moment to slip through unnoticed. Liam pressed himself against the wall, his heart racing. Everything had to go perfectly in this short window of time.
He pushed off and squeezed through the narrow gap just as the gate began to close again. It was a close call, but he made it. The sound of hydraulics and metal clanging shut reverberated behind him.
Immediately, he was enveloped in deep darkness. It was nighttime, and the only lights now lay behind him, obscured by the colossal wall. The sky was overcast, with no stars in sight, and the darkness only heightened the oppressive atmosphere of the place.
Before him stretched the barren outer landscape of Tarus. Humanity had long abandoned the outskirts of the city, and although nature had begun to reclaim many parts of the world, there was little evidence of that here. The terrain was pocked with craters, covered in a thin layer of sand that the wind occasionally kicked up in small clouds. It was a wasteland, a grim reminder of the destruction wrought by both demons and humans.
Liam gazed straight ahead, taking in the bleak scene. There were hardly any trees or plants, just barren earth and the scars of past battles.
For the first time, it dawned on him what he was truly undertaking. He was now beyond the wall. Even with the guns towering above, an unnoticed demon could appear at any moment, just as they did in the outer district.
Out here, there was no one but himself to rely on if something went wrong.
He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. This was a decision he had made and one he did not intend to regret.
Turning his gaze to the right, he spotted his target—the outer district. The area was dark and foreboding, illuminated only by a few flickering streetlights, most of which weren't even properly working.
There were no proper roads, only narrow alleys winding through a jumble of simple, dilapidated buildings. These structures, often made of basic materials like wood and tin, were crammed closely together as if trying to hold each other up.
Many of the windows were dark, some covered with makeshift curtains to keep prying eyes out. Some houses had nothing more than holes for windows.
The condition of the buildings reflected the poverty and neglect that prevailed here. Roofs were often patched together, walls showed cracks, and debris and trash collected in the corners of the alleys.
Here and there, small fires burned, around which a few figures huddled in blankets, trying to fend off the night's chill.
Liam tightened his grip on his backpack and took one last deep breath. Here, in this desolate place, he would begin his mission.