As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the desert sands, Roman turned to Neato and Kael. "It's getting late. Let's set up camp here for the night."
Neato and Kael nodded, silently gathering firewood and pitching their tents under Roman's watchful eye.
"I'm going for a walk," Roman announced suddenly, his gaze fixed on the darkening sky.
Neato looked up, surprised. "Aren't you afraid we'll run away?" he asked, only half-joking.
Roman's expression remained impassive. "No. If I come back and you're not here, the pill you consumed will eat you from the inside out. It will feel like getting hit by a thousand needles every second."
Neato and Kael exchanged uneasy glances as Roman turned and walked away into the fading light.
Once he was certain he was far enough from the camp, Roman stopped and retrieved a small device from his coat pocket. With practiced ease, he activated it, a holographic interface appearing before him.
"I'm close to finishing my mission," Roman murmured to himself, his eyes scanning the display. "All I need is five people."
Before he could dwell on the task at hand, a female voice echoed in his mind, startling him.
"Very good, Roman. Keep up the good work," the voice said. "It won't be long before we rewrite everything. Since you managed to get two people, I'll tell you the whereabouts of Nina. She is currently a slave for an organization called Novum in Altora."
Roman's jaw tightened at the mention of Nina's name, a flicker of emotion crossing his stoic features.
"We are almost close to completing our mission," the voice continued, a note of anticipation in her tone. "We'll make a better world, a safer one."
The call ended abruptly, leaving Roman alone in the darkness. He pocketed the device and gazed up at the stars, a sense of determination burning within him.
"We are almost close to completing our goal," Roman murmured to himself, his voice barely audible above the gentle rustle of the desert breeze.
END OF CHAPTER 11