Soon after the training, everyone cleaned themselves up, especially Marc, who was becoming more and more grumpy. It wasn’t odd for someone who had fallen into a pile of mutant dung. He began acting more distant, even with his cousin Jane, who also happened to be the captain. He had changed a lot; it was as if he was losing his personality.That was a question for another day. As they walked out to load their gear into the vehicle they had managed to pull over, a thrumming sound filled the air as a military plane finally arrived. Jane was actually surprised, as this was one of the six planes in their possession, and they would never use it for less serious situations. But now that she thought of it, the fact that Garfield’s experiment could close the gap in power between man and monsters was enough reason. The military was doing everything they could so the Merc Association wouldn’t rebel and take over. They needed to create a suitable, workable power system to boost their soldiers.Th

The military plane landed in an open field under the watchful eyes of the commander. Jane, however, immediately noticed that something was off. There were too few soldiers. That question would have to wait for now.The hatch opened. Jane and Max stepped out first, with the professor and Sarah following behind. Lorne was helping One-Eye walk, supporting him with his shoulder; the man seemed to be suffering from a hangover. Marc was doing the same for Henrik.The commander came forward to welcome them himself—one of the greatest honors Jane had received since the start of her military career and since her father’s glorious death.She straightened her posture, lifted her chest, clamped one hand to the other in salute, and stamped a booted foot. She exchanged a salute with the man, whose wrinkles spoke of hard-earned experience and old age.“Well done, Captain. You don’t know how much we anticipated your arrival, or how eager we were—especially with your achievements on this mission. Ever

The birds were screeching just beneath the clouds as the sun set on the event of the day.An awarding ceremony for the soldiers who had accomplished the first-ever Rank C mission would be taking place at the sector front. The commander had taken it upon himself to honour the heroes who brought hope back to the last lamplight of humanity.With the apocalypse in full swing, it was hard to make anything feel official, but the military managed, making it at least half as good as ceremonies from the old world.Jane watched the setup. To her, all these were mere formalities that could have been skipped—yet the constant, rapid tempo of her heartbeat said otherwise.Father… little Jane hasn’t let you down.Jane’s cheeks went wet as tears slipped down onto her fist, clenched tightly at her waist.“Is everything fine, Captain? I can’t help but notice that you haven’t dressed up for the ceremony.” At some point, the commander had managed to appear at her side.“Ah, Commander—” Jane flinched, the

An orb glowed on a ring-shaped plate. A scientist wearing a face shield was reassembling the orb with a picker and spatula for what felt like the ten-thousandth time. He had tried multiple patterns already. Hopefully, this time would be a success."Hey, Lorne, would you hand me the chip of the core? That should be the final piece to this puzzle. Let's pray it doesn't explode." The scientist grimaced, extending a hand toward Lorne, his new assistant, who was holding a chunk of Nest Core worth dozens of lives."Here, Professor," Lorne answered.It had been three days, yet they still hadn’t succeeded in creating what they were after. There wasn’t much time. According to the military, the system might crash the moment the Merc Association obtained a C rank or a New Path.The professor attached the chip of Nest Core to the open part of the core. Immediately, a rainbow wave of energy spread to all corners of the lab and beyond.The scientist, Garfield, flinched as sweat dripped down his for