Chapter 86: Silence

"You shouldn't blame yourself." Tron said calmly with his eyes closed, sitting back in the chair, "You did more than was necessary. There were more opponents, but you not only survived, but you were also able to overpower everyone."

Silence.

No one bothered to answer Tron.

Only after some time, Adam looked at him and said, "It's not about how we did... Humans shouldn't be our enemies, at all. We should be killing monsters, not each other."

Tron nodded.

"I used to think so too, once upon a time." Tron stretched out, "However if you want to move on, you'll have to accept that."

"Lower Ring... Do all the people there really want us dead...? Do they have a reason for that?" Katrin muttered with a blank stare.

Tron shook his head.

"This isn't about the Lower Ring, it's a shame you had to deal with it so early. Monsters are the enemies of our race, but there are Upper Ring or Lower Ring villains among us, it doesn't matter."

Tron sighed heavily.

"Sure. It's unlikely that any squad from the Upper Ring will attack you since it's monitored, but sometimes it happens. It all depends on the situation. What you must remember is that you must always fight like you did today. No matter who the enemy is, if he wants to kill you and hurt your mates, that's enough to consider him a monster."

Adam, Katrin, Mark, and Kody nodded slightly.

They knew that Tron was right because they had already decided it for themselves when the gunslinger killed Barna.

However, now they had to realize and accept - killing a human was not easy in a world where the only enemies of ordinary people - monsters.

...

Soon, the military helicopter returned to the Citadel, and the Travelers Squad completed their mission. Technically, it was a success, for they had lost two Phantoms, no Harvesters, and destroyed the Prime King, but... For Adam, Katrin, Kody, and Mark, it had been the blackest day.

For the next few days, none of them did anything, just a simple routine to help take their minds off things. Well... when they were alone with themselves, the thoughts just consumed their minds. It was as inevitable as what awaited them on day three...

Step. Step. Another Step.

Adam, in an all-black suit, walked forward with a deep gaze, along with Silvana, who was also dressed in all-black.

Unfortunately, they had to dress like that not because of the theme party, but because of one of the worst things that could happen in life - a funeral.

"Sure. I think it's almost time to head to the Lower Ring. It's given me one more reason to do so."

Silvana shrugged.

"I've already tried to find information on Ruby Dew, however... My searches have resulted in rather meager outcomes. All I could find out was that it's a medium-sized organization in the Lower Ring and that they've been involved in controversial events many times before, but no details."

Adam shook his head.

"Damn. I know it would be wrong to let a gunslinger live. However, now we're in trouble for it."

Adam sighed.

"Decisions have to have consequences, don't they?"

"Absolutely." Silvana nodded, then the corners of her lips lifted slightly, "However, that doesn't mean all is lost. The problem isn't the dead gunslinger, it's that I don't have access to that information."

Adam gave her a questioning look.

"Hmm?"

Silvana smiled slyly.

"It's simple. We need to go to someone who can find out about Ruby Dew. To do that, we need an Operator of a higher rank than me."

Operators like the Phantoms had their own ranks. They didn't have to take any tests or exams for that, because their rank was tied to the rank of their Phantom. However, the rank was only held if the Operator performed well on the more difficult missions.

A Phantom could give up its Operator and that would result in a lowering of the Operator's rank. It was rare, but it did happen.

"I take it you already have some sort of option, don't you?"

"Sure. We could ask for help from some K2 or K3-Phantom. However, in our case, we have a much better option. I'm talking about Damien and his Operator." Silvana explained.

Adam's eyes went wide.

"Normally, K1-Phantom would have a hard time getting help from Damien himself, but I'm sure he won't turn you down. That's the kind of person he is, he's willing to indulge his own interests." Silvana smiled confidently.

"Alright, but do it tomorrow. I have to visit someone tonight."

"As you wish."