A cave, somewhere in the mountains.
One exit led straight to the Guild's freight distribution yard. Deeper inside lay the temporary shelter.
Soss—the evacuees' de facto leader—walked in front to guide the way. Behind him followed Endfield's Crisis Management Team.
They were going to clear out the Riftbreakers occupying the distribution yard, then establish a new foothold there.
"This path is pretty steep," Hao Fan muttered softly. "Feels like we're climbing a high slope."
He kept his eyes lowered on the game map. He knew they were heading back up to the surface—only the light was so poor that the way ahead was hard to make out.
To be honest, it was impressive the evacuees had found somewhere this well hidden. Even if the Riftbreakers swept the area carpet-style, they still couldn't locate the shelter's exact position.
The reason their refuge was collapsing wasn't because it had been discovered.
It was simply because they were running out of supplies.
Otherwise, they probably could've held on longer…
So long as no one got sick.
"Thank goodness Aji's stable," Hao Fan said, thinking of the Perro little girl infected with Oripathy.
She was a stranger he'd only just met, but she'd left an unexpectedly deep impression.
Because she was the first infected person he'd seen since arriving in this world—and the first patient he'd watched receive an Oripathy suppressant.
That immediate, visible effect proved something to him:
On Talos-II, Oripathy was no longer the kind of terror it had been back on Terra.
Rhodes Island really had achieved what it once set out to do.
The thought left him quietly, inexplicably comforted.
Chen Qianyu leaned closer and spoke in a low voice, like she was sharing a secret.
"Good thing Perlica had suppressants on her. Otherwise…" She shuddered, her voice turning earnest. "When I think about how Aji looked earlier, it makes my chest feel tight."
Then, unusually, she brought up something from her own past.
"Back in Lavandorma, I met quite a few infected," she said. "As long as they carried suppressants, they were just like anyone else—sunbathing on lounge chairs by the sea, going to music festivals…"
"If they hadn't told me they were infected, I wouldn't have been able to tell."
Her expression dimmed as she continued.
"But there was this one family… the moment they found out, their eyes went wide. They didn't say a word—just quietly moved away and hid off to the side."
Chen Qianyu sounded downcast.
It wasn't even something that had happened to her directly. But she was the kind of person who felt other people's pain too easily—someone built for stepping in when she saw injustice.
Altruism—the essence of a wandering knight.
And in Lavandorma, there was also a wildly popular milk tea shop called "Bump-Bump Cups." Chen Qianyu had stayed there for three whole months because of it.
Only after she'd drunk her fill did she leave Lavandorma and continue on to the next place—
A home in every sea, a road beneath every sky.
That had been her life: short stops in many places, picking up odd jobs, doing practical work under all sorts of organizations and individuals—just to earn enough travel money for the next destination, and to see more of the world.
Until she joined Endfield Industrial.
This was the longest she'd ever stayed anywhere.
And it seemed she didn't plan to leave.
"I see…" Hao Fan said quietly, listening.
He could understand that family's reaction.
On Terra, that had been the norm.
When faced with infected people—danger in human form—keeping your distance was simply what most did.
Rhodes Island's goal had been to change that norm.
And it had.
"Are people still afraid of contact with the infected?" Hao Fan asked.
Chen Qianyu thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"Some people probably still are," she said. "But I don't think it's many… Not when suppressants exist. People aren't that wary about hospice care for the infected anymore, or even handling their remains."
As she spoke, her mood seemed to brighten again. She smiled—soft, simple, almost foolishly sweet.
"Oripathy still can't be cured, but… I really hope Aji gets better soon."
"Me too," Hao Fan said, the corners of his lips lifting. "But if she's going to recover properly, the environment matters."
"So we have to build a new foothold."
This open patch of ground had once been used by Guild workers to stack cargo. It had since been abandoned—and then discovered by the Riftbreakers.
Large numbers of Grindbone raiders and Grindbone ambush shooters were gathered there, seemingly preparing to construct something.
But there was no elite leader present—no Grindbone executioner, no major threat.
As far as the eye could see, it was all low-tier muscle.
"That's them," Soss whispered, hiding behind a boulder and not daring to peek out. "So many… and so vicious. Please—be careful."
Wolfguard, the team's Riftbreaker specialist, observed briefly and immediately grasped their intent.
"They've got numbers and organization," he said, frowning at the half-finished structures. "They're building a small Nest Spire."
Good thing they'd arrived in time. The area hadn't been swallowed by red haze yet.
If it had, things would've gotten complicated.
"What's the combat risk?" Hao Fan asked, glancing at the dense cluster of red dots on his map. He wanted the professional read.
"As long as we move fast, it won't be a problem," Wolfguard replied, calm to the point of chilling confidence.
He had top-tier technique, and his specialty was solo engagements.
A lone wolf—used to handling everything himself, used to carrying everything himself.
If needed, he alone could wipe out every Riftbreaker occupying the yard.
But Hao Fan wasn't shameless enough to dump all the work on him.
They were a team now.
So naturally… everyone goes in—
Still, Hao Fan felt oddly conflicted.
Back on Terra, the Doctor—Rhodes Island's commander—rarely ever fought personally. He gave orders, and operators executed.
But here on Talos-II, this "Doctor" had to take the field himself.
Different world. Different rules.
Yeah… I've fallen on hard times, family, Hao Fan grumbled internally.
Even as he complained to himself, he drew both of his Howling Sentinels.
Beside him, Wolfguard also drew his weapons—two matching handguns, black-and-red, flawlessly made.
Cannibalism.
A special firearm produced by Thunderhead Industries, notoriously difficult to use.
An experimental weapon with only a small number of samples released onto the market—absurdly expensive.
Its arcane imprint, Brutal Purge, increased Arts damage and made targets temporarily struggle to resist elemental harm—becoming more vulnerable to fire, for example.
This was Wolfguard's weapon.
And beyond that…
He had a hobby—an obsession, even—for weapon modification.
For instance: reworking etched rounds.
It wasn't exactly "fun," but testing his modifications clearly brought him a quiet satisfaction.
Hao Fan didn't know the details.
He only knew one thing:
Wolfguard's guns were at least two tiers above his own.
Are you kidding me? You're that loaded?!
Hao Fan felt a sour sting of envy—
And beside him, Chen Qianyu had already drawn her sword, eyes shining.
"Then let's end it fast!"
....
My Patreon : patreon/RuneA
If you want to read the novel in advance, you can subscribe for early access. I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in
I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length. If you're following a particular series, please wait your turn a little
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it