Auren is standing in front of the large mansion of the Glam Clan. It takes barely thirty seconds after his call for a pair of guards to politely greet him and escort him inside.
Less than five minutes after arriving at the mansion, Auren finds himself sitting in Jasoof's office, making him experience a small Deja vu.
It hasn't been that long....
"Welcome back, Hunter Auren. You've already taken on several missions for us, and your work hasn't gone unnoticed. Now that you've dealt with the cursed witch haunting our town, your name is starting to carry weight—even inside the clan. A few of the children have been begging the Clan Head to invite you to dinner, but I didn't want to trouble you with boring social events. Still, if you're ever interested, feel free to show up—you're welcome to bring anyone you like."
"Maybe later," Auren replies. "I'm taking a day off while my disciples and colleagues continue their training and relax at your hotel."
"I'm already in touch with the hotel," Jasoof says. "Your rooms will be fully refunded. Please consider it a small gift of appreciation. Now then—what brings you here today? I must say, I didn't expect your call."
Auren smiles widely. "Since I don't have anyone to babysit today... tell me more about that Nen user you mentioned. I'm willing to take care of that mission you mentioned right away."
"Really? Excellent. However, I do need to warn you," Jasoof says, sitting back. "The Nen user might be an amateur, but he's not alone. He's accompanied by a group of armed guards—ex-military, all of them. There's also a small chance he's training a few others. I don't want to deceive you, so it's only fair to be upfront about the risk."
"I don't see any risks," Auren says confidently. "Don't worry about me, I'm not afraid."
My enemies, however... they should be afraid...
Jasoof stares at him for a moment, then gives a short nod. "That's promising. The job itself is simple: clean up a specific site. A pack of black market scum has committed a most serious crime, even for Glam Gas Land standards. That crime warrants execution, with no chance for parole. They're all designated terrorists, and you're permitted—actually encouraged—to kill them on sight. They've sabotaged our Royal Gas Pipeline No. 3. It's connected to one of our biggest gas deposits, a source so massive it's supplied us with gas for generations."
Really? So how did you lose access to something that important?
He continues, his tone getting more serious. "We're certain they cut into the pipeline. Since they can't use it for themselves, this is clearly an act of sabotage. We suspect they are hired by corporations, but we can't prove a thing. Suspiciously, we've gotten offers from a large conglomerate to buy the pipeline and the resource site a few months earlier. Even a child could guess who's responsible. We've been locked out of that section for months, and we suspect they've constructed their own industrial setup somewhere nearby and want to construct their own pipelines. But that's not really the concern here. Your mission is simple—take out everyone on-site and report back. The reward is 100 million Jenny for eliminating the Nen user. We'll also pay a bonus depending on how many enemies you take care of, so don't worry—we're not going to shortchange you."
This isn't about money in the first place, but fine. I'll take it.
"Sounds great. How far out is it? Also, I'm not an expert or anything, but aren't pipelines usually underground? Will I be able to find the broken pipe?" Auren asks, genuinely confused.
"Of course they are," Jasoof immediately confirms. "But they're not buried too deep. The enemy struck where the pipeline runs through a long, deserted stretch of land. It's not hard to dig into if you know where to look. Since we still control the original site—and the city itself—we can get everything up and running again within weeks, as soon as those filthy saboteurs are dealt with. We've already narrowed down their location. I'm sending a team of my men with you. They'll drive you straight to the site and provide fire support if needed."
"I'm guessing you've already sent quite a few people to deal with them. Is that how you learned that we're up against a Nen user?" Auren asks.
That seems to be the only possibility....
"Yes... so prepare for the worst," Jasoof confirms, a hint of regret visible on his face.
Auren snickers as he stands up. "The worst is coming—for them. I'm heading out right away."
"Wait!" Jasoof calls out. "Give me a few minutes to gather my men."
"Sure," Auren replies casually.
Not that I need them... but a driver will come in handy.
Ten minutes later, seven heavily armed men arrive, each carrying rifles and wearing protective gear, making them appear like soldiers or special task force police officers. Jasoof also joins them, now wearing a bulletproof vest, combat boots, and two massive revolvers holstered at his sides.
What is he doing...?
"I don't want to be rude," Auren says, eyeing Jasoof's gear. "But I won't be able to protect you. And I prefer working alone."
"No problem," Jasoof replies without hesitation. "Just call me if you need anything. We're only here for backline support. Besides... I want to see these bastards suffer myself."
"Fine," Auren says with a nod.
"Finally, we can take these fuckers down!" Jasoof growls, revealing a hint of bloodthirst.. "They've been messing with the clan for way too long. If you catch any of them alive, I'll pay extra."
He then turns to one of his men. "Do you have the supplies with you?!"
"Yes, sir," the man answers, lugging a heavy-looking suitcase.
"I'm going to enjoy this," Jasoof says, fired up. "The day started off boring—but now it's finally time for some revenge!" His men let out short cheers behind him.
Okay...? Looks like they seriously pissed off the clan. I'd better kill them all—for their own sake.
Jasoof, followed by Auren and his men, leads the way toward a smaller building just outside the manor. Inside are several vehicles. They load into two armored off-road cars—well-suited for the red desert terrain beyond the city.
Auren climbs into the same vehicle as Jasoof, and the group quickly speeds off, heading through the city and into the wild terrain.
As they drive, Auren glances at the soldiers. Despite the upcoming battle, they remain calm and composed. The only exception is Jasoof—his fists clenched, eyes locked forward in anticipation.
"Any reason you're this angry?" Auren asks. "Did they cause major losses?"
"Yes... but that's not the main reason why I'm this angry," Jasoof admits. "My nephew was killed by them. He insisted on doing field work... and back then, he was just part of a regular inspection team. Family means everything to me—and to the clan. I want these bastards dead. When they are, I'll feed them to the desert hyenas."
So he doesn't care about all his losses or the money, but only cares for his nephew. Typical clan behaviour.
"I see..." Auren responds quietly.
Nearly an hour passes. As the vehicles rumble through rough terrain, Jasoof finally speaks again. "This is the spot. Once we reach the top of that hill, you should be able to see what's going on. The part of the pipeline that's broken is up ahead, and I'm guessing some sort of enemy camp as well... be careful!"
"Then don't go up there, or you'll become a target. Just stay back," Auren says firmly. "I'm heading out alone."
"Stop the car!" Jasoof commands. The driver brakes immediately.
"I'll give you a call," Auren says, opening the door. In one swift motion, he exits the vehicle and activates Zetsu, disappearing into the desert.
Despite Jasoof's suggestion to approach from the hill, Auren instead takes the longer path—circling around it, staying hidden while he rushes ahead.
It takes him ten minutes of speeding across the red-dirt terrain before he finally spots a large hole in the ground.
So that's where they dug in to sabotage the pipe.
With the target confirmed, Auren pushes forward. As he nears the exposed section of the pipeline, something catches his eye. The flat red terrain beside it looks off—something's reflecting light.
As he gets closer to what appears to be a bunker, a sudden red light flashes. Auren immediately reacts, dashing to the side and weaving around unpredictably.
Sniper! They've spotted me. Do they have cameras—or some kind of sensors?!
A shot rings out, but Auren's sharpened senses allow him to dodge it cleanly.
No longer needing stealth, he activates Ren and surges forward with incredible speed—far too fast to be tracked through a scope.
Within twenty seconds, he reaches the opening and spots the small bunker, dug into the earth, just beside the pipeline.
Before he can move in, several armed men rush out, wielding rifles and pistols, immediately firing at him.
As Auren dodges the bullets, Auren draws Eternity and charges straight at them without hesitation. While still a fair distance away, he activates Limitless Waters, channeling Aura into the blade through Shu, then releases a devastating ranged slash.
The armed guards don't even react in time before a massive wave of destruction hits them.
In one clean motion, three soldiers are brutally bisected—cut in half by a powerful wave of lethal Nen.
Now that's a surprise... It feels like Eternity has grown stronger. I used the same amount of Aura, but the attack was noticeably more lethal—and had a wider range. No doubt about it... Eternity has evolved. It seems to be even more effective as a catalyst for my Aura. Time for some more experiments!
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