Raquelamalin silently cloaked herself in Arts and slipped into Sector Zero, accompanied by the red-haired Zalak woman.
"Come to think of it, I never asked your name."
"…Is it necessary?"
"I can't keep calling you 'Zalak.' What's your name?"
They were temporary allies. Larin needed to find Yujin, Kiril, and Kisha, while the woman needed to rescue her kidnapped Infected comrades.
"Sona. Call me Sona. That's my name."
"Got it. Sona. But... are you sure about this?"
It was a fundamental doubt. Their force consisted of a swordsman with unverified skills and Larin herself.
Sona claimed she could handle a blade, but Larin hadn't seen her fight. Larin‘s Words of Power were versatile, but would they be enough?
Even now, they were relying on Larin‘s veil to sneak over the wall.
"There is no other way. If we don't move now, I don't know what will happen to my friends. Even if you turn back... I can't."
Sona spoke gloomily. The Armorless Union had suddenly appeared after Yujin left via the sewers and abducted innocent Infected.
Sona had escaped thanks to her agility and skill, but her comrades had not been so lucky.
"…If Lazurite hadn't come personally, we might have won."
A single powerhouse creates countless variables. Two multiply the danger exponentially.
When both Lazurites—the symbol of the Union's might—arrived, even Sona was helpless. Fighting one was hard enough; two was impossible.
She also had people to protect. In the end, she failed to save her comrades and fled with only a few children.
"Don't worry. I know the way into Sector Zero. Unless we get unlucky and run into a Lazurite or Platinum, we should be able to infiltrate safely."
"…Usually, saying that guarantees we'll meet them."
Larin shivered slightly. According to Sona, the Darkirons rarely mobilized.
When she heard about the attack on Larin and Yujin, Sona's eyes had widened in shock. Lazurite was well-known, but the Darkirons were considered urban legends.
The problem was that there were three of these "legends" firing spear-sized arrows to kill people.
"If we get caught, we're dead."
"Probably, right?"
Perhaps because they were both Infected, they felt a strange camaraderie. Putting that aside, Sona and Larin moved forward.
An ordinary Union member wouldn't be able to pierce Larin‘s veil. Leaving no trace, they moved deeper, opening doors silently.
"Everyone looks strange."
The faces of the Union members on patrol were pale, as if they were fighting a physiological revulsion. Experienced assassins wouldn't look like that.
"…Why are they like that?"
Larin knew. It was guilt. She didn't know why they were feeling it now, but the emotion was eating away at them.
"Who knows. Maybe they're finally feeling guilty."
"Guilt? Ha! After all the Infected they‘ve killed? Now?"
"I don't know."
Sona‘s eyes burned like fire. If they truly felt guilty, she looked ready to tear them apart with her blade.
"People I spoke to just yesterday are gone. The child who smiled and gave me a flower, the old woman who offered me hard bread!"
"..."
"Dragged to Sector Zero and vanished without a trace. I know what they do here. If they saw us as human, they wouldn't do this!"
Sona glared at the Union members with rage. Her anger was justified, so Larin couldn't say anything.
"If they're feeling guilty now, they should just bite their tongues and die. That would be the only comfort for us."
"…Right. Let‘s focus on what we can do."
They walked through the dimly lit facility, which looked more like a prison camp.
There were cameras, but they flickered brokenly, no longer functioning.
Why? Why kidnap Kiril and Kisharsinagh, and then suddenly abduct Sona's comrades? They knew suspicious things were happening to Infected in Sector Zero, but every action has a cause.
Full of questions but with nothing to do but move forward, they pressed on.
Having experienced a series of events and taken down several Union members, Yujin sliced through a prison lock, freeing the trapped Infected.
"Th-thank you! How can we ever repay this..."
"…It's fine."
Yujin no longer bothered to hide his face. His platinum eyes and features were fully exposed.
Many recognized him. The long-term residents of Sector Zero were likely dead; those here had been captured recently.
They wondered why he was here saving them, but they followed him quietly. Following him was the only way out.
Yujin was the only combatant. The Infected following him were emaciated, mere skin and bones from starvation.
But every time they encountered a two-man Union patrol, Yujin subdued them in an instant before they could report anything.
Even with a scavenged weapon, his swordsmanship was flawless.
Sparing the Union members wasn't pleasing to the Infected, but they respected the will of their savior and remained silent.
"…Are you leaving?"
"I intend to save as many as I can before I go. There might still be people left."
"Then... I know the way. I was in a different holding area before this."
A man stepped forward, claiming that the Union had recently brought in a massive influx of Infected. He offered to lead the way to where they were held.
"Let's move quickly."
They had to hurry. Many were weak, and the more Union members Yujin took down, the higher the suspicion would rise.
The Union leadership wasn't incompetent. They were hunters who laid traps.
But why were they releasing Infected just to kill them?
"…Wait a minute."
Releasing them to kill them. The phrasing felt wrong. Yujin recalled a story from one of the rescued Infected.
Like a gladiator arena, they would release a few healthy-looking Infected, deliberately showing an opening. When the Infected, seeing a chance, rushed the members, they were slaughtered.
The puzzle pieces were clicking into place. Sector Zero had operated quietly until now. Why cause a commotion, kill researchers, and suddenly bring in a massive number of Infected?
"A researcher? Looks like we missed one."
"Let me ask you something."
"…Ask anything. What is it?"
The Infected man bowed his head politely.
"Do they usually bring in Infected in such large groups? Has there ever been a mass intake like this before?"
The man shook his head. It was unusual.
"No. There have been groups, but this time it felt like they were stuffing people into cells that didn't exist. They brought so many..."
The pieces he didn't want to fit together were locking into place. It felt like his theory was correct.
Praying he was wrong, Yujin picked up the pace.
"…I don't know where he popped out from, but the puzzle is mostly complete."
"Preparations?"
"All done. We can manufacture the evidence. So... shall we begin the real hunt?"
"Those people are vicious. Where do they come up with plans like this?"
"Well, we're just contractors. Let's do as we're told. Right, Boss?"