Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 916: The Two Below (Part 1)

With a calm step, Adam moved toward the steel chamber. The commander looked at his subordinates as he nodded deeply. Two men simultaneously responded and headed towards the iron slab to close Adam into the chamber as if in a coffin.

Stepping into the chamber, Adamʼs eyes met with Silvanaʼs. She slowly waved farewell to him, trying to keep her smile, but Adam could see her sad eyes.

Step. Step. Step.

The men approached the chamber when a robotic arm grabbed it by the top.

The commander pressed the remote, opening a hatch beneath Adam that seemed to be infinitely deep, leaving only the edge at the front to attach the lid to the chamber. All Adam could see below was a black blur, even with the vision of the K3-Phantom, it was impossible to discern anything.

As soon as the men approached Adam, the robotic arm released its gri,p and Adam went straight to the Lower Ring. Neither Erik nor the commander knew where he would end up after the system mixed him with the other chambers.

Step by step they approached, their shadows falling on the edge of the platform.

At the same moment, Adamʼs calm aura quickly peaked as a black coat covered his body.

Before anyone could realize anything, the two slits on his collar opened into amber snake eyes.

The men turned to stone in a heartbeat, somehow, the commander was able to escape this fate. His legs up to his knees had become stone to the floor. Only Erik was unaffected.

Tap.

Adam found himself next to Silvana, held her tightly against him, and bounced back to the chamber.

There seemed to be no hurry, and no one would have stopped him from doing it earlier, but he didnʼt want to risk it. He didnʼt like the situation he was in.

Without warning, he stomped off, forcibly dislodging his chamber from the grip of the robotic arm.

Ahead, he and Silvana had a very long descent, and... because of Adamʼs reckless decisions, they now had no defense in the form of cover.

...

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

Stone shards, one by one, fell from the shocked faces of the men. The last thing they remembered was Adam Vinter wearing a strange black coat. They didnʼt know how much time had passed or what happened next.

Panicked, they raised their heads to meet the stern gaze of the commander, the stone shards were at his feet.

Without saying anything to his subordinates, the commander turned to Erik, who was standing at the same spot, chuckling from time to time.

”Mr. Erik, whatʼs wrong with this kid? If he wanted t,o he could have brought his Operator with him right away, although... I would have told him several times that it was too dangerous.”

”Well...” Erik licked his lips. ”He had doubts, a lot of doubts. Iʼm sure he expected to keep in contact with Silvana while down below, but when I told him about the black NEP, he realized it would be too much. He made his decision.

”And... Given his rush and abrupt surge, he just doesnʼt trust you guys.”

The commander frowned. ”Iʼm not interested in some young manʼs opinion. We did our job following protocol. He could have just explained his position to us instead of turning my men to stone!”

”Tsk. Heʼs too careless!” the commander complained, shaking his head. ”How did that boy even become a K3-Phantom? With his attitude, he should have died at the Dead Lands a long time ago.”

”Yeah, you are right.”

The commander turned sharply to Erik, baffled.

Erikʼs eyes grew deeper. ”Heʼs not the neatest or most careful fighter. He should have died at least 14 times, thatʼs what Julia told me. But... as you can see, heʼs still alive and continues to do things the way he wants to and not anyone else. People like him will either die the most brutal deaths, which will be entirely their fault, or they will take the closest people with them.

”Or... He will follow that path to the very end.”

After a few seconds, Erik looked at the time.

”If I could, Iʼd bet that sooner or later, Adam Vinter will reach the Second Circle.”

The commander narrowed his eyes, staring at Erik.

”And, what would be the bet Mr. Erik? Iʼm sure you, as an experienced gamble,r know that betting shows how serious you are.”

”Sure, you donʼt need to remind me of that. I know how important betting is better than anyone else.”

Erik was about to leave but stopped in the passage,e peering at the commander over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed into slits.

”About your question, itʼs obvious. If it were a bet, I would bet my life. It wonʼt be a year before the Star Row is augmented with a new member.”

The commanderʼs pupils dilated.

”What a... great bet...”

”Heh, of course, it is,” Erik waved his hand, leaving the room. ”If anything happens, let me know or contact Julia.”

”Wait!” The commander threw his hand forward.

”Agh?” Erikʼs eyes sparkled.

The commander gulped, his fists clenched tightly. ”Mr. Erik, shall we keep an eye on Adam Vinter? If thatʼs what you need, then we can get some information about him from time to time, about whatʼs going on at the Lower Ring.”

”Hah, no need to bother. If something worth my attention happens, Iʼll know about it faster than you will.

”Just get on with your work. After all, the cooperation between the Upper Ring and the Lower Ring is crucial. We are two very different parts, but we belong to the Citadel, our shared home.”

Then, the door closed, hiding Erikʼs silhouette, who, after a few steps, disappeared without a trace from the warehouse grounds.

”Damn... Those nobles...” The commander sighed heavily, holding his forehead with his fingertips.

With a wave of his hand, he gave an order. ”Clean up this place and return to your posts. Also, donʼt you dare tell anyone what happened? It was a secret request, though... Iʼm sure someone already found out about it anyway.”

...

At the same time, protecting Silvana with her back, the open steel chamber flew downward, approaching directly towards the dump at the Lower Ring.