Having agreed to change their location, the three figures skittered out of the streets and into Jango's quiet little hut, hence resuming their discussion.
Sear was the first to put forth a question.
"So what now, Klad? You gonna resume your life as if nothing happened?"
To that, Klad was out of words, so Jango interjected instead.
"I don't believe it's possible. Recently, rumors have been spreading in the underground circles. Many have claimed that you are the so-called Serial Slasher, and after what happened tonight near the clinic, word will get out, and before long your identity will..."
Hearing this, Klad was honestly unnerved, but his distress quickly turned into boiling anger as he pursed his lips.
"Who is spreading these stories? I swear if I find them..."
"..."
"W-Well, anyways!" Jango stammered. "Forget about who did what," he advised as a single drop of sweat slid down his brow. "I might be overreacting, but you really need to leave as soon as possible."
Sear also added to this.
"If not many, at least some in the neighborhood should have witnessed the mess you created. If I were in their shoes it wouldn't be hard to come to the most logical conclusion."
Following those words, the conversation abruptly went quiet. Exactly at this point, Sear stretched out his hand, his white hair, shimmering with a bluish hue under the moonlight.
"What is this about?" Klad questioned, to which the guy replied, "Have you ever heard about the revolutionary army?"
"Huh? You don't mean, you are part of that organization?"
"Yes! And i am the only one who can get you out of this mess!. Don't you more than anything dread the thought of living in constant paranoia? With us, you at-least have a support behind you."
Klad thought about the proposal for a while and then with a somewhat reluctant expression he nodded.
Hence, the two shook hands, commencing the start of their partnership, although temporary for now.
With that over, the Revolutionary turned to the side.
"What about you?"
"Me?" Jango was somewhat flustered, but he quickly composed himself. "Let's see, there's nothing tying me to this place, and I don't wanna keep living as a thief, to be honest. Staying beside you will be far more interesting, right?"
"Sure, might be an interesting life or..." Sear spoke as a large grin spread across his face. "Or a spectacular death. Are you prepared?"
"Hell yeah!!"
.
.
.
Early in the morning, inside the rented house.
Ahiru woke, yawning.
For refreshment, she washed her face in the sink and brushed her teeth.
She was really getting the feel of what relaxation on a tropical island was like when the aroma of her brewed coffee hit her nostrils.
But right as she took a sip, her peaceful session was disrupted by furious knocking on the door.
"Whose dog died?" she asked, annoyed, borderline furious. "Must be Sear!! Where does he disappear to all night?"
Opening the door with a tired look, Ahiru was wholly surprised to see Sear in a restless state with two brand-new faces alongside him.
Before she had a chance to speak, Sear was already talking.
"Hurry up, we need to sail away from this place, quick."
"Wait, I don't understand what is going on right now."
"I'll explain everything on the boat!!"
At present, Ahiru's mood was, to say the least, mildly irritated.
Her eyes passed over Klad and Jango, the latter of whom greeted her.
"Nice to meet ya."
The former simply gave a small polite bow.
"So, in gist, what you're saying is that these two have joined the Army, and one of them is a thief while the other one is a wanted fugitive... am I understanding this right?"
As she spoke, her expression resembled that of a Black Company boss demanding clarification from her employees for daring to need a bathroom break.
"You do realize that because it's risky, not any hillyBilly can join us. Until they prove trustworthy, they can't be taken to Buster!"
Her reasoning was sound, yet Sear replied nonetheless.
"Calm down, I'm not quite as stupid as you think. I don't plan on taking them to HQ right away... isn't Saga on a mission at Tequila Wolf right now? I heard it's not going well."
"Huh? What are you getting at?"
"I mean, we three will volunteer ourselves. So given the danger both of them will be putting themselves in, with their lives on the line, it won't be a problem afterward to formally accept them, right? Besides, just trust me. I would never insist on it before they're fully committed."
"Hmm... what you said is correct, though are you sure about this?"
"I am very sure."
Sear thumped his chest.
"Wait, isn't Tequila Wolf a bridge?" Klad asked.
"Yes. It's a bridge; unimaginably massive, and it's been under construction for centuries."
Ahiru merely sighed as she slumped down onto the captain's chair.
Seeing her deflated like that, Sear felt somewhat wronged, thinking the reaction was a bit unwarranted.
"Letting just two minor criminals join us shouldn't be that—"
Before he had time to complete his sentence—
"It's not about them," Ahiru cut him off.
Then...?
The boat fell silent as everyone onboard paid close attention to what she had to say.
"We have lost a lot of our friends trying to liberate Tequila Wolf. So much of our manpower is being poured into it for very little to gain, but its importance is much greater than strategy."
Her head lowered as she went on.
"We can't give up no matter what. That bridge is a symbol of why we fight. It is the height of the Celestial Dragons' tyranny."
Her metallic hand clenched into a fist.
"Can you imagine children growing up and dying of old age without ever once knowing the outside world? If not for the Revolutionary Army, I would be among those who, even at this moment, are forced to pointlessly toil away their entire lives on that god-forsaken bridge."
Currents slammed into the enormous pillars of Tequila Wolf, yet the bridge, spanning who knows how many bloody miles across the ocean, remained completely unaffected. It was a monolithic structure with its supporting columns erected atop the sea floor.
Beneath the bridge, along its length, a boat skittered across the water.
It would be nigh impossible to notice it in the dead of night. Not to mention, during such freezing weather, the guards weren't exactly thrilled about patrolling near the edges where the winds were especially harsh.
Clutch!
A hook latched onto a section of the wall.
Soon, Sear and his group started emerging one after another.
He and Jango walked forward while the other two, Klad and Ahiru, followed behind.
Ahiru had disguised herself to look a little rough. Attracting unnecessary attention with a pretty girl was the last thing they wanted. Her cybernetic arm was also hidden beneath gloves.
The full moon had already passed many days ago, so it was fine for Klad to move around at night, provided he was careful with his emotions.
Patrols on the streets were pretty lax, allowing the Revolutionaries to slip past them with relative ease before finally arriving at their destination.
A lone tower overlooked the settlement stretching a long distance from the ongoing construction at the bridge's tip.
Some distance beside the tower...
To sneak inside, they first had to deal with the two guards in front.
Sear turned to the side.
"Jango, you know what to do."
"Leave it to me."
The most important role in the entire mission would befall Jango.
Thus the guy stepped forward, with dark sunglasses covering his eyes and earplugs stuffed into his ears.
Sear also made his move.
Right as the two guards were startled by an intruder's presence, Sear grabbed their mouths shut from behind.
"Muffle!!"
"Muffle!!"
After the struggling men were held in place, they were forced to watch jango's ring-shaped pendulum, as it swayed from side to side.
"Alright, watch this ring closely.. Remember, when I say, 'One... Two... Jango,' you'll fall asleep and completely forget what just happened.. Here we go..."
"One. Two. JANGO!"
"Zzzzzzzz."
"Zzzzzzzz."
As ordered the guards fell asleep.
Moving past the unconscious guards, they sneaked into the building and, once inside, started knocking down the four people working there.
This time, taking the lead wasn't Sear, but his two comrades.
Ahiru, being a trained fighter, was only natural, but interestingly, Klad also joined in. Despite not having total control over his instincts, he was a lot faster than an average person.
After they were done, only one guy remained.
"Geez, this is seriously starting to mess up my head. I could pass out any minute," Jango complained while holding his dizzy head. ''
Klad placed a hand on the fellow's shoulder.
"Bear with it. This ought to be the last one tonight."
Ahiru also said; "Remember our mission isn't to capture the bridge but to rescue all the people trapped in slavery. Any mishap could be irreversible."
"Fine! I get it!" Jango hypnotized the remaining man, commanding,
"Register our names and thumbprints in the identification documents."
After completing their objective, the group quietly left the place.
Before leaving, they woke up the guards, who continued with their jobs as if nothing had happened.
Sear and Ahiru led the way while keeping watch.
"Wheez!!" panting heavily, Jango followed behind.
He was being helped by Klad, who supported him over his shoulder.
Their outfits had also been changed into the uniforms worn by the slave workers of this country.
They were heading toward the place, settled upon as the meeting point with the rebels from here, who were covertly in touch with their Army.