Evan blinked once, and at that moment, Solaris felt the wind behind her split. She quickly sidestepped, grabbed Evan by the collar, and threw him to the other side of the hallway.
The man chuckled. "Hah! You're fast."
Solaris didn't respond. Instead, she kicked him in the face. The man quickly blocked her kick with his arm and countered with a punch, but Solaris dodged it and hit him in the face instead.
Nevertheless, she was caught off guard by another punch that struck her in the face. They traded hits for some time until they both became tired and silently decided to take a break.
Solaris gritted her teeth and glared at her opponent, feeling the sting from the punch.
On the other hand, the man adjusted his jaw and looked at Solaris, who was clearly frustrated. "Damn! Are you really a woman? Why are you so strong?!"
Solaris scoffed, before she could answer, a frantic voice suddenly interrupted them.
"It's almost time. Hurry, we're going to be late!"
Solaris and the man turned to see Evan using a speech-to-text feature on his bracelet, both momentarily forgetting about him in the heat of the moment.
The man extended his hand with a confident smile. "Bruno."
Solaris shook his hand and replied, "Solaris."
With that, they both understood the unspoken agreement.
"Alright, let's go!"
__________________________________
"What the hell was that?" Bruno asked, astonished and disbelieving. "No way! This can't be real, right? Am I dreaming?!"
Solaris shot him a look and made a 'Shhh!' gesture before focusing back on the view.
They were on the rooftop, staring in shock at the massive creature before them.
"Is that really just a baby?!" Bruno exclaimed in disbelief again.
"Shhh!!" Solaris glared and shush him again.
In front of them stood a creature as tall as a five-story building, made of human flesh, devoid of skin, eyes, and feet. As it moved, the ground was covered in worms, maggots, and a foul yellow liquid.
When it opened its mouth, its face split into three parts, revealing a row of dark, sharp teeth with saw-like spikes, releasing a disgusting odor.
Solaris held her breath in fear. What kind of monster is this?!
Suddenly, a gate opened, and a man in a mech suit entered, followed by another mech soldier leading a group of people, all shackled at their hands and feet.
A woman were pushed into a large cage and dropped into an even bigger one below. The woman looked down, screamed in terror, and alerted the others.
Soon, the air was filled with loud cries and piercing screams from them.
"Please help us!"
"No, don't kill me! Have mercy! Huhuhuhu!"
"Help! Someone help me!"
The man in charge only laughed.
As the monster heard their desperate cries, it began to jump and reach out towards its victims. The screams grew louder.
Annoyed by the noise, the man quickly drew his laser gun and shot one of the people.
"Be quiet!"
The cries diminished, leaving only faint whimpers. The man felt a sense of satisfaction from his dominance. While relishing the fear and horror on their faces, he turned up the switch.
"No—hmmph!"
Suddenly, Solaris' mouth was covered, and she was forcibly taken by Bruno, while Evan cuffed her hands. Solaris struggled as they made their way back to the house.
Once she was freed, she immediately lunged at Bruno and punched him in the face. "Why did you stop me?!"
"Ouch! What the hell!" Bruno shoved Solaris aside and glared at her.
"I just saved your life, and this is how you'll gonna thank me?!" He angrily got to his feet. "Damn it!"
Bruno glared at her. "Can't you see they're all in mecha suits and there are thirty of them? Do you really think the three of us can take them on?"
Solaris fell silent, placing her hand on her forehead and sighing. "I'm sorry, it's just..."
Bruno approached her and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "It's alright. I get it. But you cannot always be like that! If you keep acting like this, you'll jeopardize our team's safety!
Solaris looked up at him, her expression changing when she heard his last words. "What team?"
The man smiled knowingly and crossed his arms. "Heh!"
____________________
"Welcome to Big Dipper!" Bruno exclaimed excitedly.
Solaris watched him for a moment as he spread his arms wide and grinned at her like a fool.
Solaris chose to ignore him and walked past Bruno.
"What's all this about?" Solaris asked.
"Hey, wait up!"
Bruno swiftly caught up to her, waving his hands in various directions, taling non-stop.
"Look, these individuals are just like us; they desire to transform this absurd system..."
He continued, "We wanted to eliminate the king and all those scoundrels who complicate our lives! Those who look down on women and others deemed inferior in society! They all deserve to perish!"
Upon hearing his words, Solaris hesitated for a moment, clearly taken aback. She glanced at the person next to her, surprised to realize he was nothing like the other man who felt superior and used his strength to oppress others, especially women, whom they regarded as mere objects or worthless beings.
"Especially that insane scientist, that jerk! Grrr! I want to crush him! With my own hands!"
Bruno, with a fierce expression and clenched fists, looked at her and appeared to understand her thoughts.
He grinned as he obstructed her way and put a hand on her shoulder. "You see? Not everyone is bad."
Solaris glanced at his hand on her shoulder, shrugged it off, and raised an eyebrow. "So?"
Bruno clicked his tongue at her indifferent response. He had hoped that by sharing his ambitions, Solaris would feel excited and want to join their cause. Unfortunately, her cold reaction only left him feeling embarrassed.
Was he mistaken? Yet, he recalled the intensity with which she had battled for her life in the arena and could sense her strong desire for vengeance against those evil people.
Determined not to let his confidence waver, Bruno took a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest. "So you need to work with us! Let's work together, mate!"
"....."
Solaris narrowed her eyes as if she's looking on a fly and brushed past him again.
Grrr! This woman! She's really good at treating him like an air! His self-esteem is crumbling argghhh!
As they moved through the area, Bruno detailed everything they encountered.
Bruno pointed to a small black object in front of them, about the size of a child's fist. "This bomb is still under observation."
Bruno said, clearly hesitant to touch it, as if afraid it might detonate.
Solaris responded with a hum and instinctively extended her other hand to make contact with it.
"Don't touch that! It may seem small compared to the others, but don't let its size fool you; it has immense power."
Surprised, Solaris quickly pulled her hand back. She was ready to reprimand him when she caught Bruno's final remark.
"Evan mentioned it could destroy the whole city. Isn't that incredible?! He actually took two weeks to create it."
"..He?" Solaris questioned in disbelief, pointing at Evan from a distance, as if seeking confirmation from him.
"What? Haha, was that surprising? You have no idea how talented Evan is. He invented all those weapons we passed earlier."
What on earth? Seriously?!
Solaris looked at Evan in disbelief, amazed that someone like him could create something so powerful. He appeared carefree, innocent, and always wore a goofy grin, giving off the vibe of a cheerful and kind young man. No matter how you viewed him, he seemed like someone who couldn't even harm a fly.
"Is everyone present reliable? Are they all trustworthy?" Solaris asked him, turning her head.
Bruno was taken aback by her question for a moment and chuckled as he glanced at Evan. "Of course!"
Bruno surveyed the room and continued, "Everyone here is like family to me. We were all brought together by misfortune. Fate united us after witnessing how this messed-up system took our loved ones from us. In short we have a common objective. And if anyone betrays me..."
"I won't show any mercy. I will take their life myself." His face grew grim as he spoke, driving the dagger he held into the table near him.
Hearing this, Solaris felt a sense of reassurance. She lowered her gaze, contemplating that this information shouldn't be shared with others. If the higher-ups discovered Evan's abilities, they might kidnap him and force him to create something harmful to humanity.
Solaris looked at Evan with concern. He was such a good person. She didn't want him to suffer or die because of their involvement. She learned from Bruno that Evan had offered to assist them in their efforts to transform the corrupt and broken system in return for the freedom of all.
Solaris frowned and suddenly pinched the tip of her finger, confused by her own worry for him.
"What on earth, tsk." Solaris muttered.
Bruno thought he heard her say something but didn't quite catch it. "What?"
Solaris turned away. "Nothing."
"O..kay?" Bruno was puzzled but decided not to dwell on it and moved on. "Alright! Now that you're here, let's discuss the plan!"
"Huh? What plan?" Solaris asked, confused.
Bruno grinned, stopped in front of a tent, and pulled her inside. He took out a leather cloth from his pocket and unrolled it on the table, revealing a hidden map of the city.
"This is the map. This Saturday, we're launching an attack."
"So soon?"
"You were the one who was late." Bruno gazed at her as if she was to be blamed.
"...." Well, who suggested she act as if her health was still poor and postponed things?
At that moment, a woman walked in carrying two glasses of orange juice. She smiled at them and placed the tray on the table before exiting. Once she left, Solaris heard a deep sigh.
"Oh right! Isn't she stunning?"
Solaris looked at Bruno, confused.
Bruno leaned closer and whispered. "You know, I've been trying to get her attention for months, but—"
"Ahem!
Solaris feigned a cough to cut him off and subtly pointed to the map with her eyes.
"Psh! You're so unromantic, ah!"
Solaris sighed in annoyance at him and lifted the glass to take a sip.
"Alright! The team will be split into three groups. I'll lead the first team, and we'll launch our attack at the front gate. Evan will take charge of the back gate..."
Solaris suddenly interjected, "Do you think Evan can handle it? Can't you choose somebody else to do the task?"
Bruno rolled his eyes, "Dude, you seem quite worried about Evan. Do you have a crush on him or something?"
Solaris scowled and reached for her firearm.
"Fuck you, Smith."
Bruno burst into laughter, lifting his hand as if to indicate he was giving up. "Hey, relax! I'm just kidding! But seriously, you don't need to fret about him. Remember, Evan is the one who created those weapons we saw earlier. Tsk, don't worry. He can definitely manage on his own."
Solaris averted her gaze and dropped the gun. She feigned interest in the map as she muttered, "Who the fuck cares about him?"
Bruno found her response funny but suppressed his laughter. "Pfft! Okay, now that everything is ready, it's time for me to give you your mission. I believe you're going to love this one..."
Bruno picked up a dart from the table and threw it at a specific spot on the map. "You'll be in charge of this location."
Solaris narrowed her eyes as she recognized the spot—it was the Emperor's residence, which was more heavily guarded than the other two. Attempting to enter would be dangerous and could cost lives.
Bruno observed her reaction and grinned. "Ah, just as I thought, I knew you'd react like this. But take it easy, my friend. I actually have a fantastic surprise in store for you."
Bruno leaned closer and murmured something into her left ear.
When she heard it, the uncertainty on Solaris' face disappeared, replaced by a mischievous grin and her eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. "Deal."