Revy woke up.
Naturally, this immediately alarmed Kal'tsit, who was standing nearby. But Revy quickly brushed it off, blaming his condition on the mental exhaustion from the earlier battle.
His dreams—and the presence of Theresa in his psyche—were secrets he kept strictly to himself. Especially the incident of "hooking up in the dream world and going AWOL."These were things he wouldn't even tell Kal'tsit or Amiya.
Of course, the excuse was flimsy. No matter how tired someone was, it was hard to imagine sleeping through something as intense as an electric shock.
Kal'tsit knew he was lying, plain and simple. But since the person involved wasn't willing to talk, she had no way to force the truth out of him.
So, after a brief reminder about his upcoming trip to Lungmen, she left the infirmary.
In some ways, Revy gave her more of a headache than even the Doctor. The latter, while guilty of something she could never forgive, was now just an amnesiac drifting through life, waiting to die.Revy, on the other hand, was a source of endless complications.
Still, the good thing was... as much as he caused trouble, he was remarkably good at solving it, too.
Time passed quickly.
A day later, the Doctor and Amiya boarded an airship bound for Lungmen, with Revy in tow as their assigned bodyguard.
Kal'tsit had already gone ahead and was likely already deep in negotiations with Wei Yenwu, Lungmen's top authority, hammering out the terms of partnership.
Revy, for his part, scoffed at the whole arrangement. In his eyes, it was nothing more than a grubby backroom deal between Rhodes Island and Lungmen—and Rhodes Island was clearly the weaker party.
The airship touched down smoothly at Lungmen District 5 Air Harbor.
Waiting to greet them was a female officer in the uniform of the Lungmen Guard Bureau.
She had deep blue hair falling past her shoulders, tied into two low twin tails. Horns atop her head and a swaying tail behind her revealed her race: Dragonkind—a bloodline usually seen only among Yanese nobility or royalty.
A dragonkind girl working as a Lungmen police officer was a rare sight.
But of course, Kal'tsit had already briefed them on key Lungmen figures before the trip—including this very one.
Chen Huijie, Captain of the Lungmen Guard Bureau's Special Inspection Unit.
At that moment, Chen stood tall in front of two perfect rows of uniformed officers, acting as a ceremonial honor guard.
Just as the group stepped forward to formally check in, a broadcast echoed through the harbor:
[Attention: Due to natural disaster interference, all air travel within Lungmen is currently suspended. All city entry points in District 5 will close in two hours.][If any unregistered Infected individuals are discovered, citizens are urged to immediately report them to the nearest officer.][The Guard Bureau will make arrests in accordance with the Emergency Handling Act.]
Revy furrowed his brow.
All three of them were Infected. The broadcast was likely standard protocol—but it could also have been a subtle flex meant to remind Rhodes Island of its place.
He glanced to the side. As expected, Amiya's expression darkened. The Doctor, concealed behind their gear, gave no visible reaction.
"Rhodes Island was scheduled to meet the Guard Bureau at 10:00. It's now 10:14."
Chen's voice rang out sharply as she stepped forward, wasting no time putting them on the defensive.
"You're fourteen minutes late. That's fourteen minutes of my time completely wasted."
"If you think it's fine to dawdle while other Infected sneak into the city, then maybe we're just meddling too much. Sorry for the inconvenience."
Revy didn't hold back. Four years as a Catastrophe Messenger had left him with a sharper tongue than Amiya's polite diplomacy could match.
"Alright… got it. But that's not really the issue, is it?"
Knowing the real reason for the delay, Chen quickly pivoted.
"Rhodes Island's personnel list for this visit has changed multiple times. I hope this sort of problem doesn't happen again."
Amiya and the Doctor both turned to look at Revy—who, uncharacteristically, averted his gaze.
His unstable sleep patterns had led to his name being scratched off the manifest and replaced with Ace, only for it to be reversed again at the last minute.
The tension broke as a Lungmen officer ran over in a panic.
"Bad news, Captain Chen! The Infected—they're rioting again!"
"What are you panicking for?!"
Embarrassed by the outburst in front of Rhodes Island, Chen snapped at the officer, then issued orders with sharp precision:
"Squad One, move to positions! Snipers, ready yourselves!"
Almost immediately, the Guard Bureau units sprang into action. Weapons were raised in perfect coordination, and the crisp sound of loading firearms echoed from all directions.
Amiya watched with a mix of admiration and envy at the seamless execution.
Revy, meanwhile, curled his lip in disdain.
(Is this it? Seriously?)
After all, he hadn't just seen a real army—he'd trained one.
The elite unit that once made rebel forces tremble in Kazdel was a world apart from Lungmen's Guard Bureau. At best, maybe their Black Cloaks could handle a real fight—if they had overwhelming numbers.
Still, Revy wasn't stupid enough to stir things up now. He remained silent as Chen directed her squads to handle the local unrest.
"Aside from the three of you, no other Rhodes Island personnel are permitted to enter the city. The rest will assist with border patrol. PC114514—assign them their duties. I want zero incidents tonight."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"If you can't even manage that much, then I won't trust you with anything more. Rhodes Island's operators had better not disappoint me."
"!"
Revy narrowed his eyes. Chen's tone was bordering on antagonistic. He was ready to fire back——but Amiya gently tugged on his sleeve, giving a slight shake of the head.
The boss had spoken.
Revy bit his tongue.
Then Chen turned slightly, her voice sharp and personal now, directed straight at him:
"I know who you are—Regulus Harvey."
"My superior may think highly of you, but I don't care how famous you are. If you cause trouble in Lungmen… you'll answer to me."
"Oh?" Revy smiled. "Well then, I'll be looking forward… to it."
Their eyes locked.
The challenge in Revy's gaze met the warning in Chen's.Sparks flew—silently, dangerously.