While Josh was thinking about this, Mira suddenly spoke quietly beside him.
"People are staring at you."
Josh glanced around briefly.
He noticed them, victor's group was not even trying to hide it.
Josh gave a small sigh.
"That was expected."
Mira frowned slightly.
She hesitated before asking another question.
"Are you worried about it?"
Josh looked ahead calmly.
"Right now everyone is focused on survival. Suspicion will exist, but most people will not act on it yet."
Mira looked toward Victor again.
"That one might."
Josh followed her gaze.
Victor was watching him directly now.
Josh could easily tell what kind of person he was dealing with.
A man who liked control, and the constant greed with a viper stare (*﹏*;)
A.N: idk how to describe this but if you do have suggestions I will appreciate.
Someone who believed strength meant authority.
Josh had seen many people like that in his previous life.
That kind of personality rarely backed down once they fixed their attention on something valuable.
And right now, Victor had decided the sword was valuable.
After another ten minutes of walking, the group reached a small service courtyard between two maintenance buildings.
Silar raised his hand and stopped everyone.
"We take a short break here," he said. "We need to think about the next step before moving again."
People slowly sat down against walls or leaned on railings.
The exhaustion of the day was finally catching up to them.
But the moment the group settled, Victor stood up.
He walked directly toward the center of the courtyard.
"Before we move again, there is something we need to discuss."
Several people looked up.
Victor pointed directly at Josh.
"So from what I was talking about earlier about him." Victor said while staring directly at Josh.
The courtyard immediately became quiet.
Josh looked at him calmly but did not respond yet.
Victor continued speaking.
"I watched the fight in the lab carefully. That weapon was the only reason we survived that encounter."
He turned slightly so everyone could hear him clearly.
"If we are going to keep moving together, then we need to form a head team don't you think mister silar?"
A few students exchanged looks.
Some clearly agreed.
Others looked uncomfortable.
Mira stood up immediately.
"what the hell are you talking about," she asked.
Victor smiled slightly, but it did not reach his eyes.
"In a normal situation, maybe. But this is not a normal situation."
He crossed his arms.
"We are talking about survival now. If someone else has the capacity in the group then we should consider that."
One of the security officers stepped forward.
"That decision is not necessary right now."
Victor shrugged.
"Maybe not for you."
Then he looked directly at Josh again.
"But I am not going to pretend I did not see what happened earlier."
His tone became firmer.
"You are hiding something, and I do not like unknown factors when people's lives are on the line."
The courtyard grew tense again.
Students looked back and forth between the two men.
The group had not even left the campus yet, but conflict was already starting to appear.
Josh remained calm.
He stood up slowly.
Then he looked at Victor directly.
"You are free to think whatever you want."
Victor's eyes narrowed slightly.
"But the sword stays with me."
For a moment, it looked like Victor might push the argument further.
But before he could respond, one of the security officers suddenly spoke again.
"We are not wasting time arguing."
His voice carried authority.
"Everyone stand up. We move in two minutes."
The interruption broke the tension for now.
Victor slowly stepped back.
But the look he gave Josh made one thing clear.
This conversation was not finished.
Not even close.
As the group prepared to move again, Mira leaned closer to Josh and whispered quietly.
"I think things are going to get worse."
Josh nodded slightly.
The group left the service courtyard and continued moving along the maintenance road behind the science complex. The campus looked completely different at night. The tall buildings formed dark walls around them, and the weak lights from emergency lamps barely pushed the darkness back.
Everyone stayed quiet.
The earlier argument between Victor and Josh had left tension hanging in the air. Even those who had not taken sides could feel it.
Mira walked beside Josh without saying much. She noticed how he scanned their surroundings while walking. His eyes moved across rooftops, windows, and corners as if he was expecting danger from every direction.
She finally spoke quietly.
"Are you worried about Victor?"
Josh answered without looking at her.
"I expected something like that."
"Something like what?"
"People trying to take control in chaos because of their greed and obsession."
He adjusted his pace slightly so the two security officers ahead of them were within sight.
"In situations like this, someone always believes they should be the one leading."
Mira glanced behind them.
Victor was walking with five others now.
They were not hiding their intentions anymore.
Victor waited patiently.
He had not tried anything during the argument because the security officers were watching too closely.
But now the group was moving through a narrow section of the campus between two long laboratory buildings. The path ahead bent slightly around a corner where several delivery trucks were parked.
It was the perfect place.
Victor slowed down slightly until his supporters walked beside him.
"We do it here," he whispered.
One of the boys frowned.
"What if the security officers stop us?"
"They won't," Victor replied calmly. "Everyone is nervous. If we create confusion, they will focus on the noise first."
Another boy asked quietly, "And Josh?"
Victor's eyes hardened.
"We corner him."
His plan was simple.
They would start a sudden argument near the trucks, push the crowd into panic, and isolate Josh while everyone else was distracted.
Victor believed the sword was too important to ignore.
He wanted it.
Josh felt something was wrong, a nagging feeling that has kept his instincts active all round. Even when he tries to ignore it, but this felt too strong.
It was simply the way the atmosphere behind them changed.
People started whispering again.
Footsteps became uneven.
Mira noticed it too.
"What is going on back there?" she whispered.
Josh slowed slightly.
"Aegis," he thought silently.
The system responded immediately.
Environmental analysis active.
Josh's eyes moved slightly toward the parked trucks ahead.
The narrow space between the vehicles and the building walls would create a bottleneck if the group tried to pass through too quickly.
A trap!!
He did not know Victor's exact plan, but he could feel that whatever he was planning wasn't good.
"Stay close to me," he said quietly to Mira.