Chapter 66 (Continued)
"Oh, come on, don't tell me you were expecting them to send us on a dangerous mission without a superior," Hans scoffed, attempting to inject some much-needed motivation into Conor.
"Besides, you should be grateful the mission isn't even complicated. The faster we scout the area, the sooner we're out of here."
Hans's words seemed to have some effect. Conor's face became serious, his gaze sharp and focused. He was determined now.
He's right, Conor mused, a new resolve settling over him.
Although this mission isn't what I expected, the quicker we finish it, the sooner I'll get to see my ladies again.
A smile, almost imperceptible, touched his lips as he added in his thoughts, I can't wait to feel those soft spots all over again.
Images of his impending reunion flooded his mind, vivid and alluring. However, a sudden question pierced through his pleasant reverie, pulling him back to the present task.
"Say, Hans," Conor began, his curiosity piqued, "do you have any idea why they might have asked us to scout this area? I mean, so far, we haven't come across anything out of the ordinary, yet I doubt the higher-ups would give us such a mission without a valid reason."
Hans and Conor had been partners for quite some time now. After graduating, individuals were typically grouped into pairs or larger teams based on their core stage and individual strengths.
Both Hans and Conor had already reached the Silver Core mutant stage, making them a formidable pair. Furthermore, their long history of working together, even before graduation, had forged an almost perfect synergy between them.
Whether their pairing was due to their past collaboration or simply their combined strength remained a subject of speculation among their peers.
Regardless, they were now a cohesive unit—a well-oiled machine.
However, just like all other groups, there were often individuals who seemed to possess an almost uncanny knowledge—those who always knew things that other members of the group didn't, whether it concerned their missions or broader intelligence.
In this particular instance, Hans was undeniably the "all-knowing" one.
"Well, now that you ask, I genuinely don't know," Hans admitted, his brow furrowing slightly. Conor stared at him, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes. Was there truly something Hans didn't know? This was a rare occurrence indeed.
"However," Hans continued, sensing Conor's surprise, "there's something I do know, though it's not yet verified. It's still just a rumor for the moment, but it's been circulating widely within the base. What's more, it seems the higher-ups are aware of this as well."
Conor's mind raced. What could this rumor be that the higher-ups were aware of? Was it something that posed a significant threat to the human race? He hoped not, but a sense of unease began to settle over him.
"What is it?" Conor pressed, his voice barely above a whisper.
"It's been said that the demons have managed to find a way back into our world," Hans revealed, his voice dropping to an almost inaudible whisper,
"but this time without creating a massive rift like before. And somehow, they've managed to mingle among us humans." He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in.
"Furthermore, it was said that back at the base, they've been detecting energy radiation from many places all over the globe. These energy signatures are almost, if not entirely, identical to the ones emitted by our own portals—but they're found in areas that haven't been officially registered."
Conor's eyes widened as the pieces began to click into place. "If what you're saying is right," he stated, a grim realization dawning on him, "then that means what we're meant to be looking for is one of these unregistered portals."
"That would be a good guess," Hans conceded, "but remember what I said—these are still nothing but rumors. Nothing is certain yet."
As mentioned before, human society had made incredible strides in technology, advancing by leaps and bounds. They had reached a point where teleportation was now a primary means of transportation, even within the planet's boundaries.
For such a sophisticated technology to function, a portal had to be meticulously set up at both the origin and destination points. When an individual wished to travel, all they needed to do was input the specific code of their destination into the portal, and if a portal existed in that area, both would connect, allowing for seamless transportation.
This system operated efficiently, with the cost of transportation being determined by the distance between the portals or areas. Despite any potential expense, traveling through a portal remained an undeniably effective, secure, safe, and incredibly fast method of travel.
These essential portals were predominantly located within guilds and factions.
When a faction came under the jurisdiction of a guild, a dedicated portal would be constructed at both the guild's main base and within the faction itself.
This interconnected portal system allowed the guild to easily access these factions, though typically, only authorized guild members or specific personnel were granted the privilege to use them.
Similarly, there were also portals that directly linked one guild base to another, but this was only feasible if both guilds maintained an active alliance. Without such an alliance, they would naturally lack the necessary coordinates of each other's portals to establish a connection.
With this groundbreaking new technology in place, the military, as Earth's principal protector, was supposed to possess all the coordinates of every single portal in every area.
This excluded only a few specific guilds, primarily due to internal issues that prevented full disclosure. Nevertheless, the fundamental fact remained: if a new portal was to be created, the military was, at the very least, expected to be made aware of it. This was the minimum requirement for operational transparency and security.
With such a robust system in place, the military was now keenly aware of every portal, whether it was newly established or long-standing, and whether it was in public use or exclusively utilized by guilds.
In addition to this comprehensive tracking, the military base was equipped with an advanced radar machine capable of detecting the unique energy signatures of portals, both when they were actively in use and when they were dormant.
Therefore, even if guilds attempted to conceal their portals from the military, it would not take long for their secrets to be uncovered.
That said—
For some time now, the military base had observed a troubling trend: they were receiving consistent portal signatures on their radar from areas where the military was absolutely certain no portals had existed before.
This was precisely how the military had managed to detect the portal in the current area, prompting them to dispatch these two Apprentices, Hans and Conor, to investigate.
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Sorry
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