Chapter 87: Miles (1/2)

Leonel weakly dragged his body into the gates of the Fort. His eyes were half closed and his steps were so small it hardly looked like he was taking them at all, but he eventually made it.

Every part of his body felt as though it was on his last legs. Even he was quite surprised that he was still alive. It could only be said that the human capacity for survival was very large.

”… Hello? Hello!”

Leonel's head shook as he suddenly felt someone was calling out to him. He looked up to find the very same Tier 2 Officer Doran standing across from him, a blinding flashlight waving in his hand.

Leonel squinted, finding it difficult to look at the light.

'Why the hell is this guy waving something like this in my face?'

It was safe to say that Leonel was at the end of his rope. He was lacking in both sleep and strength, so even if he was a saint, his fuse would be much shorter. In that moment, he even had the faint will to gather this massive ax he was dragging one more time and cleave this bastard in two.

In the end, he managed to restrain himself.

”… Do you think you can just ignore me? You might be some big shot, but there are still protocols to be followed —”

Spittle flew from Doran's lips, some of which even attached itself to his bushy mustache as he tried to interrogate Leonel.

He wasn't exactly wrong. Leonel and Aina had left their Perimeter before their post could be taken over, this was already an offense. On top of this, they failed to return with the military jeep they were assigned — yet another offense. Now, Doran had already asked Leonel several questions, to which he got no answers. And, of course, this was another offense.

Right now, they were still in a Code Red: Class 9 state. In such a state, crimes had punishments several times harsher than the norm. Even something as mundane and benign as shoplifting might get one 20 or more years in prison.

When the offenses were related to military order, the punishments would be even harsher as military law tended to be.

Leonel and Aina weren't official members of the military, which might still lighten their sentence. After all, the Fort was strapped for helping hands and every powerful individual was worth a lot. Doran obviously knew this, but he felt dissatisfied because he thought Leonel was ignoring him.

Clearly, Doran didn't realize that the reason he was still a TIer 2 Officer was because of his own stupidity. Considering the state of Leonel, who would assume that he was ignoring a person instead of realizing he was an arrow at the end of his flight?

Leonel's barely opened eyes slowly opened wider. The action seemed to take all of his strength, but what Doran saw made him stumble backward uncontrollably, finally allowing the blinding light to move from Leonel.

A beast. A wild beast that might lash out at any moment. That was what he saw.

A roar assaulted his mind as he fell to the ground.

Cold shivers and sweats traveled through his back as he stared up at Leonel, eyes filled with fear.

The other Officers looked toward Doran with weird expressions. Leonel hadn't done anything but look at him. Was there a need to react like this?

Leonel slowly walked by the fallen Tier 2 Officer. He only had thoughts of finally resting. He just had to make it back to his bed. No.. Any bed would do, he wasn't picky.

Then, he could sleep for a whole week and forget about all of this.

At that moment, more bright lights blocked Leonel's path. But, this time, they didn't come from a flashlight, but rather a few vehicles. Beneath the night sky, their high-lights made Leonel's eyes burn.

The frustration in Leonel's heart grew deeper. He just wanted to sleep. Why were all of these people continually blocking his way?

He was already so close to home. He had walked through the outer city, through the illusion mist, and into the inner city. He had been moments away from his bed when he suddenly found the mansion he had been given was surrounded by a few shuttles.

”Leonel Morales, the Junior Governor Duke would like to have a few words with you.”

At this point, Leonel felt a boiling anger in his chest.