Chapter 523 (1/2)
So it was, about a month and a half since Randidly had arrived in the Zone, he had $9,670.00, and was just about to begin the smelting of what might be his final batch of metal as a steelworker when there was a knock at the door to his rented workroom.
Randidly paused. This… had never happened before. Was it Foreman Davey?
But when he opened the heavy metal door, there were two unfamiliar men in military uniforms. Both were wearing packs that contained expandable exosuits. Both seemed to be relatively capable, for men from Zone 1.
“Mr. Baloo Erickson.” The first man said. “It is unfortunate, but the military has been extremely hard pressed with the expansion of the Zone. Thousands die because we simply don’t have enough bodies. We are here to inform you that your military Skill has been noted. Congratulations: you have been invited to be part of a rescue operation, occurring tomorrow.”
Randidly smiled. “Unfortunately, I’ll be fulfilling an order for Foreman Davey tomorrow-”
“Such an invitation is compulsory for those who do not possess Tier I citizenship. Our orders come from a power much stronger than the Analytics team.” The man said with a sneer. His partner regarded Randidly with a more mild gaze, but the milder one was the more dangerous one, for sure. Still, it rankled to have these two here to strong arm him.
“...fine then,” Randidly said softly. He could flee, or resist, but he truly had felt guilty about the fact he had so much power and didn’t use it to help these people. He could have prevented thousands of deaths. These past few days, he had been haunted by those lives. And this haunting was far worse than it was when Randidly had killed the guards back in Shal’s world, as they escaped from the prison. This was a different sort of guilt, one he couldn’t shake. And it was affecting his image formation.
Then Randidly made to close the door, but the sneering guard stepped forward to block him. “Mr. Erickson, I trust you understand we cannot trust citizenship-less individuals. You haven’t proven yourself to the country. As such, you will be staying in a holding-”
“Oh?” Randidly’s voice was still soft, but now his smile was reckless. He opened up Indomitable Will of Yggdrasil and Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil. His whole bearing changed. Around him, he felt the illusion pulse and warp somewhat, under the Skill’s powerful effects. But at that moment, his eyes were emerald suns, burning with a righteous fury. “But I don’t want to. And that is enough, isn’t it?”
Dull-eyed, the guard stumbled backward, taking the Skills directly. Immediately, Randidly cut them off and turned to the other guard. “I’ll be there tomorrow. Be safe, friends.”
The other guard, who had only been hit by the edge, was still white. But he gave Randidly a tight-lipped nod as Randidly closed the door. Frowning, Randidly moved away and headed back to his metals. The fact they had approached him here… this wasn’t a random thing. Perhaps this was Tatiana’s warning finally coming to fruition. Was someone within the government throwing him in harm’s way as a favor for Tooya?
Randidly hadn’t seen the man or his brother around since the party. Even Ricky Stain had left him alone, although Randidly knew that the slimeball was still approaching other metal workers and getting them to go through him for their raw materials and sales. As Randidly expected, rumors had emerged that Ricky Stain provided raw ore that was of the most inferior grade, and most everyone had distanced themselves from him.
But there were always the desperate.
As for the current problem, the only question was whether the person who caused this would monitor his performance and attempt to hurt him more directly, or whether this experience was enough.
Randidly sighed. Remaining low-key was hard.
*****
“Bulletsto- ah, fuck this.”
Hank stepped back, waving his hands placatingly. Grinning, Kayle stopped and spun his knives across his fingers.
“Surrendering so soon? That makes your record 0 and 10 against us.” Kayle said, the gloating evident in his tone.