Chapter 117: The Last of Us

By the time the first pale traces of morning appeared above Zenith City, Jet had lost track of how many streets they had crossed.

Captain Adesewa had deliberately avoided the main roads, leading them through residential neighborhoods, abandoned commercial districts, and narrow passages between buildings.

Whenever they encountered a security checkpoint or an unfamiliar Awakener, she changed direction without hesitation.

Jet found the precautions somewhat excessive considering the terrifying strength she had displayed earlier, but he wasn’t about to question the judgment of someone who had just eliminated eight assassins in less than three seconds.

Besides, he was in no condition to argue.

His entire body felt as though someone had beaten him with a steel hammer, and every step sent fresh pain through his ribs.

The backlash from Asura Mask had gradually subsided, but the exhaustion remained. Inez had fallen asleep in his arms, her small face buried against his chest, while Nadia walked beside him with Adesewa occasionally supporting her injured ankle. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Their destination turned out to be an unremarkable four-story building tucked between two warehouses in one of Zenith’s older industrial districts.

Its exterior was weathered, the windows were covered by dark shutters, and there was nothing to suggest that powerful Awakeners had gathered inside.

Adesewa stopped before a reinforced side entrance and examined the surrounding street before knocking three times.

A small viewing panel slid open.

"Captain?" a man’s voice called from inside, sounding relieved. "You’re finally back."

"Open the door, Marcus," Adesewa instructed, glancing toward Jet and the girls. "I’ve brought three people with me. We need medical supplies, somewhere for the civilians to rest, and an update on the others."

Several locks disengaged before the heavy door swung inward.

A broad-shouldered man appeared in the entrance, his familiar face immediately drawing Jet’s attention.

Marcus had been one of the Awakeners who accompanied Adesewa during the Palladium Tree expedition, and Jet remembered him very well.

"Well, I’ll be damned," Marcus exclaimed, his expression changing when he recognized Jet. "The kid actually made it!"

Jet managed a tired smile. "Good morning to you too, Marcus. I’d offer a handshake, but I’m pretty sure something in my shoulder is broken."

Marcus’s amusement disappeared when he noticed Jet’s condition. He immediately stepped aside, allowing them to enter before securing the door behind them.

"Captain, what happened to him?" Marcus asked, staring at the bloodstained clothes and bruises covering Jet’s body.

"He spent most of the night protecting two civilians from Awakeners considerably stronger than himself," Adesewa answered, guiding Nadia toward a nearby chair. "Get Safiya. I want his injuries examined before we discuss anything else."

The building’s interior was considerably more comfortable than its exterior suggested.

A spacious common room occupied most of the ground floor, furnished with several couches, tables, and a small kitchen. Medical supplies had been arranged beside one wall, while electronic monitors displayed security footage from cameras positioned around the surrounding streets.

Three familiar figures were gathered near the largest table.

Cassian was the first to notice them.

The experienced Awakener immediately rose from his chair, his expression shifting from surprise to relief as he recognized Jet.

"Jet Saint-Clair!" Cassian exclaimed, crossing the room with hurried steps. "Thank goodness you’re alive. I’ve been trying to find out what happened to you and Frey since the attacks started."

Jet smiled weakly. "Cassian. It’s good to see you again."

Cassian had been the person who personally invited Jet and Frey to participate in Adesewa’s expedition. Without that invitation, neither of them would have entered Beyond with the Raid Team or discovered the Palladium Tree.

Cassian’s relief quickly gave way to concern as he examined Jet’s injuries.

"Good heavens, what did those bastards do to you?" Cassian demanded, carefully supporting his uninjured arm. "You look like you’ve been dragged through an entire dungeon."

"Feels worse than that," Jet admitted, wincing as Cassian helped him toward a couch. "At least dungeon monsters usually have the decency to attack you from the front."

A woman with a composed expression and sharp eyes approached from the table.

Safiya had served as one of the expedition’s most reliable trackers.

"Sit down before you collapse," Safiya instructed, examining Jet’s injuries. "And don’t even think about telling me you’re fine. I can see the blood soaking through your sleeve."

Jet lowered himself onto the couch with considerable difficulty.

"You know, I’m starting to think nobody in this Raid Team appreciates my optimism," he complained, attempting to distract himself from the pain.

"Your optimism won’t repair broken ribs," Safiya replied dryly, opening a medical kit.

Bastian approached from the opposite side of the room, carrying several bottles of water. The shield-bearing Awakener had always been one of the quieter members of the expedition, but the relief on his face was unmistakable.

"Here," Bastian said, placing a bottle beside Jet. "Drink slowly. You’ve probably lost more blood than you realize."

Jet accepted the water with a grateful nod. "Thanks, Bastian. It’s good to see all of you."

While Safiya began cleaning the wound on Jet’s arm, Adesewa guided Nadia and Inez toward a smaller adjoining room. There were several beds inside, and after checking that the windows were secured, she helped Nadia settle the sleeping girl beneath a blanket.

"She needs proper rest," Adesewa told Nadia, noticing how carefully the young woman positioned Inez’s head on the pillow. "Both of you do. I’ll arrange for someone to examine your ankle as soon as Jet has been treated."

Nadia glanced toward the common room, where Safiya was already working on Jet’s injuries.

"Will he really be okay?" she asked quietly. "He kept getting hurt because he wouldn’t leave us behind."

Adesewa regarded her for a moment before answering. "Jet is stronger than his current condition suggests, but he pushed himself dangerously far tonight. He needs treatment and rest, not another fight."

Nadia nodded, although the worry remained visible in her eyes.

When Adesewa returned to the common room, Jet was sitting upright with fresh bandages covering his arm. Safiya had finished examining his ribs and was applying a medicinal preparation to the worst bruises.

"Nothing appears permanently damaged," Safiya reported, glancing toward Adesewa. "But he’s suffered significant blunt-force trauma, several cracked ribs, and severe Mana exhaustion. He shouldn’t use his Divine Rune again until he’s recovered."

"That’s the plan," Adesewa replied before turning toward Jet. "Now, how much have you figured out about what’s happening?"

Jet considered the question carefully.

"Someone knows about the expedition," he answered. "They know where we live, who our families are, and which people we’re close to. And judging by the assassins sent after me, they’re willing to kill civilians to get whatever they want."

Cassian exchanged a grim look with Marcus.

"That’s essentially what we’ve concluded," Cassian admitted, pulling a chair closer. "But there’s something else you should know. The attacks weren’t limited to Zenith."

Jet frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Several expedition members returned to other cities after we divided the harvest," Marcus explained, folding his arms. "We’ve received reports of attacks in those places as well. Whoever organized this operation coordinated it across multiple locations."

Jet felt his stomach tighten.

Twenty-nine people had participated in the expedition. If every one of them had been targeted, the scale of the operation was considerably larger than he had imagined.

Before he could ask another question, however, something about the four Awakeners surrounding him caught his attention.

Their Mana felt different.

During the expedition, Cassian, Marcus, Safiya, and Bastian had all been experienced 2-Star Awakeners. Jet remembered their strength clearly because he had fought alongside them against dangerous monsters.

But the pressure emanating from them now was far beyond that level.

"Wait a minute," Jet muttered, narrowing his eyes as he looked between Cassian and Marcus. "Don’t tell me you guys advanced too."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Too?"

Jet glanced toward Adesewa. "The Captain told me she’s reached 5-Star. And now I’m getting the feeling the rest of you have been keeping some pretty ridiculous secrets."

Cassian exchanged an amused glance with Bastian before answering.

"We’re all 4-Star Awakeners now," Cassian revealed, smiling at Jet’s astonished expression.

Jet nearly dropped his water bottle.

"FOUR-STAR?!" he exclaimed, immediately regretting the outburst when pain shot through his ribs. "You were all 2-Star Awakeners when we entered Beyond! How the hell did you jump two entire Stars?"

Marcus chuckled at his reaction. "Believe me, we had similar expressions when it happened."

Jet stared at them in disbelief. Adesewa had advanced from 3-Star to 5-Star, while all four members of her Raid Team had advanced from 2-Star to 4-Star. Such extraordinary growth shouldn’t have been possible within such a short period, even with the Palladium Fruits they had obtained.

There was definitely something they weren’t telling him.

Adesewa noticed his expression but didn’t offer an explanation.

"We’ll discuss our advancement later," she said firmly, taking a seat at the table. "Right now, there are more important matters."

Her serious tone immediately silenced the room.

Cassian retrieved a tablet and placed it before her. Several names appeared on the screen, accompanied by photographs and brief reports.

Jet recognized many of them.

They were members of the Palladium Tree expedition.

"These are the people we’ve managed to investigate since the attacks began," Cassian explained, his expression becoming grim. "Some were found dead in their homes. Others disappeared after their residences were attacked. We’ve also received reports of bodies discovered near several suspected ambush locations."

Jet stared at the photographs.

He remembered sharing meals with some of those people, exchanging jokes during the expedition, and celebrating their successful return from Beyond.

Now several of them were dead.

"How many?" Jet asked quietly.

Adesewa looked toward Cassian before answering. "We don’t have a confirmed total yet. Communications are unreliable, and several of the people we’ve tried contacting have disappeared completely."

Safiya folded her arms, her expression darkening. "The ones who survived their initial attacks may still be hiding, but we haven’t received enough responses to be certain."

Jet looked around the room.

Adesewa. Cassian. Marcus. Safiya. Bastian.

Himself and Frey, whose condition remained uncertain.

Seven people out of twenty-nine.

"Are we..." Jet began, struggling to finish the question. "Are we the only ones left?"

Nobody answered immediately.

Adesewa studied the names displayed on the tablet, her expression hardening with every passing second.

"I hope not," she finally replied. "But considering how thoroughly these attacks were coordinated, I believe almost everyone outside our immediate group may already have been murdered."

Jet felt a cold sensation spreading through his chest.

Then he remembered someone else.

"What about Odhran?" Jet asked, looking toward Cassian. "Has anyone managed to contact him?"

Cassian’s expression changed. Marcus lowered his gaze, while Safiya stopped arranging the medical supplies.

Jet noticed their reactions immediately.

Adesewa slowly closed the tablet.

"Odhran is missing," she answered, her voice heavy with concern. "We’ve tried reaching him repeatedly, but his communications have gone silent, and nobody has been able to establish his whereabouts."

Jet stared at her. During the expedition, Odhran had been one of their companions, fighting alongside them and sharing in the harvest beneath the Palladium Tree.

Surely he couldn’t have disappeared without leaving any trace.

"Captain, you don’t think..." Jet began, his voice trailing off.

Adesewa met his gaze.

"I don’t want to believe it either, Jet," she said quietly. "But after everything that’s happened, we have to consider the worst possibility."

Her expression darkened. "I believe Odhran is probably dead as well."