Chapter 106: The Bet!

Along with Aria’s muffled screams lost to the wind, the four of them soon made their way toward the headquarters of the Crimson Flame Dominion.

Unlike the one to two hours Aria had initially estimated for a ground sprint, under the sheer speed of their Air Walk, they arrived in under forty minutes.

Now standing in the sky above the faction’s domain, the four of them paused to survey the area and plan their next move.

"Ugh~ Even though we’re floating this high up, what on earth is that stench? Do people really live down there?"

Holding his breath with a thoroughly wrinkled nose beneath his mask, Viktor could barely stomach the smell.

Even though they were hanging dozens of meters above the ground, the thick, acrid stench of unwashed bodies, rotting waste, and open latrines wafted high into the night air.

It seemed this shelter, unlike the Smith Shelter with its restored plumbing, filtration, and strict waste disposal systems, coupled with its severe lack of basic supplies, had quickly reverted its population to a raw, primal state of survival.

Not only that, but despite being heralded as a top faction in a city that once housed millions, the sheer footprint of the base revealed at most two hundred survivors living within its boundaries, drastically smaller than the five hundred thriving back at the Smith Shelter.

Even the defensive perimeters couldn’t begin to compare.

Where the Smith Shelter possessed towering, reinforced concrete walls, this place relied on makeshift barricades piled high with rusting car scraps and jagged debris.

Comparing the two strongholds was truly a difference between heaven and earth.

However, near the front barricades of the shelter, Ethan’s Mana Sight picked up two figures standing guard with metal rods in hand.

"Awakeners."

Scanning deeper into the compound, Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

"Not just them... I can sense at least thirty Awakeners in this base, with five of them being E-rank. It seems their crystal stash here is quite substantial."

Aria nodded quickly beside Maya.

"Indeed... those five E-rank Awakeners you sensed are Helios’s notorious Five Fingers. According to what I heard, he personally bestowed them the cores they used to break through."

"In this shelter, if Helios is treated like a god, then those five rule like demigods."

Hearing this, Ethan couldn’t help but sneer inwardly behind his mask.

Demigods? A handful of bottom-tier E-ranks who had never seen the real depth of the apocalypse actually dared to call themselves gods? It seemed he truly needed to educate them on the reality of the world.

"Alright then, Aria. How do you want to handle this? I don’t sense Helios’s mana signature anywhere inside the perimeter, so he’s likely out on a hunt like you said he usually does."

Ethan glanced down at Aria’s trembling, nervous frame.

"In that case, since your sister is inside, do you want to head in and check on her first while we wait for him to return?"

From the moment they arrived, Aria had been clutching the tuna can tightly, staring toward a specific dilapidated row house inside the compound with warmth and anxiety swelling in her eyes.

Seeing her like that, how could Ethan not realize what was on her mind?

Since their primary target wasn’t home yet, there was no harm in letting her secure her family first.

"Yes! Thank you so much!" Aria gasped, her eyes shining with relief.

"The front guards know me, so we can walk right through the gate without drawing suspicious alarms. Although most of the Awakeners here are bullies, I can at least vouch for those two on watch. They’ve secretly slipped food over to my sister and me a few times."

"Alright then," Ethan agreed smoothly.

"In that case, Grandma Maya, take Aria in to meet her sister. Viktor and I will go treasure hunting."

Glancing toward the tallest, central structure in the compound, Ethan’s Mana Sense locked onto a dense, radiant cluster of energy.

According to his calculations, there were at least one hundred monster cores stored inside that vault, maybe more.

As such, he absolutely had to make that stash his own.

"Yes, Patriarch. This old lady will take good care of the little girl," Maya said, adjusting her glasses.

"Haha, yes Patriarch! This old man will join you to rob these bastards blind!" Viktor grinned, cracking his knuckles.

Ethan chuckled at their enthusiasm.

"Alright, let’s move. If there’s any sign of Helios returning or if any trouble pops up inside, drop a message in the Expedition Chat Room."

With those final orders, Ethan and Viktor detached, gliding through the high air toward the main building, while Maya gathered Aria into her arms and dropped silently down toward an unmonitored alleyway near the front gates.

...

[Emerald City, Crimson Flame Dominion Faction Headquarters]

Separating from Maya and Aria, Ethan and Viktor moved like silent ghosts through the upper rafters of the central compound.

Under the guidance of their Mana Sense, they quickly pinned down the exact room housing the cores. Currently, the vault building was heavily fortified by the so-called Five Fingers of Helios.

Positioned at the four cardinal corners of the perimeter with one roaming the rooftop, the five E-rank Awakeners radiated aggressive, bloodthirsty mana, ready to execute anyone foolish enough to breach their lord’s treasury.

"Hey, Patriarch," Viktor whispered, turning his head slightly while crouching on a high steel beam.

"You know we veterans are always down for a good wager. At our age, there aren’t many simple pleasures left that bring us joy."

"In that case... would you care to make a quick bet with me?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow behind his black faceless mask.

"Oh? What do you have in mind? I’m listening."

"Nothing complicated," Viktor smirked, a competitive glint flashing in his eyes.

"Since there are five of these ’demigod’ fingers guarding the place, why don’t we turn clearing them out into a race?"

"The first person to take down the majority wins, meaning you have to take down at least three of the five before the other does."

"Alright, I agree," Ethan replied, leaning into the idea.

"But what’s the wager? It isn’t a proper bet without stakes."

As if he had anticipated the question all along, Viktor didn’t hesitate for a single second.

"Haha, it’s simple! I’m not asking for much. If I win... you become my personal disciple and learn the ultimate ways of the spear under my tutelage!"

"And if you win, I’ll obey one single command of yours unconditionally, no matter what it is."

Indeed, Viktor planned to use this opportunity to snatch Ethan up as his apprentice! If he succeeded, he would instantly vault past all the other veterans who were currently mentoring trainees, securing supreme bragging rights for the rest of his life!

Reading Viktor’s transparent thought process like an open book, Ethan couldn’t help but roll his eyes behind his mask.

"Alright then, I accept," Ethan said, a sharp, mischievous smirk forming under his mask.

"And if I win... I command you to officially ask Grandma Helena out on a romantic date!"

’Heh~ If that’s how you want to play it, Grandpa Viktor, I can be ruthless too.’

Ethan watched with deep satisfaction as Viktor’s entire posture instantly froze in absolute, wide-eyed horror