Chapter 542: The Journey Continues (2)

Chapter 540

The sound of flames from the bonfire crackling resounded throughout the camp the group had made, the occasional pop of burning wood breaking through the otherwise quiet night.

The warm glow of the flames illuminated the faces of the group gathered around it, casting long shadows across the ground and the nearby trees.

Watching the teens wolf down their meals with barely any care in the world, Bonny and Johnny glanced at one another.

They were eating as well, but nowhere near as ridiculously as the teens were at the moment.

It was as if they hadn’t eaten for days.

The food disappeared from their plates almost as quickly as it was placed on them, with the cohort barely taking the time to properly enjoy the meals Ray had brought out.

Well, all of them, again, except Ray had not eaten the day before because of how busy they had been.

Ray basically couldn’t miss a day of not eating.

Even now, he was eating faster than the others, his hands moving almost mechanically as he grabbed another piece of food and continued eating without hesitation.

’Fuck you, Bruce. Your damned bloodline just keeps making me consume more food to keep my body running.’ Ray cursed inwardly as he grabbed a piece of pork and began munching on it.

"I’m curious, how are you guys able to eat so calmly? We aren’t the ones fighting, but yet we feel anxious, with our stomachs feeling full and yet...?" Bonny finally aired her thoughts as she looked around at the cohort.

The anxiety in her voice was subtle, but it was there.

Unlike the Vanguards sitting around her, she wasn’t accustomed to walking toward a battlefield where hundreds of monsters were waiting on the other side.

Felix didn’t say anything and simply stretched one hand in her direction while the other guided rice toward his mouth.

The streamer lifted a brow.

"What?"

"Pass your plates. Didn’t you say that you were full?"

Chloe, seated right beside the werewolf, immediately slammed his hand back down with telekinetic force while flashing Bonny a nervous smile.

"What this fool meant to say is that; we don’t know what tomorrow holds for us. We could very much lose our lives, so it’s better to stuff our belly before we go. Not like we would be able to eat anything in the morning, though."

"Oh. So basically, last supper, huh?" Johnny laughed for a moment until he realized the glares coming from Bonny’s way.

His smile slowly disappeared.

He lowered his head.

"Sorry."

Raze wasn’t that far away from them, though.

He was listening to what was being said, but not contributing at all as he calmly chewed on his chicken before gulping down his coffee.

His expression remained as composed as ever, seemingly unaffected by the conversation surrounding him.

"But then, I’m worried about all this. You all are heading into a Wall overrun with hundreds of Aberrants. And you all aren’t even worried?"

Trish raised a brow.

"Why should we be worried? We basically repelled an Invasion and also a Five-Spined Aberrant, and we are here. We did that as Aspirants.

We are Vanguards now. So why should we be worried about a bunch of weaklings holding our Wall down?"

The words came with an almost casual confidence, as though the danger waiting for them on the other side of the Wall wasn’t enough to shake her.

"..."

With a sigh, Ray cleaned his mouth and then stood up with a long stretch before yawning in Bonny’s direction.

His body stretched lazily despite the fact that tomorrow could very well become one of the most dangerous days of his life.

"They are mostly One-Spined Aberrants. If anything, probably a couple of Two-Spined Aberrants. We will be fine. It’s just a bunch of One-Spines, what could go wrong?"

Van hiccuped on his food as he cast a look in Ray’s direction.

"Why do I feel worried now? Your words sound ominous."

Raze spared his watch a look.

10 p.m.

The faint light from the fire reflected against the surface of his watch as he checked the time.

"Enough of all that. You all should go get some rest. We move by 5 a.m. tomorrow."

He clapped his hands while watching the camp break out.

The group slowly began preparing themselves for the night, the previous laughter and casual conversation fading as everyone became aware of what awaited them the following morning.

...

Hours slowly trickled by, bringing with them a growing sense of anxiety as Ray couldn’t get any sleep whatsoever.

He simply lay there, staring at the stars scattered across the dark sky while the others slept softly beside him.

The peaceful sounds of their breathing contrasted sharply with the restless thoughts running through Ray’s mind.

Eventually, he lifted one hand toward the sky with a determined look on his face.

’I pray... I fucking pray I meet that bastard inside that Wall. I will fucking crush him in my grasp the same way he did to you, Mum.’

Ray’s gaze hardened as he clenched his hand into a fist in the air.

The memories of his mother and the rage attached to them weighed heavily on his expression.

For a moment, everything around him seemed quiet.

A star in the sky gleamed a tiny bit brighter than the others before dimming back down as a tear slid down the corner of the Tribrid’s eye.

His eyelids slowly drooped closed, which was shocking as he didn’t feel sleepy at all.

It felt like his head was being caressed by gentle hands—almost like his mum’s hands.

’Is-Is it because I’m close to our home?’

His thoughts slurred as his consciousness slowly slipped away, and he finally fell into a deep sleep.

5 a.m.!

VROOOM! VROOOM! VROOOM!

Hover bikes cut through the air with terrifying speed as they rushed through the forests, weaving between trees with silent rumblings.

The early morning air whipped against their bodies as they tore through the forest, their movements precise enough to avoid the thick trunks scattered throughout their path.

Everybody paired like the day before, while the helicopter moved overhead—trying not to lose sight of the bikes down below as they disappeared and reappeared between the rows of trees.

The distance between them and their destination continued shrinking with every passing second.

With each distance crossed, Ray’s grasp on the bike’s handlebar became tighter and tighter, his fingers firmly wrapped around it as his eyes glinted with an unknown emotion.

His gaze remained fixed ahead.

The closer they got, the more difficult it became for him to ignore the weight building inside his chest.

As if to help him, time suddenly began moving increasingly fast.

6 a.m. passed them by.

7 a.m.

And it was already 8 a.m., with nonstop movement and speed carrying the group deeper toward their destination.

Then, through the trees in the distance, something enormous slowly emerged into view.

An incredibly tall and thick wall loomed ahead.

It rose far above the surrounding landscape, its massive structure dominating the horizon as the group continued speeding toward it.

It was made of earth, unlike Wall Steel, which was made from steel, and Wall Diamond, which was made from diamond.

Part of the Wall was destroyed, leaving a massive section of the once-imposing structure damaged as their eyes drifted upward.

There, some Aberrants were walking around casually as if they owned the place.

Smiles rested on their faces as they conversed among themselves, completely at ease despite standing within humanity’s territory.

Looking at them, the humans didn’t feel like they were watching a group of monsters.

Rather, they almost looked human to them now.

As planned, before the Aberrants could notice them, the helicopter made its way toward a forest to land while Bonny and Johnny would rush over on foot after sending out drones to begin capturing the battle.

The moment the helicopter landed, the bikes roared forward, silent like arrows whistling through the air.

Ray’s and Van’s hearts thundered inside their ribcages as the Wall was now merely five metres away.

Memories of that dreadful day began flooding their minds without warning.

The invasion of the Wall.

The dead.

Crushed bodies... destroyed houses.

Laser beams raining downward.

All of those memories flooded their minds relentlessly, each image flashing through their consciousness as they approached the same place where everything had changed.

Ray’s teeth tightened immediately as a flash of murderous intent gleamed through his grey eyes.

His eyes crackled with lightning as he pushed forward, lunging ahead with tremendous momentum.

Reaching behind them with practiced ease, they all grabbed their masks as they were now only a metre away from the Wall.

Placing them an inch over their faces, straps lunged outward and wrapped around their heads, fastening the masks securely in place.

Then—

With an abrupt halt to their bikes, cutting off their powerful momentum, the riders all slammed their brakes at once.

The bikes lurched forward violently, throwing them all off their seats and sending their bodies speeding toward the Wall.

Chloe spun around, her ability activating as telekinetic force whipped around her, Kai, and Trisha, sending the three of them shooting upward.

A golden lasso weaved into reality, wrapping around Ray’s hands while the knot found the top of the imposing Wall.

With a slight tug of his hand, the Tribrid pounced upward with powerful momentum.

"Dark Wolf!" Caster roared.

His wolf emerged beneath his body, allowing the Legacy to fall onto its dark fur.

With a loud howl, the wolf leaped upward, dashing from one side to another with incredible agility as it carried Caster higher toward the Wall.

Van tapped his chest twice.

Hundreds of mechanical spiders rushed around his body, with some heading toward his legs first as the wind rushed against his ears.

The closer he inched toward the Wall, the stronger the pressure of the approaching surface became.

A second before splattering against the Wall, a pair of rocket boots were formed.

His eyes glowed bright blue, sending his body rocketing upward at the last moment.

The earth rumbled tremendously as an earth platform surged upward, coming to a halt beneath Raze and Felix’s feet.

It lifted them higher and higher into the air with astonishing speed.

All the while, the Aberrants remained none the wiser.

Within a few seconds, Ray twisted fiercely as one hand reached for the top of the Wall.

With a powerful force, he pulled himself upward, sending his body slicing through the air for a second.

Thack—!

He landed atop the Wall with feline grace, one knee bending downward for a moment as all eyes turned his way.

Then, one by one, the group appeared in the air behind him with their various modes of movement.

The very next second, they landed on the Wall one by one, with only Raze and Felix simply stepping forward as the platform stopped directly before the edge of the Wall.

A metallic box rested beside the Captain.

He placed one palm on it, watching as the box crumbled away.

In one hand rested a cup of coffee, which he calmly brought toward his mouth as he watched the mask part away.

And then—

"...."

The Aberrants in that section of the Wall all paused.

Slowly, their gazes turned toward the humans standing atop the Wall.

Slurrp!

Raze took a huge sip of his coffee as the box crumbled away completely, revealing a large battle axe resting in his grasp.

No words were exchanged.

The moment the Captain finished drinking his coffee, the group’s VMS boots all activated as one.

A powerful burst of force erupted beneath their feet.

Then—

They propelled themselves toward the stunned Aberrants with astonishing speed.