Chapter 5: Round Trips

After school, Lucas waited in the parking lot as he agreed with Linda earlier.

He only needed to wait a few more minutes before Linda appeared.

"I'm sorry, did you wait long?"

"Not at all. Come on."

Lucas tossed the spare helmet to her which she wore and sat behind Lucas as she did yesterday.

Lucas started up the hoverbike and left the school grounds.

As they traveled, Lucas spoke.

"Linda, how about we go to Sector 12? My treat."

"E-eh? Sector 12!? But I'm supposed to be the one treating?"

"No worries, just treat me again some other time then."

"Well...if you say so..."

Under the helmet, Linda smiled as she blushed.

In her mind, she was thinking that perhaps Lucas was interested in her. He actually set it up so they can have another date already!

'Too smooth, too smooth Mr. White...'

Linda chuckled silently and just waited patiently as they traveled.

After a while, they reached the station and started to head up.

Although the Sector 15 station was recently destroyed, with the current technology, it was possible to repair it immediately so it didn't hinder anyone from commuting.

As they reached Sector 15, they could see several military and police stationed there, still continuing their investigations.

Lucas ignored them and continued to travel up to Sector 12.

Sector 12.

Just arriving at the station and one can already tell the difference from the lower sectors.

From Sector 16 and below, one would see vandalism on the walls and stalls here and there. However, starting from Sector 15 and above, it is quite clean and orderly instead.

As they continued to go up the Sectors, the better the environment was.

And although there aren't any special requirements for those in the lower levels to travel up till Sector 11, one would generally avoid going up too much in order to avoid any complications.

In this Hub, if you are someone who lives on the lower Sectors, you don't matter.

The law wouldn't side with you.

That was simply how the world works.

Lucas drove off the Sector 12 station and drove through the wide clean streets familiarly.

Linda noticed this as well and asked.

"You seem to be familiar to Sector 12, Lucas. Have you come here often?"

"Not at all, and I'm not familiar with this Sector. I've just been driving around to find the restaurant we were going to eat."

"Ah. Haha, With how confident you seem, I thought you knew where we are going!"

Linda laughed and felt that this is more understandable.

Lucas simply smiled and continued to drive around. But if one were to look closely, you would see his eyes glancing at the rooftops, taking note of vantage points, plotting out escape routes, and so on.

That was why he was driving around the Sector, seemingly lost.

Once he observed enough, he turned and parked at a nearby mall.

"Hm? Is this a mall? Why are we stopping here?"

"To buy some clothes. Although I don't personally care for it, dressing how we currently are might attract some unwanted attention."

"But..."

"Don't worry, just consider it as an early birthday present from me."

Linda's eyes sparkled.

"You know my birthday is tomorrow!? Aww, Lucas! You shouldn't have!"

"...Yeah. Anyway, let's go. I'm telling you though, only one set of clothes so choose wisely."

"Yaaay!!!"

Linda squealed like a little girl as she ran excitedly to the nearest clothes store.

Lucas sighed in relief and thought.

'So it was her birthday tomorrow...I didn't know...'

Of course, there was no reason to deny her so he simply pretended to know about it.

The two of them went inside the clothes store and Linda excitedly grabbed a few dresses to try them out.

As soon as Linda walked inside the dressing room, Lucas' figure flickered and disappear.

Meanwhile, across the mall was a tall building. And at the top of that building stood a man wearing a faceless mask. This man is none other than Lucas!

Lucas stared at the mall and his mask's HUD scanned the building, provided blueprints, and marked the heat signatures of everyone inside.

The mall was actually just the lower floors of a huge hotel building. And the person he was looking for just so happens to be in this very hotel.

Lucas tilted his head and continued to focus on those heat signatures.

He activates x-ray vision and scans the faces, identifying them and showing their profiles.

5 minutes later, his figure disappeared again and returned to the mall, just in time for Linda to get out of the dressing room and asking him.

"How does it look?"

"Hmm...it's good."

Linda rolled her eyes.

"Can't you provide a better comment than that? I knew it, it doesn't suit me, right? Hold on, let me try another."

"It's fine, take your time."

Lucas waited for Linda to disappear into the dressing room again and disappeared once more.

He reappeared on the 50th floor of the hotel.

There were guards stationed in the hallway.

Lucas' swung his hand wearing the thread glove and numerous threads shot towards the guards.

Before the guards could even utter a shout, Lucas had already flicked his wrist, wrapping them in threads and cutting them into pieces.

After killing the guards, he walked to one of the doors and pressed a button on his wrist.

His body started to vibrate at a certain frequency, just fast enough to phase through the door.

Of course, he could just open the door but doing so will create a sound and the people inside would also notice him immediately.

As he appeared in the room through phasing, the guards stationed inside were surprised and couldn't react for a second. That second was enough to cost them their lives.

Lucas was about to continue after killing the guards who saw him but then his expression changed.

He quickly dashed back to the mall with his phasing and invisibility as he appeared back at the clothes store almost instantly.

Linda got out of the dressing room wearing a yellow dress.

"How about this?"

"Hmm, too sunny."

"What too sunny?"

Linda pouted and she looked at herself in the mirror.

"...I guess it's too yellow huh? Fine, let me try another."

Lucas disappeared and reappeared back on the 50th floor once Linda went back to the dressing room.

The target was still not alarmed as Lucas had killed silently and efficiently.

He appeared within another room and killed all the guards.

Lucas continued to do these round trips a few more times and each time, he would appear in another room, killing all the guards there until no guards were left on the 50th floor.

For the last trip, he can finally go and have a 'chat' with the target. However...he was out of trips to make.

Linda had finally chosen a dress that satisfied her.

It was a tight-fitting red one-piece dress that really looked good on her so Lucas wasn't able to comment anything against it.

"Alright, then, it's my turn to choose some clothes."

"Un! Here, here! Try these on!"

Linda was very proactive in giving him choices to wear which Lucas just accepted.

Once he got inside the dressing room, he didn't wear the clothes but disappeared instead.

50th floor.

In a certain room.

A man could be seen soaking in a large bathtub while humming in a good mood. There was also classical music being played in the background.

The man sighed and closed his eyes, not caring about anything else.

Suddenly, there was a voice that called out to him.

"Owen Myers."

"Huh?"

Owen was about to open his eyes again when an arm suddenly grabbed his neck and pulled him out of the bathtub forcefully.

Lucas tossed Owen across the room roughly.

"What the fuck!?"

"Tell me why you had someone kill Adam Martins?"

"Who the fuck are you!? Guards!"

Owen glared at Lucas and shouted.

"It's useless to shout. Everyone on this floor is dead. All but you."

"H-huh!?"

Lucas flicked his wrist and shot a thread towards Owen, wrapping it up on his leg.

With a slight pull, the thread instantly cut through his leg like butter.

Blood splurted and filled the bathroom floor as Owen faltered and fell onto the ground as he clutched his own leg.

"A-aaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

Lucas ignored his screaming and simply continued to ask.

"Answer my question."

"Y-y-you! My leg! Aahhhhh!!! FUCK!"

Lucas sighed and flicked his wrist again.

Another foot dropped.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

"Answer my question."

"F-fuck! Why are you doing this!?"

Lucas frowned.

He already asked him his questions and this guy still asking why he's doing this?

Annoyed, he was about to cut another limb when he heard Linda calling out.

Before he left, he left behind a bug to hear Linda in case she tries to call him.

Lucas pulled out a device from his pocket and tossed it towards Owen.

The device unfolded and turned into a collar around Owen's neck.

Instantly, Owen was no longer able to speak.

Lucas waved his hand again and surrounded Owen with threads in order to immobilize him.

"One moment."

After saying that, Lucas disappeared and reappeared back in the dressing room, instantly wearing the clothes that Linda gave him before leaving and showing Linda.

"You're finally done! What took you so long!?"

"Sorry, it felt weird to wear it so it took some time. How do I look?"

Lucas wore a dark blue suit and a white shirt.

Linda looked at him up and down and shook his head.

"It's good but could be better. Here, try this."

"If you say so..."

Lucas took the clothes and went back to the dressing room, disappearing and returning back to the 50th floor.

"Now, where were we? Right, answer my question."

"!!!"

"Oh, I forgot."

Lucas pulled out a remote control and pressed a button. Suddenly, Owen was able to speak again.

"W-who are you?"

"...If you ask another question, I will really chop off another limb of yours."

"A-alright! Alright! Just...please don't hurt me!"

"That depends."

Owen gritted his teeth and explained.

"L-look, someone only ordered me to kill that kid...I don't know why too! I think that kid has either seen something he shouldn't have or offended someone he shouldn't have...that's all I know, I swear!"

"...Who ordered you?"

"C-can you please help me stop the bleeding first?"

Owen pleaded as he tried to desperately stop the bleeding with his own hands.

Lucas flicked his wrist and cut off his arm.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! FUCK!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!???"

Owen shouted out in pain again but Lucas didn't care.

He went and grabbed his neck again as he asked.

"Who. Ordered. You!?"

"I-I can't say! He'll kill me!"

"That's funny. You think I won't kill you?"

Owen gritted his teeth and hesitated.

Finally, he spoke.

"It's someone from Sector 4...Al-"

*Bang!*

A bullet suddenly broke through the wall and headed straight towards Owen's head!

But...

Lucas' hand instantly caught the bullet!

He tossed Owen to the ground and his figure flickered as he disappeared once more and reappeared on a certain roof across the mall.

Threads shot out followed by a head falling down.

Lucas stared at the sniper for a while and returned back to Owen.

"Sniper's dead. Now say it."

"..."

Owen's face paled as he heard that.

'J-just who is this monster!? He actually caught a sniper bullet with his hands! And he even went to kill the sniper in just a second!'

"Answer."

"H-hii!!! Yes! I-it's Allen Starr...Allen Starr of Sector 4!"

"I see."

"P-please let me g-"

"No."

Another head fell onto the ground.

Lucas frowned for a while as he digested the newly gotten information before reappearing back in the dressing room and wearing the clothes.

He got out wearing a white suit and a black shirt with a red tie.

Linda looked at him and was dazed for a while.

"How is it?"

"A-ah? Oh...it's good."

Linda blushed a bit while nodding.

Lucas nodded as well and looked at himself in the mirror.

After getting the clothes, they went to the cashier to pay and they both went to look for a place to eat.

Everything seemed perfectly normal...except for a certain floor in the hotel covered with dead bodies.