Chapter 4 : Another chance

In 2074, specifically in the western side of the city of Ginor, the revolution was unstable—or rather, the rebels in that area were few. It could be said that the region was under the complete control of Alpha forces and AI-powered robots.

"Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!! Run faster, Jenny, faster!"

In Sector Seventeen, particularly on one of the abandoned residential streets, there were two girls running, fleeing from something. What was chasing them was easily recognizable—it was a dog-shaped robot, slightly oversized.

"S-Sister, my leg hurts... I can't run anymore," Jenny uttered between her exhausted breaths.

"Just a little more, just a little more, and we'll reach the rebel zone. Just hold on, Jenny!" Clara was forcing herself to run faster.

The first girl was named Clara, a 20-year-old young woman with long, disheveled black hair, pale skin, and gray eyes. The other was Jenny, a 10-year-old girl with short black hair, who shared her sister's physical traits.

The robotic dog was racing behind them quickly, closing the gap with each passing fraction of a second. Unfortunately, the little girl Jenny fell to the ground while her sister had advanced a few steps ahead before stopping in panic.

"Jenny!" Clara screamed as she rushed toward her sister.

The robotic dog was now only a few meters away from Jenny. Clara had already witnessed people being killed by this kind of robot—it would open its mechanical jaw and tear its target apart in a horrific manner. Clara vividly imagined the gruesome scene in those fractions of a second, which felt like hours in her mind.

Unexpectedly, something landed on top of the robotic dog, forcing it to stop in its tracks. Clara didn't give it any attention; she grabbed her sister and just tried to flee. She was terrified, wanting only to survive, until she suddenly felt a hand bringing her back to awareness.

"Don't worry, young lady. You're safe now. Our comrade will handle the situation from here," said a masked man, trying to calm her.

"The older girl appears to be injured—shoulder-level wound. Over!" a masked woman relayed, as if she were communicating with someone else.

"Can you walk, miss?" the masked man asked calmly.

Clara's mind could barely process the situation. Her eyes were wide open, her face pale, as she held on tightly to her little sister, who could barely open her eyes.

"Sister? Sister, it looks like we've made it to the rebels, right?" Jenny said faintly from her sister's arms.

"Huh? What? But… that robot, where is it?" Clara spoke in a voice closer to a whisper, her words unclear, unable to believe what was happening.

Her eyes darted back, searching for any trace of the robotic dog that had been chasing them, but what she saw was another masked man—this one had a different appearance from the others. He wasn't wearing a military uniform like those nearby. His long scarf danced with every gust of air, and his short silver hair caught the eye even in the dim light. His stance and handling of the situation reflected extensive experience in such matters. His appearance was commanding, but above all, one detail in particular caught her attention.

"Come with us, miss, before enemy reinforcements arrive."

There was a nearby van. The masked man carried the little girl from her sister's arms and headed inside the van, while the woman helped Clara stand and move toward the vehicle. They climbed in, and the door was shut quickly.

"Drive, Canon!"

"Wait! That man! He didn't get in," Clara said weakly, amidst all the strange events that even made her stomach churn.

"Don't worry; he'll come back on his own. It has always been like this," the masked man replied calmly, as if he knew exactly what he was talking about.

The van sped off, leaving the silver-haired man behind. A few moments later, a large vehicle arrived, resembling a van in design but bigger, closer to a military transport truck. It stopped sideways, and a group of armed soldiers disembarked.

"One… Two… Six… Hmm~... Twenty-three," the silver-haired man counted as he focused on them.

"Twenty-three against one. Are they mocking me or what?" he said with a slight tone of annoyance.

The soldiers lined up in front of him, well-trained and standing in proper formation according to the plan. One of them stepped forward.

"Freeze where you are! There's no escape, rebel!" shouted the soldier in a loud, clear voice.

"Freeze? Tsk tsk…"

The silver-haired man mocked the soldier's words while moving slightly, reaching toward the robotic dog he had already destroyed. He yanked something out of the dog's head with force—it was a sword?

"Unfortunately, freezing isn't an option. I've been burning for years!" he said, his voice filled with evident anger.

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Fifteen minutes later, the van carrying Clara and Jenny arrived at a partially destroyed building. The van drove into a tunnel within the structure, which led them to an underground parking area—a parking garage, to be precise.

"Hmmm~ Where was the spot again?" Canon muttered, holding a lollipop at one corner of her mouth.

"Canon! Did you really forget the spot?!" the woman sitting next to Clara said irritably.

"I was joking, okay? Honestly, you're no fun at all, Luna~" Canon mumbled through her teeth in response to the woman named Luna.

A few moments later, the van stopped at a parking spot. From there, a triangular mark on the wall could be seen. After a brief moment, the entire vehicle began to descend, causing Clara to panic. The others, however, remained calm. Jenny… was peacefully asleep.

"Wait, what's happening?" Clara asked nervously.

"Don't worry. We're heading to the secret base. You'll be safe there. Even central government forces can't track the location, thanks to our magnetic jamming devices. Trust me… it's a safe place."

Clara finally felt some relief—no more of those terrifying robotic creatures. But for a moment, she remembered the man who had destroyed the robotic dog. His silver hair was particularly distinctive. She couldn't forget it, despite the intensity of the situation she had been in. Many questions filled her mind, among them, "Is he safe now?"

Finally, the van reached the base. It looked very modern, almost like a laboratory or a facility belonging to the central government. Because of this, Clara felt uneasy.

"I know it looks like one of the central government's bases, but it's ours now. We seized it six months ago. Thanks to the efforts of our comrades, we managed to disable the AI in this place so it can't be used to spy on us in any way," the masked man holding Jenny explained to Clara.

When the van came to a stop, Canon opened the door and stepped out. At the same time, a group of people wearing white coats and military suits approached and opened the door for them.

"Welcome back, Lieutenant Shandar," one of the people greeted the man holding Jenny.

"I've told you I'm no longer a lieutenant. More importantly, take this little girl to a warm, comfortable room where she can rest well. Then give her a good meal when she wakes up. She's been through enough for one day," Shandar replied to the person addressing him.

"Let's go. We have a place where you can rest, but first, we'd like to talk to you for a bit," Luna said softly to Clara.

"Huh? O-Okay," Clara replied, still feeling nervous.

Jenny was taken by some men to a designated room, as requested by Shandar. They appeared deeply affected as they looked at her—Jenny was a beautiful and delicate girl, and it angered them that she had suffered so much. As for Clara, she walked with Luna, Shandar, and Canon.

Clara looked around and saw many people in the area—some preparing and organizing weapons, others distributing food, and many others moving back and forth.

The place resembled a military facility, with only the essentials available for soldiers—or so Clara thought.

"This place used to be a headquarters for central government forces. There are plenty of spacious rooms here where four people can sleep together in the same room, though not all the rooms are equally large," Shandar explained.

"It's ironic. When we first arrived here, we felt like it was a luxurious villa because of its size and extravagance—something we'd never seen before. And this was just for the combat forces. Can you imagine how the elites in central government positions must live?" Canon grumbled with sarcasm and annoyance.

Luna held Clara's shoulder, remaining silent. Clara couldn't find words to say—Shandar had explained enough. Moreover, she was exhausted, barely able to stand upright, so she postponed her questions for later.

Their walk led them to an elevator, which they entered. Shandar pressed the button for the third floor, and they ascended. When the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by a corridor with five doors—two on each side and one directly ahead at the end of the hall.

Their destination was the door at the end of the corridor. Upon reaching it, Shandar raised his hand and placed it on the scanner, and the door opened.

"We've arrived, oh great hacker," Shandar said provocatively.

"Watch your tone when addressing me—I am the greatest hacker in existence, Kanz~" Kanz responded loudly .

Shandar laughed, Canon seemed uninterested, Luna felt embarrassed, but Clara... she was completely stunned, unable to believe what she had just witnessed, thinking to herself, "What nonsense is this?" or at least, that's what she wanted to say.

"Ahem~ Anyway, is this the girl you rescued?" Kanz asked seriously.

"Yes, she was with her little sister, but her sister is now in a private room resting," Luna replied, having recovered from the ridiculous scene she had just witnessed.

"Wonderful, wonderful. So, what is your name, miss?" Kanz directed his question toward Clara.

"Huh? I… my name is Clara Hubers, and my little sister's name is Jenny Hubers, and… thank you for saving us. Really… thank you so much," Clara said with gratitude as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Everyone responded to this with broad smiles. Luna then tried to calm her down, Canon was muttering something in an extremely low voice, and Kanz turned around on his chair toward the large computer behind him.

"Oh, he's back, faster than expected. It seems they didn't send the Cabers this time," Kanz said with a smug smile.

Clara raised her head after wiping her eyes. "He's back?" she thought to herself. Moments later, the door behind them opened. Clara turned to see who it was, and there stood the silver-haired man, this time without his mask.

"Welcome back, Ron."

To be continued....