Chapter 60: Like catnip.

A sharp sound came from the window, startling them both. Julia pulled her gun immediately, rushing towards Trinity. "Get down," she barked.

Trinity shook her head, gesturing dismissively. "It’s nothing to worry about, just a protester on the back of a four eyed owl that managed to fly up and throw a stone."

They watched the police capture the protester and his owl, throwing both in a cage that would be transported away in a military vehicle immediately.

"If they knew what problems we had, maybe they would not be blaming everything bad in the world on you." Julia said. "The missing Soul maidens are more important than mandatory training to save our planet and our lives. We should make the news public."

Trinity did not respond immediately. The silence in the dome became suffocating as they both thought about the newest missing team. Two days of absolute silence could only mean two things.

"They are either dead... or captured," Julia whispered.

BANG! Trinity’s fist slammed against the stone windowsill. Her face contorted with pure rage as she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Incompetent! All of them! We feed them, we train them, and they don’t do their jobs right. You know who I blame for this...Zena Scorpion. If the bitch had not died with her secret, I would have solved this problem years ago. That selfish whore screwed me over."

She paced back and forth, her breathing ragged, before turning on Julia like a wild animal. "Pick another Soul maiden and send another team to the other side! A larger group this time! Take our elite guards if you have to. I need at least one high grade resonance stone to show progress. It doesn’t matter how much we sacrifice."

Julia hesitated, her boots shifting uneasily on the floor. She looked nervous as she said her next words. "Trinity... we have a major problem. The Soul Maidens in the lower ranks... they are running. Word is spreading out about their missing sisters. Now, the girls are terrified. They are refusing their orders. They do not want to go beyond the Veil."

"They don’t want to go?" Trinity repeated, her voice dropping to a deadly, quiet register that was far scarier than her screaming.

"They say it’s a suicide mission," Julia muttered.

Trinity threw her head back and laughed, a sharp, humorless sound that echoed off the circular dome. "A suicide mission? They think staying here and disobeying me is safe?"

She stepped right into Julia’s personal space, her eyes burning with absolute malice. "Listen to me very carefully. Gather every single runaway. Every girl who whimpered, every girl who hesitated, and execute them in the center courtyard. Line them up and kill them to serve as an example to the rest."

Julia swallowed hard, nodding slowly.

"Let them know their choices are very simple," Trinity hissed, turning back to the window to watch the doomed protesters below. "Either they brave the dangers of the other side for me, or they die right here today. Go."

*****

In the wild lands, Zyra was scanning her new surroundings with her eyes from the sky. Lowering himself to the ground, Tyrant finally landed in a clearing she pointed out, in the jungle. He landed just five meters away from the place Zyra had identified as what was going to be home.

"Why did we have to land so far away?" Zyra complained as she jumped onto the ground.

Hunter immediately held up a hand, his face dead serious. "Another lesson for you to learn," he whispered. "It’s always wise not to announce your arrival. Standard rule of survival; always scout the area for enemies first, whether they walk on two legs or four."

"Right..." Zyra grinned, "I know that rule and I will have you know that I have scouted the area."

They moved forward cautiously, not rushing. Tyrant took the lead. The tiger walked with a heavy, rhythmic grace, his sharp wings slicing through the thick brush and effortlessly clearing a path for them.

But as they walked, Hunter’s eyes locked onto the ground. Some parts of the tall grass looked crushed. As a seasoned hunter who had tracked beasts through treacherous mountain forests, he had a sharp eye for these things.

"Stop," He snapped in a low voice.

"What now?" Zyra asked. If it was a beast, the system would have alerted her.

Hunter crouched down and carefully studied the bent blades. The flattened grass formed a clear trail. Also, some tree branches had been freshly cut because sap was still dropping. "Someone has been here," he said, looking up at Zyra.

Zyra walked over, following his gaze. She shrugged, trying to downplay the chill creeping up her spine. "Maybe it’s just a random hunter passing through?"

"No," Hunter cut in firmly. "Hunters in this jungle usually travel in groups for safety. This is just a single set of footprints." He paused, his eyes narrowing. "You have to be careful, Ocean is hunting for you, and he knows you are in the jungle."

Zyra’s brows shot straight up. She gasped, a rush of old anxiety flooding back. "Ocean? I... I had almost forgotten about him. Do you really think he would come back here on his own?"

"The man is completely deranged, and you pissed him off by running away after setting his brothel on fire," Hunter said, his voice laced with annoyance. "I still can’t believe you made a deal with a lunatic like him. The man cannot be trusted.... It’s written all over him. Telling him about your special ability to locate hidden dungeons was a massive mistake! You are like catnip to every cat. If word gets out, every clan, even the government will send people after you."

Zyra sneered, her cheeks flushing with a mix of anger and embarrassment. "Oh, easy for you to say now! Back then, I needed a way to get out of this cursed jungle alive! My back was against the wall. I was against a group of ten men; I was lucky that I fooled them."

Hunter let out a long sigh. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. She wasn’t wrong, the odds had been heavily stacked against her back then. Still, it didn’t change the danger she was in now. "He’s not going to rest until he finds you," Hunter muttered. He sighed a second time, shaking his head. "Alright, let’s keep moving. Stay alert."

A few minutes later, they arrived just a few yards away from the old apartment building. They crouched low, hiding behind the big trunks of old trees. Hunter scanned the perimeter, his trained eyes moving like a hawk’s.

Hoping to speed things up, Zyra closed her eyes and called out in her mind. "Beauty, scan the place for human activity."

Beauty appeared wearing like a monk in a temple meditating. [Scanning... No human signatures detected inside or within a fifty-meter radius.]

"Whew, alright!" Zyra said out loud. She stood straight up, dusting off her clothes. "We’re good! let’s keep moving."

She saw Hunter’s arm moving and before it touched her, she side stepped quickly. Zyra put her hands on her waist, laughing as his hand remained hanging. "Ha-ha, I beat you at your own game. No more surprise shoving...aah!" Zyra yelped as her legs gave out, sending her crashing hard into the shrubs, face first.