Chapter 191: On Guard
Chapter 189
The day passed without any eventful thing happening.
This marked the end of the third day on Planet Palatine, and thus began the official second day of the Aspirants’ expedition.
They were all ready as usual, geared up and prepared for anything the harsh environment might throw at them.
The squad’s collective equipment was given to Ray, not because they saw him as useless or incompetent; after all, every member of the squad knew exactly how strong the boy truly was.
They gave it to him simply because he had requested to carry the load for the team.
During his quiet time alone in the room the day before, he had firmly decided not to participate in any further hunts.
He wouldn’t take part in the remainder of the expedition so he wouldn’t accidentally trigger his evolution in front of hundreds of prying eyes.
How was he supposed to explain the biological upheaval occurring within him?
He couldn’t risk the exposure.
He wasn’t powerful enough yet to defend himself against the world.
If any signs of his non-human nature appeared during or immediately after the evolution, he would instantaneously be turned into a lab rat in the hands of the government.
Hence, he decided he would be standing back while carrying all their supplies while the others did whatever they wanted.
It didn’t mean that if his friends were about to get hurt, he wouldn’t step forward, though.
The Aspirants gathered in front of the shelter under a scorching sun that instantly made some of them break out in a heavy sweat.
But for squad Kai, the specialized sunscreen they had purchased actually helped relieve this burning sensation significantly.
It was much better than when they had first touched down on this planet.
The bulky instructor stood before the combined class of about three hundred-plus Aspirants with a neutral, hardened look on his face.
"Today! We need to push aggressively because our time is running out. We can’t keep playing it safe throughout our stay here; we won’t get anywhere. So, what better way to make sure we achieve results than to hunt in the orange zones?!"
"...."
The crowd of Aspirants was immediately silenced for a moment as they stared at the man with unsure, flickering looks on their faces.
Finally, an Aspirant from Sony’s class raised a hand tentatively.
— Uh... is it safe enough? What if we encounter something too strong for us to handle?
An Aspirant from the bulky instructor’s class turned to glare at the fellow who had spoken up.
— It’s not everybody that’s as weak as the people from your class. We can perfectly handle ourselves in case we encounter anything too powerful.
— Yes! Besides: we got Berg and Caster with us. They are true powerhouses and can handle anything that comes our way.
Ray finally had enough of the constant bickering and glared in the direction of the boisterous speakers.
"Yeah. The same way you wenches handled the Aberrant when it attacked, right?"
"....."
The whole gathering went quiet immediately. The bulky instructor’s brow furrowed in a deep frown.
"Who said that?"
Without delay, the sea of teens parted aside to reveal a silver-haired boy standing with the heavy backpack of the squad on his shoulders.
His arms were crossed over his chest, and a nonchalant look was plastered on his face.
A boy from the elite class stared at the silver-haired fellow for a second before realization dawned on him.
’Oh! This guy. Interesting fellow.’
His black hair fluttered in the wind softly as he thought those silent words.
Berg frowned deeply. ’Him again?!’
The bulky instructor stared at Ray for several seconds, his eyes searching the boy’s face before he spoke.
"What made you say that?"
Ray shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
"Your class keeps claiming they are strong and all. They are being prideful and trying to shut down our efforts, but I didn’t see them doing anything tangible when the Aberrant attacked us. Instead, they fled with their tails in between their legs like the bunch of cowards they are."
"Now they want to hunt in an orange zone? Claiming they can handle whatever happens?"
Ray then turned to face the divided rows of Aspirants with a deep scowl on his face.
"Does handling whatever comes out include running away again?"
Berg had enough.
Flames crackled around his hands for a moment as his eyes burned with immense rage, the heat from his ability distorting the air around him.
"Scared?" He asked with a small, mocking grin on his face.
Ray didn’t give a reply for a moment as he studied the fellow before him before simply tucking his hands into his pockets.
"Why should I be? Don’t get me wrong. I don’t care if you all suffer casualties due to your silly decisions, but I’m just trying to be a voice of reason here."
He paused for a second before scanning Berg from head to toe with a critical eye.
"By the way; when did you come back from your seclusion? Thought you wanted to go ghost."
A sly, provocative smirk appeared on Ray’s face.
Van was already shaking in fear for what Berg was going to do in response to the jab.
Chloe leaned in toward Kai, whispering under her breath.
"Your friend is gutsy."
Contrary to what the Aspirants thought, Berg didn’t react further nor did he lash out.
He just simply turned away with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Now is not the time to deal with you. Let’s focus on the expedition."
"Chicken!" Ray shouted with a loud chuckle before turning away himself.
What the others couldn’t see was the reddened look on Berg’s face.
It seemed like a tomato on the verge of bursting from the sheer humiliation of being called out.
The bulky instructor said nothing as he observed the verbal scuffle for some time before letting out a tired sigh.
"Captain Jake put me in charge of you all. I won’t knowingly put you all in danger. And even if something happens, I have confidence in both my own strength and that of my students. Can’t say the same for the rest of you, though."
As he said that, he gave a brief, pointed glance at Sony’s students before continuing:
"... We will be taking on an orange zone. And that’s final."
The Aspirants from Sony’s class gave each other a nervous, lingering stare at the man’s words.
’Well, at least he didn’t call for a red zone. That would have been a certain death sentence.’ Ray smiled inwardly as he turned his head to see the instructor already moving toward the exit of the shelter.
’... I wonder, though; why didn’t Berg make a move? What is he planning? I better be on guard and ready for anything that might happen.’