Chapter 235: Static, Then Signal
The blinking red lens didn’t move. Just hovered, half-shrouded in canopy and mist, like it was waiting for something—maybe us.
I narrowed my eyes, letting my System interface open up Database and searching about these drones. I activated Observation, Level 9. It filtered through the blur of heat and pressure still coating my nerves and started breaking down the shape—sleek chassis, rounded base, double-prop vertical stabilizers. Not military spec. Not Cain Protocol.
But definitely familiar.
Domestic. Civil-grade recon tech. Upgraded.
Camille shifted beside me, her breath shallow. "It’s not attacking."
"Maybe it’s waiting for something," 3830 said, still watching the drone with narrowed eyes. She didn’t sound hostile. Not yet.
"Or someone," Evelyn added. Her voice barely registered above the jungle hum.
That got my attention.
If they were watching... they were probably listening.
I stood slowly. Instinct stirred, then settled—no targeting signals, no sharp pivots from the drone. Passive behavior. Like a camera waiting to be used.
Strategist clicked into place. Too many unknowns, but if this was what I thought it was, then it wasn’t here to kill us.