NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1159: Maybe
Rain jumped from roof to roof until he approached those buildings, and soon, he confirmed that they were close, pretty much like fortresses. Rain observed the buildings from the rooftops, realizing that infiltrating them would be a challenging task. Jumping from roof to roof, he approached another one of the structures, confirming that its security was indeed tight.
Few people entered or left, and the entrances were guarded.
As he surveyed the other similar buildings, Rain noticed a pattern – all of them exhibited a high level of security. Entering these places discreetly would prove difficult, and employing magic to gather information from within or outside might attract unwanted attention. Rain pondered his options, weighing the risks and benefits of different approaches.
"The laws don't say anything about espionage, so I bet everyone is doing that…" Rain thought. "Still, since I am alone, they might try to catch me and blame me for breaking one of the laws. Between an old group and a newcomer that invaded one of those bases, it was obvious who those people would trust."
"With me, you won't lose to pretty much everyone in this city, so you don't have to worry about that," Elisabetha said. "I am much more effective against dragons, but I am still pretty much indestructible against everything else."
"I know ten-thousand-year-old vampires that aren't as bloodthirsty as you," Rain said.
"What are their names?" Elisabetha asked.
"... Causing problems now could lead to future problems," Rain said. "In one way or the other, the people here have much more knowledge than the rest of us in this prison. Moreover, my actions might make them antagonize others when they appear."
"Why don't you do that thing, then?" Elisabetha asked. "Kill them and seal their life essence in spheres to interrogate them. The other guys are being quite cooperative thanks to my aura. Learning their language is still being a massive pain in the ass, though."
"I guess that is also an option…" Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
That would be breaking one of the laws, though… and no one said anything about the punishment for breaking them. It should be fairly obvious, to keep the city as peaceful as it is, they would have to ensue a non-tolerance policy. If you break the rules, you die…
Too bad for them, but Rain didn't care about such things… he was going to reunite with his friends or family, even if he had to turn the city upside down to do so. In any case, he had to choose his targets properly to avoid problems. Most kinds of problems that is…
"No one here looks asshole enough from a distance to deserve death…" Rain thought, and then he realized that the sun was already setting. "This is a problem. If I can't render them almost useless inside my domain, forcing them to reveal valuable information will be even harder."
"It must be nice to be such a goody two shoes that you still have to consider your moral compass when you have been captured by the enemy," Elisabetha said.
"Get back to work," Rain said and then took a deep breath to calm down.
Rain also could say that it must be nice to be so bloodthirsty that you don't hesitate to kill anyone when they prove to be even just a minor inconvenience to you… life can be simple and easy when you can only care about yourself, but you are unbelievably lonely and cold.
In any case, night came, and then Rain eventually realized that his best option was to head to the other side of the walls and look for the perfect prey… once again, he jumped from roof to roof and headed toward the opposite direction of the largest building in the city.
He figured that the first group was located there, and it would be easier for him to avoid them and the problems that they could cause.
As Rain approached the massive wall that encircled the city, he noticed that the darkness beyond was absolute, rendering the landscape outside invisible. Not even the silhouettes of trees or mountains pierced through the night. The wall itself, tall and imposing, seemed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding darkness.
He observed the heavily guarded gates, where vigilant sentinels stood watch. Strangely, these guards appeared relaxed, almost complacent, as if the notion of someone attempting to leave the city in such a manner was unthinkable. It struck Rain as odd, considering the high stakes of the challenges within the zones and the apparent desire for inhabitants to escape the prison-like world.
Rain crouched on a rooftop, carefully studying the guards. Their casual demeanor raised questions in his mind. Were they truly confident in the security of the city, or was there something else at play?
Regardless of the guards' reasons for their apparent ease, it worked to Rain's advantage. The area beyond the walls beckoned him, offering the potential for answers and the chance to reunite with his friends and family.
Taking a deep breath, Rain, with careful steps, he approached the guarded walls, the guards none the wiser to his presence. The contrast between the relaxed demeanor of the sentinels and Rain's determined focus became more apparent as he moved closer to the other side. He didn't use Impulse. He just used his normal strength to jump to the other side and pass above some guards chitchatting…
Rain landed on the other side and then took a deep breath… it worked well, his plan. Still, all of a sudden, he heard the sound of hinges echoing in the distance. He thought that he had been discovered but soon realized that his sense of hearing was too good and the gate was too far away… when he looked in that direction, he soon saw a small group leaving the city.
"Maybe I am actually lucky…" Rain said.
"You have the chance to reincarnate a second time without experiencing the end of our world…" Elisabetha said. "As Nigel would say: no shit, Sherlock."