On top of the newly built Wall that served as a perimeter for people from the Pit, Gerald was at the edge, about to jump off to the other side. But before he could do so, a voice called for him from behind.
"...Where are you going?"
"I don't think that's any of your business," Gerald let out a short sigh as he glanced towards the owner of the voice, Xinyan.
"You're leaving just like that?" Xinyan added, "Are you not going to take revenge against the Circle for putting you here?"
"Ha? I put myself here," Gerald snarled, "And I could care less about those freaks. The only thing they're good for is that my father hated them."
"...You're Gerald Lauder, right?" Xinyan once again voiced out before Gerald could do anything, "The son of the richest man in this country, known even in China. Why would you let go of all of that by killing your father?"
"...How is that any of your business again?" Gerald could not help but click his tongue.
"You killed him because he hurt you and your brother, right?"
"...How do you even know that?"
"How could I not when you keep mentioning it from time to time even when no one is asking?"
"..."
"The Circle is the same as your father," Xinyan muttered as she slowly approached Gerald on the ledge, "They… killed my brother; and I will not rest until I kill each and every last one of them and their ancestors."
"..."
"What would you do if your father or anyone else killed your brother? Wouldn't you do the same?"
"...Go ahead. Try to connect my situation to yours," Gerald said as he let out a tiny scoff, "Stop making me feel obligated to help you in this… revenge of yours, Xinyan. My brother is my top priority…
...Let's hope we won't meet each other again."
Gerald took a step forward, but once again, before he could jump off the Wall, he was stopped by Xinyan, who suddenly grabbed his wrist.
"Please…" Xinyan muttered, "Please help me get my revenge."
"..." Gerald could not help but squint his eyes as he looked at the trembling hands that were gripping his wrist tightly.
"You have an army ready to fight the Circle," he then said as he looked at the gathering of people in the distance, still huddled near the Portal in the center, "I don't think you need me for anything. Let go of--"
Gerald abruptly stopped his words as soon as the trembling of Xinyan's hands became stronger; and once again, an image appeared in Gerald's mind-- the same image that appeared when he saw Xinyan almost getting raped by the Prisoners back in the Encampment.
--The image of his mother being taken advantage of and beaten to death by beggars, and his father not being able to do anything.
"Tch," Gerald could not help but click his tongue as he slightly turned his head sideways. "Fuck," was the word that his mouth whispered as his feet slowly walked away from the ledge.
"I suppose I can stay," he muttered, "My brother might try to go here if he finds out that there's been an escape."
"S… so you'll help me!?" Xinyan's eyes brightened as she raised Gerald's hand near to her cheeks.
"Let--"
"!!!"
Before Gerald could even finish his word, his eyes quickly widened as the ends of his hair all stood up. He quickly pulled Xinyan towards him, embracing her fully out of nowhere.
"W… what are you doin--"
"!!!"
Xinyan almost swallowed her words as her vision suddenly shifted. It was almost as if she lost and left her insides on the spot where she was just standing as a sudden force pushed her and Gerald off from the top of the New Wall and back inside the base.
Gerald quickly rotated his body before they could hit the ground, completely shielding Xinyan from the impact of hitting the cold hard stones. The back of Gerald's shirt quickly disintegrated as his back hit some of the quarters of the City guards, as well as the huge boulders that littered the area.
They flew almost a quarter of a kilometer before completely stopping.
"What… what just happened!?"
Xinyan's eyes could not help but look as if they were trembling as they scanned the area. But even though her panic was obvious, she was still able to use one of her skills to create a layer of armor to protect her and Gerald.
Her eyes then reached Gerald, who seemed to be focused and staring at the top of the New Wall where they used to be.
And there, looking at them from above, were half a dozen silhouettes. Their backs on the sun as its light lined up the edges of their bodies perfectly. And after a few seconds, they all jumped inside the base all at the same time, landing only meters away from Gerald and Xinyan.
The 6 men were all wearing white clothing… but that wasn't the only thing they had in common. On their foreheads, was a mark-- a circle. They all held a seemingly amused expression as they looked at Gerald. However, as soon as one of them looked at Xinyan, the amused expression instantly turned to that of shock.
"Aha! I knew she looked familiar!" One of the men quickly voiced out, seemingly pointing towards Xinyan, "It's that System Holder we were ordered to leave alive back in the main monastery!"
"...Is she?"
"What? I thought she went back to her country?"
"No, she managed to escape from the City Guards."
"Y… you're right! It is her!"
"Aw man, we should have brought Saul along!" Another one commented, not even minding the looks they were getting from Gerald and Xinyan, "I heard he had a little crush on her!"
"Pft, stop passing your fancies to other people, Huell."
The 6 men started laughing nonchalantly, even nudging each other.
"T… their…" Xinyan's stuttered whispers quickly entered Gerald's ears.
"You know how they are?" Gerald asked as he slightly contracted his muscles, instantly breaking the layer of ice armor that Xinyan covered him with.
"They are… they are the ones who killed my friends and brother! The super humans created by the Circle!" Xinyan's heart slowly started tightening as she remembered the state of her brother; folding like paper as his insides were completely crushed.
She wanted revenge, but she most certainly did not expect to be meeting the very same people that were responsible for her comrades' deaths. And although only half of them were here…
...Xinyan's rage was full.
Her teeth almost cracked as she gritted them with force. And without even a second, she screamed, "Frost Driver!"
And as soon as she did so, icicles started to protrude from the ground, crawling at an insane speed towards the 6 people in front of her. The icicles grew taller and bigger as it got nearer towards its target; it was almost as tall as half of the New Wall.
"...Why do you shout your skills?" Gerald could not help but be slightly weirded out as he looked at Xinyan, "That sounds cringy."
The enhanced humans, on the other hand, quickly dodged Xinyan's attack. However, one of them chose to take the attack head-on, punching the icicle that threatened to turn him into a barbeque as it was about to skewer him.
As soon as his fist and the ice made contact, the man's flesh and skin on his knuckles quickly shredded away. His bones, however, remained intact. The same could not be said to Xinyan's Frost Driver as the enhanced human was able to obliterate the attack, turning the icicles into chunks.
"Tch," the man then clicked his tongue as he waved his bleeding hand, "You seem more powerful than befo--"
"!!!"
But before he could even finish his words, he felt the air around him become cold… too cold; enough to completely freeze the blood that was dripping from his hand.
"Storm Gust!"
"W… what?" The man could not help but stutter as Xinyan's words reached his ears. He was about to jump away, but before he could do so, a golden-haired young man that was beside Xinyan appeared right in front of him-- his fist already made.
"Wait--"
The man's muttering was completely drowned as a thunderous noise echoed throughout the air with Gerald letting go of his fully loaded fist and smashing it straight on the enhanced human's face.
"!!!"
With the lowered temperature, the man's head looked as if it was a watermelon, bursting into crumbs and pieces as they scattered to the ground.
"Walter!"
The ones that were able to dodge Xinyan's initial attack could not help but shout as they saw one of their comrades dying just like that. The Circle only sent 6 of them, and that was alright. With how they eradicated the System Holders from China a month ago or so, they had full confidence that they would be able to defeat the Prisoners that escaped.
But to think… one of them already died. Were they underestimating the System Holders, after all? No… they were just caught off guard is all, they all thought.
"Tch," Gerald then clicked his tongue as he wiped the thick blood off of his hand, "I don't know anything about super humans or whatnot."
Gerald then raised his hand, then slowly pointed his thumb downward as he scanned the 5 remaining enhanced humans, "But what I do know…
...is that all of you are about to be super dead."
"..."
"...And you call me cringy?"