"Man! That mission was exhausting." Jake yawned as he could be seen walking into the canteen with Max, Jasmine, and Lana, with Jim nowhere to be seen.
"I wonder where that useless being ran off to." Lana scoffed as she rubbed her shoulders in pain, her expression sour.
They all walked toward the counter, grabbed their food, and then pulled a table for themselves.
"Is it just me? Or I haven’t seen Zach in a while." Jasmine muttered as she scanned the hall, her sharp eyes darting between hunters, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.
"It won’t be a surprise to me if he suddenly outright quits being a hunter. Even with the warning given by that A-ranked hunter, I’m sure the insults didn’t stop. He must have locked himself away somewhere." Jake replied with a shrug, sounding unconcerned.
"Or maybe he’s out taking missions just to avoid people?" Max narrowed his gaze as he pointed forward, and they all turned to see Zach standing with a newly formed team. By the looks of things, they were just getting back from a mission.
The group quickly grabbed their meals and were on their way out. But before they fully exited the hall, Zach suddenly turned around, his eyes locking with Max’s. He gave him a hard glare, shook his head with disdain, and then walked off.
"I’m dead sure he’s planning something against you." Jasmine muttered, her mouth half-filled as she chewed while staring at Max.
"Whatever." Max shrugged, seemingly unbothered by whatever Zach might have in store.
"But seriously though, where is Jim?!" Jake asked with growing annoyance.
"Guys!" A familiar voice rang out. The group spun around to see Jim running over with a smartphone in hand, his face flushed from excitement. In a few seconds, he was at the table.
"Where have you been all day? We were forced to go on a mission without you." Lana asked with furrowed brows, her tone sharp.
"That isn’t important right now. Have you all seen the news?" Jim asked, panting slightly as he set the phone down. The others glanced at one another, confused.
"I don’t have a phone." Max replied bluntly as he continued shoving food down his throat without care.
"Then go buy one." Jasmine glared at him, clearly irritated by his response.
"We just came back from a mission. What news?" Jake asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Here." Jim tapped a few things on his screen, then slid the phone across the table for them to see. Google seaʀᴄh novel⦿fire.net
"Breaking news." The female broadcaster’s voice immediately drew the group’s attention as they leaned in closer. "A shocking tragedy has just occurred between the humans and hybrids."
That was right! For the past hundred years or so, ever since the introduction of the hybrid serum, resentment had brewed. Those who didn’t, or couldn’t, take the serum often despised those who did.
Their reasons? To them, hybrids were throwing away their humanity in exchange for beastly powers. It was like selling their very souls to the devil itself.
And so, a movement had formed. Out of this movement grew a notorious group dedicated to hunting hybrids down until their last breaths.
This group was called the "Anti-Hybrid Association." Or, in short, the AHA.
Those who couldn’t officially join the AHA but supported the movement often helped in secret—providing information, funds, or safe houses for the group’s cause.
"Yes! As usual, the tendrils of the AHA have spread further and further, until an altercation between a human and a hybrid turned immensely lethal." The female broadcaster continued.
"The fight between the two was captured on camera and streamed live. The shocking moment of the human pulling out a gun and emptying the barrel into the hybrid’s head has now gone viral. Many are calling this an act of unfair treatment, further fueling the debate surrounding hybrids."
"Huh?" Jasmine muttered as she paused the news. "I mean, that was the humans’ advantage against the hybrids though."
"Hybrids are also people. You can’t just outright pull out a gun and unalive them. Besides, in that short clip above, we didn’t even see the hybrid transform, so why pull out a gun?" Lana asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Just continue the news," Jim said, and without hesitation, Max tapped play on the paused video.
"This shocking video has gained widespread recognition to the point that the kings themselves took notice, and they aren’t pleased one bit. This caused one of the kings to say, and I quote..." The female broadcaster lifted a sheet of paper and began reading.
’These weapons have become a danger to we— hybrids. Yes, I agree that we have an advantage against normal humans, but that advantage exists for their protection and well-being. It is to prevent a war that would cost lives on both sides. Yet, despite this, we are being treated like beasts?
This is unfair, and hence we— the kings have all gathered and decided that the government needs to ban the use of guns, bombs, nukes, or any other lethal weapon. None of these should be in production or distribution again.
Any such weapon found in the possession of a human, gang, mafia, or whatever group must either be tossed into the ocean or surrendered to the necessary authorities. We are giving the government forty-eight hours to act on this. Otherwise, we are going to act. And trust me... you don’t want to see me act.’
"That was the statement made by King Sen, the face of the kings. Due to this direct threat, the government has already begun taking action, and soon enough, lethal weapons will be banned nationwide. That concludes today’s report..."
Jim suddenly snatched his phone and ended the clip, cutting the news short before looking around the table.
Everybody was lost in deep thought.
’I mean, I agree with the kings at this point,’ Max thought with a small frown on his face. ’I almost got killed by mafia boss Carl when he pulled out his gun.
Even his men wielded guns against me, and I ended up getting shot in the foot. That situation could have gone completely haywire if the bullet had struck my head. So honestly, I feel ban is the safer option for us all.’
"Aren’t you guys thinking of what I’m thinking?" Jim finally asked, snapping everyone out of their silence. All eyes turned toward the hunter.
"What exactly are you thinking?" Jasmine asked with a raised brow.
"With the ban of lethal weapons like guns, what will be the normal humans’ advantage? And why do I feel like there’s going to be an influx of hybrids soon?" Jim speculated, and Jake’s eyes widened instantly.
’Crap! This is bad. This is really bad. At this rate, more gangs will rise. Something new is bound to be created soon— maybe not lethal, but definitely something that can restrain us.
And since guns are about to vanish from the streets, more people will start opting to become hybrids. That means more gangs, more chaos, and more power struggles. Fuck! This is bad. I need to think of something fast.’ Jake thought as he rubbed his temples in frustration.