Chapter 22: Wedding News

"Come on... Let me show you the new power of humanity!"

Alex said, as he continued to expand the air wall, which spiraled and grew larger like a dust storm, occasionally crackling with blue sparks, making for quite a spectacle.

The mechanical squid creatures were thrown off balance, unable to move as the air manipulated them. This showed just how powerful Alex's air abilities had become.

As the whirlwind sped up, Alex stood firm, preparing for a decisive blow.

In that instant, the swirling air stopped, and what followed was a violent release, like a tiger pouncing. The burst of air surged toward the mechanical squid with explosive force.

Boom!

The deafening explosion shattered the mechanical squid into pieces, sending the wreckage flying far away.

As the smoke cleared, the entire field looked as if it had been bombed. The only thing left was Alex, standing dramatically in his original posture. But the next moment, he collapsed like a deflated balloon, exhausted.

"I... I'm so tired... What's happening to me?" Alex murmured as his consciousness faded, and he slowly passed out beside Leo.

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"Anna, who are you marrying?"

Alex asked anxiously, but Anna coldly replied:

"Does it matter? The person you like the most isn’t even me."

Anna said this as she turned to walk away, leaving Alex desperately trying to catch up, asking:

"Who do I like the most? Can you just tell me?!"

Alex couldn't understand what Anna meant, but she kept walking farther away.

"Who do I like the most?!"

Alex shouted in frustration, sitting up abruptly, only to realize the surroundings looked like a medical room in the rebel camp. He had been lying in bed. That’s when he realized... it was all just a dream.

"My head hurts... How long have I been out...?"

The last clear memory Alex had was of defeating the mechanical squid and collapsing afterward. He vaguely recalled the team members rushing over to carry him... and then he lost consciousness.

As Alex rubbed his head, lost in thought, a voice suddenly answered him.

"You’ve been asleep for three days."

Alex turned to find Maggie silently entering the room. She brought a basin of water, wrung out a towel, and tossed it to him.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Here, wash your face."

Alex took the towel, wiping his face, and looked at Maggie in confusion, wondering:

"Isn't she mad at me? Why is she being like this...?"

He stole a glance at Maggie's expression. It was a strange mix of not being angry but also not letting him off the hook—it was quite subtle.

To test her, Alex pretended to be in more pain than he was. Sure enough, Maggie rushed to his side in concern.

"Are you okay?"

Maggie looked worriedly at Alex, but then realized he was faking it. She immediately grew angry.

"You deserve it!! Hope it hurts like crazy!"

Maggie snapped, turning to leave, but Alex pulled something out of his pocket and held it up in front of her.

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"What is this...?"

Alex revealed a small, delicate tool—a mini sewing machine.

It wasn’t just any tool; this was something Alex had discovered when the team was staying in an abandoned house. Though it was from thirty years ago, it had been well-preserved. When Alex found it, he immediately thought of Maggie.

Standing up, Alex said to Maggie:

"I found this by accident. I noticed you’re always working late at the sewing workshop, and with this, you can make whatever clothes you want, anytime, anywhere. Let this be my apology for being rude to you!"

Alex exaggerated his expression, hoping Maggie would accept it. Maggie, pretending to be annoyed, reluctantly took it from him.

"Guess you have a little conscience after all... But your parents are here now. Let’s see how you explain this to them."

Maggie dropped the remark and turned to walk out. Just then, Alex's parents, Brad and Camilla, entered to check on him. Outside, Maggie carefully examined the mini sewing machine, unable to stop herself from smiling just a little.

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Back at the rebel base, Anna had been unusually quiet since returning. Everyone knew she was usually a cool, confident beauty, but this time, something was off.

She kept going to find her father, Commander Ryen, who had also been unusually present in the medical room. It seemed something significant was about to happen...

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"Hey! How’s your injury?!"

Max, along with the rest of Team 6 and Chad, came to visit Alex. The medical room was suddenly filled with noise and chatter.

"I'm fine... Thanks for coming in time. Otherwise, I might’ve been dead..." Alex smiled awkwardly, and everyone started talking about the "adventure" they’d just gone through.

But Chad seemed puzzled and asked Alex:

"How did that happen? Why were all the mechanical creatures destroyed? The whole field looked like it was bombed."

Of course, Alex couldn’t admit he was the one who did it, so he just played dumb. But he was more concerned about Leo witnessing him using his air powers.

"By the way, where’s Leo? Didn’t you guys bring him back?"

Alex asked about Leo’s whereabouts, but everyone hesitated, looking like they wanted to speak but didn’t know how.

"Wait... You didn’t bring him back?"

Alex asked in disbelief. That’s when Joey finally spoke up.

"Actually... after Leo woke up, he seemed... off. Especially when Commander Ryen suddenly announced that Anna was getting married... Leo started going to the commander every day to argue about it."

At first, Alex didn’t quite believe it, thinking Anna had just lied to reject him. But now, hearing this, he had no choice but to believe it.

Alex was utterly confused. The Anna he knew was confident, always wanting to be in control of her own life. There had to be a reason for this.

Suddenly, the alarm for the shelter’s main gate echoed throughout the entire Rockhill Valley. Everyone rushed outside to see what was happening.

"This is strange... All the search teams should have returned by now... Why is the gate opening? Could there be visitors arriving at Rockhill Valley?"

Blanca said, while the others began discussing the situation. However, Alex, without saying a word, stood up from his bed. For some reason, when the shelter gate opened, he felt it was connected to Anna’s wedding news...

Ignoring his pain, Alex left the medical room, looking toward the shelter gate with a serious expression.

"I’m going to check it out!"