Lex felt like she couldn’t believe what she just heard. She knew she was the one who insisted on taking this unknown man with them and saying it was her business to believe what he said or not, but even then, she didn’t really expect anything from him. Deep down, she didn’t even believe him. She was just a desperate person willing to cling to any lifeline she could find. But now, she didn’t know what to think anymore. How did he know her family name? She was relatively famous, being a C-ranked awakened. Could he be lying and knew who she was all along? But that didn’t make sense either. The gaps in his knowledge didn’t seem like a lie, and if they were, and he was truly a criminal, there were better lies to tell. He wouldn’t just agree to go with them to the city where he would be caught easily. And if he was truly crazy, how would he even know?

Needing to confirm what she heard, she tried to open her mouth and ask him to repeat what he just said, but nothing came out. Then she realized she was scared to hear his answer. After a while, she mustered up her courage and asked, her voice rushed and shaking, “How do you know that name? Do you really know my brother? Is he still alive?”

“So he really is your brother,” Adam said, a chuckle escaping his mouth. Fate is really funny, he thought. Saved by the sister of the guy who hates me the most. What a joke. But maybe I shouldn’t reveal too much. I’m still weak, and who knows how she’ll react if she learns about my relationship with her brother. She might even try to kill me. But then, how much should I reveal?

“Yeah, I know him too well, actually. In fact, there’s no one in that world who doesn’t know him. They even call him the hero. He’s a big shot.”

“Are you telling the truth? Then is he really alive? If he is, how do we get him out of the crystal?” Lex asked, her words tumbling out in a rush.

“Lex, please, you can’t seriously believe what he’s saying,” Rika interjected.

“Rika, this is the last time I tell—” Lex began, but Adam interrupted her.

“Okay, enough with all this bullshit. I'm getting tired of this drama. I tell you the truth, you call me a liar, and then she tells you all to shut up just to ask me again. So let’s just end it. To answer your question: yes, your brother is still alive. I assume his body is in the city we’re heading to, right?”

“Y-yeah,” said Lex, surprised by his outburst.

“Then good. When we reach the city, if he’s still inside the crystal, you can kill me, okay? Everyone happy now? Great. Then there’s no reason to keep dragging this out,” said Adam, exasperation in his voice. God, I hate people. I should have just stayed in that ruined city. At least monsters don’t talk this much. But maybe I am the only one who got out of the crystal. Either way, the moment we reach the city, I need to find a way to slip away. Otherwise, things might get ugly for me. Ah, if only I’d had a bit more patience. But how could I have known she’s that bastard’s sister? At least I didn’t give them my true name. And the city we’re going to might be more dangerous than I thought. The hero is there, and who knows what else. Should I just ask them to send me back to the ruined city? No, that would be suspicious, especially after what I’ve said.

“Mike, I’m sorry about what my team said. I know we’ve disrespected you a lot, but could you please answer some of my questions? I really need to know,” said Lex, interrupting his thoughts.

“No,” said Adam firmly.

“What?” Lex asked, her surprise evident.

“I said no. Anything you want to ask me can be answered by your brother when we reach the city,” Adam clarified.

“You ungrateful bastard! Even after we saved your life, you’re going to act like this?” Shroom snapped.

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“Yeah, yeah, you saved my life, and I told your boss what she wanted. I think we’re even now. Besides, weren’t you the one who told me to stop lying? Why are you mad now that I did what you asked? You should really make up your mind,” Adam shot back.

“You—” Shroom began.

“Shroom, enough,” Lex interrupted. “Just start the car. We’ll find out the truth when we reach the city.”

Shroom gritted his teeth, glaring at Adam before turning to start the car. They drove in silence, the atmosphere tense. No one seemed in the mood to speak, but their eyes on the other hand said a lot.

Lex appeared as though she wanted to ask more questions but was holding back. Rika's eyes held murder, while Roy’s assessed Adam, trying to glean anything from him. LinLin’s gaze wasn’t on Adam but on Lex, as if she feared Lex might break. Shroom didn’t need his eyes to express himself; the reflection of his middle finger in the car mirror said it all.

After an hour of driving, Adam glimpsed the city. It wasn’t as he imagined it would be. He expected it to look like any city from five years ago, but he was wrong. Instead, he saw a huge dome of metal stretching far and wide. "I guess it makes sense," he thought. "If the world is really filled with monsters now, the old structures can’t protect people. They need walls to keep them safe."

“Welcome to Aegis, the last city in North Carolina. You might remember it as Charlotte,” said Lex.

“I like to call it the grave of crazy bastards, if you know what I mean,” Shroom added with a grin.

Before Adam could respond, Roy said, “Something is wrong.” Everyone tensed and turned to him.

“What is it?” Lex asked.

“Look at the gates. There seems to be a lot more commotion going on than usual—at least more than when we left,” Roy replied.

Indeed, in front of the gates, there were many people in similar uniforms moving around as if they were panicking. Numerous cars like the one they were riding in were coming and going out of the city in droves.

“You’re right,” Lex said, her eyes narrowing. “There seem to be fewer soldiers manning the gate than usual, and the number of awakened coming and going is unusual. Did a dungeon break happen? Shroom, speed up.”

“Roger that,” Shroom replied, pressing the accelerator. In a matter of minutes, they reached the city gate, or as close as they could get due to the numerous military cars blocking the way. Up close, the chaos surrounding the city gates was deafening. People in military uniforms moved from one car to another, trying to register their entrance and exit to the city. Others attempted to prevent some from bypassing the checkpoint, often with little success, amid a cacophony of shouting and rough handling.

“What the hell happened here? Why is everyone in such a rush? Some people are even ignoring the checkpoint and trying to force their way in and out of the city,” LinLin said, her voice filled with concern.

“Yo, boss, this doesn’t look good. If we wait for one of these soldiers to come to us, we’ll be here all day. Should we just ditch the car?” Shroom suggested.

“You’re right. Everyone, get your stuff. We’re leaving the car,” Lex ordered.

Everyone began packing their things and exiting the car, seemingly forgetting about Adam. Well, it seems like my luck didn’t run dry after all, he thought. No one’s focusing on me. I’ll let them move a bit from the car and then slip away.

“Mike, get out of the car. We’re leaving,” Lex called out.

Dammit, can’t you focus on something more important you bitch? Damn my big mouth, luck? When did I ever have something like that “Wait, I’m coming too? I thought you were going to find out what’s happening and then come back,” Adam said, acting surprised.

“Yeah, nice try, bitch. You want us to leave you here so you can run away, don’t you? Well, tough luck. Soon we’ll reveal your lies, and then—” Rika started.

“Rika, not the time. Mike, get out of the car and follow us,” Lex interrupted before Rika could continue.

Feeling dejected, Adam got out of the car and started following the group. As they made their way to the gates, they saw cars speeding by them and people screaming, abandoning their vehicles just like they had. After a while, they reached near the gate, and one of the soldiers, out of breath from running between the cars, rushed in front of them only to be stopped by Lex.

“Hey, you! What’s going on? Why is everyone in such a rush? Did a dungeon break out?” Lex asked.

The soldier, dazed by everything happening around him, looked at Lex and then stiffened, recognition appearing on his face. He saluted Lex and then said, stuttering, “A-a-awakened Lex, you’re back. That means you cleared the dungeon. Congratulations. A dungeon breakout? No, no, a dungeon didn’t break out, but haven’t you heard?”

Lex looked at him, anger brimming in her eyes. “If I did, I wouldn’t be asking you, now would I?”

The soldier tensed even more, if that was even possible, and said, “Right, right. I’m sorry. It’s been a long day. Please excuse me. The reason everyone is in a rush is not because of a dungeon break but because it seems like many people who were infected with the crystal disease are coming out of their crystallized form all of a sudden.”

This time, it was Lex who went stiff.