The city's noise had fallen far behind, replaced by the silence of the wasteland. This desolate road, stretching out of the city, lay like a grey ribbon under the dim moonlight. Sard moved with steady steps, carrying the sleeping Lena, while Fast accompanied him, walking right by his side. Their low-voiced conversation was swallowed by the howling wind.
Lena's eyelashes flickered. As she opened her eyes, she realized she was being carried in Sard's arms. She shifted slightly, trying to sit up, and Sard lowered his gaze toward her without breaking his stride.
"Are you awake?" Sard asked, his voice flat and expressionless.
Fast immediately leaned toward Lena, a look of relief washing over his face. "Hey, finally! Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
Lena looked at Fast's worried face and gave him a faint smile. "I'm fine, just a bit dizzy. Thank you," she said. Then, she looked around at the pitch-black surroundings and the empty road ahead, unable to hide her confusion. "Where are we? Last thing I remember... we were entering the back alley."
Sard didn't stop; he just fixed his gaze back on the dark road. "They might be after us, so we're getting as far away from the city as possible."
Lena swallowed hard. "They're after us? Who are they, and why are they following us?"
Fast cut in. "We were just talking about that. Sard was explaining how it all started."
Sard took a deep breath, feeling Lena's curious eyes on him. "To put it simply; this goes back a year. I had joined the Asphex clan. Back then, I chose to go with them both to survive and to move forward. I thought I had no other choice. The leader of the clan is Alric Asphex... an A-Rank hero. But the real issue isn't his physical power; it's his connections that spread everywhere like a spider's web."
Sard's expression hardened. "He has men in the Hero Association whom he's bribed. He has them tamper with people's records, raising or lowering ranks as he pleases. He only rewards those who obey him unconditionally, but he never gives anyone what they truly deserve. If Alric hadn't blocked my path, I might have been an A-Rank hero a long time ago."
Fast smirked for a moment and muttered in a low voice, "Sure, definitely."
Sard shot an annoyed look at Fast before continuing: "Shinya was one of his most trusted men. He was the one in charge of me, and he enjoyed looking down on everyone, including myself. The reason they're after us now is that the man I knocked out at the hospital was a member of the Asphex clan. Once they realized it was me, they sent Shinya directly after us. They have a vast network, so we might be being watched at any moment. We have to be careful."
As Sard finished speaking, Lena shifted with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry, I've exhausted you too. I can walk, I feel much better."
Sard gently set her down and waited a moment to see if she could keep her balance. Seeing Lena's determined stance, Fast looked at her, smiled warmly, and gave her a thumbs-up.
After walking in silence for a while, Lena wanted to check her phone but couldn't find it. "I wonder if we've made the news? Should we check?" she asked anxiously.
Fast sighed. "My phone stayed in the hospital room." "Mine's been dead for a long time," Sard added. Lena let out a huff. "Yeah, I think mine's gone at the hospital too."
Just then, a flickering cluster of dim lights in the middle of the darkness caught Lena's attention. "Look at that," she said, pointing ahead. "There's a gas station over there!"
Fast straightened his tired shoulders and turned to Sard. "Actually, we should probably take a break. It would do us all some good to rest and grab a bite. Lena just woke up; we need a moment to breathe."
Sard looked across toward the light. Stopping was risky, but they needed to eat and solve the phone charging issue. "Stay alert as we approach," he warned suspiciously. The three of them quickened their pace toward the gas station.