Chapter 283: The Leader Who Refuse to Flee

Gideon clicked his tongue and glanced between Jade and Kilian. One was climbing a crumbling building while giant insects chased her, and the other was stranded on the opposite side of a collapsing canyon.

Meanwhile, the Hive Mind kept producing more aberrants as though it had an endless supply of monsters waiting underground.

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

"System, do you have anything that can keep these bastards busy?"

[Searching available services.]

[Temporary Combat Personnel: Available for Hire.]

Gideon’s eyes brightened. "Right, I totally forgot about them."

He purchased the service, and several armed men materialized on a relatively stable platform behind him.

They immediately spread out, following the instructions provided by the System to engage the approaching aberrants and keep them away from the evacuation routes.

"Hold them off! Don’t use anything that might ignite the Hive Mind!"

The men acknowledged the order and charged into battle.

With some of the pressure relieved, Gideon sheathed his sword and jumped toward the building Jade was climbing.

He caught a broken ledge with one hand, pulled himself up, and grabbed a nearby insect aberrant by its wing when it swooped toward him. With a single violent motion, he hurled the creature into the white mass below.

"Jade!"

"I’m busy!" she shouted, stabbing at another insect with a piece of broken metal.

"Yeah, I can see that. Your swordsmanship is truly inspiring."

"Shut up and help me!"

Gideon laughed, grabbed her around the waist, and hoisted her over his shoulder before she could protest. Then he began climbing.

"What are you doing? Put me down! And focus on the hive mind more! That consciousness can move!"

Jade protested, squirming over Gideon’s shoulder and smacking his back with the palm of her hand.

"Rescuing you, obviously. I can fight that thing later. You’re welcome!"

Gideon replied cheerfully, continuing his climb as though he hadn’t just kidnapped the leader of Climber Rift.

"I’m perfectly capable of climbing by myself!" she snapped, glaring at the back of his head.

"Of course." Gideon shifted his grip and hauled himself onto the next ledge. "That’s why you’ve been climbing the same wall for the past minute."

Jade smacked his back, but Gideon ignored her and continued upward. His enhanced strength made the climb almost ridiculous.

He drove his fingers into cracks in the stone, hauled himself up with Jade over his shoulder, and kicked away any aberrant made by hive mind that came close enough to threaten them.

Gideon felt something brush against his feet. Glancing down, he found white strands creeping up the broken wall, reaching for his ankles.

"Give me something. I’ll take care of them," Jade said, tightening her grip around his shoulder.

He nodded and opened the Infinite Store, purchasing a short sword called the [Ironclad Sword].

It was forged from the same material as his Unbreakable Sword, making it durable to withstand a fight against the Hive Mind’s aberrants.

Jade took the weapon without hesitation. As Gideon continued climbing, she cut through every white strand that tried to reach them. Once the path was clear, she wrapped an arm around his knee to keep herself steady.

Their position was awkward, to say the least, but neither had the luxury of complaining.

When a section of the wall crumbled beneath Gideon’s foot, he launched himself toward the next ledge and caught it with his free hand. Jade tightened her hold on him as loose rocks tumbled into the canyon below.

At last, Gideon hauled himself onto a broad platform and carefully set her down.

Jade immediately straightened her clothes, then turned toward him with a slight frown.

"Thank you, but don’t do that again."

Gideon raised an eyebrow. "Why not? We’ve slept together plenty of times, and now you don’t want me to carry you?"

Jade opened her mouth to retort, but the words never came. She closed it again, sighed, and turned her face away.

Gideon studied her for a moment. She wasn’t angry about being carried. There was something more complicated in her expression, something weighed down by the destruction surrounding them.

Beneath her frustration, he could see the sadness in her eyes.

He understood why.

Gideon placed a hand on her shoulder, his usual teasing expression softening. "We’ll defeat this thing and save your settlement and your people. This isn’t your fault, Jade."

She lowered her gaze before managing a bitter smile. "I know." Her fingers tightened around the sword’s hilt. "And I’m sorry I’ve been rude to you. This isn’t your fault either, Gideon."

"Oh, come on! Stop having a heartfelt moment and help me, man!" Kilian shouted from across the canyon.

He ducked just as a flying insect aberrant fired another volley of sharp projectiles from its mouth. The projectiles struck the rock behind him, chipping away at the already unstableledge.

Gideon glanced in his direction. "He’s certainly enjoying himself."

"GIDEON!"

"All right, all right!"

Gideon opened the Infinite Store again and purchased another short sword. He tossed it across the canyon toward Kilian, who caught it awkwardly, nearly dropping it when another insect swooped toward him.

"Here! Try not to stab yourself!" Gideon called.

He stared at the weapon, then glared at Gideon. "You expect me to fight with this?"

"Come on, it’s basically a military-grade knife. Just longer." Gideon shakes his head, "I don’t find any knife that has the proper durability for these things."

"That’s not how knives work!"

"Then think of it as an oversized knife. You are part of Freebound, don’t you? You will get it."

Kilian looked ready to throw the sword straight back at his head.

"I’m going to kill you when this is over!"

"Get in line!" Gideon called back before turning to deal with another aberrant.

Kilian grumbled something unintelligible before swinging the sword at the insect that had landed near his feet.

His technique was clumsy, but the blade was sharp enough to sever one of its legs, forcing the creature to retreat.

Gideon took the opportunity to open the Infinite Store once more. This time, he purchased several teleportation scrolls and tossed one toward Kilian.

"Take Aaron and get him to Patrick’s tent! Have Patrick examine him and figure out whether the infected people are still being controlled by the Hive Mind. Then help organize the survivors and make sure the evacuation continues!"

Kilian caught the scroll against his chest and glanced toward Aaron, who remained unconscious on a nearby slab of rock.

"And what about you?" he shouted back.

"I’ll handle the big, ugly thing."

"Oh, of course you will. Don’t die, Gideon or worse, become one with that parasite." Kilian chuckled, "you will be a fucking nightmare."

Kilian rushed toward Aaron, hauled the unconscious man over his shoulder, and prepared to activate the scroll.

A flash of light enveloped Kilian and Aaron, transporting them away from the battlefield and toward Patrick’s tent.

Gideon watched them disappear before turning back to Jade. He held out another teleportation scroll.

"Your turn. Go with them."

Jade didn’t take it. "No."

Gideon blinked, staring at her in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"The consciousness is moving." She pressed her palm against the nearby white tissue, her hazel eyes narrowing as she concentrated. "Whatever we’ve been tracking, it’s shifting somewhere else. If I leave now, we might lose it."

"Or you could get eaten by one of those flying nightmares."

"I’m not that weak. I can also sense its energy, Gideon. You can’t." Jade lifted her gaze to meet his. "If we want to find it, you need me."

He stared at her for a moment, then let out a weary sigh.

"Why is everyone around me so determined to make my life difficult?"

"Because I’m the leader of those people and they are still trapped inside their mind. I would not leave until every single one of them survive."

Another shriek echoed across the canyon. Below them, the white mass surged over the lower platforms, swallowing broken structures as the hired fighters struggled to hold back the advancing aberrants.

Gideon glanced at the teleportation scroll in his hand, then at Jade. He clearly hated the idea of leaving her here, but he couldn’t deny the logic behind her decision.

"Fine. You stay with me, but if things get worse, you teleport out immediately. No arguing."

Jade nodded, apparently satisfied with the agreement.

"All right, then. Let’s find our oversized parasite’s brain before it grows another hundred legs." Gideon raised his sword and gestured for her to lead the way.

Jade pressed her hand against the Hive Mind again, searching for the shifting concentration of energy. Her expression sharpened as she detected the movement beneath the white tissue.

"Found it." She pointed toward the lower settlement. "It’s down there."

Gideon followed the direction of her finger and tightened his grip on his sword.

"Be careful, Jade. I know you wanted to save everyone, but you need to save yourself first." he said before he continued, "Lead the way."

Jade didn’t say anything for a while and followed him behind. But then, he could hear her murmuring.

"Death is the last thing I will do. There is still someone I need to take back."