story

Day breaks, and the Volatiles return to their nests.

Aiden and Hakon managed to escape from the hospital at the last moment, returning to Chen Nuo's safe house with the spoils of their trip.

"Here's what you wanted."

Aiden said as he handed the backpack full of medicine to Chen Nuo.

However, just as Chen Nuo reached out to take the bag, he suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Aiden's wrist, and pinned him to the ground with a takedown maneuver.

"What are you doing?!"

Hakon was startled by this sudden turn of events and instinctively moved forward, but the dark muzzle of a gun stopped him in his tracks.

"Hands behind your head, crouch down."

Chen Nuo pinned Aiden down with one hand and gestured toward Hakon with the gun barrel.

"Look, big brother, we haven't caused you any trouble, have we?"

Hakon had no choice but to comply, but his mouth didn't stay shut as he asked tentatively.

Chen Nuo ignored him, instead using his knee to pin down the struggling Aiden. After searching him for a moment, he pulled out the GRE Access Key.

With this thing, one could open any GRE-related lockdown facility or item; it was also the most critical plot item.

"Give... it back..."

Aiden was struggling to breathe under the pressure, but he still tried his best to resist. Unfortunately, his strength was negligible compared to Chen Nuo's current power.

"Are you here looking for your sister?"

Chen Nuo tucked the GRE Access Key into his coat and asked calmly.

Aiden had come to this city to find his missing sister, Mia. Both siblings had once been GRE test subjects.

But the true situation differed from what Aiden believed.

Because excessive drug testing in the past had scrambled Aiden's memory, he and Mia weren't actually siblings, though the experience of being experimented on was real.

However, Aiden had volunteered for it in order to save the sick Mia.

"You know?"

"Mia, right? I've seen your test records, Aiden. Your constitution is indeed quite unusual."

"Are you with the GRE?!"

"I used to be."

Chen Nuo shrugged and glanced at Hakon out of the corner of his eye. Hakon, who had been thinking of making a move, immediately behaved himself again, keeping his head down and not daring to move an inch, fearing his head would truly get blown off.

"You bastards... all of you..."

"Shh, don't go talking nonsense. I wasn't high-ranking enough in the GRE to conduct human experiments."

Chen Nuo increased the pressure with his knee to make Aiden calm down. He was getting too emotional; the virus infection did indeed affect one's temperament.

"I've seen your file. You never had a sister. The drugs affected your memory. Think carefully again, Aiden."

"I..."

Due to the lack of oxygen, Aiden's consciousness began to blur, but his originally integrated memories began to shatter bit by bit under Chen Nuo's provocation.

"And you, Hakon."

Chen Nuo turned his head to look at Hakon, giving him a fright.

"Me? What do I have to do with this?"

"You've got some nerve, daring to work for Walsh and even killing Lucas. You caused the city center to be locked down by the Enforcers. If the people at the Bazaar and the Enforcers find out, you'll wish you were dead."

Chen Nuo's words turned Hakon's face pale, and his voice began to tremble involuntarily.

"How... how do you know?"

These words were undoubtedly a confession, leaving Aiden stunned.

Hakon was actually one of Walsh's men?

Then did he save me because of some premeditated plan?

In Aiden's current memory, Walsh was not a good character; he was the one who led all the human experiments on him and caused his separation from Mia.

But in reality, Walsh was Mia's father, and the experiments on the children were primarily intended to save Mia.

Mia suffered from her mother's hereditary disease and was later infected by the virus.

Walsh was on the verge of curing his daughter using Aiden's constitution, but a mob stormed the lab back then, and the resulting fire destroyed everything.

As for the GRE Access Key, Walsh had originally obtained it, but his subordinates turned traitor and stole it. After changing hands several times, it finally ended up with Aiden.

"Do I need to explain myself to you?"

Chen Nuo gave Hakon a cold look, making him shiver as he involuntarily recalled the days of working under the man.

Just then, a crossbow bolt was fired at Hakon. Seeing it was about to hit, Chen Nuo kicked Hakon to the ground.

Looking at the bolt pinned to the wooden board, Hakon realized instantly that Chen Nuo had saved him, and he scrambled into the house to hide.

"Your past flings have caught up with you."

Chen Nuo looked up toward the direction the bolt came from. On a residential building a hundred meters away, a masked figure was aiming a crossbow at them.

One look at the outfit and Chen Nuo knew exactly who was under the mask.

Lawan, Aiden's ex-girlfriend.

As for why she was hunting Hakon, it was because in Lawan's eyes, this guy had betrayed both the Night Walkers organization and her feelings.

Fortunately, Lawan was wearing a mask now; otherwise, Chen Nuo would have thought he'd run into a Volatile in broad daylight.

He wasn't attacking Lawan's looks; it was more that her looks were an attack on him.

Back when Hakon first introduced Lawan to Chen Nuo, it gave him quite a shock. He thought he'd seen a Volatile and pulled out his UV flashlight on the spot, making the scene rather awkward.

As a result, the two of them still didn't get along very well.

From that perspective, Hakon was truly admirable—he actually managed to go for it, and even still had lingering feelings.

"Hakon, you have to explain this to me!"

Aiden, having caught his breath, grabbed Hakon's clothes and asked angrily.

"Is now the time for this?"

Hakon was already somewhat numb. Why was all this trouble piling up at once? The business with Walsh alone was enough to get him hung up like a Teru Teru Bozu, and now his ex-girlfriend Lawan was here. He might as well just be killed.

That being said, Hakon still wanted to struggle a bit; a bad life is better than a good death.

"Calm down first, I'll explain it to you."

"...You'd better."

Aiden finally let go of Hakon. No matter what, the man had saved him, and twice at that.

As for whether he was the true killer of Lucas, strictly speaking, it had nothing to do with him. The only thing worth caring about was the matter between Hakon and Walsh.

"I say, Boss, what do we do now? You can't just leave me to die."

Hakon looked at Chen Nuo and said with a bitter smile.

He knew that woman Lawan. If he were really caught, it would be certain death.

"Aiden, you go deal with her,"

Chen Nuo said to Aiden. He didn't want to face Lawan; it would really ruin his mood and make him recall his past experiences of being chased by Volatiles.

"Me? Why?"

Aiden was indignant. You just pinned me to the ground and stole the GRE Access Key.

"Because I have everything you want to know. Now get to work!"

Chen Nuo urged Aiden with a kick. Such a useful tool; the Peacekeepers could use him, the Bazaar people could use him, and the Renegades could use him too. Why shouldn't I use him?

With the secret of Mia, I'll have you under my thumb for a lifetime, Aiden.

"You really are a bastard."

Aiden couldn't help but curse, but his body was very honest as he vaulted out of the window sill.

"And you, go set up a meeting with Walsh. I want to talk to him."

Chen Nuo gave Hakon another kick.

"Okay, Boss."

Hakon was clearly much more sensible. Without a single word of nonsense, he nodded in agreement, crouching by the window to peek at the situation outside, ready to slip away at any moment.

Aiden truly lived up to his name; his parkour skills were smooth. He climbed up the pipes to the roof and pinned the unsuspecting Lawan to the ground.

In the struggle, he accidentally knocked off her mask. The sudden shock caused Aiden to daze for a moment, and Lawan seized the opportunity to kick him in the groin.

Now Aiden had no strength left to fight back and was held at crossbow-point by Lawan.

Fortunately, although Lawan was petty, she could still distinguish right from wrong. Aiden wasn't in her little black book of enemies, so she only gave him a warning and didn't intend to kill him.

Hakon took the opportunity to sneak away.

Seeing that she couldn't achieve her goal, Lawan could only glare fiercely at Aiden before leaving the roof.

Watching Aiden return limping, Chen Nuo couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth from curling up and asked with a smile,

"What, were you so enchanted you couldn't even walk?"

"...Screw off."

Aiden replied irritably, yet his mind involuntarily recalled Lawan's face. The impression was simply too deep, making it somewhat unforgettable.

Heh, this guy is actually savoring it in his heart.

His taste is just as heavy as Hakon's; no wonder the two of them could become brothers.

Chen Nuo saw the thoughts reflected in Aiden's eyes and muttered a few words to himself.

After a while, Aiden spoke again.

"I've driven her away for you. Now can you tell me everything?"

"I've already had Hakon set up a meeting with Walsh. You can talk to him properly then; this is between you two. Now, let me draw another vial of your blood."

"What do you take me for?!"

"A rare experimental subject."

Chen Nuo said with a look of sincerity, clearly speaking from the heart.

One had to know that Aiden had undergone GRE testing since he was a child and had an unimaginable adaptability to the virus. He had been infected by a Volatile's bite.

For an ordinary person, even taking inhibitors would be useless; they would have turned into a zombie long ago.

Yet he could still stand here chatting, and in the future, he might even evolve and awaken a beast-like power. This showed he was anything but ordinary.

"Damn!"

"I'm not drawing it for nothing; here's an inhibitor for you."

"..."

Aiden took a few deep breaths and finally chose to agree.

"Wait, why does the color of this inhibitor look a bit off?"

Looking at the inhibitor he'd traded his blood for, Aiden was a bit suspicious and felt a chill in his heart. Could he be being used as a lab rat again? Chen Nuo's gaze was far too familiar.

"What's off about it? If there's a problem, come find me. I offer after-sales service."

Chen Nuo took the initiative to press the inhibitor's needle for Aiden.

Stop dilly-dallying and just inject it already.

"You!"

Aiden's eyes widened, knowing there was a trap, but the effect of the inhibitor came quickly. It felt as if dancing little people were appearing before his eyes. Before he could even finish his sentence, he became dizzy.

"Let me see."

Chen Nuo peeled back Aiden's eyelids to check his condition.

His inhibitor was indeed effective, it was just... "Hehe... I've hidden it well, little Mia..."

Aiden was immersed in the hallucinations brought by the mushrooms.

Well, just a tiny bit of side effects, no big deal.

Aiden had been tormented by Walsh since he was a child and seemed fine. This guy was tough as nails; there was no reason a single shot of his mushroom inhibitor would do him in. He could even increase the dosage!

After recording Aiden's current reaction data completely, Chen Nuo went back to his room to start studying his blood.

By the afternoon, Hakon returned to the safe house with a message from Walsh.

"Boss, Walsh has agreed to meet you. The location is at the Quarry, and the time is now."

"Oh, that guy is quite in a hurry. He's not planning to lure me there to silence me, is he?"

Chen Nuo put his hand on Hakon's shoulder and whispered softly.

"How could... well, I don't know. I'm just a messenger. Don't mess with me, Boss."

Hakon pleaded.

He really regretted why he ever worked for Walsh, putting himself in this situation. If only he hadn't quit the Night Walkers back then.

But that wasn't right either. If he hadn't led his people to quit the Night Walkers, he probably would have died with them during the assault on the VNC Tower.

"Just kidding, let's go."

Chen Nuo smiled and gave Hakon a push. Behind them, Aiden followed silently. The aftereffects of the mushroom inhibitor were a bit strong, and he was still a bit high, but the effect was indeed there.

At least that feeling of losing himself had weakened significantly... Old Villedor included four main districts: Trinity, Horseshoe, Quarry End, and Houndfield.

The area leading to the city center was called the Central Loop.

However, because a large amount of dangerous chemicals had almost saturated the surface soil, no one could pass through the surface except for zombies.

Currently, the only subway line that could reach the city center had been locked down by the Enforcers. The reason was naturally the death of Commander Lucas, which they suspected was the work of the Bazaar people.

Until the killer was caught, they forbade anyone from going to the city center.

This undoubtedly exacerbated the existing conflict between the two factions.

This was exactly the result Walsh wanted; he had to make Old Villedor chaotic to achieve his goal.

In the years since returning to Villedor, Walsh had chosen to join the Renegades, using the power of the Renegade Colonel to continue his research and try to save his daughter's life.

However, the so-called Renegades were actually just a derogatory term used by the Enforcers.

The Colonel was originally a member of the Enforcers, but he later broke with the Enforcer leader, Jack Matt, and left with his own people to occupy the city's dam.

As for those thugs who caused chaos in the city under the name of Renegades, they were mostly Walsh's subordinates.

When Chen Nuo arrived at the agreed location with Aiden and Hakon, a group of Renegades was already waiting there.

These people looked very aggressive and their mental states seemed unstable. This was because they had undergone Walsh's enhancement; their bodies were stronger than ordinary people, but the cost was obvious.

Walsh himself was standing in the middle of the Renegades. Seeing Chen Nuo's arrival, he waved his hand for his men to clear a path, letting the three of them stand before him.

"Where is my GRE Key?"

"Right here."

Chen Nuo pulled it out and flashed it in front of Walsh.

"What do you want?"

Walsh breathed a secret sigh of relief. After so much trouble, he could finally get this key back.

However, Aiden's sudden outburst interrupted his good mood.

"Walsh!!"

Seeing his enemy right in front of him, Aiden simply couldn't suppress his anger. The pain of the experiments in his memory, combined with the stimulation of the mushroom inhibitor, made him lunge toward Walsh.

Chen Nuo saw this and raised his hand helplessly. This behavior was just too much in character for Aiden. Couldn't they just communicate properly?