Chapter 174. Escape, or Charge Forward (2)
“Why have the two of you been muttering incomprehensible nonsense this whole time?”
Yukgap complained irritably.
There was no way he could follow all that Gnostic talk about Sophia and Abrasax.
Instead, he summarized the situation simply.
“We already have our answer, don’t we?”
“Either we pretend we saw nothing and keep running, or...”
“...We step in and stop more victims from being created.”
Victoria finished his sentence.
Her expression was resolute.
Yukgap looked at her and asked,
“So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know about anything else, but if that annoying bald fatty is behind this, we have to stop him.”
“That bastard enjoys playing with people’s lives.”
Nova agreed.
“I think so too.”
“If something like the Sophia Project happens again, innocent children are going to die in horrible pain.”
Apparently, all three of them had reached the same conclusion.
Yukgap looked between Nova and Victoria.
“Then it’s decided?”
Victoria looked worried.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“Running away doesn’t suit me in the first place.”
“I’m a tracker, not a fugitive.”
Yukgap answered without hesitation.
Even if they kept running, Abraxas would eventually pick up their trail somehow.
If that was inevitable, then striking first was better than staying helpless.
That was how Yukgap preferred to do things.
“So it’s decided.”
Nova looked out at the quietly rolling sea and muttered,
“It was a pretty nice vacation.”
“Too bad it ended early.”
“That building over there is where they’re recruiting participants for the Aeon Project.”
The three peeked around the corner.
Yukgap cautiously scanned the surroundings.
“You’re sure?”
“It was listed in the press materials, so yes.”
Nova quickly answered from memory.
Finding the main Aeon Project recruitment site had been easier than expected.
They had advertised the project everywhere and even held several public briefing sessions, so identifying the address had not been difficult.
The problem came afterward.
“Do I really have to wear this?”
Yukgap grumbled.
He was once again wearing the flowing women’s clothes they had bought the day before, along with a wide-brimmed hat.
It was a temporary measure to avoid Alpha’s tracking.
“We’re infiltrating.”
“You don’t have much choice.”
Victoria tried to soothe him.
Nova clicked her tongue while examining the building.
“We can’t just walk in.”
“Looks like you need a key card.”
There were no obvious guards, but the entrance was firmly secured.
Apparently, the door would not open at all without a card key.
Victoria studied the entrance and cautiously asked,
“Can we hack it?”
“It’s possible.”
“But we’d probably be discovered before we finished.”
If the two of them stood around hacking the entrance in broad daylight, someone would inevitably notice.
That meant they could be exposed to Abraxas before they even got inside.
Sniff, sniff.
While Victoria and Nova were talking, Yukgap suddenly began sniffing the air.
Victoria immediately noticed.
“What is it?”
“I smell something fishy that’s familiar.”
Yukgap frowned.
What was that smell?
It was extremely familiar, but definitely not something he should be smelling here.
“Well, look who it is.”
“No. 6, Zeta, isn’t it?”
“And Victoria and Nova Hanson are here too?”
A deep male voice came from behind them.
All three turned around at once.
A broad, muscular man with brown skin was glaring at them.
Judging from the plastic bags of food in both hands, he had apparently gone out to buy snacks and happened to spot them on the way back.
Victoria quickly asked,
“Who is that?”
“No. 9.”
“He’s the Archon fused with a shark. You met him before.”
Victoria remembered the Archon she had encountered several times.
Apparently, this was No. 9’s ordinary human form, without his beast traits manifested.
“Perfect timing!”
“You tricked me last time, remember?”
“Do you have any idea how badly No. 2 chewed me out because of that?”
“A bunch of my Nine Fish died too!”
The moment No. 9 saw Yukgap, he exploded in anger.
Yukgap immediately drew his dagger and prepared to attack.
“So what?”
“We’re on land.”
“You’re not seriously thinking of fighting me here, are you?”
No. 9 stared at him for a moment.
Then he noticed something strange and tilted his head.
“Why are you wearing women’s clothes?”
“Is that your thing?”
“There was a reason!”
“Don’t ask!”
Yukgap hurriedly brushed it off.
No. 9 glared at him before pulling a communicator from his pocket.
“Anyway, if I fight you on land, I’ll probably lose.”
“I specialize in marine combat.”
“But I can still tell the other Archons that you’re here!”
Yukgap was startled by the unexpectedly logical decision.
“Why are you using your brain all of a sudden?”
“Hehehe.”
“It’s not like I spend every day getting fooled!”
No. 9 immediately activated the communicator.
