Luther’s POV
It had been a few minutes since the girl woke up.
She was already fast asleep again.
She looked exhausted…
and incredibly weak.
I couldn’t help wondering what those Raiders had put her through.
Why had they taken her?
What did they want from her?
I didn’t have the answers.
And somehow, those questions kept me awake.
The Next Morning
Morning came faster than expected.
We had to get moving.
James had spent part of the morning scouting the surrounding area, and thankfully, he’d found a river nearby.
It wasn’t exactly a luxury…
But at least we could clean ourselves up before continuing the journey.
Afterward, we returned to the vehicle and questioned the girl again.
“What is your name?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Where are you from?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Do you know where your parents are?”
“I don’t remember.”
The same answer.
Every time.
Ariel gave her some food and clothes while treating the injuries and bruises she had suffered.
The girl barely spoke.
But there was something else that bothered me.
The system.
It couldn’t identify her.
No name.
No rank.
No power.
Nothing.
How could the system recognize every one of us but fail to recognize her?
What are you?
For a moment, a ridiculous thought crossed my mind.
Maybe she’s an alien.
I immediately shook my head.
“That’s outrageous.”
James glanced at me.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He stared at me suspiciously before returning his attention to the road.
We continued driving.
One hour.
Then two.
Then three.
We had covered a ridiculous distance by then.
Normally, we’d have stopped somewhere to stretch our legs, but we couldn’t afford to waste time.
NEXUS was still out there.
Every second mattered.
I was beginning to wonder how much longer the road would remain peaceful when—
KRRRRAAAACK!
The entire vehicle jolted violently.
“WHAT THE—?!”
James slammed on the brakes.
The SUV skidded sideways.
I looked ahead.
My stomach dropped.
The road…
Had split apart.
A massive crack stretched across the highway, widening by the second.
Our front wheels were dangerously close to the edge.
“Get out!”
James shouted.
We immediately scrambled from the vehicle.
Ariel grabbed the girl while I rushed to collect whatever supplies I could.
“Move!”
We barely made it away.
CRAAASH!!
The ground beneath the SUV collapsed.
The vehicle disappeared into the massive gap.
We stood there in silence.
James stared down.
“…There goes our ride.”
I slowly lowered the bag in my hand.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Then—
Ding.
A blue notification appeared before us.
This time…
The message was different.
[WARNING]
[An A-Rank Echo has manifested.]
[Objective: Clear the Echo.]
[Reward: Points distributed according to contribution.]
[Failure Condition: Death.]
I stared at the message.
Then at the enormous crack in the road.
Then back at the message.
“…Hell no.”
James sighed.
“Not again.”
Ariel looked toward the horizon.
Something was coming.
The air had changed.
And whatever had just created this Echo…
Wasn’t going to be anything like the Goblins we fought before.