Chapter 88 - 87: The Temptation of the Trash Can

Meanwhile, in the restricted zone, Gepard listened intently to his sister, Serval, and the people from the Underworld. He had already been briefed by some of his subordinates, so while he was still somewhat skeptical of what Serval was saying, he was starting to believe it. As Gepard thought about the Supreme Guardian's increasingly erratic behavior over the years and the strange reports from the Underworld, he felt the weight of evidence piling up. There were too many signs pointing to the truth. Even if he ignored everything else, the mere fact that the Supreme Guardian had cut off the Underworld and left its people to die was proof enough that something was wrong. "Sister, I'm not sure what exactly is happening, but if they are willing to join us in fighting against the Fragmentum creatures, I'll welcome them." "Wait, what?" Serval was taken aback by his response. "I was fully prepared to knock some sense into you if you disagreed. How come...?" Gepard turned his back to her. "My duty is to protect Belobog. It doesn't matter if they're from the Underworld or if they're outsiders. As long as we can stop the Fragmentum's spread, they are our allies. And as for the Supreme Guardian's strange behavior over the years... I've noticed it too. My men have brought me additional reports just now, and they line up with your story. However..." Serval cut in, "However, what?" Gepard continued, "Protecting Belobog is my responsibility. When the time comes, I will personally accompany those outsiders to confirm whether what you say is true or not." Serval was stunned. "Wow, little brother, you're really stepping up! Well, I can't just sit on the sidelines while you take action. Don't worry, if Cocolia isn't under the influence of the Stellaron, I'll knock some sense into her myself. But if she is..." Her voice trailed off, but then she quickly perked up again. "If it's true, then I'll have finally fulfilled my dream—seeing the Stellaron with my own eyes!" Gepard glanced at his sister, wanting to stop her, but after thinking it through, he gave up. His sister was once an Architect, and who knows, maybe her skills could come in handy? Besides, seeing the Stellaron with her own eyes was his sister's dream, and as her brother, he couldn't bear to let her miss that opportunity. He knew how strong his sister was, and he had grown stronger himself—strong enough to protect her. Gepard said, "Alright, but you must stick close to me. If not, I will leave you behind." Serval smirked, "Relax, your sister isn't weak, you know." While they were talking, Seele arrived at their location, having followed the marks Oleg had left behind, deactivating her stealth before speaking up. Seeing Seele suddenly appear, Gepard became cautious. Serval quickly introduced her: "This is Seele, another one of our allies." Oleg added, "Yes, Seele has been with Pei Guang's group. I assume she's here with some instructions for us." Seele nodded, "Yes. Bronya and the Supreme Guardian are headed this way. I've brought some disguises from Pei Guang." As she spoke, Seele pulled out a trash can. Gepard, recognizing the object, raised an eyebrow. "So, you're the one responsible for the missing trash cans from the other day?" Seele shrugged, "Huh? Well, whatever. That doesn't matter. Bronya and the Supreme Guardian will be here soon. Just hide in the trash cans, and you won't be discovered." Having spent the past few days underground with Pei Guang, Seele was experienced with this method of hiding. She had tested it herself, and it worked wonders. Regular machines couldn't detect anyone hiding inside stationary trash cans. Not even Fragmenutm creatures could sense them. As for how it worked? Who cared about the specifics? That's time better spent slaying a few Fragmentum creatures with Pei Guang and Stelle. Unlike Pei Guang, she had her own stealth abilities, so she didn't need to hide in a trash can. Why crouch when she could just turn invisible? As Seele set up the trash cans, Gepard and Serval found themselves in deep thought. Serval asked, "Seele, does this really work?" Seele confidently replied, "Trust me, no one will ever suspect a trash can that doesn't move." Gepard stood silently, contemplating. He recalled the day when Pei Guang's group had mysteriously vanished after rounding a corner. Could they have hidden in one of the trash cans he saw back then? Incredible. People really did hide like this? Still, seeing Seele pull a perfectly clean trash can from nowhere made him reconsider. Without seeing it for himself, he wouldn't have believed anyone could hide in a filthy trash can so quickly. Realizing it wasn't the time to dwell on that, Gepard watched as everyone climbed into the trash cans Seele had set up and closed the lids. As for Svarog? There was no need for him to hide. Looking over at the robots nearby, Svarog simply positioned himself among them. No one unfamiliar with the Silvermane Guard military would notice anything unusual. Even if someone were to find him suspicious, they'd likely just think he was an unfamiliar robot model. So long as Svarog didn't attack, no one would assume he was a threat. With everyone hidden, Cocolia and Bronya made their way deeper into the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone, reaching the gate leading to the outside world. Cocolia led the way, with Bronya trailing behind. As they advanced, Bronya could feel the voice in her mind growing louder and clearer. "Come... witness a new world... become part of the new world..." "Join... the new world..." "..." Faced with the tempting voice, if it had been the old Bronya, she wasn't sure she could have resisted. But maybe it was the effect of the coffee or Pei Guang's influence. Now, Bronya walked forward, smiling, despite the annoying voice echoing in her head. That is, until she saw something that nearly made her lose her composure. What was it? A whole row of neatly arranged trash cans? In the past, she might have wondered why there were so many trash cans instead of just one large garbage container. But now, she knew very well that people were hiding inside those cans. In fact, it was probably the people from the Underworld's resistance group, the Wildfire. She knew, but instead of thinking it through, her body reacted on instinct. As if that weren't enough, she saw something else—Svarog was standing openly among the robots, waving at her. Was he even trying to hide? Naturally, Cocolia noticed Svarog's wave and sneered, "Hm, the robots here are rather amusing." Since Svarog wasn't acting any different from the other machines, and considering his imposing figure, Cocolia assumed he was just another advanced robot designed by the Architects. But as they approached the trash cans, she sensed something unusual. Her gaze fell upon them, and the gap between the lids and the trash cans seemed like a dark abyss, tempting her. Just looking at that black crack made her imagine a putrid stench, so much so that she instinctively stepped away. Though Cocolia, with her 'mature mind,' wasn't swayed by the trash can's allure, 'arrogant' Bronya was. Even though Bronya knew people were hiding in those trash cans, her mind began to wander the moment she saw the gap between the lids and the can. The sweet temptation of the trash cans made her instinctively take a step closer. Even a fool like Seele could pull out treasures and learn to use storage space from Pei Guang's group. So why hadn't she? Was the problem with her? "Open it! Open it!" This was the cry of Bronya's mind. The Stellaron itself was stunned. What was wrong with this girl? Here it was, promising her a brand-new world, and she was staring at a trash can, wanting to open it? Open what? What could possibly come out of it? Three buff men or a horde of Fragmenutm creatures? Cocolia also noticed Bronya's odd gaze and sneered, "Hmph, my naive daughter. I didn't expect a trip to the Underworld would change you like this. It's time you learn the truth about this world." If not for the ongoing plan, Bronya would've asked if this 'truth' would help her pull a purple—or even a green-tier item—from the trash can. At this point, Bronya wasn't even hoping for a gold-tier item. Green would do just fine. The Stellaron was utterly confused—what was this about a glowing garbage can? What was Bronya even thinking? Forget it, none of that mattered. Destroying Belobog was the real goal here. Inside the trash can, Seele was getting frustrated as she watched Bronya get closer and closer. "Couldn't you just wait until this is all over before you start getting obsessed with opening something? Don't let your desires cloud your judgment at a time like this!" Little did Seele know, Bronya was trying her hardest to clear her mind, preventing the Stellaron from influencing her thoughts. Her actions were just instinctual reactions from her body and hearth—the desire to open the bin was too strong. However, Bronya ultimately overcame her urges and continued following Cocolia toward the large gate. Cocolia and Bronya walked toward the entrance to the outside world, under the watchful eyes of Seele, Serval, Clara, Svarog and the rest of the crew. Standing guard, Gepard watched the scene unfold, lost in thought. He was now sure that Pei Guang and the others had definitely hidden in that garbage can the other day. If even Cocolia could overlook these hidden garbage bins, it made sense that he'd subconsciously forgotten about them too. But his face remained expressionless as he welcomed Cocolia and Bronya. Cocolia: "Gepard, open the gate. I'm going to show Bronya the truth about this world." Gepard: "Yes, ma'am!" As Gepard opened the gate, he noticed something strange: the Fragmentum creatures outside were frozen in place, not moving at all. Glancing at Cocolia, it became clear that whatever his sister had told him, whatever intel he'd been given, the truth was now obvious.