CHAPTER 68: SMUGGLERS (3)

All eyes turned to Lucy, terror taking even the most experienced among them.

The leader of the smugglers instinctively took two steps back.

Among the twenty or so smugglers, five were Awakened; the others were armed well enough to handle one of them.

Yet this young woman who had appeared out of nowhere frightened them. Even if they believed themselves strong enough to deal with her, they could not ignore the sight of the silver cloak she wore.

Even without seeing her back, none doubted that embroidered there was more than just a slogan:

"Order is absolute."

No one dared make a wrong move in front of an Enforcer of Order. Breath caught, every movement Lucy made slowed to an unnatural crawl in their eyes.

When she took one step, they reloaded their weapons. At the second, all of them leveled their pistols at her. Before she could take the third, the smuggler leader tried to negotiate:

"Order is absolute, we salute the Enforcer." he said, bowing slightly, sweat already beading on his forehead.

Lucy didn’t utter a word. And in that silence, he saw hope.

"This city is not under the Chancellery’s jurisdiction. There’s no point worrying yourself over these animals. What if you were to..."

"Are you trying to buy me?" Lucy cut in.

The smuggler almost leapt for joy inwardly, barely containing himself.

"No, we wouldn’t dare... Nevertheless, I’d consider that a token of our good intentions toward you. This sightseeing journey must have tired you; we’ll take care of "

Lucy interrupted again:

"A token of good intentions?"

She laughed briefly before continuing:

"Don’t worry, I have nothing against you. What you do is a trade. It proves that you’re workers."

The smugglers relaxed, unaware that Lucy’s next words would decide their fates.

"Every trade carries risks. They’re called, I believe, occupational hazards. So as a token of your good intentions, I’ll take your lives... for having turned humans into beasts."

Lucy now held a revolver in her hand.

All the smugglers saw one thing: she was alone. And perhaps... perhaps, in their dreams, Order would forget the disappearance of one of its agents.

In that surge of hope, they opened fire.

A hail of bullets flew toward her.

However, before the projectiles could reach her, a thin wall of ice formed in front of her, shielding her.

Gracia appeared at her side. Lucy nodded in thanks, then asked:

"I’d like to handle it, please."

Gracia hesitated a moment, but stayed back, ready to intervene if needed.

---

Meanwhile, the candidates were already surrounding the town.

Elizir at the forefront.

"We need to evacuate the townspeople while those from internal affairs unite against the smugglers."

Fidri, for his part, had reached the bedside of the old man.

His initial intention had been to deal with the smugglers himself, but Lucy’s anger made him understand she was no mere non-combatant.

---

The smugglers, seeing their shots stopped by the ice wall, did not give up. They continued to spray fire.

The ice gave way under the second assault.

"This time, she’s finished," they thought, as the shots flew straight at Lucy with no obstacle in their path.

But at the moment the bullets were about to turn her into Swiss cheese:

Gate open

Lucy was already among them, running toward them.

The bullets now vanished did not reach her. Before she could take them down:

Gate closure

The barrage of projectiles once aimed at her reappeared... behind the smugglers.

With the same speed, the same firepower.

The next second, they fell, never understanding how they had died.

Only about ten smugglers remained.

The rest, seeing their comrades fall, fled.

Some, inexperienced, panicked, dropped their weapons, and ran to hide in houses.

Those, Lucy shot in the back. One bullet. One smuggler.

As she reloaded her revolver, only five enemies remained.

All Initiated.

They had somehow managed to avoid the bullets.

Four still felt confident enough to face Lucy.

Killing an Enforcer here and now, in their minds, was the only way to avoid alerting Order.

Too focused on her, they didn’t notice they were already being encircled.

Only the leader, battle-hardened, felt the net closing in.

He stepped back slowly... then ran toward a car.

His trembling hands struggled to hold the keys as he started the engine.

When he finally managed to, someone knocked on the window.

Seeing the blue coat on the passenger’s shoulders, he nearly had a heart attack.

He immediately slammed the accelerator, escaping.

"I told you to roll down your window. Allow me to introduce myself: Fidri Costa, pleased to meet you.

By the way, what’s your name?"

Fidri was sitting in the passenger seat.

For a moment, the leader believed it was a hallucination.

He let go of the wheel, grabbed a gun from under the seat... but when he pulled the trigger, he realized it was just a water pistol.

"Refreshing, thank you." said Fidri, pointing down the road.

A second later, the car crashed into a wall. The smuggler leader lost consciousness.

---

The other four smugglers were subdued.

Two dead from Lucy’s revolver.

Two others turned into ice sculptures, barely breathing.

When Elizir finally gave the order for the candidates to enter the town,

the majority of the non-Awakened vomited on the spot. They weren’t used to seeing so many corpses.

Those who held on saw the wretched state of the townspeople.

No one panicked. Everyone kept their eyes fixed on the boxes, as if hypnotized.

Elizir searched for Lucy with his gaze. He found her with Fidri and Gracia, at the old man’s side.

"What were you thinking, rushing in like that? You could’ve lost your life!" he snapped... then stopped in front of the solemnity of the scene. He fell silent to listen to the old man’s last words.

"I don’t know who you are... but you should flee.

Flee as far as possible.

Those were just a small group.

When they realize they’re gone, others will come.

More numerous.

Better armed.

More powerful.

All I ask is that you take the townspeople with you.

They’ve done nothing wrong.

They’re only suffering... the weight of my weakness as a leader."

The old man coughed blood. Then, forcing himself, entrusted his last treasure:

"You’ll find in one of the boxes... my journal.

I hope it helps you have mercy... on us, frightened and poor."

Those were his final words. He died, carried away by too many regrets.

The four remained silent.

Fidri lifted his lifeless body into his arms.

"I’ll take care of burying him."

They all nodded.

But in their minds, the old man’s last words still echoed.

Their gazes left his inert body... to turn toward the townspeople.

They, at his death, seemed to be begging to be saved.

Elizir stood.

With one look, he saw that only the children and the elderly reacted normally: crying, shouting, or silently gritting their teeth.

The adults remained hypnotized by those boxes.

As if, to them, the smugglers were still there... guns aimed at them.

Unsurprisingly, when they opened the boxes, they found vials of serum.

Doses diverted by the smugglers.

But why were those boxes hypnotizing them?

The answer only came when Fidri returned.

He opened a vial.

A familiar smell and a long-buried rage rose within him.

He threw it against a stone, shattering it.

Speaking through clenched teeth:

"Drugs.

They were drugged."

They all kept solemn expressions.

At dawn, when the smugglers’ corpses had been set aside without care,

and the candidates managed to get the townspeople back into their homes,

they all collapsed to the ground.

They had walked all day.

Fought all night.

And now, they could finally... sleep.