CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 288- TRAP

The journey through the rest of the day was uneventful, a monotonous grind of tires on broken asphalt punctuated by brief, efficient skirmishes with the occasional mutated beast that wandered too close. They were dispatched with practiced ease, barely causing a delay.

By midday, the jagged silhouette of the New Order’s main compound appeared on the horizon—a formidable complex built into and around a pre-collapse industrial facility, surrounded by high walls and patrolled by sentries.

Julian brought the vehicle to a halt in a secluded copse of trees a few kilometers out. "We stop here," he announced. "We’ll make camp and wait for nightfall. A daylight approach is too risky."

As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of violet and deep blue, the final preparations began. The air was thick with a mixture of tension and determination.

"Please be careful," Clarissa said, her voice full of quiet concern.

"Yeah, don’t do anything too crazy!" Emma added, though her usual fire was tempered with genuine worry.

Veronica simply gave a sharp nod. "Just get the information and get back."

Aya stepped forward, holding a new sword. Its blade was sleeker and darker than his previous one. "I made this for you. It’s lighter and holds an edge better. The balance is tuned to your movements."

Julian took the blade, giving it a few experimental swings. It felt like an extension of his own arm. "It’s perfect. Thank you, Aya."

Beatrix approached next, pressing a small, glowing vial into his hand. "A high-grade regeneration potion. Don’t waste it."

Dori, her cheeks slightly pink, mustered her courage. "Good luck. Come back safely."

With final nods exchanged, Julian, Celestia, and Zoe moved towards the edge of the treeline. The compound’s walls loomed ahead, illuminated by sporadic searchlights.

"Ready?" Julian asked. His two companions nodded silently.

He activated his Gravity skill, a subtle shimmer surrounding them. In one fluid motion, he swept an arm around Zoe’s waist and Celestia gripped his shoulder.

With a powerful, controlled leap, they defied gravity, soaring silently over the high wall and landing with cat-like quietness in a shadowy courtyard between two warehouses. They had bypassed the main gate and the patrols completely.

The interior was eerily quiet. Too quiet. The lack of patrols in the central area was immediately noticeable.

Julian’s voice was a bare whisper. "I thought it would be harder than that to get inside."

---------×---------

In a stark, circular chamber at the heart of the citadel, Heikal sat at a simple desk. The man with the blindfold, whose skill was Aura Perception, stood before him.

"Lord Heikal," the blindfolded man stated, his head tilted as if listening to a faint frequency. "There are intruders. Three of them. They just crossed the western wall. Their auras are... sharp. Powerful. One is like a void, another a coiled spring, and the third... pure, untamed instinct."

A slow, knowing smile spread across Heikal’s face, his red eyes glinting with amusement. He steepled his fingers.

"Right on schedule," he murmured, his voice dripping with calm anticipation. "Let’s not keep our guests waiting. Inform Rei. And ensure the... hospitality in Sector Gamma is prepared."

--------×--------

Blending into the shadows of the alley, Julian, Celestia, and Zoe observed the inner workings of the New Order citadel. It was less a city and more a massive, open-air military camp. The air was thick with the smell of dust, sweat, and ozone. Everywhere they looked, people moved with a grim, purposeful efficiency.

What was most striking, and most chilling, was the mark. On nearly every survivor they saw, visible on necks, hands, or cheeks, was the faint, shimmering outline of the Mark of Scales—the same brand Beatrix bore.

Their eyes were uniformly hollow, their movements synchronized as if guided by a single, unseen will. They weren’t citizens; they were a conscripted army, their individuality stripped away and replaced by fanatical devotion.

"This is not a society. It is a hive," Celestia whispered, her voice barely audible. "The marks are the key to their control. They are not merely for punishment; they are for assimilation."

Zoe let out a low, almost inaudible growl, her instincts repulsed by the lack of free will in the air.

Julian’s gaze was cold and analytical. "We need information on their command structure and the location of their key members, especially Gab. We split up. Observe, listen, do not engage."

With a shared nod, they melted into the crowd. Julian used his Shadow Blend to become just another flicker of movement in the dimly lit pathways.

He moved past groups drilling with weapons, past lines of people receiving bland-looking rations, his enhanced hearing catching snippets of conversation.

"...the Foundry Sector requires more ore. Gab’s orders..."

"...Lord Heikal’s justice will purify the wastelands..."

"...the Mark is a blessing.It silences the doubt..."

The propaganda was constant, repeated like a mantra. He saw no joy, only a desperate, forced belief.

Celestia, using her Phantom Step, appeared and disappeared like a ghost, her sharp eyes cataloging everything. She noted guard rotations, the locations of communication arrays, and the general flow of personnel towards a more heavily fortified central sector.

Zoe simply... belonged. Her natural silence and predatory grace allowed her to move on the periphery without drawing a second glance. She crouched in the shadows near a water pump, her ears twitching as she listened to two lower-ranking members complain about their squad leader.

After a predetermined amount of time, they regrouped in a disused storage shed on the camp’s edge.

"The central sector is the most fortified. That is likely where we will find their leadership," Celestia reported.

Zoe made a series of subtle hand gestures, indicating she had heard the name "Gab" associated with the "Earthworks" and "Foundry."

Julian processed the information. "The earth manipulator is our primary target. His sector will be our entry point." He looked towards the heavily guarded central zone. "We move now. While the camp sleeps."

Unbeknownst to them, high in a command tower, Heikal watched a large, circular screen that displayed the energy signatures of every living soul within the citadel.

Three brilliant, foreign signals—one a void of shadow, one a sharp silver thread, one a pulse of bestial energy moved with clear intent towards the Foundry Sector.

He smiled, a slow, predatory expression.

"They’re heading right for Gab.How... direct." He turned to his blindfolded subordinate. "Let them get close. I want to see what they do when the ground itself rises against them."

Following the flow of personnel and the muttered mentions of "Earthworks," Julian, Celestia, and Zoe found themselves at the entrance to a vast, open-air foundry.

The air hummed with the energy of heavy machinery and the scent of molten rock. In the center of the chaos stood a mountain of a man, directing the flow of lava-like slag with mere gestures. This was Gab, the earth manipulator.

As per the plan, Julian signaled for Celestia and Zoe to flank the perimeter and gather more intel. But the moment they split up, the trap was sprung.

From the shadows of the towering slag heaps, three figures emerged, cutting off their escape routes. They had been waiting.

The first was a man with a stark white blindfold covering his eyes. He held no weapon, but his head was tilted, tracking their every subtle movement, their very life force. His Aura Perception had made stealth meaningless.

The second was a woman whose entire right arm and part of her torso appeared to be crafted from a polished, silvery metal that gleamed under the foundry lights. She stood with immovable stability, the ground at her feet subtly reinforced.

The third was a lean, wiry man who moved with a predator’s crouch. His fingers ended in short, sharp claws, and his eyes held a feral, hungry light. A bestial growl rumbled in his chest, a dark echo of Zoe’s own power.

Gab turned from his work, a slow, confident smirk spreading across his face. "You didn’t really think it would be that easy, did you? We’ve been watching you since you crossed the wall. You move with purpose, but you are painfully obvious."

The wiry man with the claws let out a short, mocking laugh. "They’re like lost children. This is almost disappointing."

Julian’s eyes darted between the four powerful skill users surrounding them. He let out a short, resigned sigh. His shoulders slumped, and he slowly raised his hands in a universal gesture of surrender.

"Celestia, Zoe. Stand down. It’s over," he commanded, his voice flat.

Without a moment’s hesitation, both women followed his lead. Celestia elegantly raised her hands, her expression unreadable. Zoe let out a soft whine but mimicked the gesture, her claws retracting.

The blindfolded man’s head tilted. "They are... too calm," he stated, his voice like dry leaves rustling. "There is no fear."

"Doesn’t matter what they’re planning," the metallic woman replied, her voice echoing slightly. "They’re caught."

"Handcuff them," Gab ordered, his tone dripping with condescension. "The special ones."

The metallic woman produced three sets of manacles that seemed to be forged from a strange, pearlescent white material. As they were snapped around Julian, Celestia, and Zoe’s wrists, a chilling numbness spread up their arms.

Julian’s eyes widened slightly—a rare show of genuine surprise. He tried to summon a spark of lightning, to call upon the shadows, to even feel the weight of gravity. Nothing. It was as if a fundamental part of himself had been severed. The connection to his skills was gone.

Gab saw the realization dawn on his face and laughed, a loud, booming sound that echoed through the foundry. "A shock, isn’t it? Those cuffs are forged from the core of a White Nullifier-type creature. They don’t just block energy, they neutralize the skill itself at the source. Your little tricks are useless now."

He stepped closer, looming over Julian. "You have no idea what’s in store for you. Lord Heikal has... special plans for intruders like you."