Volume Two: The Youth of a Thousand Faces, Chapter Sixty-Five: The Season of Rain

Huo Ye also knew that Eddie had chosen a relatively simple mission for them. Although the disaster grade of that ultimate form was 127—already considered moderate among ultimate forms—since it was a calamity wandering the human world without any record in the database, it must be one incapable of surviving in the primary disaster wilds. Compared to those calamities that rarely leave their main territory, dealing with this one would be considerably easier.

But to speak frankly, the people of the New Delhi colony were truly fortunate. The point of appearance for the ultimate form was not inside the colony itself.

Generally, there are many spatial tunnels within the disaster wilds. These are the aftermath of the original black hole experiments, which opened countless bridges between Earth and the world of calamities. These tunnels are known as "gates," and when the colony sites were initially selected, these fixed gates were deliberately avoided.

Yet, where there are fixed gates, there can also be random ones. Between the main disaster wilds and Earth, temporary gates often open for brief periods. No one knows if such a gate will appear inside a colony, nor what kind of calamity might emerge, nor its grade—everything is unknown. And in human consciousness, the unknown always equates to fear and danger.

The only consolation is that the number of living beings a gate can transport depends on its own energy. If a large number of calamities or humans wish to cross over at once, they must choose the fixed, high-energy gates.

To prevent powerful gates from appearing within colonies, humans invented devices capable of blocking such spatial distortions. However, these can only guard against high-energy gates. If the energy is just enough for a single ultimate form, the best they can do is detect it, not prevent it, since the target is too small and the gate may complete its teleportation before any intervention is possible.

This is also why, when Hill tried to send a single Saiki into Bancroft, she went to such great lengths, even sacrificing thousands of her calamities and an ultimate form as a distraction.

Even if a spatial-type calamity opened a gate within Bancroft, it would surely be detected, making perfect infiltration impossible.

The next day, everyone was ready. They rode their hover bikes, gathering at the south gate before departing.

The exact location where the ultimate form appeared was about a thousand kilometers from Bancroft. Though it was some distance, it still fell within the jurisdiction of the Reaper Hunting Corps, since even the local hunting corps were branches of the Reaper Corps.

The hunting corps are also graded: four levels, from one through four. The Reaper Hunting Corps, along with eight other powerful and distinguished corps, are in the first tier, overseeing at least one colony's calamity hunting and military administration.

There are fourteen colonies in total, but only nine first-tier hunting corps. This means some corps oversee more than one colony. As humanity's foremost hunting corps, the Reaper is the only one holding military authority over three colonies.

Huo Ye's group set out around nine o'clock, traveling tirelessly for ten hours before arriving at New Delhi colony by dusk. New Delhi is situated in a low-latitude tropical region, with a tropical monsoon climate and distinct wet and dry seasons throughout the year.

September marks the end of the rainy season. The sky continuously drizzled, and the group, clad in raincoats, rode their hover bikes through the streets, drawing much attention. After all, hover bikes were a luxury only the wealthy could afford.

In this era, while a few comfortable hover cars ply the roads, they are rare. Most vehicles still run on four wheels. Four-wheelers are cheap to produce, and though clean energy has been developed, supply falls far short of demand, leaving many families in the predicament of being able to buy but not afford to use their vehicles.

As for hover cars, not only do they require power supported by expensive anti-magnetic discs that must be replaced almost monthly, but even the bike itself would take an average family ten years of saving without spending to afford.

"I really hate it here," Alice complained. "It’s been raining for hours, and the raincoat sticks to me. It’s so uncomfortable!"

Huo Ye replied, "You’d better get used to it. It’s the rainy season on the Indian peninsula. Almost eighty percent of the annual rainfall falls in these three or four months. The rain might last for days—we may even have to fight in it."

Kazama Ruri yawned and said, "I actually like it. The air is extra fresh when it rains. I feel a bit... clearer."

"Being just a bit clearer isn’t enough. We have to give it our all."

"Yes~," Kazama Ruri responded.

The six had reached the city closest to the ultimate form’s appearance. There, a third-tier hunting corps was stationed. Without stopping, they headed straight toward the local corps headquarters.

The headquarters was in the city center—a common site, since, with no way to predict where calamities might appear, the center is theoretically the quickest place to dispatch aid.

Seeing six hover bikes approach the gate, the two hunting corps soldiers on duty grew alert.

The leader, a man in a transparent raincoat, walked toward them. His hood cast a shadow over his face, making it impossible to see his features. Yet under the raincoat, he seemed to be wearing the hunting corps uniform; but the raincoat’s reflection obscured his medals.

"Hello, sir. Please state your purpose," one soldier blocked Huo Ye.

Huo Ye exhaled, a cloud of mist, and said, "We are students from Bancroft, here by your corps’ commission to hunt the ultimate form that appeared nearby."

The two soldiers exchanged glances; apparently, they hadn’t received any notice of such a group arriving. Normally, they would have asked these people to leave and reported afterward. But the word "Bancroft" carried a weight of sanctity. Anyone bearing that name commanded respect—even their captain would treat them with reverence. Whether true or not, it was always best to treat them kindly. So one soldier said, "Please wait here. We need to confirm."

Two minutes later, the soldier who had gone inside to relay the message returned from the communications room and said, "Sorry, we haven’t received any information from Bancroft, nor have we issued any commission to Bancroft. Please leave quickly."

Jiang Feng said, "Impossible. We clearly received the task and were told to connect with your corps. I think you should check again."

The soldier frowned, a bit impatient. "Please leave now, don’t make this difficult for us."

Huo Ye heard this and suddenly wore a look of realization. He said, "I understand. Bring over the person you just contacted. I’ll speak with him directly."

His words struck a nerve; the soldier knew Huo Ye had already seen through their corps’ charade. But the local official outranks distant authority, and caught between two sides, he couldn’t defy his superior. So he could only respond curtly, "If that’s how you’re going to be, don’t blame us..."

Yet before he finished, his face was enveloped by a transparent raincoat. Huo Ye moved too fast for the eye to follow, wrapping the soldier's head and then smashing him into the other soldier like a meteor hammer.

With a heavy crash, the two soldiers fell in a heap. Huo Ye cracked his knuckles, his voice cold: "I have no time for your farce. Every second after a calamity appears could mean the death of an innocent life. Now you have two choices: one, bring someone to meet me; two, we fight our way in ourselves."

A thunderclap split the sky; the world’s light flickered in an instant. Huo Ye’s anger grew even more sinister.