Chapter 73: Arrival at the South Gate

A bunch of rich, probably influential noble kids—they seem decent enough for now, so building a bit of a connection wouldn’t hurt.
After all, if I’m going to settle in Academy City, having no connections at all would make things tough.
The Golden Skull Trading Auction House might help me out a bit, but without more personal ties, I’d probably struggle on my own.

I thought to myself, though it was just a fleeting idea.
We were getting closer to the south gate—about twenty more minutes, and we’d be there.

With the noble squad’s strength, our pace had picked up significantly.
The blood clan forces infiltrating Blackshine City weren’t likely to field two radiant golden-rank warriors in the same area at once, so aside from that unlucky one we ran into earlier, we hadn’t encountered any more blood clans or zombies.

Of course, we passed plenty of battle scenes and corpses.
There were still many elite forces in Blackshine City conducting sweeps, so the city should be back to normal in a day or two.

The real threat, though, was outside Blackshine City.
Once we reached the south gate, Carter, Katherine, and their five-person noble squad would likely receive new orders and assignments.
Whether they’d continue with me to the train station was uncertain, and forming a deep bond in such a short time?
I thought about it and decided it was unlikely.

At the same time, I couldn’t shake the memory of that shiver I felt earlier.
“…Could it be Gu Yunxuan thinking about me?”

I mulled it over, and after racking my brain, Gu Yunxuan was the only person who came to mind.
He’s the one I’m closest to, for now… and he needs me.

“Speaking of which, I wonder how that guy’s doing… Bah, why am I worrying? That killing machine slaughters everything in sight. The blood clan should be praying they don’t run into him…”

I muttered, then refocused on my surroundings.
The closer we got to the south gate, the safer we were—the south gate was the city guard headquarters.
Squads of city guards assembled there before heading out to eliminate the alien scum in the city.
We even passed two hundred-man units.

“Phew… Two hundred-man teams went by. We must be close to the south gate—this should be a safe zone now.”

Carter, the squad leader, scanned the area and let out a relieved breath.
Captain Chriss, familiar with the local defenses, seemed to agree, clearly feeling safer too.

Soon, we approached the heavily guarded south gate.
“Halt! Who goes there?”

The city guards stationed at the gate spotted our group of eleven and ordered us to stop, their vigilance sharp.
“We’re the Sixth Noble Squad, First Battle Group, Sixth Legion of the Expeditionary Force! Here’s our identification.”

Carter pulled out a crest, flashing it at the guards and announcing himself.
At the same time, Chriss, supported by Nosen, stepped forward.
“I’m Chriss, captain of the First Heavy Infantry Brigade.”

“C-Captain Chriss? It’s Captain Chriss! Let them through!”

The guards hesitated when Carter showed his proof, but the moment they saw Chriss, their expressions changed, and they shouted to clear the way.
Clearly, Chriss’s reputation among Blackshine City’s guards far outshone the noble squad’s.
And why wouldn’t it? She’s a beauty, a rare sight among the guards—having fame and recognition was only natural.