Shadow Slave novel Chapter 901

Well, actually, it was black. Shrouded in the darkness of the long night, Sunny rode north through the wailing hurricane of snow. To his eyes, which could see through any shadows, the snow appeared as light-grey, bordering on white.

The way back was not long enough to deal with thoughts and emotions raging in his heart, but luckily, Sunny had too many worries about the future to drown in the regrets of the past.

'...Doesn't matter, anyway.'

Verne was dead, and everyone else was also dead. None of the people Sunny had come to know in the past weeks survived. Now, all he could do was make sure that his soldiers, Professor Obel, and Beth did not share their fate.

That was not going to be an easy task.

Soon, the wreckage of the old war machine appeared in view. Sunny dismissed Nightmare, walked into the rusted metal frame and lingered for a few moments in front of the Rhino.

Then, he opened the hatch and climbed inside.

Quentin, Samara, and Belle were keeping watch, each of them tense and ready for battle. Noticing him, the Irregulars sighed with relief.

"Captain. You're back."

Sunny nodded.

"Did anything happen in my absence?"

Quentin shook his head.

"There were no Nightmare Creatures yet. Professor Obel and Miss Beth were both exhausted, so they're sleeping. We settled the Professor in your quarters. I hope you do not mind."

He remained silent for a moment, then added with a hint of melancholy in his voice:

"...Of course, we are keeping an eye on them. In case one or both have become carriers of the Spell."

Sunny did not particularly care about the accommodations at that moment, so he simply nodded. The first point of Quentin's short report was the most important.

'No Nightmare Creatures, yet..."

That could change at any point.

In fact, he had taken a risk by allowing his soldiers to sleep and leaving the Rhino, even if one of his shadows had stayed back to observe the surroundings and be a potential exit point of Shadow Step.

Out here in the wild expanse of the Antarctic Center, it was Nightmare Creature country now. Hordes of them moved through the mountains, many spilling down onto the coastal plain.

A transient swarm could have stumbled on the cohort's camp at any moment, so it was not secure.

But security was a thing of the past now.

Before, he had had choices that were safe, and choices that were dangerous. But after leaving the protection of LO49 and its thick walls, he could only choose between different degrees of danger. It was all about calculating the probable risk.

...Even then, with his [Fated] Attribute, such calculations were more or less useless.

Grimacing, Sunny covered his face with a hand and then rubbed it. He was too tired and numb to care right now. He needed rest, too.

"Well. I am going to take a nap, then. Wake me up if there's movement outside."

Since his comfortable bed was currently occupied by Professor Obel, Sunny climbed into one of the free sleeping nooks and closed his eyes.