Keeper (Erityian Tribes Novella, #5)

07 : Bloodbath

"Yeah. That kid is cool."

Nel was too excited to tell me what happened during the meeting of the four tribes. I couldn't remember when the last time was this kind of thing happened but seeing how representatives from each tribe meet and discuss the future was, indeed, a momentous time for our race.

They were descending the mountains and Nel seemed to forget her exhaustion because she couldn't stop talking about what happened during their talk. She said she liked the other tribes' representatives. When he mentioned Hiro, I asked her what she thinks of him.

"That guy?" she paused. "He seems responsible enough. Oh, and despite his cold demeanor, the way he stares at people was intense. Actually, he reminds me of you."

"Is that so?"

"Why are you interested in him?"

I shrugged. "Not really."

The three of them gave curious looks but before they could ask anything, I told her to continue her story. After several minutes, I learned about the current status of each tribe. Honestly, I didn't expect it to be successful because of the Shinigami tribe. I still don't trust them but maybe, that Darwin, could make the changes necessary for the Shinigami tribe to be accepted by the other three.

"By the way, where are you?" Cliff asked.

I smirked. "Had to take a detour."

"Where?" added Jett.

"That's a secret. Oh well, talk to you guys later."

I ended the call and their faces twitch for a few seconds and finally faded. A new holograph appeared, only it was a note about my next mission, along with a voice mail.

"Agent, obliterate Nox's base in Romania," the voice ordered.

"Roger."

The three of them were still in Romania and they would probably be surprised when they see me here. Commander Priam gave me a new order: to assist the three of them in eliminating the Nox's base in Romania. An agent was waiting for me in the airport in Japan and he flew me to Romania using our own plane. In no time, I arrived in the country's capital—Bucharest.

Neo-classical buildings, museums and monuments were scattered all over the city. It felt like I was pulled back in the medieval period because of the architecture and arts around me. According to the data, this was also where the base was, and it would be quite hard, because it was the most populated city.

From the south, I saw a building that looked like a palace—two rook-shaped towers on each side, with pillars adorning the front. I checked my device and confirmed the location. The palace glinted under the sunlight while tourists took pictures and lined at the restaurant in the terrace.

I parked my car on a nearby lot and observed every person around it. According to our sources, this became the base of Nox since nobody uses the building as the terrace was the only place open to the public. The officers and staffs maintaining the palace must be Nox members since they were the only ones who could come in and out of there.

I caught a glimpse of a guy wearing a suit. His hazel eyes gleamed with caution as he looked around, but I didn't see any changes. That meant he wasn't wearing any contact lenses. He was a humdrum. He went inside the building and vanished from my sight.

It was already 8:30 P.M. and the sun was about to set. Those three were on their way here but they might arrive later than I expected. I crept around the palace, waiting for the right time to sneak in without getting any attention.