And fortunately, it did not.
The Aetherwing was one of the fastest aircraft ever created, so swift and advanced that only the military and the Hunter Association had the privilege of obtaining and using it.
The journey that would have taken a normal aircraft about half a day to complete was covered in barely an hour.
The Aetherwing landed on the barren land just before the Deadlight District, making sure not to alert the dwellers.
Standing outside the jet, Marlon took in the view.
The place was just as described, deserted and plunged in dense fog that made it pretty difficult to see. If it were not for the barely standing towering structures and some sort of Leon lights, one would have thought the entire area was devoid of any form of living thing.
"Here."
Clarissa brought out a black face mask with a breathing apparatus and handed it to Marlon.
Retrieving it, he saw that the others, including Clarissa, had already worn theirs, so he wore his.
"Remember, the people here are violent, so be careful what you say," Dagon warned. "Our job here is not only to clear the danger zones but also to create a solid relationship with the dwellers."
"Sure thing."
All of them, including Marlon, nodded.
Dagon nodded as well and instructed them to follow his lead.
Since they had to park the Aetherwing a few distance away before alighting, they had to walk for over a minute before they finally arrived within the Deadlight District, partially blinded by the dense fog of dust and unknown substances that made it unbreathable.
The area they entered from was pretty deserted.
Marlon could see plenty of collapsed infrastructures and several dump sites that had formed tall heaps. They even spotted a few pests that were bigger than normal, like two rats as big as an average dog scavenging through the heaps of dirt.
This particular sighting, along with the demolition around them, explained why the world had neglected the place.
Although Marlon felt that with the resources of the government and the abilities of certain hunters, this place could be cleaned, he still understood why they had not helped. It was a waste of time, especially considering the fate approaching the world soon.
As the five of them strolled deeper into the fog, several arrows suddenly flew out from different directions, darting straight toward them.
"Davidson!"
Dagon's voice called out.
Adhering to the call, Davidson stretched out his hands quickly and activated his skill, summoning six massive stone golems, encircling the party and taking the damage from the arrows fired.
The sudden appearance of the golems seemed to have surprised the shooters, as whispering could be heard around them, probably the attackers discussing amongst themselves.
"There are around two dozen of them."
Thanks to the golem blocking them, Marlon had the opportunity to settle down and scan the location and numbers of the attackers with [Danger Sense], and he quickly relayed the information to the team.
Dagon was confused as to how Marlon had been able to sense them when he himself could not, but he decided to trust him. After all, he was the golden child.
"We are not here to fight you people!"
Lifting his hands in a surrendering pose, he raised his voice and declared firmly.
Seeing their leader, Emma, Davidson, and Clarissa followed. Only Marlon remained standing still, refusing to remove his eyes from the locations of the enemies.
"We were sent by the Hunter Association to take care of the mid-level danger zones that have been appearing in this area. We mean no harm," Dagon continued.
Personally, pleading with people, especially the filths of the Deadlight District like the ones who had attacked them, was beneath him. If the mission was under his full jurisdiction, he would have found the hidden attackers and punished them.
Nevertheless, while he did not understand why the Hunter Association had made a decision against killing the dwellers, he still had to follow it.
"The Hunter Association, you say?"
A voice rang out from the fog.
Marlon's eyes darted toward the front of the group. Staring ahead, he could see a figure strolling in their direction.
Very soon, the figure made his full appearance, standing just a few meters away from them.
It was a tall man, taller than Dagon who was the tallest in the group at almost six foot six. He was bald, and his entire body from his head to his unclothed chest was covered with tattoos.
Although the man had no weapon on him, Dagon and the others could tell he was someone they could not mess with.
Marlon inspected him and confirmed he was actually not some ordinary thug.
"When have those people ever cared about this part of the world?"
The man said with a malicious sneer.
As the leader of the party, Dagon stepped forward to converse with him, wanting to sort everything out as quickly as possible so they could continue with their mission.
But as he stepped out from behind the golems, several arrows fired from hidden positions and pierced the ground just a few inches away from where he stood.
It was a warning shot.
"Stay back."
The tattooed man, who seemed to be in control of the hidden assailants, warned in a sharp, commanding tone.
Dagon gritted his teeth, almost losing his cool at the disrespect, but he quickly maintained his expression.
"We can talk this out smoothly."
"You should," the man scoffed. "Before we move on with anything, state what actually brought you here. Have another one of your outlaws fled, and just like always, you have come to turn this place upside down to find them?"
"I already said it a few minutes ago," Dagon replied sharply.
And once again, a barrage of arrows was released. Like the previous ones, they pierced the ground around him, only this time they were a little closer.
It was another warning shot.
Clarissa and the others reacted, each of them quickly putting their guards up. Judging from the current flow of events, the dwellers were adamant on using violence.
Growing tired of the situation, Marlon heaved a sigh and stepped forward, ignoring Clarissa's attempt to stop him.
"Yo."
Standing in front of Dagon, he let out casually.
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