Leon was back in Community G.

By the time he arrived, it was already evening.

Compared to a week ago, the community looked far livelier.

It was still the same community filled with malnourished Geneforms and Synths but compared to a week ago, even while still looking malnourished, there was a different gleam in the eyes of the people, the gleam of hope.

Children played with newfound freedom in the streets, traders went to the open market with hope, and the adults went to work with newfound enthusiasm.

And in the recent week, there were more job opportunities in the community.

Most able-bodied women in the community now worked in the cell tower base of the Freegrid Collective mostly as cleaners.

Leon already noticed the cell tower base from afar, it was no longer hidden and it was by far the singular most impressive structure in the community. And since it was built on top a hill, it could be seen from anywhere in the community.

Just like he expected, after the heroics of last week with them uprooting the foundations of the Zmer gang and liberating the community, the Freegrid Collective already turned Community G into an outside base.

There were multiple agents of the Collective now permanently stationed in the cell tower base.

Apart from the cell tower base, Leon already noticed the foundation of a big brick building that was being constructed in the middle of the community.

If most of the able-bodied women in the community now worked in the cell tower base, most of the able-bodied men in the community worked here. Leon guessed that it was a project sanctioned by the Freegrid Collective.

'I wonder what they're building'.

There were other changes in the community.

The water factory where the rebels of Community G had an epic showdown against the Zmer gang already changed.

It was no longer just a water factory. The Freegrid Collective renovated the factory with advanced technology to increase production, and they also built a large structure inside the compound.

The signboard told Leon what the building was.

[Free School]

"A free school?" Leon clicked his tongue. "So far, the Freegrid Collective have delivered in all the ways that Talia praised them for".

"Knowledge is power". He mumbled as he admired the school from afar. "Education is a free and reliable way to supercharge the growth and development of the community".

He looked at the cell tower base that was in the distance as he wondered. 'I wonder if Brad stayed behind'.

Without hesitation, the moment he had the thought, after hiding the super bike outside the community, he covered his face with a hood and strolled in.

He walked towards the cell tower base.

Though he didn't expect to see them, he still wanted to search for signs of his crewmates to see if they were still here in Community G.

He arrived after a short walk.

With his ability as an E Rank Ascended, Leon easily escaped the surveillance of the cell tower base and spied. About 2 minutes later, he turned and left.

There was no sign of Talia and the others, they were already gone.

He sighed, but he knew that this was for the better. 'It's better they move on quickly or the knot from what happened last week will tie them down forever'.

They may have won the showdown against the Zmer gang but they lost something forever as the price.

Just like them, Leon was yet to get over Rex's death.

One of the biggest changes and new landmarks in Community G were two eye-catching statues that were now built at the front of the open market.

After leaving the cell tower base, Leon walked towards the open market and then he finally saw the two statues clearly.

They were sculpted from bronze.

The first statue was that of a woman, a Synth. The sculptor was good as he perfectly depicted the titanium mechanical body of a female Synth, depicting grayish black hair and cybernetic emerald eyes.

The female statue was depicted wearing comfortable black hiking pants, a short-sleeve top, a face cap, and reflective sunglasses.

She clenched her fist and raised her right hand in a defiant depiction of rebellion.

At the foot of the statue was a plaque, and inscribed on it were a few words.

["Audrey Ross- Reporter, Hero, Freedom Fighter."]

The second statue was that of a man, a Geneform. This statue was shorter than the female one, depicting that in real life the owner was a short man.

The man was depicted wearing work overalls, gloves, and a work helmet with a spanner on his left hand and a pistol on his right hand.

He had a calm and serene look on his face.

Just like the first statue, at the foot of this statue was a plaque and inscribed on it were a few words.

["Rex Mallow- Warrior, Protector, Mechanist, Hero, Freedom Fighter."]

Standing at the foot of the large statue, Leon raised his head to look at the face of the statue and he winced slightly.

He forced a smile, then he muttered. "Hey buddy".

He hesitated slightly before he continued as he loosened up. "How are you doing? Hope you're enjoying life on the other side. Life without you has been pretty boring man, I miss feeling like a genius in front of you". He chuckled in a self-deprecating manner.

A mischievous smile appeared on his face. "How does it feel being the hero? Damn, that was so f*cking badass, I'm envious of you now". He laughed.

"Sacrificing yourself to kill the enemy? That's stuff of fiction, it almost feels like you read that from a book. I want to say I wish it was me, but…," he sighed. "I'm not ready to go yet, I have a lot of things I wish to achieve".

"I didn't get to tell you before but I think I'm from the past," he smiled, then he moved closer and touched the foot of the statue. "Thank you for saving all of us", he whispered softly. "Rest well buddy".

He turned around to leave. "I'll avenge you".

The moment Rex died, Leon found a new goal to get stronger.

His pursuit of strength was no longer just because he wanted to unearth the secrets of this world and recover his fragmented memories, his immediate goal for pursuing strength now was avenging Rex.

This was another reason why he decided to go to Leviathan Quay.

…

[Mary and Gary's Restaurant]

Leon swaggered his way into the restaurant and instantly, the familiar sight of the colorful interior decorations set his mind at ease.

The moment he entered the restaurant, he noticed a familiar face, Gary. The handsome middle-aged Geneform with curly brown hair had his white apron on as he served a table of customers with a gentle smile on his face.

Seeing this, Leon smiled and walked towards the counter where another familiar face stood, Mary.

"How may I help you?" She asked naturally as she raised her head to look at the new customer, but then she froze.

Despite the fact that he wore a hood to hide his face, she still recognized him. "Y-you…" she stumbled on her words.

"Yes, me". Leon grinned. "Why are you so surprised? I'm not a ghost".

Mary opened and closed her mouth, but then she flashed a smile. "I'm glad you weren't eaten by that monster".

Leon scoffed. "A D Rank Neon Beast is 2 ranks too weak to kill me".

Mary's lips twitched. "From what I remember, you were not this confidence in the face of that weak beast".

"That was just acting". Leon laughed. "I had to make it look real".

At that moment, Gary finally approached. Because of the hood covering his face, Gary didn't see the customer as he threw a questioning glance at his wife.

Mary shrugged and gestured at the customer's face.

Even more surprised, Gary cleared his throat and turned his head to see through the hood at the customer's face, then he froze.

Leon chuckled. "What? Did you see a ghost?"

…

Seated around the table at the farthest end of the restaurant, Leon wolfed down his food while sipping from a glass of wine as Gary and Mary sat opposite him in silence.

Gary stared at him with a complicated look on his face. "I really thought you died," he sighed. "I'm glad you managed to survive".

Mary looked at him too. "It's really hard to believe that you survived against such a beast, but somehow, Talia always believed that you survived".

Leon briefly paused from the food and looked at her. "Well, what can I say? I'm just special".

Mary twitched her lips again. "You've changed, you talk more now".

Leon laughed. "You barely even knew me before. The first time I came to your restaurant, we didn't talk. The second time, we met on the battlefield, how do you expect me to talk when I didn't even know if I'll survive?"

"Fair point". She nodded. "Your friends returned a week ago, but they left us a way to contact them. Do you want to…?"

"No". Leon interrupted her, he shook his head. "No need".

"Ok". Mary nodded calmly then she asked thoughtfully. "Where have you been during the past week?"

"Been surviving," Leon answered immediately with a smile. "Did you think escaping from a D Rank Neon Beast was easy?"

Mary smirked. "I thought its 2 Ranks too weak to kill you".

"Yes, that still stands, but it was still hard". Leon was thick-skinned.

At that moment, Gary leaned back against his chair and spoke up in a melancholic tone. "Talia has really changed this community".

"When I came with my wife 5 years ago, we just wanted to do charity work, we never really saw the prospects of growth in this community, afterall, this is the Wastes. Yet now, everything has changed".

"The Freegrid Collective have not just provided job for the locals, they started a school. To me, that's the most important thing in any economy!" He stressed.

"They promised to build a better building for the school in the future".

"Besides, they're the ones now sponsoring Gary and Mary's restaurant," Gary smiled with a satisfied expression on his face. "They've funded all food for the next 6 months, meaning locals and adventurers in Community G can eat free food in the restaurant for straight 6 months".

"Not just that, they've also promised to build a bigger building for our restaurant. I know they gained a lot from taking over the Zmer gang, but still, their generosity in dealing with us truly surprised me".

Leon was taken aback. "Do you mean the food I'm currently eating is freely funded by the Freegrid Collective?"

"Yes," Gary nodded, puzzled. "What happened?"

Leon laughed. "Nothing, I need an extra plate, no 2, no 3 plates!"

Gary's lips twitched.

For the next few minutes, the couple engaged in idle chatter with Leon as they discussed the current situation of the community.

And then, after Leon was done eating, he suddenly changed the conversation. "Did Talia find his identity?"

Hearing that, Gary and Mary's face turned serious as the man asked. "The D Rank Gene Augur at the end?"

Leon nodded.

"Not yet," Gary shook his head. "But Talia didn't seem like she was going to give up, I believe she's going to look deep till she find out his identity".

"Good". Leon sipped from the glass of wine on his hand.

Gary looked at him with an even more complicated expression on his face. "I know he was your friend, but be careful, that's a D Rank Gene Augur. At D Rank, a Gene Augur is basically impossible to kill, but they can kill you".

Leon nodded calmly. "I know," then he said. "I want to go to Leviathan Quay, do you know the best route to take?"

"Take the railway". Mary said immediately. "There's a maglev train in Larton Town, its 2 Towns away from Community G. From there, you can take the train directly to Leviathan Quay".

Leon immediately beamed on hearing that. "Thank you".

Then, he hesitated and said. "One more thing," he scratched the back of his head. "The thing is, I don't have any money on me".

Gary's lips twitched again as he struggled to keep a straight face. "I didn't know you were this shameless".

"Haha, now you know". Leon laughed.

A few seconds later, with his backpack strapped on, Leon bid the couple farewell and finally left the restaurant.

Within a few minutes, he arrived outside the city where he reunited with his bike.

"Davis, map out the shortest route to Larton Town".

DING!

An HUD screen appeared in front of him as the A.I responded, showing him the shortest route to Larton Town.

With that, Leon started his journey to the South Biome.

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