The terrorist escaped.

But in that moment, Leon felt like laughing to taunt him. 'Bastard, I thought you can't bleed!'

He didn't say it out loud but the taunting look on his face was clear.

As the E Rank Cyber Gladiator dove out of the train while bleeding heavily from his cheek, he looked back into the train and the last sight he saw was that of the taunting look on the unknown Ascended's face.

Beneath his half-face mask, his facial muscles twitched.

He engraved that face in his head, then…

THUD!

He collapsed to the ground outside with a loud sound, somersaulting and rolling without control.

The impact made him cough blood as he somersaulted.

Leon grinned, he was sure that he broke a few bones from that fall.

…

[POV of the terrorists]

The terrorists rode the super bikes at a rapid speed, maintaining speed with the extremely fast maglev train.

None of them took the risk to jump anymore to help their leader, instead, they waited for him to complete his job so the train would slow down to a safe speed enough for them to jump in.

They waited, but it never happened.

The train didn't slow down again. Instead, to the shock of the terrorists, they saw a familiar silhouette suddenly jump out of the train through the damaged window.

Due to the velocity of his jump to avoid being crushed by the rapidly moving train, they couldn't see his face clearly but they saw the bright red blood that sprinkled from his face.

"…!"

All the terrorists were stunned.

And then, as they watched, the Holy Champion finally collapsed to the ground outside the train.

THUD!

Due to their current speed, they accelerated past him immediately but instinctively, they all looked at their side mirrors and they saw him.

The Holy Champion somersaulted as soon as he landed on the ground, crashing and rolling in a not so-fun manner as he coughed blood.

They were alarmed, and finally, they stopped their pursuit of the train.

All the bikes slowed down immediately before abandoning the train, turning back to go help their leader.

About a minute later, the Holy Champion was finally supported to his feet.

On his feet, he stared at the already distant maglev train with an unreadable expression reflecting through his eyes.

He stared in a daze for a few dozen seconds, then he said. "Let's return".

That simple word made him grunt and hunch over in pain as he clutched his ribs tightly.

When his subordinates tried to help him, he didn't reject their help as they helped him into the bike and then together, they escaped.

Staying was suicide.

When the report of what happened reached Leviathan Quay, a fighter jet was surely going to sweep the area in a few dozen minutes to search for any traces of the terrorists.

They were in a race against time to escape.

…

Only after a few minutes and after creating a great distance with the terrorists did the Engineman finally reduce the speed of the maglev train.

After, a soldier took over control of the train as the extremely hairy middle-aged Geneform like a Bear collapsed to a chair at the side, taking deep breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart.

To this mundane Engineman, the past few minutes were some of the most intense and most dangerous of his 30 year career as an Engineman.

During his 30 year career from the days when he was still an apprentice, this man had encountered numerous skirmishes against Neon Beasts.

He'd encountered storms, he'd even encountered a real Neon Beast tide, and yet, this middle-aged man felt that none of those crazy encounters could compare to what he just survived.

He still couldn't believe that he was alive.

As an Engineman, his duty was to make sure that the train kept on moving. He was not a soldier, he was not a fighter, so he didn't even think to fight.

He left that to the soldiers.

But still, that moment when a bomb detonated behind him, he saw death.

People usually wonder what death feels like, what it looks like, but in that moment, this man was convinced that he saw death.

It was an eerie dark veil that covered the world, slowly constricting around him like it was the end of the world.

"I saw death". He mumbled as he hugged his body tightly, shivering.

Throughout the battle, he didn't look.

His instincts that were honed for decades took over as even in the face of death, this man performed his job to perfection, focused on the guideway and on keeping the train moving.

"I still can't believe I'm alive". He mumbled in disbelief, raising his hand and observing his hair that still stood on end from the goosebumps he felt.

He leaned back against the chair and finally laughed in relief as he thought of his two boys and his beautiful wife who almost lost their father and husband.

He laughed. "Haha, I survived".

And then, he remembered the unknown adventurer inside the train who apparently was the only reason why they all survived.

'I have to go and thank him'. He thought.

With his experience, he reckoned that the Lieutenant already invited the unknown adventurer to Coach 3 with him which was also one of the Coaches with VIP booths.

He immediately stood up and told the soldier to replace him for a few more minutes before walking out of the engine chamber for the first time in the trip. Before leaving, he grabbed a bottle of wine that he stowed away previously.

The moment he walked out, he breathed in deeply as he felt like a man walking out of the depths of hell.

He felt like he was reborn.

In the passenger Coach, he focused on the survivors who still looked traumatized by the whole encounter.

He didn't blame them, he was also traumatized.

The initial estimate was that at least 20 passengers died during the attack, most of them died during the hysteria and stampede in the Coaches.

He sighed. 'I have a story to tell when I get home'.

…

[Coach 3]

Inside one of the luxurious isolated VIP booths, 2 men sat on opposite sides of a C-shaped soft sofa.

There was a sophisticated glass table separating them and on top the table was an aluminium tray holding a few stuffed mushrooms, a seafood collection of grilled lobster tails, jumbo lump crab meat, and a few seared Bluefin tuna slices.

Most importantly to Leon though, the delicacy had a few dozen slices of a particular perfectly roasted lab meat.

He laughed in his mind. 'Indeed it's good to do good, or how else would I be enjoying this delicacy now?'

It was the same meat that he bought just 10 slices for 10 pounds back in Larton Town, but now he had much more to eat.

The sumptuous delicacy was topped up with a few wine bottles.

The 2 men sitting on opposite sides of the sofa met for the first time just a few minutes ago, but now they laughed and conversed naturally like they've known each other for 2 decades.

"Haha, don't wait for me, eat". Lieutenant Johnmark offered.

"I know". Leon laughed.

He didn't stand on ceremony as he quickly began wolfing down the food. As a man, free food was an opportunity that you should never let go of.

As they ate, they conversed.

"Mr. Leon…"

"You can call me Leon". Leon interrupted the Lieutenant.

Hearing that, Lieutenant Johnmark smiled and he didn't stand on ceremony as he said. "Ok, you can call me Johnmark too".

This Lieutenant looked at his counterpart curiously. "Leon, where are you from? I've never seen a Mechanist like you before".

"Me? How?" Leon smiled, he was also curious to understand what the Lieutenant meant.

The Lieutenant leaned back on the sofa and sighed. "I mean, you're the first E Rank Mechanist I've seen who deliberately embraces battle".

"I mean no disrespect," he quickly added. "But you know, Ascended of your Class, at least most of the ones I know, they're all pussies".

Leon laughed. "Really?"

"Really". The Lieutenant nodded seriously. "They mostly stay holed up inside subterranean laboratories and focus on boring research, they say fighting is for barbarians like us".

"Well, I'm not that kind of Mechanist".

"That's why I like you!" The Lieutenant immediately said with a hearty smile. "That Rifle of yours, it has such a sting to it, boy I felt it!" He laughed as he reminisced the pain of being at the receiving end of the Mechanist's attacks.

"That's what I do". Leon didn't shy from the praise at all as he accepted it shamelessly.

The Lieutenant laughed again. "It's really rare to meet a Mechanist like you, let's be friends!" He suddenly said. "Let's exchange contacts".

Leon was stunned.

Even for him, that was a bit too direct but he quickly calmed down. Exchanging contacts with a Lieutenant of the Geneforge Clans Army right as he was coming to Leviathan Quay?

This was a dream scenario that he didn't dare think about before now. Of course, he didn't hesitate as he exchanged contacts with the Lieutenant.

"It's a pity how many passengers died". Leon lamented.

Hearing that, the Lieutenant snorted. "People are just stubborn, they made rescuing them so difficult. If they had listened to me and stayed calm, the casualties would have been much fewer".

Leon sighed. "Sadly, most people when faced with danger are not always rational. It's mostly freeze or flight for them".

The Lieutenant nodded seriously. "That's why a Mechanist like you really surprised me, most of your type are just flight merchants".

Leon laughed and sipped from the wine again.

The Lieutenant also drank then he looked at Leon seriously. "Brother, that Rifle of yours, are you open to selling it?"

Leon was taken aback. 'Are all city people this straightforward?'

He adapted fast though as he smiled. "I'm not selling this one but if you want, I can craft one for you".

"Perfect!" Lieutenant Johnmark was excited. "How much?"

"We can discuss the price later, let me get to the city first".

The Lieutenant readily agreed.

After he was done eating, Leon leaned back on the sofa too and then he asked. "Are all E Rank Cyber Gladiators like that guy?"

Hearing that, the Lieutenant's face darkened. "Not even close," he said seriously. "He's by far the fastest Ascended that I've ever faced in battle".

Hearing this from a Lieutenant with possible decades of combat experience in his belt, Leon nodded thoughtfully.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door of the VIP booth. After the Lieutenant answered, a familiar face entered.

It was the Engineman.

The mundane Geneform still clearly looked rattled but in the presence of the two strong Ascended, he quickly loosened up as he presented his expensive wine to the both of them while thanking them once again for saving his life.

The 3 men conversed lightly among themselves, discussing the accident that happened, the Reclaimer Church, the Extremist Movement, and then they discussed about their lives and careers.

After surviving such a deadly encounter, the Lieutenant and the Engineman were in a melancholic mood to reminisce the past and Leon obliged them.

When it came to him, he stuck to his made-up story, telling them that he was an adventurer that came from the West.

After they both told him about their respective lives and careers, Leon was also forced to tell them a story of his own and so, he told them about Parasite.

When both middle-aged men heard about the Zmer gang and the Warlord who engaged in slave trade, they reacted angrily, fully resonating with Leon in that moment as they bonded even deeper.

"If you need anything in Leviathan Quay, you can always come to any military base. Ask for Lieutenant Johnmark". The Lieutenant offered.

"Me too, anything I can help with". The Engineman also quickly offered.

Leon smiled. "Then I'll have to thank the both of you in advance".

After a few more minutes, the Engineman left, returning to his post while the Lieutenant also left to check on his subordinates.

Left alone, Leon smiled and then, he finally paid attention to the System notification that was sent to him minutes ago.

~----~

[You have gained +9 Ascended Essence!]

[Ascended Counter: 166/2000]

~----~

'I gained even more this time,' Leon was visibly surprised. 'Is it because of the difficulty of the battle and level of opponent that I faced?'

He was beginning to understand the principles of increasing his Ascended Counter better.

He leaned back against the sofa and enjoyed the moment.

The journey continued.

About 10 minutes later, a loud horn reverberated through the maglev train as Leon instinctively looked outside, and then he saw a massive city wall.

He smiled.

After what could only be described as a treacherous journey, Leon finally arrived at his destination, the City of the Geneforge Clans, Leviathan Quay.

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