It was already past noon.
Vincent took one last careful look at the plan he'd drafted the night before, then stepped out of his apartment and flagged down a car.
Not long after, he picked up Autumn, and the two of them arrived near the Forbidden Zone.
As they walked forward at an unhurried pace, worry still lingered on Autumn's face.
"If the two of us try to complete the final plan together, the difficulty speaks for itself. It'll be much harder than you going in alone." She hesitated, then added softly, "Maybe… I should just pick an easier mission."
Vincent patted her lightly on the head. "Relax. If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't have asked you to come."
He spoke gently as he took her hand. "Come on. The plan needs time to set up."
Autumn nodded and followed him quickly to the entrance.
After a simple registration, they entered the prep room.
Sure enough, it was packed.
At a glance, at least eighty percent were their classmates.
Everyone was chatting excitedly, trying to squeeze out more information before going in.
"When we get in, we team up, find a place to recover stamina, then once the Chitauri show up, we help each other out. Each of us just needs twenty kills."
"With this many people rushing in, will there even be enough monsters to farm?"
"Don't worry. I already checked. As long as the portal in the sky isn't closed, the Chitauri are basically endless. We might even farm extra and push our rating higher."
"That's perfect. Then we're relying on you, bro!"
One guy even clasped his fists in an exaggerated, old fashioned gesture.
The man who'd been speaking burst out laughing and patted their shoulders. "It can't be just me. When the time comes, everyone has to pull their weight if we want to stay safe."
"Of course!"
"Totally!"
"We'll follow you, Leo!"
Their voices were loud enough to draw attention.
Seeing how confident they looked, some people moved closer, hoping to join.
The man they called "Leo" put on a troubled expression. "We've already got enough people. You should find another group."
The would be joiners backed off.
"Acting like he's some big shot. It's just grinding, who can't do that?"
"Yeah. If he won't let us join, fine. Once we're inside, we'll just stick close and listen in on his calls. What's he going to do about it?"
The complaints reached Leo's ears, but he didn't care.
Did they really think the Chitauri were that easy?
While he was thinking that, a striking figure walked into the prep room, and she looked familiar.
"Holy crap," someone whispered. "Is that Autumn Summer?"
Leo lowered his voice and asked the people beside him. "That's the senior, right?"
The other guy blinked, then reacted. "Yeah, it's her. Autumn Summer is running Zone Eight too?"
"She's only got one person with her. This is my chance." Leo's eyes gleamed. He straightened up and strode over with practiced confidence.
Vincent wore a mask, watching him come.
"Senior Autumn, right? We're from the same school. I'm a year below you. Name's Luke Hansen."
He extended his hand openly, clearly expecting a handshake.
Autumn didn't bother with it. She only gave him a brief nod, her expression cool. "Hi."
Luke didn't look embarrassed at all. He withdrew his hand naturally and walked alongside them. "Senior, you're here for Zone Eight too? Got a team already?"
Vincent's mouth twitched.
He was standing right there. How was he being ignored this hard?
Autumn nodded and raised the hand that was interlocked with Vincent's.
Luke understood immediately.
A couple.
His expression fell for a heartbeat. He'd noticed Autumn the moment he enrolled, and now she already had someone.
But his smile returned just as quickly, confident as ever.
"Just the two of you, huh? We've got a lot of people on our side. How about you join us, Senior Autumn? I'm not going to lie, I have some 'insider tips.' I can guarantee you a mid tier rating. Maybe even higher."
He patted his chest as if making a solemn vow, then flicked a glance at Vincent.
He added with a strained friendliness, "This guy can join too, but… mid tier slots are rare, you know?"
Luke had it planned out in his head.
He'd secure the mid tier rating first, then "help" Autumn get it.
No matter what, she'd owe him a favor.
And after that…
Well, they weren't married. He still had plenty of chances.
He was practically smiling to himself when Autumn shook her head, tugged Vincent's hand, and walked away.
Vincent shot Luke an amused look and followed.
This kid really was something.
Not only confident, but painfully average too.
He was bragging about a mid tier rating like it was a crown. For most people, that would be tempting.
But Vincent and Autumn were aiming for the highest rating.
Compared to that, "mid tier" sounded almost… shabby.
Luke stared at their backs, stunned.
What was that?
Was a mid tier rating seriously not attractive to them?
Zone Eight wasn't a safe playground like the earlier zones. Did Autumn really think she could still chase top rating here?
Luke scoffed and turned away.
Once they were inside, she'd learn what a danger zone actually meant.
He'd spent good money buying information through his family. He wasn't some pushover.
When they ran into each other in the zone, he'd let her suffer a bit first, then step in to "save" her.
He nodded, satisfied, and returned to his little group.
"Boss Luke, what did Senior Autumn say?" someone asked eagerly.
Luke didn't blink. "She wanted to team up with us, but you know how it is, we're full. Still… once we're inside, if we can help, we'll help."
His tone even carried a hint of regret.
No one doubted him for a second. Their faces were full of gratitude.
Boss Luke refused the senior instead of kicking them out.
What a righteous guy!
Before anyone realized it, the clock above the Forbidden Zone entrance ticked to the entry time.
Vincent took Autumn's hand and walked briskly toward the gate.
"Remember," he said quietly. "Once you're inside, find a place called Stark Tower. Wait for me down below."
"Mm." Autumn nodded hard.
They stepped through.
White light flashed.
Vincent appeared alone inside a pure white space.
The familiar process began again.
"Please choose your mission."
"Mission 1: Kill 20 Chitauri."
"Difficulty: Easy."
"Time Limit: 15 days."
"Tip: The Chitauri are endless. Any twenty will do. (Must be intact Chitauri. Assisted 'cleanup' kills do not count.)"
"Tip: The more you kill, the higher your final evaluation."