Riven slowly lowered his pistol.
The room fell silent once more.
A thin trail of smoke still drifted from the muzzle of the weapon he had just fired.
On the floor, Arche's body lay motionless. Not far away, Garrick's corpse remained slumped against the side of the safe, a bullet hole through his temple.
Riven walked over without any sense of urgency.
His face remained expressionless.
As a veteran scavenger, he had accepted far too many assassination contracts. To him, confirming that a target was truly dead was far more important than pulling the trigger.
He knelt beside Arche.
Two fingers rested against the young man's neck.
Several seconds passed.
"...No pulse."
He then placed a hand on Arche's chest. Blood continued soaking through the torn Scrapweave Jacket where the bullet had struck.
The chest didn't move.
Riven leaned closer.
He pressed his ear against Arche's chest.
Silence.
No heartbeat.
Next, he gently lifted one of Arche's eyelids.
The vacant eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, completely unfocused.
Riven held the back of his hand beneath Arche's nose.
No breath.
He gave a slight nod.
"This kid..."
"...is truly dead."
Riven stood up again.
Without changing his expression, he pulled out his A.R.M. and activated an encrypted communication channel.
A few seconds later, Karen Vale's face appeared on the holographic display.
"Report."
Riven answered immediately.
"Target eliminated."
"Arche is dead."
"And Garrick is lying right beside him."
"The kid managed to kill Garrick before I executed him."
Karen gave a small nod.
"Good."
"Did you confirm the body?"
"I did."
Riven answered without hesitation.
"I checked his pulse."
"Nothing."
"I checked his breathing."
"Nothing."
"No heartbeat either."
Karen was silent for a moment.
"Excellent."
"Don't touch Garrick's body."
"Leave Arche's fingerprints exactly where they are."
"The entire investigation must point to one conclusion."
"That Archemidas killed Garrick."
Riven simply nodded.
"Understood."
"Then erase every trace of yourself from that room."
"Don't leave shell casings, fingerprints, or any evidence leading back to you."
"After that, don't return to The Whisperer's headquarters for a while."
"I have another job for you."
Riven slipped his spare magazine back into his vest.
"Destination?"
"Sector F-05."
"I'll send the coordinates."
"Who's the client?"
Karen smiled faintly.
"You'll see."
The communication ended.
The holographic screen disappeared.
A few moments later, Riven's A.R.M. emitted a notification.
Beep.
He opened the newly received file.
Coordinates appeared on the display.
Below them were three complete profiles.
Bram.
Jax.
Harry.
Each included a photograph, identification data, and their last confirmed location.
Riven read everything in silence.
"So they're..."
He returned the A.R.M. to his belt.
Before leaving, he looked back one final time at Arche's body.
The young man remained perfectly still.
His backpack lay beside him.
His sidearm had slipped from his hand.
His face looked peaceful...
As if he were merely asleep.
Riven let out a quiet sigh.
"What a waste."
"Talented rookies like this rarely appear in Firmament."
He remembered Karen's report.
A rookie who had killed six Green Serpent members.
Who had even managed to break through all the way to Garrick's office.
An achievement that should have been impossible for someone who had only recently become a scavenger.
But to Karen...
No amount of talent mattered more than eliminating loose ends.
Riven understood the way his superior thought.
That was precisely why Karen had survived for so long in Firmament's underworld.
Use outsiders.
Then discard them when the job was done.
Efficient.
Clean.
Leaving no connection whatsoever to The Whisperer.
Riven didn't particularly like that method.
But neither did he hate it.
To him, a contract was simply a contract.
As long as he was paid, his work was finished.
He turned around.
His footsteps echoed softly through the room that now held two corpses.
Without looking back again, Riven walked out through the door.
A few seconds later, it closed behind him.
Silence returned to the room.
Leaving behind only Garrick's body...
And Arche's motionless form lying on the floor.
***
Explosions and gunfire continued to shake the front courtyard of Green Serpent's mansion.
Black smoke billowed upward from the shattered gate while dozens of rookie scavengers continued pressing the enemy's defenses.
At the front line, Vela fired her rifle relentlessly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Two Green Serpent members were forced to retreat into cover.
"Keep pushing!" Vela shouted. "Don't give them time to regroup!"
The rookies immediately surged forward under her command.
A short distance behind them, Anna remained several steps back while carefully watching the battlefield.
"Vela!" she called. "Don't go too far ahead!"
Vela didn't even look back.
"If I stay behind..."
"Who's going to lead them?"
"But—"
"I want them to believe that rookies can win too."
Anna gritted her teeth.
She had known Vela long enough.
Once the girl made up her mind, changing it was nearly impossible.
Especially now.
Anna knew exactly what Vela wanted.
Recognition.
She wanted her name to become known throughout Firmament—not as just another rookie, but as someone capable of leading others.
The battle intensified once again.
But a few moments later...
Anna noticed something strange.
"Vela..."
"Hm?"
"Look."
Vela followed Anna's gaze.
Several Green Serpent members who had been defending the front line were suddenly running back toward the mansion.
Not retreating because they'd lost.
But as if something more urgent had called them back.
"That's strange..."
More and more of them followed.
Their defensive formation began to fall apart.
Vela immediately seized the opportunity.
"Now!"
"Break through!"
Dozens of rookies charged.
Their numbers far exceeded Green Serpent's.
Until now, they'd only struggled because their opponents possessed far superior equipment.
Now, with the defenses beginning to crumble...
They had finally found an opening.
CRASH!
The front gate was breached.
Cheers erupted across the courtyard.
"We're in!"
"Forward!"
"Kill them!"
Vela continued charging ahead while directing the others.
Yet the deeper they pushed into the mansion grounds...
The less resistance they encountered.
"Why..."
Even Anna began to feel uneasy.
Some Green Serpent members looked panicked.
Several even abandoned their weapons and fled toward the rear.
Then voices rang out from inside the mansion.
"Garrick is dead!"
"The boss is dead!"
"We've lost!"
Vela's expression changed instantly.
"Garrick... is dead?"
Impossible.
Not a single rookie group had managed to penetrate that deeply.
Then who had killed Green Serpent's leader?
Despite her confusion, a faint smile appeared.
"Whoever it was..."
"They're on our side."
But the smile didn't last.
"Vela!"
Anna suddenly ran over, raising her A.R.M.
"Quick, look at this!"
Vela activated her device.
A red notification blinked across the screen.
Encrypted Private SOS
Recipients:
Anna
Vela
Sender...
Archemidas.
Vela's eyes widened.
"...Arche?"
Anna immediately opened the attached coordinates.
"The signal is still active."
"It's inside the mansion."
"How is that possible..."
A few weeks earlier, the young man had saved them in Sector F-02.
They hadn't seen him since.
So why...
Why was Arche here?
Anna turned quickly.
"Should we go?"
Vela looked once more at the coordinates.
Then at the Green Serpent members who were now desperately trying to escape.
She made her decision immediately.
"We're going in."
"We're saving Arche."
Without waiting for a response, she sprinted toward the mansion's main entrance.
Several rookies noticed.
"Vela!"
"Where are you going?"
She never slowed down.
"I'm going to save someone!"
"If you can still fight, come with me!"
Several people exchanged glances.
Then nodded.
"We're coming!"
Anna let out a long sigh.
"...Honestly."
She finally ran after Vela.
They entered the mansion while continuing to gun down the remaining Green Serpent members still resisting.
The fighting inside was far weaker.
The corridors were littered with signs of fierce combat.
Walls riddled with bullet holes.
Shattered glass.
Bodies of Green Serpent members scattered everywhere.
Anna covered her mouth.
"...What exactly happened here?"
No one answered.
They continued following the SOS coordinates.
Up to the second floor.
Through corridors stained with blood.
Until they finally stopped before a massive room.
The door stood open.
Vela rushed inside.
"Arche!"
Her voice echoed throughout the room.
In the center of the floor lay a young man, covered in blood.
Not far away, Garrick's lifeless body lay sprawled on the ground.
Anna froze.
"That's..."
"That's Garrick..."
Her gaze shifted to Arche.
"...So he was the one who killed Garrick?"
But Arche's body didn't move at all.
His face was pale.
His chest was soaked in blood.
"Is he..."
"...too late?"
Vela immediately dropped to her knees beside him.
She activated her A.R.M.
The SOS signal...
Was still transmitting.
"It's still active!"
"His A.R.M. hasn't stopped sending the signal!"
Without hesitation, Vela opened her backpack and pulled out a metallic capsule-shaped device.
Anna recognized it immediately.
"...A Bio Synthetic Trauma Kit?"
"That's Olfein technology."
"It costs—"
Vela cut her off.
"The price doesn't matter."
"If I can't save someone."
Anna fell silent.
Then quietly sighed.
"...Alright."
"I'll help."
Together they attached the device over the gunshot wound in Arche's chest.
The moment it locked into place, it activated automatically.
Its blue indicator light began flashing.
Tiny needles extended on their own, penetrating into his damaged tissue.
Vela tightly held Arche's hand.
Then slowly closed her eyes.
For the first time since they had stormed the mansion...
She wished for only one thing.
That they hadn't arrived too late.