[Host,] Uriel's voice came through right away. [That's a high-rank scanner. Your current ID can't fool that!]

Zion grit his teeth.

'I know that,' he replied internally. 'But do you think I can just run away from here?'

Uriel remained silent for a second, clearly hesitant.

[That Sovereignty officer is only a D-rank,] the AI finally said. [Your odds at escaping are far better than staying here.]

Zion glanced around while the first few mercenaries walked up to the officer with their holographic IDs out.

'I could try to escape while blending in as much as possible,' he thought, clenching his fist.

But he knew it wouldn't be as simple as that.

'There should definitely be C-ranks, maybe even B-ranks here,' he thought, seeing their ships in the distance.

His brows furrowed. 'If I'm going to make a run for it, I have to go as fast as I possibly can.'

Zion took a deep breath, forcing his heartbeat to slow down.

All across the plaza, similar lines of mercenaries had formed, each overseen by a different Sovereignty officer.

His line had already moved several spots, with only around ten spaces left before it was his turn.

'Once I move, there's no turning back,' he thought.

Zion stared at the Sovereignty officer one more time, who stood relaxed, likely having done this hundreds of times before.

[Timing is crucial,] Uriel warned quietly. [Prepare. I'll give you a signal when she's distracted.]

'Just tell me when,' he nodded once.

He subtly changed his stance, angling it away from the officer while keeping his head lowered. Energy coursed through his body as his muscles tensed.

A heartbeat passed.

Then another.

The scanner flashed green for another mercenary in the line, and the officer glanced down, moving her hand to reset the scanner.

[Now!] Uriel's voice echoed through his head.

Zion moved.

In a single step, he pushed himself off the ground with immense force, his figure disappearing as he shot sideways into the crowd.

Shocked shouts erupted instantly as bodies were shoved aside and mercenaries were knocked off their feet.

Zion didn't slow down. He ducked under arms, jumped over people, and knocked them down if convenient. The world around him warped as his vision tunneled toward the exit point.

Behind him, a loud whistle echoed through the plaza.

"We have a runner!" a female voice shouted.

Zion gritted his teeth and pushed his legs to their limits.

He burst out of the densest part of the crowd, dashing across the sidewalk while searching for any corridors to enter.

His mind raced, already narrowing down his options.

There was only one place with terrain complex enough to shake them off. A place where even the Sovereignty couldn't be bothered to send more troops.

'Uriel, route to the slums, now!' he thought, glancing behind him once.

Several white-and-gold armored individuals were following him, though their speed seemed just below his.

[Affirmative, host,] Uriel's voice echoed through his head. [Projecting route now…]

Zion didn't have time to thank Uriel, taking a sharp left to enter a small corridor.

The corridor was extremely tight, only allowing at most two people side by side. Thankfully, the neon lights above him were dim, helping to conceal his figure.

Not even fifteen seconds later, another warning from Uriel came through.

[Three people just entered the same corridor,] it said, its voice filled with concern. [From their energy, there seem to be two D-ranks and one C-rank.]

Zion's brows furrowed.

'C-rank…' he thought, his eyes desperately searching for the end of the corridor.

Just as he saw the lights of another large street up ahead, a sharp crackle echoed through the air.

Zion's hair stood on end as he immediately twisted his body with all his strength.

He felt the heat fly past his arm as the shot continued onto the open street, exploding when it struck a passing hover-car.

"Shit," he cursed through gritted teeth. "Missiles?!"

Absolute pandemonium broke out ahead of him. Multiple hover-cars crashed into one another, some even slamming into nearby buildings in desperate attempts to avoid the chaos.

But Zion didn't have time to care, as a second crackle echoed through the air behind him.

The shot tore through the air, soaring past where his head had just been.

'That's it,' he thought, gritting his teeth as he jumped the last stretch to the large street.

Once he reached the corner, he immediately cut to the right before dashing across the road.

For a split second, Zion registered the screaming civilians and burning wreckage around him. The chaos bought him time and distance, yet he hated every single second of it.

'How could I have been so blind in the past?' he thought, clenching his fists as his nails bit into his palms. 'It's always been like this. They never cared, not about their own, and especially not about civilians.'

He shook his head, forcing the thoughts aside as he dashed into the next corridor.

[There are fifteen people on your tail,] Uriel said. [Detecting six D-ranks and two C-ranks. The others are out of range.]

Zion nodded, processing the information immediately.

'I'm already losing most of their D-ranks,' he calculated. 'But I need to take more turns in tight spaces to lose the others.'

And the slums were the perfect place to do that.

[Careful,] Uriel warned. [They are splitting up and heading into different paths to cut you off.]

Zion's expression darkened, though it didn't fall outside his expectations.

He followed Uriel's route without hesitation, cutting left, then right, then diving through another narrow passage.

[Distance to slum boundary is four minutes at current speed,] Uriel reported. [You've lost nine people from your tail.]

Zion's breathing turned ragged as he pushed his body harder, his feet barely touching the ground between turns.

The city around him gradually changed. The streets narrowed, buildings grew older and smaller, and the lighting practically disappeared.

[You've lost two more D-ranks,] Uriel reported. [One C-rank has taken another path on your left.]

Zion exhaled heavily, his throat burning.

'Good. I'll take a right then.'

He cut sharply to the right, immediately feeling the ground beneath his feet turn rough and uneven.

'The slums,' he thought, a smile growing on his face.

Still, he knew he wasn't safe just yet.

[One C-rank and two D-ranks remain in pursuit,] Uriel reported. [They are closing in rapidly from behind.]

Zion nodded, jaw clenched. His calves burned fiercely, and he knew maintaining this speed for much longer was nearly impossible.

'I just need to get deeper into the slums,' he thought, pushing through the pain. 'If they manage to follow me even then… I'll have to fight.'

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