Chapter 399: Chapter 399

"Now let's code breaker began!"

Saying that, I turned my head toward first piece of the pawn that was Aric.

"Aric, you know what to do. Make sure you report everything that you see"

Without responding he took out his broad sword from his AI storege, Aric nodded his head and disappeared from where he was standing.

Staring at where Aric used to be, I turned to look at Evelyn and the others.

"We proceed as planned. If possible, try taking out your opponent when you meet them, and always make sure you keep in touch in case something goes wrong"

Nodding their heads, Evelyn, Volt and Zack looked at Hora who snorted and left in the opposite direction as Aric.

…it was evident that he was dissatisfied with the fact that I was the one arranging the plans. Still, since Aric was complying he could only hold back and do as I said.

Moments after I finished speaking, Volt, Zack and Evelyn separated themselves from Hora who moved around the city by himself. Just as I had previously mentioned, they stayed within a fifty-meter radius of him.

Staring at Evelyn, Volt and Hora's figures disappearing in the distance for a couple of seconds, turning my attention back towards Zack, I softly said.

"Alright, we should get moving too."

Zack gave me a small nod, adjusting his grip on his daggers before vanishing into the shadows. His ability to blend into the environment was one of the reasons I had chosen him for this role.

As for me, I took a different route, moving cautiously through the virtual city. The towering buildings, the empty streets, and the flickering neon signs created an eerie atmosphere, but I had no time to admire the details.

Code Breaker was a game of strategy, deception, and precision. While raw combat ability played a role, the real key to victory lay in information warfare. That was why Aric had gone ahead—his job was to locate the enemy team and relay their movements.

Hora, despite his arrogance, was a powerhouse. If he encountered an opponent, he could either hold them off or eliminate them outright.

And me? My role was simple.

Find the enemy's "code," crack it before they cracked ours, and secure victory.

Earlier, I had sent Zack to survay the surroundings area to look for any enemies are nearby.

...And thankfully there's were none.

After meeting with Zack few minutes later I decided to set up temporary base camp.

...And that's why we are here.

Entering one of the abandoned buildings with Zack, I made sure to scan the perimeter to see if anybody was there before setting up camp.

After settling down, still standing, Zack looked at me in confusion as he asked.

In all honesty, if not for everyone following his orders, Zack would've never have let someone like Lucas order him around.

…he really was tempted to just leave and do as he wished, but since it would incur the wrath of the other team members, he decided against doing so.

Glancing at Zack from the corner of my eye and reading his thoughts, I briefly responded to him before turning my attention back towards the distance.

"Nothing yet, our turn has yet to come"

From the very beginning, I could tell he was dissatisfied with me. However, unfortunately for him, I really didn't care.

Inwardly shaking my head and turning my attention back towards the city, I carefully observed the city from the building I was on. For now, everything was calm and quiet, however, I knew that things would soon change…

Placing my hand on my chin, squinting my eyes as I stared into the distance, I fell into deep thought.

According to my deduction, whoever was going to target Aric was not definitely not going to be the code holder.

With how skilled Aric was, sending their code holder to fight against him would be suicide and may prove to be fruitless.

Thus it was safe to assume that whoever was going to target Aric was definitely not going to be the code holder.

Preferably, I would hope that the enemy team would waste their strongest fighter on him. That way, even if Aric couldn't win outright, he could at least stall them long enough for us to locate their code.

Tapping my fingers against my knee, I turned to Zack.

"For now, we wait. Aric and the others are on the move, and if my guess is correct, they'll be making contact with the enemy soon. The moment we get word, we act."

Zack clicked his tongue but didn't argue. Instead, he leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, blending into the shadows like it was second nature.

A few minutes passed in silence, only the faint hum of the virtual city filling the air. Then—

A soft vibration from my wrist device signaled an incoming message.

[Aric: Contact. Enemies. The numbers are unknown for now.]

I smirked. Right on time.

Turning to Zack, I spoke in a low voice, "Looks like the game is finally starting."

Tapping on my smartwatch and sent a reply.

—Aric you know what you have to do right?

*** Fresh chapters posted on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩

[Aric you know what you have to do right?]

Aric had heard the word's of Lucas and his meaning too but he didn't reply immediately.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and just one single word.

Turning off the watch, without giving a chance for Lucas to respond, Aric quickly jumped higher until he was at the roof of the buildings. Thereafter, he jumped from one building to the other. As he moved, he made sure to be as overbearing and fearless as possible.

…since he knew about his personality, if he acted according to how others thought he would, chances that they would think he was the bait would reduce.

If not for the fact that he was following Lucas plan, Aric would've originally done the mission .

…after all, how could others match him in a fight? He was that confident in himself.

As Aric moved from one building to the other, he suddenly felt an extremely repulsive feeling well inside of his body. His mind couldn't help but start drifting away from the trials as a result. Shortly after, recalling something, Aric's fist clenched tightly.

…to think he was following someone else's order.

He, Aric, the one who always prided himself on his own strength, was following orders. The thought made his stomach churn with frustration.

And yet, he didn't slow down.

He could complain all he wanted, but Lucas' plan made sense. If their opponents underestimated him, assuming he was just bait, it would work in their favor. Aric just had to keep moving, keep pressuring the enemy until they made a mistake.

Landing on the edge of a crumbling rooftop, Aric scanned the streets below. His sharp eyes quickly picked up movement— figures weaving through the alleyways, moving cautiously but with clear purpose. They were searching for him.

'Not the code holder,' Aric thought.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. His broad sword hummed softly as he tightened his grip, anticipation thrumming through his veins.

'Time to see what they're made of.'

With a powerful leap, he shot down toward them like a hawk descending upon its prey.