The X Guide-Chapter 170: Another War Zone (2)

Hours before the green zone was taken down.

Like any other city under the category "green zone," it boasted millions in its population. The security was top-notch, being one of a city with strategic value.

Most of the citizens here, like any other green zone citizens, were aware of the current situation of the world, but had not experienced the chaos in their lives.

The older generation might have experienced it, but the later generations could only hear it from the media or if they decided to visit other zones and see the state beyond the city walls. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

That was to say, their survival instincts had not been honed, and they were used to a peaceful environment.

It was a problem for most, if not all, green zone citizens. If a sudden turn of events arrived, they would not know what to do in such a disaster. They could only crumble in a corner and wait for the espers to save them or, in the worst-case scenario, wait for death.

This was such a worst-case scenario. When the espers they were leaning on decided to fight amongst themselves.

An hour before the clash, somewhere in one of the dorms of the association. A woman carefully patted the letter she received and smiled.

She had not expected this letter, although she anticipated one. However, since it was Ayen, she was not sure if the other would even think of her after they parted ways.

She mostly recovered from the experience, even if the trauma was still there. At least, she could return to her work. And since her arrival here, Keeran was rarely requested for a guiding session.

Not just because her rank was low, but also because this place had little to no combat encounters. Most were focused on the dungeon mine, which was not really dangerous.

She was not used to it at first, but gradually adapted and relaxed. Keeran even thought of Ayen and why he was not assigned to this place. She thought of the guide who fearlessly escaped with her, even if he was powerless on his own.

Keeran sighed, but soon her lips curled again.

She had not properly thanked Ayen last time. Until now, she has been quite remorseful of herself because of that. She has been in this city for almost three months, and she has yet to make friends.

Her bubbly personality had taken a hit from what happened, and she also missed Ayen, which made her more aloof to others. For the past year, she was always with him, and although she seemed to be ignored most of the time, Keeran always felt comfortable with Ayen.

Ayen was a listener, and Keeran did not mind that; she became even more talkative with him because of this. Ayen did not know, but Keeran truly liked being with him the most.

Her eyes lingered on the letter again, particularly on a certain word.

"A red zone..." Keeran was a bit surprised when she first read the letter.

How come Ayen was suddenly assigned to a red zone when he was an E-class guide? In fact, Keeran was not qualified to be assigned to such a zone, either with her D-class rank.

However, the more she read it, the more she realized that Ayen was confident in inviting her in. Although the other things in the letter did not make sense, Keeran trusted Ayen with her whole heart.

She was not skeptical; on the contrary, she was only worried at first read, but gradually her resolve became firm. There was no need to think more about it.

Keeran planned to apply to connect with the association line to call Ayen and state her decision. The letters were far too slow and unpredictable.

That was a red zone, and so Keeran was afraid that her letter might have been lost along the way, and Ayen might have thought she ignored his letter.

Keeran looked outside, which seemed gloomier than usual.

Tomorrow... She would go to the association, apply for permission for a call, and talk to Ayen. Keeran smiled; the expression she always has finally appeared on her face.

She was excited to talk to him and meet him. Ayen was not just her savior but also her cherished friend. Keeran put the letter inside the small space trinket, which could only hold a few things. Despite how useless it was, it was expensive.

Then, she put it inside a jewelry box. Keeran knew the value of the space artifact, and so she always hid it like this.

Keeran prepared to sleep, excited for her call tomorrow. However, before she could even walk to her bed, a loud explosion was heard. Her body almost tumbled because of the impact, and her expression twisted as she covered her ringing ears.

Once the sensation faded, Keeran took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Her heart was beating so hard that her chest ached. Her hands began to tremble, and even her knees.

She closed her eyes and imagined Ayen was beside her, and his voice reprimanding her just like last time.

Right. She did not want to die. Her life was saved by Ayen last time... She could not die here.

Keeran did not know what was going on outside, but her premonition told her that the situation was extremely bad. Fortunately, at least in the Guide Association compound, they were slightly safe.

Or so she thought.

Another explosion occurred, and this time it was clearer and nearer. Keeran looked outside through the window, and her eyes widened.

Her face went pale. The espers were fighting... amongst each other? No...

The institute was the first target, and the next was the association. Keeran did not know what was happening.

Her mind began to wander until she thought of Ayen’s letter. His words were vague, but Keeran remembered something like the outside world would become more chaotic, and he wanted Keeran to stay with him during this period.

Was this the chaos Ayen was talking about?

Keeran’s thoughts were woken by another noise, and her head snapped to the side. the door... Someone was trying to open her door.