Leave The Monster Alone

There was certain unrest that evening, hushed voices talking in secret tones which Mark could not help but hear. Somehow, every time someone opened their mouth, Mark half expected them to talk about the stolen samples.

It had been a few days since and he had no idea how to get these samples out too. His system had been far too quiet since then too which was a worrisome detail.

Of course, no one actually talked about it since no one actually knew that those samples existed. But the mere fact that Mark had made a successful weep of those samples meant his mind could now play on his paranoia.

This was not something he found to be particularly fun but as long as those samples were in his inventory, he could not escape the cycle either.

"- and Kuro knocked Jean out even before she could react. Kuro is amazing in the combat department" Alan was telling him about Kuro's performance in the combat section. The said feline was, once again, smaller in size and had taken to curling below the counter and away from the public eye.

"I knew it would suit her and it helps her keep in shape too. I was beginning to think she would actually get fat" there was a protestful sound from Kuro but he quickly soothed her with a head rub.

Her mood was as unpredictable as the wind which was not good but once she got her aggression out while training, she turned back into her usual self.

"The decision to train her was too sudden but it actually turned out to be beneficial for everyone. But what about you Mark? Would you not like to join our training session? My brother doesn't like to talk about you but the rest of the squad is interested in you. Even more so now that we have Kuro" the child sounded excited and Mark pretended to think about it for a few moments before shaking his head.

"I don't think I want to join, even if I could. I'm happy where I am though" the teen looked to be spectacular at his decision but that was to be expected.

To be in a combat team was almost a dream job now for most people. There were just too many perks that normal people were currently missing.

"Is it because Liam asked you not to? I can have my brother talk with him" in a way, it could be Liam's fault but the end result did not change - Mark was not interested.

"No, it's not his fault at all. Anyway, what are you here to buy?" The child looked sheepish now, his face covered with a guilty smile. It was easy to tell that he had cut the training short again.

Mark did not care but he was sure that he would somehow get blamed for this too in the future. Once a bad impression meant carrying it forever after all.

"If you have nothing else to do, then go and rest. Aren't you leaving for the next mission with your brother's team? I'm surprised Luna allowed that" that had been a blow to him, to hear that the kid was going to officially join his brother's team.

Once again, Mark would be alone but he had to console himself with the fact that this was fine. This was what he had taken in the kid to do after all.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be leaving now. Don't get into too much trouble" the kid bolted with just as much speed as he had arrived.

Curious pairs of eyes followed the kid leave which was a given. He was young and yet living out a dream most people could only think of. Alan would surely be a target in the upcoming rebellion and he should be careful.

"The kid is awfully young but I heard he's the captain's younger brother. Talk about preferable treatment, letting such a young kid join in" someone's whisper reached Mark's ears but he knew that the other was talking in his jealousy.

"Yeah, and the female who calls herself the second-in-command? Everyone knows she slept her way up. There is no way someone like her can fight while maintaining nails that perfect '' someone else spoke and Mark did his best to ignore them too.

It was a common occurrence, the unfortunate making excuses and cursing the hardworking and fortunate. Mark just averted his attention from those people and focused on his system.

______________________

Main mission unlocked: Help assist the flow of the story - retrieval of the objective for an old friend (continued mission part 2)

Status: Active

______________________

There was still no additional information he could find and the shop that sold those potions had closed too. It made it clear that it had been an event exclusive item, likely available because it was still early enough in the story to be categorized as an 'easy' mission.

"Excuse me Mr shopkeeper. I have an order for you" the young female voice made Mark divert his attention right in front of him and his heart skipped a beat as he looked at the young silhouette of a girl.

For a few seconds, he genuinely thought that it had been Maya standing in front of him but the girl was far too skinny to be Maya. Her complexion, her hair and her eyes, everything screamed of difference.

"Ah, thank you. The payment?" it was obvious that the child was nervous and he could tell from her body language. She was a tiny thing, likely too small to actually read and write on her own so she was definitely not the owner of this note.

It was an unwritten rule to not touch children or you will be kicked out of the facility and already too many people had broken this rule and been cast off. Once that had happened a few times, everyone knew not to touch children anymore.

Mark wanted to help her, but he could not just hand over supplies to her for free. It would be unfair to everyone else and there were far too many such children. Their fun was separate and so was their guardianship.

"I'm sorry but I don't know. The guardian who gave me this said that they will pay you when you give them their supply" those were suspicious words to say. It was not surprising to see a child coming here to buy things as an errand but they usually had money with them.

Mark opened the note but it was empty which caused his smile to stiffen.

Was this someone's idea of a joke? If so, then he would like to tell them that it was not a funny one at all.

"I see. You should go back now and I'll make sure they get what they need once I change shifts" the child seemed not to get him fully but even she understood the keywords and nodded before leaving.

The rest of the shift was peaceful and uneventful, just as he liked them to be. There were no new missions and no new emergencies which left a lot of time for Mark to dedicate to himself.

Kuro, who was tired after a full day of activity, was fast asleep and Mark envied her just a little.

The crumbled note was still lying on the counter right in front of him and was doing an excellent job of attracting Mark's attention toward itself. Seeing it again, Mark once again considered the happenings.

Someone sent him an empty note but there was no reason for someone to prank him in such a manner and in broad daylight even. Perhaps he had missed something, but a guardian demanding for something sounded not very likely to him.

Then, perhaps someone wanted to tell him something in secret?

Mark took the bait and picked the empty paper. The white screen mocked him with that clear space but Mark knew that if there was actually something there, then his system would likely find it in a few seconds.

He scanned the paper and waited.

And he had been right. As soon as the scanner light passed the paper, the system screen blinked a few times before text appeared on it.

______________________

Scanning...…

Decoding the message.....

Message decoded. Press enter to view.

______________________

Mark did not wait to press enter. He was alone anyway and he was sure that his moments could not be tracked in such a time frame so there was no problem.

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Hello friend, are you're surprised by my message? I hope you have the goods ready for us because we will be parting in a few days now.

Perhaps our first meeting spot would act as an appropriate place for me to tell you something personal before we go. Kindly meet us there tomorrow at 2:00 PM (Plz, we know you're busy in the evening)

~from snake and ox

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Now Mark was sure who the sender of this message was surprisingly enough, it has solved the biggest problem Mark was faced with currently. Now if only the one who wrote it would word it better and not like a flirty note.

Somewhere in the facility, a certain snake sneezed loudly, stating the group of children sitting near him.