Transcendent Gene
Chapter 123: Cult Encampment [1]

Chapter 123: Cult Encampment [1]

Thump! Thump! Thump!

When they passed over him, there was a genuine fear in Gio’s heart that the sand would collapse and reveal his position.

However, he couldn’t celebrate yet.

As the footsteps faded away, he took yet another deep breath to fill his lungs with air...

"Huu–!"

"Gio, another group is coming. Maintain your position if possible."

Raymond came again with troubling news.

"I’m watching your position from the sky right now. I haven’t landed by hoverpack yet. A lot of patrols are moving through your area, but I don’t think any of them are actually looking for you. It looks more like your landing spot was more unfortunate than we thought and lined up with a lot of their usual routes."

As such, when these guards moved to and fro to investigate the source of the slight disturbances in the vicinity, they would inevitably travel across Gio’s position.

Raymond glanced around and assessed the situation. The amount of patrol activity was worrisome. An opportunity to help Gio get out of harm’s way...

’...it doesn’t exist.’

In such an open space, it wasn’t possible to do so without alerting someone.

He sighed to himself and looked at where the boy had disappeared into the sand.

"There’s a possibility that you’ll need to stay there until we create a diversion. Is it possible?"

"..."

Of course, Gio couldn’t answer.

"Can you reach your earpiece?"

He couldn’t with his arms, but if he tried hard enough...

Ting!

A ring resounded through the comms. The source was Aether that struck from within Gio’s ear.

Raymond, who didn’t know the slightly mystical source of the sound, responded normally.

"Tap once for yes and twice for no. Can you stay under until we create a diversion, or are you in danger?"

Gio thought about it for a moment. As he was, he could only be considered "in danger."

The moment either one of those two holes collapsed when Hekat’s residual power disappeared, Gio was a goner.

Still, he moved the Aether in his body to tap his ear only once.

In his current state, it was impossible to survive under the sand for long, but, to an extent, he could alter that state.

"Huu..."

"I’ll alert you if there’s a patrol coming close. Right now, there are two approaching from either direction..."

Gio heard them as they passed over his body, but he made no sound. He was too focused on himself.

’To survive longer...’

He needed to simplify his body’s functions until only the most necessary ones remained.

He dehydrated his skin and let it cling to his body like a shirt, showcasing the bones beneath. He altered his body temperature, heating it down severely to match the freezing temperature of the desert.

His body was hidden quite a distance under the sand. If it weren’t for his own body heat, he might’ve frozen to death before he suffocated.

The sand was far colder than it needed to be. It absorbed the cold energy the same way it absorbed heat, making each touch feel like ice rubbing against the skin.

It must’ve been a unique feature of the area. The properties of this area were also a likely part of the reason why the camp was positioned here. It would be trouble for anyone to approach the camp easily, but Gio was lucky enough to have a way out.

He breathed slowly and deeply, conserving as much energy as possible. He kept his eyes closed and listened only to Raymond’s words. His voice sounded like it was coming from the end of a tunnel, but Gio could still make out what he was saying.

Several patrol teams passed over Gio’s location over the next several minutes. Raymond watched from above with a concerned look as he checked on the progress of the others.

’Tch.’

He clicked his tongue inwardly,

’Nobody’s making progress.’

"Is there no other way?"

"Captain, I think our only choice is to breach openly. We haven’t found any obvious entrances yet. We’re searching for more subtle ones now, but I don’t think we can find one before they find us."

"Hmm..."

It was pointless to breach openly. They were aiming to learn something before they started an all-out war with the forces of the camp. How were they supposed to do so if there wasn’t an easy way inside?

Raymond glanced at the camp below him. If it weren’t so open, life would be much easier. All of the tents were concentrated in the center of the area and the walls were left mostly bare so anyone crossing over could be spotted instantly.

Jax was weaker than Mother Baba. If he used his concealment to sneak into the camp, he would be discovered immediately. Natalia couldn’t take the reconnaissance role because she needed to be available to face Mother Baba in case of a confrontation.

’What can I do about this...?’

As Raymond looked for a solution, his mind drifted away from the situation he was supposed to be watching.

He realized within a minute at most, but that was already too long. His head snapped back in Gio’s direction and his expression immediately crumpled.

The boy that was supposed to be hidden in the sand was no longer hidden at all. He was lying limply in the arms of a woman who’d appeared at some point.

Raymond gritted his teeth.

’Dammit!’

He looked around to find who was closest. It was him. He pushed his hoverpack through the air, rushing to Gio’s position when–

Ting! Ting!

Two beeps.

Ting! Ting!

Two beeps again.

The signal for "No" played repeatedly in Raymond’s head. His movements abruptly jerked to a stop. He looked at the boy who looked like nothing more than a corpse in the distance with confusion evident in his eyes.

However, Gio couldn’t answer him.

Frankly, he didn’t know what was happening either. As he was lying still, he felt a random lightness in his body. The sand covering him was clearly being moved.

He thought about running in that moment, but the thought disappeared almost instantly. He couldn’t run without dying.

’I have to take the chance.’

He risked it because he didn’t have another choice. At first, he was waiting for help to arrive.

But then the hands that pulled his body out of the ground were attached to a voice.

"Poor child..."

She muttered as if she felt pain when she looked at him.

"For how long have you suffered in the sands? How long did you trek to reach this place, and where did you come from?"

She asked questions of concern as she caressed his face. She felt the coldness in his body, a coldness that only appeared moments prior, and felt a deep sadness.

"Your life...it could be used in so many better ways than this."

Her hand against his face transferred heat to his body, bringing warmth into his bones and life into his veins.

That was when he realized that this was not a moment of danger, but one of opportunity.

He sent Aether into his ear, hoping Raymond would understand his message.

And he remained limp, allowing the woman to lift his body and carry him.

He could hear the comms just as well as everyone else.

The problem of finding a way into the camp...

...if he was lucky, couldn’t he solve it here?