Between Two Souls – Chapter 23:
Adrien rested peacefully in his sleep. However, that peace only belonged to his physical body. His soul was wandering within the realm of the Mind Tree, moments before he saw Zero, who was already connected to their shared tree—signifying that Zero's body was now awake and active.
Adrien walked toward the tree, approaching Zero who was kneeling beneath it. From there, Adrien could see what his Soul Partner's eyes were witnessing.
A: "Wow, what is this? I don't even know how to describe what I'm seeing. Is this what your eyes see, Zero? It's amazing! I wonder what other features this Mind Tree has."
Zero and Rose had just arrived in the city of Bandung—more precisely, at the outer wall of Bandung, which protected the city's slums. This wasn't yet the main wall with air filters and radiation shields.
Zero, who had just awakened and jumped down from the back of the truck, was immediately greeted by Adrien's rambling. Though Zero wanted to ignore his partner, he realized there was no point in resisting. Better to focus on why Rose had brought them here.
Rose handed a wad of money to the truck driver with a polite thank you, then grabbed her bag and jumped down. She walked to the rear of the truck where Zero and the rest of the luggage were stored.
"So, Zero? Getting used to Adrien's voice in your head yet?" Rose said with a chuckle. "I hope you two can get along and work together! Oh, and carry my stuff too, please. Including that armor."
Zero, though annoyed, chose to ignore the chatter and instead asked a question.
"Why are we here? We don't have any money." he asked while dragging Rose's luggage and hauling her Exo-Armour.
"Well, I do have a place to stay here. So, we'll be starting from scratch with our plan. Besides, you might want to meet some of the Order's members who are still here… though their condition is pretty bad."
The two of them passed through the first layer of the city wall, guarded only by local civilians. All military or official security forces were stationed within the inner wall—the part that protected the city's valuable assets. Authorities no longer cared about those living outside who had already been exposed to too much radiation.
There were hardly any security checks at the outer gate, almost none in fact. Despite Zero's terrifying mask, nobody tried to stop them. Though some people stared in fear, no one dared approach.
They walked through the slum district. Although the residents inside the inner glass dome called this place a slum, the streets and houses were relatively well-kept. The people there appeared friendly, though most eyed Zero with a fearful gaze. Only those who had encountered even more terrifying monsters dared to greet him—though Zero didn't return the gesture.
As they continued walking, the streets grew busier, and the crowd signaled that they were now in the marketplace. After weaving through the crowd, they turned off into a narrower alleyway. This path, unlike the lively market street, was eerily quiet. They walked until they reached an old warehouse—Rose's home.
Rose reached into her pocket, fishing around for the key to unlock the door.
"Ahhh, it feels so good to be home again," Rose sighed contentedly. "So, Zero—this warehouse will be our temporary home. You could say... our base of operations."
She began organizing her belongings without delay.
Zero looked around the warehouse while dragging Rose's Exo-Armour and the rest of her heavy equipment. To his surprise, the place wasn't bad at all. It had the potential to become many things—a garage, a weapons depot... though eventually, they'd need a larger space.
Rose stepped into one of the side rooms and started arranging her gear—her vests, rifles, and various equipment—before returning to the main hall where Zero was already lounging on a wooden sofa.
"Zero, do you want to meet The Order right away, or rest first?"
"Introduce me to those people if it's truly that important," Zero replied flatly. "You freed me for your goals, so I suggest you take this seriously. I don't have any goals of my own."
Without further words, Rose began changing clothes. In seconds, she was dressed in a jacket, a shirt, and long tactical pants. She slipped a pistol into her belt and then motioned for Zero to follow her out toward The Order's residence.
As they exited the warehouse, Adrien, who had been silently observing all this through the Mind Tree, became more curious about the world he was seeing.
A: "This place... and all those advanced weapons... they're incredible. But everything looks so expensive. Why don't you ask Rose what her job used to be?"
Z: "Why would I need to know that? What's the point?" Zero replied in thought.
A: "Well, maybe you could do her job too. I mean, right now you've got nothing. It could be a good starting point for you."
"What was your job before this, Rose? You have some pretty expensive toys," Zero asked, relaying Adrien's suggestion.
As they turned into a narrow alleyway, Rose glanced back.
"Me? Ehhh, I've done a lot of things. I never had a permanent job. But the one that paid the best... was mercenary work. Actually, I think you'd make a perfect addition to our lineup. Your skills are way beyond the average hired gun. We could start taking on tougher contracts."
After walking for a while, they finally arrived at their destination: a coffee shop. It was bustling with people—mostly because it was one of the few places selling authentic coffee in the slums. But of course, Rose hadn't brought Zero here for coffee.
She walked toward a door guarded by two men. Upon recognizing her, the guards nodded and opened the door without question.
Inside was a large room filled with armed individuals drinking, chatting, and exchanging information. This was clearly a hub for mercenaries—a place to receive contracts ranging from small monster extermination jobs to personal bodyguard gigs. But today, Rose and Zero weren't here to take on a job.
A: "Whoa… this place… They're mercenaries, aren't they? It's just like the guild halls back in the kingdom—a place where lesser-known fighters come to look for work," Adrien said, surprised by the similarity in concept.
The two of them walked through the crowd, past busy people and others lying down with helmets strapped to their heads, tangled in wires. Eventually, they reached a door that appeared to lead to a VIP room, guarded by two other men. Upon seeing Rose, the guards knocked on the door to announce the arrival of guests.
"Yes, come in!" a voice from within the room responded.
They entered. The man sitting behind the desk smiled—finally, a flicker of hope had returned.
"At last, you've come back, Rose. I was starting to worry my guest here wouldn't be willing to work with us. Here's the remainder of your payment."
The man placed a pouch of gold coins on the desk and slid it toward Rose.
"Thank you, Mr. Hendra. Haha, no worries—as long as the payment's smooth, so is the work."
"Were any authorities after him earlier? Or was it just mercenaries?"
"Just mercenaries. Looks like Zero's bounty has gone void with the collapse of the United States. By the way, how much was his bounty worth?"
"I'm not sure either, but it was quite high. Anyway, Zero, have a seat. Rose, are you joining us again this time? You're welcome to rejoin The Ancestor Order if you'd like."
Hendra offered her a place once more—he clearly wanted Rose back in the fold.
"Sure," Rose said, immediately taking the seat beside Zero. She was interested—though mainly because of the money. Jobs like this, stable and recurring, were rare in her line of work.
Zero glanced at the seat but found it far too small for his size. He chose to remain standing and simply stared at Hendra, signaling for him to skip the small talk.
"Ah, right. I forgot—the seat's too small for you. Very well. I'm the leader of The Ancestor Order's Earth Branch. Our vision is—"
"Get to the point. I already know about you from Adrien," Zero interrupted. He had no patience for repeated speeches he'd already heard through his bond with Adrien.
"Ah yes, your soulmate Adrien… Our first objective is to capture Dr. Dylan. You know who he is. But before that, you'll need to recruit some people. A few of them are willing to join you. The first is a girl named Timun Mas. She wants to be part of your team but is currently in trouble with a large Buto named Ijo. She fled from Central Java to the swamps near Bandung."
"I'll choose my own crew. Is this a contract?" Zero asked, his skull-like mask glaring forward. He seemed wary of something.
"Of course not. You're under my command now. Like Adrien."
Hendra knew what Zero wanted and feared the answer.
"I'm not Adrien... It's either a contract or nothing."
Zero refused to be anyone's subordinate. He wanted to remain independent and take jobs on his own terms—he had other plans in mind.
With a reluctant sigh, Hendra finally pulled out a single-sheet contract.
"Fine, have it your way. Here. Sign on the stamp so I can seal it. This paper will mark one job, one objective, with a single employer."
"I want gold as payment. Write in the payment section: one kilogram, with fifty percent upfront."
"Fifty percent? You're not even famous... Ugh, fine. Whatever. Just bring her to the location I'll give you within a month."
Hendra quickly scribbled down the terms that Zero demanded. Though annoyed, he knew he needed this man to capture Dylan and hold him accountable.
Once the contract was ready, Zero snatched it up without further conversation and walked straight for the exit. Rose, still a bit confused, hurried after him.
"Wait, Zero—don't you want more information?"
"Just send the details to Rose's phone. She's easy enough to track anyway."
Zero left the room casually, exited the coffee shop, and made his way back to Rose's warehouse. On the way, Adrien's voice piped up in his mind.
A – "We could track down the mercenary group Dylan used by tracing their latest activity. But first, we'll need a crew."
Z – "Shut up."
Zero snapped mentally.
A – "Oh come on! I could actually help you in a lot of ways. You might be the muscle, but my brain can balance that out. Together, we could make you unstoppable. I can even help you produce weapons—and other toys—if you let me absorb some of the knowledge from this world."
Z – "Fine. You better be serious."
A – "Of course I am!"
Zero and Rose finally arrived back at the warehouse. Zero had originally planned to depart immediately, but remembering that Rose wasn't like him—she needed rest—he decided against it. Besides, he knew Adrien would start another one of his sympathetic rants if he pushed too far. And Zero wasn't in the mood to hear it.
.........To Be Continued.........