CHAPTER 52: THE WORLD

The journey to Vale wasn’t long, as they were both located in the Falcon Sector, and each sector was like a fortified small region. Every sector had quite a number of cities, but the distance between each one of them was quite big.

Vale was only a few hundred kilometres away from Starlink Academy.

The number of Abyssal Creatures inside the sectors was far less than in the outside world, which was also the sole reason sectors were made.

Many people spent their whole lives living in just one sector since travelling between different sectors was very tough. After all, the sectors were cleared occasionally by the Army, but it was different for the outside world.

There were less than a billion people left in the world, so each sector held a very small population compared to their size. This was also the reason they were later made smaller to provide better security.

Even Falcon Sector only housed around 40 million people, out of which men weren’t even a total of 10 million. And the size of this sector could be considered as that of a small country.

The Apocalypse had dealt a huge blow to Earth, crippling humanity very hard.

As Leon raced along the roads, he paid close attention to his surroundings and intentionally drove slower than usual.

He saw vast plains filled with nothing but rotting plants, which were also infected by the Corrupted Miasma. But he also found vegetation that had adapted to the Miasma and begun to spread even faster.

The world always had ways to improve itself.

He also found many abandoned towns and cities overgrown with weeds, vegetation, and many other things inhabiting them now. The settlements had long been either abandoned by humans or their inhabitants slaughtered by the Abyssal Creatures.

And this was actually inside the Sector. Leon didn’t even want to imagine the state of the outside world. People living in safe environments really sometimes forgot how terrible the outside world was.

And that included many students of the Academy.

Of course, they weren’t attacked by any Abyssal Creatures because Amber had let loose her aura, which scared away even the mighty, mad Abyssal Creatures.

Most Higher Tier Abyssal Creatures were cleared the moment they were spotted in the Sector, so only the weaker ones were left.

Just like that, they continued to talk and enjoy the ride back home. It took them only a couple of hours before they saw a semi-transparent dome connecting the sky with the ground.

And soon, they could also see a tall wall at the base of the dome. It was made from strange obsidian-like blocks, but Leon knew they were much more durable and most likely had Rune Formations engraved on them.

The dome was just an example of it.

They reached the massive metal gate, and Amber used her identity to get them inside without any checking or anything. As a Tier 11 Ascended affiliated with one of the top Academies, she enjoyed a lot of privileges.

As the side door opened for them, Leon brought the car inside. Amber commented from the side, "You drive really well."

"Told ya!" Leon smiled and took a left right after entering the city.

They were first going to the villa Amber had bought to park her car there. Only after reaching the villa did Leon realise just how rich this woman was.

The villa was grand and luxurious, but there was no one living there. Amber had just casually bought it because she wanted a place to park her car.

Leon’s lips twitched as he glanced at the villa before him. ’Goddamn! No wonder she said she will handle all the production-related costs. This is nothing for her.’

After parking her car, both of them headed deeper inside the city in a hovering car as Leon enjoyed the view of the city up close for the first time.

It wasn’t too futuristic as one would expect. The city was just a gleaming fortress of metal and glass, with one corner filled with tall skyscrapers, but even they were kept smaller.

After all, it would attract the aerial Abyssal Creatures.

Hovering cars, AI integrated into many systems, neon lights, giant screens — everything was quite futuristic to Leon, but he could still see the old Earth version in the city.

They still tried to live very simply. A comfortable life was a goal for many, but not everyone succeeded in getting it.

As Leon stared at the central plaza in the distance, he thought, ’All of this will be destroyed on 20th April.’

"Where is your home?" Amber asked, driving the hovering car.

Leon came out of his daze and gave the directions to Amber, who nodded and brought them into District 10, where his home was located.

Leon opened the window and looked outside at the various stores, vendors, and the people travelling all around the city. It was such a calming scene that he ended up smiling to himself.

He could even smell the street food and decided to come later with Amber to eat here, especially when he heard the vendors shouting to attract customers.

Soon, Amber entered District 10, where mostly upper middle-class people resided, and finally, the chaos of the city receded, replaced by a serene atmosphere.

There were still a few people moving around, but it was much quieter now. Still, Leon noticed how there were only a few men, and even then, they weren’t alone.

’Night time is the most dangerous for men, but even the day is dangerous.’ Leon sighed, having already experienced what happened when one sneaked away at night here.

"By the way, I didn’t see anyone in the outskirts of the city?" Leon said. "Was there a Tide here?"

"There was one, so everyone was transferred to the other side," Amber nodded and said. "Not like it changes anything. They were barely surviving on that end, and now they’re struggling to survive there."

She stopped before a two-storey building and asked, "Is this your home?"

Leon came out of the car and said, "Yup! Welcome to the Lion Bakery."

His home was painted in a beautiful blue colour, and there was a big screen hung at the top. It showed a cute tiger munching on cakes, and there was also the logo of their bakery.

"What a strange name for a bakery," Amber muttered.

"I know. But Mom chose it because of the ’Leo’ in my name." Leon shook his head and went towards the gate. "You can leave the car there. I’ll get Bunny to park it somewhere."

Then, he opened the door effortlessly because he was also registered in the security system and entered the house.

He didn’t make any sound and walked stealthily inside the cosy house. It was afternoon, so he knew his mother usually took a rest at this time.

That was why the bakery was closed since she only opened it in the morning and in the evening.

He went silently towards her bedroom and found a cute doodle with a red scarf around its neck and two cute bunny ears on its head.

The doodle saw him and jumped to his feet, instantly recognising him, and was going to greet him when Leon gestured for him to remain silent.

As a good kid, the bunny put his small hands on his mouth and didn’t speak.

Leon then crept inside his mother’s room and found her sitting on the bed with a photo frame in her hand. His face lost its light when he saw tears rolling down her cheeks.