Becoming The Strongest Using My Would-You-Rather System!

Chapter 254: Chapter 254 - Leaving For Cairo

Silence fell in the room for several long seconds.

’’Impossible?’’ Theo asked, frowning.

The officer slowly nodded.

’’There is no airport in this city because of the desert vultures,’’ he said. ’’And as you might have noticed... we’ve just endured a devastating beast tide.’’

He paused for a moment before continuing.

’’It left us with too few soldiers to escort anyone out of the city, especially with so many beasts that scattered from the tide still roaming the surrounding desert.’’

’’Fuck!’’ Lyra cursed, shaking her head.

Iris gently touched Lyra’s shoulder before the two of them stepped back toward Owen, leaving Theo and Jim to continue speaking with the officer.

After a moment, Jim glanced back at the officer.

’’What kind of beasts are we talking about?’’ he asked.

The officer folded his arms across his chest, glancing up slightly.

’’Mostly E, D and a few small groups of C-ranks,’’ he answered. ’’Think of Sand Scorpions, large Jackal packs, Sand Foxes, Rock Lizards...’’

His voice trailed off slightly as his expression became more serious.

’’But there’s one exception. The B-rank King Cobra that led the beast tide escaped with its pack.’’

Hearing that, both Theo’s and Jim’s brows furrowed.

’’How large is its pack?’’ Theo asked. ’’And what are the chances we’d run into it?’’

The officer stared at the two young men in front of him.

He slowly scratched his forehead, unsure what to say.

’’I’d really have to warn you against leaving,’’ he said, seeing through their obvious plans.

He gestured towards the door behind which Owen lay.

’’And I understand you want to save your friend,’’ he continued. ’’But the packs of regular creatures out there are no joke.’’

Neither Theo’s nor Jim’s expression changed one bit.

They’d been tracking through the desert for days. Of course they understood what they were in for.

Yet, neither said a word about it.

Seeing their firm expressions and sharp eyes, the middle-aged man only let out a deep sigh.

’’I see... you won’t be changing your minds,’’ he said slowly.

He fell silent for a few more seconds before finally answering.

’’Our scouts estimate the King Cobra’s pack to be around twenty beasts,’’ he said. ’’Fortunately, the cobra itself is the only B-rank among them. The rest are mostly D-ranks, with several C-ranks mixed in.’’

Theo nodded firmly.

’’As for the chances of encountering it...’’ the middle-aged man continued, ’’I honestly can’t tell you.’’

He gave them a brief rundown of the situation, covering the beast tide and the estimated numbers of the scattered beasts.

After finishing his explanation, the officer looked directly at Theo.

’’I wish you good luck,’’ he said, nodding once. ’’And you know where to hire a proper desert buggy.’’

Theo nodded once more.

’’Thank you,’’ he said politely.

The officer only waved him off, shaking his head lightly.

’’Don’t mention it,’’ he said with a bittersweet smile. ’’I would’ve wanted someone to do the same for my kids...’’

Theo noticed the subtle change in the officer’s expression.

Before he could say anything, the man had already forced a smile back onto his face.

’’Now,’’ he said, clearing his throat. ’’If you leave now, you should be able to reach Cairo by early tomorrow morning.’’

Theo nodded right away.

’’Then we’ll leave immediately,’’ he said.

The officer looked at him for a moment.

With a small, respectful nod, the man turned around and left.

’’Are you sure about this?’’ Jim asked beside him.

Theo glanced back at him, raising an eyebrow slightly.

’’We barely survived our last encounter with a B-rank,’’ he continued. ’’If, somehow, we get found by another one...’’

With Owen unconscious and one person taking care of him, they’d be down two people right away.

’’We’ll manage,’’ Theo said firmly. ’’Feng will probably be fully rested by then too.’’

Hearing that, Jim’s expression eased slightly.

Even so, he couldn’t help but worry about the next part of their journey.

’Man,’ he thought. ’We’ve already experienced this much danger... and we haven’t even reached the danger zone yet.’

A few moments later, the officer returned with two soldiers.

Between them, they carried a sturdy stretcher fitted with leather straps and a thick mattress.

’’It’ll make the journey easier on your friend,’’ the officer said.

Theo stared at the man in surprise, then a smile appeared on his face.

’’Thank you.’’

The officer simply nodded.

Together, the group carefully lifted Owen onto the stretcher before securing the straps across his chest and legs.

Fortunately, despite remaining unconscious, his breathing was still calm and steady.

’’The buggy rental district isn’t far from here,’’ the officer said. ’’One of my men will take you there.’’

A young soldier immediately stepped forward.

’’This way.’’

Without wasting another moment, Theo picked up one end of the stretcher while Jim took the other.

Iris and Lyra followed closely behind as they left the clinic.

Stepping foot outside, the warm orange glow from the setting sun greeted them.

Even now, soldiers were repairing barricades, sweeping away debris, and carrying cloth-covered stretchers. Not a single civilian was anywhere to be seen anymore.

The group quietly followed the young soldier through the streets.

Theo took in everything he saw around him, feeling a deep pity and sadness for them.

’They really were pushed to the brink,’ he thought. ’And their beast tide was only the lowest level too...’

Letting out a sigh, he shook his head as he continued walking.

After nearly five minutes, the soldier finally slowed his pace.

He pointed toward a wide courtyard ahead.

’’لقد وصلنا’’

Several large buggy’s stood parked in rows, many of them covered in sand, rags, and scratches from recent journeys.

Before anyone could speak, the door of a nearby shack swung open.

A burly, middle-aged merchant hurried over before stopping beside the vehicle.

The merchant exchanged a few heated words with the soldier before waving him off and turning toward Theo’s group.

Without saying a word, he simply raised his hand and tapped twice on top of it.

’’Seems like he wants money,’’ Jim chuckled as he adjusted Owen’s stretcher inside the vehicle.

’’I can tell,’’ Theo deadpanned.

Just then, the young soldier’s frown deepened.

Without hesitation, his hand dropped to the hilt of his weapon.

The merchant’s confident expression immediately stiffened.

Just as the soldier was about to act, Theo raised a hand.

’’No need for that,’’ he said lightly.

A faint spatial ripple flashed beside him.

Three earth-colored mana cores appeared by his feet, each the size of a football.

Both the merchant’s and the soldier’s eyes widened.

’’What are you doing now?’’ Jim asked, having just loaded Owen onto the vehicle.

’’Just paying for the vehicle,’’ he said, glancing back. ’’We’ve got plenty of C-rank cores.’’

’’You know—’’ Jim stopped mid-sentence, shaking his head. ’’Whatever, suit yourself.’’

The merchant immediately began bowing down, muttering words unknown to Theo.

After a few seconds, the man snatched a ring of keys from his belt and practically shoved them into Theo’s hand.

Theo smiled and rolled the cores over.

’With all the stuff they’ve been dealing with,’ he thought. ’They can have that much.’

Those cores were practically pocket change for him and the others.

But for these normal civilians? Just one could keep their families afloat for years.

And as he’d expected, the merchant immediately picked one of them up and inspected it as though it were a priceless treasure.

’That’s that,’ he thought, turning around.

’’You can drive, right?’’ he asked, glancing at Jim.

Jim nodded right away.

Without another thought, Theo tossed the keys towards him and climbed into the desert vehicle.

As they slowly drove out of the courtyard, Theo glanced through the side mirror.

The soldier and merchant were now exchanging a heated conversation once more while pointing at the cores.

Moments later, the soldier reached over, grabbed two of the mana cores, and walked away without looking back.

The merchant stared at the remaining core in his hand before throwing both arms into the air in protest.

Theo couldn’t help but smile.

’Looks like the soldier expected his commission too.’

It didn’t take long before they drove through the city gates, back into the desert.

Only now, there was a faint sandstone path to lead them exactly where they needed to go.

As Al-Kharif gradually disappeared behind them, the road also began disappearing, leaving just the occasional markers pointing towards their destination.

The inside of the vehicle remained silent the entire time.

Owen remained unconscious on the stretcher, while Lyra quietly kept an eye on him.

Iris dozed off beside Theo, thanks to her lack of sleep from the night before.

Theo himself leaned on the buggy’s frame while glancing outside.

’I’d say it’s about the same speed as taking Feng,’ he thought lightly. ’Except this doesn’t take any mana to maintain.’

Just then, a familiar ripple echoed out from the circle on his heart.

He immediately sat upright.

’Feng?’ he questioned internally.

A moment later, a familiar voice rang out inside his mind.

’’Contractor,’’ Feng replied. ’’Congratulations, I see you’ve made it out alive.’’

Theo nodded with a smile.

But before he could even reply, Feng’s voice rang out once more.

’’But I have to ask...’’ Feng continued, his voice unusually hesitant. ’’What is with this huma— No... the thing you call Owen?’’