Starting With SSS-rank: I Get A New Skill Every Livestream

Chapter 280: The plan

"Do you think he’ll be alright?" Amanda asked as she and Layena sat in the cafeteria after finishing a brief training session.

After Kyle left, she couldn’t bring herself to return to the house. She knew the empty rooms would only make her miss him even more, so she had come here instead.

Since there weren’t any missions, she found Layena at the base, heading for the Gravity Chamber.

Amanda offered the sparring session and surprisingly she accepted.

"I believe he will," Layena replied, setting her cup gently on the table. "He has the kind of personality that puts people at ease. No matter the topic, he always has something worthwhile to say. His knowledge spans almost everything."

Amanda smiled faintly.

"You’re right. Someone could talk to him about cars, games, the gym, or even skincare, and he’d still make the conversation enjoyable."

She let out a quiet sigh.

"So why do I feel so nervous?" She couldn’t shake this feeling that something was about to happen today.

Maybe it was the past experiences Kyle got involved in making her feel this way...but still, this feeling was quite strong.

’I hope everything is alright on your side, Kyle.’

....

Unfortunately, things were far from alright.

He was sitting in the basement of an unfamiliar building, surrounded by four armed guards and one hot-headed redhead who looked as though she was desperately searching for an excuse to hit him.

He still didn’t know where he had been brought.

Finding out would require focusing through God’s Eye, but with Pascal sitting directly across from him, Kyle doubted that would be a wise move.

For now, he chose to listen.

Before doing anything else, he wanted to know why he had been abducted in the first place.

"Before we get to that," Pascal said, interlacing his fingers on the table, "I’d like to ask how much you know about Bridges."

"Bridges?" Kyle raised a brow. "You mean the points that rifts use to manifest in our world?"

Pascal nodded.

"Exactly. They allow us to predict the regions where a rift is most likely to appear, greatly increasing the chances that our people are already on site before the monsters emerge."

Kyle gave a thoughtful hum.

"But there have still been times when you’ve failed to contain the threat. Ordinary people have gotten caught in the middle."

Pascal accepted the criticism without hesitation.

"You’re right. It’s happened more than once."

His voice remained calm.

"And every single incident is one too many. But even so, it is far better than standing blind in the dark, waiting for danger to descend from any direction."

Kyle slowly nodded.

"True."

"If not for Bridges, the existence of the Aether World would’ve been exposed long ago."

The first time he had learned that an entire hidden world existed beyond the awareness of ordinary people, he had been stunned.

In an age where people questioned everything...

Where the first instinct during a crisis was often to pull out a phone and start recording instead of helping...

Rifts and monsters should have become a trending category across every social media platform years ago.

Yet somehow, they never had.

"So," Kyle said, leaning back in his chair, "what exactly does a Bridge have to do with my abduction?"

Pascal picked up the terminal and tapped the screen several times.

As he navigated through the files, he spoke calmly.

"I’m not sure whether you’ve heard of this, but throughout history, humanity has launched countless expeditions into Bridges."

His expression remained unchanged.

"None of them have ever succeeded."

A moment later, he turned the terminal toward Kyle.

The image displayed was little more than a massive shroud of darkness, resembling an enormous storm cloud that had descended upon the earth.

Even so, Kyle could just barely make out the outline of a vast structure concealed beneath the swirling black veil.

"This..."

"A Bridge," Ava answered. "Quite a romantic place, if you ask me."

A playful grin spread across her face.

Kyle rolled his eyes.

"Planning to ask a Sentinel out on a date?"

Pascal gave a quiet hum.

"So, you know about them."

Kyle nodded.

"I’ve heard a few things. The Sentinels are the gatekeepers of a Bridge. They’re incredibly powerful, and the main reason the PSC has never been able to conquer one."

"You’re only partly correct."

Pascal’s voice remained calm, though a trace of gravity crept into it.

"The Sentinels are certainly formidable. However, they are not the true reason Bridges remain unconquered."

Kyle’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"In the distant past, humanity did manage to defeat the Gatekeepers on several occasions."

He paused.

"Warriors crossed those gates. They entered the fortress beyond."

For the first time since the conversation had begun, Pascal’s expression darkened.

"But not a single one of them ever returned."

Silence settled over the room.

Kyle already knew part of the story.

Hashu, a warrior whose true strength remained a mystery even to him, had once defeated the Sentinels guarding the Bridge and made his way into the Temple.

He had even reached its very heart.

Yet something had happened there.

Something so devastating that it shattered his spirit and robbed him of the will to fight ever again.

According to the system, the deeper one ventured into a Bridge, the lower the overall danger became. That was precisely why the Gatekeepers were considered the greatest obstacle in conquering one.

But if that was true...

What awaited at the core?

"What exactly is the plan?" Kyle finally asked, now fully understanding the reason they had come to him.

Pascal fell silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"October 19th."

"That is the day the strongest team in Guhang will launch an assault on the Bridge in the east. Every powerful warrior we know will be there, including Miss Ava and Miss Veronica."

His gaze settled firmly on Kyle.

"And you..."

"I want you to be part of that operation."

Kyle’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

"As a member of the team?"

Pascal slowly shook his head.

"No."

His expression turned solemn.

"As their reinforcement."

"..."