Chapter 186: Searching For Ren
Kestrel snapped back to awareness pretty fast. It wasn’t like she was in a deep sleep or anything, so faking it couldn’t last long.
Right now, the bottom of the Tower was a mess, with confused people and alphas racing around trying to find rebels.
Kestrel saw so many scared faces rushing past her. Most of them had always lived in the Tower, a place filled with the Holy Light, a safe and pretty haven. Staying here for ages could actually make people forget how harsh the real world could be.
They tricked themselves into thinking there were no fights or violence out there, no guns or bullets, no scary creatures eating humans, and no frightening Polluted Zone. Nobody was starving, struggling to find enough food, or fighting to stay alive. But, the sudden blast ripped away the cover hiding the world’s nasty side. Even if it was just for a little bit, it shook people out of their daydreams, making them scramble around, not knowing what to do.
Everyone was talking about what happened, with the tales getting crazier as they were told.
"I heard there’s a ton of rebels."
"How many showed up? Hundreds? No, no, no, it’s gotta be thousands. I heard the rebels even stormed the palace."
"Why are people like this? Doing such terrible things?"
"They’re just nasty ordinary folks, acting crazy because they’re hungry and desperate, ready to do anything."
"Is it just ’cause they’re hungry? Then why don’t they head to the Polluted Zone? They could get ashcredits there if they really tried, right? They’re just greedy, that’s all."
"Did they catch anyone yet? I heard there are still rebels hiding in the Tower."
"What are the alphas doing? This is really freaking me out."
"This is just too scary, I hope it stops soon."
Kestrel walked amidst the chattering groups.
Ever since she was little, she knew that often people couldn’t really grasp each other’s happiness or pain. When she was an unfeeling creature, even though she had tendrils that could sense and listen to others’ feelings and thoughts, it was tough to get their emotions.
She noticed the eager expression on a kid clutching an apple. She witnessed the tears streaming from a dying soldier’s eyes, but she couldn’t grasp what desire or pain meant, mainly because she had never felt it herself.
"It looks like someone was seen on one of the floors, there’s a search going on."
"They’re gonna get caught eventually, right? They’re just brave and crazy nutjobs."
"People who disrespect the Tower’s honor, they’re gonna get executed, aren’t they?"
Kestrel picked up on these words and found herself walking faster without realizing it. She didn’t understand why she was just meandering among the crowd, only sensing a rising alarm in her chest.
Her tendrils fanned out below the ground, scouting every hidden spot for the faintest clues and signs, collecting various snippets of information.
Some alphas were conversing:
"He managed to escape again, he’s really too sly,"
"He’s wounded, he can’t stay hidden for long."
"Are we certain he’s still nearby?"
"We’ve had a bunch of alphas looking everywhere, their senses on high alert for ages. By now, we should have found even a bug, let alone a person."
"He seems to know the Tower pretty well, he isn’t one of us, is he?"
"Whoever he is, he’s angered the Queen. Even the chief got punished, he’s not going to have a happy ending."
"Quit whining and keep looking. The Queen personally ordered us, we’ve got to find him no matter what."
"I heard the Queen wants to question him herself once he’s captured."
"He’s gonna be really messed up, then."
"He probably doesn’t get the real horror of the Tower yet."
Kestrel headed towards those alphas. On her way, she saw Luther from afar, directing the alphas. He had some weird marks on his chin, and his face was white and serious as he managed the movement of the troops.
The alphas around him looked tough and menacing, their psychic incarnations were like all kinds of wild beasts, extremely fierce.
They were the most powerful alphas in the special forces team.
Luther seemed to want to approach and say hi to Kestrel when he noticed her.
But just then, a string of gunshots echoed from a far-off place.
Luther lifted his hand, and at that signal, all the alphas sprinted in that direction, resembling eagles, tigers, wolves, and cheetahs, charging mightily and swiftly, causing a loud, windy noise as they dashed by.
The gunfire was brief before stopping quickly.
This kind of disruption had occurred at various places a few times already, but the alphas kept running around, clearly unable to catch whoever it was.
It was hard to believe someone could evade capture for this long under these circumstances.
Panic spread through the nearby crowd, people hurriedly moving downwards. Kestrel zeroed in on that area, feeling a wave of nervousness bubbling in her chest.
She had to locate Ren, and fast, before anyone else did.
Numerous faces hurried past her, going the opposite way. As Kestrel went against the flow, several memories flashed in her mind: at the crimson egg’s nest, Ren’s expression as he raced to her wounded side; in the moist and dark underground city, Ren lighting up fire, fiercely battling his way to her, covered in blood... Kestrel realized that often, she had been the one landing in perilous spots, leading Ren to seek her out.
During those instances, Kestrel couldn’t fully grasp why Ren would be so frantic, his feelings brimming with such deep worry and rage.
Just then, it kind of clicked in her mind a bit. "Weird, when did that happen, the scene where Ren, all bloody in the underground city, was charging through the flames towards the deep pit, towards me? Why can’t I recall it?"
Regardless, having seen the Queen’s brutal ways of tormenting Brandon and the other alphas, Kestrel knew she couldn’t let Ren face the same horror.
Her tendrils started buzzing with their own chatter too:
"Has anyone felt any signs from Little Fish?"
"Nope, he’s hiding really good."
"I thought I caught a tiny signal at one point, but it vanished in no time."
"The Queen is searching for him too, I can sense those scary stares sweeping around constantly."
"We understand Little Fish way better than she does, we gotta find him first."
"Where are you hiding, Little Fish?"
Kestrel’s tendrils were like extensions of her, showcasing her different hidden personalities. Mostly, they were more tuned in, lively, and skillful at exploring the surroundings and picking up on the faintest feelings than Kestrel herself.
Every single tendril was on a mission to find Ren.
Kestrel was surrounded by a sea of faces, a loud mix of conversations, filled with complicated and strong emotions.
Then, without a nudge from any tendril, Kestrel suddenly spun around.
Far away, among the swarm of hurrying people and the loud noises, in a really dark and easy-to-miss spot, Kestrel spotted Ren.
He was almost swallowed by the shadows, only a small part of his face showing, resembling a wounded animal, bravely facing great danger, standing there silently, gazing at Kestrel.
As Kestrel quickly turned her head, he darted back into the shadowy corners, as swift as a disappearing shadow - but he was a bit late, Kestrel had seen him.
Kestrel made her way through the mass of people, darting towards him. As she sprinted, a few folks and alphas gave her curious glances because of her speed, but they soon wore puzzled faces, brushing off the odd event and getting back to their own business.
The tendrils were going all out, super focused and smooth, diverting any attention, hiding all signs, aiding Kestrel in keeping tabs on where Ren was headed.
