"There wasn't, Reke didn't leave any contact information or say how long he'd be gone." Seeing that she couldn't talk her son out of it, Uti fetched the family first-aid kit and bandaged him as she spoke.
"Captain, how about we leave Panxi City?" Lan Xin suggested.
At his words, Pat and the others froze, then slowly turned to look at Lan Xin.
"You and your mother can leave. We're not going anywhere. If we die, we'll die in Panxi City," Pat said bitterly.
With everything still unknown, Pat answered according to his heart.
"Why? There's no point staying here except to wait for death. If we leave, we can still grow stronger. One day, we'll be able to deal with those monsters." Lan Xin looked at Pat in confusion.
What they were saying clashed with the principles Reke had always taught them. Reke had always stressed that staying alive came first, while Pat and the others now seemed ready to march to their deaths.
"You're still young. You'll understand when you're older," Pat said earnestly.
Good thing Reke wasn't here. If he had been, he would have beaten Pat senseless.
What a damn fool. He was stupid himself and still wanted to pass his stupidity on to others.
"But Brother Lei didn't teach us that. He said that once you lose your life, you lose everything. As long as you're alive, there's still hope," Lan Xin murmured to himself.
Pat and the others heard him, but they didn't argue or plan to change their minds.
"Boss, what do we do now?" Second asked.
"Here's what. Go report the situation to the government first. We'll see if there's another way."
After Second left, everyone lowered their heads and thought over their options. Apart from the sound of Uti bandaging Lan Xin, no one said a word.
"Boss, how about we go train in there?" Lola's eyes landed on the Gravity Chamber. Remembering what Reke had told them and her own experience with it, she pointed toward the chamber.
Everyone turned to look. Except for Pat and Lan Xin, they were all at a loss, with no idea what the Gravity Chamber was or what it did.
Pat and Lan Xin's eyes lit up. Pat hesitated, though. It belonged to Reke, and they hadn't gotten his permission to use it. He wasn't sure how he'd explain it to Reke.
"Boss, don't hesitate. When Reke gets back, I'll apologize to him." Lola took the responsibility upon herself, then dragged Pat toward the Gravity Chamber.
The others followed, curious.
Only Uti opened her mouth as if to say something. But when she saw her son's expression, she changed her mind.
She patted her son on the shoulder.
"Go ahead."
They all stood inside the Gravity Chamber. Bellis curiously felt around, then asked in confusion, "Boss, what's this thing for, hillbilly? Isn't it just an iron box?"
"Girl, stand still and don't touch anything," Pat scolded her sternly.
"Eighth Sister, I'll be the one to apologize to Reke when he gets back. For now, let's get started." Pat spoke to Lola, then recalled how Reke had operated the chamber and imitated him, turning it on.
"Thump, thump, thump, thump—"
Except for Pat and Lola, who were prepared, everyone else was flattened by the tenfold gravity.
"B-Boss, w-what's g-going on?" Bellis asked, one word at a time.
"This is five times the gravity of our planet. We'll take turns training in the chamber."
As he spoke, Pat turned off the gravity.
The pressure lifted, and everyone scrambled to their feet. Bellis said excitedly, "Boss, why didn't you let us use this amazing thing sooner?"
"Girl, this isn't ours. It belongs to Reke. We weren't entitled to use it. I wouldn't have gone in if things weren't so urgent," Pat corrected her.
"Boss, that's not what I meant. I meant, why don't we find someone to make another one?" Bellis realized he'd misunderstood her and hurriedly waved her hands.
"Uh?" Pat's mind went blank. He really hadn't thought of that.
Then he realized that he didn't even know who had made it. It was no wonder he'd never considered the idea.
He said helplessly, "Even if you wanted to make one, you'd have to know who to ask. I certainly don't."
Bellis's excited expression vanished. She drooped, muttering curses at Reke.
"Boss, I know who made it. But there's no point going to him. He doesn't have time to build one for us." Lola raised her hand.
"What's the story? Tell us everything."
"Reke commissioned Professor Plus to make this Gravity Chamber. He should be working on a spaceship now. If we delay Reke's spaceship, he might kill us all." Lola smiled bitterly.
"That hillbilly's that powerful?" Bellis jumped. She couldn't connect that obnoxious face with the idea of him killing them all.
"Girl, Reke just doesn't hold it against you. Otherwise, he could make you disappear with a breath. He's more powerful than you could ever imagine." As Pat spoke of Reke's strength, longing and bitterness flashed in his eyes.
"Holy crap, does that mean I've escaped death countless times? I'm so lucky!" Bellis thought about how many times she'd narrowly escaped death and started laughing to herself.
Watching Bellis giggle, the others gained a whole new appreciation of just how thick-skinned the girl was.
"Enough. I'm going to explain the precautions."
"What we just experienced was tenfold gravity in the chamber. When you use it, be sure not to push yourselves too hard. If you exceed what your bodies can withstand, you'll die."
"Everyone training with you will die because of you. Be extra careful even when raising the setting by just one level."
Pat looked at each of them seriously and spoke with grave concern.
"Wait, Boss. Professor Plus doesn't have time to make one, but why don't we ask him for the blueprints and get someone else to build it?" Bellis suggested, coming back to her senses.
Pat slapped his forehead, cursing himself for being so slow on the uptake.
"Bellis has a good point. After this is over, Eighth Sister, you can handle it. For now, let's split into groups."
Lola hurriedly agreed. After the second group went out, they turned on the Gravity Chamber.
Lan Xin felt the pressure bearing down on his whole body and began to walk, one step at a time.
He knew Reke could stay in the Gravity Chamber for an entire day at a time. Although he didn't know the exact gravity setting, he wanted to get stronger as quickly as possible.
So that what happened today would never happen to him again.
He understood now. As long as he was strong enough, neither the situation Pat described nor the one Reke had warned them about would happen. He wouldn't have to choose at all.
Seeing Lan Xin move, Bellis refused to be outdone. She started walking too, picking up speed with every step.
Seeing both young people working so hard, the others didn't want to admit defeat either. Their combat strength had long since been surpassed, but they had plenty of faith in their willpower.
They could all feel that the stronger their willpower, the faster they adapted to the gravity.
Maybe this gravity would let them catch up.
Leaving Pat and the others to spend day and night in the Gravity Chamber, Reke arrived at a dense forest.
After leaving the city, Reke hadn't flown. He'd kept walking, with no destination, wandering wherever he pleased.
The reason he'd come to the forest this time was that he'd sensed several auras disappear in the area.
Curiosity had brought him here. After passing through the forest, he came upon a small village with beautiful scenery and the lively signs of everyday life.
This isolated little village had received three groups of unfamiliar visitors today.
Before you continue