Endless Evolution: Last Star

Splash.

A stream of water rushed from the tap, onto several dirty plates where only fat, drips from sauces and spices remained, not a bite of food was lost.

"Hah, Adam, I didn't realize you had such a strong appetite." Leona pronounced, standing next to him.

She did the dishes while Adam helped her in any way he could.

Adam shrugged with a slight smile on his face.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Well, you put me a big piece, but... this lasagna was so good I just couldn't resist the urge to eat more. I know there's no point in overeating, but sometimes you just can. I hope it doesn't make me fat."

Leona raised an eyebrow, looking at him baffled.

"Is that possible? I mean, not all Phantoms are thin, everyone has a different build and appetite, I realize that. However, I've never once seen on the news or in a video that a Phantom was fat."

Adam smiled bitterly.

"Honestly neither have I, but Silvana says there are such Phantoms. There aren't many, as they must eat an incredible amount considering how much strength and energy they expend during fights and on missions. However, even Phantoms can be fat if they eat too much."

Leona nodded deeply. Not that it was anything important, but she was curious to know more about the world her son was a part of.

After all, even if her son was a Phantom, they weren't. They as members of his family couldn't help him in any way with the battles in Dead Lands and the other problems he faced along his path. All they could give him was the comforts of home and a moral bond.

Leona ran a sponge across the dirty plate, pondering over Adam's words.

'Silvana, right? Well, I don't know how useful Operators really are during battle, but without them, the Phantoms would probably be lonely. Sure, they have acquaintances among the other Phantoms, but that's not exactly what they need.'

Leona glanced at Adam, who handed her the next plate.

'I'm sure when you come back from the battlefield, you want to be with someone who knows what you've been through but isn't in the same position. It's refreshing and relaxing. At least I think so.'

After a few minutes, Leona closed the tap, stopping the endless stream of water. She wiped her hands with a towel before looking at Trici who was lying on the couch in the center of the hall.

"Surprisingly, as she was saying, she ate her piece, and I put one more piece for her. But, once she took a few bites she wanted to lie down and fell asleep right away." Leona said, shaking her head.

She knew that was the maximum for Trici.

Step. Step. Step.

Adam stepped aside, sitting down in a chair and looking around at the house they lived in. It wasn't a bad house for a medium-sized family, in the Third Ring. Most people either lived in houses like this or slightly worse conditions.

After all, the closer one got to the center of the Citadel, the Rings became smaller as well as the number of people living within them. Sure, these people were also significantly wealthier than the people from the outer Rings.

There was nothing bad or good about that, it was just the way the economy worked.

The general desire of people to improve their quality of life was an important factor for the Citadel to function properly, not counting the people working with Dead Lands.

"Hey, I was thinking maybe we should move. You know, I can buy us a house in Second Ring." Adam suddenly suggested, in a calm voice as if they had discussed it many times before.

However, this was the first time Leona had heard of it as well as Adam, who had just thought of it.

"What...?" Leona gulped, she was shocked by such a suggestion.

She realized that they had only ended up in the Third Ring because Adam was a Phantom. Their family lived on Adam's money.

Silvana handled his finances and several times Leona had to contact Silvana when they needed to buy something that went beyond the monthly budget that Silvana sent them from Adam's earnings.

Sure, it was all happening at Adam's will, Silvana was just doing her duty of helping her Phantom.

Leona knew that it was unlikely that she or Gary could find a decent job in the Third Ring and afford a house with a rent that cost as much as the average monthly salary in the Third Ring.

Did she want a better life? Yes, everyone did, it was natural, but she would never allow herself to ask Adam for something she didn't need. She refused to have luxuries at the expense of her son's efforts who fought for them in the Dead Lands, where death awaited at every corner.

Gary, for his part, didn't even want to think about it. He was happy with what they had.

"The house, I've been to the Second Ring a few times. There are a lot of places there with natural terrain where you can buy a house, or you can choose an urban sector. I mean, after the last mission I have enough money to buy a house, pay for Trici's education and I'll still have some left over." Adam calmly explained with a wave of his hand.

Leona tilted her head, looking at Adam with mild interest.

"Wait... I usually stay out of your business, but let me ask you this. How much money do you have right now...?"

Adam shrugged.

"I don't know the exact amount. I'd have to ask Silvana, but it's definitely more than two million."

Leona gulped. She was simply speechless. It was an amount she couldn't even dream of.

Adam glanced away, watching the city streets through the window.

"I'm serious. If you want, we can move. We'll start the next phase, like a new life."

...

Crackle.

Redcore Wolf crashed into the wall, trickles of blood running down his body, while Glara's gaze was fixed on the monster.

'Three minutes and I'll know if I'll have a new life or just die.' Glara muttered inwardly glancing at her shotgun.

She only had six shots left, but she was confident that it would be enough to defeat the Redcore Wolf, as her two previous shots had been quite successful.

With her first shot, she severely wounded Redcore Wolf's left paw, leaving a tear wound and ripping off one claw.

Redcore Wolf managed to dodge the second shot thanks to his instincts, but only partially.

The right side of his head, right above his eye, was covered in a severe burn, and his ear was torn half off.

Sure, Redcore Wolf would have no trouble continuing to fight with such a wound, but this once again showed that Glara could wound and kill the monster in front of her.

Glara narrowed her eyes intently staring at Redcore Wolf.

'Hmm... Considering this burn, if I put the shotgun in his mouth and shoot, I'll kill him, but it's too dangerous. Moreover...'

Glara glanced at Redcore Wolf's round crystal, which at the last minute had acquired a more intense light.

'Why isn't he using his trump card to attack me? What is he up to?'

At the same time, Redcore Wolf's gaze headed towards the floor, as if he realized that he couldn't wait any longer or Glara would just blast him apart with the remaining shots.