The investigation team took life quickly. Khan knew his students well, so he already had a list of potential candidates for the mission. He only had to decide how many to bring in the Slums, but Cora and Amber helped outline those details.
The day before the departure set by the Global Army, Khan sent a series of messages where he explained the nature of his offer and what it would involve. He didn't expect the chosen students to accept right away, but it turned out that their families had nothing against the mission in the Slums. They actually encouraged their descendants.
Khan became only busier afterward. He had to visit Headmaster Pitcus' office to convey the list of his team and finalize the last steps for the mission. Then, he had to exchange calls and messages with the representatives of the involved families.
When everything was over, Khan discovered that the afternoon was almost over. He didn't have time for his training or Cora, and his preparations had yet to begin.
Luckily for Khan, his belongings were basically non-existent. His flat contained the tools for the [Blood Vortex], but he wouldn't need them in the Slums. The barracks in the Slums would provide habitations, clothes, and food, so he only had to bring his knife in the mission.
The situation was different for his students, Amber, and Cora. Their families didn't hesitate to purchase useful potions that could improve their lives in the Slums. Some of them went overboard, but that felt normal since that would be the first mission for the recruits.
Amber wanted to go over the details of the mission again the night before the departure. She was excited about the imminent trip, but Khan didn't accept reasons. He wanted to be with Cora, so Amber could only give up on the matter.
Khan's firmness in his rejection of Amber's request had two different reasons. First, he wanted to have sex. It pissed him that the mission had arrived right after his relationship had moved to the next level. He didn't even know if the habitations in the Slums would give him some privacy, so he made sure to spend valuable hours with Cora.
The second reason involved his training. Khan had just learnt to perform the [Blood Vortex], so that abrupt hindrance in his schedule had annoyed him.
However, Khan wasn't the type to take it easy. When Cora fell asleep, he left his flat and hurried to the field outside the camp to perform the [Blood Vortex]. He obviously held back from leaving lasting marks on his body, and he had even told Cora about his plans, so his return at dawn didn't surprise her.
"How do you even survive with so little sleep?" Cora whined when Khan got under the sheets to take her in his arms.
"I have too much to do," Khan chuckled.
"You stink," Cora complained before her vision focused enough to notice the red marks on Khan's chest. "What's this?"
"I didn't have time to wash the blood off," Khan revealed.
"Did you hurt yourself so much?!" Cora shouted as she became completely awake.
"Don't worry," Khan laughed. "It's not mine. My injuries have already healed."
"Go wash it off!" Cora ordered before wearing a loving smile and going back on her pillow. "Be quick. We might have an hour for ourselves."
"I have a better idea," Khan whispered before pulling Cora back in his arms and lifting her from the bed.
Cora initially complained, but she ended up laughing as Khan carried her in the bathroom. The two could make the best out of the short time before the departure, but they eventually had to leave the flat.
Khan's first trip from the Slums to the entrance of the training camp had been on a flying truck. His return in those areas wouldn't happen through such a poor ride. Still, the details about the vehicle had remained a secret during the day before the departure.
The Global Army had given simple orders. Khan's group had to gather on a field past the camp and wait for the ride to arrive. A pilot and the specialists from the city would pick his team up and drive everyone to the Slums.
Khan, Amber, Cora, and four recruits reached the gathering point a few minutes before the planned hour. The situation didn't allow the trio to have the usual light tones and jokes, but the atmosphere was far from tense.
Elsie, John, Dwight, and Ashley were excited about their first mission, and Amber seemed to share that feeling. Meanwhile, Khan and Cora remained calm and showed faint smiles only when the restlessness of their companions became unable to ignore.
A deep noise eventually filled the area. Khan and the others raised their heads to notice a big vehicle that many could easily mistake for a spaceship. However, the studies in the past months allowed Khan to understand the ride's limits.
'Terrestrial ship,' Khan thought as the vehicle descended toward the field, 'Medium size, unarmed. It should belong to the orbital rides' category. Maybe it's a C-13 or a C-14. I don't remember.'
Khan was testing his knowledge, but the ship revealed that he still had a lot to learn. The vehicle had a big, cylindrical shape with a curved front and a rectangular back. It had a single engine placed at its bottom and a large dark window in front of its cabin. Moreover, the code "C-15" was clearly visible on its side.
'Can they even park something so big in the Slums?' Khan wondered as the ship landed and lifted open its side doors. 'The barracks' roofs can't hold it.'
The C-15 seemed big enough to contain more than twenty soldiers. It was a valuable vehicle meant for long flights inside a planet's atmosphere, and it could even survive in space for a few hours. The Global Army didn't hold back in that part of the mission.
Khan was the first to move. He was the leader of the group in the field, so it was his job to approach the C-15 and greet the soldiers inside.
The atmosphere inside the ship felt tense. Khan saw two men in their thirties waiting right past the door. One of them had long blonde hair that reached his shoulders and icy-blue eyes, while the other had short black hair, dark eyes, and dark skin.
The blonde man was rather slim, while the other couldn't hide his bulging muscles. His uniform seemed about to tear due to how tightly it pressed on his figure.
The two men had two stars on each shoulder, but they didn't feel too strong. They weren't only newly advanced second-level warriors. Khan also failed to sense the usual battle intent that proper fighters usually radiated.
'Are they really elites?' Khan wondered while his face showed one of the politest smiles he had ever worn.
"Nice to meet you," Khan exclaimed while performing a military salute. "I'm Lieutenant Khan."
"No need to be so formal, Lieutenant," The dark-haired man responded while showing a welcoming grin. "We are all lieutenants here. If we were to use achievements to declare a leader, you would come out on top by far."
"I'm Ethan Padridge," The blonde man continued while performing a simple nod, "And this smiling guy at my side is Grant Kentey. It's an honor to meet the famous Lieutenant Khan."
"The honor is mine," Khan chuckled. "It's rare to meet specialists from the city."
"Oh, please, we can't compare our job to your service," Grant stated. "Becoming inspectors might be hard, but our duties amount to very little in an environment as peaceful as Reebfell."
"I'm glad to hear that everything is going well," Khan exclaimed.
"Exceptionally well," Ethan added. "Crime is at its lowest point of the decade. We can only hope that the mess in Dewwick is an isolated incident."
"Indeed," Khan agreed as he stepped forward and let his companions enter the ship.
The students, Amber, and Cora didn't hold back from repeating the polite presentations. The four recruits showed everything their families had taught them about manners and politics, while Amber managed to have a casual exchange of lines since she was as strong as the specialists.
On the other hand, Cora ended up in a pickle. Grant acted like a perfect gentleman due to her history on Istrone, but Ethan flirted openly with her right away.
"What a splendid creature," Ethan exclaimed as he took Cora's hand. "It's hard to believe that something so pure has survived Istrone's terrible events."
Cora remained stunned, and her confusion only intensified when Ethan bent forward to kiss her hand. She turned to show her remorseful and panicked expression to Khan, but she discovered that he had already acted.
Ethan immediately noticed that something was off. He expected his lips to meet the soft skin on the back of Cora's hand, but he ended up experiencing a rough feeling. There was nothing smooth under his mouth, and he understood why when he opened his eyes.
Khan had placed his hand above Cora's at the last second. Ethan had kissed his calloused palm, which gave birth to a confused and questioning glare.
"I'm sorry," Khan explained while seizing Cora's hand from Ethan's grasp and pulling her closer. "She is with me."
Cora blushed. She did her best to remain stoic, but she couldn't hide the faint happiness that had come from seeing Khan's jealousy.
"I had no idea," Ethan quickly voiced. "I hope I didn't make things too awkward."
"You have to get rid of this habit of yours," Grant sighed before glancing at Cora and Khan. "Forgive him. The city has been too permissive with this guy."
"I can't help myself when I see something beautiful," Ethan explained. "Besides, I wasn't doing anything improper."
"Do you have a tactic ready?" Khan said to change the topic.
The two specialists pretended to forget about the event and led the group deeper into the vehicle. The doors closed as everyone moved through the vast insides. The C-15 was really big and comfortable, and it even featured a room with an interactive table placed at the center of multiple seats.
"We have a map of Reebfell's Slums," Grant announced as he approached the table and browsed through its menus to reach the map.
"How old is it?" Khan asked.
"The soldiers down there have performed the last inspection a few months ago," Grant revealed. "Though, I'm afraid they didn't go too deep into the Slums. Also, they aren't known for their diligence."
Those words didn't surprise Khan, who shook his head at the sight of the images on the table. The map marked the barracks, so their surroundings were probably accurate, but everything else might have changed by then.
"Lieutenant Khan, what do you think?" Ethan asked.
"Khan is fine," Khan responded. "As for the map, I'm afraid it won't be of any use. I don't even know if it reaches the areas we want to explore. Can we make a comparison with Dewwick's Slums?"
Grant didn't hesitate from opening another menu and placing two maps side by side. It was evident that Dewwick's images stretched far past those from Reebfell. The Global Army had to explore the first city's Slums thoroughly after the explosion of the lab, which created a vaster chart.
'We definitely can't use it,' Khan sighed in his mind while limiting himself to shaking his head to express his opinion.
"We have a tactic," Grant revealed, "But we believed that discussing it with you had the priority. We are still foreigners."
"I can only help when it comes to the Slums' customs," Khan admitted.
"That will be more than enough," Grant responded. "We don't even know if a lab exists in these Slums."
"I heard from the soldiers stationed there that it's quite easy to get answers from the Slums' citizens," Ethan commented.
"It's quite easy to get lies," Khan corrected. "A can of food can buy a lot there. I think we should hit the local leaders directly."
"Which leaders?" Ethan asked.
"Prostitution, drugs, and many other nasty things in the Slums have local leaders," Khan explained. "Some of them would know about a hidden lab, especially since they would have to provide the manpower necessary to operate it."
The explanation surprised everyone. Grant and the others knew that the Slums weren't a fairytale, but Khan was speaking about those activities as if they were normal. The group didn't know how to feel when they understood that Khan had seen all of that while he was only a kid.
"How do we find these leaders?" Grant eventually questioned.
"That's easy," Khan declared. "We only have to ask the soldiers in the barracks."
"The soldiers the Slums might be spineless and lazy," Grant complained, showing a cold expression for the first time since the meeting, "But they remain members of the Global Army. You are accusing them of treason."
"Do you think such nasty activities could exist under the strict control of mana-powered soldiers?" Khan calmly asked.
Grant and Ethan didn't need to address the question. The answer was more than evident. It was simply impossible for ordinary citizens of the Slums to set up those activities without the soldiers noticing them. The latter would have to turn a blind eye or directly allow them.
"We'll start the investigation from the barracks' captains," Grant exclaimed before reaching one of the seats around the table.
The C-15 had already set off, but the consequences of the event had been minimal on its insides. Khan and the others had noticed the departure, but they didn't need to sit or strap in to avoid getting hurt during abrupt turns.
Ethan also took a seat, and the others quickly imitated him. However, they didn't stop themselves from glancing at Khan and Cora. He had held her hand since the awkward situation with Ethan, and he didn't let go even after they sat.
Needless to say, Amber found the matter incredibly cute. She also felt amused to see that side of Khan, and his students could only go through similar reactions. The stoic, ruthless, and uncaring Khan was actually a protective boyfriend.
Of course, Cora had it harder than the others. She had grown used to being in a relationship with Khan, but being so open with him in public still awakened her shyness. The gossips and Amber couldn't trigger those reactions, but the specialists and the students were different.
Still, Cora didn't want to look bad, especially since her actions might reflect on Khan. She had to play the part of the mature and confident woman to improve his image, and she got it partially right.
The rest of the trip on the C-15 didn't feature more conversations, and the vehicle didn't take long to reach its destination either. Everyone noticed the landing, and the group was already behind the doors when they lifted open.
The group found themselves on the short roof of one of the Slums' barracks. It was hard to locate the wall that divided the training camp from those poor areas, but Khan and the others struggled to divert their eyes from the streets right under them.
The barrack's roof was acting as a landing platform barely able to contain the C-15. It didn't even have fences, so the group could peek down and study the situation.
A sea of small structures built with tiles of dirty metal and other fragile materials surrounded the barracks and expanded far past the limits of the group's vision. The streets were full of dust, spots, trash, and puddles. People sat in corners to sleep, drink or smoke, and loud voices filled the whole area.
For Cora, Amber, the students, and the specialists, the Slums appeared as a messy place ready to crumble at the first seasonal rain. Yet, Khan experienced something different.
Khan could feel the tension that the training camp couldn't offer falling on his mind. The awful and pungent smells of the Slums filled his nostrils and shouts reached his ears.. That place was far from peaceful, but that made it feel like home.
