SSS-Class Profession: The Path to Mastery-Chapter 262: Saved at Last

Ten minutes passed.

We didn’t talk. We didn’t move. We waited.

The room was still except for the hum of the relay in Anthony’s hand. Alexis stayed crouched beside Camille, adjusting the cloth over her shoulders again and again, even though it was already secure. Evelyn sat in the farthest corner with her arms locked around her knees, blindfold untouched. Sienna was beside me. She hadn’t let go.

My boots were still leaving stains.

The blood was beginning to dry now, cracking against the fabric, flaking when I moved my hands. I didn’t try to brush it off.

A sound outside broke the quiet.

Low. Rhythmic.

Rotors.

A minute later, wind struck the entrance as the hatch above the corridor peeled open and floodlights cut through the smoke. Dust and soot whipped past our feet. A rope was thrown down. Then another. And then they dropped in.

The first figure hit the ground hard and fast, rifle raised. Black armor, white insignia at the shoulder. I recognized it, it was the same one as the drones on the island.

It was ours.

Two more dropped in after him, weapons up, scanning the room. They moved quickly, efficiently, and then paused.

Their eyes landed on me.

They didn’t aim.

One of them took a step forward. Helmeted. Voice filtered but firm. "Reynard Vale?"

I nodded once, understanding that they likely couldn’t see my face well through the blood.

They lowered their weapons immediately. "You’re priority zero. Orders came from the Prime Minister herself."

Anthony raised his hand in greeting while chuckling as if trying to lighten the mood. "Took you guys long enough. What’s the situation outside?"

The lead soldier gave a sharp nod. "Transport’s ten meters out. We have medics onboard. Let’s move."

Camille stirred slightly as Alexis began lifting her. Sienna moved to help. Evelyn stood, tense, keeping her face turned slightly away from me. I followed without being told. No one questioned me. They didn’t have to.

The sky outside was darker than before. The cliffs loomed nearby, jagged and ancient, and beyond them, the ocean glimmered beneath a deep blue dusk.

The aircraft hovered just above the outcropping, rotors cutting the air in perfect rhythm. It was sleek. Unmarked. Military, but not threatening. The kind you sent when you needed to extract something you couldn’t afford to lose.

Us.

The ramp lowered.

They let the others board first. Camille was lifted onto a stretcher, Evelyn guiding her hand along the edge. Alexis followed with her case clutched close, eyes scanning every medic. Anthony stayed close to the rear, rifle still gripped.

Sienna waited for me.

So I walked.

And still, no one said anything about the blood.

Inside the transport, the steady hum of the engines filled the air—low, constant, just loud enough to drown out everything unspoken.

Medical personnel moved with practiced quiet. Their uniforms bore the insignia of our nation’s rapid response division—clean, orderly, human. A sharp contrast to the chaos we’d left behind.

Camille was already on a stretcher near the forward bay, her hair damp with sweat, her skin pale against the sterile lighting. Two medics flanked her. One monitored vitals—pulse, respiration, systemic stress. The other pricked her arm and took a small sample of blood, muttering readings into a wrist-mounted display. novelbuddy-cσ๓

She didn’t stir.

She was either fully asleep or too exhausted to physically move. I couldn’t tell, nor did I really care in the moment. She was safe and I’ll leave it at that.

To my right, Evelyn sat upright on the bench, tense as a coiled wire. A medic reached gently toward her blindfold.

"Don’t," she snapped, her voice sharp and frayed.

The gloved hand froze mid-air.

Her fingers curled tighter around the fabric wrapped across her eyes. She shook her head, once, almost imperceptibly.

They stepped back.

No questions asked.

Across the bay, Alexis hadn’t taken a seat at all. Instead, she stood at a supply cabinet, methodically prepping the triage gear. Latex gloves snapped onto shaking hands. She organized syringes, disinfectants, field scanners—her merged skillset making her more efficient than most medics on board.

But every few seconds, she glanced in my direction.

And each time, her hand hesitated just a moment longer.

I stayed where I was. Near the rear wall of the cabin. Half-shadowed. Half-seen.

Sienna sat beside me.

Eventually, quietly, her hand found mine again.

I didn’t return the squeeze.

Couldn’t.

Outside the small porthole, the cliffs receded into distance—dark silhouettes beneath the last gasps of daylight. Foam bloomed along the shore, the ocean vast and gray, stretched to the horizon like something hollowed out. A world in motion.

But we weren’t moving.

Not really.

Anthony sat opposite, legs planted, arms crossed. His expression didn’t change when he looked my way. No pity. No judgment. Just a grim, quiet recognition.

Like he wanted to make a joke.

But knew it wouldn’t land.

So he waited.

Waited for the moment I’d say something. Anything.

I didn’t.

Someone thanked me.

One of the medics. A young woman. Said something like, "If it weren’t for you, Mr. Vale, none of them would’ve likely made it."

I didn’t respond.

Didn’t look at her.

My fingernails were still caked in red. I turned my hand once. Slowly. Watched it flake off like paint.

The pale person’s face wouldn’t leave.

Neither would the image of 3830 shooting herself over 3829’s body.

Time passed.

The engine’s pitch lowered.

Camille was resting now. Alexis had finished cleaning up. Evelyn had repositioned herself near a wall, head down, unmoving.

Anthony and the squad leader exchanged coordinates. Sienna finally leaned her head against my shoulder.

The sky had deepened. Night now. Full.

A medic offered blankets.

Nobody spoke.

For the first time in what felt like hours, I moved.

Sienna stirred.

"When we land," she whispered, "I’ll make you some nice and warm food alright? I promise everything will be ok."

I didn’t answer.

She hesitated.

Then, quieter: "We’re still here."

The silence stretched.

But I didn’t pull away.

I didn’t speak.

I just held her hand.

And didn’t let go.

Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at (f)re𝒆we(b)novel.com Only