From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Chapter 39  Getting Situated

Jade was stirred awake at around 4:00 a.m., feeling the slow tightening of her toned muscles as she lay in her medium-sized bed in a modest yet comfortable room. The room was adorned with the valuables she had retrieved from her apartment, a small touch that would always amaze her.

It was reminiscent of a cozy medium-sized hotel room and had a peculiar fondness for white polished walls. Despite being well-furnished and including a neat bathroom, it lacked a kitchen and she didn't have the luxury of cooking, relegating her to the mercy of the cooks here for her three meals every day.

While she missed the freedom of casual outings, her resolve remained unyielding. After waking up, Jade's mind buzzed with a few thoughts as she clutched her sheets, recognizing the long journey that lay ahead of her, releasing a sigh, she decided to start her day early.

Followed by a refreshing shower, she donned her standard equipment which consisted of a black over-throw, a skin-tight shirt, a weighted vest, and strict armbands.

After preparing herself, she began the day by walking through the long corridors that seemed to stretch for miles. In fact, on some occasions, she would still find herself lost because of the endless paths.

Thankfully, she had discovered a good system, as all the rooms were secluded in their own designated section. This continued to break down further as the training areas also had their own paths, along with the food courts, and even a briefing room for the upcoming missions. Arriving at the eating area, she found herself still yawning before finding a plate of freshly fried eggs over a bed of rice and an assortment of fruits to choose from.

The hot and ready-to-go food would always amaze her, considering she never directly saw people cooking this early in the morning.

Grabbing a warm cup of coffee, she sat down, devouring the breakfast and gulping her coffee, fueling herself up for the day.

Soon, Jade found herself on the track, running for an hour straight in an attempt to beat her own running time. Though she came a few seconds short, she persisted, huffing in annoyance at herself for falling behind. Just then, the full lights of the track turned on, illuminating everything around her, with Ashaiki flipping the switch, her pink hair glittering in the light. "Running yourself a bit too hard, don't you think?" Ashaiki questioned and then shook her head before saying.

"Listen, I know you want to catch up, be useful, and even prove the director wrong, but if you don't give your body enough time to heal, you will find yourself breaking down and possibly even becoming permanently injured."

"At the end of the day, we are humans who need to build our power slowly and methodically."

Still gasping for air, Jade gave a slight remark, "You're right, but I just have to keep pushing myself."

She then added with determination, "In case I do fail and fall, I will know that I did everything I could."

Ashaiki gave a warm smile before stating, "That's one way to look at things, I suppose."

"WAAAWW WAAAWWW"

A few moments later, a siren above them started to blare, casting an orange hue in the room. Following that, the intercom announced, "Orange Level Threat. Requesting the New York division to send (1) squad to handle the issues. Surface event T-minus 60 minutes."

With a smile on her face, Ashaiki remarks, "It's been a while since our district was called on. I wonder which team will be sent this time." She snapped her fingers before adding, "This should be a perfect chance for you to experience what we deal with now that you've completed the first two weeks of training."

Before Jade could voice an opinion or ask anything, Ashaiki, dressed in a plaid blue outfit and skin-tight blue jeans, pulled out a sleek black phone and dialled a string of numbers contacting the director.

"Director, which team are you dispatching for the event?" Ashaiki inquired once the call was connected.

"I see, I see," Ashaiki mused upon hearing the Director's response.

"I'll have Jade fill in as the third member since she's out of the country right now," Ashaiki added.

Noticing screams echoing from the other end of the call, Jade watched all of this with a hint of worry. However, unwavered by the scolding she received, Ashaiki simply pulled the phone away before she reassured him, "It's a strong team. Besides, I'll escort her myself in case anything goes south."

"Sure, sure," she replies before hanging up the call. After ending the call, she turned around to find Jade having a confused expression, and thus clarified.

"The Director said you can't go. So hurry up and get ready. We leave in 10 minutes to meet Team Six."

"But you just said—"

"Do you want to get stronger or not?" she emphasized before making her way towards the exit.

In an instant, Jade's demeanor shifted and without asking another question, she caught up to Ashaiki and matched her pace. "I'm ready to go."

"Good. Let's head to the debriefing room. It's good that you'll get to see the process. I hope this opportunity will give you a chance to grow more than any standard training would," Ashaiki declared, as she looked forward to facing the upcoming challenge.

Jade acknowledged with a slight nod as sweat continued to drip from her head. She then found herself being escorted to a dimly lit room and to her surprise, the room was adorned with black walls and a solid glass screen. At the room's center stood a table, upon which lay one single folder. Taking in the surroundings, two figures walked in.

The first person spoke, addressing Ashaiki, "I didn't expect to see you here, Ashaiki. Isn't something like this a bit below your grade?"

Responding with a slight laugh, Ashaiki said, "Of course, but I will be providing escort for Jade as she gets to witness a live operation event. Thanks for your concern, though, Waddle."

Waddle smiled comfortingly, saying, "I suppose it's only right for us to introduce ourselves to the newbie, don't you think, bro?" With a playful grin and a slight bow, Waddle said, "It's nice to meet you, Jade. My name is Waddle, and this is my bro Tyree. Though we're not related, we've been fighting together ever since grade school, and since joining the organization, we've become inseparable."

Both of them wore blacked-out robes with white stripes attached to the sides, leading to their hands and feet, while their attire was completed with white top shoes. Both shared a dark skin complexion. Waddle, who had an afro, stood about an inch shorter than Tyree, who wore cornrows and stood at a height of about 6'2". n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"It's nice to meet you both," Jade responded warmly.

The room seemed to come alive with camaraderie as Waddle and Tyree shared a brief laugh reminiscing about their past. The atmosphere lightened despite the dark walls enclosing them. The two casually shared tales of their school days, their recruitment into the organization, and countless challenges they faced together, painting a picture of unwavering loyalty and friendship.

Their easy banter and shared glances spoke a story of deep trust and shared experiences, offering Jade a glimpse into the bond between them. Amidst the daunting reality that was waiting outside the room, this moment of light-hearted introductions provided a brief yet comforting respite to her, something that she hadn't experienced since Ty's passing.

"Okay, everyone," Ashaiki said. "We're on a timetable," she added before pulling out a small pocket watch that was adorned with an array of metallic symbols, "55 minutes till the event."

"Right, right," Waddle added, the urgency apparent in his voice. "Time for more laughs later," he said before picking up the folder.

"So it's a medium-grade anomaly with grass attributes," Waddle mused, putting a thumb over his chin in deep thought as he examined it.

"Of course, they always do this to us, bro!" Tyree exclaimed, "Always grass, grass, grass. Can't they give us something that is more challenging?" he said before slamming the folder shut. Both of them then turned to Ashaiki, before saying in unison, "Let's get this over with."

"Right," Ashaiki agreed. "The control team should be almost done with getting the space set for the barrier so we can make quick work of this. Though it will be good for Jade to see and hopefully learn something from this."

Giving a slight bow, Jade stated, "I will do whatever I can to get stronger."

Tyree nods in agreement. "It's a goal that all of us have. Almost everyone you see here is here to avenge someone they have lost. So just keep that in mind."

30 minutes passed as they made their way towards the outskirts of the Genesee River, where cones and police vehicles had blocked off the area.

"What is all of this? So is the government involved in this operation too?" Jade inquired.

Tyree explained, "Yes, Jade, but they only handle simple assignments to ward off anyone who might be trying to barge in. They work with a high degree of professionalism. Any citizen coming around would just assume that some maintenance work is going on."

"I see," Jade acknowledged, "I have more questions than I probably have time to ask, so I'll save them for after this event," she said, offering a warm smile.

Walking past the police cars, Jade couldn't help but ask, "So, what are we supposed to be looking for?"

As they passed through an invisible wall, Jade's question regarding what they were looking for was answered as black sludge leaked everywhere within a quarter-mile of the area, emitting a repugnant odor akin to that of rotting corpses. Shortly after, a small rift began to crack open before it began to gradually widen.

Vines started to ooze from the portal before they began to latch themselves onto the ground and absorb the black sludge, creating a pristine circle around the portal. From the other side of the portal emerged a creature which stood 7 feet tall, whose skin was a blend of green and black, with a hollowed skull at its center, however, one could see some bits of flesh that were still on it.