Chapter 48: Second-Hand Experience

Fortunately, the first room out of five, that he checked turned out to be the right one. The door slid open after he pressed a button by its side, revealing an interesting scene inside. Yaela stood in the center of the room with both hands extended, small flames dancing above her palms with remarkable control.

Elaine and Yae immediately turned toward Liam as he entered. Yae’s face lit up with enthusiasm. “Look, Liam! I can control it now!” she exclaimed, her voice brimming with pride.

“Not really, but she’s a natural,” Elaine corrected with a gentle smile, making it clear she’d been coaching Yae for the better part of an hour.

From her position sprawled on the floor, Sarah offered a lazy greeting without looking up from her phone. “Hello, Hotshot.” She was deeply engrossed in scrolling through TikTok, with her attention completely absorbed by the screen.

Silas was nowhere to be seen, while Amir sat hunched over his laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard in intense concentration.

“That’s nice,” Liam said with the tone one might use to encourage a child’s first steps. Yae’s attention immediately drifted back to maintaining her flames, her brow furrowed in concentration.

Liam tapped Elaine’s shoulder softly and mouthed, “Thank you.” She smiled warmly and mouthed back, “You’re welcome.” Somehow, seeing this scene and progress with Yaela, instantly cooled off the irritation from the battle he had earlier.

Finding a spot on one of the elevated platforms, Liam settled in to watch this impromptu tutoring session. His chosen seat was close to where Amir worked, and as he approached, Amir raised a fist without looking away from his screen. “Hey, man,” Amir said casually.

Liam bumped his fist in response, saying nothing but appreciating the simple gesture of camaraderie.

“You must understand that your magic is an extension of your emotions,” Elaine instructed Yae, her voice taking on the patient tone of an experienced teacher. “If you can keep those emotions in check, you’ll never lose control.”

Yae nodded attentively, hanging on every word.

Suddenly, the facility’s alarms blared to life with their familiar and urgent tone, the sound that meant only one thing: A breach situation. Sarah immediately pocketed her phone while Amir’s fingers froze over his keyboard, after which he closed down the screen.

The relaxed atmosphere in the training room evaporated instantly, as they all activated their communication devices simultaneously, waiting for mission details.

“Attention, Agents! A breach has occurred at Detroit’s Riverfront area. Threat Level: B-class. Priority is civilian evacuation. All available units respond immediately!”

The announcement was broadcast facility-wide and an all-hands-on-deck situation. Yae looked around curiously as everyone focused on their comm devices. When the briefing ended, Elaine placed a reassuring hand on Yae’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, we’ll have to pick this up another time,” Elaine said apologetically. “Duty calls.”

That’s when Yae surprised everyone. She said, “Can I come too? I’ve never actually seen a breach before, except on TV.”

“Absolutely fucking not!” Liam’s response was immediate and emphatic. “You need to go home.”

“Oh, come on!” Yae protested, her disappointment evident.

“It’s too dangerous. You’re going home,” Liam insisted, his tone brooking no argument.

Yae crossed her arms and fixed him with a determined stare. “Sarah told me you’re a really powerful agent, and she also said this team was strong. So you guys can’t protect me from a little danger? Isn’t that kind of pathetic?”

Sarah chuckled and nodded approvingly. “You know, Liam, she does make a fair point.” Elaine stepped closer to Yae, her hand still on the girl’s shoulder, and addressed Liam with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, she’ll stay by my side the entire time.”

Liam looked between Yae’s pleading expression and Elaine’s confident face, then let out a heavy sigh of defeat. “Alright, but you stay within my field of view at all times.”

“Yes!” Yae exclaimed, pumping her fist in victory. The moment of levity brought smiles to everyone’s faces as they filed out of the training room, heading for the exit and their team vehicle.

…

When they reached the parking area, they found Silas already seated behind the wheel, with the SUV’s engine running and ready to go.

“I was wondering where you were,” Elaine said, slightly surprised to see him prepared and waiting. Sarah claimed the passenger seat while Amir climbed into the back.

Liam’s feet lifted off the ground as he prepared to fly ahead, while Yae scrambled into the back seat. Elaine followed, choosing to ride in the vehicle this time to keep her promise to watch over Yae.

Once everyone was settled in, Silas immediately reversed out of the parking space and began the drive to Detroit’s Riverfront Area as Liam rose higher into the sky. With a sonic boom that rattled windows, he streaked toward the breach location at supersonic speed.

…

After some minutes, Liam arrived at the Riverfront area well ahead of the USOV team, but he wasn’t the first responder on scene. A faction team was already engaged in combat with a massive creature that stood on its hind legs, towering above the surrounding buildings.

The monster was difficult to describe beyond its most threatening features: spike-covered skin that gleamed like dark armor, a whip-like tail that could demolish concrete, and rows of razor-sharp teeth that promised death to anything caught between them.

However, Liam’s immediate concern wasn’t the monster, it was the crowds of civilians still clustered throughout the area. From his aerial vantage point, he could see why evacuation had been marked as the priority. There were simply too many people to get clear before the battle escalated beyond control and rather than waste precious time, Liam extended his arm and activated his signature ability.

[Skill Active: Sovereign Hands]

Invisible forces gently lifted dozens of civilians from the danger zone. The affected people floated through the air in shock and bewilderment, their voices rising in confused exclamations as they tried to understand what was happening to them.

Liam was guiding them to a safe distance from the combat zone, setting them down gently in a designated evacuation area. He briefly considered using his summons for faster evacuation, but decided against it, because the last thing these terrified civilians needed was the additional shock of seeing mythical creatures, even if they were helpful ones.

As people began to notice their savior floating above them, pointing and calling out in recognition, not as ’Liam’ ofcourse but as an Agent of USOV, the other USOV teams arrived and began organizing the remaining evacuation efforts.

Thanks to Liam’s intervention, most of the work was already done, and all they simply needed to do was guide the remaining stragglers to safety in orderly groups. Yae watched from beside Team C’s vehicle, her eyes wide with amazement as her brother effortlessly managed what should have been a complex rescue operation.

Her attention was suddenly drawn to a bone-chilling screech from the monster as it took heavy damage from the attacking visors. In retaliation, the creature grabbed an abandoned car and hurled it toward its attackers. The visors dodged successfully, but the improvised projectile continued its deadly arc toward a group of civilians still making their way to the evacuation zone.

Thankfully due to Liam’s presence at the scene, all he did was catch the flying vehicle with his Sovereign Hands skill, stopping it mid-flight before gently lowering it to the ground, immediately remedying the situation.

From his position, he could assess the battle more clearly. The three men fighting the creature appeared to be A-tier visors, but they were primarily physical combat specialists. The monster’s hide was proving too thick for their attacks to be truly effective, suggesting this threat was possibly above the reported B-class designation.

To hasten up the process leading up to the creature’s defeat and minimize further risk to civilians, Liam decided to intervene more directly. He activated his most potent ability especially against mythical creatures.

[Authority Active: Beast Tamer]

A suppressive aura emanated from Liam, washing over the monster like an invisible tide. The effect was immediate and dramatic, with the creature’s aggressive posture collapsing as its will to fight simply evaporated. It slumped to the ground, not unconscious but completely submissive, its massive head lowered in acknowledgment of what felt like something in between a superior predator and a master, at the same time.

The A-tier visors stared in shock at the sudden change, but they weren’t about to question their good fortune. They rushed forward to target the creature’s now-exposed weak points, ending the threat with swift and precise strikes.

Liam allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction before descending toward where Yae stood with Elaine beside their team vehicle.

“You already handled most of the evacuation,” Elaine observed as he touched down, her tone carrying this genuine admiration.

Yae stepped forward, her face glowing with some excitement as regards everything she just witnessed. “When did you get so strong, Liam?” she asked, her voice filled with genuine awe. “Sarah wasn’t exaggerating at all, was she?” she added.

Liam scratched the back of his head awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with the praise. “There wasn’t really much to do,” he said, trying to play it a little more modestly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep