Chapter 94: Wishful Thinking

Vanessa, Adam, the second-in-command of the arcade operation, and the leader of the disabling unit sat inside the control room that had been hastily repurposed after the discovery beneath the arcade.

They were seated around a round metal table, its surface still flickering faintly with residual holographic projections that had yet to be fully shut down.

Outside the room, muted voices bled through the walls, acolytes speaking in hushed tones, some anxious, some outright panicked. The tension in the air was thick enough to taste.

Vanessa was the first to speak.

“It’s better we get the full details straight before informing the others,” she said calmly. “We don’t need unnecessary panic spreading through the ranks.”

The leader of the disabling squad lowered his head slightly.

“I apologize, Manager. I should have relayed everything to you first before speaking outside.”

Vanessa shook her head.

“It’s fine,” she replied. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. They would have found out sooner or later anyway.”

The man nodded, visibly relieved.

“Thank you, Manager.”

“…”

Adam watched the exchange with a blank expression, his posture relaxed but his attention razor-sharp.

At one point, he subtly activated [Connect], his perception brushing against Vanessa’s soul flame.

It was clear and she wasn’t being manipulated.

Wasn’t she blaming herself just minutes ago for getting brainwashed?

Adam didn’t voice the thought, but his eyes lingered on her longer than necessary.

The second-in-command noticed.

So did the disabling unit leader.

But neither commented.

This was clearly something between Adam and Vanessa, and neither man was foolish enough to step into that space.

As the meeting continued, Adam’s attention shifted from observation to information.

And the question he had raised outside, about Siren’s Swamp, was finally addressed.

The news was… good in a way.

At least it was better than their previous situation.

The incursion’s expansion had stopped.

So had the mutation.

Originally, the rift had been projected to evolve into a second-generation mutant rift, a catastrophe that would have escalated the situation beyond what this sector could realistically handle.

But now, the mutation had stalled at the first generation.

That alone changed everything.

Its level would only increase by one.

More importantly, the swamp’s expansion would no longer spread to engulf the entirety of the barrier’s interior.

That meant the sector walls, previously rendered useless by the creeping Incursion, could once again serve their intended purpose.

They could hold the line.

They could funnel the monsters.

They could defend the civilians.

Casualties would drop, drastically.

All that remained was endurance.

Hold back the incoming monsters, buy time and let the barrier bleed out its remaining energy before it collapses on its own.

As the implications settled in, Adam leaned back slightly in his chair and the meeting continued, as the conversation naturally shifted toward the heirs.

The second-in-command broke the silence, glancing at the updated projections on the display.

“Since the incursion is no longer spreading,” he said, “and the rifts within the sector won’t be affected anymore, that means we no longer need the heirs to help maintain the situation.”

Vanessa nodded slowly.

“You’re right,” she said, then paused. “And that’s exactly why it might become problematic.”

The disabling unit leader frowned.

“Problematic? How so?”

It was clear to Adam that the man’s strengths lay in machines and energy readings, not people.

Vanessa folded her hands on the table and explained calmly.

“The heirs are a rowdy group, and they tend to act on impulse, especially when faced with situations they don’t fully understand. Earlier, the threat of the incursion spreading into the sector, and potentially destabilizing the other rifts, gave them a clear external danger to focus on.”

She lifted her gaze slightly.

“Now that threat is gone. Which means their frustration no longer has a target.”

Adam had to admit, it was amusing the way she said it, as if she were describing the behavioral patterns of some rare, volatile species rather than privileged martial heirs.

Vanessa continued,

“If left unchecked, that frustration could turn inward. Arguments, reckless actions, defiance of orders… any number of unpredictable outcomes.”

The leader of the disabling squad nodded.

“I see.”

Vanessa shifted her attention to Adam.

“We may need your help with them again.”

Adam waved a hand dismissively.

“No issue,” he said casually.

“I’ll handle it.”

There was no bravado in his tone, just certainty.

Vanessa nodded at Adam’s gesture. He had helped her more than once since his arrival, making it clear that without him, the situation would have spiraled beyond her control. It was good to have someone like him around.

​Only if I can make him stay,

​She pushed the idea aside for later and turned her attention back to the meeting.

****

Other high-ranking Acolytes were called in as the meeting shifted toward battle strategy.

Despite the change in focus, the earlier tension remained as the discussion moved fully to the sirens.

A projection hovered above the central table, layers of terrain and defensive lines rotating slowly. Voices overlapped as officials argued strategy. The conclusion, however, was grimly consistent.

They could wear the sirens down at the walls, but only temporarily.

The alliance’s outer zone was, by sheer landmass, the largest zone under the Alliance control.

Yet it was also the least developed. Resources, infrastructure, and high-tier defensive measures were concentrated deeper inside the alliance, leaving the outer zone stretched thin.

Sector 418, despite being one of the more developed sectors in the lower regions of the outer zone, still wasn’t built to withstand sustained monster pressure at its walls.

One of the high ranking Acolytes pointed at a highlighted section of the barrier.

“The bigger issue is numbers. Once the sirens begin a full rampage, it won’t just be them.”

That much was obvious.

The sirens’ Swamp influence was no longer as dangerous now that its expansion had ceased, neutralizing the unknown threat of it encroaching on other rifts within the barrier.

However, it remained disruptive enough that their rampage could still trigger the release of other monsters from their own incursions.

As if that weren’t enough, the meeting circled back to an uncomfortable truth:

The best they could realistically do was stall.

Hold the monsters back. Buy time. Reinforce where possible. Anything beyond that was wishful thinking.

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