Guardians of The Damned-Chapter 31: Human Trafficker

I pulled out its Primal Bone without giving its words much thought. The dragon closed its eyes and stopped breathing. Slowly, its body crumbled into dust.

I made my way back to Dre and the others. I spotted Eve and Hakku among them.

"Eve? What are you doing here?" I asked, a little surprised.

"I saw the light and came over. What happened? Is everything sorted out?" she asked quickly, a trace of worry in her voice.

"Yeah. Anyway, we should head back to HQ," I suggested.

Their faces tightened. I understood why.

We had failed the mission. Civilians were dead, property was destroyed, and more than three Honors had been killed. Our squad was in deep trouble.

Worse yet, the device had ended up in Synth's hands. The fact they went so far as to hire a mercenary group to retrieve it only confirmed they were planning something dangerous.

"It'll be okay. We'll get through this," Hakku said with a forced smile.

But the look in his eyes—and the others'—held no confidence.

His smile faded. He dropped his gaze to the ground, crushed by despair. I couldn't blame him. After everything that happened, it was hard not to feel the same.

Me too.

A part of me wanted to give up, to stay silent, to do nothing. Yet deep inside, something kept urging me to move forward.

As those thoughts weighed on me, I studied the others in silence, waiting to see if anyone would speak.

No one did.

I sighed, then slapped Dre and Eve on the back. They winced at the sudden sting, frowning at me.

"Don't be so stiff, you two. Hakku's right—we *will* get through this. Staying stuck here won't change anything.

Yeah, we messed up. We lost friends. We failed. But we're still alive. And that's what matters."

"We lived, but so what?!" Eve snapped. "Synth won't let this slide! We'll be fired, disbanded—you know what happens to wild Honors!"

Wild Honors: superpowered individuals who weren't under Synth's employment. They became targets for traffickers and, worst case, human experimentation—practices Synth turned a blind eye to.

Sure, if you stayed careful, you could live freely. Yin Hee was proof of that.

But for Eve, it wasn't that simple.

I knew her situation. She couldn't afford to lose her job. Being classified as a wild Honor would only make her life worse. Most places didn't even hire Honors.

She was anxious, panicking, not thinking straight.

I didn't blame her for lashing out.

I wanted to say something to calm her, but the words caught in my throat. I was afraid I'd make it worse.

"Go home, Eve. All of you, go home. I'll handle the rest."

It was the least I could do.

R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freewebnovёl.ƈom Only.

I wasn't a leader, but if I could act when no one else would, then I wouldn't hesitate.

"Sunny..." Eve looked at me for a long second, then shook her head. "No. I can't let you do that. I'm in charge. The responsibility's mine, not yours."

Hearing her say that, I felt a wave of relief.

She was back to herself.

"Alright. Need any help?" I asked with a slight nod.

"No. You all go home. Let's head back."

"What about Vie?" Dre asked.

"I spoke with someone from Scarecrow. He left the scene half an hour ago," Eve answered.

"He *abandoned* us?! That bastard!" Dre shouted.

"He probably knew what was coming," Eve said, her voice bitter.

"That doesn't excuse it! Leaving your team behind like that—it's unforgivable!" Dre slammed his fist into his palm, seething.

We decided to deal with Vie later. For now, we returned to the car, and I drove us back to HQ.

After going through the usual security checks, we entered the building.

Women in white robes approached us, healing our wounds with practiced hands. We thanked them and left Miem in their care.

As we walked down the halls, I noticed the stares.

Some were curious.

Some sneered.

Some pitied us.

They had already heard the news.

We ignored them and kept moving.

At the locker room, we changed while Eve headed to report to Wo.

After changing, Dre didn't stick around. He left without a word, leaving me alone with Hakku.

I noticed he was taking longer than usual, lost in thought as he fumbled with his clothes.

"Hakku. You alright?"

He slowly turned toward me. "Sunny," he said, his voice heavy with pain and regret.

"Is this about Goo Han?"

"I'm sorry!" he suddenly cried. "Because of me, he died! I know how much you cared about him—and your friends! I'm sorry!

If an apology isn't enough, you can take my life!"

Before I could think, my hand moved on its own.

*Smack.*

The sharp sound echoed through the room.

Hakku stood there, stunned, his eyes wide.

I didn't know exactly what he was feeling, but I hoped the sting of the slap would snap him out of drowning in emotion.

"I'm not taking the life my friend protected. I never blamed you for Goo Han's death."

I took a breath, steadying my voice.

"Goo Han sacrificed himself for you. You owe it to him to live—and to live well.

Don't let his death turn you into something he wouldn't be proud of.

Honor him by becoming better."

I let the words hang for a moment, giving him time to absorb them.

"Do you understand, Hakku?" I asked firmly.

He nodded, determination sparking in his eyes. "Yeah. I understand. I'll get stronger—for you and for Goo Han!"

"That's the spirit. Now finish changing and go home. Today's been long enough."

"Yeah."

Hakku changed quickly and left the locker room.

Alone now, I sighed and opened my locker, tossing my battle suit inside and slamming it shut.

---

*Third Person POV*

"Thank you for your hard work," Eve said, bowing to Wo, who sat at his desk.

After reporting, she changed her clothes in the locker room and exited the building.

Stepping outside, she spotted Sunny standing there, staring up at the city's artificial sky.

"Sunny, you're still here."

---

*Back to Sunny's POV*

"I was waiting for you," I said. "How'd it go?"

"About as bad as you imagined. Wo wants to hold a meeting tomorrow. It's going to be a long day," she sighed, exhausted.

When I didn't respond, she asked, "Did you need something?"

"I know someone who can track down who hired Scarecrow. You want in?"

She pinched her chin thoughtfully. I could already guess what was running through her mind.

Technically, it was still part of our job. But we wouldn't be getting paid—and Eve hated unpaid work.

Still... with the city at stake, maybe she'd make an exception.

"Fine," she said, letting out a breath. "This will be an exception.

But first—can we get something to eat?"