The situation in Louisiana was a tricky one, which could easily spiral out of control.
With the students of the Louisiana State Limitless Academy and a few professional Limitless who entered the rift dead, the state lacked the manpower to protect itself from the invasion that was bound to happen.
Governor Ronald Brown had issued an SOS distress call, but the problem was most professional Limitless in neighboring states were either on duty, in a rift raid, injured, or just not available—pushing the state into a desperate situation.
Begrudgingly, I agreed to join this task, mostly because Pamela wouldn't leave me alone. Also, she promised a whopping 1,000 contribution points as a reward, whether we succeed or fail.
While it may not sound like much, it was one-tenth of what was needed to become a professional Limitless.
The academy worked in a fairly simple way. There were three floors in the student accommodations. The first floor was for new students like me, and even older students who had low contribution points.
To reach the next floor, one needed five thousand contribution points. It offered better training facilities, food, luxury, and many other perks.
Likewise, the final floor required a student to accumulate seven thousand points. This was proof you were an elite—a pro amongst nobs.
And then, the ten thousand contribution point threshold was the price for graduation. Once a student became a full-fledged Limitless, they were automatically awarded a mansion, with a salary of a million dollars monthly, and many more perks and benefits that would make powerless humans die of envy.
And all these benefits were just for the lowest rating-level Limitless. Just imagine the benefits higher-ranking Limitless like Pamela and Viktor enjoyed.
However, this was extremely hard to achieve. Statistically, only five in fifty students made it to graduation. The rest died trying to climb the ladder.
Sometimes it was hard to decide whether living this life was worth it or not, because it was not easy climbing the ladder. The expedition that cost the lives of half our class had only awarded Natasha and me 300 contribution points—for standing outside amongst our peers.
If we were to rely on invading rifts alone to climb the ladder, even ten deadly raids would only give us three thousand contribution points.
It felt crazy to know that risking our lives on ten different occasions wouldn't even give us enough points to climb to the second floor of the academy.
That was why I couldn't say no, when I heard we would be getting a thousand points for this mission.
This time I refused to wear the tactical gear since it offered little to no protection against monsters and was just worn for aesthetics.
I wore a plain white shirt with black joggers and a jacket. I put on my favorite running shoes and a pair of gloves, while Pamela was kind enough to return my Rai'ki.
Together we arrived at the airfield, which was wide and flat, with long stretches of concrete runways for helicopters and jets to land.
There were large metal hangars—like giant garages—while yellow lines marked the landing zones, and blinking guiding lights ran along the edges.
I watched as soldiers and crew moved around in uniforms, checking fuel, loading supplies, and talking through headsets.
A control tower stood tall in the distance, and the whole place smelled like oil, smoke, and burning fuel. It felt familiar since I ran a mercenary group in my past life. In fact, I would say this felt more comfortable than my days in class.
Pamela led me to a helipad with an aircraft different from the rest.
The helicopter looked sleek and sharp, like it was built for speed. Instead of a loud, spinning rotor on top, it had glowing blue rings that hummed quietly with power.
Aether crystals pulsed along its sides, lighting up in patterns. Its body was black metal with silver lines, like veins, carrying energy through the frame. Underneath, aether vents released soft blue mist.
It didn't roar like normal helicopters. It hummed, deep and steady, like it was alive.
Standing beside it were Natasha and Viktor. He frowned as he saw my approaching figure, making me wonder if this man had a grudge against me after the incident in Nightfall Dominion territory.
In my opinion, if there was someone meant to hold a grudge, it was me. But I didn't voice my thoughts, neither did I show my resentment.
I would show it when I was ready to take his life and steal his talent.
As we drew closer, Natasha ran over with a friendly smile on her face, making me wonder when we became best friends. Last time I checked, I had abandoned her at the disciplinary committee building earlier today.
"I knew you would come," she said with expectant eyes.
I just gave her a nod with a small smile, and my face turned cold as I shifted my gaze to Viktor's approaching figure.
Both sides met, and Viktor's cold gaze never left me.
"This is not our dress code." His eyes narrowed.
"Fuck your dress code," I responded bluntly.
Buzz!
Natasha jerked back in shock, while Pamela glanced at me, blinking repeatedly. Even she was stunned by my boldness.
Viktor wasn't quick to anger, but his discontent was made known by clenching his fists while knitting his brows. Unfortunately for him, I knew he couldn't do shit.
They needed me here, and that's why they asked for my help. By the way, he wasn't a lecturer here, like Pamela, so he had no right to discipline students.
Most importantly, even if he tried to discipline me, Pamela wouldn't let him reach me, and his public image would be ruined when the headline "Pro-Limitless Beats Up 18-Year-Old Student" gets out.
While a Limitless's power was important, his public image mattered just as much.
For a few seconds, we were locked in an intense staring contest. I noticed Viktor's displeased gaze slowly turn to confusion.
I suspected he was wondering how a student could be so bold.
Hmph!
He snorted disdainfully and walked away, entering the helicopter without a word.
Natasha drew a sharp breath while Pamela chuckled, seemingly amused by the exchange.
"Let's go," she said before skipping forward.
Before I could respond, Natasha slipped her arm around mine like couples would.
"Let's go," Natasha said with a smile that would charm any man.
Fortunately, I wasn't any man.
I gently pulled away before following Pamela. However, a few steps in, I noticed something—a small team of five soldiers walking in unison like robots, synced perfectly.
They all had different appearances, but there was this faint bluish color to their veins, coupled with their identical blue eyes.
These men were all over six feet tall and built like muscular superheroes you'd see in cartoons. Their footsteps were heavy, nearly to the point where I could hear them from a distance.
Most importantly, I could sense Aether energy flowing within them. Even if I couldn't, anyone could see it coursing through their bulging blue veins.
"Those are the secret weapons I told you about," Pamela's voice stole my attention.
I glanced at her, confused at first, but then I remembered our discussion about the government's secret weapon. Back then, Pamela said she couldn't share such information, but now I understood why she made a big deal out of it.
These were genetically modified humans capable of handling Aether weapons.
But my question was, were these super soldiers created to aid Limitless—or keep them in check?