Chapter 1161: Everyone’s inside

Meanwhile...

While the enemy base was in total chaos, with uninvited people roaming around it, Atlas’s surroundings were peaceful. After sending Mark and Hugo inside the territory, he stayed at a distance just in case. In terms of fighting, he couldn’t do any of that. He was also sure they would be running nonstop, and even though he jogged regularly, he knew they would be sprinting inside.

So, nope.

Besides, Hugo and Mark were already inside. If Mint and Penny were added to the list, Zoren, Benjamin, and Slater would be fine.

"I can hear a lot of gunfire and shouting," he whispered, although the sound was already muffled in this distance. "I’m sleepy."

Atlas resisted yawning, hoping they would finish soon so he could rest. When he managed to stop a yawn, he snapped his eyes toward the building several meters away. He blinked and blinked, his brows furrowing slightly when he saw some movement.

The remnants of sleepiness disappeared in an instant, hiding behind a tree. Peeking over the trunk, he narrowed his eyes to check who it was.

It could be Mark with everyone. After all, this was their rendezvous point. According to the gang member, this exit hadn’t been used in a while, so Mark had to climb over it.

’I hope it’s them,’ Atlas thought.

Atlas waited in the darkness, and soon saw two figures came crawling out of the gates. However, they didn’t go over it, but rather underneath, where thick, untrimmed bushes grew.

"Those are..." he trailed off, stepping out of the shadows as he approached the figures.

---

Meanwhile...

"Ah..." Benjamin huffed in exhaustion, sitting in the mud without care. "That’s it, I’m tired. I’m dead."

Slater, on the other hand, dusted off his trousers. He and Benjamin had found their way out. Although there were enemies along the way, Slater managed to take them down. Benjamin helped a bit, but together, they found an escape route.

After a moment, Benjamin looked up at Slater, his excitement bubbling over. "Third Brother, we made it!" A surge of energy filled him. "That was pretty easy, don’t you think?"

Although they’d encountered a few enemies, they were fewer than expected. Benjamin and Slater had braced themselves for more opposition, but it had surprisingly gone smoothly.

"Mhm." Slater hummed, breathing heavily as he studied Benjamin’s face. After a beat, he offered his hand. "Get up. We’re still in the enemy’s territory. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

For a second, Benjamin hesitated before nodding with determination. He grabbed Slater’s hand, letting him pull him up. Just as they were about to flee, they noticed a figure approaching from the corner of their eyes.

"Third Brother!" Benjamin panicked and quickly hid behind Slater.

Slater, on the other hand, raised the rifle he’d looted and pointed it at the figure. The second he did, all he saw was a figure with its hand raised. When he heard the person’s voice, Slater froze, while Benjamin furrowed his brows.

"It’s me. Don’t shoot," Atlas called out, taking careful steps until he emerged from the darkness. "It’s me, Slater."

Slowly, Benjamin peeked over Slater’s shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "Sir Atlas?"

"First Brother..." Slater breathed out, his shoulders tensing up before he slowly lowered his rifle. "What are you... what are you doing here?"

"I should be the one asking," Atlas responded, his voice as confused as the two of them. "What are you two doing out here?"

"Uh..." Slater opened and closed his mouth, more worried that Atlas might start asking how Slater knew how to use a weapon like this.

Benjamin glanced at Slater and caught the blank look on his face. Clearing his throat, he stepped out from behind Slater and frowned at Atlas.

"Sir Atlas, isn’t it obvious? We escaped! Why do you sound like we shouldn’t have escaped?" Benjamin huffed. "Why are you acting like you’re not happy for us!? Those people who took us weren’t even good at being villains. They didn’t even know how to tie someone properly, so Third Brother and I managed to escape. Aren’t we cool?"

"..." Both Atlas and Slater were rendered speechless, staring at the proud Benjamin.

When Benjamin glanced back at Slater, he immediately saw the rifle slung over Slater’s shoulder. "Third Brother, you should take that off now! We don’t need the props anymore!" He quickly reached for the strap in a hurry, standing in front of Slater.

"You..." Slater trailed off, only to see Benjamin smiling at him while wiggling his brows. A shallow breath slipped past his lips as he realized Benjamin was covering for him.

Benjamin carefully held the rifle strap with his thumb and index finger. He lowered it a few steps away, hiding it behind the bushes just in case. When he was done, he faced the two with a bright smile.

"Done!" he announced. "Now, we should go before they find us! We’re still not safe, and we need to make a run for it!"

Slater nodded and then cast Atlas a glance. "That’s right, First Brother. We should leave this place. Why are you here, by the way?"

At that question, Slater and Benjamin both stared at Atlas with confusion.

What were the odds that Atlas was... lost?

"Don’t tell me you were playing hide and seek and ended up here, Sir Atlas?" Benjamin blurted out, but Atlas didn’t budge.

Atlas gazed at the two in silence, his face drained of color. Seeing his expression made the other two furrow their brows.

They didn’t feel good about this.

"I can’t leave yet," Atlas breathed out, glancing between the two. "Everyone’s inside."

"Everyone...?" Slater and Benjamin whispered in unison.

Atlas nodded. "Hugo, Mark, Mint, Zoren, and Penny. They were inside... to save the two of you."

As soon as those names left Atlas’s mouth, silence quickly fell on their shoulders. A soft gust of wind blew past them, whispering in their ears to fill in the silence. The three of them stood motionless, Slater and Benjamin staring at Atlas, and he staring back at them.

And then Benjamin and Slater finally took notice of the faint gunfire coming from somewhere on the base. No wonder they barely saw anyone on their way