Replacement Conjecture.

The assassins were not much of a danger since they were easy to fool and were not everywhere in the wilds. He could escape from them or kill them all. But the incursion zombies and beasts were everywhere, endless, and attacked strange creatures like him on sight. 

It didn't help that he couldn't take his bike. Not only could it be tracked, he couldn't get to it from the direction he escaped from. So he had to walk through the wilds while struggling for survival. 

It was not an easy task to survive in the wilds at all. He was constantly running and had very little sleep. But the thought of the terminal waiting for him at home kept him going.

It took him five days to return to New London. At that time, his clothes had become rags. He himself is in good condition. He is clean because it is easy to shed his dirty skin. 

He said after sighting the glorious city, "I can't believe I made it."

Wrath nodded, "I can't believe you made it either. I thought for sure you were a gunner several times back then. Tell me again, what did they teach you at your military school? If I didn't know any better, I would think you were a soldier."

He asked with a frown, "What difference does it make?"

Wrath laughed. "Civilians don't have your kind of survival instincts. I thought for sure that I would need to push and prod you not to get yourself killed. At the end of the day, you will learn valuable life lessons and become a better person because of your experience in the wilds."

"But looking at you, I'm guessing you didn't learn anything major. You look, sound, and behave exactly the same as you did before this whole ordeal. Makes me wonder what kind of training you have undergone."

Kelvin nodded. "I have learned valuable lessons, though. I have had time to think about them too."

"What lesson is that?" Wrath asked curiously.

"The first lesson is that missions might be more dangerous than I expected. The second lesson is that there is a lot of money in the narcotics business, and I want in."

The lessons he learned made Wrath laugh. 

It shook its head in wonder and said, "You are killing me here."

Kelvin said with determination, "I am serious. The narcotics business will provide a source of easy money while serving as a front for my kidnapping business. So I will be able to get money and scout for easy but powerful abilities to steal."

"The money alone will be able to even help me acquire abilities from much stronger targets, but the ability itself won't be useless. Red Dream's stimulating vines and Blue Crystal's infectious flesh do more than just produce narcotics, they grant deadly capacity and protection too."

"So I have to get one of those abilities. I already know how to go about it. I'll just replace a narco boss. I'll steal their ability too to seal my identity. And if things go south, I'll just drop the identity and escape."

Wrath exclaimed, "Wow. You have truly put in quite a bit of thought into this. When do you plan to put your plan into action, and who do you plan to replace? Is it Red Dream? Please tell me it is Red Dream."

He replied as he walked towards the city, "It is not Red Dream. I am currently weak to her abilities. I can block my nose, but any contact with her secretion will screw me."

"Besides, her ability is too slow for drug production. It is vulnerable to interference, and the drugs can't be amplified using natural abilities. She has to use chemicals to enhance them, which adds extra procedures and expenses to the production process. Plus, if red dust was so great, she wouldn't go after Blue Crystal with so much determination."

Wrath nodded at his words. "I guess you're right. I just wanted to see Red Dream's face while you crush her."

Kelvin assured it, "This thing with Red Dream is far from over. The information I have about her won't go to waste. Heck, I know where her base is, and I have been inside of it. I know a little about her gang too. All of these will come back to bite her."

Wrath clapped its shadowy hands with glee and said, "So you are going to become a drug lord. When will you have a change of title?"

He replied, "When I reach the F rank. I'll be able to hold my own against these low-level bosses. The other option is if I can come across an ability that can preserve my ability like the one Blue Crystal had."

The mention of Blue Crystal made Wrath laugh again. It said hysterically, "Did you see his shattered body? He was all over the place. Instead of Blue Crystal, he should be called Floor Crystal. Or Shattered Crystal. Or even better, shattered balls."

Kelvin shook his head. He had to accept that his sense of humor didn't quite cut it because he couldn't figure out what was so funny about Blue Crystal's death.

Actually, the only thing he found funny about this whole thing is the fact the fearsome drug boss Blue Crystal is actually a drug mule.

Everyone thought he didn't act often because he had capable subordinates, but they didn't know that he didn't act because he couldn't. Not that they were wrong about his subordinates. He truly did have capable subordinates. 

He voiced his thoughts to Wrath, "How do you think Blue Crystal became what he was?"

Wrath shrugged. "It is anyone's guess. He could have been kidnapped and used as raw material for blue dust right from the start, or he could have been the original drug boss, but his gang was usurped."

"It would kind of like what you want to do. But I don't see how that weak amplifier could have done it, though. Blue Crystal himself should be strong, from what I saw of him. So it shouldn't have been easy to capture him and restrict him if he were the drug boss. My bet is that he was just an ordinary guy with a useful ability that someone forcefully recruited to make drugs."