15 Concealment Area

It was a huge humanoid embodiment of light that presented itself right in front of Tabitha.

"Hello, my master, I'll now import you into my system… Four… three…two…one… Import completed. Do you have any questions about the Concealment Area?"

????

When Tabitha caught the last few words, she wondered if her mind had wandered, causing her to miss out on some information. Didn't she just arrive? She was filled with questions that went deep into her very body and soul!

"Wait, wait! What is this Concealment Area? What are… you?"

"Oh, it appears as though you have no idea about the Concealment Area. It'’s okay. It'’s okay. No. 746 will fully introduce you to our area. Please don't worry."

With that said, different portions of the light blob gradually transformed into different colors.

“"As you can see, these are the natural drivers in your body. They are working for you and under your control at all times. But like most people, you do not know how to use them effectively and reasonably. The Concealment Area will provide you with a systematic way to use them in your life..."

The humanoid embodiment of light vanished into the darkness and its voice from somewhere came to an abrupt end. Tabitha only felt like she had a splitting headache. When she opened her eyes again, she realized that she was still holding that old book. Aaron stood beside her and had his hands on her shoulders as if he was saying something to her.

Tabitha shook her head and Aaron's voice finally surged into her head.

"Tabitha, Tabitha! Are you okay? You alright?" The man waved his palms in front of Tabitha as he spoke, and the girl took a while to finally focus her eyes on the man's face. She gestured with her hand to indicate that she was fine. The man to her side looked at her for a long while. He didn'’t do anything more after he confirmed that she was totally fine. He only said, "You should take a break first." Next, he picked up the tabloid newspaper that was being studied. However, his eyes darted over to her from time to time, seemingly worried about her situation.

The house regained its peace as though everything was as usual, but in Tabitha's eyes, the world had totally changed.

She did not know how to describe the things that she could see. It was as though every element of the house had become a molecular structure. The house was still the former house, and nothing changed about it, but she could see all the molecular structures in them. It was as if she could see two worlds in front of her eyes, an ordinary one that was normal to everyone, and the other was completely decomposed into molecules. Even the wind that had blown past her looked like a visible existence!

She didn't know how to explain it. No.746 was just about to explain something to her when she ended up being awakened by Aaron. Now she had no idea how to back to Concealment Area and couldn'’t even open the Basic Defense Method I.

"Captain..." She tried for a long time but eventually, she reluctantly gave up the idea of going back to that area. After thinking about it, she believed she owed Aaron an explanation despite not particularly clear about her situation.

Aaron raised his head as soon as he heard her speak. He seemed eager for her explanation as he waited, simply too embarrassed to ask.

Tabitha was not sure how to explain whatever she had been through before despite pondering over it. Everyone in the team knew she had purchased the Basic Defense Method I, but the existence of the Concealment Area was obviously not known. At least, her team members did not know anything about it. Even she had no idea what the Concealment Area was for. If she rushed to announce it, it was hard to tell what kind of reaction her teammates would have...

"We're back~ We finally received red crystals today! A total of 80!" The voice of Fay crashed through the doorway and broke Tabitha's dilemma. She hurriedly stood up to meet the people who were covered in sweat. The last person to enter the house with a full-stack of newspaper and books was Alfred. Somehow, Tabitha suddenly felt guilty at the moment she saw him and raised a glimmer of hope. It might be a good idea to tell him… This guy was very sharp. He could tell even if she didn'’t say anything. But if she told him frankly about the situation, he might be able to give her some ideas, considering his great wisdom…

Tabitha momentarily felt a sense of anticipation but didn'’t realize how her direct gaze on someone would cause them. Alfred coughed and brought all the material to Aaron. Only then did Tabitha notice that Fay was looking at her and Alfred with a sudden look of realization. Tabitha realized why and her face flushed red. However, she knew that saying anything under the present circumstances would only confirm the speculations the rest had. She could only remain silent.

"“I’'ve browsed through them today and all of them are some gossip tabloids and basic introductions about the market. I don’'t know why but none of these books and papers I found mentions anything about the history here. The earliest written information about the local community that I can find denoted matters that happened around thirty years ago. First of all, regardless of when this market first appeared, just looking at the barnyard we presently live in, we can surmise that it has been built for at least fifty or sixty years. What happened after the house's completion of this house and why were the nearby houses abandoned?"

If Alfred was initially reporting the information he discovered to Aaron, he was later lost in his own anxious murmuring.

"“Well, let's do this. Tabitha didn'’t receive any clues about the disappearance of the mercenary from the market, and people in this market seem reluctant to mention the topic. Rather than letting her go to the market tomorrow and wasting her time, why not let her search the barnyard with you?" Aaron noticed that Alfred was fretting over his discoveries and quickly interrupted his thoughts and informed Alfred of his previous decision.

The tall and thin man heard that and cast a glance at Tabitha, who standing next to him, and nodded. Seeing that the atmosphere in the house was no longer as heavy, Fay took out a few canned food and handed them out to the team. “"Come on, let’'s leave the things of tomorrow for tomorrow. We are all tired today, so let’s have some food first~” "

No one objected to it. Aaron also took out a flint to build a simple fire pit in the middle of the house. As the sky darkened, the fragrant smell of meat suffused out of the cans.

"Hey, do you mind sharing that?" When the team enjoyed the canned meat and their biscuits, they saw a guy sneaking up to the doorway before smiling at them. That man looked to be in his sixties or seventies. His disheveled beard on his face gave him a grayish bleak emotion. He appeared to not have eaten anything for a long time. The dirty and stained clothes on his body clung to his discernible ribs. He looked like a beggar.

Fay felt pity for the poor man and beckoned him to share the food with them. The night in the desert was always a little chilly and after swallowing two steaming pieces of meat, the beggar felt comfort through his entire being. He buckled the scorpions on his ankles and smiled. "Oh, you guys are so kind. I haven't eaten such decent food in a pretty long while. This town has been deserted for so many years. And that market, hey!"

Alfred looked up when he heard the beggar's words. When the old man's eyes met Alfred's, he instantly stopped speaking and began rambling about inconsequential matters. He didn'’t show any intention of staying after having his fill. He thanked everyone and left alone.

Carol snorted, seemingly disgusted by the beggar. But Fay seemed ambivalent about him and even made sure that everyone had more food to eat. She usually redeemed more snacks when it was her turn to retrieve her supplies anyway. She didn't have many weapons in her pocket but she always had some food with her. They were always risking their lives and had little chance of having a good meal together. The mood in the house turned more relaxed. Only Alfred remained silent, as though lost in his own ruminative thoughts.