[We do not have any choice. To face the threats that lurk in our path, to ensure we survive the trials that lie ahead, we must not allow division to weaken our stand.]


    "Haha, they don''t get it, do they?"


    Sitting in the usual corner of the old attic, Rollo watched the live stream of the press conference on his old beat-upptop. He couldn''t help butugh when some of the reporters asked stupid questions, but when the new Head General gave the obvious answer, it was still a bit shocking to hear.


    "The haters will have quite a lot to work with…"


    The chat was already going wild, some of the smart ones having already caught on to what was happening and informed the others. Sadly that''s all they could do; type furiously until either their fingers or keyboards break.


    A single man has surrounded himself with powerful beings from another dimension and taken control over what''s basically the world government. Looking at the faces of the other six Generals and how they kept their silence this entire time, it was clear that not a single one among them was happy about the arrangement.


    Just when the apocalypse was finally reaching its end, a dictator rose to the seat of power. From the looks of it, the chaos wouldn''t be calming any time soon. That''s what the boy concluded, and knowing how many things he was right about before, he knew this time wasn''t much different.


    "Can I really entrust him with the kids…"


    As he muttered that to himself, the boy heard one of the boards covering the door move.


    "We''re back."


    "Wee ba-


    His words were cut at the sight of a small rectangle flying toward him and he moved quickly to catch it. Once it was in his hands, he realized it was a smartphone and the blood drained from his face.


    "Keven!" He yelled. "Didn''t I tell you to cut it out!!?"


    "Calm down." The blond boy scratched his right ear, looking quite annoyed. "Some outsiders wandered in here. They had really nice clothes so I couldn''t let it go."


    "What are you saying? If the Resistance found out about this you might have a difficult time even if you Awaken!"


    "You''re still going on about that?" Kevin''s frown deepened. A few secondster he heaved a sigh and shook his head. "Even if we Awaken or join the Resistance, we would still need money. It wouldn''t hurt to have more."


    "Just cut it out, Rollo." Kai spoke from beside Kevin, the hood covering his head casting an unsettling shadow on his face. "You more than anyone should know things won''t be that easy."


    Silence filled the old attic and the three boys continued to stare at each other. Eventually, Rollo let his shoulders drop and turned to hisptop, a resigned sigh escaping him as he began toin.


    "The conference has just started, you know? I wanted to watch it live." He picked one of the cables lying around and plugged it into the smartphone, and as he took a proper look at it he started to notice some oddities. "This one seems brand new. There isn''t even a scratch on the screen."


    "Yeah, we thought it was weird as well." Said Kai, Sitting nearby with his back to the nearby wall. "Well, its owner was weird as hell."


    "Hmm... how so?"


    Though heined before, Rollo was already engrossed in the task entrusted to him by the other boys. The world''s banking systems broke soon after the Cmities appeared, but ever since, several new institutions havee forward to fill the void.


    Though all of them dealt with the only currency currently in use, Credits, their refusal to merge into a centralized entity left a lot of openings to be exploited.


    ''That new Head General, he''ll definitely get rid of it all right from the get go…''


    If the banks were to merge into one centralized organization, more control would be exerted over the surviving humans, allowing a single entity to monitor all financial transactions in the settlements and intercept any illegal deals.


    Once they reach that point, he and his friends wouldn''t be able to continue with their little business venture, which included using stolen devices to buy different cryptocurrencies, trade them around for a while then sell them for credits.


    ''Might as well sell all the coins I have…''


    He was sure the market would copse in a single night as people started reaching the same conclusion as him. After all, if one couldn''t sell their crypto for Credits then their value will be worth nothing.


    "Well, they were with that reporter," Kevin said. "Sara Pinkman."


    Rollo''s fingers halted.


    "Really?"


    "Yeah, we saw her talking to ck Tiger Simon. He asked her to pay the fee for the two guests she brought."


    "Hmm… So, what''s weird about these guests?"


    "Well, the way they were dressed was fishy." The blond boy answered. "They had their hoods on the entire time, and they wore masks and shades that covered their faces. It was as if they were trying to hide their identities, though it made them stand out even more."


    "Their clothes were brand new." Said Kai, his eyes on the shabby ceiling. "They seem to be eating well, too. I bet they''re some rich hoes from the Center."


    ''Sara Pinkman, two guests, the conference…'' As his hands went back to working the keyboard, Rollo felt his throat go dry. ''I have a really bad feeling about this…''


    "Why would some rich girlse all the way here?" He asked.


    "Who know?" Keven shrugged his shoulders. "What matters is that she must have a fat wallet. We should buy some new clothes for Runa and the others. Can''t let them go to the hall as is."


    The conversation died down as their eldest focused on breaking the stolen phone''s security. It was clear that he was having a difficult time as he stopped paying attention to everything around them, even forgetting about the live stream he was watching from the corner of his eye.


    The process was taking longer than usual and the two boys were starting to get worried. Eventually, Rollo stopped mashing the keys on his beat-upptop and quickly grabbed the phone which had been unlocked.


    Sighing in relief, the two boys approached him from behind eager to see how many Credits the rich girl carried on her, but what they saw was their friend entering a messaging app instead of the digital wallet.


    Though they wanted toin, their curiosity prompted them to watch in silence. Their confusion grew more and more as they read the messages, and just as they were about to ask, Rollo turned to them with a pale face.


    "Say, Kevin…" He spoke with a shivering smile. "That girl you ran into, are you sure she isn''t a Valkyrie?"