Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 174: Taste of Freedom

Be it a Phantom or a mere human, anyone who happens to be convicted and sent to prison as punishment gets more than just a prison sentence.

More often than not, the prisoner also has to pay some fine, this is almost always required of Phantoms since they have money, but there is no point in sending them to prison labor - it's a waste of a valuable resource.

Even if a Phantom reached the S-zone, which meant his sentence would end in just a week, it did not affect the other terms of his punishment. If Adam had to pay 200,000 credits, he had to do it no matter what.

However... If the prisoners defeated the Warden and thus got out of prison, then everything changed.

"Wait... Do I understand correctly that if a new employee comes to work here tomorrow, he won't even be able to find information about us in the prison registry?" Kayla muttered with wide eyes.

Olav nodded with a confident smile.

"Not only in the prison registry, everywhere, and that applies not only to your current punishment but all previous ones, as well. You are now completely clean, and prisoners like you never existed. For the rest of the world, for the time you've been here, you've just been on vacation."

Adam, Edir, and Kayla looked at each other. They hadn't expected something like this at all.

The most important thing to them was freedom, but on top of that, they got a clean record, as well as the removal of all fines.

For Adam, it was especially important because he needed money, and 200.000 credits was more than half of everything he had.

It wasn't critical, he could earn more, but it made his financial situation much better.

"Enjoy the freedom and the bonuses for winning Warden. Never forget this day, for it is something only the strong enough can earn. Dead Lands and Citadel are not much different at their core, for they are all part of the same life in the same world." Olav said calmly.

"Pfffft, enough of this philosophy, it's already clear to everyone that if you're strong, you can get more than the others." Kayla snorted.

Olav just shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, how about we have a party in five days?" Edir suggested, turning to Adam and Kayla.

Adam tilted his head in a confusion, "A party?"

"Yes. I just want to relax! Invite your friends, I'll be there with Crita. I'm sure you have those who were worried about you! Bring your friends! It'll be fun!"

Adam shrugged, "I don't mind."

Then, Edir turned to Kayla, expecting the same response from her. But, for some reason, she looked away shamefully.

However, they quickly guessed what the issue was. As soon as Edir spoke of friends, Kayla's gaze darkened, filling with sadness. She was obviously quite lonely, and perhaps she only had her Operator.

Tap.

Edir, with a calm look, grabbed Kayla's wrist and opened her NEP.

"What are you doing?!" Kayla exclaimed, trying to pull her hand away, but Edir's grip was tighter than she expected.

"Adding myself to your contact list. Adam and I will get in touch and arrange everything, you just need to get to the right place at the right time." Edir said with a calm face before closing her NEP.

He waved his hand and said with slight irritation.

"And, put on some classy dress, stop walking around like an out-of-place person. You're a young beautiful girl, not a patient in a mental hospital!"

Kayla was clearly outraged, it was obvious from her menacing look, but she didn't say anything, soon - a slight smile filled with deep happiness appeared on her face.

Adam only smiled bitterly. He noted to himself that Edir's actions were harsh and abrupt, but always with a righteous hidden meaning.

Even if Kayla wanted to go with them, she was embarrassed to admit that she had no friends. Edir had easily solved that problem by turning the situation in such a way that he was forcing her to come, and her alone would be enough.

Adam grabbed the doorknob, about to leave the prison.

"Wait...!" Lola exclaimed uncertainly.

Adam turned around, faced with her awkward expression.

"I'll meet you in five days, won't I?" Adam asked with a slight smile on his face.

Lola's eyes opened wide, shining brightly like stars.

"Sure! I'll definitely come!" Lola energetically replied.

After a short conversation, Adam, Edir, and Kayla went off in different directions. Edir immediately called for his car, while Kayla wanted to rest somewhere and headed to the nearest cafe. She also needed to contact her Operator.

Tap.

Adam opened his NEP, about to call Silvana, but at the last moment, he changed his mind and took his hand away.

"Well... It would be better to have a surprise, wouldn't it? Moreover, I need to get some rest..." Adam muttered, looked up, and took a deep breath, filling his chest.

Even though he hadn't been in prison long, especially compared to those who stayed in F-Zone and D-Zone, Adam didn't like the feeling of being restricted from freedom.

Freedom was the greatest treasure a human, or any other living being could have. There were many ways to keep or lose freedom, but there was only one way to gain freedom - to take it by force.

Sure, there was ample room for philosophy and debate, but in Adam's case, power was the deciding factor.

In some ways Fall Hill Prison was similar to Dead Lands, only with one nuance - in Dead Lands, there were no rules, and no one guaranteed the safety of life in case of failure.

Perhaps that was one of the reasons why Prago avoided Dead Lands so much, as well as other Phantoms like him.

However... it wasn't a disadvantage for Adam, on the contrary...

"Agh... I still have things to do at the Citadel." Adam muttered, remembering his family, the party, and the meeting with Narata and Tron, "But..."

Adam looked away - where the Dead Lands lay dozens of kilometers in the distance.

"There's no way I can deal with the urge to go back... to where I became who I am now."