STRIKER: Independent Beast Tamer

Special Base (4th Zone)

Jeremy Night was on foot, having covered only a few meters. Just then, his senses kicked in. He felt an arm reaching out from behind.

His eyes flickered; he immediately stepped aside and avoided the grab.

Swoosh!

It happened so fast that others only had time to blink.

The heavily built middle-aged man grasped empty air. Being a Tier-7 Beast Tamer, he realized the young man had used his own strength to evade the hold.

This pissed him off even more.

”You...,” he growled through gritted teeth, completely enraged. He lost his cool, forgetting they were on a base.

Swoosh!

Using his strength, he vanished on the spot. A moment later, he reappeared behind Jeremy Night and brought his right hand down to grab the young man’s shoulder.

Jeremy’s senses were already high. He turned around, reading the movement in his surroundings, and spotted the middle-aged man directly in front of him.

The man’s hand was only inches away. Jeremy swept his gaze across the area, noting the expressions of the onlookers.

He picked out Oscar Fletcher, Sarah, and several others, suspecting the earlier shout had come from Oscar. He committed the details to memory.

”Explosive Steps!”

Activating the movement technique, he chose not to rush back to his room. Instead, he darted toward the training facility. In a flash, he slipped past the heavily built man and zipped straight past his friends.

Swoosh!

As he neared the entrance, the flow of time around him seemed to return to normal.

”Where is he?” the heavily built man barked. He had only seen the young man turn and disappear in a blur. The rest of the crowd reacted with equal confusion.

The other three Tier-7 Beast Tamers had clearly seen the young man flash past them seconds prior. Instead of addressing their friend, they turned back toward the facility.

The crowd followed their lead. Everyone had only caught a brief flash. Oscar Fletcher and his companions stood dumbfounded.

Sarah’s eyes were wide open, she hadn’t even blinked, yet she had barely registered Jeremy dashing for the facility entrance.

Swoosh!

By the time everyone turned toward the entrance, Jeremy had already slipped inside.

Gasp!

A collective outcry rose from the crowd. Spectators had expected an entirely different outcome, only for Jeremy to turn the tables.

The four Tier-7 Beast Tamers stood there looking like fools. The heavily built man, in particular, felt completely humiliated under the burning gazes of the crowd.

Second- and third-year students watched the spectacle with amusement.

”Jeremy Night!” the man let out a furious roar. Unleashing his full power to give chase, he vanished in a flash.

His three companions tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Meanwhile, onlookers were busy reviewing their photos and recordings. Those who had failed to catch the details, especially the first-year Tier-5 Beast Tamers scrambled to check their devices.

They wanted to see how a Tier-4 Beast Tamer had slipped out of the grasp of a Tier-7 senior.

Oscar Fletcher stood stunned, unable to comprehend how Jeremy had gotten away.

Sarah reined in her thoughts, a sinking feeling settling over her. Things were clearly not going as planned.

Inside the training facility, Jeremy had entered one of the practice rooms.

Outside, the heavily built man went from door to door, banging on each one. He restrained his strength just enough to avoid smashing the doors to pieces.

”Where are you, Jeremy Night?!”

He knew the young man was hiding in one of the rooms.

[Why didn’t you attack him?] Stella’s voice echoed in Jeremy’s mind.

”That wouldn’t solve anything,” he replied.

Now was not the time to explain base politics to her. If the man had influential backing, they would readily turn the tables on Jeremy if he struck first.

Swoosh!

Moments later, the man’s three companions entered the facility. Seeing him on the verge of losing control, they knew they had to intervene before he caused serious damage.

They rushed to his side to pull him back.

”Are you insane?”

”The elders have probably already caught wind of this. Do you really think they’ll let this slide? A Tier-7 Beast Tamer hunting down a Tier-4 junior?” a black-haired middle-aged man reprimanded him.

They had all wanted to vent their frustration, but the situation had spiraled out of hand.

The heavily built man snapped back to his senses. The mention of the elders hit him hard, forcing him to realize the gravity of his actions. If anything had happened to the young man, he would have been expelled from the base.

His companions led him back outside. The crowd had already dispersed; instead, a few elders stood waiting. Spotting the four Tamers, the elders promptly escorted them to the meeting hall.

Meanwhile, Oscar Fletcher, Sarah, and the others walked back toward their quarters, discussing the elders’ sudden intervention.

A few elders had evidently reviewed the footage of the confrontation and dispatched nearby elders immediately to apprehend the Tier-7 seniors.

With an important event on the horizon, they couldn’t afford any public disruptions.

The news had not yet fully spread. Had the remaining elders particularly Elder Sandra learned of it, they would have been thoroughly shocked.

Elder John, having already caught wind of the incident, immediately placed a call to Jeremy.

Inside the training room, Jeremy answered.

”What happened?” Elder John asked.

Jeremy briefed him on the situation.

A few moments later, Elder John spoke. ”They’ll face disciplinary action for this.” He paused, then added, ”Why didn’t you strike back?”

He was well aware of Jeremy’s combat prowess; had the young man chosen to fight, he could easily have injured the senior.

Jeremy smiled faintly. ”I didn’t want to reveal too much. Escaping was enough to make my point.”

Elder John agreed, and the two spoke for a few more minutes before concluding the call.

Shortly after, Jeremy stepped out of the training facility. Seeing the area deserted, he headed back to his room.

That was a close call. But he was able to solve it in the end.