STRIKER: Independent Beast Tamer

5th Zone, City-A

Hospital

Jeremy Night brought food for his parents. He didn’t know how long they were required to stay here, though they seemed to have recovered completely.

Ron and Nora Night were eating. Melinda was sitting in the corner, staying quiet. Her mind was on something else.

Ron and Nora noticed the situation. Their son and Melinda were usually talkative, but they had become quiet now.

Ron then looked at the big screen and turned on the news.

[Breaking News: City-wide permission has been given for volunteers to enter the wilderness. Currently, mid-tier and higher-tier Beasts have entered the wilderness in large numbers.]

[Only Tier-5 Beast Tamers and above are allowed to enter the wilderness. That too, only volunteers. Severe action will be taken against those who break the rules.]

A news anchor delivered the breaking news on the channel.

Quiet!

Hearing that, everyone’s face changed. Their expressions turned solemn. In particular, Ron and Nora Night were afraid of their son coming to harm.

Melinda was shocked internally. She was worried about the worst-case scenario, but she didn’t expect to hear something even worse.

Everyone then slowly turned toward the one person in the room who had a calm demeanor. But they knew it was far from reassuring.

Jeremy Night was sitting in a relaxed position. His back was leaning against the sofa. He was watching the news without much surprise.

Unlike the others, he knew what had happened in the wilderness ever since the improved Beast powder was placed.

It was only a matter of time before the corrupted beasts beyond the wilderness border appeared.

So he was not surprised. But he was surprised about one thing: he didn’t know why the Governors had allowed the City Beast Tamers to enter the wilderness.

What would they do if a Tier-9 Beast were to appear? Things would become worse if more than one Tier-9 Beast decided to show up.

Ron and Nora Night saw that their son was not speaking at all. It made them worry even more. Then they turned toward Melinda. She was unusually quiet as well.

"Jeremy," Ron called out to his son.

Hearing that, Jeremy collected his thoughts and turned toward his father.

"Dad," he replied.

"What are you going to do?" Ron asked. His face held a questioning look. Though he had guessed the answer already, he wanted to hear it from his son’s mouth.

Nora added, "You can tell us the truth."

On the other hand, Melinda turned toward Jeremy Night as well.

Feeling everyone’s gaze on him, Jeremy Night said, "I’m going to enter the wilderness. I have never backed away from any fight. I have participated in every beast invasion battle."

"Whether it was the 14th Zone, 10th Zone, 9th Zone, or 5th Zone. Not long ago, I fought in the 4th Zone’s special base as well," Jeremy added.

Everyone was quiet. Ron and Nora looked at each other.

Melinda already knew the answer. She was not surprised.

Before his parents could say anything, he said, "If I go, I will slay more beasts, thereby saving more lives. But if I don’t go, the casualties will increase."

"Then we will enter the wilderness," Nora said.

Jeremy Night heard that. His expression changed drastically.

He said, "You guys heard the news. It’s a volunteer job. If you guys go behind my back to enter the wilderness, then I will not leave the wilderness until the problem is solved."

He didn’t say he wouldn’t leave until the beast attack was over; he said he wouldn’t leave until the problem was solved.

Ron and Nora Night didn’t feel the difference. But Melinda caught the nuance. She understood what Jeremy Night was up to now.

Nora started panicking after hearing that Jeremy Night was going to enter the wilderness. Ron noticed her reaction.

Sigh!

He let out a sigh and said, "Don’t worry. He is stronger than you think. He must have faced far more threatening beasts back at the special base."

Hearing that, Nora was somewhat reassured. But she was still afraid.

Jeremy Night said, "Mother, I will take care of myself. You guys should rest here. I don’t want to see you in the wilderness."

After saying that, he stood up, ready to leave. Melinda was ready to leave as well. She bid goodbye to Jeremy’s parents.

Then they both left the hospital. They saw that the situation outside was tense. Every Beast Tamer was rushing to find a cab to get to the city gate.

It was a volunteer task, yet they had decided to go to the frontlines. Jeremy Night didn’t waste any time. He flagged down one of the cabs.

Both of them hurriedly got inside.

Swoosh!

The cab departed, heading toward the city gate. Melinda was quiet, watching the passing scenery through the window.

Jeremy Night was thinking about his next plan. He had told his parents that he would fight against mid-tier beasts, but he had lied to them.

His goal had always been the higher-tier beasts. He hadn’t told anyone about this; he hadn’t even told Melinda. He would find a way to slip away from her.

If she knew, she would definitely inform Head Harold.

10 minutes later,

Amidst the heavy traffic, the cab driver was able to get them there quickly. After reaching the city gate, he landed the cab on the ground.

Thud!

When the cab came to a halt, they exited. Jeremy paid the fare to the driver. The driver wished them the best.

Jeremy Night and Melinda rushed to the city gate. The guards were inspecting everyone’s tier before letting them enter the wilderness.

They stood in the queue. It didn’t take long for their turn to come. Melinda showed her ID, and the guards let her in.

When Jeremy’s turn came, he was ready to show his ID. Right then, the guards stopped him.

"You are a Tier-4 Beast Tamer. You are not allowed to enter," one of the guards said.

Hearing that, Melinda said, "Don’t you guys recognize him? He is Jeremy Night from the Red Moon Chamber."

Gasp!

A commotion occurred. The older guards knew the name. When they saw Jeremy Night, they recognized him.