Lohan raised his hand to his face and released the latches on his protective mask. The sound of the vacuum breaking was followed by a sigh of relief as he breathed in the hangar air, which, though not as pure as that of Elysium, was far superior to the chemical soup of Sector 4ās streets.
Even though he could filter impurities from the air, if the air he breathed was pure, he could absorb far more nutrients for every cubic centimeter of air he inhaled.
When he finally removed the mask and revealed his face, silence fell over the group.
Jenny, who was instinctively massaging the side of her ribs where Lohan had struck her in the alley, frowned and uncrossed her arms. "Seriously? That brat who threw me against those boxes like a doll?"
Kai, standing beside her, was just as uncomfortable. Accustomed to fighting bigger men from other gangs, seeing that the one who had made him throw up that day was a boy as young as Devon was disheartening.
Despite Kai and Jennyās obvious displeasure, Lohan didnāt let it faze him. He looked at the two of them and gave a small, sidelong smile, but said nothing.
Kai looked away, muttering something inaudible, while Skye stepped forward. She didnāt seem annoyed by the smile heād given her friends, but rather intrigued. Her blue eyes scanned Lohanās face with an intensity he was already beginning to find uncomfortable.
"You donāt look like someone from the Lower Zone..." Skye remarked, her voice coming out softer now compared to the first time they met since it wasnāt coming through the helmetās speakers. "Your skin isnāt so pale, your eyes arenāt red from sulfur irritation... you look like someone who lives on a paradise planet, not in this hole."
"I drink a lot of nutrient solutions," Lohan replied curtly, seeing no need to go into detail about how his cores were cleansing his system 24 hours a day.
The burly man, with grease stains on his hands and ears that looked like they had burn scars, approached, wiping his fingers on a dirty rag, and looked Lohan up and down. He was Zach, the groupās mechanic who had tried to attack Lohan with a lug wrench.
"Heās got a good build, Skye." Zach analyzed, sizing up Lohan as if he were looking at a candidate. "Heās not pumped up like those guys who use gym stimulants. Heās... natural. His postureās too straight, too. Do you play any sports?"
"Just basic exercises." Lohan remarked disinterestedly, not wanting to delve deeper into their āinvestigation.ā
He felt like they were evaluating him, as if they were deciding whether he was worth recruiting into the gang.
But he didnāt want to pursue that; heād come here to meet a friendly group, not to go through a selection process to join the gang.
As he looked around, he saw a girl watching him from a distance, sitting in a wheelchair and gazing at him with half-closed eyes.
Sara didnāt say anything; she just nodded to Skye, silently confirming something to her.
Devon, sensing the mood was turning cold, intervened. "Lohan goes to school with us, guys. Heās from the Lower Zone too. Stop treating him like this."
Skye ignored Devonās comment, crossing her arms over her silver jacket as the fabric reflected the hangarās yellowish lights. She took another step forward, closing in on Lohan while sniffing lightly.
"Devon doesnāt need to defend you, Lohan. Your fists in the alley did that just fine." She said, in a tone of voice that blended authority with reluctant respect. "Baker told us about your potential a few days ago; we just didnāt realize the person he kept talking about was you. And if our previous encounter wasnāt enough, Sara has already confirmed it. She can sense the density of your Mana even from there; to sensors, youāre like a giant LED light in the darkness of night. In the Lower Zone, someone like you is either a miracle or a problem. Weād prefer you to be a miracle under the Silver Lotus emblem."
Jenny let out a sharp laugh, wiping a grease stain off one of the white motorcycles. "Iāll admit it... if that brat really has an Epic Base, weāll be able to stop being a gang of scouts and become an elite force in no time..."
Lohan felt the weight of the groupās expectations crash down on him and found it strange.
āDo they want me to join the gang? Thatās not what Devon said.ā
Although Devon had constantly spoken highly of the group, about the advantages of befriending them, Lohan hadnāt offered to join the group at any point, especially given the bad experiences heād had with these people before.
He turned to Devon, his eyebrows furrowed in obvious confusion.
"Devon... whatās going on here?" Lohan asked, his voice maintaining an icy calm. "I thought you wanted to show me the base, introduce me to your friends, not put me through a selection process for your private militia."
Devon froze. He looked at Lohan, then at Skye, who was raising an eyebrow in doubt, and finally realized his mistake. He brought his hand to his forehead, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Oh, shit... Skye, everyone, hold on a second." Devon stepped in, gesturing for the group to step back a bit. "I think I... well, in the excitement of finding another high-level Player from the Lower Zone, I forgot to explain his situation to you."
He turned to the leader, his expression turning serious. "Skye, Lohan didnāt come here to join the Silver Lotus."
The silence that followed was broken only by the hiss of one of the stabilizers floating above a workbench.
Skye narrowed her blue eyes, the spark of curiosity in them growing sharper as she looked at Devon with irritation. "Devon, tell me, why on earth did you bring him to our base if he didnāt even want to join our group?"
Devon looked embarrassed, but quickly explained himself. "Skye, even if he doesnāt want to join our group, heās still open to befriending us. With the potential heās shown, and the influence our group has, a friendship would already be a good start."
Hearing that, Lohan nodded; that was exactly why heād come.
As for Skye and the group, they looked at Devon and Lohan with suspicion, but everyone there had seen Lohanās potential in the battle theyād fought, and with Saraās confirmation today, this proposal became even more valid.