Empire Building With Infinite Warehouse-Chapter 99: Always Saving My Ass

Julien’s eyes went wide.

He knew that voice anywhere.

He quickly looked to the side, peering through the circle of armed guards who were still pointing their weapons right at his chest.

The tense crowd parted slowly, and a familiar figure walked right through the gap.

A woman with long black hair stepped into the glow of the portable construction lights.

She wore a neat, practical dress that looked entirely out of place in the dirty, blood-stained scavenger market.

A slender sword in a dark hung casually at her waist.

It was Maya.

’What is she even doing all the way out here in the dead zones?’ Julien thought to himself, completely baffled by her sudden appearance.

Then a specific memory clicked into place in his brain. Isabella had told him a few details about Maya’s father a while back.

The man had some history out in the gates. Julien quickly figured she must have travelled all the way out to this unregulated market to deal with that exact family matter.

Maya did not even look at the thirty heavily armed killers surrounding them.

She walked right past Ken’s market thugs and stepped directly into the small space between Julien and Lena.

"He is with me," Maya said, her voice totally steady as she looked right into the gold eyes of the S-class military commander.

"I know him. He is a highly popular and certified merchant back at the Guild Association in the main districts. He is definitely not a threat to your camp."

Lena narrowed her eyes. She looked back and forth between Maya and Julien, clearly unconvinced by the sudden, convenient character reference.

She was a paranoid warlord who absolutely did not trust coincidences.

But Lena also could not deny the results lying right in front of her. She looked down at the empty glass vial resting on the dirt floor and remembered exactly how that red liquid actively fought off her high-tier mana to heal a fatal wound.

The potion was an absolute masterpiece. If this guy really was a top-tier guild merchant with a massive supply line, killing him right here in the mud over a bruised ego would be a terrible waste of resources for her struggling army.

Lena slowly lowered her silver sword.

The pressure in the air instantly vanished as the entire market took a collective breath.

"Fine," Lena said, her tone completely bored again.

She pointed a finger right at Julien’s chest.

"Bring your cart to the front gates of the military camps tomorrow morning. Do not be late."

She did not wait for an answer or a confirmation.

Lena simply turned around and walked away, quickly dismissing the intense atmosphere she had just created.

Ken followed right behind her, taking his heavy-set personal guards with him. The rest of the market thugs slowly lowered their guns and cheap swords, melting back into the massive crowd of scavengers like nothing had even happened.

Eric was the last one to leave. The creepy market boss just stood there for an extra second and gave Julien a very wide, knowing smile.

Then he turned on his heel and walked off toward the main stadium tunnels.

Julien let out a massive sigh of relief. He felt like his lungs were finally working again. He wiped a layer of cold sweat off his forehead and turned to look at the black-haired woman standing next to him.

"Always saving my ass," Julien replied sarcastically, offering her a tired smile.

But Maya was not convinced by the joke.

She did not smile back.

Her face was completely serious.

"Come with me," Maya ordered.

She reached out, grabbed his hand tightly, and pulled him away from the crowded street and marched him right toward one of the empty concrete shops built into the lower seating levels of the stadium.

Before they walked inside the dark room, she held up a hand and signed for Kyle to stay right there on the street.

The giant mercenary just grunted, clearly amused that his boss was getting dragged away like a child, and crossed his arms to guard the wooden cart.

Maya pulled Julien into the empty shop and finally let go of his hand.

The room was dusty and quiet, completely cutting off the loud noise of the bazaar outside.

"What are you doing here, Julien?" Maya spoke up, her voice echoing slightly against the bare walls.

"The ruined city is extremely dangerous. It isn’t a playground for you to just wander around in and test your luck."

Julien was actually surprised.

She had never been this talkative before.

Maya was usually the silent, brooding type who only spoke when it was necessary to relay a plan or call out an attack.

"I am not a kid, Maya," Julien defended himself, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I know exactly what I am doing out here. And also, what are you doing here? This is way outside our districts."

Maya looked away for a second, staring at a crack in the concrete floor.

"You know I searched the districts all over for you," Julien said quietly.

Her facial expression remained totally indifferent, but Julien could easily sense her hidden vulnerability.

He knew she actually cared about his safety, even if she tried her best to hide it behind a strict attitude and a sword.

It made him feel a little guilty for disappearing to set up this merchant operation without leaving a clear message for her.

"Look, it is okay," Julien said, softening his voice and taking a small step closer to her.

"Not that it really matters right now anyway. The important point is that you are here, and the timing is actually perfect. Since you are already involved, we need your help to get inside those military camps tomorrow morning."

Maya looked back at him, her dark eyebrows furrowing in total confusion.

"What for?" Maya asked.

"You just barely survived an encounter with Commander Lena on the street, and now you want to willingly walk right into the middle of her heavily guarded base?"

"I heard a very reliable rumour," Julien explained, leaning in closer so nobody outside the shop could hear them.

"They locked up an SSS-rank Awakener in one of their secure holding camps. And that specific prisoner happens to be my friend’s brother."

Maya stared at him as if he had completely lost his mind. Breaking into a warlord’s fortress to steal a prisoner was the absolute definition of a suicide mission.

"Which friend?" Maya asked, highly sceptical of his connections.

"A ghost woman," Julien replied, completely deadpan.

Maya just blinked. She had seen Alice during the shadow beast breakout.

"I am completely serious," Julien added quickly, seeing the look of absolute disbelief on her face.

"I know exactly how crazy it sounds. But she is a good friend to me, and her brother is trapped in there. So please, help us get inside."

Maya let out a long, exhausted breath.

She crossed her arms and leaned back against the cold concrete wall of the empty shop. She processed his absurd plan for a few quiet moments, calculating all the impossible risks, the heavily armed guards, and the terrifying presence of Commander Lena.

She finally looked right into his eyes.

"Getting inside the camp is the easiest part, Julien," Maya replied, her voice dead serious.

"Escaping from there is the hardest."