Chương 70: The Gateway

Instantly, most of the faces on board the ship hardened. Only mine and Cayman's faces remained blank, not showing any emotion. It was clear that barely anyone with me at the time knew what Cayman was talking about when he mentioned a 'gateway'. However, my mind instantly dug into my extensive knowledge about Night Hoppers and found the correct information. This concept, just like many other weird and wonderful things we've seen so far, had been mentioned in the novel at least once. A gateway.

A type of portal with a myriad of similarities to a regular portal. However, there's one difference that is often overlooked between a gateway and a portal. Whilst portals found inside portal rooms transport Hoppers to different planets, a gateway transports Hoppers to a different location on the same planet.

This has led to a myth in the novel that people often mistake a gateway for a portal, and as a result, they think they've gone to a different planet but in truth, they've just travelled to a different location on the same planet.

"A gateway? Why would there be a gateway on this ship?" Ben, whose boiling curiosity took over, asked Cayman, standing up from where he had been sitting and leaning on the wall. Despite his face being pale, he still demanded answers.

"Yeah, this is very strange…" Cayman's words trailed off. He put a hand on his chin, indicating that he was deep in thought, adding more ingredients into the pot of tension bubbling fiercely inside the room.

"Cayman, this is not looking very good," Devon said, his voice clouded with worry.

"This could be the reason why the number of skeletons keeps increasing…"

"Just be quiet please," Cayman snapped, but he did so in a voice devoid of any impudence.

"I'm thinking." The room was left in silence, with Cayman standing in front of the elusive gateway, blocking it and ensuring that no more beasts could attack us. Theo and Maya stared at the floor in a daze, whereas Daniel was rooted to the spot at the corner of the room, speechless and shell-shocked. My heart rate increased, and sweat trickled down my back. If it really was a gateway like the ones mentioned in Night Hoppers, we might be in a bit of a pickle.

Soon, the silence was gone, and it wasn't Ben who broke it.

"OK," Cayman said after around seven minutes of staying in silence.

"I think I've figured it out now."

"Figured out what?" Ben asked, his voice brimming with curiosity.

"Shut up and let me continue talking." Ben's head dropped and he let Cayman continue talking. Cayman then took a step to the side, revealing the gateway that his body had been covering up. It was just as it was described in Night Hoppers. There, at the very back of the enemy ship, was an ominous black portal which looked like a mirror at first glance; it was tall, narrow and oval-shaped.

It had the semblance of a black cloud, and whatever this weird and wonderful creation consisted of seemed to move in an anti-clockwise direction. It was basically a cave entrance but darker, a cave that led to who knows where. As much as I wanted to go through the gateway, I didn't know where the thing would lead me to, so I unfortunately had to refrain from stepping into the cloud of darkness. But I couldn't believe I was seeing one in the flesh, albeit on an enemy ship.

It made my heart thump from pure excitement. Suddenly, just as Cayman was about to open his mouth, a small group of skeletons emerged from the gateway, causing Cayman to flinch and Daniel to lunge in, swinging his two swords in all directions. Maya squealed as Daniel recklessly cleaved the skeletons' bodies into a multitude of small fragments with alacrity. Theo and Ben covered their mouths with their hands. I, who was stunned and didn't know how to react, instinctively checked the mission log.

Sure enough, the number of beasts had increased. [Mission 2/3: defeat the beasts] Beasts to defeat: 1) Skeleton pirate (advanced, 149/149) 2) Skeleton pirate (advanced/legendary, 0/59) 3)??? (?? /??) After a while of unprecedented silence, Cayman, who also couldn't react to the abrupt attack, suddenly walked up to the gateway, reached into his inventory, pulled out what appeared to be a sword and slashed the gateway. Slash!

The move was elegant and graceful, casting a thick, glimmering golden line on the ship where the sword moved. Our jaws dropped from seeing the shimmering ray of gold descend from the top, effortlessly landing before it fell on the black cloud called a gateway. The gateway, which couldn't withstand the sheer force of Cayman's sword strike, started showing cracks, which continued to accumulate until the entire gateway split into two.

The top half fell onto the floor without a sound, leaving the bottom half, which was glued to the spot, astounded; it couldn't believe what had just happened. We stared at the broken gateway for what felt like a good few minutes before it began to dissolve, emitting what appeared to be black smoke which eventually disappeared. And the rest of us, still stunned at what had just happened, stood as still as statues, staring at the floor where the gateway had just disappeared.

I couldn't remember Cayman doing such a thing in Night Hoppers, and since I had read that novel ten times in the past, that probably meant he had never done such a thing before. A tangible sense of suspense hung in the air for a while, causing our heart rates to rise and making us feel uneasy on the inside. Cayman had just destroyed a gateway, and there was an aura of madness and fury surrounding him like a cloud about to release a thunderstorm.

"And there you have it," he said, letting the hand holding the sword fall to the side.

"That is how you destroy a gateway." His tone of voice was the polar opposite of what he was feeling on the inside; he spoke in a calm, composed voice despite feeling irate internally. The sword that he had used to destroy the gateway was golden, glimmering although the only light in the room came from torches. I could clearly see my reflection on the sword's shiny blade.

"Can we also destroy a gateway now?" Ben asked, his voice brimming with hope.

"I want to destroy a gateway! How can I do what you just did?"

"You can't," Cayman replied firmly.

"Huh?" Daniel put a hand on Ben's shoulder as Ben looked ready to burst into tears.

"It's very hard to destroy a gateway. Only several people can do it, and I'm one of them. That's why they're really hard to deal with. But before I can talk about that, you guys need to know the basics first." Maya let out a loud sigh, whilst Devon had an expression which signified that he didn't want to be there. I, on the other hand, remained steadfast and expressionless while Ellie turned and smiled at me again.

It was Cayman's turn to sigh; his sigh beat Maya's in terms of volume, and after the sound waves dispersed, he began talking.

"Stupid Leak bastards, always causing trouble for us. Those bastards don't know their limits. Are they really planning to attack innocent Hoppers?"

"Huh?" Theo's face hardened in confusion. Despite Cayman trying to be as discreet with his words as possible, we could still hear everything he was saying, and since we had been told barely anything about The Leak by Cayman and Devon, Theo's confusion was justified. Cayman's voice was cold and unnerving, creating an eerily chilling atmosphere inside the room, instilling fear into our brains and making goosebumps form on our arms.

He bit down on his lower lip hard enough for it to produce blood and bleed; the blood from his lip trickled down onto his chin, which he didn't bother to wipe off. Veins bulged on his forehead in revulsion, a testament to his rising anger levels.

"He's talking about The Leak again," Maya whispered to Theo.

"This is stuff that we don't know."

"Stuff that you shouldn't know," Devon added sternly, hearing Theo and Maya whispering to themselves.

"You guys shouldn't even be skill users." This guy. Honestly, he just loves to wallow in his sadness and despair in front of us. Can he even feel a tinge of happiness for once?

"Why does it have to be The Leak? Why does The Leak have to interfere in everything we do? Why?"

"Cayman, we can hear you," Ben said. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Has it really gotten to this point? Has The Leak decided to annoy every Hopper out there?"

"Cayman, shut up!" Devon boomed.

"You've still got to tell them what a gateway is." Cayman was panting, his face was as red as a strawberry, and sweat was dripping down his forehead. Something out there was infuriating him, and it wasn't pleasant watching him rant like this.

"Oh yeah, I still have to tell these guys what a gateway is," Cayman muttered, breathing heavily and collecting his breath.

"I've still got work to do." Devon nodded, pointing to our group; we stood with bewildered faces as we watched Cayman rant cynically.

"Sorry about that, guys," Cayman said as soon as his breathing rate returned to normal levels.

"It's just that those Leak bastards are really making me mad now. You don't know how much harm they've caused back on Planet Zero. You guys don't know how much that has affected me. You guys don't know anything." Actually, I did, since I had read Night Hoppers ten times, but that wasn't relevant in this precarious situation.

"I've got to tell you all what a gateway is," Cayman continued.

"I've got to do that before my head decides to burst and you've all got to deal with the mess." However, nobody was amused with Cayman's poor attempt to make a puny joke. His voice was too frightening and the atmosphere was too tense for jokes to exist. His mood was too sour, making it sound more like a snide remark than a joke intended to make people laugh.

"That is, well, it was, a gateway. It's a type of portal people use to transport people to different places. In short, it's a portal."

"So then how's that different from a regular portal in a portal room?" Daniel asked, not understanding the logic behind Cayman's words.

"What you said doesn't tell us the difference between a portal and a gateway." Cayman sighed before he continued speaking, portraying his heavy exasperation. I knew for sure that he was going to say what was written in Night Hoppers.

"A portal, one that you would normally find in a portal room, is used for travelling to a different planet. However, a gateway, which is what you just saw, is used for travelling to a different place on the same planet. If a gateway is used for people to travel between planets, it becomes a portal."

"Huh." Ben nodded, Maya put a finger on her chin, and Theo's face was expressionless. Cayman had just said what was written in Night Hoppers, although the wording was slightly different.

"They don't naturally exist," Cayman added, his voice showing deep resentment and hatred.

"They shouldn't exist. It's a really stupid invention, and they've been used in the most devious ways possible."

"Let me guess, is it because of The Leak that they exist?"

"Anybody can guess that." In spite of this, Ben's face brightened, depicting a wide grin. His happiness at the fact that he had guessed correctly was brazen.

"I don't think I've told you this before, but The Leak was initially set up just to be a research organisation. They were originally for people who wanted to conduct research into skill users, Hoppers and mana. I can't believe it's come to this…" Cayman's words trailed off and he wasn't able to finish his sentence. He had a look of disdain on his face; once The Leak was mentioned, the mood immediately turned sour.

"Why did The Leak have to gain traction? Why are they so dominant now? And what right do they have to specifically target me?"

"Cayman, calm down," Devon mumbled, placing his hand gently on Cayman's back.

"We'll exact revenge on The Leak, but we can only do that gradually. You can't jump into the action suddenly, you must have a plan. Otherwise, you could end up dying in battle."

"I know, Devon. Let me continue my explanation. Get your hand off me." His voice was sharp, hostile and had murderous intent imbued into it. The perennial grudge that he had harboured against Devon was beginning to show again.

"The gateway is one of the first creations of The Leak," Cayman continued, maintaining his scornful tone of voice.

"It was one of those creations that put The Leak on the map, since it revolutionised how people travelled on the same planet. Everybody praised The Leak for this seemingly marvellous creation, but nobody knew the secret message that The Leak was trying to convey." As the suspense boiled, an unsettling aura hung thick in the air. All we could do was wait for Cayman to continue speaking.

"They all thought that this new creation was going to be used for good, and that The Leak was pumping benefits into the skill user world, but little did they know how naive they actually were."

"How come?" Ben asked, trying his best to quell this ominous sensation with his jolly questions.

"What happened then?"

"The Leak was trying to send us a secret message with what they created. Many people, especially members of The Leak, used this method of transport for their own malicious purposes, like killing others randomly and setting houses on fire. Soon, this seemingly revolutionary invention was being regarded as one of the most nefarious creations to ever exist in the skill user world, since it played a major role in taking down and annihilating the previous Skill User Association."

"That's horrible," Maya mumbled, her mouth agape and her eyes bulging. To think that The Leak was shrouded in such a deep cloud of evil. Cayman's face was dark, his expression was gloomy and his voice was filled with deep-seated resentment.

"Luckily, once people realised this issue, they stopped creating these portals. After all, it's quite hard to make one. You need a specific skill that's currently only available at The Leak's main facility, and that's why only members of The Leak can use a gateway nowadays."

"That's good," Ben replied, his voice brimming with joy.

"If ordinary Hoppers can't use such a thing, then we know for sure that we're not going to-""Shut up, Ben," Theo snapped.

"Don't be naive yourself. Ignorant fools are the ones who get killed first, so don't go spewing your nonsense." Ben's mouth was instantly zipped shut, and he hung his head after hearing Theo's criticism. At that point, I thought that Cayman was going to finish talking and make us clean up the enemy ship, but I couldn't be any more wrong. Cayman still had stuff to say; he still had a truckload of stuff to say.

"Because of this," he continued boldly, his voice still containing deep animosity, "I've managed to figure out that The Leak is on this planet right now. They're the ones doing this. They're the ones planting these portals around the planet. They're the ones trying to claim this planet for themselves. But what I don't understand is why they would want to reveal their tracks so easily." As an awkward silence hung in the air, we all fell into deep thought, pondering over the situation.

We were stuck in a predicament that we were not supposed to be in.

"It could be a trick," Daniel said, breaking the silence with his wavering voice.

"You never know. They could be plotting something bigger. Remember that this is only the first group of beasts according to the system."

"That does sound plausible…" Theo's words trailed off, as if he was reluctant to finish his sentence. The thought of fighting to claim a planet against The Leak felt daunting and frightening. Daniel continued speaking.

"What I'm trying to say is that we can't make definitive conclusions just yet. Let's wait until wave two of beasts passes-""We are dealing with a gateway!" Devon bellowed.

"You don't seem too serious to be dealing with The Leak! You don't know how powerful they actually are!" Daniel was plunged into eternal silence; he didn't know how to refute Devon's heart-wrenching words. After all, he is the newest member of our group, and the amount of information he had learnt about the skill user world was significantly less than the rest of us.

"OK, everybody, just shut up. I've got a few more deductions that I want to share with you guys." Silence prevailed.

"The Leak is the only organisation that can use a gateway now. This means that they're on this planet somewhere. I think I know why the number of beasts keeps increasing and why there have been so many failed missions on this planet now." Maya flinched when Cayman finished his sentence; was everything adding up, or was it nothing but a feasible suggestion?

"I think I know why we've been dealing with skeleton pirates and why we're going to be dealing with more skeleton pirates in the near future. I think I can link that to the gateway I just cut down." Nobody could muster up the strength to speak. Cayman's aura was dominant, significantly overpowering all the other auras in the room with great force and precision.

"I don't know if everybody is willing to hear this, since it is quite a sensitive matter. If you would rather not hear it, leave the cabin and relax on the deck or something. Cover your ears and leave. I don't know." I could tell that Cayman expected at least one person to leave the room and linger on the deck while he spoke. But surprisingly, nobody moved a single inch; we were all rooted to where we were standing. Cayman let out a short sigh before opening his mouth.

His voice was cold, domineering and filled with enmity.

"I think the members of The Leak on this planet right now are killing the ordinary Hoppers trying to claim this planet and turning them into mana beasts. I think the skeleton pirates we just faced were normal people not long ago." The whole room was plunged into deep silence. Nobody could speak. It wasn't like any of the other instances when there was silence; this one was tinged with resentment, shock and despair. The members of The Leak were killing Hoppers for fun and turning them into mana beasts.

Was there anything more despicable than that? Does that mean that Jake, who had killed innocent people for fun back on Planet 505 before he was brutally killed by me, was also a member of The Leak stationed there to claim the planet? Were they doing this on multiple planets and not just on Pirate Planet? That was surely a reasonable suggestion. After all, Cayman was making it seem like members of The Leak were adept at killing people for no good reason. It made me feel nothing but scorn for The Leak.

"The Leak have then been sending these deceased Hoppers into the gateway on several pirate ships, where they attack other Hoppers in the hopes of turning them into skeleton pirates. That is where the name Pirate Planet comes from, and that is why the number of skeletons keeps increasing and isn't a nice number on the system."

"But can The Leak manipulate the system?" Ben asked inquisitively.

"Do they really have the capability to do such a thing?"

"Of course they can. They're The Leak, the monopoly in skill user research. What makes you think they can't?" Cayman's voice was laced with deep-seated hatred for The Leak, just like it was when he mentioned them in Night Hoppers. The similarities were off the charts.

"I despise The Leak. I absolutely despise them. They know no bounds. They don't have limits. They truly redefine the word 'evil' and take it to new heights. I don't even know anymore." Our faces were ashen, sullen. It was a testament to the gravity of the situation and what was being thrown at us. No words could escape from my mouth, and the same could be said for the rest of my friends.

"This isn't even the worst thing," Cayman continued, his voice low and deep.

"This is far from being the worst thing we're being faced with."

"Then what is it?" Ben asked, feeling genuinely puzzled and perplexed.

"What can possibly be worse than saying that The Leak torments humans in their back garden like it's a casual thing for them?"

"There is one thing that can possibly be worse. There's one thing that's exponentially worse than this. It's a horrible feeling. A truly horrible feeling. When I say it, I know your faces are going to scrunch up in anger." We stayed silent, listening intently.

"It's not possible for The Leak to target me this heavily. They shouldn't be on my back all the time. They're not bounty hunters. They usually focus on evil, forbidden research and nothing else. They shouldn't know the goals that I want to achieve, since I'm nothing more than vermin in their eyes. This means that someone is likely to be relaying information to them about me. And that can only mean one thing."

Our heart rates soared and our breathing quickened as Cayman reluctantly and hesitantly said what he wanted to say.

"There is a traitor among us."