One month and a half had passed just like that.

After that incident, Commander Atlas (of Sanctuary Task Forces) just laid low. Jeff was expecting trouble, but none came.

Other than becoming friends with Liam and... maybe Everly, also getting to see the Keyholder a few times, life basically returned to normal.

Before knowing it, it was already Christmas Eve.

Holding Alice's hand, Jeff walked down the afternoon streets. Even though it's snowing and freezing cold, the atmosphere here was still warm and lively.

Looking into a bar, people inside cheered and celebrated. On the streets, children ran around, throwing snowballs at each other.

"Die S-rank monster! Die to me, Sword of Wind!"

"No! I, Sabertooth, will save the day!"

"Ah! You guys are too strong!" A running child got hit by a snowball.

"Sabertooth, you are just an A-rank. I, Sword of Wind, am an S-rank! You have to follow my command!"

"No. Sabertooth is stronger-"

Looks like there was a hunter civil war brewing.

"Speak no more! I, the Mission Machine, the strongest hunter, will save the day!"

Hearing this, Jeff's cheek twitched a little.

"Nooooo. Sabertooth is stronger!"

"Nooooo. Sword of Wind is the strongest!"

A free-for-all snowball fight started.

Meanwhile...

Some parents were building snowmen with their toddlers. Some couples were holding hands, enjoying this time. Groups of friends carried bags of alcohol down the street.

Also, looking through the fog, this street was decorated in Christmas lights now, adding some color to this grey and misty world.

Yep, in the past 5 months or so, the electricity covered area had expended. For now, it's about 8 blocks within the vicinity of the Sanctuary. And this area was rapidly growing, now that construction team had some experience...

What could Jeff say. Humans didn't have the strength of bears, or the speed of cheetahs, or the innate abilities of mist monsters. But heck, humans adjusted fast to environment changes.

After the fog catastrophe hit, people in this city just got back up and fought back. Now that 5 months had passed, people here seemed to be used to this new normal now.

"Hi. Mission Machine. Can we take a picture with you?" It's a couple shyly approaching.

"Yep. Sure." Jeff nodded with a smile.

Alice took over their phone. She's not even bothered by this anymore.

Smile at the phone.

*Snap* *Snap*

Yep. Jeff had a fan base now... even though he's not even a public figure.

Since there were no hunter brochures, most people just knew Jeff's title - 'The Mission Machine'.

Not that many actually knew what Jeff looked like. Nevertheless, as time went by, Jeff was getting more and more recognition on the streets now.

"Out of the way!"

"Make a path!"

The crowd quickly parted to the side. Alice returned the phone to the couple.

"Thank you~" The two sweetly smiled at Jeff.

"Not a problem." Jeff smiled back.

Following the crowd, Jeff and Alice moved to the sidewalk as well.

"What's going on?" Someone asked in concern.

"I don't know."

"Is the sanctuary in war with another base? Are we attacking them by surprise, without declaring war?"

"You are fucking nuts man."

"Yeah. It's hard enough to survive against monsters already."

Alice looked at Jeff in concern.

"I've got no internal info." Jeff shrugged.

...

...

The sound of footsteps gradually got louder.

Turning on [Aura Vision], looking through the fog, Jeff squinted.

There's a lot of S-rank energy signatures there alright.

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

In a quick moment, Jeff didn't need his [Aura Vision] to see what's going on anymore.

Leading the group was a dude in his 30s. Wearing a set of golden armor, holding a lance in one hand, his helmet in the other. This guy had a towering physique. Around 7 feet tall. Wearing a solemn expression. Looking forward with focus and determination, this guy looked like a general, leading his troops to battle.

This was Commander Atlas, head of the Sanctuary Task Forces.

Some distance behind Atlas, there was a group of 7 people in colored armor. Tall and short. Female armor and male armors. This was the Sanctuary Task Force's most elite squad - The Smite Squad. Each member here was an S-rank.

These guys reminded Jeff of a famous kid's show. 7 members. 7 colors of the rainbow. (No Pink)

(^ Power Rangers Reference, in case... Yeah.)

After these guys walked by, 20-men squads in black armor entered view. There were 3 of these squads. Looking closely, one could notice the red markings on the squad leaders' helmets. S-rank leaders. A-rank members.

After the task force members had walked by, the low rumbling sounds of engines could be heard.

It was a stream of armored jeeps and armored trucks, leaving a trail of gasoline scent in the air.

This force was unrivaled in the Berrystone city. This force could singlehandedly crush the Sanctuary hunters combined (if Jeff was not present).

"Mr. Atlas! Mr. Atlas! Is this a military march?" Someone asked.

"No." A deep and sturdy voice answered.

To everyone's surprise, a Smite member in blue armor had actually answered. These guys were known to be supercilious after all.

(Supercilious: behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others.)

"What are you heading out for?" Someone else asked.

"Diplomatic Meetings."

The crowd quickly got loud.

"Sir! Sir! Why are you bringing your entire task force out?"

"Who will protect the Sanctuary when you are out?"

"Can you tell us what's in the trucks?"

The crowd stirred up. The chatter quickly got louder.

"Show of force. Sanctuary Internal Security. Christmas gifts for friends." With enhanced physique, even though this dude didn't shout, his voice could still be heard by everyone here.

That task force member didn't repeat the questions, but the people here knew exactly which question he was answering.

In a quick moment, the task force had distanced off. The crowd moved back to the roads. Some people chased after the task force, asking more questions.

Alice looked at Jeff.

"You heard what he said." Jeff shrugged. "I really don't have any internal info on this one."

Walking back home, the streets returned to the normal holiday atmosphere. Except now, the people here had a new story to share around.

Listening to the chatters, laughter, and that squeaky sound of stepping on snow, the two reached their destination.