Chapter 54

Chapter 54: The Storm Approaches

The scale of this operation was by no means small. Nearly all members of the Marshall Autonomous Army under Layered Rock City had been mobilized, totaling at least two hundred people. Though it might not seem like much, deploying over a hundred regular troops for mere internal friction was relatively rare for the Violet Empire. After all, in the current politically stable climate, those in power rarely engaged in open conflict outside the negotiation table.

As for covert struggles, those were commonplace... If one carelessly got bagged and shoved into an alley by a few burly men, who could they blame?

The main force had already assembled near the border, with an additional one-tenth of the force tasked with cross-border reconnaissance. Their specific mission was to search the Fire Claw Territory border for possible locations where prisoners might be held, and to release signals while causing as much chaos as possible.

The Fenrir Squad was one of these units, along with four other squads of relatively strong overall strength that had received the same mission. They would each infiltrate and reconnoiter different positions along the Fire Claw Territory border.

As the captain, Ned was responsible for formulating the travel plan and movement routes, while Mo Tan arranged the specific positions and formations during the process—a task forcibly delegated to him by the former.

"If we encounter combat, everyone including myself will follow your command," Ned nodded to Mo Tan. "You should feel some pressure."

By this time, the six of them had already crossed the border line and officially entered the sphere of influence of the Fire Claw Territory. Although the surrounding scenery hadn't changed, everyone couldn't help but grow tense. After all, every second from now on could bring unexpected events, and it would be impossible not to feel some pressure...

Except for the relatively calmer Ned and Salazar, Yinna, Klab, and the two players gradually entered a state of heightened alert, wary of the danger that could appear at any moment.

"Relax a little," Mo Tan, who was equally nervous, said softly to the group. "Klab, your position is a bit too far forward. Do you have some thoughts about Salazar's rear? Yinna, slow down a bit—at least let us see your back, otherwise we won't be able to support you if there are any traps."

As a result, the elf ranger with exceptionally sharp hearing grew even more nervous, nearly stumbling head over heels in a sudden stop as she turned back to shoot the priest an annoyed glare.

To be honest, Mo Tan's mental state wasn't much better at the moment, but he still forced himself to stay calm. After all, excessive pressure or tension to a certain degree could cause many negative effects, such as a dramatic increase in stamina consumption, while over-concentration would lead to scattered attention afterward. In short, none of it was good.

Since everyone trusted him, at the very least he should do his best at what he could do.

That was what he thought...

"Hei Fan is right." Ned, walking at the very front alongside Yinna, raised a hand to signal everyone to rest for a moment, then turned back with a smile: "Our mission is just reconnaissance. In theory, there shouldn't necessarily be any conflict. The border region isn't really suitable for living anyway, and we've never heard any intel about Fire Claw Territory stationing troops nearby. Maybe in the end there's nothing there at all."

Salazar chimed in coldly from the side: "But those orcs we encountered earlier were clearly warriors of Fire Claw Territory. That time, they crossed the border outright."

"And last night they even charged into our side to slaughter and plunder!" Klab cracked his knuckles, breathing heavily: "Who knows if those people have lost their minds."

Yinna, who had unscrewed her waterskin and taken a sip, also sighed: "Carrying the people they've taken—or captives, if you prefer—they definitely can't move very fast. Maybe they really have secretly set up a stronghold at the border."

"Uh..." Ned froze for a moment, then nodded somewhat dejectedly: "What you're saying makes sense too. If Fire Claw Territory really did something like that, then this isn't the time to be blindly optimistic. But everyone, don't be too tense. Some things... you still need to see with your own eyes to believe..."

Everyone was taken aback, and at the same time felt that their captain seemed a bit off. In fact, Ned himself didn't even know what he was saying.

He looked somewhat haggard. Upon closer inspection, faint dark circles could be seen under his eyes, as if he hadn't rested well at all. Although he could still give off a spirited impression most of the time, the fatigue that occasionally slipped through was quite obvious...

"Captain." Yinna said softly: "How about we just stay here for a few hours and then retreat? This operation doesn't need all six of us."

Salazar nodded and briefly agreed: "Agreed."

Klab didn't say anything, but shrugged to show he was fine either way.

Mo Tan also opened his mouth, about to speak...

"No!" Ned flatly rejected: "I'm fine. This operation concerns the lives of many people. If it turns out to be true, then we must do everything we can to do what needs to be done. This is no time to slack off!"

"But..." Yinna seemed to want to say something more.

"I agree with the captain's view." Futaba, who had remained silent for a while, suddenly spoke up: "There are too many suspicious aspects to this incident. If we want to know the truth, we must continue the mission."

Salazar tilted his neck and asked flatly: "Suspicious aspects?"

The others also cast puzzled looks at this girl who didn't talk much, waiting for her to continue.

But Mo Tan nodded thoughtfully.

"The Marshall Territory and Fire Claw Territory, which had always coexisted peacefully without any friction, suddenly began experiencing frequent incidents." Futaba pushed up her glasses: "This isn't normal to begin with. The Ignition Squad, which was merely on routine patrol, suddenly being declared 'missing' within their own territory—just a short delay in return and the higher-ups mobilized a large force to search for them. Does that seem reasonable?"

[Maybe it's because 'Cordova must die'?]

Mo Tan silently quipped in his mind...

Klab rubbed his big nose: "Not reasonable?"

"Not reasonable." Salazar had already caught on, shaking his head: "At the time, the Ignition Squad had only been out of contact for less than two hours, yet the higher-ups immediately declared them missing and issued an urgent search order. That's definitely off. You know, we've been late plenty of times before—by all rights, this shouldn't have been a big deal..."

Yinna stared at Salazar in surprise: "Wow!!"

The lizardman monk blinked: "What's wrong?"

"This is the first time I've seen you say so much in one go!" Yinna exclaimed excitedly: "I thought you had a terminal illness where you'd die if you spoke more than fifty words at once."

Salazar: "..."

"And then?" Ned cut off the elf ranger's interruption, gazing intently at Futaba: "Is there more?"

"Are all your heads solid?" Futaba said helplessly: "Of course there's more. For instance, the higher-ups' seemingly overreactive judgment turned out to be correct—by the time we arrived, the Ignition Squad had been completely wiped out, and we nearly lost our lives too. And the enemy was regular soldiers from Fire Claw Territory."

Mo Tan nodded and chimed in: "And those guys all had intense hostility toward us."

"Exactly." Futaba narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, a playful smile curling at the corners of her lips, and said softly: "Then this matter was quietly dropped after the captain reported it. And just a few days later, Fire Claw people came running over at night to burn, kill, and loot. Don't you find that strange?"

Yinna was left dumbfounded by Futaba's words, finally nodding blankly: "I didn't think so before, but hearing you say it, it does seem pretty strange."

Ned also seemed to perk up considerably, nodding repeatedly on the side.

Meanwhile, Mo Tan looked at Futaba with a strange expression, whose aura seemed to have broken past the 1.6-meter mark...

"The sole surviving witness was well protected, and the intelligence they provided was unconditionally trusted." Futaba tapped her lips lightly with her index finger: "Detailed casualty counts, swift response measures, military actions that showed no regard for political repercussions, public opinion spread across the entire city in a short time... Heh..."

A certain blazing light flickered in the girl's eyes, and she smiled: "I'm really quite interested~"

"Uh..." Yinna was startled by Futaba's mysterious aura, then lightly hopped over and vigorously kneaded the other girl's cheeks: "Little sister Futaba is so cool!"

"Mmph! Let go of me!" The flustered young mage struggled desperately but was still bullied into submission without any resistance.

Ned walked over and yanked Yinna aside, then smiled at the others. "Keep moving!"

Mo Tan noticed that his condition seemed much better than before.

And also...

The girl beside him, gently rubbing her cheek, had just made him feel like he was looking at another version of himself...

"Let's go." Mo Tan temporarily pushed the chaotic thoughts aside and began giving instructions to the group. "Yinna, scout ahead, but don't go more than fifteen meters from the captain as the center. Futaba, follow behind the captain. Salazar, take the right flank. I'll take the left. Klab, bring up the rear..."

The Fenrir Squad began moving forward once again.

...

Marshall Territory, near the border line

The Territorial Guard warriors had finished setting up a makeshift base and were now scattered around in squads, resting. The second batch of search squads had already departed not long ago, and some senior officers were weaving through the not-so-dense crowd, issuing orders and arrangements for what came next.

At the center of the base, a gaunt middle-aged man was crouched over a temporary map table, his sharp, viper-like gaze drifting constantly over the Territorial Guard warriors in the distance.

He had short gray hair, wore a set of faded leather armor, and had a scar running from his temple down to his jaw, giving his otherwise refined face a somewhat menacing look.

"Lord, the second batch of search squads has already departed." The lizardman officer Gat stood respectfully behind him, head bowed, speaking in a low voice. "According to the established plan, the third batch of search members will..."

"Forget it." The man suddenly muttered in a low, dull tone.

"Hm?" Gat was startled. "Did you just say..."

The middle-aged man stood up, raised both arms high to stretch his body, then turned around with a gentle smile. "I said forget it. No need to send a third batch."

Gat nodded and asked again, "Then what about the follow-up..."

Ssshh!

A streak of blood appeared on his face. The lizardman's naturally defensive scales had been utterly useless, and a slight chill accompanied by a faint sting made Gat's eyes widen in terror.

"Your efficiency is far too poor." The middle-aged man lightly licked the blood from his fingertip and chuckled, shaking his head. "I've already wasted quite a bit of time on the road. At this rate, forget about a rescue—we might not even make it in time to collect the bodies. So..."

He hopped off the map table, turned around, and patted Gat's cheek. "Cancel the established plan. I'm leaving right now. You and the rest just wait here. Understood?"

"Y-Yes!" Gat immediately stammered. "I will follow your orders."

"I was always coming to settle a score anyway." The man toyed with a silver blade that had appeared in his fingers at some point, his calm tone laced with a chilling murderous intent. "And now... I can't wait any longer..."

The coldness gradually receded. When Gat shivered and looked up, the man had already vanished.

The lizardman officer, startled into a cold sweat, shuddered and quickly found his adjutant, instructing him to notify the others that the upcoming plans were temporarily cancelled. He then immediately walked to an unnoticed corner, pulled out paper and a pen, wrote a few lines, and placed it on an ice-blue tray.

...

Fire Claw Territory, Border

Karon Gui, who had been quietly leaning against the stone chair, suddenly felt an inexplicable unease and abruptly stood up.

"Lord Karon?" The orc officer beside him looked at him cautiously and asked in a low voice, "Is something the matter..."

Karon narrowed his blood-red eyes and said in a deep tone, "Has any new word come from the chieftain?"

"There is." The other replied with a bitter smile, "The chieftain has already sent messengers for the third time, urging us to bring that bastard back as soon as possible, and also..."

"And what else?"

"What about the merchant caravan over there?" The officer glanced toward the southern side of the camp and said quietly, "We can't just keep them detained here forever, can we?"

In that direction, about twenty people were gathered there with grim expressions, dressed fairly decently, with a few mules and horses and a cart of goods nearby.

Karon sat back down, closed his eyes, and snorted, "We'll release them naturally once we leave. It's their bad luck to be rushing across the border for business at a time like this. What harm is there in detaining them a few days?"

"Yes." The officer's reply sounded listless, then he spread his hands, "But these people sure can eat. Most of the game we've hunted these past days has been..."

"Shut up!"

"Yes..."

"Wait one more day. If there's still no movement from over there..." A fierce glint flashed in Karon's eyes as he looked toward the prison cage not far away, "Then we'll butcher this one and head back with his head."

...

Ten minutes later, a slender figure appeared on a treetop nearby.

"Target spotted!"

Chapter 54: The End