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墨書 Inktalez
Without knowing the situation of his companions, Aeros set out from the military camp with two squads of warriors. However, he was unaware that he had been followed the moment he stepped outside. The two squads walked alongside Aeros until they reached a desolate path. Each area looked quite similar, and without the markers left along the way, they might have taken a wrong turn. Even so, they could not afford to let their guard down.
"Follow this path forward; we should return to the place where we separated in about an hour. I need you to conduct a thorough search within a five-kilometer radius. Leave no flies behind. To avoid ambushes, work in groups of three," Aeros commanded calmly. During this joint exercise, his communication and command skills had improved significantly. Most importantly, he no longer feared making mistakes; the soldiers focused solely on their mission, determined to execute their orders perfectly. Even if there were past grievances among them, they would not surface at such a critical moment—survival took precedence over personal animosities.
As they walked along the path, tall fences surrounded them, enclosing plants that were genetically modified and edible. No one could enter these fenced areas, not even soldiers on regular duty. These fences were typically left unattended, but the plants inside were public grain; entering—even for well-intentioned reasons—would result in legal consequences.
Thus, they could only walk, which slowed their progress toward their destination. Behind the two squads lurked indistinct figures who followed at a distance. Even soldiers found it difficult to detect their movements; one among them moved with advanced stealth techniques typical of assassins, walking silently enough to deceive even Hound's keen ears.
When Aeros and his men returned to their destination, he surveyed the surroundings and noticed only a small amount of blood on the ground—no other signs indicating his companions' safety. He instructed both squads to begin a thorough search around them. As the groups dispersed into smaller units, the shadows following them increased in number but remained scattered rather than forming cohesive groups.
As time passed and approached the agreed-upon moment, Aeros sat under a tree waiting for a response. He lost track of how long it had been—perhaps over an hour or even several hours—when he finally realized there were no signs of human activity around him. He quickly pressed his ear to the ground like a Hound, trying to discern any sounds nearby. This technique was something he learned from his father, also a hunter; it allowed him to determine direction and identify what type of prey or predator might be ahead based on vibrations transmitted through the ground. This skill helped him avoid traps as much as possible.
After listening intently for some time, he frowned and stood up. The sounds he had heard earlier seemed devoid of any unusual responses; it was simply too quiet around him. The intensified search by both squads should have produced sounds from branches and leaves rustling—a variety of noises indicating activity. If things had developed normally, he might have considered it acceptable; however, the silence was unsettling—it indicated something had gone wrong.
"What is going on? My hearing is exceptionally sharp yet I haven't detected anything unusual," Aeros thought anxiously. "Could there be something nearby that absorbs sound? If that were the case, I would have noticed while traveling here... No, that can't be right; something must have happened!" With his weapon raised, Aeros began exploring his surroundings cautiously. He slowed his pace to listen for more sounds around him, but his heart raced uncontrollably, distracting him further. Indeed, upon realizing something was amiss, his emotions heightened—the area had become a trap.
Aeros knew this outcome was likely but remained determined to press forward. Deep within a thicket, he looked up and spotted what appeared to be a figure bound by an invisible thread; that person seemed unable to move. From this angle, it was unclear whether they were dead or merely unconscious but close to death.
Without hesitation, Aeros cautiously extended his weapon from behind the bushes and squinted to observe carefully. Sure enough, at the edge where the man's hands were bound, a glint of light suddenly flashed. Seizing this moment, he fired his weapon; simultaneously, the man fell from above as if he had lost consciousness.
"Hahaha! I knew there were others! Come play with me!" Suddenly, it seemed as if laughter echoed all around him. Aeros took a deep breath and began moving through the thicket; once he fired his weapon, there was no turning back—he needed to secure a new advantageous position.
However, one thing puzzled Aeros: the man's voice seemed to emanate from all directions at once, causing confusion in his judgment. Just as this voice faded away, he heard footsteps crunching through the underbrush not far behind him.
"Fuck!" Aeros was in a panic, raising his gun and aiming backward. He believed his draw speed was top-notch, but at that moment, there was no one behind him, as if a person had vanished into thin air. He leaned slightly forward, and suddenly, two dark figures sprang out from either side. One covered his face from behind while the other violently grabbed his gun.
"Who are you?" Of course, there was no answer to this question. In the next moment, a silver point pierced his neck. No matter how desperately he struggled, it was futile. After a few moments of frantic thrashing, he finally regained some vision and fired a shot in a panic. The two shadows excitedly darted into the bushes, but the gunshot rang out empty; that last shot became his swan song.
A long time passed before two men approached. They kicked Aeros's body lying on the ground and tossed his gun aside. Sitting down, one of them took out a communicator and hurriedly asked, "Hahaha, it's about time, Gambet, Commander. We've taken care of them; how's it going on your end? We can't carry this many people back! Yes, yes, I understand; I'll wait for you."
"Hahaha, did you hear that, Ruba? The Commander is praising us! Hahaha, they were so easy to deal with; these soldiers are nothing—a single bug is enough to wipe them out. Just a bug's level; those Giant Bugs aren't even close to our Commander's strength. The Commander must have succeeded too; it's time to withdraw~~"
"Yeah, it's all our credit! Hahaha, the mission is over; we should wrap this up and go back to enjoy our rewards for a while~"
Aeros slightly opened his blurred eyes and watched the two figures chatting away in front of him. He wanted to reach for the gun beside him but found he couldn't muster any strength at all. He had thought it impossible to fall into such a simple trap. Moreover, his hearing seemed to be playing tricks on him; these people moved without making any sound. It was utterly baffling. He realized he had underestimated the attack power of the Steel Needle; it had been coated with a fine neurotoxin that dulled his vision and senses for some time. Struggling to listen a bit longer, he suddenly received another kick from behind, and everything went black before him.
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