Chapter 53: Black Bee
A large number of temporary tents were set up near Saintly Gate Fortress. Soldiers gathered in small groups, chatting idly. Some sat on tanks, and a few even sat on ammunition crates.
Su Xiao walked toward the edge of the military camp. The little assistant, who had been sitting on a tank barrel swinging her legs back and forth, jumped down.
"Sir, are you...?"
Seeing the direction Su Xiao was heading, the little assistant looked puzzled. That was the way back into the Geya Alliance's territory.
"To do something that must be done."
"A mission from the higher-ups?"
The little assistant picked up the sniper rifle resting on the tank, ready to accompany Su Xiao on the task.
"No, it's personal."
Su Xiao turned his head to look at the little assistant. She froze for a moment, then broke into a smile.
"Sir, your gun."
"It's yours."
Su Xiao had no intention of taking that rifle. Leaving the camp now was already a dereliction of duty. If he took the rifle as well, Skain might very well come looking for him. Besides, compared to the performance of the Annihilation Duke, that sniper rifle was mediocre. Other than its cheap ammunition, it had no real advantages.
When dealing with enemy contractors, ammunition cost was never a consideration. That would be like picking up sesame seeds while losing a watermelon. If one shot didn't kill, the consequences would be endless, far outweighing the loss of a few bullets.
The little assistant was sharp. She immediately sensed something was wrong.
"But... we just successfully assassinated Dubois. We haven't even gone back to receive our commendation."
"The credit is yours."
Although Su Xiao didn't take the Mr. 24 sniper rifle, he had obtained the formula for White Gunpowder. He certainly wouldn't pass up such a powerful explosive.
"Uh~"
The little assistant scratched her head.
"This... I'm a bit slow, sir. Are you planning to commit treason?"
As soon as she said that, she instinctively stepped back a few paces, afraid Su Xiao would hang her from a tree and whip her. Once, after she did something incredibly stupid, she nearly got kicked to death.
Hearing the little assistant's words, Bubu Wang sighed. This girl was surprisingly straightforward.
"..."
Su Xiao stared at the little assistant expressionlessly. Her posture gradually stiffened, and her expression grew more awkward.
"S-sir, I was wrong. Treason? That's completely impossible, ha, haha, hahaha."
The little assistant laughed awkwardly. Su Xiao led Bubu Wang out of the camp.
When Su Xiao's figure completely disappeared, the little assistant scratched her head.
"Leaving the battlefield now? Your commander is deserting under fire."
A soldier with a cigarette in his mouth and a missing arm spoke up.
"Did you see him desert his post?"
The little assistant smiled sweetly at the one-armed soldier. His expression stiffened.
"Seems like... I didn't."
"Then go cool off somewhere. I'm dead tired. Time to sleep."
Yawning, the little assistant walked into a temporary tent. There were things she had long noticed, but she knew they must never be spoken aloud.
Su Xiao quickly left the military camp. He was still a soldier in the Kill Squad, so his movements were relatively unrestricted.
From start to finish, Su Xiao had never considered taking the little assistant to "Sisbanin" or "Polar Region: Hot Rainforest." The little assistant was a soldier of the Geya Alliance, and her relatives and family all lived there. What she was most proud of was her 17-year-old sister, who had musical talent. The little assistant fought on the battlefield largely to ensure her sister wouldn't end up like her—only skilled at killing.
As a mentally sound adult, even after sharing life-and-death experiences, the little assistant would not betray the Geya Alliance, abandon her family, and follow Su Xiao on his mission.
Although the little assistant sometimes had a "short circuit" in her brain, leaving the battlefield during wartime to go somewhere completely unrelated to the war would certainly raise her suspicions. At that point, the two might very well become enemies.
Never underestimate a soldier's loyalty. The little assistant had risked her life to join the war, fully prepared to die on the battlefield, her body covered with a national flag before appearing before her family.
Su Xiao didn't believe he had any so-called "domineering charisma." The little assistant wouldn't suddenly lose her intelligence, abandon her country and family, and sacrifice herself for him.
If Su Xiao took the little assistant to "Polar Region: Hot Rainforest," the most likely outcome was that she would shoot him in the back when he wasn't looking, then return his body to the Geya Alliance. At most, she would find a secluded spot to cry. That was human nature, and it was a soldier's duty. As Skain said, being a soldier wasn't a cushy job; it was a responsibility.
The little assistant was a soldier, a female soldier with the rank of sergeant who had killed 178 enemies.
...
One day later, Geya Alliance, a coastal city.
A tall figure pushed open the door of a restaurant. This figure was clad in a black robe with a hood, accompanied by two other similarly robed figures.
"Welcome, guests..."
The restaurant's waiter instinctively stepped back. The first impression these three black-robed figures gave was: "These are definitely not good people."
"Amu, hungry."
A simple, honest voice came from under the hood.
"We're already at the restaurant. Hold on."
The three figures sat down and pulled back their hoods, revealing Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Amu. Amu had also rejoined Su Xiao. The Ice Wolf Pack was now led by Scar-Eye Ice Wolf.
Unless it was a critical moment, Su Xiao wouldn't use these Ice Wolves. A pack of over a thousand was far too conspicuous.
Su Xiao's first stop was Sisbanin. He didn't head directly to "Polar Region: Hot Rainforest."
Based on his judgment, the Apocalypse Paradise side wouldn't rush to "Polar Region: Hot Rainforest" immediately. Once there, their advantage of holding the World Core would vanish, and they would face attacks from the other two sides.
The contractors from Reincarnation Paradise and Sanctuary Paradise all held certain positions or influence within the Geya Alliance or the Sun Kingdom. The Apocalypse Paradise side, which had been entrenched in Sisbanin, would naturally have infiltrated it to some extent, gaining real power or status.
Putting himself in their shoes, rather than going to the Polar Region: Hot Rainforest for a chaotic free-for-all, it was clearly more advantageous to stay in Sisbanin.
In fact, not only Su Xiao, but also Gulu, Qingyan, People's Teacher, Ghost Lady, Shuixiao, Old Smoke, and others were all advancing toward Sisbanin. The war channel was quite lively at the moment.
Su Xiao didn't know if Sanctuary Paradise and Apocalypse Paradise had war channels, but for Reincarnation Paradise's side, any contractor could post text messages in the war channel, though the number of posts was limited.
Ordinary contractors could post 10 times, leaders of small to medium adventure groups 20 times, and leaders of large adventure groups 30 times.
Su Xiao still had 20 posts left. So far, he hadn't used any.
Inside the war channel:
Solomon (Rogue): "Known intel: Current holder of the World Core, Apocalypse Paradise contractor Black Bee.
Black Bee: Male, 31 years old.
Location: Sisbanin, Rube City.
Hobbies: Extremely spicy food, standing in high places, mature women aged 26-30.
Abilities: Space-type abilities. Can summon an unknown species of black bees with potent poison (suspected elemental-type poison)."
[Tip: This post is a key intel post and will be pinned in the war channel for 12 hours.]