191: New Members

"Lord Akechi, you're here."

At five in the morning, the horizon had begun to pale. The cool morning wind, still carrying the remnants of night, struck the floor-to-ceiling glass of Arasaka Tower with a faint, crystalline sound.

Akechi descended the steps with steady strides, his gaze sweeping over the twelve team members lined up neatly before him.

At this delicate hour between night and dawn, the entire Arasaka Tower had only just begun to stir from its silence. Only this squad had already assembled in full gear.

Nine familiar faces stood among them—veterans who had followed Akechi through life-and-death battles and returned alive from the Dogtown operation.

Their stances appeared relaxed, but they were ready to enter combat at any moment. It was an instinct forged through trials of life and death. The three unfamiliar faces on the right side of the formation, meanwhile, were new members who had received transfer orders and joined the team only this morning.

Akechi let his gaze linger on the three of them for a few extra seconds.

He clearly remembered reviewing their personnel files yesterday—each of them had originally been on the candidate list, but he had ultimately chosen others who better suited the mission's needs.

That did not mean they lacked ability. On the contrary, judging purely by individual combat capabilities and tactical proficiency, their evaluation scores might even exceed those of four veteran members currently in the squad. Three against four, they might well have won.

The issue, however, was not their personal ability, but other factors—such as adaptability to complex terrain, coordination with the team, and obedience.

Ironically, even though Akechi had deliberately selected the seven members who seemed more disciplined, the final result had still turned into a classic Japanese solo run—acting on their own, ignoring orders, and leaving