Chapter 176

"Haha, that's how I gradually got used to it too. Don't laugh at me, but my skills have deteriorated significantly, and I can't dodge anymore. But that's not a bad thing; I think focusing on shooting is quite good."

Hearing her praise her master, Mudrock felt a surge of secret pleasure, finding this Sarkaz increasingly pleasing to the eye. "As long as you praise Lord Shi Lei, we're good friends."

Chen hadn't recovered from the shock yet, but she felt an immense sense of security.

Regardless of what lies ahead or what the outcome may be, entrusting him with this task might be the best decision.

239 Gira Gitta's Self-Introduction (4K)

September 30th, 1:07 PM

A temporary outpost near Lake Vega within Ursus territory.

As far as the eye can see, there is only pure Shirayuki. In the distance, amidst the clouds and mist, there are endless snow-capped mountains swirling around.

The drifting snowflakes paint the earth with a layer of white, making it pristine and clean. While bringing a snowy landscape, they also bring a bone-chilling cold.

The raspberries hadn't even sprouted yet, and there were few Fowlbeast or carnivorous animals to be seen in the forest. Even though it was only autumn, it felt like an endless winter had begun.

A woman Dolak, around twenty years old, with silver hair and gray eyes, sat on a bare tree stump left after it had been felled, dressed in a black aristocratic dress.

She is the leader of the Rhodes Island.

Talulah.

Since leading his infected troops to the Lake Vega area, the Ursus army, which had been relentlessly pursuing him like a leech, has actually retreated.

Talulah knew they wouldn't give up easily. Perhaps fearing an encounter with Patriot guerrillas, they opted for a tactical retreat to preserve their current strength.

The next time we meet will be the day we face a life-or-death struggle.

The biggest challenge right now is not winning a decisive battle, but rather that the infected people who have escaped here are lacking food and clothing and are in a state of extreme scarcity of resources.

As the leader of the infected, she was powerless.

There's nothing we can do.

Wild fruits are scarce. Wild animals are nowhere to be seen. The village is abandoned; almost everything usable has been moved away.

Every day spent waiting for the snow to melt was a silent and cruel torment. Talulah gripped a crimson greatsword in her right hand, staring at her only true friend:

"Alina, do you think I'm a jinx? It feels like we've never had a smooth journey together; even the best situations quickly deteriorate."

After breaking through layers of blockades, we finally arrived at Lake Vega. We had hoped to join forces with the Patriot's guerrillas to resist the Ursus army's persecution. But after searching for days, we haven't seen a trace of them. It feels like they're deliberately hiding from us.

Alina was Talulah's best friend after they escaped Duke Koschei's control. They helped each other and had long since forged a deep friendship.

Faced with Talulah's self-deprecating question, Alina knew that the answer was not important.

She knew how much psychological pressure the other person had been under after becoming a leader of the Rhodes Island.

Alina pursed her lips slightly, revealing a smile as pure and clean as Shirayuki. She opened her arms and gave her friend, who was lost in melancholy, a big hug:

"Talulah, you've done a great job! I've assigned several teams to search for the guerrillas simultaneously. On this land, if you are the towering tree, we are the leaves. As long as you don't fall, we have a pillar of support and we won't lose our way."

"Thank you, Alina ~"

Talulah sighed and gently patted the other person's back. She felt her depressed mood improve slightly.

"Without you, I really don't know how I could have made it this far."

Alina was a very gentle person, like the warm sun in autumn. She brought hope and light to the almost closed-off secret room in Talulah's heart.

"Here, these are the ones I just picked."

After the hug, Alina took a small white flower from the flower basket and pinned it to Talulah's silver hair.

"It's so pretty, you can't take it off."

"No, Alina, never."

Seeing several infected individuals approaching in the distance, Talulah, who rarely showed a smile, regained her composure:

"What's up?"

Alina, who has never participated in any of the Rhodes Island's plans, tactfully left the scene with the flower basket.

Seeing her gradually walk away, the infected subordinates then took out a hand-drawn map and explained:

"Sir, we found large areas of fire damage near an infected settlement ten kilometers away. The hunters' investigation suggests it wasn't done by officers, but rather by guerrillas. However, when we questioned the local infected, they absolutely refused to say anything."

"Perhaps they felt that the visitors were up to no good."

The infected subordinate was taken aback, then immediately corrected him:

"My lord, but we are the ones who came here."

"That's right, we're talking about ourselves. Although we are all infected, in the eyes of the guerrillas and the infected on the Snowfield, we are the outside force. Naturally, they will feel that the Rhodes Island has ill intentions."

"Then, sir, what should we do?"

Talulah stared at the increasingly fierce snowstorm, her eyes gradually narrowing into slits, giving off an invisible sense of oppression.

"On this Snowfield, supplies are extremely scarce. With so many guerrillas, it's simply impossible for them to be self-sufficient and have no contact with the outside world. Every so often, they would definitely come to the villages to resupply. I believe there must be some kind of exclusive way of communication between those infected and the guerrillas."

"Gentlemen, remain here and maintain vigilance. Be wary of surprise attacks from the Ursus army; if you spot any danger, immediately evacuate north. I'm going to meet with the infected in the settlement; I'll be back later."

"Sir, are you going alone?"

Talulah picked up the hand-painted sketch from the tree stump, rolled it up, and put it in the inside pocket of her clothes:

"Yes, is there a problem?"

Several infected

His subordinates gaped, finding it utterly incomprehensible, and raised an objection:

"No, Talulah, you are our leader, how can you put yourself in danger?"

"Yes, sir, why don't I go?"

Talulah was pleased to see her subordinates wanting to go in her place, but still declined:

"To survive in a large city, you need dynamic intelligence and operational capabilities. But to survive in the Snowfield, you need stealth methods that are difficult for the Ursus reconnaissance team to detect. The large areas of fire marks you found were deliberately left by the guerrillas."

I believe that under Patriot's leadership, they won't make such a basic mistake. Because if their hideout is traced, it could cause incalculable losses.

"If we want to cooperate with the guerrillas, we need to show them that the Rhodes Island has no malicious intent. If I go alone, I can escape quickly if anything happens."

"But..."

"No buts. Send out more Reconnaissance Squad. Report back immediately if you encounter Ursus troops. We can't let them reach our camp."

"Yes, sir!"

Talulah didn't linger, leaving the scene with a hand-drawn map. Alina's absence left her uneasy. Although the current crisis had temporarily subsided, a new storm was brewing.

One day, it will be unavoidable.

September 30th, 3:15 pm

The infected settlement is located 10 kilometers away from the Temporary Camp of the Rhodes Island.

Ursus generally treats the infected extremely poorly. Whether you're a nobleman or a lowly miner, once you become infected, you essentially say goodbye to a normal life. Neighbors, fearing repercussions, will drive the infected out of the village. The wandering infected then band together, forming new settlements.

Of course, if it is not detected, it is not considered an infection.

In large cities, there are military police searching for infected individuals. In small villages and remote areas, there are patrol guards, also known as Infected Enforcement Squad, who carry documents from their superiors and use searches as a pretext to commit dirty deeds.

Dressed in black clothes and armor, their menacing appearance led the persecuted people to call them "poisonous insects." While searching for the infected, they also plundered the people's wealth, like insects taking everything without leaving a trace.

"Da, da, da."

Talulah, holding the Crimson Sword, strode confidently into the infected settlement.

Her aristocratic attire provoked disgust among the countless infected people present. Some clenched their fists in the shadows, while others cast glares of utter loathing.

Always, very unfriendly.

A middle-aged Ursus infected man was hiding a young man named Kaster, who was receiving treatment, in his home. This man was a member of the Snow Beast Squad under the Patriot guerrillas.

His wife had died at the hands of the Enforcement Team members, so naturally he had no respect for this high-and-mighty Miss. Seeing Talulah standing alone before him, looking around anxiously, he couldn't hold back any longer and angrily rebuked her:

"Which noble Miss are you? Go back now! There's nothing left here; the Enforcement Team have taken everything, leaving no way out!"

Talulah sensed the anger in the other person's words and calmly replied:

"No, sir, I'm here to find someone."

"Looking for someone? Hahahaha."

The middle-aged infected man laughed heartily, finding the statement utterly ridiculous:

"Did I hear that right? A noble Miss would actually stoop to the infected's settlement to find someone? We've already moved to such a remote place, but your private soldiers and Enforcement Team still come to rob us every few days!"

Now you've changed your tactics. If there's nothing to steal, you say you're looking for someone, huh? If you can't find them, are you going to kill me? You bastard, are you going to kill me?! Then come on, you damned bastard, I'm not afraid of you!

As the middle-aged infected man was shouting, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the stronghold.

Talulah looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was an Enforcement Team dressed in black armor and carrying a black whip. On a whim, she ran out with the crowd.

She wasn't afraid of this man, but she was worried that besides the Enforcement Team's accomplices, there might also be Ursus regulars outside. If they were caught off guard, the approximate location of the camp would inevitably be revealed.

Seeing the noble Miss run away left the middle-aged infected man completely bewildered, his expression extremely strange.

"Hey, you, what happened?"

In that brief moment of hesitation, many infected individuals at the scene took off running, fearing they would be affected. The middle-aged infected person hesitated for a few seconds before running and was stopped by the Enforcement Team.

"Hey, why are you running?"

The middle-aged infected man looked distressed, unsure of what fate awaited him.

"Sir, sir of the Enforcement Team..."

The Enforcement Team member frowned, sized up the middle-aged man before him, and shook his head:

"Tsk, you're too skinny. They probably wouldn't even accept you at the mine. Tell me, how do you want to die today, a quick death or a slow one?"

"Enforcement Team, look at me in this state. It won't do you any harm to spare my life."

What was clearly a plea for mercy seemed to touch a nerve with some people, who immediately erupted in angry curses:

"You think you can teach me how to do things? You're asking for it!"

The Enforcement Team swung his black whip, aiming a powerful lash at the middle-aged infected man. A solid strike would surely tear his skin apart!

"Whoosh!"

The dull thud of the whip made the middle-aged infected man close his eyes and turn back.

Recalling all the painful experiences of the past, she desperately wanted to retaliate, yet dared not make any struggle.

If he could resist, would he be in this pathetic state today?

The next second, Talulah made Hero Appears. With just one hand, she caught the black whip that was being swung at her.

The Enforcement Team members, noticing the noble attire on the other person, felt a little intimidated and asked:

"Who, who are you?!"

"My name is Talulah Atreus, I am 25 years old. I am homeless and unmarried..."

The Enforcement Team was taken aback by the Miss's serious answer, and his expression turned surprised and blank. He seemed to hear a piece of music echoing in his ears.

"I'm a leader in an organization, so my biological rhythms are all messed up. I don't smoke, and I drink occasionally. If nothing unexpected happens, I get a full eight hours of sleep every night after I go to bed."

Members of the Enforcement Team: "Goose, goose, goose?!"

"I used to drink a glass of milk before bed, do 20 minutes of stretching exercises to warm up, and then go to sleep. I would wake up the next morning without any fatigue or stress, and the Doctor would say I was perfectly normal."

The members of the Enforcement Team were dumbfounded, completely baffled as to why this noble Miss had given such a detailed explanation:

"What... what are you saying?"

"What I want to say is that, regardless of race, we are all ordinary people, and there is no difference between us. Even if I were to become infected now, nothing would change. Originium-related illness is a disease that causes me physical discomfort. But having this disease cannot change the fact that I am a human being. I am still me."

"Wait, an infected person?"