Across the wilderness, the howling wind whipped up clouds of sand and dust. The distant roars of the horrid beasts could be heard faintly, while several large armored vehicles belonging to the Lighthouse's Wilderness Hunter Corps sped over the rugged terrain in a long, snaking line like a pack of steel behemoths, kicking up clouds of dust.
Inside one of the vehicles in the middle of the convoy, in its cramped cabin, the Wilderness Hunters' newly appointed commander, Suiying, sat with his legs spread and arms folded across his chest. He lounged there with his eyes closed, resting, a faint smile playing on his face.
With his upright, noble appearance, he looked every bit like a sunny, openhearted man.
At least, anyone seeing him for the first time—even his own loyal subordinates—would never imagine that he was actually a cunning scoundrel who had repaid kindness with betrayal. He was the sort of outrageously devious villain who could even bring himself to kill Mark, the former commander of the Wilderness Hunters, with his own hands.
But few people throughout the Lighthouse knew about those things. Mark, the victim, had already become a monster and disappeared without a trace. He had even become a public enemy of the entire Lighthouse, so Suiying had no reason to worry that his deeds would come to light.
And, in fact, he wasn't particularly worried!
See?
He sat in his seat with his eyes closed, resting, letting his body sway gently from side to side with the armored vehicle as it raced and jolted along.
Beside him, in the cabin, the imposing heavy exoskeleton stood motionless, gleaming with cold metal. It exuded an air of formidable, dependable power, while also taking up at least a third of the cabin, leaving everyone else to squeeze into the