Diablo Comes to Patrol the Mountain (〃▽〃)

Out in the suburbs of National City, far from the hustle and bustle, Kate Grant, a corporate executive, was struggling to drag a large duffel bag out of the trunk of a commercial SUV. She dropped it heavily onto the grass. After testing its weight and hesitating for a while, she finally gritted her teeth, picked it up again, and slung it onto her back.

Watching her were two little boys dressed in outdoor gear and a slightly shorter little girl holding a plush teddy bear... Obviously, they were her youngest son, Carter Grant, and her adopted daughter, Annie Hastur!

This was a mountain forest with a small lake. In the distance, peaks rose one behind another, cloaked in green trees. Nearby, the water was as smooth as a mirror, its ripples glinting in the light. From afar, the green hills seemed to float on the water, their reflections swaying gently. The scenery on both banks looked as though it had been painted on a canvas—exceptionally beautiful.

"Food, drinks, blankets, a simple tent, rain gear... Great! I don't think we've forgotten anything..."

"Carter, put on your backpack. Come on, let's start hiking!"

"Annie, keep up. We only need to reach the top of that little hill across the lake. It won't take long... I was going to bring the driver and bodyguards, but since you two are here, I guess we don't need those annoying people. Am I right?"

Yes, it was International Workers' Day. Although neither Kate's Kac Media Group nor the country had a tradition of taking the day off, that didn't stop her from taking advantage of the weekend to go camping outdoors with her youngest son Carter, who never seemed to do anything useful, and her increasingly lazy adopted daughter Annie. She wanted them to spend