Ambushed

Let us turn our attention to several hours earlier.

The wilderness near Lungmen, several hours earlier.

"Hey, Texas, the target for this mission seems a little strange."

Exusiai glanced at the mission brief in her hand, then looked suspiciously at the boundless wilderness stretching before her.

"What is it?"

With a Pocky between her lips, Texas turned her head and looked at Exusiai in confusion.

"The mission requires us to reach a stretch of wilderness four kilometers outside Lungmen within two hours and escort the target. We've already arrived at the destination. I just checked the route map again—everything is correct."

Exusiai kept flipping through the mission report in her hands while also checking several maps laid beside her.

"If the target isn't here, we'll have to head back. We can just refund them then."

The atmosphere around them suddenly turned strange. Though it was an endless wilderness, it sent Texas a signal of danger, making both her wolf ears stand upright.

"All right. Let's head back first."

Exusiai nodded, agreeing with Texas's suggestion. She climbed back into the off-road vehicle they had arrived in, started the engine, and prepared to leave.

But suddenly, the engine of Exusiai's vehicle exploded. The blast was not large, merely a small explosion, and could not endanger Exusiai inside the driver's seat.

Still, the off-road vehicle was ruined. Exusiai immediately got out, drew her Guardian Gun, and vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

"Sorry, ladies, but you're not going anywhere."

A sinister voice rang out behind Exusiai.

Exusiai immediately stepped back, rejoining Texas as they warily surveyed their surroundings.

Texas had also discarded her previous expression, leaving only coldness and killing intent on her face. The weapon in her hand was already poised to strike.

A sudden gust whipped up sand and dust around them. Under its cover, a large group of people abruptly appeared near Texas and Exusiai.

Texas frowned. So many enemies had surrounded the two of them. If they could not break out quickly, it would be a huge problem for both herself and Exusiai.

Their concealment techniques were excellent. Texas could vaguely sense danger through her instincts, but she could not detect them until they revealed themselves.

"What exactly do you want? I've already severed my ties to the past," Texas said coldly, her eyes brimming with icy killing intent.

"Don't be nervous, Miss Texas. Your friend has caused quite a bit of trouble in Siracusa—trouble so great that even we can't contain it."

A masked mafia member stepped to the front of the encirclement and calmly looked at Texas.

"We need you to come with us. Of course, it would be best if you didn't resist. Go see that friend of yours. The situation in Siracusa is extremely unstable. Every Family head, even Madam Sicily herself, has been worn to exhaustion by the mess your friend stirred up. And since you are connected to her, we need your cooperation."

Texas's brow furrowed deeper, and the Originium energy light sword in her hand radiated scorching power.

Could it be... her?

Among Texas's old friends, there was only one person she could think of who could cause such a disaster in Siracusa—the person who had gone mad in pursuit of revenge.

"Also, Miss Exusiai, please stay away from this matter. We are wolves who follow the rules. If you leave as requested, we will not harm you in the slightest."

Exusiai froze for a moment, then put on an indifferent expression as she faced the mafia member.

"That concludes my advice. What is your decision, Miss Texas?"

"Impossible."

"Is that so? What a pity. Though we considered many contingency plans, most of them failed in simulation. Then please forgive us, descendant of the Texas Family."

The mafia member vanished from the front of the formation the instant he finished speaking. The mafia members surrounding Texas and Exusiai immediately sprang into action. There were heavily armored shield bearers, guards, and even long-range casters among them. There were also two or three ranged squads equipped with bows and crossbows for suppression.

The two women were no slower to react. In the blink of an eye, a dense rain of arrows shot toward them.

Exusiai's halo and light wings began to gleam, while the single Guardian Gun before her multiplied into six, opening fire with swift and precise attacks.

With a sweeping slash, Texas cut every arrow flying at her in half. Then she explosively pushed off with both legs and charged straight ahead, cutting down several mafia guards who had failed to react in time.

At first, the two of them moved through the encirclement with ease, swiftly and precisely dispatching enemies who seemed to outnumber and outclass them by far.

Soon, however, as the encirclement tightened and more and more enemies joined the assault, the two gradually began to fall into a disadvantage.

Exusiai's state had a time limit. Maintaining rapid, precise fire from six guns consumed an enormous amount of her processing power. After several rounds of continuous fighting, Exusiai gradually became exhausted, and the accuracy of her once-precise shots began to decline.

Texas, meanwhile, was being suppressed by a coordinated assault. The mafia's heavily armored units were not particularly formidable individually, but there were many of them now, and they had some degree of protection.

Texas's rain of sword strikes could not harm them at all. Even when it did, the damage was negligible.

Behind the heavily armored units, a large group of long-range casters and bowmen relentlessly suppressed Texas. Dense spells and arrows flew at her from every direction.

Even someone as strong as Texas was soon wounded under such concentrated attacks.

While Texas was distracted, a guard wielding a longsword slashed toward her abdomen.

Texas hurriedly tried to block the strike with her light sword, but an incoming shield made her abandon that idea.

Gritting her teeth, Texas suddenly threw her body backward. Her light sword pierced through the shield and killed the mafia member hiding behind it. Then she bent her body as far as she could, barely preventing the blade from piercing her abdomen, leaving only a thin, long wound across its surface.

At that moment, Exusiai had exhausted her processing power as well, and her entire body was overwhelmed with fatigue. Just as Texas was injured, several long-range attacks struck Exusiai, blasting her away. She crashed to the ground and passed out.

"Exusiai!" Texas immediately tried to rush to Exusiai's side, but several arrows soon pierced through her shoulder. Texas stopped mid-charge, dropped to her knees, and grimaced in pain.

"If only you had known better sooner. You won't be crippled, nor will you lose any limbs. As a descendant of the Texas Family, you are entitled to such protection. Now get some proper sleep, and wake up once you reach Siracusa."

After Texas's shoulder was pierced, the mafia member stepped out from the encirclement once more.

Texas tried to see his face clearly, but it was hidden behind the mask.

As blood continued to drain from her body, Texas's vision grew increasingly blurry.

The mafia member made no further move. He merely stood there quietly, watching until Texas lost consciousness. Only then did he have his subordinates give the two women simple bandaging and stop their bleeding. Afterward, they tightly bound them, carried them into a vehicle, and left the area.