Chapter 134

Even so... she still greedily craved a warmth that belonged to her.

It doesn't need to be profound, it doesn't need to be devoted; she just wants a simple hug.

Unfortunately, even someone as strong as Wendigo couldn't do that.

Her body temperature was so high that even touching her would cause frostbite.

She knew her demands would cause trouble for many people... so she repeatedly suppressed her own feelings, not wanting to become a burden to others.

But things seemed different in the dream...

She could feel herself being embraced by a pair of gentle hands; a gentle warmth spread through her body, stimulating her long-numbed senses.

Comfortable... and reassuring...

Almost instinctively, she curled up, trying to absorb more of the warmth, and her expression softened considerably.

At this moment, she truly began to resemble a Little White Rabbit.

In a daze, she seemed to see the snow on the snowfield beginning to melt...

In reality...

The Yeti Squad members looked on in surprise as Maria, with a calm expression, hugged their leader.

His composed demeanor seemed completely unaffected by the chill!

They looked at each other, both revealing an indescribable surprise.

They knew a little about their eldest sister's condition... It's no exaggeration to say that a glass of ordinary warm water would freeze over in large areas after FrostNova held it for a while.

Even they weren't allowed to touch each other.

But Maria could hug him without any hindrance... which they found a little hard to understand.

But when they saw FrostNova lying in Maria's arms, her brows relaxed slightly, and they also showed a touch of tenderness in their gaze.

Never mind...

Regardless, as long as the boss is comfortable, that's all that matters.

As they pondered, they also turned their heads.

After Maria offered to lead the way, they marched at full speed.

After spending several hours, they quickly arrived at Mobile Platform 14...

This is a remarkably broad platform...

What it originally did is now unknown.

Everywhere you look, there are ruined and dilapidated buildings.

Black walls were visible everywhere, and the smell of burning seemed to never dissipate.

But the most eye-catching feature is undoubtedly the towering clock that stands in the very center of Platform 14.

The clock face is long gone, and time has long since stopped, but it remains the most conspicuous building in the area.

165.2

The group stopped and turned to look at Maria.

They've finished their task of guiding the way; now it's up to Maria to decide what to do next.

"... Where is your main force?"

Maria turned her head and continued to ask questions.

After entering this area, Maria contacted the Doll and asked it to make an assessment of the place.

The Doll responded quickly.

It will take a little time.

Clearly, the scope of this mobile platform has exceeded the Doll's expectations.

She had thought this would be an extension of Yharnam, but it was clear that it was much larger than her own detached Hunter's Cabin.

Preliminary estimates suggest that it can accommodate over 100,000 people without any pressure.

Although Maria had fully opened up her abilities and authority to her, it was still somewhat difficult to change such a space all at once.

It's like filling a pool.

Maria is like the sea; she certainly has the power to change things. But there is a distance between the pool and the sea, which needs tools to bridge.

The original Umbilical Cord was just a straw; it was only after Patriot got their Umbilical Cord on it that the situation changed somewhat.

"The assimilation process will begin here in about an hour... I need to remind you, kind Hunter, that these people cannot remain here during the assimilation process."

The Doll's gentle voice echoed in Maria's mind, while simultaneously issuing its own warning.

Ultimately, what she wanted to do with this platform was the same thing the Outer Gods had done before.

She wants to detach this area from reality!

With such extensive use of power, it's impossible to pay attention to minor matters.

If these people continue to stay here...

"They might become like you were back then, immortal and indestructible..."

The Doll's words were unusually serious.

She knew that Maria wouldn't want this to happen.

Meanwhile, in reality, after hearing Maria's question, the members of the Yeti Squad turned around and led Maria towards the originally planned campsite.

But as they continued their journey, a burnt smell gradually reached their noses...

"Um?"

The companions exchanged glances, suddenly realizing that something was amiss.

After nodding in unison, the group rushed across the damaged road and headed towards their destination.

The remaining members of the Yeti Squad also cooperated very well, protecting Maria and FrostNova in the middle.

"Something's not right... Captain."

The man who had spoken with Maria earlier spoke up, his words tinged with suppressed emotion.

"The boss instructed us not to reveal our location and not to light any fires for the time being... Logically speaking, the others shouldn't disobey the boss's orders..."

"... You mean, your team is having problems?"

Maria remained as serene as ever.

After hearing the other person's explanation, she instantly realized the reason for their wariness.

After a moment of silence, she continued walking.

The Yeti Squad members nearby stopped her.

"Um... Captain, why don't you and Big Sister rest here for a bit? We can handle these things."

165.3

The Yeti Squad members clearly didn't want Maria to get too close... If it were just some guys disobeying their leader's orders, that would be fine, but if it was really an attack, and their leader was still unconscious, who knows what dangers they might face later.

They were also acting out of a desire for protection.

But Maria didn't say much, and simply continued walking slowly forward.

Their firm steps showed no hesitation.

This caused some concern among the crowd.

They wanted to stop it.

But then they remembered the confrontation between Maria and the Patriot, and stopped themselves from saying the words that were about to stop them.

Clearly, if even the Patriot couldn't suppress it, their attempt to stop it was nothing but wishful thinking.

After hesitating for a moment, they could only follow Maria helplessly.

What else can we do?

Fight with the other side?

They've gone mad.

The boss is still in her hands!

Maria insisted on getting closer, so they had no choice but to follow her.

With this attitude, they gradually approached the camp.

Then... the rising flames gradually ignited their anger...

The grotesque, twisted monster wandered aimlessly, its empty eyes scanning its surroundings as if searching for any trace of life.

The two companions who had arrived earlier were now unable to utter a sound, their bodies shattered into many pieces on the ground.

There seemed to be confusion hidden in his wide eyes.

The billowing flames burned fiercely all around... and their other companions served as fuel for them...

Soon, these twisted monsters noticed Maria and the others who had arrived. Without any hesitation, they roared and charged towards them, screaming like wild beasts.

The remaining members of the Yeti Squad didn't hesitate at all and decisively raised their hands!

Ice condensed and then launched in an instant!

But... even with their bodies pierced through, these hideous Infected did not hesitate and continued to scream as they charged toward them.

This troublesome situation also caused the members of the Yeti Squad to show unpleasant expressions.

A few of the smarter ones decisively shifted their attack direction, launching strikes towards the opponent's legs.

The powerful impact instantly shattered the monsters' legs, rendering them unable to move... but even so, they still struggled to crawl towards this side.

This seemingly mutated action sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

Soon, people noticed the abnormal white crystals on the monsters' bodies.

"It's Mephisto's Herd..."

Keen observers quickly identified the origin of this group.

It is a monster infected by Mephisto's Originium Arts, which also belong to the Reunion Movement.

But what they didn't understand was why the other side was attacking them.

What's even more strange is, where are the other members?

Even without FrostNova's leadership, they couldn't have been so easily defeated by Mephisto, could they?

"... They moved their location."

Soon, someone made a judgment.

"Mephisto's Herd are mindless, but they are interconnected. Once one Flock monster discovers them, a continuous stream of Flock will attack... They probably worried about this, which is why they moved their location in advance... There are markers here!"

165

Finally, Maria and the others found the rest of the group in a ruined cave with only one entrance and exit.

"It's us!"

After seeing people in the line raise their hands in their direction, the man quickly raised both hands as well, declaring his identity.

"Umi?"

The other party quickly realized that this was a member who had left with their leader.

They hurriedly welcomed him into the camp.