Chapter 123

"Alright, I won't waste any more words. I'm not here to visit you, but to make a suggestion."

Masaki Hina spoke, she took out a small square box and slowly opened it in front of Uzuki Saori.

"Do you still want to fight, as my agent?"

"Agent...?"

Uzuki Saori tilted her head back slightly, then widened her eyes.

Inside the box, there was clearly her Beacon.

"Lily..."

Uzuki Saori murmured softly, instinctively reaching out her hand, but a sharp dagger was already pressed against her neck.

She looked up in surprise, only to meet a gaze colder than a blade.

"Answer my question, 'yes' or 'no'?"

Uzuki Saori stared blankly at Masaki Hina, who was looking down at her from a high position.

Masaki Hina continued:

"If you choose 'No,' you can still live peacefully as an ordinary person, away from all this trouble. If you choose 'Yes,' you will face training and enemies that are even more difficult than before. You will hide your identity and live in the shadows of the world. Your enemies include, but are not limited to, the Erosion Disaster, bandits, Apostle, and the Human Federation. But in return, you can continue to protect your Rin."

"Cold..."

With a slight shift in her gaze, Uzuki Saori hesitated for only a moment before nodding.

"I... I want... I still want to keep fighting..."

She swallowed hard, while Masaki Hina chuckled softly, her face as radiant as a spring breeze, as if the murderous intent from just moments before had never existed.

"So, from today onwards, Uzuki Saori, you cease to exist. Do you understand what I mean?"

Uzuki Saori nodded, looking bewildered.

Even though she didn't fully understand, Masaki Hina's gaze just now told her that this was a road with no return.

But Uzuki Saori didn't care about any of that.

"Then... can I... can I still stay by Rin's side...?"

There will be opportunities in the future, but not now.

Masaki Hina's eyes were indifferent.

"If you regret it, it's not too late now."

"My... my memories won't be erased, will they?"

"Won't."

"Well... that's good... it's alright... this is enough..."

As long as I can retain my memories of Rin, that's enough; as long as those memories aren't taken away, that's enough.

For Uzuki Saori, the time she spent with Rin was everything.

Rin is the most important person to her.

Having thought she would become a stranger to Rin from then on, the immense joy of finding her again brought tears to Uzuki Saori's eyes.

"Take this."

Masaki Hina placed the box in Uzuki Saori's palm, sheathed her dagger, seemingly unconcerned that Uzuki Saori might suddenly enter Synchronization attack on her.

However, Uzuki Saori was very clear that with Masaki Hina's abilities, she might not even have a chance to enter the Synchronization. Moreover, Masaki Hina might just be testing her. If she still harbored rebellious thoughts, then she would have no way to leave this heavily guarded place.

Masaki Hina has always appeared carefree, but in reality, she is a very cautious person.

Uzuki Saori held the box in her hands, looked up, and asked, "What do I need to do?"

Giving away benefits for no reason is not in the nature of a commander like herself. Masaki Hina is very protective of her own people and takes good care of her subordinates, but she is never lenient with her enemies.

Therefore, Masaki Hina must have something she needs to do.

But now that things have come to this...

"I do have something for you to do."

Masaki Hina rummaged in her bosom and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

She paused, then glanced at Uzuki Saori.

"But... how far will you go?"

"Even if it means my death, I will go!"

Uzuki Saori looked back at Masaki Hina seriously.

She has done too many wrong things, and the things that have happened have caused harm to others that she cannot undo, but if she could do something for those people again, she would do it without hesitation.

She had already made up her mind.

This is how Rin truly wanted to see her. She herself had lost the right to stand by Rin's side, but if it could protect Rin's wishes, then Saori would do it no matter what.

"Hmm... not bad eyesight. However, to ensure that the unknown risks do not occur again, you will need to wear some other 'device' that can cut off your vital signs with a strong voltage. Is that alright?"

Uzuki Saori paused for a moment, then nodded.

"This is what I have to bear..."

As a rebel, this is the punishment he deserves.

"But you did work under me, so I don't intend to let you die in vain."

Masaki Hina sighed softly.

"Your efforts as agents have given this city a chance to have a future, but this heavy burden should not fall on the shoulders of you young people. This is what we, living in this era, owe you... But Saori, no matter what, once you turn your power against innocent civilians, you will no longer have a foothold. You will fall into the abyss, and everything will be far away from you."

Uzuki Saori remained silent, gently pursing her lips.

"Fill in this."

Masaki Hina handed the paper and pen to Uzuki Saori.

Uzuki Saori glanced at it.

"This is... 'Third Group'...?"

"Yes, it's a secret organization."

Masaki Hina's voice was erratic and she smiled.

"Saori, welcome to the team. I'm your boss again."

177. Tracking Operation [Third Update]

Meanwhile, C11 Street --

This is an old neighborhood that is generally considered an "urban slum".

Due to the natural accumulation of economic power, or some deeper reasons, every city has similar "abandoned" urban areas.

Even though Masaki Hina has been working hard to manage the "outer" and "gray" areas, this long-standing problem cannot be solved by her efforts alone. In fact, due to the constant threat of Erosion Disaster, and with limited resources and manpower, it is difficult to treat all areas equally.

Over time, this gray area has been formed.

This area is a haven of shantytowns and garbage, and in addition, it is home to underground casinos, drug trafficking, prostitution, illegal buildings, criminal gangs... If you dig deep enough, you can see the shadows of the entire city in this place.

Karina chose to hide in this place because it offered the best chance of avoiding the city's extensive surveillance and the lurking Special Disaster Division's investigation teams.

"Have you found any clues during the personnel search?"

"No, we are unable to obtain all the personnel information."

"This is the third location we've searched. If we don't find any valuable clues here, we might have to go back and search again carefully."

Fushihara Ayaka was dressed in a brightly colored long dress uniform, and two of her subordinates were also in the private room of the bar.

"So tired."

Her gaze remained unwavering, fixed on the dim computer screen. She rested her chin on her hand and sighed softly, the red wine in her hand untouched for a long time.

"Go and bring the investigation team over here. Tell them to start the search from C9 District, just like last time."

"Yes."

The approaching "open" investigation team is undoubtedly a looming crisis for Karina, and this slowly building pressure gradually puts pressure on Karina nerves, sometimes producing unexpected effects.

Meanwhile Fushihara Ayaka and the surveillance team remained hidden in the shadows, keeping a close eye on her.

To keep the prey constantly on the run, wearing down its spirit and will, will make it reveal its true colors more quickly.

Using the investigation team's relentless pressure, Fushihara Ayaka repeatedly blocked Karina's escape routes, eventually leading Karina to the slums amidst layers of interception.

This was not a mistake by Fushihara Ayaka, but rather an "escape route" she deliberately left for Karina.

Just as Karina wanted to use the slums as cover to escape, Fushihara Ayaka also wanted to use the slums as "bait" to lure Karina into contacting her prey who might be hiding somewhere in the city.

As long as Karina takes any action, it will be time for Fushihara Ayaka to "close the net".

Time passed slowly.

"--Report! The target has reappeared and is moving northeast in a taxi."

Karina began to act once again, Fushihara Ayaka's gaze sharpened slightly.

"Okay, keep a close eye on her and don't let your guard down. Report to me immediately if there are any new developments."

Just then, the monitoring personnel ahead made a call.

"The target made contact with a girl, and the suspected individual is identified as number H. They are..."

"Very good."

Fushihara Ayaka glass to her lips and gently pursed them.

"Keep an eye on her."

She downed the light red wine in one gulp, Fushihara Ayaka stood up and opened the suitcase on the table.

Inside is a complete set of special operations equipment.

"Notify groups three, four, and five to proceed to the rendezvous point!"

"Yes!"

The agent used Training Ground One--

"Well done, let's take a break now..."

"Naoko... were you doing these training exercises every day without my knowledge?"

Efnir looked at Setsuna, whose forehead was already beaded with Yukina, and nodded.

"This is an essential step in order to improve one's strength as quickly as possible."

"Then I can too, I can continue, I want to try even harder."

Yukina raised her gun again, but Efnir gently grasped it.

Efnir gently wrapped her arms around Yukina's waist from behind and placed the gun in Yukina's hand on the table.

("To become stronger, to gain the power to fight against everything, is to seize control of your own destiny...")

This is what a senior colleague said to Efnir.

Later, that predecessor died in the battle against the widespread Erosion Disaster, ending in the ironic way of being "Dregs".

("If I had gained enough power back then, perhaps my senior wouldn't have sacrificed himself so easily?")

Efnir often thought this way.

Unlike Yukina, when Efnir was a beginner, her training scores were very low because she was not used to the body of a girl. At that time, Efnir's performance as an agent could only be described as miserable. She trained herself day after day to adapt to this body, but she could not get satisfactory results.

The monotonous training left Efnir feeling lost.