Chapter 224

Those Mutated Entity plants themselves carry a certain degree of Dregsification, have a strong ability to adapt to most agents and high and low temperatures, and have extremely vigorous vitality and rapid growth, so these common methods are not very meaningful to them.

"..." After listening to the report, Kusei Maki frowned slightly.

The cleanup work is progressing slowly.

It would probably be two months before they completely cleared a passage— Kusei Maki wasn't sure if she really had that much time.

If the Subterranean Giant Tower cannot be accessed, then the research and investigation work here will come to a standstill.

Logically, dealing with such a stubborn Mutated Entity should only require sending out agents, but the "Shard" are preserved in that place, and the agents' approach poses a significant risk to the entire force.

The progress in interpreting research on "Radiation Shielding System" is not encouraging, or rather, the researchers originally located in the Underground Research Institute have not made any significant progress on the topic of "radiation shielding".

After thinking for a moment, Kusei Maki asked, "How are Anilas and Major General Efnir?"

"According to reports from headquarters, the agent affected by radiation— Efnir— is in very stable condition. Anilas, Iris, and Lan are in good condition, while Maple's condition is worse; he has received one round of medication and has now stabilized."

"Major General Efnir's condition has remained stable?"

"Yes," the adjutant glanced at the notes in his hand, "According to the report from the accompanying surveillance team, Major General Efnir has not shown any abnormal behavior, and her emotions are very stable. There are no signs of radiation exposure, and Dr. Nishiki's data collection results also confirm this."

Looking at the report from headquarters in his hand, the adjutant paused for a moment. "The major general doesn't seem to be affected by radiation. She's really something else."

"No one is special," Kusei Maki shook her head, neither confirming nor denying. "'Special' always comes with a price, not something one is born with."

Kusei Maki took a deep breath and stood up.

"I hope she continues to bring surprises," Kusei Maki said, putting on his hat. "Take me to the East District to check things out."

If Efnir is truly immune to the interference of "radiation," then the problems faced by the Subterranean Giant Tower investigation team will be easily solved—to Efnir, those plant-type Mutated Entity inside the tower are nothing to worry about, and having Efnir in charge of clearing them out will quickly pave a path.

"Yes."

The adjutant was leading the way when he suddenly stopped and pressed a button on his earpiece.

"What's wrong?"

"We've made a new discovery, sir," the adjutant said solemnly, turning around after ending the communication. "Our investigation team has also discovered a second entrance, seemingly connected to the Subterranean Giant Tower, at the very bottom of the North District's large water tower. We've also found Trace of Mutated Entity activity inside the water tower."

"Water tower?"

"Yes, sir. It's the water tower that Major General Efnir investigated first. We have now dispatched Engineering Corps and combat units to provide support."

It was only then that Kusei Maki remembered that when the incident between Efnir and Anilas occurred, Efnir was indeed investigating a water tower that had survived from the Old Era.

It seems that Efnir had probably sensed long ago that the water tower was unusual, and now it seems that she was right.

"Take me there."

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, Lapith and Trilice led the Funeral Bird Squad to the East District.

"Things have gotten busier."

Lapith ended her communication with Kusei Maki and sighed softly, "Trilice, we have a new mission."

"Here we go again? This isn't right!" Trilice lamented. "Weren't we supposed to be here to support the fighting? How come they've all left and we're all stuck here working?? Is there some mistake?!"

"Stop complaining, this is an unexpected situation."

Lapith shook her head, unconcerned about having taken on another job.

"We're not here for a vacation; it's good for us to do some work and get some exercise."

They carried out missions in Xijing City. The more missions they participated in, the more generous the rewards they would receive in the end—in short, it was worth it. They were just idling around anyway, and it was rare for Xijing City to unearth such a major secret as the "Shard" of the Ruins, so getting involved and obtaining firsthand information was not a bad thing.

At the same time, Lapith was also very interested in this matter.

"This is so troublesome... I want to go back."

Trilice looked completely unwilling.

138. Special

Headquarters, Training Room

Efnir sat alone on the sidelines, resting, while the soldiers responsible for monitoring her stood not far away. None of them made a point of talking to Efnir —their task was to report on Efnir's condition and prevent any accidents from happening to Efnir. They followed her every day except when Efnir went back to her room to rest, even during mealtimes.

Efnir didn't mind their surveillance, after all, it was to ensure her own safety as well as the safety of others, which was understandable. However, being constantly watched by others and having her every move reported made even Efnir a little uncomfortable, as it was completely different from being on stage.

"Five more days... I hope nothing bad will happen."

Although she never showed it on her face, Efnir couldn't help but feel worried deep down. Ever since the Apostle first appeared in Xijing City, the things they faced were likely to be completely unknown. Having suffered losses at the hands of the Apostle Organization several times, Efnir naturally had to be cautious.

With a sigh, Efnir wiped the sweat from her brow with a towel, squatted down to gently massage her muscles, which were taut from exercise, and then stood up again, drawing a steel spear from the weapon rack and gripping it in her hand.

After the physical training, the next step was to practice weapons skills.

Efnir returned to the center of the training field, stepped back, turned sideways, and slowly began to dance with her spear.

Her movements were neither fast nor slow, calm and serene. Her knees rose and fell, but her feet never moved an inch. The tip of the spear moved slowly through the air, each second like a still painting, steady and flat. After a few moves, as the spear tip followed her body's downward movement and then rose again, it suddenly shot out with a thunderous sound. From extreme stillness to extreme movement, it happened in an instant. The next moment, a storm was brewing and a raging torrent of waves was created.

Several soldiers outside the field also stood quietly, watching Efnir practice.

This was a new experience for them as well.

Among the agents in Xijing City, Efnir's offensive was always swift and powerful, the most "fierce" and unstoppable. When still, he was as solid as a rock and as steady as Mount Tai. When in motion, he was like a raging storm and a thunderous roar.

Canary had trained with Efnir for a considerable period of time, and her swordsmanship, whether intentionally or unintentionally, carried the same momentum, emphasizing "hardness." In contrast, Uzuki Saori's use of Order Weapon determined that her fighting style was more versatile, emphasizing "softness."

The agent's fighting style differs greatly from the "martial arts" system inherited from the Old Era. The existence of the Order Force has brought about tremendous changes in its fighting principles and techniques. In addition, traditional "martial arts," even in actual combat, is more inclined towards fighting against people. In contrast, the agent's martial arts have been greatly modified for fighting against the Erosion Entity.

This resulted in most agents learning their combat skills gradually from the previous generation of agents and gaining independent insights from countless life-or-death battles, forming their own unique style. No one but the agents could be their teacher. Even those like Herul, who had been trained since childhood and selected from a large number of Eligible, were unable to tap into their potential in a short period of time after becoming agents, and were subsequently defeated by Canary.

This is the difference between systems, and also the gap between ordinary people and agents.

In the training field, Efnir's gun movements became increasingly heavy, like a dragon or a tiger. The force of her swings constantly pulled and accumulated between her muscles. Efnir finished one set and continued with the next, gradually noticing some differences in her physical sensations. Efnir had trained in this way countless times, but this time Efnir clearly felt that her body seemed to have undergone some kind of change.

His strength and technique haven't changed much, but he seems to have become more resilient.

Efnir has been almost injury-free since the start of her training program. Normally, by now, the body would be unable to withstand the high load of such intense training, resulting in injuries such as muscle strains, ligament tears, and joint damage.

Because the training intensity is almost insane, injuries are commonplace for Efnir, which is why her training methods are called "devilish" by other agents.

Since the agent possesses an extremely strong self-healing ability, then—wouldn't it be possible to take their progress to the next level by making full use of this special advantage and pushing themselves to their limits almost without regard for the consequences? Since they can recover quickly anyway, why not simply ignore it and keep chasing their physical limits or mastering a certain skill faster?

This is feasible.

This idea of self-harming, high-intensity training is somewhat extreme, but when implemented, Efnir will strictly "manage" it—while pursuing the limits, it is necessary to ensure that it does not affect normal combat missions.

Therefore, the feedback on pain must be real and accurate, and the use of things like "painkillers" should be avoided as much as possible. In addition, there are many other aspects to pay attention to. It is not something that can be summarized in a sentence. Moreover, it is inherently dangerous. Therefore, Efnir always carries painkillers with him in case of accidents.

Incidentally, the painkillers that Efnir usually uses are not simple medicines that can be obtained from the medical department. They are agents-specific drugs that are concentrated dozens of times and have a certain amount of stimulants added. For ordinary people, they are undoubtedly lethal doses of poison, but for agents, they are "combat aids" with the right dosage.

However, this stuff has some effects on the body, so even Efnir rarely uses it.

In conclusion, this training session allowed Efnir to experience a long-awaited change in her body.

She is stronger than she was a month ago.

Even if it's just a little bit, it's the biggest breakthrough in months—for Efnir now, she desperately needs even greater power.

The Apostle Power is useful in certain situations, but it's not enough.

The right eye also needs matching strength to function at its best.

Only when Ephnel, as the agent, makes a breakthrough in her own power can Efnir feel at ease.

On the other side--

Yukina wandered around the mall alone for a long time, but after visiting several jewelry stores, she still couldn't find a ring she liked.

--That's right, after leaving headquarters, Yukina didn't go to the Youcheng Girls' Academy as she had reported to Efnir. Instead, she went to the mall alone and started picking out "gifts".

Efnir's birthday is coming soon, in just seven days. She herself probably forgot about it because of the continuous missions and a lot of annoying new information, but Yukina remembered it clearly. She had been counting down the days for more than a month and was looking forward to this day.

139. A private investigator!

It was noon, and the sun was high in the sky.

Yukina is waiting for her best friend Kanade Kotone at a dessert shop.

A month ago, Yukina had planned to take a part-time job to raise money to prepare a gift for Efnir, and her friend Yukina Kanade Kotone had given her some advice.

Today, Kanade Kotone first helped Yukina create a smokescreen for Efnir, making Efnir think that Yukina had left headquarters for school, when in fact Yukina had come to choose a gift. Kanade Kotone then rested for a morning after finishing her work, catching up on the sleep she had accumulated over the past few days.

Before long, Yukina arrived at Kanade Kotone. She was wearing a dark chestnut brown halter dress, a white sun hat and sunglasses, and a handbag slung over her shoulder, making her easy to spot in a crowd.

Yukina had exceptional eyesight, Yukina Kanade Kotone she even entered the store.

"Here~"

Through the clean, floor-to-ceiling glass window, Yukina stood up and waved to Kanade Kotone also saw Yukina, walked into the store, and sat down directly opposite Yukina at the table.

"What's wrong with you today? Why are you dressed like that?" Yukina smiled, teasing Kanade Kotone. "You give off the feeling that you're hiding from someone."

Just like the protagonist in an old-fashioned detective movie who's afraid no one will know she's a private detective, Kanade Kotone's face is practically screaming "suspicious." Not to mention Yukina, she attracted the attention of many diners as she walked in.

"Huh? Really? I specifically chose this outfit..." Kanade Kotone's face immediately fell. "I did it to avoid Miss Nishiki and your sister. What if they find out I'm covering for you?"

"Don't make my sister sound so fierce. She might scold me a couple of times, but she wouldn't do anything to you."

At that moment, the waiter came over.

Kanade Kotone ordered a mixed fruit smoothie and two desserts.

"I'm so happy to have dessert so early in the morning."

"Wait, it's noon now."

"But I just got up," Kanade Kotone explained earnestly.

"Anyway, take off your sunglasses," Yukina stared at Kanade Kotone for a while, "And your hat."

"Like this?" Kanade Kotone reluctantly took off her sunglasses and hat, strands of her dark hair sliding down her back and being tied into a simple low ponytail.

"That's much better... but you look so different," Yukina exclaimed.

A little over a month ago, Yukina wasn't an agent yet, and Kanade Kotone was just a student who had come into contact with the Orderkeepers.

A month later, although Kanade Kotone's appearance hasn't changed much, there's been a subtle but noticeable change in her demeanor. She now truly feels like a reliable and gentle nurse.

"Really? But I feel like you haven't changed at all Shiomi- san."

"Huh? Is that so...?"

"Well... I've had that feeling before. In class, even though you're the same age as everyone else, you give off a feeling that's..."

"Like what?"

"How should I describe it...? In short, it's very oppressive." In fact, Yukina has very few friends. Kanade Kotone thought for a moment, "I've only ever felt that way with those soldiers, and it's become more and more obvious since about a month ago."

"What kind of metaphor is this...?"

Yukina didn't take it to heart.

Through repeated training, killing girls her own age on the battlefield, and twice finding herself in perilous situations, these experiences acted like a whetstone, sharpening Yukina's heart into something more resilient and sharp.

A change in mindset will naturally be reflected in one's temperament, so what Kanade Kotone said is not without reason.

"By the way, Shiomi- san," Kanade Kotone, leaning closer, "Do you think I've matured a lot?"

Yukina sized up Kotone, tilted her head, and uttered a single sentence that struck a chord with Kotone: "Maturity is about figure, not face..."

Yukina has a lot to say on this point. Although she can't compare to Efnir, she is definitely more than capable of Kanade Kotone.

"You've gone too far!"

"No, I didn't say that first!"