Chapter 74

"Then I'll just get straight to the point. Your so-called temporary command post seems to have a small number of people and the setup isn't very reasonable... If I'm not mistaken, Masaki Hina isn't at headquarters right now either, is she?"

"How did you even notice that?"

Fushihara Ayaka looked at Efnir with some surprise.

"It was just a guess I made by chance."

"Efnir said."

Actually, when Efnir received the call from Masaki Hina on the plane, she found it strange. The sound from Masaki Hina's end was very noisy, and it didn't seem like she was indoors at all.

At that time, Efnir only had suspicions and didn't think much of it or pay much attention to it. But when she arrived here and saw the personnel arrangements and the layout, as well as the Fushihara Ayaka gave to Nishizaki Yuki and Kanade Kotone, Efnir began to feel strange.

Efnir knew Fushihara Ayaka, and it was precisely because she knew her that she felt Fushihara Ayaka was acting somewhat "unusual" today.

Today, Fushihara Ayaka was talking a lot of nonsense, and the usually capable Ayaka Shinjihara also did some useless things, such as deliberately bringing the agents to Nishizaki Yuki's room and making sure not to disturb Yukina and Kanade Kotone's conversation.

Furthermore, the Fushihara Ayaka, as the commander, came here is the strangest thing in itself; it's as if it's just for show.

Connecting this to what Fushihara Ayaka had told her, "I have other missions to perform," Efnir began to speculate.

"How could such a coincidence be possible?"

Fushihara Ayaka smiled irritably. Seeing that things had already gone this far, she had no intention of hiding it any longer.

"Speaking of which, don't you find it strange, Efnir?"

Fushihara Ayaka leaned closer and whispered, "Nishizaki Yuki was saved by that little girl. These two were already here when we arrived. Anyway, whatever they say, we can only passively listen. Do you think that if the other party is someone like an 'Apostle,' they would suddenly let Nishizaki Yuki, who is carrying important information, go?"

"I share that concern, but I personally don't believe that Nishizaki Yuki is that kind of person."

"What if we don't look at it from an 'individual' perspective?"

"Then I share your skepticism towards her."

100. Tachibana Sara

"That's more like it."

Fushihara Ayaka took a deep breath and said calmly.

"So I can't tell you about this. But I can say this—you guessed it, Masaki Hina has also left headquarters. As for where she is and what she's doing, that's classified."

Efnir didn't care that Fushihara Ayaka hadn't told her everything. Her position was that of an agent, while Masaki Hina and Fushihara Ayaka were commanders; the two were fundamentally different.

"But come to think of it, does it really look like there's such a big flaw on my end?"

"Fushihara Ayaka suddenly asked again."

"No, Kanade Kotone and Nishizaki Yuki have never met you. If you're just being wary of them, then it shouldn't be a problem," Efnir answered honestly, then added, "But I'm also curious, why are you so wary of them? What if the news Nishizaki Yuki brought back is actually true?"

"Then let's make this a real show. I'm not just putting on an act here. Only Masaki Hina and I knew about this before. Oh right, now there's you too. But for these soldiers, they are carrying out a very serious mission. This is not something you can just play around with."

"Is that so... then I'm relieved," Efnir said, looking relieved. "I have nothing else to say. See you later."

"Hey, wait a minute, where are you going?"

"Looking for Tachibana Sara."

"What's wrong with you today? Wandering around my command post like this, are you checking my household registration?"

"It's just that I'm having some worries."

With that, Efnir waved and left.

Efnir grabbed a few chocolate bars, and when she found Tachibana Sara, the light chestnut-haired girl was standing by the window, her gaze passing over the dirty glass, staring blankly into the distance.

"Shaluo, so you were here."

Upon hearing Efnir's voice, Tachibana Sara turned her head; her profile appeared soft yet exceptionally defined.

Tachibana Sara is of mixed race. Her skin is fairer than that of the average person in Xijing City, and her hair color is also very rare, with a slight curl. In the sunset, these features are exceptionally striking.

"What are you doing here?"

"Awaiting orders to launch..."

Efnir came to Tachibana Sara's side and looked in the direction Tachibana Sara had been gazing. What came into view was a cemetery in the distance, hidden by overgrown weeds.

That desolate scene appeared especially bleak under the setting sun.

The girl silently observed everything there, her face expressionless.

"I have some chocolate here, would you like some?"

With a smile, Efnir handed the chocolate she had just brought to Tachibana Sara.

Tachibana Sara loves chocolate.

"Thank you, senior..."

She reached out and took it, slowly peeled off the plastic wrapper, and then popped the chocolate into her mouth. Because she didn't deliberately bite off a piece but stuffed the whole thing in, her cheeks puffed out a little.

"Speaking of which, Sharo, how long have you been a member of the agency?"

"Seven months."

Tachibana Sara's words were muffled, but still discernible.

How is your mother's health?

"Fine."

Efnir asked a series of questions, some long and some short, which Tachibana Sara answered one by one.

Tachibana Sara is a woman of few words; it's just her personality. She rarely shows much emotion to others. She answers only when asked a question, and if you don't speak to her in a questioning manner, she won't say anything at all. This personality of Tachibana Sara directly results in her not having many friends with whom she has frequent contact.

In Efnir's mind, the only time she showed any other expression was in front of her parents.

That was before Tachibana Sara joined the agency. At that time, Tachibana Sara had just arrived in Xijing City with her parents. Efnir saw Tachibana Sara for the first time then. Back then, Tachibana Sara was a shy and timid girl who always hid behind her father. Efnir had seen that middle-aged man once at headquarters.

At the time, Masaki Hina had only been in office for less than six months. Compared to the commander with her youthful, loli-like appearance, Efnir was quite impressed by that chiseled, resolute man.

Efnir overheard them talking about the agent, and later Tachibana Sara and her mother settled in Xijing City, while her father left after receiving a mission.

Her father was a naval captain.

In the Old Era "sea-land-air" military system, the navy was the one that retained the most complete combat capability.

This is not only because there are fewer Erosion Entity in marine areas than on land, and the associated dangers are also much less, but the main reason can be traced back to the first Ruins discovered by mankind - the "Western Sea Ruins".

The "Western Sea Ruins" is a massive ancient civilization heritage site submerged on the seabed. It first came to human attention with a cliché story that began with "strange objects in the fishing nets of archaeologists and fishermen." Its true value was only discovered after the White Hole Erosion.

The "Boundary Stele System" is a derivative of the Ruins Technology excavated from the Western Sea Ruins. Based on this, the "Stealth Device" was developed, and the Navy was the first to experiment with it.

For this reason, compared to the almost completely wiped-out air force and the heavily damaged army, the navy still retains a considerable amount of combat capability. At the same time, it is currently the safest channel for transporting personnel and supplies, so naval forces frequently receive orders to dispatch missions.

Efnir has never heard anyone mention what orders Tachibana Sara's father received back then. She only remembers that after an unknown amount of time, when Efnir met Tachibana Sara for the second time, Tachibana Sara had already become a prospective agent.

By then, her father had passed away, and her mother had fallen ill and never recovered. From then on Tachibana Sara rarely showed any emotion.

"Speaking of which, if this mission unfortunately requires us to participate, I might change the combat formation plan."

"Efnir said softly, looking at Tachibana Sara."

Tachibana Sara glanced at her, her eyes questioning, but her face remained expressionless, and she uttered no question.

"I can't go into the specific reasons yet, but I want you to act as a mobile crew member in this mission. Even if a battle breaks out, your only task is to stand by until I give you the order to attack."

"I knew Tachibana Sara wouldn't react," Efnir continued.

"Of course, if I am killed in action, you will take over command from me; that would be a different story."

Efnir smiled and added.

"Senior won't die."

It was unusual for Tachibana Sara to speak up.

Efnir looked at her; the girl's eyes were very serious, and she wouldn't budge an inch.

With a smile, Efnir reached out and patted her head.

I was just saying, in case.

"There won't be any 'what ifs'. If we encounter any danger, my shield will protect you, senior."

"Thank you for your kindness, but please don't tell anyone what I just said, okay?"

Seeing that Tachibana Sara nodded in agreement,

Efnir wasn't too worried that Tachibana Sara would let something slip to others, because Tachibana Sara was the type who didn't talk much anyway.

101. Coordination

"Well then, take some time to rest and regroup before the battle. If anything comes up, just let me know."

Tachibana Sara didn't speak, she just nodded.

Efnir reached out and touched her hair again before turning and leaving.

Yukina and Kanade Kotone are helping to look after Nishizaki Yuki.

Although they weren't really of much help, or rather, they seemed more like they were there to rest than to help.

Even though it was only temporary, the oppressive atmosphere of the command post, which had been converted from a former funeral home, made it difficult for the two high school students to breathe. Compared to other places, the temporary ward where Nishizaki Yuki was located was relatively more relaxed.

Yukina actually wanted to stay with Naoko Yukina, but after the meeting, Naoko had something to say to Fushihara Ayaka, so Yukina had no choice but to come here.

On the hospital bed, Nishizaki Yuki looked at the two girls, then her gaze shifted to the cigarette pack on the table.

She is still very weak, but fortunately, her injury is not fatal. She has just lost a lot of blood, but there are no other major problems.

Even so, smoking is still prohibited.

She sighed, turned her gaze to Yukina, and asked:

"Speaking of which... Yukina... is there anything wrong with you today...?"

"I didn't find anything..."

At that moment, Efnir pushed open the door and walked in.

"Yuki, can't you just rest? You're the patient now."

Seeing a hint of reproach in Efnir's tone, Nishizaki Yuki's lips curled into a smile.

"Yesterday I was a doctor, and they were both my patients, but today it's the other way around... I can't laugh at all... I wonder if I can get workers' compensation when I get back."

"It's not too late to say these things after you've recovered."

Efnir sighed and went to Yukina's side.

Looking at the girl before him, Efnir's gaze softened instantly.

"Sister..."

"Come here, I have something to tell you."

Efnir and Yukina came outside, and she took out a small black device.

This is the communication headset used by agents. Unlike standard communicators, this headset is expensive and has a limited signal coverage, but it is highly resistant to Corruption and is compatible with most signal types. Therefore, it is used to equip agents as combat communicators.

"Yukina, before the operation officially begins, I need to tell you some things you need to pay attention to. Although you only need to follow me this time, just in case, you need to know how to handle unexpected situations."

Yukina nodded, and then she saw Efnir reach out and gently brush a strand of hair from her temple, putting a communication headset on her.

"This is our combat communicator; it's specially made. Don't lose it."

Efnir's fingers lingered on Yukina's cheek for a moment, intentionally or unintentionally, and a ripple appeared in her eyes.