The deeper one went into the passage, the quieter it became, and the lights along the walls grew softer.
This was the heart of the base, accessible to only a very few people.
Before long, Sister Qing stopped before a door at the end of the passage.
It was a metal door, its surface as smooth as a mirror, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen beneath the soft lighting.
She raised her hand and knocked lightly.
"Come in."
A voice came from behind the door. It was also a woman's voice, but steadier and more detached.
Sister Qing pushed the door open and entered. The room was not large, perhaps thirty or forty square meters, but it was furnished with extreme simplicity.
There was a metal desk with a specially modified communication device on it, while several stacks of documents were neatly arranged on the file rack beside it.
A simple bed stood against the wall, with a small lamp on the bedside table casting a soft glow.
A huge regional map hung on the wall. A woman stood before it with her back to the door.
Her figure was slender yet upright, long dark-purple hair falling casually over her shoulders.
She wore a dark gray trench coat, her hands clasped behind her back as she silently studied the map before her.
Sister Qing closed the door and stopped three steps behind the woman.
"My lady." Her voice carried a trace of respect. "Night Wolf has returned."
The woman addressed as "my lady" did not turn around and continued looking at the map.
On the map, red circles were densely scattered everywhere, covering nearly two-thirds of the region.
Her gaze, however, rested on the areas that had not been circled, as though she were pondering something.
"Another four lost?" Her