Delivery guaranteed

Outside the Flaming Sea.

Professor Woodrow and his assistant hid behind cover, staring blankly.

Under their gaze, a gray cat slowly walked toward them.

"He's out!" the assistant cried.

"How did it go? Are you all right?" Professor Woodrow hurried forward to meet him.

Ling An crouched where he was, feeling somewhat drained.

Half an hour earlier.

Drawing on the Flaming Sea's power, the Glacio Rider had formed a shield from Flamebloom pollen, blocking the shot Ling An had poured his strength into.

With the terrain in his favor and a shield protecting him, he was practically an old turtle tucked into his shell.

Neither he nor Ling An could do anything to the other.

One shamelessly relied on his shield, while the other was too exhausted to break through it.

After a brief standoff, Ling An had decided to retreat first.

He looked at Professor Woodrow and pressed the switch. "I can't easily break through that Flamebloom shield."

At that, Professor Woodrow rubbed his chin in thought. "The Glacio Rider suddenly appeared in the Flaming Sea after the last crisis. Perhaps he's connected to the Flaming Sea somehow..."

Ling An looked toward the center of the Flaming Sea.

Faint rumbling came from there once again.

He had been so close to wiping out the Glacio Rider.

If he devoured the Glacio Rider, he might reach the Tacet Discord class in one fell swoop.

Who would have thought his opponent still had that trick up his sleeve!

Ling An wasn't discouraged, just a little resigned.

Why hadn't he gotten treatment that good when Tide Sis fought him back then?

Comparisons really were infuriating.

"Perhaps there's another way!" Professor Woodrow suddenly clapped his hands.

"The Explosive Lance the Midnight Rangers squad used back then was specifically designed for the Flaming Sea's unique environment. If we can reassemble it, it should definitely break through the Glacio Rider's shield."

Ling An's eyes lit up at Professor Woodrow's words.

An anti-Flamebloom weapon? Sounds good.

Just then, Professor Woodrow's communicator connected, and delight spread across his face.

"Mortefi, you brat, you're finally willing to answer my call?"

The voice of Mortefi, a researcher at the Huaxu Academy, came through the communicator.

"I'll keep this brief. Following your reminder, I confirmed that spare components for the Explosive Lance used in the last battle are indeed still in Guixu Harbor City. It should still be usable once assembled."

"Don't give me 'should.' You're a scientist," Professor Woodrow said helplessly.

"There's no helping it. It's been far too long since its last use. We have to assemble and test it before we can determine its performance. Any weapon or instrument suffers some deterioration when left unused for too long. However, you don't need to worry about the Explosive Lance's power..."

"All right. With that heavy weapon, we'll definitely break through the Glacio Rider's absurd shield and deal a sufficiently powerful blow to the Flamebloom's core Resonance Mark!"

Professor Woodrow seemed encouraged and rubbed his hands together. Apparently, he too had suffered at the Glacio Rider's hands for a long time.

After the two finished their conversation, Ling An finally had a chance to get a word in.

He pressed the switch. "Explosive Lance?"

His miniature Terminal contained an audio clip about the Explosive Lance.

Professor Woodrow explained, "According to Mortefi, he heard about it while researching Blackstone Weapons. It's a heavy weapon the Huaxu Academy built with help from scientists formerly affiliated with Jiting, known as Orange Box."

Ling An understood. His audio clips came from the Huaxu Academy's database, so it was only natural that information about the Explosive Lance would be included.

"However, it's now been divided into three sections, stored separately in research facilities within Guixu Harbor City. We'll need to assemble it before we can test and use it..." Professor Woodrow looked expectantly at Ling An.

Ling An immediately understood what he meant. "I need the coordinates."

"Of course. I'll send the coordinates to your Terminal. Sorry for the trouble, Patroller Ling An!" Professor Woodrow rattled off.

By now, he trusted Ling An completely.

He might initially have underestimated Ling An because of his species, or perhaps his size, but after Ling An ventured deep into the Flaming Sea and fought the Glacio Rider...

He had completely abandoned that dismissive attitude.

The strong deserved respect wherever they went.

Even if they looked like nothing more than a cat.

In a world of turmoil, strength was the only law.

"Wait, there's another set of coordinates!" The assistant hurriedly took the Terminal and entered a new location.

"What's this?" Ling An and Professor Woodrow looked at her in confusion.

"Mimika's location. These are the coordinates of her delivery destination. It's far too dangerous for her to enter the Flaming Sea alone. Patroller Ling An, if possible, I hope you can bring her back."

Ling An glanced at the coordinates. They were on the outskirts of the Flaming Sea, not far from here.

He nodded and turned to leave, his voice coming from the Gourd.

"Leave it to me."

He had already promised Tang Manliu that he would keep Mimika safe.

Even if Professor Woodrow's assistant hadn't mentioned it, he would certainly have stepped in.

He wondered what had made Mimika so anxious that she had left ahead of them on her own.

Following the coordinates, Ling An entered the outskirts of the Flaming Sea.

Many ruins of old buildings still remained within the Flaming Sea.

Without external forces disturbing it, Flamebloom pollen only accumulated on the ground's surface, so staying inside the ruins was relatively safe.

Soon, he reached the designated location, and a familiar figure suddenly appeared before him.

It was sudden because the figure was sprinting frantically through the Flaming Sea.

Ling An took a closer look. Sure enough, it was Mimika!

But a pack of Lightwave Class Tacet Discords was chasing her.

Wearing a gas mask, Mimika ran with her head down.

A Lightwave Class Weeping Warrior Tacet Discord was only a few steps behind her.

She tightly hugged the suitcase she had originally carried on her back.

Even in such a desperate situation, both her hands remained firmly locked around the suitcase. She showed no intention of sacrificing it to save herself.

Ling An couldn't help wondering what was inside that suitcase.

What could make Mimika refuse to let go even with her life hanging by a thread?

He leaped into the air and flicked the tip of a claw.

A wisp of purple flame shot out, swept past Mimika, and struck the Weeping Warrior.

Before he could even let out a howl, he collapsed with grievous injuries, struggling on the verge of death amid the purple flame.

"Patroller Ling An!" When Mimika saw that Ling An had intervened, even her gas mask couldn't muffle her excited shout.

Ling An smacked his forehead, looking utterly helpless.

Sensing Ling An's presence, the remaining Tacet Discords scattered.

Once Mimika realized she was safe, she set the heavy suitcase on the ground and gasped for breath.

"Thank goodness you were here! I would've been in real danger otherwise!" she said, patting her chest in lingering fright.

Ling An looked curiously at the suitcase. "What's inside?"

Mimika lifted her head proudly. "The things my customer needs, of course! As couriers, we have to do everything we can to protect them from damage. That's our duty!"

"Be more careful next time." Though he knew she wouldn't listen, Ling An couldn't help saying it.

"I know, I know! You're so nice, Patroller Ling An!" Mimika smiled guilelessly.

At first, she had only wanted Ling An's help delivering goods to Guixu Harbor City, but now she saw him as someone important, far more than just a cat.

She fiddled with her communication touchpad, then looked up and scanned her surroundings. "The customer's coordinates are right here. I hope she's all right."

Danger lurked everywhere in the Flaming Sea, and she was deeply worried about her customer's safety.

"Huh? Patroller Ling An, do you hear someone moaning?" Mimika suddenly asked.

Ling An extended a paw toward the ruins nearest them. "Here!"

Mimika hurriedly hoisted the suitcase onto her back and walked toward the ruins.

Beneath a collapsed wall, they found a woman dressed as a member of the Exiles lying on the ground.

At first sight of the woman's clothing, Ling An instinctively scanned his surroundings.

Good thing this is the Flaming Sea.

Danjin probably won't turn up around here.

It wasn't anything else; he was simply afraid that if Danjin were here, she might accidentally cut down Mimika's customer.

That would be bad.

"Hello! Were you the one who placed the order?" Mimika asked loudly.

"Y-yes. My name is Yuni. I never imagined Wuwu Logistics would actually be able to deliver these things... Thank you so much!"

Yuni looked extremely weak and could barely speak coherently.

"I've been trapped here... for days. There's poisonous pollen everywhere, and I can't get out... Maybe it was interference from the Gravity Storm. I tried everyone I could contact on my communication touchpad, but only Wuwu Logistics' delivery number went through..."

"Thank you... truly!" Yuni clung tightly to Mimika's hand, sobbing too hard to speak.

She had almost died here.

Mimika comforted her, a proud smile spreading across her face. "Don't worry. I'm Mimika, a courier from Wuwu Logistics. Your order has arrived!"

She opened the suitcase beside her, and only then did Ling An learn what was inside.

"Here's the water, food, warm clothing, and medicine you ordered. Not a single thing is missing!"

Mimika took the goods out of the suitcase one by one, listing each with practiced familiarity.

Ling An couldn't help freezing for a moment. Were these ordinary things really worth holding against her chest and protecting while she ran for her life?

But as he looked at Mimika's and Yuni's smiling faces, he understood at once.

Mimika gave him a thumbs-up, beaming guilelessly in his direction.

"Wuwu Logistics, delivery guaranteed!"

With food, water, and medicine, Yuni soon recovered some of her strength.

She thanked Mimika over and over, then supported her weakened body as she headed out of the Flaming Sea.

Mimika happily planted her hands on her hips, clearly delighted to have completed her delivery.

Ling An looked at her and asked curiously, "Why are you so determined to deliver these orders?"

From the argument at the Wuwu Logistics base in Jinzhou City to everything she had just done...

Mimika seemed unusually fixated on completing her deliveries.

At his question, Mimika looked at Ling An, her expression at peace.

"That goes back a long time. I'd only just turned eighteen then..."