Mimika's Past

Amid the ruins of the Flaming Sea.

Mimika calmly recounted her past.

"On my eighteenth birthday, I received a package from Wuwu Logistics...

It was from my father. He was a soldier in the Midnight Rangers. When I was very young, I was told he had died in the line of duty. They never even found his body."

Mimika spoke quietly. Perhaps too much time had passed for it to stir much emotion in her anymore.

"When I received the package, the Wuwu Logistics courier told me that my father had fallen into a ravine and suffered severe injuries while covering his teammates during a battle against a Tacet Discord Tide.

A passing Wuwu Logistics employee found him, but sadly, they couldn't save his life...

Even as he lay dying, my father was still thinking of me, his daughter. He asked the Wuwu Logistics employee to send me the doll he'd been carrying, one he'd prepared long before.

I was ten that year. My father never came home to celebrate my birthday...

He passed away so suddenly that he didn't even have time to leave an address or any other information. But that Wuwu Logistics courier never gave up. For years, they kept asking around and investigating while making deliveries.

And when I turned eighteen, that package containing the doll from eight years earlier finally reached me."

As Mimika continued, a barely perceptible glimmer of tears finally appeared in her eyes.

"The day I received that package, I finally finished celebrating my tenth birthday. That was also the day Wuwu Logistics' spirit moved me. I swore to join them and uphold their belief in completing every delivery, no matter what!"

Mimika clenched her fists before her chest, brimming with passion.

Even Ling An couldn't help giving her another look.

Mimika was someone with genuine conviction, though her actions were a little reckless.

Still, Ling An didn't dislike her.

He briefly explained what he planned to do next and waited for her to make her choice.

She could either wait here until he finished defeating the Glacio Rider or head back to Jinzhou on her own first.

After all, he had promised Tang Manliu he would look after her. Ling An didn't want anything to happen to Mimika.

"I'm staying in the Flaming Sea to help you!" Mimika's eyes shone with excitement.

"Patroller Ling An, you've helped me so much. I can't just walk away!"

"All right. Let's go retrieve the Explosive Lance!"

According to the coordinates Professor Woodrow had provided, the Explosive Lance had been divided into three parts: the spearhead, the shaft, and the butt.

The three parts were stored in three separate research stations in Guixu Harbor City.

Ling An glanced at the coordinates and headed toward the nearest location.

The First Research Station.

Looking at the First Research Station's perimeter from a distance, Ling An thought that the upheaval in the Flaming Sea really had left quite an impact.

From the outside alone, the First Research Station looked as though it had been abandoned for a long time.

The other two research stations were probably much the same. All three stations housing parts of the Explosive Lance had fallen into disuse.

As he approached the research station, Ling An saw what seemed to be figures moving inside through a window.

Mimika noticed them too and peered around curiously.

She was not only bold, but also clever.

If Ling An could enter the Flaming Sea and fight a Tacet Discord of that caliber, he had to be exceptionally strong.

With someone like him backing her up, she wasn't afraid of anyone who might appear here.

When they reached the entrance, several Exiles eyed Ling An and Mimika warily.

"Hey, this is our turf now. If you're looking for somewhere to rest, go someplace else!"

One male Exile spoke rather rudely, but to Ling An's surprise, he didn't immediately attack.

Wasn't the usual routine supposed to involve burning, killing, and looting?

Just then, Mimika stepped forward and said, "We need something inside the research station."

"Something? What something?" The male Exile looked puzzled, then added uncertainly, "I'll have to ask the boss."

He turned and shouted, "Boss! Someone wants to take something from us!"

"What?!" A startled voice came from inside the research station. "Who's trying to steal our stuff?!"

A man with thick eyebrows and large eyes walked out of the research station. Rather than looking vicious, he seemed almost simple and good-natured.

Ling An could hardly be blamed for thinking he was dim. The man's train of thought was bizarre.

They had clearly said they wanted to take something. How had that become stealing when he said it?

So this really was how rumors grew with every retelling.

"You're the one trying to steal our stuff?" The leader looked at Mimika.

Mimika hurriedly shook her head. "Not steal. Take!"

"Isn't that the same thing?!" The leader looked at his underlings.

His underlings nodded. "Yep, same thing!"

Ling An couldn't take it anymore.

He could tell now that these Exiles' intelligence left a lot to be desired.

He pressed the switch. "I am Ling An, a Patroller of Jinzhou!"

The voice hung in the air for a few seconds, and the Exiles' expressions changed one after another.

"Oh, crap! Boss, a Patroller's here!" one underling cried anxiously.

"Where? How come I don't see him?" With his hands in his pockets, the leader looked around.

The underlings beside him had already descended into chaos.

It couldn't be helped. For an Exile, the most terrifying word they could hear was "Patroller."

It was no less threatening than a street vendor hearing "urban enforcement."

At that moment, however, the upside of their leader's slow-witted nature became apparent.

He threw up an arm. "What's there to fear about a Patroller? We finally found somewhere to rest in this hellhole. Brothers, get ready to fight!"

He hadn't seen the Patroller yet, but gathering everyone in advance couldn't hurt.

At the sight of this, Mimika couldn't help taking two steps back, looking slightly nervous.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out behind the Exiles' leader.

"It's you!" Yuni poked her head out from behind him, her face lighting up with delight.

"Yuni? You look much better!" Mimika said sincerely.

"What's going on here?" Yuni asked in confusion.

"We're taking something that belonged to the research station in the first place. It's not what your boss said. We're not stealing!" Mimika explained everything.

Yuni turned to the leader, deeply moved. "Boss, they're the ones who saved me today!"

Only then did the leader realize they already knew each other. It looked like this fight wasn't going to happen after all.

"Heh-heh." He scratched his head sheepishly and looked at Ling An and Mimika. "Since you two saved Yuni's life, I'm sure you don't mean any harm. Whatever you need, maybe we can help."

Ling An extended a hand and made a simple gesture, saying, "We need the Explosive Lance!"

"The Explosive Lance? Never heard of it. This research station was already in ruins when we got here..." the leader muttered.

"Let me think. Something like that should be in a storeroom," Mimika mused.

"A storeroom? There does seem to be a room in there, but we can't open it."

The Exiles' leader stepped forward and asked, "Do you need our help?"

He thumped his chest, looking full of bravado. "We might not be good at anything else, but we can definitely cheer you on!"

His impossible-to-hide air of simple-mindedness made Ling An struggle not to laugh.

Are you sure you're an Exile?

He silently quipped, Your first mission is to make it out of elementary school.